Monday 30 May 2016

Your Name etched on My Heart



Holding hands we walked on sand,
Stealing an occasional glance of our closest friend..

Overwhelmed were we in that entrancing moment,
And just let our smiles do all the talking..

The gentle sea waves kissed our feet,
As if trinkets of joy tickling us sweet..

Our eyes gave each other a warm embrace, 
As our fingers too spoke to each other...

Such was the impact of that silent hour, 
As he tightened his grip, striking my heart's already romancing chords..

Our love bore the advent and retrieval of the waves alike,
Proud of having overcome all the testimonies of time..

I don't fear of the ground underneath slipping away with the withdrawing waves,
For I reside safe in your heart for decades

Humbled by your infinite love, I carve on sand my gratitude to you, 
My penchant each time being erased by the rising water blues..

It was a heart with a 'S' and a 'R' that I embossed on sand, times umpteen, 
But the ruthless waves swept it away every time, so that my spirits dampen...

But my confident love, felt elated and on its own tune, it danced
 For it knew, no waves can erase your name that is etched on my heart.

(Love Notes scribbled recently on a beach vacation, dedicated to the love of  my life, my hubby, my childhood best buddy)


Friday 27 May 2016

Book Review : The Heart Listens to No One by Purba Chakraborty


Romance is the genre I love the most and thus no points for guessing, this was the reason Purba Chakraborty's Anthology "The Heart Listens to No One" has been on my to read list for a while now. I didn't hurry it, for having read Purba, on so many occasions before, I wanted to enjoy her poetic compositions in calm and at leisure, for I was sure getting immersed in her words of poetry would paint a surreal dreamy fairy tale before my eyes, which would entrance me and transport me into a world of ecstasy..

And I am so glad it did exactly the same. A peep into the contents revealed to me that the book contains verses on unconditional love, longing, romance, fond reminisces and separation all concealed in one, power packed ode to love, as this book can be aptly termed as. Then, as I sailed through the hidden treasure, a thousand emotions ran through my heart simultaneously. The diverse variety in which love was served to the hearts was impeccable. Anyone and everyone who has ever been in love, will undoubtedly see herself/ himself so much in her poems and would love to drown further in this intricately woven poetry collection.

Yes, the poems did turn me ecstatic and I almost stopped at each one of them convincing myself that this one's my favorite.  'Kiss my Name', 'Satin Paradise' , 'A long Winter Night' still remain in my heart forever...

......She fishes out his old blue sweater
       From the Nearby closet;
       His redolent smell clearly lingered there.... 

there is so much to read within the lines and between the line...I gauge a new meaning everytime I get back to them :) 
     
The author Purba (you can read more about her below) is a young girl and these enthralling compositions with pure love oozing out of them, are a marvel. I bet you won't be able to put down this lovely compilation of her heart's songs. You can order a copy of her book - The Heart Listens to No One , Here.

I rate this book a 4.5/5 for painting the myriad emotions on the canvas of my heart. See the poetic mood  after reading her, still lingers on. The only regret I have after reading this book is that I wished it was longer, embracing and weaving many more shades of love which I could read till eternity. 


 Here's More about the Author : Purba Chakraborty is an author, poet, freelance writer, web content developer, blogger and social influencer. She has authored two novels “Walking in the streets of love and destiny” (2012) published by Diamond Books and “The Hidden Letters” (2014) published by Bluejay Books (an imprint of Srishti Publishers and Distributors). “The Heart Listens to No One” is her first poetry book. Many of her short stories, poems and articles have been published in several anthologies and magazines such as “Shades of Life”, “Rhymes and Rhythm”, “Mélange ~ a potpourri of thoughts”, “Kaafiyana”,  "Stories for your valentine", "Fusion-A mingled flavor mocktail", “eFiction” "Writer's Ezine" etc.



Wednesday 25 May 2016

Review : Customer's Delight, Jabong Website

My Dress, Glares and Danglers Courtesy Jabong
Bringing to you a straight from the heart review about one of the most preserved online fashion destination in India - Jabong , based on my shopping experience with them for the last 2.5 years or a little more, if I remember correctly.

Product Range, Pricing and Quality : undoubtedly they have myriad global brands under one umbrella and the options to choose from the infinite categories there are umpteen. They cater to the entire range of pricing and sizes for a particular outfit or accessory. Thus a 5 on 5 for always letting me find a product of my size(typical Indian gait) in my allotted budget. The products are value for money and the quality is good without fail. Furthermore you can always use their specific coupon codes to avail further discount on many products.


