old lost ones .......

I have lived in my house with my parents for my whole life (till now except for last 4 years that I was in Pune).

Every friend that I have ever had knows my home.....my school friends, then my college friends and now my MBA college friends.

Recently a school friend of mine came down to my place looking very sophisticated in coat suit. For 5 minutes I could not recall his name...... All I could think was I know this face from a long time back......... school maybe......and that was when it came to my head ...... my god he is Abhishek.......... The Abhishek....... The bhondu Abhishek, my god he was looking so good, so different, smart omg! what has happened to the bhondu Abhishek I knew, living in the same colony just a lane away.

I don't know why we lost contact....... we were the best buddies till 7th I suppose after that he changed his school. But we were still in contact, we use to play in the same garden everyday ....... then what happened ..... Noticing this big question mark on my face... he asked me if I recognized him..... and all of a sudden I said 'of course bhondu tujhe kaise bhul sakti hun' and then I felt really weird for the two reasons; first, we were no more that close and second, he does not look like a bhondu anymore..........

That was the time he broke the ice and laughed real hard.... and said you have not changed a bit.....And all I could say was 'ya the silly old me', but what I was thinking was' I know I have not changed a bit but my goodness what has got into you, you were supposed to be a bhondu with weird, always a bit longer than normal hair, that annoyed look on your face, cloths always dirty. Then what happened?'

After a few awkward moments I finally asked "what happened between us, we use to be such close friends always like a knot, always together.....?"

Then he said board exams happened, our mothers happened and this stupid education system happened...

And I knew what he meant to say....

After like 20 minutes after meeting him, I finally noticed there was something in his hands........omg....... A marriage invitation card!!!! 

"Are you getting married !!!!!!!!" I almost yelled it out, as if he was committing a crime by doing so.....

Again a laugh that made me realize how stupid I was behaving.... yes he said .

Finally getting married to his girl friend of 5 years......A girl friend for 5 years !!!!!!!!! where was I then???

Some more awkward moments before he left.... and a huge question mark in my mind .......my god he use to be my best friend and I did not recognized him for 10 mins...... he had a girl friend for 5 years and I never knew it.... how absent minded can I be???.... 5 years means 1 year before I went to Pune....

we were in contact then howcome I never knew .....

Later that evening I opened my old box which had my stuff from old days..... my school uniform, that I never let my mom to give it away.. My photographs from nursery school.... junior classes ..... no matter what teachers said ..... what photographer said where to stands ..... we always use to stand together hands in hands always in the last row, for we were the tallest in the class.

And than I saw other faces in the same photographs ...... my other friends .... very good friends some still in contact some not, some are just on facebook friend list but have never communicated other then wishing birthdays....

And then I thought is there a way where we call actually connect...... and social networking sites and instant messengers was not the answers.... as they were here among us for years now but still we were never really in touch .... all these technology did was giving us contact details of the people we once knew... nothing more........

WeChat

Then the same guy Abhishek gave me the idea of WeChat ..... To be honest I was reluctant what this WeChat will provide us that we already don't have.... for instant we can share text messages, pictures, videos on whatsapp, facebook, twitter and on many other technologies but that never did the trick needed....

Then he explained WeChat is a step ahead from all the technologies we are currently using.

It allows us to send voice messages which gives a personal touch to the message...

Features that set aside WeChat from other similar applications are :

• Video Chat/ Live Chat
• Moments
• Voice Chat
• Web WeChat
• Emoticons
• Group Chat
• Shake
• Look Around 
• Drift Bottle
• Social Connect

Now I have made my mind.... I dont't want to loose anymore of my friends..... I am getting back all the friends I have lost just because of either my ego or negligence. I am making a group rather I am making many group one of my school friends, one for my playground friends, one for my coaching friends, one for my graduation college friends and one for my pg college friends.

I am including my friend circle from school in first group which will definitely include Abhu, Bhondu, Pinky, Sweety, Parth, Dhwani, Aarti, Shashank, Parv, Naman .

I am gonna include my colony friends in second group which will definitely include Bhondu, Sumit, Raj, Totu, Rohit and Shaan .... we use to play gulli cricket with kids from local teams of other colonies...... amazing that use to be.

Third group these are friends I am still in contact with, but I would never want to loose these friends because of some stupid ego or time issue... this group will include Sahil, Anvi, Tani, Aarti, Abhu and Parv.

My graduation college friends ...... Pune is very close to my heart, everything and everyone related to my college is like a sweet memory. Loosing friends from my college would be like loosing my memories .... this group will include my girls friends my darling Kirti, Ajeeta, Nimmo, Neha, Gauri, Mayuri, Tanima <3

My MBA college friends spent more time than my parents do with me..... god knows what we do the whole day ..... but I do cherish every moment of it, this group will include Ratika, Irum, Vivek, Srishti, Robin, Omar, Raj, Chotu Raj, Shashank, Naman.

My friends are very important to me they are family that I have chosen for me. No blood ties but stronger than blood ties...... I just LOVE them for being in my life...

