Observations Post Covid in Chennai

We decided to visit people and places and see if things are really back to normal post this 1.5 year Covid situation. On a positive note, festive shopping fervour seems to be much on the high – the absence of festivities have created a larger than life situation. Shops are much more crowded than what we had seen in 2019. Much to our surprise, stocks in shops did not match the oncoming festival. Normally it is the other way around. We could see shop’s sales people trying to convincing people to buy with limited stock. In few other shops, lethargy has set in – sales people hardly made an effort to sell and in other places, availability of sizes were a bigger issue leading to disappointed customers. Should we contribute it to the booming online sales that found larger acceptance during the pandemic? Is this situation hear to stay? or has the market not geared for the revival is a big question?

MorocconOil Hair Spa at Cuts and Colors, Royapettah

Moroccon oil, rich in argan oil, has been a pioneer in premier hair care products for a good time now. Moroccon Oil products are sulfate, phosphate and paraben free, which is a plus.

We were invited by Cuts and Colors, Royapettah for a Moroccon Oil spa day, here is our experience

Broken Bridge Cafe, MRC Nagar- Food review

Broken Bridge Cafe, one of the many restaurants in Somerset Greenway- MRC Nagar than you can grab a quick bite at, have revamped their menu recently. Their menu was unique and had a good range of cuisines like North Indian and South Indian. A heterogeneous group of people with varies tastes can find idlies or pizzas or rotis with a twist, in their menu.

We were recently invited to taste their new menu and here is our review.

Amazing hair makeover experience at Cuts and Colours, Royapettah

Cuts and Colours is one of the largest in Royapettah, to have a salon and spa under one roof.

We recently had an opportunity to get a haircut and hair colour with them.

Going for a hair makeover can be daunting giving to the amount of inspiration we can find off magazines and the internet. Sometimes it is hard to figure out which style would suit our face structure, and Cuts and Colours made sure our experience was super smooth.

Desi Di Poes Garden Vegetarian Food Review

Desi Di has opened in Poes Garden, Chennai with selected menu items with a focus on celebrating local ingredients. The intention can be seen in the items we ate, specifically the Sweet corn Drumstick (Moringa) soup, Veg Cutlet chops with Beetroot, Corn based Butta Kebab etc. Other interesting aspect is that the Chef Aaron Coutinho has gone that extra mile to bring in regional touch to the menu.  The menu has almost 50% vegetarian items. Thanks to the chef for being a vegetarian for 3 months to understand what it means to be one and the difficulty we face in getting variety during our restaurant visits. Now on to the items we had and as usual vegetarian items – Masala papad is always our choice but here we had it  with a twist – khakra with paneer burji. A great way to start the food journey, it was served with another novel drink – litchi jamun drink.

Fight Dengue through Right Information and Action

It is rainy season, there is no winter in Chennai but, the mosquito season has started in all its glory. Tamilnadu has been the target of mosquito related diseases for long, and this time, we are hearing more about Dengue and loss of life owing to it. Awareness, authentic information and action at the right time is the key to preventing Dengue. Diseases have become a part of our life and it is prudence and early detection that will help us in safeguarding ourselves.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease caused by four different virus types, DENV 1-4, and spread by the Aedes mosquito. Aedes mosquito is active in day time and breeds in fresh water. Many of us have the misunderstanding that mosquitoes bite only in the night and it is one of the main reason for not taking the necessary precautions during the day time. If you notice the deaths reported, most of them are children. Children tend to stay out and play in open areas during day time and hence are more susceptible to getting bitten by Aedes mosquitoes. That does not mean Aedes mosquitoes do not bite us indoors. The important fact here is one mosquito bite of Aedes is enough to cause Dengue.

Bangalore, a delightful combination of Business and Leisure

Bangalore, a quaint town has emerged as a leading IT hub inviting national and multinational firms and professionals from all over India. Calling Bangalore aka Bengaluru as a city with heterogeneous population from across various tradition and culture will not be a far fetched statement. Bangalore airport which was earlier associated with the Indian Air Force predominantly has now turned out to be an active hub known as Kempegowda International Airport inviting international airlines to make a halt over here. It is now possible to travel to Middle East, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok and many more popular international destinations from here.