Authenticity: All clothes, accessories and jewelry that I have purchased from them till date have genuinely been exactly like the pic shown on the website and brand new.



Website Design: Surfing on this website is a cakewalk once you are on it , with clear drop down menu, showcasing explicit categorization. It helps you compare your choices by parallelly exhibiting what all you have just viewed and showing similar new options too, for you to pick only what your heart loves.

Delivery Periods: Delivery Periods for Jabong are normally 5-7 days and it has never exceeded their time-frame. An express delivery option in not available. Packaging is always bang on.

Customer Care and Returns: They have a clearly defined return and exchange policy and their cc executives are quite helpful too. They took a total of 15 days to exchange my dress ordered from them.

Jabong App: The fact that they have newly launched their mobile app further adds to their customers' delight. We can know shop anywhere and everywhere hassle free.

Overall Rating : Being an online shopping addict for years , I rate Jabong 4.5/5

Expert Comments:  Honestly speaking, Jabong is my most trustworthy website for Fashion, for a long time, as it has more than satisfied me in all my needs and for all parameters, when others have failed to do so.The pics in this posts show me aptly clad in the products ordered from them, thus to be this website is a pure delight.

Trust you find this review useful.

                                                                  -Truly Yours Roma



My Trust for all my Fashion needs: Jabong

Pic Courtesy : All pics in this post are my personal pics and their use without the writing permission of the author is not permitted.

I am a Self-Confessed Mehndi Addict


There are so many lovely perks I enjoy courtesy being an Indian girl. The lovely traditional stuff like the wedding lehenga and bangles make my heart go ooh-la-la. And I must admit I am a die-hard Mehendi Addict . For any occasion big or small I love to clad my palms with lovely Mehndi designs which for me are a perfect example of fine arts.

Right from the fact that Mehndi is considered extremely auspicious by we Indians, to its mesmerizing enchanting fragrance, I really am elated on every aspect of this Indian legacy. The weddings in our families, the karvachauths or other important ceremonies, all are incomplete without the application of lovely hand Mehendi designs. Not to forget that an Indian Bride is not considered  fully adorned without fine Mehendi clad arms and feet. Such is the importance of Mehendi in our lives and how we adore the new designs of the same.

Earlier Mehendi designs used to be in the minds of certain skillful applicators who mastered the art of application and thus had a non written patent on the designs. But with the advent of technology, we now access to marvelous Arabic Mehendi Designs and other international favorites too along with the huge well of our traditional wealth. We can choose the one which enthralls our heart, just at a single click. 

Awesome websites for the same bring you myriad options to choose from. We the girls are modern ethnico today and the master of our own choice. No more waiting till the end for if the fantasy of the applicator for your palms had materialized to impress us, rather we show them what precisely is our choice of the Mehendi Design. And thus multiplies my admiration to this century old Indian legacy , now available with a twist and utmost swift.

Stay Summer Fresh with Maybelline NewYork Essential Kit

My Summer Look Courtesy Maybelline India
Like every girl, the advent of summer makes me weary of my looks. I fear that the sweat and the pollution dirt embedded in it would steal my skin off its luster and radiance. Though I love to flaunt my spotless skin in nude makeup hues, I am worst hit in summers when the above just never sufficed but thankfully this is not the scenario today for I have at my rescue Maybelline Newyork's Summer Essential Kit.


 It is precisely all that I need to keep the dull gloomy look away and comes in a beautiful golden clutch which stole my heart at first glance. The contents of the pouch are their all new Maybelline Newyork White Superfresh Compact with Pure Perlite, Maybelline Colossal Kajal and Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm in my favourite Berry Crush Flavour. 

With their latest launch the White Super Fresh compact Maybelline has ventured to foray the medium priced segment and thus vehemently multiply their foray and reach in the Indian masses. I was on a lookout for a perfect compact for everyday application and this is where my search ended. This perlite enriched compact gave me lightened complexion for hours, while absorbing sweat and oil and its UV filters protected me from sun darkening and damage. I have been using it for over a month now and have absolutely loved it and I swear by the fact that a Maybelline Product has never let me down. I typically reapply it after every 5-6 hrs and I still appreciate its longevity . It comes across 3 shades and you can grab the one which suits your skin tone. The compact comes in a pretty white case with a puff all packaged in a white and blue box beautifully. At INR 150/- this perfecting compact from Maybelline is undoubtedly a steal deal.