I would like to tell them how much I have missed them, would like to know what they did in mean time, will tell them what all I did in the mean time...... <3 I have so much to talk so much to know so much to share....

I know I am getting carried away with my emotions ....... so I will give it a rest here and will go and actually tell them how much I love them for being in my life <3

Dehydration ..... not to be ignored

People often get confused between dryness and dehydration ...... where dryness is lack of oil on the skin, dehydration is lack of moisture in the skin.

Skin dehydration can be a problem all year round...but in summers and in extreme winters this condition should be seriously taken care of.

Your skin is more susceptible to dehydration in the summers and winters due to aggressive environmental factors.

Age, location and amount to time spent outside are all factors that can impact the condition of your skin.

Symptoms of Dehydrated Skin 

Symptoms of dehydrated skin is similar to that of sunburn. The skin can feel tight and you may feel a burning sensation. It will often get irritated and has a lesser ability to heal. The skin sometimes gets flaky and shows dry lines. The texures of the skin will be rough and will not be smooth anymore. A very common sign of dehydration is itching, itching get worse as condition of skin get worse.... which can even become painful.

Redness is another common symptom of dehydrated skin, it is often misunderstood as redness due to extreme weather.

What is happening

As you age, your cells will be replaced by cells containing less water, which affects how you look.

A new born is about 80% water where as an older person is 70% water and an elderly person with visible wrinkles is somewhat 50% water.

In some people water content of body reduces, either due to external conditions such as pollution, time spent outside, extreme weather conditions, too much time spent in AC rooms or due to internal conditions.

Causes

- Poor cleansing: Any cleanser leaving the skin taut is dehydrating. Soap is harsh because it is alkaline, 

  stripping the water from the upper surface of skin that is the epidermis and leaving it exposed, unprotected 

  and subject to moisture loss. Other alkaline washes, such as foaming cleansers and alcohol solutions used 

  for oily and problem skin, are even worse since they produce clogging which ultimately becomes 

  blackheads and possible pustules.

- Skin damage: This may result from using harsh acne treatments like hydrogen peroxide, retinoic acid etc.

  These substances alter the keratinisation process ( the skin renewal process ) and weakens the ability of the 

  cells to bond together. 

- Neglect: This covers a wide area, from failure to drink sufficient amounts of fluids to applying protective 

  creams on a regular basis.

- Medication and illness: Certain illnesses may cause internal dehydration and ultimately affects the skin.

  Where some medicines dehydrates skin temporarily as a side effect, some medicines does this on 

  permanent basis.

- Scrubs: The regular use of scrubs can break down cell bonding in certain skin types, which reduces the

  capacity to retain moisture. More over your skin does not require daily scrubbing, once or at max twice a 

  week is more than enough. 

- Air conditioning and climate: Moisture evaporates quickly within the dry atmosphere of air conditioned  

  rooms. Similarly moisture evaporates in very hot and cold climates.

- Hot showers: The friction and heat of the hot water remove moisture from the skin's surface, inviting it's

  damage and dehydration. Always wash the face separately using lukewarm water only.

- Diet: An excessive intake if table salt can have a dehydrating effect, so does excessive intake of coffee.

  And the biggest culprit of all is alcohol.

PSORIASIS

Psoriasis is an extreme chronic condition. This sometimes develops when dehydrated skin has a buildup of rough, dry skin, which turns into severely scaly skin. Contact a physician or a dermatologist for the best course of treatment.

Treatment

Treatments vary based on severity and on individuals.

Results are achievable when treating a dehydrated skin externally, but long-term effective results can only be achieved when internal and external treatments are combined.

Increase:

• Water intake to least two liters of water a day. you know you have had enough when your urine is clear and not yellow.
• Apply serum, it hydrates skin cells from outside and protects skin from outter climatic conditions.
• Exfoliation, but make sure that you do not exfoliate too much otherwise reverse is achieved as discussed above.
• Sun protection, sun exposure dries out the skins natural oils thus using a SPF helps.
• protective creams with a high liquid content are the true protectives. They are chemically similar to the skin's own surface film and only small quantities need to be patted on.

Avoid:

• Alcohol, coffee, sun, salt, too much of air-conditioning. These elements have an extreme negetive effect on skin.
• Use of strong creams without doctor's concern.
• Excessive bleaching.
• Too much exfoliation. 

It is very important to monitor the signs and symptoms regularly to treat it when needed.

So the moral of this whole post that you have just read is do not avoid symptoms of dehydration, tough it may sound stupid and minute but in chronic conditions it can be real pain in the A**. 

For information on oral healthcare do visit My Healthy Speak Blog

few points that might surprise you:

1. One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger.
2. Lack of water is the prime culprit of daytime fatigue.
3. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

Simple skin care

You wash your face twice a day, but you still find yourself wishing for the beautiful skin you see in the magazines. The good news is that great skin isn’t reserved just for supermodels and superstars. Want to bring out your skin’s inner diva? Here's the best skin care routine for soft, silky skin.

