Multiple Shades of Life - Love, Travel, Food, Shopping, Parenting and lots more...

Facebook Fraud Case

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 11:12:00 +0000

This is a real story happened to a close friend of mine. She wanted me to write this so that people know about such scam, become alert and they don't fall prey.

You must be receiving fb friend request from many unknown people, some of them would be from countries like UK, US, middle east etc . These people would hold good professional positions like jet pilot , merchant navy , business man etc . Also if their target is a married person their dp will be with another person - a child or lady or senior citizen . This is a simple trick to portray that they are good family people happily married , love their children, love their parents etc . If thier target are young girls, their dp would be in smart formal attire or on duty pics of pilot, merchant navy etc . All these are nothing but psychological game to show that they are good and financially settled people. Never ever accept friend request from these kind of profiles. They are all fake profiles probably operating from somewhere in india.

Similar thing happened with my friend. She received a fb friend request from a similar profile, someone who claimed to be from UK , his DP was with a small girl of around 3 years old. Normally my friend does not accept friend request from unknown people, initially she ignored this one also. Then this guy started pinging him on Messenger. And then an unlucky day happened when she was busy with many things that she unknowingly accepted the friend request. Let me tell you these guys are skilled conmen, very good in bluffing, very good actors. He started talking to my friend showing that his intention is to be good friends. He won the sympathy of my friend by telling fake story of his wife who died of cancer, his little girl is with his in-laws bla bla bla . From fb chat they moved to whatsapp chat and calls. They become very good friends .

This conman now knows that the time is right to execute the final game. He told my friend that a week after (a specific date was given) was his daughter's birthday and he is going to make it really big . He said he is going for his daughter's birthday shopping . He will get stuff for her and her husband also and will send by international courier. He asked my friend for her postal address for the courier delivery. My friend denied receiving anything , denied giving the address. But as expected he easily convinced her and she shared her postal address . The next day he texted her telling about his shopping day , he told her that he did some good shopping for her also. He has packed all stuff to be sent . He also added that since he doesn't know size of her husband , he has put some cash also inside so that she can buy something for her husband on his behalf .

Next update after a day was that he has sent the courier and it should reach her place in 3 days. He said he has sent through some super fast courier but the delivery charge has to be paid by her at her end. My friend asked her what would be the delivery charge, he said it would be around USD 500. She was shocked to hear such high delivery charge but then again he convinced him saying it's a super fast international courier bla bla bla ... "You can adjust with the cash i have put in the packet."

On the day of courier delivery , someone from the courier company called her and told her that her packet has arrived and she has to pay INR 45000 as delivery charge. Without suspecting and asking much question she agreed to pay the money. The courier guy sent the account details. My friend could have sensed something fishy seeing that the account name wasn't of a company but an individual, she missed this important check also. She made the payment without much hesitation. After sometime she got another call from the same courier company and said "Madam, on scanning we found out that there is a huge amount of euro inside the packet. Do you have foreign exchange certificate?". My friend said no. Then he said "Madam it is illegal to receive huge cash by courier, it would be around INR 30lac . You have to pay a fine of INR 1.11 lac and then you can take your packet." My friend was in shock and told him she will not pay any money , ask the sender to pay the money" . Then she called his friend and told him about what happened. He said he will talk to the courier guy and call back. After sometime he called back and said the same thing that she has to pay and there is no other way. He told my friend "You pay the money and adjust with the cash which i have sent which would be around INR 30 lac." By then my friend understood that it's a well planned scam. She told him "I don't have money, you transfer me INR 1.11 equivalent money to my bank account. I will transfer you back once i receive your euros." He tried really hard to convince my friend but this time my friend understood the entire game. She has already lost INR 45000. All these happened in a span of less than a month. She blocked the numbers of the fake UK guy and fake courier guy. Two important things she missed doing :
- filing a complain to RBI
- filing a police complain

If she filed these two complain immediately, she could have got back her money. Dear all, sadly we are surrounded by such conman. Don't entertain any unknown person online or offline. Be alert , be cautious , listen to your inner conscience, be safe.

PUBG - Why shoudn't you play?

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 12:32:00 +0000

PUBG (PlayerUnknown's BattleGrounds) is an action game in which 100 or more players fight to remain alive as a planet depletes of most of its population. Many countries have started banning this game due to the negative impact of the game on children and youngsters. Some of the top reasons why you shouldn't play PUBG are:

Extreme Violence: PUBG is a very violent game like many other action video games. Children and youth get addicted to the game and become obsessed with extreme violence. It starts showing in their behavior too.

Addiction: Like many other online games, people get addicted to PUBG due to which children and people of younger generation get glued to the game. They become so addictive to the game that they stop thinking about other productive things.

