Softest Skin : Do's & Dont's

When it comes to protection , the only thing that you care about is skin care protection. It's comprises of a major port in the body that's visibly exposed .Hence can be directly receptive to harmful UV Rays, dust,pollution, contaminated water and other chemicals that we apply in the name of creams,oils or lotion. So one should take utmost care to protect the skin as it can easily get damaged beyond repair, making it very rough and leaves dark scars behind
Skincare's importance is multiplied when it comes to a little child, as it's skin is very sensitive and receptive to any allergy, germs or infection. No matter how hard you try , somehow you always find rashes or swollen skin with scars in small babies because of its low resistance . Hence its vital to ensure the baby's skin is always nourised and very soft

A few common reasons for a baby skin to get rough includes rough dirty floors, bad skincare soaps and lotions used, pricky/rough clothes used and exposure to a harmful/unclean environment, be it inside the house or outside. Using hardened water containing impurities can also be a major factor causing havoc in the baby's skin .

There's nothing beautiful in the world than a healthy smiling baby with soft skin,whose touch can really make you feel wonderful . You cant wonder and marvel about its innocence and joy just from feeling its super soft tender skin

So what does one do to make sure a baby always remain super soft, tender and doesnt get rough to external agents. Here's a simple 5 pointer that can you remember at the top of your mind to protect your child :

Soap : Little do you know, the impact of soap can have on your baby's skin. Soaps are made of a combination of chemicals and solvents which has a pH balance factor. If the soap is a hard one, its pH value can be pretty high and can totally be super harsh on the skin. There are several tests to validate the hardness of the soap before you purchase one. Rather than going for the cheapest , its always better to go for a reliable brand of soap with a relatively lesser pH value that can safeguard the baby's skin

Oil : Skin's softness is primarily because of the nourishment of the skin. If malnourished it can lead to rough skin. Hence one should apply a good baby oil almost twice a day and ensure its done on a regular basis

Avoiding rough clothes : Sometimes out of excitement, people end up buying expensive designer clothes for the baby which actually turns out to be very rough in the inside. They may concentrate too much on the outside but not notice the pricky nature of the dress which can make the baby's skin react too wildly

Powder and Creams : Investing in a good baby powder which has positive reviews from other parents is key. Just like oil and soap, a baby powder and moisturizing cream to retain the softness is also super important to ensure the skin is protected against all harmful effects

Avoiding exposure to sun and dusty areas : Apart from health, the sun's UV rays and dusty areas can play a major role in making the skin rough . Hence one should protect the baby and always better to keep it indoors during the day and probably take it for a stroll to a clean park towards evening

Soft Diapers : Yes , more than anything, a soft quality diaper is the most important element in protecting the baby's skin as well as keeping it soft always. An ideal thing to go for is a Pampers Premium Care Pants. Pampers is one of the most reliable and proven brands in maintaining superior quality than other brands and can really do wonders.


Pampers brings you the softest ever Pampers Premium Care Pants. Its cotton-like softness is #SoftestForBabySkin and allows it to breathe, thus keeping baby’s skin soft and healthy, and your baby happy

Sugar Free Dessert Challenge

,m,Every meal is not complete without an awesome dessert that accompanies towards the end.
We always place more importance while considering the variety,quality and quantity of desserts we need to prepare while cooking . This is also the same when we are having a heavy meal but always manage to have some space to have a nice dessert .

Despite a grand lunch or dinner buffet you always wonder whats at the end of the menu and it always feel incomplete without a nice dessert .This could be a sweet,an ice cream or even a cake

The fitness conscious however always get alarmed for every bite of that delicious ice cream or cake they devour. Yes, sometimes that dripping Jilebi or a Chocolate brownie ice cream can be too irresistible to miss and you'd be like, Ahh , what the hell.. Let me just have two bites.  Yet you know, it never ends with two bites and you end up eating the whole bowl

So this post is basically dedicated to all those fitness conscious people and gym rats who watch over every spoon of what they eat. They deserve all the wonderful desserts too without compromising on all the hard work at the gym they had put in all these years

Sugar Junkies
Some people I know are so much addicted to sugar, that they simply cant live without it even for a day. Be it coffee, tea , fresh juice or even that donut, they need it sugar filled. They may easily resist the large quantities of cheese in a pizza or the crispy french fries dipped in oil. Yet you give them one cup of coffee or a cake made without sugar, they'll make sure all hell breaks loose and term you as the worst possible friend, who betrayed them completely.

Despite the harmful effects of sugar including calories,diabetes and weight increase it is somehow being present in almost all the foods we consume, esp desserts. The search has been everywhere, to find that ideal dessert which can be almost sugar free yet maintains that rich quality in taste

Sugar-Free Chocolate Cake :

A delicious chocolate cake that is Sugar-Free,Gluten Free(Flour free) and Dairy free with almost negligible levels of carb. You may wonder if what you're reading is too good to be true and just some clickbait or can it be actually possible?

