Roohi's savior Samaira - The special hair-do for a wedding!

Roohi: "Mom! Tomorrow is Sudha's marriage. I want a new look. I am fed up of these age old hair-dos which can no longer be called stylish."

Mom : "What can I do? Go to parlor and get a fancy hair style done!"

"Parlor !? I have an exam tomorrow and by the time I go to parlor and get a new look it will be the time for Bidaai and worst thing is wedding dinner would be over. " Roohi sulked.

Roohi wished for some miracle to happen when she suddenly remembers the  Sunsilk Tresemme gift hamper she got from the Indiblogger team and luckily her cousin Samaira who runs a parlor plans to come to Roohi's place just on the wedding day. Like a God sent angel Samaira is at Roohi's door step much to her disbelief. Excited Roohi screeches on top of her voice!

TRESemme hair fall defense shampoo and conditioner samples
via Indiblogger :)

Roohi : "Sammu didi. How come you suddenly ended up here? I was under the impression that you were going to Mumbai!"

Samaira : " No dear. Mom Dad went to Mumbai. I am bored by travelling and assisting in make-ups and hair styles both officially and unofficially. Phew! I needed a break so with out thinking twice I came here for some fun;) Good idea right ?"

Samaira sounded naughty and happy but was taken aback by Roohi's confused expression.

"Oh My God! You look half dead. Are you not happy by my visit? Did I disturb you? Do you have any other plans?" questioned Samaira.

Roohi: " No Didi. I am more than happy but its just that I need a favor from you and now I am scared to ask!"

"Why fear when I am here? I came to spend time with you. Ask na?!" said Samaira.

Roohi : "Err!  I want a fancy hair do for Sudha's wedding tonight. I have my last exam and a lab viva till late noon and I have no time left to go to parlor. Can you please help me with it?"

"Ofcourse babe. Why were you scared to ask? It is boring when I do it to strangers. You are my cute little sister darling",saying so Samaira hugged Roohi briefly.

Samaira uplifted Roohi's spirits and got immersed in the catalogue of hair styles she carried with her .Ruhi got immersed in her books for the last round of revision . She went to give her exam and came back in high spirits. Paper was easy and breezy and her stress free hair  was falling freely over her shoulders. After little brain storming , browsing through the catalogue and also  the "Tresemme ramp ready hair styles" video on you tube Samaira decides to try few trendy hair styles on Roohi as they have ample of time for trials!

Roohi has a gentle and relaxing head bath using the  TRESemmé gift hamper she got . The fragrance  from her hair is new and lovely. Her hair felt silky smooth and healthy. Once she dried her hair Samaira started working on her tresses. The below are different pretty hair styles which Samaira recently tried on her self .She showed them to Roohi so that she can pick one.

1.) Side fish tail bun

Steps to make a side fish tail bun :

1. Make a small side part on right side of head. Sweep the remaining hair to the side and secure it with an elastic band making a ponytail

2.Divide your secured ponytail into three equal sections.

3. At this point use hair spray and work on a fishtail braid in the center section and braid only halfway keeping left side tighter and the right side looser and bind the hair with the elastic band. Finish the braid and repeat for right and left sections.

4.Starting at the elastic band end, slip fingers under each section individually and gently pull out  braid from the left side only.Work towards the scalp keeping the pulled out section even from roots to tips.

5.On the left-hand side braid, pullout both the sides starting at the elastic band end and work evenly towards the scalp.

6. Take the center and right side braids and pin them into circular shapes on the side making sure that right hand braid forms a smaller circle than the center braid so that it can be placed inside it.

7.Loop left-side braid into the center circle. Pin securely and make a figure of 8 or c shape with ends, depending on length of hair.

8. Lift up the loops and pin under to secure the design. Tuck all ends up under the braid to conceal them.

Use some more hair spray and accessorize and there you go!

2.) The famous chignon buns

Steps to make the chignon bun :

1. Brush your hair nice and smooth and put it into a high ponytail and grab your pony tail in your hands and pull it up and secure it with bobby pins or a hair clip leaving one inch space.

2. Now place a chignon bun/ padding and secure it with some pins. You can avoid this step if you don't have a chignon padding.