Become anti-social: Kids and youth playing PUBG get so addicted to the game, they are living a virtual life. They are too busy in their virtual world that they have no time to interact with real people in real world.

Bad mental and physical health: It is quite obvious that playing any kind of video game affects both your mental and physical health. And when a game is like PUBG which is so violent and aggressive, damage is much higher.

Poor studies: Students who get addicted to PUBG do not have time to study as they are busy playing this game most of the time. This results in depletion of their academic scores day by day.

In a nutshell, PUBG is very hazardous game. It will bring only temporary satisfaction at the cost of your health, education, productivity and personal life. Stop people from playing PUBG.

Eggless Chocolate Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Tue, 09 Apr 2019 12:40:00 +0000

What do you do when your fridge is full of chocolates? What I do... I made egg-less chocolate cake. So, it started with receiving a basket of hand-made milk chocolates. Hand-made milk chocolates are very good but my problem is I like only dark chocolates, somehow I don't like milk chocolates. But these hand-made chocolates are best quality ones, I wanted to use it somewhere else... that's how my egg-less chocolate cake is here.

So here is the quick recipe of my yummy soft egg-less chocolate cake, you will love it's texture, thanks to the amazing quality hand-made chocolates.

Ingredients - hand-made milk chocolates, milk, flour, sugar, cooking oil, baking powder, baking soda, instant coffee powder, vanilla essence, vinegar

How to make?

Step 1: Melt the hand-made chocolates in microwave oven for 1 min.

Step 2: Mix the melted chocolate with 1 and half cup of milk, half cup sugar, 3 tablespoon cooking oil, 2 teaspoon vanilla essence, 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder. Mix them well.

Step 3: Add 1 and half cup flour, little by little into the above mixture. Mix 2 teaspoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon baking soda into it. Stir it very nicely till there is no lump and a thick creamy texture is formed.

Stpe 4: Add 1 tablespoon vinegar and stir again thoroughly. Let it sit for 5 mins. Have your cake tin ready, cover it with foil or butter paper so that you can easily remove the cake when it is done. Pour the batter into the cake tin.

Step 4: Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius. Put the cake tin in oven for 15 mins at 180 degree Celsius. Your cake is ready.

Let it cool down for 15 mins. Now you can remove your shinny yummy soft egg-less chocolate cake from the cake tin. Enjoy with family and friends!

Beware of Paytm scammers

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 12:36:00 +0000

I am sharing this post to alert people who use paytm for money transactions. It happened with me today.

I wanted to sell my old sofa set, so I put the details in olx yesterday. Today morning I got a call from someone who is interested in buying the sofa set. He sounded very keen in buying and he didn't negotiate the price. I thought since I have already put it at a very low price, he must have understood that there is no scope of negotiation. He asked me for my address details. I texted him my address details and told him to give a visit to see the sofa. After sometime, he gave me a call again telling he would like to buy the sofa without seeing, someone will come to collect it in the evening. I asked him how can you just buy without even seeing it. He said, he has seen it on computer and he is satisfied with that. It sounded little fishy to me. I ignored.

After sometime, this guy called me again saying that he will transfer money to my paytm. I asked him you sounded as if you are in a very hurry to buy the sofa. I asked him where does he stay. He said some place "Wampi". Wampi? I have never heard of this place. I thought since the ad is posted in location "Pune" it could be some place in Pune. So, I asked him where is this Wampi. He said it's near Surat. I was surprised, I said my sofa is in Pune, how are you going to take it. He said, one cargo tempo is coming from Pune to his side, he has asked those people to put the sofa in that. It sounded more fishy but I didn't feel any alarming thing there as sofa is with me and I won't give my sofa without getting the payment. He said he will transfer the money via paytm and hanged up the phone. I didn't take him seriously.

Later, when I was in office, he called me again. He said I transferred you INR 10K to my account. Please go to paytm and complete the payment. I said let me check and I will get back to you. I checked my phone, I got the below sms...

This sms definitely sounds fishy. It doesn't say about crediting money into my account, rather it says about debiting money from my account. Then, I quickly open the paytm notification...

"Pay"!!! No way. I immediately declined it. I got another call from the same guy asking if I received the money. Instead of getting into it and telling anything I simply said sorry, my sofa is sold to another person by my husband. Out of anger he gave me all abusive hindi gaali which I neither understand nor care a damn. I hung up the phone, blocked the number. I am sure this would be well planned scam carried out by team of thugs trying to loot innocent simple people.

Dear all, please be extremely alert when you do any kind of online transaction through any kind of app or website. Don't share your OTPs. Words like "Pay" and "Debit" mean your money will go, not that you will receive money. Stay alert, stay safe.

