How to give yourself some hypertension?

Hey peeps, I’ve been busy tizzy with a wedding at home & also, I had miraculously found myself sinking into the depths of a liquid diet. 

It just started outta the blue, I couldn’t breathe, I cramped near the shoulder blades, I couldn’t eat without this sharp searing pain, I couldn’t drink water either & if I slept.. It was a hellish hole of an experience.

Turns out, I was hypertensed. I, refuted my GP’s claim by rolling my eyes like they were rolling pins on a mission to make 50 flatbreads in 60 seconds.

 “Me? Hypertension? Absolutely not. I will have none of that mind manipulating load of cacophony.” I, argued pretty bitterly.

And my GP couldn’t care any lesser. If, I was a rolling pin.. My GP was a rolling launch of verbal medical diarrhoea. He just didn’t seem to care. The lethargy 😱😱 

“Just some hypertension, which could’ve been due to physical or emotional stress. I’m guessing your epigastrium is a problem here, you might have GERD going on or maybe it’s just esophagitis. These are the doses, must be fine within a week & if not, then we need to carry on a few crucial tests. Till then, you’re on a purely liquid diet”

You, loony balloony doctor!! That statement, gave me hypertension then & there. Hypertension, because apparently, my anniversary was just 2 days after that dreaded announcement. 

I’m a little fine tuned to insomnia, graveyard shifts & direct lunches. So, really.. I have nothing, as in nothing to worry about. But, the seed was sowed in deep. 

Crucial tests?? What kinda crucial tests? 

Being the psycho i was born, my first thought went to the fact, that.. What if I never recovered? What if I was bound to never breathe normal again? What have I achieved in my life? What if I’m never gonna get my hands on a walking stick? 

I, had to take this in my own hands.. I had to find out what I had. I, needed a second opinion. For the GP, I’m just another case, but for me.. I’m the only case of life. 

So, I wiped my tears & those frown lines & got myself ready for a second opinion. I switched on my IPhone & went straight to the most reliable second opinion within seconds.. “GOOGLE”. 

If, I was hypertensed because of what the GP said.. Now I was super duper, hyper-dyper tensed because of what these online medical sites wrote. All & almost all of them, were convinced, that, I had esophagal cancer. And, I dearly wished… At that time that, GERD or esophagitis was so much more lucrative, anyday. 

All, I could think of was.. Never being able to see my son have kids!! 😭😭 I had to think far.. What if, the hubster remarried & got home a horrible “Hansel- Gretel” kinda stepmum? What if, this & what if that.. 

For 5 nights in a row, I did so much research on esophagal cancer, that I can now, just do a thesis on it & bag the prize. 

The anniversary lunch went in bed (ill on bed, I mean) with some soup & a family dinner in the evening, with me eating little bits of bread & soup. What a way, to celebrate our anniversary.. Our plans for the “Koh Samui” trip flopped & we had to cancel everything, but atleast I was alive! 😢😢

On the 6th day, just as uninvited the pain came, it left ever so quietly.. I could breathe normally, drink water without any pain & eat just about anything. The curse was broken, I was freeeee… I didn’t really need a crucial test & nor did I need a second visit to the GP. 

For some reason, I realised how important that episode was. It seemed like, here I was cribbing about how, I haven’t upgraded my makeup stash from the past 9 months & the next moment, I was humbled that atleast I had some life left. 

It screwed my anniversary & my plans, but taught me the most important lesson of my life.. “Love & appreciate what you have”. Those 5 days were hell, but it changed the way, I perceived everything. 

I don’t make “New Year Resolutions”, but this time, I’m making one. 

“Appreciate the Gifts I have, other things will happen on their own”

*also to upgrade that makeup stash, get creme de la mer, do a shopping haul from Harrods, Beauty workshop, Primark & Poundland soon.. It doesn’t have to be expensive all the time.

**make sure, I do that trip no matter what. 

• Btw..women will always be women, no matter what!!

Happy New Year my lovelies!! What resolutions do you have in store??😁😁😁❤️❤️

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2015 in review

Wow guys!! Lemme first start by shouting out a “Happy New Year”, which is round the corner.. Ehehehehe..

Its been roughly 7 months & here’s my report.. I, so couldn’t have done it without you my amigos, my WP fam & my WP buddies!! Love you all & a bigggg thank yous!!

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 7,200 times in 2015. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Bengaluru’s Farmer Market Show- A review.