Having perfected my skin, when it's time to do up my eyes, their is nothing better than the Maybelline's smudge free Colossal Kajal. I just use it over the lower length of my eyes and it's just perfect for my preferred minimalist makeup look for the board room presentations and meetings and it stays their for long without spreading. I have been using this product for around 2 years now and it forms the most essential part of vanity. It comes in the form of a fine pencil with utmost ease of application. Priced at INR 200/- this is truly a value for money product.

 And now comes the third most vital element of the Summer Essential Kit. Maybelline 's Baby Lips series have by far been their biggest success story. And since I am a self confessed lip balms addict, my look of the day only completes when I drape my lips in the fruity flavored Maybelline Baby Lips, Berry Crush Lip Balm it kind of completed my persona.


It makes my lips supple and I find it's soothing fragrance make my heart go ooh-la-la. I also like the pinkish tint it imparts to my lips making me beam with fresh energy at all times. Priced at INR 195/- this product's quality and quantity are worthy of this price.

Summing up this Summer Must Have Essential kit costs me a total of INR 545/- which sounds like a perfect budget for an Indian lady's monthly makeup expenses in fact far less than that. That too for some of the products which appear in the preferences of global fashionistas.

Vis-a-Vis Product Quality, Longevity, Pricing and Packaging , I rate the products of this pretty kit a clear 4.9/5 to #StaySummerFresh.

Check them out:
Blog: www.instaglam.in  



Tuesday 24 May 2016

A Memorable Rendezvous with Sea Waves


Gazing at the waves of the infinite sea
I sat for long letting them kiss and play
with my feet

 They did that endlessly caressing my toes
And I fell in love with them all the more


There is so much to me they taught
How they carved their identity progressing
towards the shore


Rising in astounding grace, they advent to
their goals
Mesmerising their onlookers and soothing
their souls


And as they retrieved back towards their niche
They promise me to bounce back again in full
vigor to kiss my feet

Imprints of a worthy lesson on my heart they leave
To rise against all odds and fulfil my dreams


Destiny and luck may force you to abandon, the road not so taken
Try, try and try until you win, its miles to go before you sleep darling


Each time bounce back like Thy waves with all the more integrity laden passion
And thus I learn to sail towards my aim as the lovely waves kiss my feet all over again


Monday 23 May 2016

What to pack for a vacation to Hong Kong

It’s summer time and that marks the time of long long summer holidays in school or colleges. And those in jobs are probably so tired and consumed with life that they can’t wait to escape! So basically, what is everyone doing in summers? Cribbing about life, planning vacations, going for vacations, and coming back from vacations only to live in the holiday hangover. Exactly in that order.

Where are you heading to beat the chill this time? The grapevine and the swagerazzi say that Hong Kong is the hottest holiday destination this season. And why shouldn’t it be. It’s a developed and organized city, offering the perfect mix of urban cityscape and cultural vibrancy.

For those of you not familiar with this side on the map, Hong Kong is an autonomous territory lying on the southern coast of China at the Pearl River Estuary and the South. Known for its iconic skyline and its deep natural harbor, it is one of the three most important financial centers alongside New York and London, and the world's number one tourist destination city. After becoming a sovereign nation in 1997, Hong Kong has positioned itself as a major commercial hub in Asia.

So, convinced much to do Hong Kong this summer?

Hong Kong brings with it a fine flavor of China topped with cosmopolitan capitalistic hues. Great place to shop and to enjoy sumptuous international cuisines. Take the century-old tram up to Victoria Peak, and look out over the towering city skyline, visit historical temples, like Man Mo Temple and Po Lin Monastery, ride the Star Ferry to immerse yourself in the beautiful views of Victoria Harbor, Hong Kong won’t disappoint. Famous travel attractions like Disneyland Park, Lantau Island, Repulse Bay and the likes are waiting for you with open arms.

If you are going to explore Hong Kong this time around, I suggest you do it right and do it stylishly. Own the place with your great style, as the place deserves it.
Here are a couple of essentials I suggest you must pick for your wanderlust vacation.

Layered Love

The thumb rule of travelling remains that you pack a lot of layers. And that holds true for Hong Kong too. Coz you will be juggling between air conditioning and outdoors very often. And this place can get unpredictable with rains.
Make sure you carry at least one or two smart shrugs that can go with a variety of outfits.
This season, boho shrugs are quite in. It would be great to experiment with them.