GM (General Motor) Diet... I did it once, time to do it again

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Tue, 19 Mar 2019 12:42:00 +0000

Many people know about the famous GM Diet; for those who don't know GM diet, it is a diet plan originally created for the employees of General Motors (that's why the name GM). GM diet is a 7 day diet plan, if you follow it religiously you could lose anywhere between 2 kg to 7 kg in 7 days. No kidding!!!

I did it once. I lost 5 kgs in 7 days, but gained back 2 kgs, so overall I lost 3 kgs in 7 days (not bad huh). It worked for me, I am sure it will work for you too.

In this 7 day diet plan you follow a specific diet each day. You can complement this diet with a special cabbage soup. I will share the recipe of this special cabbage soup at the end of the post. Let's start with 7 days diets first .

Day 1: This is fruits day. You eat only fruits, nothing else. You are allowed to pick any fruit but no banana. It is advised to have lots of water melon and muskmelon on day 1 to boost your weight loss.

Day 2: This is vegetables day. You eat only vegetables, today no fruits. You can use little olive oil to enhance the taste of your cooked vegetables. Saute your vegetables with thin slices of garlic and herbs. Add lots of green leafy vegetables to your diet.

Day 3: This is fruits+vegetables day. You can have both fruits and vegetables, but no banana and potato. Sorry!!! But there are other tasty fruits and vegetables like grapes, apple, orange, mushroom which are very tasty and very healthy.

Day 4: This is a tough day especially for me because I don't drink milk and I don't like banana. Today you are allowed to have only bananas and milk. You can have up to 8 bananas. For people who love banana shakes, it's a treat as you can make yummy banana milk shakes.

Day 5: Congratulations, you are done with the tough days. 5th day onward it is much easy to follow the diet. 5th day you can eat upto 8 tomatoes along with protein like brown rice, fish, chicken, paneer. You can make yummy tomato rice along with grilled fish or chicken or paneer tikka.

Day 6: This is vegetables+proteins day. You can have all varieties of vegetables along with protein like fish, chicken, paneer, soya.

Day 7: Today is the last day of your 7 days GM Diet. Congratulations on reaching the 7th day successfully. Today is all about fruits and vegetables. But thinking that it is the last day of your 7 days long diet you would be very happy and excited. You would be enjoying your light weight, I am not kidding.

Now the recipe for the special cabbage soup...

Ingredients: cabbage, carrot, onion, tomatoes, celery leaves/stalks, green beans

How to cook: Finely chop all the ingredients and put in a vessel. Add water. Add less water if you want a thick soup or add more water if you want a soup with thin consistency. Let it boil for sometime. Garnish it with herbs and black pepper.

New Zealand Shooting - Another attack on Humankind

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 11:04:00 +0000

People all over the world are in shock to hear about shooting at ChristChurch Mosque, New Zealand. At least 49 people have been killed in this attack. Our heart goes to all humans who were killed today. Many Netizens are angry for calling it a "Shooting". According to them, it is not a shooting, it is a terrorist attack. The shooter who is an Australian origin Christian has been addressed as "shooter" by western media. Many Muslim Netizens are very upset with this. According to them when a Muslim is even just a suspect, western media called him a terrorist. however when a non-muslim kills number of muslims he is a psychopath shooter.

One of the Netizens shared... "Saddest part of today's incident was when the attacker entered the mosque, a muslim said: "Welcome Brother" and then the attacker shoots him first.".

Terrorism has no religion. Prayers for the deceased and families of deceased. Make peace with humankind!

Dineout - A blessing for foodies

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 11:44:00 +0000

When it comes to food there are two categories of people...

- People who eat to live

- People who live to eat

Well, I belong to the latter category. Yes, I live to eat. For me, happiness means good food. So, for a foodie like me, coming across the app dineout is a blessing. Dineout is a restaurant table reservation app which shower you with lots and lots of offers & deals.

February just got over, sadly Dineout GIRF (Great Indian Restaurant Festival) also just got over. Dineout bombarded us with Flat 50% off on food, drinks, buffet, total bill across multiple restaurants. They even offered flat 50% off on buffet at select restaurants inside 5 star hotels. Too good!

Sharing is caring!!! I have been telling my folks to use Dineout app and enjoy food bindaass.

Thank you Dineout Team!!! Keep up the great work!!! Please continue to keep your customers tummy full without making dent in our pockets.

Jabong - Upto 70% off + extra 15% off Yay!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 09:39:00 +0000

I have always liked Jabong's collection, specially their ethnic collections of suits, salwars and kurtas. There is a brand "Shree" which sells ethnic stuff, I must say they are very good. Jabong people do not stop surprising their customers with new deals one after another. Today, I got this notification of Jabong's Upto 70% off + extra 15% off. Super excited!!!

Guys, what are you planning to buy from this lightning deal of Jabong. I have thought of buying a long dress which I can wear on an evening date with my husband. Share your shopping experience.

