VLCC Vs Kaya Vs Lakme

I have travelled to all regions of India. Finding a good parlour in a new place is very very difficult. Thankfully, branded salons provide standardized services.

One trend I have noticed is... VLCC, Kaya and Lakme are all located near each other in most cities be it... Gurgaon, A'bad, Mumbai, Bangalore,Kolkata... which is no coincidence. After all, they compete.

Kaya: The positioning is that of a skin care consultant. I have never visited any outlet 'coz it gives me an expensive feel. I am not sure about the services offered... but I think they are mainly related to skin. They have started slimming services(who hasn't???). All said and done they have a professional sound to it.

Lakme: It is a salon... no slimming packages and stuff. The problem is... locally the standard of services differ... a Lakme in Kolkata is damn good... but the one in Gurgaon is pathetic. Not very reliable... and they have not even updated the services they provide... there have not been many additions in last 2-3 years. They do not even retail their products which a lost opportunity.

VLCC: They provide salon services... slimming packages... and many other specialized services... It is a like a hypermarket with everything available under one roof. The staff is courteous... there have been times when I have not been happy with the service or the result... they have offered me complimentary services... Thumbs up to VLCC!!!

PS: VLCC has not offered me any money to give a positive feedback... they should.

Chota sa update

Hiya... its been a long time. Last week was exhausting. I have eaten out a lot... come home late... missed the gym... driven for hours. One night out (till 2 am) was enough to ruin next 2 days. I am not one of those people who can be up all night and fresh the next morning. I need my beauty sleep... on time.

A firang was supposed to visit the Mumbai market and all my energy was spent setting up things... you know how it can be... Malad had become my 2nd home. Unfortunately, the visit didn't happen.

I am looking forward to the holidays.. need to relax. Going back to work and parting from KC will be torture.

I am not attached to any festivals... they don't make me sentimental or happy or excited... Diwali has never been a good time for me...

Need to buy candles, diyas and rangoli stuff... sigh!!!

I met Betty today after a long time... it was nice.... and another school acquaintance. She is married and all with a kid.

And now I am waiting for my food to arrive.

Good night!!!

PS: Btw... Obama is being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize!!! For what??? I don't know... It is amazing to live in such a world.

War Zone

My kitchen looks like a war zone today. I have been experimenting... successfully.

The day began with the maid ringing the door bell at 7 am... the bane of my life... she refuses to come later on Sunday. After cleaning, oiling my hair (weekend ritual), face pack (bi/tri weekly ritual) I tried my hand at making pancakes. I first tasted them in USA... my sis would call this guy who makes amazing pancakes, inquire his whereabouts (he operated a moving deli and would station himself in different locations) and then take a cab to the place to purchase pancakes. Pancakes come with all kinds of toppings... maple syrup, blueberry sauce, whipped cream, chocolate sauce etc. Unfortunately, they are a rarity in India... we have a chain which retails doughnuts but no pancakes or waffles. Doughnuts are too American... I have never liked them. Pancakes are also liked by a very niche crowd. Mc Donald's has pancakes as a part of their B'fast menu in premium outlets (e.g Phoenix Mills).

Anyway.... after a lot of research online the ingredients were purchased and pancakes cooked for b'fast... and I'm loving it.

Lunch consisted of soya bean and potato sabzi... another first for me. It was good.

Dinner was dosa, sambhar and coconut chutney... all prepared at home.

I made the coconut chutney and green sandwich chutney on Sat night.

People like to eat out and party on Sat and Sunday... I prefer to eat at home... I get enough time to cook and experiment.

Watched the movie 'Twilight' which is based on the book of same title by 'Stephanie Meyer'. I liked it... but... someone who has not read the book may not like it too much.

I found a really nice DVD library in Mulund- near the Nahur station. It is owned and run by a couple. The charges are astronomical (Rs 1000 for lifetime membership- non refundable)... Rs 99 per DVD. The DVDs are picked up and dropped by their executives. The collection has only original DVDs... even of Hollywood movies unreleased in India... Totally worth it!!! It is so much better than the dingy dvd libraries where the shady guy stock only 'popular' movies. They also have a website where the movie details are updated regularly... and the membership kit contains a list of the movie titles available with them which is delivered at home. Very impressive.