3. Tease your hair and bring it over the padding or just roll your hair and secure it with some of pins.

4. Put on some hairspray to keep the style intact.

5. Accessorize your hair with some floral pins or you can just leave it like that.

Either way its royal , feminine and elegant :)

3.) The 60's Beehive:

 Samaira tried the retro look too like below :)

Steps to make the 60's Beehive

1.Take a section from the top of the hair just at the back of the crown(head) leaving the hair from the ear forward so that all the back section can be secured with an elastic band in to a high pony tail

2. Tease the whole ponytail/ backcomb and smooth it off with a brush and fingers. Gather it together and tuck it under to make a high bun. Secure it with some bobby pins

3.Tease your hair again in the front section so that it gives you more lift leaving the front most section plain and smooth and start laying off the bun hair layer by layer spraying it with a hair spray so that it stays in position. Gather the ends of the hair coming from the bun . You can tuck it inside or can wrap it into a circle and pin it and accessorize it. Depends on how you like it :)

After checking all the styles Roohi rounded on the side fish tail bun which was elegant , cool and perfectly fit for a wedding. Also she did not want to look more stunning than the princess for that day - the bride :) 

Roohi loved the new look and wanted to go to the function hall as soon as possible to flaunt her new hair style to her friends.She for sure looked like the best brides maid in a dazzling saree and the amazing hair style. So Tresemme and the ramp ready hair styles assisted her and Samaira who came to her place at the right time was a life saver :)

The credit for all the hair styles goes to my bhabhi "Samar Noor". She is a gifted and talented beautician. Her nail arts and hair styles are to die for. Do visit her page on facebook if interested.-- "Being Young and Beautiful" . A big thanks to her for doing all the hair styles and patiently dictating the step by step process for each one :)

This post is for Indiblogger's "TRESemmé Ramp Ready Hair" contest.

Watch "TRESemmé India" video on you tube to check out some amazing ramp ready hair styles

May Photo A Day Challenge :Day 9. Snack!!

The Day 9 prompt for "May Photo A Day Challenge : A challenge that will change your life"9. A snack: Healthy, or not-so-healthy, share a snack with us.

Eating a healthy snack is boring so I thought its better to share the snapshots of unhealthy greasy snacks for now ;) .This remains the favorite prompt so far. It is both  benefit and loss if you have a husband who is a passionate cook. Benefit as I don't have to sweat out to find a way to his heart err I mean via his stomach as he himself can cook a sumptuous meal. Loss as he will keep on advising me as to what to cook and what not to and how to make it more beautiful and you have to bear with all the free tips. Like Shilpa "said" one has to bear with the messy kitchen too which looks like a battle field once my husband finishes a dish. How ever all the minuses can be ignored as by EOD you get to taste wonderful dishes. I am directly jumping in to some favorite snacks by husband.

The below pic shows Mirchi Bajji / Mirapakai bajji a famous south Indian snack or Mirchi Pakoda- (I am not sure about the nomenclature in North India.). For recipe you can check "this" post I found on googling if interested :) . It is spicy tasty with all onion toppings and nimbu(lemon) sprinkled a top .It is the best snack in rainy season. Definitely not healthy but once in a while its a must to taste a delicious bajji. The pic here has mirchi bajji on top and below is the home made chana chat with mirchi bajjii pieces as topping! Presentation matters.

Rain Rain come again :)

Just today morning as I was making my bowl of oats(Yep I am diet conscious on most days of the year) my husband was all set to mock me with a plate of home made french fries and a bowl of soupy yummy maggi noodles. This actually can't be called a snack as its a tummy filling break fast but still wanted to click as I won't be having it. :(

Soupy noodles and French Fries!

I leave you with this last pic with out which this post would be incomplete. I am a big chat fan. I am not talking about the conversation --- chat. I love Indian chaat/chat. I can strike off any thing from my diet list for the sake of good health and body but I can never subside my love for chat. Any hygienic chat bhandar catches my eye. Rajasthan- Jaipur is the best for chat in India I feel. I still remember the chat I had at hotel Kanji - Jaipur but the dahi paapdi I had at Dilli haat in Delhi is also my favorite. Below is a snap shot. I love all Indian chats but my favorite would be sev puri and also pav bhaji :)

Grrrr. I am hungry now :-( and its lunch time so see you all !

Dahi Papdi at Dillii haat

Do find my clicks at Instagram - http://instagram.com/afshan_imran

To the "IRON" woman I know!

mom N bhayya

She works like a robot which is given 100 commands in stretch but still has energy and time in the whole day, to allot for each and every person near and dear to her. She sacrifices her needs and desires just to satisfy the same near and dear's wishes. In the "To-do" memos she jots down the top five are always


1.) That jewelry or that watch I always loved.
2.) The dress or the suit which suits my brother most.
3.) To make chicken biryani and gulab jamuns over the weekend when I will be visiting home .

4.)To get all the formal shirts of her man pressed and to get his master health checkup done which is pending from over a month 
5.) To offer prayers for our well- being , our health , our prosperity and happiness. 

 mom and dad "elated" by looking at their first baby in cradle!!