Kalank Movie Trailer - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 09:20:00 +0000

Today only I got to know about the new movie coming up... Kalank by Karan Johar's Dharma production. Wow... larger than life picturization, amazing star cast of Madhuri Dixit, Sonakshi Sinha, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sanjay Dutt. It looks like a very promising movie, but not able to understand from trailer if it is going to be a romantic thriller, political drama. But it looks something worth watching.

Kalank trailer reminded me of multiple movies. Some scenes reminded me of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas, some portion reminded of Bahubali, especially the one where Varun Dhawan is fighting with a big bull. There are some portion which reminded me of the movie Deepika Padokone, Ranbeer Singh, Shahid Kapoor starer movie Padmavatt (Padmavati).

What I like the most is Alia Bhatt's closing dialogue... jab kisi or ki badbadi apni jeet jaisi lage toh humse jyada barbaat koi nahin iss duniya me.

A Wig Story

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Mon, 11 Mar 2019 10:47:00 +0000

Just about today ... an interesting read

Husband likes my short hair but at the same time misses my long hair. He has been insisting me to buy a wig and I have been denying. Without my knowledge he booked an appointment with a Hair Wig Center. I wasn’t interested at all but I went there just for his sake .

The lady was happy to see us came on time but I was feeling little weird. She showed me a wig which hair texture and color were similar to mine. She said it’s natural hair wig, soft, beautiful bla bla bla. I said okay. She put it on my head. I didn’t know if it was good, bad or ugly but husband liked it. Seeing that he liked it I asked the price. The lady said “28”. “28? 28 hundred ... oh my god? “ I reacted. She looked at me with full disappointment and said “no Ma’am it’s 28 thousand.”

Holy cow, a wig for ₹28K . Damn this hair thing is a highly profitable business, zero investment, full return. Gals blessed with thick and beautiful hair can opt this as an alternate source of income... just kidding .

₹28k wig reminded me of O. Henry short story “The Gift of the Magi” where Della sells her long and beautiful hair for $20 to buy Christmas gift for her husband.

What do you think ... did I buy it ?

Amazing Alibaug

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Sun, 03 Jun 2018 13:21:00 +0000

Multiple Shades of Akshi Beach

From the day I landed Mumbai I have been thinking of going to Alibaug. Finally it happened even though after months. Alibaug is a small beautiful place, around 95 kms from Mumbai. One can reach Alibaug from Mumbai via sea or road. I prefer the sea route which is shorter and faster. I left home in the morning for Gateway of India to take the ferry to Alibaug. Ferry would take me around 90 mins to reach there. My bad... I reached Gateway of India to find out that ferry discontinued last week as monsoon was approaching. Without wasting time I quickly took local train from CST to Panvel. From Panvel you get bus for Alibaug every 30 mins . My bad, there was no AC bus , I had to take a local non AC bus. Oh God ... What a ride it was! It was like one of those rides at adventurous parks.
It took around 2 hours from Panvel to Alibaug. I was tired and hungry. My eyes got hold of jack-fruit and black currant being sold by locals near bus stand. I had the best black currant ever ... Very refreshing , sweet and juicy. Alibaug is also famous for seafood.

Pebbles filled Korlai Beach

Flora filled Revdanda Beach

My first visit is to Alibaug beach, from there I planned to go to Kolaba fort. I reached the beach, asked a hawker about ferry or boat to Kolaba fort. He told me water level is so less I could actually walk to the fort or go by horse. I was surprised and amazed to hear that... Go to an island from a beach by walk. Awesome !!! That is what exactly I did I walked to Kolaba fort ... What an experience ... Walking in sea water, playing with water while enjoying the sunset . Another pleasure was seeing the horses riding in sea water. Such a queit and calm sea...

Sunset at Alibaug Beach

Kolaba fort was indeed majestic ... It was one of the forts ruled by famous Maratha King Shivaji. History of Kolaba fort itself is very fascinating. The entire place looks like an untouched village far away from city life. I like the big rocks and walls. A small broken hut attracted me, the entire view was not less than a dream . There is a beautiful white temple of Ganesh ji. It looks so beautiful amidts of grey rocks and greens. While returning from the fort to the beach I was amazed to see that sea water level had further gone down, there was no water ... Seriously !


About Kolaba Fort

Alibaug Beach

My next visit is to Akshi beach. Akshi beach is just Wow! I have been to many beaches but this one is unique. You will love the multiple shades of the beach . It looked as if God Himself came and painted the beach. This beach is also so queit and calm. Having famous Alibaug's coconut water and enjoying the view ... I loved it totally.