This is where I'd like to set out to do the impossible and create something that you've always cherished but never in your reach . It may be mainly because of your health conditions or you'd never want to deviate from your strict goals. All this is possible primarily because of the launch of the Sugar Free Natura and another secret ingredient(revealed in the end)

Note to oneself : The end result could be really an emotional experience , as you witness the chocolate cake being baked and the visual treat that follows once its taken fresh out of the oven, dripping with the sauce and just calling out to be devoured almost instantly

With no further wait, here's the recipe to do this  :

Ingredients needed :
1 Sugar-Free Natura
5-6 Eggs
A spoonful of Pure vanilla extract
1 Parchment paper
1/2 - 1 Teaspoon of Salt
A small portion of unsalted butter
A few tablespoons of honey (In contrary to the myth, honey actually doesnt contain any sugar)
3 spoons of Baking powder
3 spoons of Unsweetened Cocoa power
The final and most important secret ingredient is : 1 can of Black Beans (Surprised?? Read further)

How to Cook:
Pre heat oven to get rid of any existing pungent smell and warm it up
Use the unsalted butter to grease the oven Plate/Pan
Cocoa should be sprinkled evenly all over the pan
Use a parchment paper to cover the bottom of the pan and grease it too with the butter
Take the beans out of the cans, rinse it thoroughly and drain off the water
Now pour the beans ,  2-3 eggs and the vanilla extract onto a blender (High setting level on the blender)
As it whips the eggs and beans thoroughly,  ensure it goes to a completely liquefied state with no solid parts left around in the bottom
Now add the cocoa powder and baking powder on top of it
Pour the contents on to a bowl.
Now add the Sugar-Free Natura on to this to sweeten the taste and use a mixer to make it very creamy
Add the eggs one by one beating it very nicely as and when you add it
Stir this in fine cocoa powder, add some water, beat the batter for a minute , on a high setting
Try to hit the pan gently on the kitchen table to release any air bubbles and ensures it doesnt get stuck to the bottom of the pan
Bake the cake for atleast 40 mins .  You can test if its fully baked if its fluffy when the top portion of the cake is like an elastic
Cool down the cake for 10-15 minutes. Once it reaches the room temperature, take it out and cover it in plastic
Store the cake in a refrigerator and while serving,bring it down to room temperature before you serve

The taste should literally melt in your mouth. Its totally health, gluten free, more importantly sugar free and less on calories as well.. Go on and try it at once !!

Check out more info about it in  :

http://sugarfree-india.com/

Made of Great

Since the beginning of time , knowingly or unknowingly man has been seeking greatness all his life. We reached for the stars, walked on the moon,climbed Mount Everest, cured diseases, made massive technological advances and built great nations. We aspired for intelligence, the word impossible never seemed to bother us, but rather only aspired us to do far greater things. We have idolized and revered the great men who made it seemingly possible

Greatness is not a quality one merely flaunts or born with. A culmination of every single atom of skill left in oneself with the combined force of determination to succeed results in true greatness. A passion towards the art that can almost touch the levels of insanity, a skill developed which can never be taken away, a level of consistency that can outperform even the most complex prediction algorithms, there was something definitely special in these great people

Greatness is not about scoring the highest runs in a match or becoming the leader of a country or the one who has made the maximum amount of money. Its about what has history remembered you for, a symbol for the very definition of greatness and someone who can never be replaced

The History of Greats

A Point of No Return to a Point of No looking back
When you look back you would have come across people who went from point of no return to a point of no looking back. With almost nothing to lose, hitting rock bottom and yet unflinchingly kept on going to come to a stage where people have now started positioned someone to a cult status or even a rock star, is a story we've often heard

When I remembered all the "great people" I've read or seen, these people were at the top of my mind:

"Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Bruce Lee, Lionel Messi, Swami Vivekananda, Abraham Lincoln, Abdul Kalam and Mahatma Gandhi"

People with such tenacious qualities are rare and hard to find. Some may even refer to them as a different breed, a cut above the rest that can rise majestically despite being suppressed, pushed to the ends of the earth.

As rightly said by the famous cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, “Form is Temporary, Class is Permanent"
So what defines greatness in these people? How do they achieve such greatness in a short period of time? What sets them apart from other people to become great? Do they do different things or simply do things differently? Are these qualities they acquired or something they were born with? Yes, life has many unanswered questions indeed!

Source: Dilbert Cartoon

These people are a reminder that greatness can be symbolized in a living form and has the potential to do exceptional things, each time upping the bar set by them.
Almost all of these people had many things in common.