After that top 5 if there is still time and energy left to get some of her wishes fulfilled she ignores it as she is busily cross checking if we have got what all we need, if we are happy with what we have, if there is something troubling me, if we are all set to do something we wanted to from long and if we are well prepared to do it or not so on so forth. Sometimes I feel she nags and bugs us a lot! I let out a sigh saying," Mom, don’t you get tired at this age? Why don’t you just take a break (and give us a break).She then says, "I am not lazy! I am ultra-busy so do I have time and can spend my energy in doing  what all I want to and letting you all know what all you have to.
I never emphasized on the above thing but when I started staying away from her, I realized what she was telling! After I got a home to myself, I mean after getting married I realized how tough it is to manage a house and I was shell shocked to listen to a new me who was sounding like my mom :) 

Recently when she visited me for 10 days, I told her the same that I am sounding like her. I told this to her on one fine sunny morning as my brother and she who were busily engaged in some conversation were not approaching the breakfast table and I got extremely angry as the breakfast I made was getting cold! I shouted at them, “Can you please come and eat? My work will be done and I can go fill the water bottles ". This exactly is what my mom says whenever we laze around.

Me with my Brother exploring the fields near the Quarters we used to live!

When my work got a bit increased every day, like preparing lunch for 4-5 people instead of 2, cleaning vessels as maid took an unplanned leave, cleaning the house and all other monotonous tasks which you got to do and there is no other go and all the kitchen resources which you have to replenish all the time just oozed my energy out! I was frustrated within 3 days. My mom was my savior again. My husband is an expert cook and more patient than me but as he was also keeping busy it’s my mom who saved me as always. In spite of her arthritis and the 24*7 medication she was using, the only thing which worried her the most was that I WAS DOING ALL THE TASKS in maid's absence and even if I warned meekly not to work she cleaned the kitchen, mopped the platform, cooked for the day and asked me to rest for a while. I felt ashamed as she had to work here too because of me and I was so dependent on her. As soon as I see her I don’t feel like working, I don’t feel like lifting my lazy bones and walking till kitchen to take my tea cup. I become lazy and happy. I am like that smiling baby cuckoo which lazes around when it is fed full stomach when Mama cuckoo is cooing around! I helped her a bit but mostly she alone managed all the tasks. Not only managing but she had set all things in my room, cleared the mess and made it a well-organized and clean place. I felt so bright and wonderful when I saw the change!

In spite of me being so lousy when it comes to maintaining home and doing things on time she was so impressed and jubilant on seeing my progress that she said that being a grownup woman I can handle all house hold things. She also told she never dreamt that I will cook and serve the way I was doing [which according to me is just mediocre. You can say I am just managing to live]. She says I AM A RESPONSIBLE lady now. Well I don’t know how much of that is true and how much is out of her immense love towards me.

Even if her joints were not cooperating with her, she brought all her energy out to make that Éclairs cake, my favorite curry and chicken on the day she was leaving. I didn’t understand what to tell her. I was crying when I first left her. I really don’t know if I am a grown up lady but I was fighting back tears and actually trying to give an assuring smile to her that I would be fine when she was leaving.

Once mom, dad left and house got vacant there was a kind of lacuna in my stomach too. I was deadly silent. My husband planned a movie to night but it couldn't brighten my spirits. My spirits were more dampened when I saw her struggling to climb down the stairs or do works quickly like before. We can never stop aging but whenever I see her patience, spirit to do works, the way she manages small and big tasks I pray to GOD for her good health and I feel ashamed that even if I am fit and fine I cannot be half good as she is.Even in that short span of 10 days there were moments when I showed my anger and frustration on her but she was silent and nodded as if she understands me and damn! She understands me like no one else! She is my bestest girl friend with whom I shared "almost all" my thoughts, secrets, envies, ambitions, intentions (good/bad) and everything under the sky. 

We love U MOM!

My mom is an unpaid entrepreneur at home who expects love and a hug as remuneration. I became a better person only due to her. No one influenced me like her. Her enthusiasm and optimism are contagious. She sure is inspiring. This post is for you mom, for all the moments which made my days brighter and load lighter! You are the best. A day is less to recognize your efforts and measure your love but still advance HAPPY MOTHERS DAY  

I wish to get my story published in Chicken Soup for the Indian Entrepreneurs Soul in association with BlogAdda.com.
Thank You Blogadda for this opportunity :)

May Photo A Day Challenge :Day 8. Shape!

The Day 8 prompt for "May Photo A Day Challenge : A challenge that will change your life" 8. Shape: Shapes are all around us. Which will you choose for today’s prompt?

This is an easy prompt as any thing has a shape other than Amoeba ;). This seemed tough to me though as I could not decide what to click. Finally I rounded on my favorite shape "round" .No round is definitely not the favorite shape when it comes to body :p. Round just reminds me the circle of life. History repeats . Life is a full circle. It holds true in many cases at least to me. Round is good when we are discussing numbers. Doesn't it feel good to get "20 comments" instead of 18 or 19 :) As we have Rassgullaas stocked up at home I thought of clicking a yumm round pic. Find below delicious pics of Rasgullaas (Indian sweet dish).