From Akshi beach I went to Nagaon beach. Nothing exciting about Nagaon beach, somehow I found it muddy, may be if you like making clay toys you may like to use the muddy sand to make toys or castles. From Nagaon beach I went to Revdanda beach which is famous for Revdanda fort. This is another beautiful unexplored place. Revdanda fort itself is like a mini jungle untouched by humans for ages. Revdanda fort was built by Portuguese. There is a beautiful Portuguese church also near this place. In Alibaug you will get to see multiple shades of beaches. Like in Revdanda beach you will see green beach covered by green Flora.

Revdanda Fort

Revdanda Beach

Portuguese Church

My next destination is another unexplored place ... Korlai village. This is where fishermen live. It's a first time experience for me to see how fishermen lead their lives , their small houses , how they work non stop ... Life is not easy. Korlai beach is massive and beautiful . Ride to the beach was not easy. It was a narrow patchy road which led to the beach... A thrilling ride I must say. After Korlai beach I went to Kashid beach. Kashid beach is like one of those crowded Goa beaches... Many people having lots of fun , water sports etc.

Korlai Village

Korlai Beach

Two main destinations I wanted to visit in Aibaug are Undheri and Khanderi forts which you can go only by boat or ferry from Thal beach. I reached Thal beach to take the ferry to these two destinations which are next to each other. Thal beach is another untouched fishermen space. This place is full of boats and nets used by fishermen while fishing. Unfortunately boats and ferries were banned for two months. So I couldn't go further. I could only see Undheri and Khanderi forts far off from Thal beach. I have a strong reason to come back to Alibaug.

Narrow Road to Korlai Beach

Fishermen's action stuff

View of Undheri and Khanderi Forts from Thal Beach

My last destination is Varsoli beach... Another very clean and beautiful beach. Evening is the best time to go to this beach, enjoy the clean and calm sea. You would love to spend the entire evening at this quiet beach. Have a nice tea at one of the tea stalls around before leaving from this place. You would also enjoy a short ride around the trees surrounding the beach.

Varsoli Beach

Alibaug famous Pomfret Fish

One thing I observed was most of the beaches in Alibaug are so quiet and calm. All beaches are very clean with clean water. And best part is most of the beaches have less or no crowd. It's like the entire place is mine,What else you want! I find Alibaug beaches much better than Goa beaches. So if you are planning your trip to enjoy sea beaches, next time opt for Alibaug not Goa. It will be 30% the cost of Goa trip and 200% fun.

Life in Mumbai Local Train ... Episode 2

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 09:09:00 +0000

Chowmein or Noodles?

Two girls talking to each other... I could make out from their talk that one of the girls is going to Delhi for a short trip, she had been there earlier also. I also could make out that the other girl knows about Delhi, have been there for a short period.

First girl is so excited about her Delhi trip, especially for local shopping and street food. Of course, Delhi is famous for street food. Second girl is suggesting her to go to Lajpat Nagar market and Sarojini nagar market for local shopping and street food hogging. She showed her excitement and love for tandoori momos which you get only in Delhi. I also badly missed tandoori momos of Delhi which they serve with mayonnaise. The first girl was then more excited about her short trip .

First girl: I want to go to many places but I don't have time. I love Delhi street food. So in Delhi they don't call noodles as noodles. They use a different name. I don't remember the name . What's that name?

2nd girl : Spaghetti?

First girl : No! I am talking about street shops, the local ones.

2nd girl: oh yeah... they call it Chowmein .

First girl : Yes right. They called it Chowmein. Last time I asked for noodles they looked at me as if I asked for some alien food. Chinese will wonder seeing Delhi version of noodles... Chowmein.

I wonder myself... what about Mumbai triple... where they mix rice with noodles and serve with Manchurian and shev (bhujia). I still don't understand how can someone mix rice and noodles together .

Tumhari Sulu Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 17:53:00 +0000

Tumhari Sulu Movie Review

Movie Review - Tumhari Sulu

This is one of the rarest cases where I went for a movie without having any clue about the movie. A friend of mine said let's go for this Vidya Balan movie. I said okay . We went for an evening show at an INOX.

Starting of the movie clearly depicts that it is a movie revolving around a woman from a middle class family. Sulochana aka Sulu is a housewife from a middle class family . She is shown as unsuccessful 12 class failed woman who tried her hands on so many things but failed in everything she tried. But she doesn't give up. She is always compared with her twin sisters who are doing well in their respective lives and career. Sulu 's husband is a struggling man, who works for a garment firm for the past 12 years. He is not happy with his work life. Sulu has a son also who add some humour and unnecessary tenstion to the story.

First half of the movie is interesting, as audience and as Vidya Balan's fan you would be keen to know what is coming next. From housewife, all of a sudden she became a late night RJ who works under Neha Dhupia. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Neha Dhupia. She adds glamour and masala to this middle class family drama. Second half was boring, I feel that writers didn't know what to add in 2nd half, so they filled some unnecessary drama. Clearly story was dragged in 2nd half. Then all of a sudden they realised times up, movie needed to be over and they made it over. No kidding.