Last Sunday, we decided to pay a visit to the VR Mall, Whitefield, on the last day of the 2 Day “Bengaluru Farmer’s Market Show”, organised by Karen Anand. I mean, i heard the name and I had to go.   

Karen Anand is such an amazing food writer & a gourmet guru. Her repertoire isn’t something that hasn’t been heard of. I’ve seen her face on a lot of Food magazines gracing the tea-poy of my childhood home in Saudi Arabia. Her beautiful, million dollar smile & those pictures used to always strike a chord with me.

Mum would so ferociously guard her magazines, always telling me i was too young to understand or any such excuse. I, can’t seem to remember the name of the magazine, I’m betting it’s “Good Food”. Well, I just had to go. Karen’s Farmers market, is a Brilliantly great concept of the organic brands coming into one place. 

This time was no different & it just made me run wild!! The array.. Aahh!! Cheese, oils, saffron, honey, teas, chocolates, juices, coffees, jams, preserves, marmalades, etc.. I, had to surrender to the magnetism of the compact event.   

Off, I went hopping from one stall to another. Trying, tasting & making notes of the event. The harsh resonance of the sun, tried to strike me or rather tire me down, but a foodie never goes down that easy. 😁😁

  
I’m gonna just brief you up with my favourites: 

• Bonhomia: This is an innovative brand, which has been in the news for sometime now. They are the coffee/ tea machines, which give you delish results at the comfort of your own home. You really don’t need to go far for that espresso now!

  

• Earth Loaf: They had, the most exotic & organic chocolates & teas on display. I had to resist the desperate plea of my bingeing heart to gobble up everything there. If you’re into exquisite chocolates, then halt yourself.. Here is where you can go effusive with childlike mirth.. 😂😂😂😍😍 The happiness was contagious at that stall.  

 

• Kerry gold cheese: I, have a separate post coming up for this. But all I can say is, I was a happy soul. These are cheeses imported from Ireland. Need I say more?

  

• Curemonte Cheese: Yet another brand & yes, I have another upcoming post on this as well. This is an Indian brand & my oh my.. They are excelling themselves. 

  

• Honey Twigs: This was a stall, where they are talking about taking honey to the next level of convenience. These are small sip along sticks, easy on the go honey for a sugar fix. 

  

• Raw pressery, pressed juice: This is an initiative conducted by a fitness guru. They have these one day “Deep cleanse, Light cleanse” packs, which cost about Rs.1500/- I guess. The hubster had personally tried this previously & he did say, that his body felt lighter. He went on a 2 day detox, with the light cleanse pack. Whether it’s my wishful thinking or not, but I could feel the hubster ‘s skin glow!! 😁😁

These stalls totally stole my heart! ❤️❤️ The event seemed to be such a success, their products were just great to start with. 

I hauled a few goodies & ate a few. 😋😋 So, did any of you visit this fair? 

Do leave your comments on whether you like such food fairs, festivals, etc.. 

Hugs to all of you!!

Hello Curry,an interactive meet-Review

It was that time of the week, when hearts start pumping & stomachs start growling. Umm.. No, I’m not talking about an oncoming infection or high blood pressure, coupled with anxiety attack. The symptoms may look like it, but all I’m talking about is the ” 12 th FBAB MEET”. Me, excited!!

The agenda of this meet, was all about fast food delivery modules. Who better to conduct that, than team “Hello Curry”. Hello Curry, has been around for quite sometime now & have been quite successful in standing true to what their USP is, which is “delivering Indian fast food”. 

 
We were invited over to the “Cartier Hotel” for an in depth discussion about “Hello Curry’s” working module. The room was filled with anticipation, about what was going to unfold. 

  
The team started with their presentation & we were given our courses. Though, it wasn’t the exact chronology of the course, we enjoyed whatever was coming our way. 

 
We were first given the light, fluffy & distinctive Biryani to start our meal. Yes, you heard me right, we started with a main course 😁 I love surprises & this was one of them. The biryani was really light & had a no fuss approach. The flavours of the rice as well as the spices came through, but ever so lightly. It’s the kinda biryani you would eat, if you don’t wanna stuff yourself up like a little gummy bear. Mostly, great for luncheons.   

Next came the Parathas. Oh my loony balloony me!! They were so darn delicious. Like I could eat 10 of them. We were served the “Paneer Paratha” with accompaniments. The Paneer aka Cottage cheese was such a welcome after the biryani. It had the right kinda spice, flavourful & hearty.   