Picture Credit: Reuters

Protect Your Home Indoors

Health issues weren’t much those days when we were young.  Probably we can attribute it to clean air, nature friendly living and health conscious routines. A recent visit to my doctor made me come across a new type of ailment affecting people and she names it as lifestyle disease. Seeing me quite surprised by the term, she explained that it is quite prevalent among people these days, reasons being exposure to pollution and change in lifestyle.  Allergic Rhinitis, Asthma, Wheezing have become a common occurrence among children in almost every household. Doctors attribute it to air pollution or the presence of unwanted things in the air we breathe which creates short term and long term impacts on our wellbeing.  To a short survey on the topic with few friends of mine to know if we have any control over it, majority of the people answered a Big No. Their answer hovered around their incapacity to control vehicles emitting smoke or cigarette smoking in public and those burning trash in public spaces. Is that all?  Is air pollution restricted only to outdoors? What about interiors? Is the air we breathe inside our home free from pollution? Most of them agreed that the air inside our homes are cleaner than outdoors. Sadly, in comparison, our homes are 5X times more polluted than outdoors. Our homes DO contribute a lot towards air pollution. It is a shocking piece of information but nevertheless true.

Heart of Gold and Head of Diamonds

Going through the turbulence of watching the “IP” he was from the day Anu knew him as her dad, was not only emotionally draining but also brought in the sense of insecurity in her as she grew up. For those, who are not aware of the term “IP”, it means Insured person. Anu’s dad worked in a company which had a contract for maintaining sewage lines in the city. Lack of education and commitment towards his family had made him stick to his job for years. Anu got used to seeing her dad changing over from work clothes after a hygiene routine every evening.  He would seat her and her brother in his lap and feed them dinner and take them out on a round in his cycle most of the days except those when he was too tired. Anu would smell the anti-germicidal soap that he had liberally used while bathing to make sure he was smelling fine.

Welcome to Era of Easy Communication and Misleading Information

The title says it all, we are living in an exalted era of communication and being fed with information sometimes authentic but many unverified and unproven. To add to this, we have the power to pass it on and it goes undeterred and unquestioned to gullible people who never question the authenticity of the information given to them. The reach is even more when it touches the life of a common man. One such case doing the rounds is “Plastic Rice”.

We also got a video in WhatsApp about Chinese plastic rice entering the market and how it is manufactured. Smartly, there was no audio to it. We could see raw material (glue) kind made into plastic sheets and then being shaped like rice and collected in bags. My first thought process was shock but then a bit prudence set in as I remembered the process of making thermocol where sago like bubbles are manufactured and made into blocks. It may be the “plastic rice” is a raw material for some industrial product. Where is the proof that it is being sold as rice? Sadly, Basmati rice, nature’s gift to India with its aroma and flavor has come under question putting so many farmer lives and produce under threat. Being an ardent Basmati rice fan, I set about checking various trustworthy news about it.

Following Tea Trails in Chennai – Let us Eat and Drink Tea

Chennai known more for its affinity to Coffee or kaapi is now getting its share of tea tasting experience with exclusive outlets for getting that Tea experience. Tea is no more limited to the hot beverage you get in roadside shops with a huge bag like filter and served in glasses. Tea Trails located in Ashok Nagar near the police station serves 80 different types of tea categorized as black, white, green, Oolong and herbal teas. Known as Chai, it is served without milk and there are 12 types of tea with milk.

The most interesting part of having the tea is the setup placed on the table along with instructions on brewing the specific tea.  The tea we had was Kashmiri Kahwa. Expecting a glass of dark brown tea (we had without milk), we were surprised to see an apparatus placed on the table with an instruction card specifying 1 to 2 minutes to brew the tea. So we waited for 2 minutes and pressed the button and lo!, we had 150 ml of  filtered brewed tea.  We were told we can brew the tea 4 times with the same ingredients making for 4 cups of tea when you buy one. Certainly an interesting concept and we were surprised at the cup of aromatic yellow tea. It is not over yet; we were served with Almond bits which we were told is sprinkled as an add on to the Kashmiri Kahwa tea.

Godrej Aer Car Fresheners in Six Design Fragrances

Cars are no more a luxury in India now.  The challenge in maintaining a car lies in regular service and interiors. After all, we spend a lot of time travelling in a closed air conditioned car.  And if you are the kind of person with motion sickness, the smell of diesel can be quite a challenge to manage. To add to it, we have leather seats and what not.  Just getting into an ill maintained car is enough to spoil the day for us. With the cabs service picking up big away in Chennai, maintenance has become one of the key factors to get those star ratings from the customers. Car perfumes have a great role to play in keeping the vehicle drive worthy. Though many car fresheners have come into the market, many simply adopt the room freshener style which lasts for an hour and we are back to square one. What we need is a car freshener that keeps the fragrance constant.