• They were not born with a silver spoon
• They didnt have a lineage that could get them easy access and visibility into their respective industries 
• Their parents weren't wealthy enough to take them to training classes or provide them with the latest equipments to practice their skills
• No one really sat down with them to teach the skill or give shortcut methods to become an expert 
• Despite a million hurdles they were never really bogged down by society, peer pressure or lack of academic scores to achieve what they had in mind
• All in all their relentless focus , unparalleled skill and a stability for endurance has always made them World No.1 in their respective fields 

Some of the Greatest acts in History for me include : 

Lionel's Messi classic goal to win the La Liga Title

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Man's First step on the Moon  

         

 

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  Sachin's knock against Australia in Sharjah

• Tata launching the world's first 1500$ car

My Story : Face to Face with Greatness

There was someone who I had met nearly a decade back. An interesting person (identity anonymous) who had a tremendous skill in music that could have made even top musicians given a run for their money. Unfortunately like every other aspiring artist in the industry, due to several reasons and also lack of opportunities, he could never really succeed.

All his talents were left unappreciated as people never really tried to adapt to his style of music. Music was still limited to filmy bollywood songs and any variations to that were strictly not accepted. It was doomed to be a failure, however good it turned out to be. The piracy in the industry certainly didnt help either to promote his tracks on the legal front  . Everywhere he went he was faced with rejection. Some remarked that either adapt to the existing needs  of the industry or quit

Ordinary people , given two impossible choices would have accepted the reality and joined the bandwagon with others. But for great people, quitting is never really a choice. Its never a question of "Can I do it?". Rather its just a question of  "When can I do it?" . Success may be delayed but its always theirs to claim

He never really gave up , but rather simply changed his game . With a bit of networking, persistence and skill, he kept opening up the unexplored boundaries of the music industry. The rise of mobile internet certainly helped people to discover his music in so many varieties of channels. He began to create a niche audience who adored his form of music.

He took the digital route and created an interesting website. Its design totally intrigued everyone and began spreading across the net in a viral way. He capitalized on that and launched his keynote concerts in an unconventional way and not through the mainstream way

That's when he slowly started rising up the ranks and attained a cult status of his own. Promotions and advertising was no longer needed. It was the people who came forward to spread the joy in his music. Media attention, Celebrity status , a luxurious life and fandom came to him so easily almost immediately.

He truly inspired almost everyone who had faith in him and in his music. Rejections or banishment from the industry can mean certain death for most people. For some its just the beginning. Its the cue that tells them to change gears and shake up the whole basic foundation.That's exactly what he did.
Instead of going around and asking what people liked, he developed something that made change their old mindset and begin appreciating something new and innovative.
He definitely was #madeofgreat.



One lesson I've learnt from him is that, despite hitting rock bottom, keep doing what you are good at. Everyone is good at something and better than others. Thats the potential you tap and there's no looking back for you. As people often comment, its quite lonely at the top and not many aim for it. So if you've got it within you, dont aim for anything less than the top place

One such initiative to illustrate such greatness is the #madeofgreat campaign by Tata Motors

You can check out http://madeofgreat.tatamotors.com for more details

Kindly post your comments on : "What do you think of Tata Motor's association with Lionel Messi?"
The best comment will win an Amazon Gift voucher

Top Chennai Hotels

When you travel to a new city esp for vacation, the first thing that comes to your mind is will I get a nice accommodation in that city . It should be in a prominent location,easily accessible, moderately priced and has all the amenities.The last thing you want to do is run around the nearby places to get the things you need
You no longer need to rely on physical travel agents who most probably end up booking some remote hotel with almost no facilities and at double the cost. The launch of Cleartrip.com has certainly eased that trouble for almost all the travellers as hotel bookings can be done at a click of a button either in the app or on the website.

We are suddenly privy to thousands of hotels spread across the city, classified by star rating, area, price and facilities, thanks to Cleartrip. Sometimes that huge variety of choice could be a little difficult to narrow it down to the hotels you'd actually like to stay and may have to simply believe in a random choice.So here I'm to make that choice a simpler one, especially when it comes to the city I live in. The same help I provide to all my friends I thought of offering the same to my blog readers.

Being a resident of Chennai and active in many social events, it has given me several opportunities to visit almost all the key hotels in Chennai and experience their service, food, ambiance

So I wondered why not share that experience and list down top 3 hotels that would make a perfect stay for anyone to unwind, relax and have a comfortable stay

The top reasons what I look for in hotels are the following :

1. Location  : Even if the hotel is good, the last thing you want want to do is to stay in a shady deserted area. Or rather put up in a place which is far from the city hub and you have to shell hundreds of rupees and spend valuable time in getting to different places. So obviously location is the key factor in my priorities     

                               

2. Value for Money : Hotels are classified into multiple varieties : Standard, Premium, Deluxe , Villas etc. But despite it being called a "Premium Room" , you may find yourself living in a small matchbox size room, with broken walls, unclean toilets and dirty beds. So you end up shelling out more to upgrade to a better room , yet you are never happy. So the value for money is very important to justify the valuable money you have spent for the room   

3. Facilities: To stay comfortable, naturally you'd expect all facilities and amenities inside your room and available in the hotel as well . This includes free Wifi, TV's with satellite connection, a good view of outside, good breakfast and lunch options inside the hotel and of course good clean bathrooms as well. Some luxuries are needed more than anything right?