At the end, we were served Steamed Rice with Dilliwali Dal Makhani, Panchmeal ki Subzi & Mystic Kadhai Paneer. All the curries, come in the cuteness overloaded curry pots. But, I’ll come to packaging in a few.   

The curries were I have to say, light, filled with flavour & smooth. I had my heart on the delish “Dilliwali Dal Makhani”. Usually, the dal makhanis that we eat are rich & buttery & I, staunchly support that, that’s how it oughta be. But.. I was in for a surprise when, this light dal was deliciously different. It’s the kinda dal, that satiates your craving & keeps you on your toes.     

The Panchmeal ki subzi & The Mystic Kadhai Paneer were fair enough, a certain level of mediocrity was present in them. They were light & good too, but they weren’t extraordinary. The curries are served either on 350gms of rice or 2 Parathas of your choice.   

Our last course was the dessert. We had, Double ka Meetha & Chocolate Shots for the sweet toothy. Dear Lord!! Sweet Toothy was happy. The Double Ka Meetha was quite runny, not the way it’s supposed to be, but it was fair enough. 

  
What impressed me immensely was the “Chocolate Shot”. Aahh!! The smooth whipped cream with sugar shards & chocolate chips was such a “love-me”thing. I saw, all of the bloggers help themselves to a second helping. They still haven’t, introduced it on the menu, but if they do.. It’s gonna be a yum addition.   

Let’s get to the super amazing packaging. The packaging is super convenient, you could just start digging right in & be not worried about cutlery. The packs are recyclable, quirky & easy to carry. You could be at the office & eating or walking with the Bluetooth in your ear & eating or you could be just plain lazy, watching your soap opera at home & stuffing your face. The packaging is spot on. 

  
  
The curries come in curry pots, the rice in takeaway paper boxes & the Parathas in amazing “inflight” kinda tray boxes. 

  
At the moment they deliver to ” Electronic City, Marathahalli, Madivala & Ulsoor. 

  
Brief insights on Hello Curry: 

• The only brand for the most reliable ” Indian Fast Food Delivery “, in Bangalore.
• They have 32 stores spread across in Hyderabad, Bangalore & Pune. 
• Awarded Best Packaging for ” Ready to eat rests food” category-2014.
• Awarded Best “Regional QSR-South” by All India Restaurant Conference-2015.

Recommendations:

• Dilliwali Dal Makhani
• Panchmeal ki subzi
• Paneer Parathas
• Chocolate shots

Do buzz me up, if you’ve ever tried “Hello Curry” & what you think about it.

Yoga Bars- Product Review

“Yoga Bars, Naam toh Suna hoga?”  (Yoga Bars, Betcha heard the name?). Well, apart from my febrile & futile effort at trying to modify that “Shahrukh Khan” monologue, I have a big soft spot for these babies. 

Let’s face it, I’m a hardcore foodie and that does put me in constant touch (all 5 senses) with food, all the time. I’m always eating out, every other day & the days I’m not, I need to make sure, I keep a check on calories, easy portions & invest as much green as I can in my meal. 

I, have the meals sorted, but the dilemmas happen at the dreaded snacking bits of time. It’s ever so easy to actually, fall prey to those delectable fries or crisps or just something illicitly not good for you. In order to curb that craving, or sometimes a meal itself, I scoured the grocery isles for an alternative. There were quite a lot of options to be honest, but what attracted me to these bars, were their claims. They just had been everything I was looking for. 

  

The “Yoga Bar” endeavour had started with 2 young & dynamic founders “Suhasini & Anindita Sampat Kumar” venturing into the field of ” Healthy Snacking “. I’m a sucker for all young entrepreneurship, i, super love supporting it. The talented sister duo, put the idea to the mould & viola.. We had the “Yoga Bar”. 

The packaging is par excellence. The matte feel, the great font & the smart use of colours, makes this a hit. 

The most primary thing that impressed me was, that they don’t add cornstarch or added vitamins in their products. They try to keep the bars as natural as possible. The raw & organic feel, that the bars have is commendable. The first bite, itself is a dead giveaway about the quality. 

Let’s break it down now, here are the brief insights: 

• All natural product.
• Devoid of preservatives, artificial flavours & additives.
• No cornstarch or added vitamins.
• Limited shelf life, which means it’s good for you.
• Great combinations, delish bars & exotic taste.
• Inexpensive, about Rs.35/- per bar.
• Filled with fiber goodness.
• No transfat. 
• Has chia seeds.
• Only best ingredients chosen, high stringency. 
• Are aids in weightloss diets or clean eating regimes.