Rasgullas on Instagram - "here"

Find at Instagram - "Rasgulla"

One more shape which seemed fascinating today is the oblong shape. I bought a brinjal yesterday . The challenge was not at all on my mind when I bought it :-). This cannot be tagged as the world's largest brinjal but for sure it is  the largest brinjal I saw so far! I just had to buy it and today morning when I excitedly opened the fridge its shape seemed attractive and the result is below. Brinjal definitely is the King of vegetables with a beautiful crown on its head. The below brinjal looks like the king of all the kings due its huge size and pretty crown.

Find at instagram - "brinjal"

Now its time for some creativity. The elegance of the brinjal pushed me little more and I decided to display my imagination ;) Check out the brinjal below which is happily sitting on throne smiling at every one. The smiley is made with mirchi+Haldi paste . (chilli powder + turmeric paste). Say "hello" to the king ;)

Find at Instagram -"here"

The below pic is just to show the enormity of the brinjal. Look how blissfully it is sleeping on the plate occupying the entire space :P

Find at instagram - " here "

Before some one thinks I am going to buy a garland for the beloved brinjal and before some one thinks I have gone crazy like the Tom Hanks of Cast away I am cutting it mercilessly in to pieces to make tasty Baingan ka bharta (a brinjal dish :) ). Oh boy ! I have really started talking to the royal brinjal :)

Good day to you all.

May Photo A Day Challenge :Day 7 - Something beginning with F

The Day 7 prompt for "May Photo A Day Challenge : A challenge that will change your life" 7. Something beginning with F: Find something beginning with the letter F and take a photo.

This is an easy and also a gorgeous prompt for me as F reminds me only flowers followed by lovers ;) Flowers have that magical power to bring smiles on one's face and a place filled with flowers has a peaceful aura. I have many pics of flowers. I cannot stop my self from clicking them. When ever I find a bud or a flower in full bloom I immediately capture it in my cam or phone. For now I have created a collage of variety of flowers I have clicked in recent past :)

Clicked at various places. If you use Instagram find at http://instagram.com/p/Y_yKc9qF2X/

I got the bouquet which is in the left and top most corner of the pic on my birthday recently along with a wrist watch. The hibiscus and the pair of pink flowers which seem to be in love are clicked in Manali and Jim Corbett respectively. The roses are clicked in some one's home. The bottom most right corner of the pic has the red and orange roses bouquet given by me to my husband on his birthday :)

Roses and love go hand in hand :) If you use Instagram find at
http://instagram.com/p/Y_x_YKKF2A/

The above roses pic was clicked in Manali (Himachal Pradesh). I so love this. This was taken in the cottage we stayed. I got dreamy watching the beautiful gardens of Manali. There are various flowers but for now I leave you with just these pics.

Give flowers to any one. Watch them smile and spread love :)

This was clicked in Infosys. The flowers make it a better place to work

May Photo A Day Challenge :Day 6 - Broken

The Day 6 prompt for "May Photo A Day Challenge : A challenge that will change your life" 6. Broken: Is there something broken around you? Shoot and share it.

I had to almost break my head while searching for some thing broken at my place. No one preserves broken things and I already saw broken eggs and utensils as part of today's challenge. Finally I remembered a pair of ear rings which were broken long back but I still use them as I love them.I am addicted to junk jewellery. One of the ear rings was broken just the second day of purchase :( An embedded black stone came loose of one of the ear rings. It is negligible but still visible. Find it in the pic below

Can you see a black stone missing in the right side ear ring?

One more cute thing which was broken by me is a key chain we bought from Singapore. A key chain in the shape of a slipper. A slipper/chappal key chain is considered to be a good luck charm :) Now don't ask me why and how! I simply couldn't resist buying 10 similar key chains. I gifted them to cousins and friends. Irrespective of the famous belief people have that this key chain is lucky it felt so good to gift them!

Can you see that all the white stones are missing
in the flower on top of the key chain?

This is a brand new unopened key
chain. Uploaded just to display the
beauty of the flower with shining
stone petals :)

Even if the key chain is broken I still use it because if I stop using it may bring bad luck .

LOL . I hope you didn't believe it. I use it because it is just so pretty. Same is the reason for wearing the ear rings:) Hence they are my broken but beautiful possessions!

Find them at Instagram -"BROKEN"

I can wear the ear rings and hold the key chain. Ain't they both matching matching ;)?

Voices in my head!

“I can never calm them down. Other than me no one can hear them but they are actually nerve racking sometimes. They are soothing, disturbing and many a times they are just an incoherent buzz. From dawn to dusk they talk to me punctuated by the hum of the washing machine, beeps of oven , whistles of cooker, distant loud chatter and laughs and so on so forth. They guide me, misguide me, tickle me, bring a frown on my face but never leave my head. When I sleep I may be in smiles but my voices always travel miles”.

This is written for"100 words prompt on Saturday" by Corinne.