I give Tumhari Sulu 2 stars... for Vidya Balan and Neha Dhupia.

Gulabo... I want you more and more...

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 17:23:00 +0000

Indian Dessert Fusion

After having a ravishing dinner at Nirvana a famous restaurant in Mumbai, the manager came to ask if we want a dessert which is just out of the world. He offered Gulabo with lots of excitement and a big smile, we instantly said... Sure, why not?? Wait was little long... around 5 to 10 minutes. But let me tell you every second we waited was worth it. Gulabo came in a plate very well decorated and very beautiful. Slices of Gulab Jamun dipped in a flood of rabri. Centre attraction is a smooth creamy milk cake type, topped with half cut Gulab Jamun. The beautiful plate is garnished with chopped crispy almonds and pistachio. I can die for it over and over again.

Life in Mumbai Local Train ... Episode 1

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 15:56:00 +0000

Life in Mumbai Local Train Episode 1

Life in Mumbai Local Train is equally interesting like Life in Delhi Metro. I don't want to compare these two interesting journeys. With excitement I am writing my first episode of Life in Mumbai Local Train. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.

It was a normal working day, I boarded the train at Marine Lines which is just one station away from Churchgate station where I had to get down. I sat next to three women. They must be in their late 40s or early 50s. They were going to work, I guess they work together. Like the way I and my friends do, they were discussing about 26 Jan holiday travel plan. Don't go by their looks and age , they were three smart women who could easily beat even teenagers in terms of energy and excitement. They planned to go to Aurangabad and visit Ajanta Elora . They planned to return on a Monday and go to office directly. Man ... this is what I do all the time... return on a Monday and go directly to work. I feel so happy to know that I am not alone.

It was a very short journey but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to their conversation. After they successfully planned their travel they moved to a new topic ... topic about a movie where there is Sanjeev Kumar and Shashi Kapoor . I have no clue which movie they were talking about . Then one of the ladies started singing a song from the movie . Another woman joined her. Then all three of them started singing together. They were least bothered about what others might be thinking about them... That's how it should be. A morning Mumbai local train journey like this is most welcome .

Blackened Fish with Risotto Rice

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 14:26:00 +0000

Blackened Fish with Risotto Rice

Markiv's Cafe Churchgate

So, there is this cafe right next to Churchgate station Markiv's Cafe. I really like the ambience , wanted to go there for long . Finally the day came . One of the special items of the day was ... Blackened fish with risotto rice . Grilled basa fish, tomato olive base along with creamy risotto rice... I decided to go for this. It was an unexpected long wait but the wait was worth . A very well decorated plate with crispy colorful bell peppers , baby-corns and onions on the side of the plate and thyme leaves sprinkled on top of the crispy juicy blackened fish... a must try for all Mumbaikars who love fish.

Spicy Crabmeat Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Fri, 06 Oct 2017 17:34:00 +0000

Spicy Crabmeat Soup

Fresh Flavour of crab meat

All thanks to my dear friend Mrinal who took me to this Chinese restaurant called Dynasty at Santa Cruz Mumbai. She recommended me to have spicy crabmeat soup. I am not a soup person but her excitement made me say yes. She wasn't wrong ... it was indeed very tasty . It has a fresh flavour of crabmeat and creamy base . Crunchy finely chopped vegetables add on the taste . It was raining outside which set the perfect mood for hot creamy soup... what an evening !!!

Eggs Kejriwal

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 17:30:00 +0000

Eggs Kejriwal

SodaBottleOpenerWala Mumbai

I don't know about rest of India but Delhi people know very well about Kejriwal. No further comment on this. But I am here to talk about some yummy Kejriwal called Eggs Kejriwal... a very yummy eggy creamy snack made of toast, two sunny side up eggs, mushroom, cheese and many other secret ingredients. So next time when you go to famous Parsi restaurant SodaBottleOpenerWala do try this item... very yummy, very pocket friendly... it will not disappoint you for sure .

Goan Delight in New Delhi

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 17:47:00 +0000

Lady Baga - Authentic Goan Restaurant Bar Pub

Fiery Goan Masala Chicken

Lady Baga Connaught Place Delhi

If you live in Delhi NCR and have a craving for authentic Goan food then answer is Lady Baga at P block Connaught Place. Not just the food, they have set a Goan ambience with colorful interior and sand floor to get a feel of Goa .