Phew!! Quite a list eh? My favourite bars have to be ” Chocolate Chunk Nut and Peanut butter”

While, the Peanut butter one is smooth & textured, the Chocolate Chunk Nut is nutty & chewy. Trust me, when I say this.. These babies keep you satiated for hours, which I guess is due to the fact, that they have chia seeds in them. 

With the fitness market booming & new brands popping up with an array of products, Yoga Bar stands true to its ideals & doesn’t compromise on giving you the best “Healthy Snack” your money can buy. 

Grab your bar & chew away to health. 

P.S: This isn’t a sponsored post, the views stated are completely based on my personal choice.

Noodleheads, Kalyan Nagar- Restaurant Review.

This is such an overdue post, literally it’s been ages. Better late than never, here it goes. 

The other day, I was just street hopping & I decided to stop at this super cute restaurant called, “Noodleheads “. They had these metal doodles as their signboard. The resemblance of the cartoons to a bobble head just can’t be ignored. You’d be heartless to not stop at something so kawaii 😍😍

  

  
I hope you get the drift, I’m sold at the word “Noodles”. Who on earth, hates noodles?? They are just so perfect for life!! 

   

    
 A big bowl of them is what you need for your cravings, headaches, paranoia, insomnia, etc. There’s something about oriental cuisine, that instantly warms you up. 

While, I’m clearly on a chirp mode, I also realise im not that hungry. But who really cares, isn’t it? 

The interiors are fine, with a few smart hat recycled products, mimicking to be decorative baubles. The colour scheme, is vibrant, fun & rather lively. They have an alfresco dining too.

   

  The open kitchen is quite a treat, with “Tak-tak-tuks” going on, while you glorify the chef’s skillset. I, saw a lot of fresh produce around the kitchen. One look & you could gauge how fresh & crispy the produce was.   

One of my biggest pet peeves is being served wilted produce. Thankfully, that doesn’t happen much, but it does. 

   

   
I, personally expected the place to be overdosed in quirk factor, but I found it quite sober with an attempt at making it quirky. Those cartoon doodles had me thinking too much. I wasn’t disappointed, but you know.. I was expecting much more. The seating is comfortable, I liked the crockery  too. So, yes.. The decor & the ambience score a generous 3/5.

The staff were cordial, helpful & happy to serve you. They did give us suggestions & tried to keep the little one entertained. The staff & service gets a 4/5

The food.. Well, to be honest. I’m really biased towards oriental/ Pan Asian cuisine. I love my Nasi gorengs, Tom yums, Pad Thai, Bao’s, etc. I already had a great impression, when my nose was introduced to the familiar, saucy aromas drifting around. 

Though, I wasn’t hungry, the aromas tricked me into believing that I was. The first thing I wanted was some good, hearty, spinach dimsums. Yaayy?? Guess what?? They weren’t available. 

I’m pretty vulnerable to anything negative. Oops a daisy!! I just blurted my secret out.. And, when they said, it wasn’t available.. My thought processing ran wild. I thought, I shouldn’t have come here, it’s gonna be disastrous, looks can deceive, blah, blah, blah jazz. 

With a heavy heart, we ordered our main course. “Malaysian Flat Noodles” & ” Noodleheads Special Noodles”. We waited for quite sometime.

When the food did come, oh yum!! It looked stupendously sinful. All, I could think about was the way, it was gonna melt in my mouth. 

The Malaysian Flat Noodles : This was a big, steamy & aromatic bowl of ambrosia. The deep caramel colour of the noodles, had me reaching out for more. The noodles had a smoky soya sauce flavour, laced with zucchini & broccoli. It wasn’t just filling, but was also so indulgent. My must have & a go to.   

Noodlehead’s Special Noodles: This was a delicious, tangy, sweet-sour kinda sauce with a delicious serving of crisp asparagus, water chestnuts & cherry tomatoes. This dish has a very uncanny resemblance to the indo Chinese ” Chinese Bhel” 😋😋 So, if you love Chinese Bhel, you will love this. Albeit, its a super refined version of it & 10 times more delicious.  

Sadly, that day, that was all that I could eat. This is the place, that serves you maybe the yummiest Asian cuisine, around Kammanahalli. 

The VFM is moderate. The dishes are moderately priced, but it’s worth every penny as the quality is commendable. Thumbs up for it. 

Ratings : 3.5/5