Black Dress

A black dress is an essential when packing up. You could have a clubbing scene or an elegant affair to attend. A black dress will come in handy for these occasions. Or just a casual day out shopping. There are literally 50 shades to accessorize and style around a black dress. You can’t do without one.




Distressed Denims and Easy Tee

Coz travelling in jeans and tee is so easy. And they come in handy at all times.




Sporty Tights/ Sporty Dress + Sneakers

At leisure is a hot hot trend this season. Also, it’s very easy to strut around in and very easy to ace!






Boho Maxi

Bright and fun and all things nice, a maxi dress is a safe pick that will take you places. A maxi is a great way to cover up while looking all statement-worthy (and picture worthy).



Comfy Flats  
         
A woman in heels is a woman on a mission. But a woman in flats is a woman on a vacation! Flats are the way to have fun! Go easy, go around places in flats. Just keep your edge with that style factor up and intact.



So, are you ready to stand stellar and cause ripples in Hong Kong yet?



Sunday 22 May 2016

Ebook Release : Dare to Defy the Destiny


Hola my Precious Friends, Blogger Buddies and my Esteemed Readers,

You know how enthralled I am today, to pour out my heart to you, uninhibited, all emotions just oozing out in their purest forms as my first book gets launched. You are my family to whom I connect Straight From the Heart, who have given an all new meaning to my existence and help me sail towards my dreams, without faltering once .Yes, I owe my heart to you and what does one do at such occasions, run back to his/her family.

Writing is like breathing for me and probably the only thing I knew best from my birth but it was you who introduced me to blogging, appreciated me and motivated me to carve out my own niche.

Last month was absolutely fulfilling for me where I chose to speak 26 true stories of Beautiful Individuals like you and me as a part of a global blogging challenge. My happiness knew no bounds when you embraced them with open arms and graced them with your most generous words of praise, only to help me get better day by day. Some of your personal experiences you wrote to me touched me further as I became all the more motivated to become the voice of your heart.

When the owner of a writer and publisher community approached me with an idea of publishing the heart-touching stories as an e-book, I took a while to embark on the new journey and I am glad I did. And that is when "Dare to Defy the Destiny" was born. With stories of strong moms, soft dads, of adorable daughters and husbands, of Women on top to women who have fallen, you will find Brutal, Real and  Honest. The Idea of bringing forth these poignant rumblings is to let them reach hearts, and let our conscience judge, what is right and wrong, as it's we who comprise the society.
Once we are convinced on it, nothing can stop us from being the "Face of Change". 

Here's a little tribute to all of you for all that you have done for me over the years. It gives me immense pleasure to present you a soft copy of my Ebook "Dare to Defy the Destiny". I trust you will confer this newborn of mine with the same warmth and love, spare some precious time to read the same and do write to me your most genuine feedback to aid me improve. As I always say, I am indebted to all of you for being my worthy companions in my writing journey and all the words of the universe put together would fail me to express my gratitude towards you. Click here to make a copy all yours.


                                                                              
                                                                       -Truly Yours Roma




Monday 16 May 2016

My Travel Diaries : A Holiday in Goa worth a Billion Smiles


Life is a beautiful journey and it becomes all the more beautiful when you take some worthwhile vacations at regular intervals to spend those quality moments with your family and rejuvenate yourself and bounce back in routine life with added vigor.




I am just back this morn from one such wonderful vacation at our forever favorite destination Goa. Though it was triggered by my kiddo's Annual Summer Vacations, me and hubby dear were on a look out for perfect moments together too and thus we thought of catching up an extended weekend trip to the land of some best beaches in India, Goa. While our little one enjoys in the mesmerizing waves there always, we both indulge in long chats and relaxing fun soaking ourselves in water and sun while watching him build his castles in between the water sprees.




We are meticulous planners so once we were done with zeroing down of the destination and applying for leaves from our office we embarked on to check the flight schedule and availability at certain chosen resorts to make it an Ideal Yatra. Luckily both the bookings got confirmed hassle free and we cracked some wonderful deals due to being regular guests.  

I packed for all three of us stuffing in loads of beach wear, swim suits and sunscreens and a few mommy essentials for my sonny like band-aids, still ensuring that we are travelling light. Not to mention the beach sets, toy-ships and the balls, packed by my sunshine himself.