4. Service : The last but not the least factor while choosing a hotel is their service. You want prompt and quick service whenever required without reminding them twice or thrice. Easy checkin and check out process, good service while in the restaurant and better room service options is very important for a peaceful relaxed vacation. So even if everything else is ticked and if service is not upto the mark ,its a big no-no while choosing the hotel

So hopefully next time you try to book in one of those boring hotels , think again and see if you want to experience something great and different..  If that's the case , this is the list you'd wanna consider to have an "awesome" vacation time

(Pic courtesy : Cleartrip.com)

1 .ITC Grand Chola

Having the word Grand in the name itself, The ITC Grand Chola is truly a world class hotel by any standards. Located very near to the Chennai  airport , this 5+ star hotel is a definite landmark for any Chennaiite. A 600 room hotel, the architecture is based on the Chola dynasty and its artefacts.
If the photos dont stun you,  wait till you experience the real thing .

This hotel not only offers the standard luxury any star hotel may provide but prides itself on offering much more. Be it a "Pure Vegetarian Asian Restaurant" or an Authentic Italian Restaurant or the Madras Pavilion restaurnt to try out some interesting flavours of the south

If you're in the mood of a cigar and a drink, you can head over to their Tranquebar that offers some really fine premium selection of cigars and imported spirits

An once in a lifetime experience, a stay at this hotel would definitely be a memorable experience one can never forget

Pro tip : Do try their paneer tikka in their famous "Peshawri" hotel and a nice pizza in Ottimo.

You can book the hotel at some great discounts through cleartrip here:
http://www.cleartrip.com/hotels/info/itc-grand-chola%2C-chennai-707615


2. Vivanta Taj by Fisherman's Cove

If your idea vacation is defined as a day in a beautiful resort, sipping some wine and looking over the sea as the water comes and caresses your body , while they prepare some delicious lunch/dinner as you forget everything else in life, then this is the place to be.

Nicknamed Fish Cove by the localites , Vivanta Taj by Fisherman's Cove is a splendid 5 star hotel located in East Coast Road along the banks of the Bay of Bengal. This beautiful beach star hotel and resort offers complete luxury in every way and at the same time offers a lot of interesting activities to while away time.From Villas to Private beaches, swimming pools, multi cuisine restaurants, golf cart buggies to go from one place to another, spas it has everything one needs to have a beautiful time. This includes a Catamaran ride on the beach, surfing on the waves, dinner dates on the beach , organized tours to the nearby city of Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry.

Or else you always have a good option to jump into their pool and have a super relaxing swim

 

The unique thing about Vivanta Taj is the fact that its one of the very few star hotels in the country that's located alongside the beach

You can book the hotel at some great discounts through cleartrip here:
http://www.cleartrip.com/hotels/info/vivanta-by-taj-fishermans-cove-159282

3. Taj Club House, Chennai

Located in the heart of Chennai in Mount Road, Taj Club House is of the most vibrant hotels that one can ever experience. With the same high standards provided by the Taj Group of companies, Taj Club House is the preferred destination for anyone who wishes to relax and stay in a great hotel .
The location can be one of the biggest highlights of this hotel, with malls, movie complexes and restaurants at literally a stone's throw away .

 

Their in house restaurants offer some interesting cuisines including Mediterranean, Italian and Indian.
But more than anything, Taj Club House is super famous as one of the primary destinations in the partying circuit. Their club Blend can be a great place to unwind after a long day at work ,with its buzzing party crowd and some great music.

With a blue facade written all over it, Taj Mount Road as its also called is right behind Chennai's biggest mall , Express Avenue where you can catch up with all your favorite movies as well indulge in a lot of shopping.

You can book the hotel at some great discounts through cleartrip here:
http://www.cleartrip.com/hotels/info/taj-club-house%2C-chennai-330651

These hotel listings can be checked out at  http://www.cleartrip.com/hotels/india/chennai/

Once you are done booking the room stay, there's plenty of activities Chennai has to offer. From yachting, Surfing, temple tours, Food/culinary tours or even riding an all terrain bike, Chennai has something to offer for everybody

All you gotta do is to check out the Cleartrip app and hit the Activities section. Voila.. You'll be loaded with plenty of choices to plan a perfect day for you.