Who is a drunkard?

The other day I wondered.. what is the definition of a 'drunkard'?

Is it someone who

• Drinks everyday without getting drunk?
• Gets drunk easily?
• Drinks regularly and gets drunk?
• Drinks regularly without getting drunk?

I come across people from all 4 categories.. and ask myself; "Is he a drunkard?"

The encyclopaedia defines a drunkard as "One who habitually engages in the overindulgence of alcohol.

In order for an individual to be labeled a drunkard, drunkenness must be habitual or must recur on a constant basis. A person who regularly drinks heavily but is sometimes not under the influence of alcohol would be considered a drunkard, whereas a person who occasionally gets drunk would not. The test is the question of whether or not excessive drinking has become a frequent behavior pattern for a particular person."

Traditionally a drunkard was easy to identify... someone who would come home after work.. drink... and then beat his wife... or maybe just drink everyday... and then lose control.

It is a little more complicated now... most people drink... most drink regularly... for some the alcohol affects after many drinks... for others few drinks are enough. Everyone has a different limit... what is termed as excessive? For me... more than 3 drinks is excessive... for another it could be 10 drinks... who decides?

I have friends who used to drink everyday... now they drink regularly or infrequently... are they drunkards??? Or were they drunkards earlier? Or they don't come under the category?

What are your views?

Games in trouble

I have been trying to install Flash Player on my system for 2 months now... nothing worked... went through 20 websites for solutions... tried many tips... last night I decided 'now or never'... actually it was more of 'now only'... I have not played games on FB for 2 months... KC has been nagging and nagging... we generally play Scrabble on FB.

Today... I succeeded... downloaded Google Chrome and re-installed flash player in safe mode.

Goodbye IE and Firefox... welcome Chrome.

Not another review

Before this blog gets the reputation of being a 'reviews blog' let me update it.

Yesterday... I had a monthly meeting with my team. For lunch we decided to go to 'Phoenix Mills' or the restaurant in the office campus instead of ordering in. We headed to campus wala restaurant... I paid with my credit card... and headed for another meeting in Powai. On the way I stopped at the petrol pump... and realized my credit card was missing. I went into a shock... hoping I had left it at the restaurant (losing it would be devastating) I called and confirmed. They had the card... one of my team members was in office and picked it up from the place. We got late for the meeting... I parked at Hiranandani in a 'No Parking Zone' expecting to be back by 5.30 pm... cars are generally towed away after 5.30... I was back at 6.30 pm... the car had been towed away... I rushed to the police chowki to retrieve it. The cops were demanding an atrocious amount 'coz I didn't have a PUC... the guy at the petrol pump had asked me to get the PUC but I was so upset 'coz of the missing credit card I ignored him... we could not attend another meeting since it got so late... but I made it for the doc's appointment.

So.... if only we had lunch in office... I would not have misplaced my card.. the car would not get towed away... I would have attended the 2nd meeting...

Reminds me of the movie 'Run Lola Run'...

Inglorious Basterds

I was planning to watch 'Wake up Sid' (despite Rishabh's thumbs down on FB.. I remembered he didn't like Kaminey and appreciated Love Aaj Kal)... but then my eyes fell upon 'Inglorious Bastards'. It stars Brad Pitt (I am not a fan) and is directed by Quentin Tarantino (big fan).

This is the best flick of 2009... Tarantino has a particular style... the movies progress slowly... very slowly... till the interval I was wondering where this is leading... what is the purpose of the movie... which way will it go.

The show stealer is not the hero.. but the villain 'Jew Hunter' played by Christopher Waltz who is a German actor. Fabulous character and amazing acting. One of the strongest characters I have come across.

The story is set during World War II... Germans have occupied France and are exterminating the Jews... Brad Pitt and his gang are the 'Basterds' trying to remove the Germans...

Please... please... please... don't miss it.

PS: The violence quotient is very high... typical Tarantino isshtyle (remember Kill Bill???)