We boarded our flight from Lohegaon Airport, Pune to Goa late morn. Our flight was on time and we enjoyed the wonderful views of the lovely blue seas while landing in Goa.We traveled by a Taxi from Airport to our Resort on Candolim Beach. Luck further favored us when for all the days we were there, it was extremely cloudy and drizzled occasionally to make the trip all the more enjoyable. We stayed on a beach view resort and were rejoiced at the continuous advent of waves.After a laid back breakfast we shuttled between the beach until late noon and thereafter had pool fun in our resort to relax and unnerve after the excitement of water sports and soaking on the beach. 


Billiards and Table Tennis games were on our undisputed schedule too in the evenings while the reading worm in me kept sneaking in and out of the library of the resort early morns. I also wrote a couple of pieces at leisure by the sea side as I believe the recipe of a perfect holiday lies in indulging in all that makes my heart sing a song and that's all I did.



We mainly enjoyed at Calanguta, Bagha, Anjuna and Condolim beaches along with going on a worthy cruise in Panjim booked in advance to prevent queuing up.For local commuting we have hired an open jeep, typical of Goa, this time. We even planned our lunches and dinners and ate at some of the finest Goan Eateries along with engaging in loads of dance with the live band in the fun-filled regional Carnivals. In fact, I must say, that planning and researching in advance for the entire trip(including airlines booking) and creating a clear itinerary aided us multiply our fun by raiding unknown territories. 



Time just flew and the wonderful holiday came to a fruitful end as could be witnessed from the billion smiles on our faces and immense joy in our hearts. Minus our tanned skins, this trip was an absolute Bliss :)


                                                            -Truly Yours Roma

Monday 9 May 2016

The Tickling Tale of a Yummy Mummy

Today is Mother's Day, my seventh one actually but it seems it was only yesterday that the news of maternity arrived. I was doing really good in my career and we weren't planning a baby immediately. On my routine visit to the gynecologist  for lower abdomen pain, the tests revealed the best news of my life to me that I was expecting my first baby. Earnestly speaking when I heard it, something felt really really sweet inside, a kind of a tickle in my heart. In a couple of moments, my world, my aspirations, my priorities have changed.The overtly ambitious automobile engineer took a backseat in me and it was only selfless motherly love which started oozing out in abundance.I felt my eyes were wet. I looked at my husband who was smiling in surprise too.

Life was never the same for me after that. Though I went to work till the day before the delivery, I always took care of myself and my little one to the best of my abilities and was often caught smiling to myself while feeling the newly arrived maternal bliss feel.

It's so true that a mother is born, nine months before the birth of her baby, I experienced this every minute. Whenever I was sad, I tried to be happy that my baby isn't sad, when I felt a little Hungary , I immediately fed the little being inside me and when I could not feel his movements , I caressed the tummy of the yummy mummy in me, so that my touch can make him reciprocate and yes he did, he always did.  

I didn't believe when people said this but I really felt very beautiful from within during the months I was carrying. My skin gleamed in my inner happiness and was always reflected on my face. My precious half, my hubby darling took good care of me and we both often spoke to our little one in the night, when back from work.I had a craving for ice cream every night at 2, and so all 3 of us had the ice-cream party every night, even before his birth.

Because of a low lying placenta and excessive amniotic fluid, I gained a lot of weight during my pregnancy but thanks to an early recommendation of Marico Bio Oil by a dear friend , I could get rid of the stretch marks to a great level.

Regarding the dressing initially the weight made me feel a little depressed, as I didn't get into my lovely outfits but with hubby dear's love and repeated shopping sprees planned for me, I gradually shunned all inhibitions and enjoyed to flaunt my maternal curves.

Yes, I enjoyed my life during pregnancy and pampered myself a lot and so did my colleagues at work who kept offering fruits at regular intervals and some even brought my favorite dish in their lunch box, cooked by their wife for me. I too had decided to take it easy so that I unnecessarily don't pass on the anxiety to my little angel in my womb and that's exactly what I recommend to each of you.We have all rights to be a #YummyMummy lovelies. There's nothing as precious at this period for a woman which crowns her with undoubtedly the most coveted title of the world of being a MOM, so do take care of yourself, smile , be happy, exercise, eat right and sleep tight️. Also, this way you lay the foundation right for a healthy baby and healthy you for today, tomorrow and forever


“I’m writing about my wonderful journey of pregnancy for the#YummyMummy blogging activity at BlogAdda in association with Marico Bio Oil.”