Lady Baga Pub

We were impressed with the wide variety of food and drinks they offer. Their service was also very fast. What I love the most personally is Light my Fire... Masala Chicken, soft and tender boneless chicken cooked in fiery semi dry Goan masala . It is super duper spicy, very creamy and very yummy. As the name says light my fire, it is hot like fire so not for people who can't tolerate spicy food. But me, being a foodie who loves very spicy food , it was a complete treat for me. .

Trip to Kovalam and Poovar

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Sun, 10 Sep 2017 16:30:00 +0000

Trip to Kovalam and Poovar

Mighty Arabian Sea

Kovalam Beach

Kerala... here I come again. When People asked me about places to visit in Kerala my answers are normally backwaters and Munnar. There is a new recommendation... Kovalam. From Kovalam you can go to many other nearby places. Kovalam beach is one of the cleanest beaches in India. Water was so clean I didn't mind getting completely wet in the waves. After having a cold refreshing time in the sea I went for a hot oil full body spa which was followed by steam bath. What else do you need to rejuvenate your body and mind?

Kovalam Beach

Villa Maya Heritage Restaurant

If you plan to visit Kovalam, you must also visit the heritage food place called Villa Maya Heritage Restaurant. The place looks so royal, looks like a palace which got converted into a restaurant. Ambience is too good. Food is out of the world. We were welcomed with a complimentary welcome drink along with something to munch. The drink was unique and very tasty, I wanted to ask the recipe of the drink but I got so lost gulping the heavenly food I forgot to ask.

Villa Maya Heritage Restaurant

Welcome Drink

Our driver took us to a point which was breathtaking. Mighty Arabian Sea and its mighty waves took my breath away. What amazed me more were two tiny boats sailing in that tide... mind blowing! I got scared seeing them but they were experts, they knew how to face the waves. The view reminded me of the movie Life of Pi. It was in fact much more thrilling than the movie.

Poovar Island and Backwaters

We went for a Boat ride to Poovar island. We went through the backwaters and canals surrounded by jungle. I was surprised to know that many portions of Hollywood movie Anaconda 2 was shot there. Jungle was surrounded by mangrove trees. Mangroves look like mangoes, but I got to know that they are highly poisonous fruits. We also saw different types of birds throughout our journey. Some canals are very narrow we could touch the wild plants and trees , it was indeed thrilling.

Jungle Backwaters

Houseboat

Golden Sand Beach Poovar

Poovar Beach is also called Golden Sand Beach because of the golden color of the sand. Near the beach in the sea there was a beautiful rock in the shape of elephant, it indeed looked like an elephant with it's half body inside the sea. Poovar Beach is the connecting point between the backwaters and the Arabian Sea. It was amazing to see quiet and calm backwaters at my left and violent and mighty Arabian Sea at my right. Another beautiful view was of the floating cottages at one of the islands nearby. I told myself that in my next trip to Kerala I would stay in one of the floating cottages.

Floating Cottages

Elephant Rock

Kiwi Dates Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 17:30:00 +0000

Kiwi Dates Cake

Eggless Cake

This one is for our vegetarian folks who don't eat eggs but love cakes. This is another experiment from my kitchen Nims Kitchen. I tried an egg-less kiwi dates cake.

Ingredients : Finely chopped dates, kiwi syrup, curd, maida (all purpose flour), atta (wheat flour), butter, vanilla essence, baking powder, baking soda , salt.

Step 1 : Melt 2 tablespoon butter. Mix it with finely chopped dates, 2 tablespoon kiwi syrup,three tablespoon curd, one teaspoon vanilla essence.

Step 2 : Mix equal quantity of wheat flour and multipurpose flour. Add one teaspoon of baking powder and half teaspoon of baking soda. Add two pinch of salt.

Step 3: Mix the whole ingredients very well till you have a smooth and lump free batter.

Step 4: Preheat oven at 180 degree C. Bake the cake for 20 to 30 mins or till it's crispy and golden brown in color at the top. Let it cool before cutting it.

Enjoy!!!

5 mins Fluffy Atta Suji Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 17:00:00 +0000

5 mins Fluffy Atta Suji Cake

For Cake Lovers

Cake lovers... what if I say I made a yummy fluffy microwave cake without maida (all-purpose flour ) but with atta (wheat flour) and suji (semolina)... yes it is super tasty, super easy and healthier than the ordinary cake. I am sharing the recipe with you. Do try it at home. It just takes 5 mins in microwave.

Ingredients : wheat flour (atta), semolina (suji), butter, 2 eggs, mixed fruit jam, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract.

Step 1: Melt one tablespoon of butter. Mix two eggs and mixed fruit jam into it . I have replaced sugar with mixed fruit jam. Add the quantity as per your taste. Add one teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix them well.

Step 2 : Mix atta and suji in 3:1 ratio. Add two pinch of baking powder and one pinch of baking soda. Add one pinch of salt. Mix them all in the above mixture till a thick creamy batter is formed. Adjust the quantity of atta and maida accordingly.

Step 3: Pour the dough in a microwaveable cake jar. Bake it for 5 mins. That's it, you are done .

Enjoy!

Yummicious Potato Salsa

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 17:04:00 +0000

Yummicious Potata Salsa

How to make Potato Salsa

Potato salsa is a very easy to make snack, very yummy... a must include in your house party menu. Everyone will love it, both your vegetarian and non-vegetarian friends. It is much healthier than other deep fried snacks. I will share my version of potato salsa from my kitchen.

Ingredients required - potatoes, mayonnaise, Italian seasoning, oregano, tomato sauce, hung curd, olive oil.

Step 1: Cut the potatoes into thin slices (not very thin like potato chips). Do not peel them. Potato peels will enhance the taste and crispiness. Cook them in water till they are half cooked. Remove them and keep them dry .

Step 2: Sprinkle olive oil, oregano, chili flakes, black pepper powder and salt on to the potatoes. Mix them well. Spread them in a flat pan. Bake it for 20 to 30 minutes at 200 degree C or till the potatoes are crispy and golden brown in color. Instead of baking, you can also put them on flame, stir them till they become crispy and golden brown in color.

Step 3 : To make my version of salsa dip, in a bowl mix equal amount of mayonnaise and hung curd. You can also use normal curd/yogurt. Add two teaspoon of tomato sauce and one teaspoon of chili sauce. Add good quantity of Italian seasoning or herbs. Mix them well. Salsa dip is ready.

Enjoy!!!

Help Others to Help Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 17:14:00 +0000

Help Others to Help Yourself

Small things make big differences

We all have heard about massive floods in North East, Bihar and many other places in India. Thousands of people have lost everything. Now is the time again when we can show some selflessness to the needy people. We can help them in small possible ways. If you work for some company or organization, please tell your Employer to get connected with an authentic and authorized NGO (if not connected yet). If you are an individual or self employed , then approach an NGO directly.

Connect with an NGO

For people like me who are relocating to a new place, this is a good opportunity to help others and help ourselves. Since we are shifting to a new place and we can't carry everything with us, why don't we give most of our stuff to the needy people? It is any day better than dumping our stuff somewhere. I work for a good Organization who got linked with a good renowned NGO. I received an email from our HR about giving non monetary support to these affected people through this NGO. It was strictly mentioned not to give monetary support. I myself is against giving monetary support to NGOs. I have heard about many NGOs who are virtually there in papers, emails and presentations but not in reality. All money actually go to the pocket of the people who run such fake NGOs. Beware of such organizations .

Help Flood Victims

After reading the email from HR, I went home, took out my two big suitcases, put everything I could in them. They include my woolen clothes, my favourite overcoats, curtains, bed sheets, blankets, towels, sarees, shawls, utensils, shoes and food which could be kept for long. I am listing them to give you an idea on what and all you can give to these needy people. I am sure there are many more things which you could give them.

I always believe in one thing... Help others to help yourself. This is one of those time where I am helping others to help myself . Now it's your turn. Please help these people, trust me, it is in your interest .

Make-Over of Left-Over Roti

noreply@blogger.com (Nims) — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 18:04:00 +0000

Make over of Left over Roti

Tasty and Healthy Roti

Roti/chapati is the staple food of many parts of India. Roti is normally eaten in lunch and dinner. My North Indian friends say No matter how stuffed there stomachs are, their meals are incomplete without a bite of Roti. It's like in Eastern and North Eastern India people say their meal is incomplete without rice. I remember when I used to stay with my childhood best friend, she would come back from office party where they were served many varieties of food and drinks. But she would come back saying I am hungry, there was no rice, and then she would join me for dinner.

Today I will tell you an interesting recipe which you can make with your left over roti. It is very easy to make, very tasty and healthy also. Collect your day's left over roti from lunch and dinner. Before going to bed tear the roti into small pieces, spread them on a big plate or tray. Keep it inside the fridge. Don't cover it. Next day morning take the roti out of fridge.

Crispy Healthy Roti Recipe

Ingredients required: Small pieces of roti , olive oil , Italian herbs/seasoning, one or two garlic cloves.

Step 1: In a pan pour two teaspoon of olive oil. You can use any other cooking oil.

Step 2: Finely chopped the garlic cloves, put it in the pan. Stir it till it becomes golden brown .

Step 3: Pour the roti pieces in the pan. Stir it well in medium flame. Add the Italian seasoning, salt, chilli powder. Mix them well. Stir it for another 5 mins or till all the ingredients are mixed well and golden brown in color. Cool it down.

You can keep this yummy healthy and crispy snacks in a tight jar and keep it for 3 to 4 days. I normally take it to office for healthy munching during work.

Enjoy !!!