1. Wash
In the morning and before you go to bed, use a mild daily facial cleanser and warm water. Gently massage your face in a circular motion. Don't ignore the often overlooked neck area! Rinse with several splashes of clean water, making sure all the cleanser is down the drain where it should be, and not left on your skin.
Avoid using soaps on face and neck area, as they are way too harsh on your skin.

2. Exfoliate
Scrub, scrub, scrub... but take it easy. Apply a soft facial exfoliant to slough away dead skin cells and get your face ready for the spotlight, even if it is only in your own living room.
Use home made scrubs if possible as they give you the best results, exfoliants available in market are mostly chemicals which may give you short term good results but are not good in in longer run.
Do not scrub daily once a week is more than enough.

3. Tone
Spritz a toner on your face and neck, and wipe with a soft cotton towel to clean off any sneaky little bits of cleanser that may be left behind. You need to make sure your soon-to-be soft, silky skin is a clean slate for moisturizer and any makeup you may use.
Rose water is the best natural toner.

4. Moisturize
Looking for a moisturizer that works for your whole body, no matter what your skin type? Head to a heath food store, stock up on this natural hydrator and slather on generously.
Even if your skin is oily or combination type use of moisturizer is must, use water based mosturizers for these types of skin.

5. use spf
One of the best proactive things you can do for your skin is to protect it from the sun's harmful rays. Give skin UV-fighting power by smoothing on a lightweight tinted moisturizer or foundation loaded with SPF. Then you'll be ready for your close up, both indoors and out.

Adopt this skin care routine and your skin will be paparazzi-ready before you know it. Following this regimen morning and evening will achieve optimal results that can be seen in just a week or two. That means softer, clearer skin, reduction in fine lines, and firmer, more youthful skin.

Save a child's heart :)

When you see a child ...... you feel good .... no matter if the child is your's or not..

That innocent smile and my god those devilish pranks ...... but still you feel good when they are round ...... even in those devilish pranks they carry a positive energy......

In between of all this when you see a child who does not behaves like a normal child ...... just because his heart is not capable of supporting his body..... a sudden bolt of sadness run right through your body...

I recently came to know that 2 year old child of a housemaid has some serious problem in his heart due to which he needs emergency treatment.....his heart beat is not normal..... some artificial valve need to be inserted in his heart ......

If it was 17th century he would have died in next few year but thanks to modern technology and all the revolutionary inventions he can be treated now ...... some local N.G.O is helping her along with all the families in the neighborhood which is quite incredible. I have never seen all families coming together and agreeing in same topic in same terms....

Mr. Jain's case has actually worked as a miracle ...... people who never agreed on small things like timing of ganesh visarjan have now come together for such novel cause.......

Saving a child's HEART <3

Thanks to every N.G.O working for children and to hospitals to provide such advance treatments at minimum cost .......

Today organizations such as Apollo Hospitals are touching many lives every day, every hour, every minute....

Today medical organizations rather than seeing sick as prospective customers and hospitals as business headquarters, see sick as needy and hospitals as organizations meant to help those needy....

Today India has all the latest technology ....... all thanks to such organization
Today work done in hospital is termed as patient care....... there is a change in the mind set of people....... people like Dr.Prathap C Reddy has helped bring this change ..... with the motto of just helping the needy driving there lives.....


The well being of not just the patients, but the society as a whole is what modern technology is committed to.
Delivering quality healthcare to those who need it ...... In short modern healthcare touches lives ......... we are the privileged group of our society ....... with hand of god on our heads we and our loved ones never faced such problems ........ but now when I saw Our very own little Raj having some heart conditions it literally broke my heart .... rich or poor every life deserves a world class care..

In present hospitals are associated with various N.G.Os which help needy in various ways.....
Initiatives like SACHi helps children with their heart issues in literal sense ;)

Saving A Child's Heart initiative (SACHi) is one of the Asia's largest voluntary organizations,dedicated to provide healthcare for underprivileged children with heart problems.Dr. Prathap C Reddy established the children's cardiac wing in the hospital. SACHi exists to remove barriers that deny any child the right to breathe freely, play,study and most importantly, live a full life.Children are our future ...... removing all such barriers .... providing them with proper health care facility is our duety and their right ......with proper healthcare system with build a strong tomorrow with these children.....
Established in 2003, SACHi aims to provide early diagnosis, treatment, surgery, post-operative care and financial support to children from economically weak section of society. SACHi has till date touched more than 50,000 lives.
Thanx to all such organizations life of many such Rajs can be saved ....... this is just one story of how modern healthcare  has touched our lives ...... modern healthcare has touched our lived beyond our imagination, once you come across such cases around you, that is when you actually come to know more about our modern healthcare system and how fortunate are we to take birth in this era of technology..

To know more about latest technologies and about more such initiatives visit Apollo Hospitals

Upset stomach............ ???

I know you feel really embarrassed when you have to tell some one that you have to cancel your plans yet again because of your upset stomach....... their faces with their shrinked nose comes into your mind......

All you imagine is how you react when someone tells you have are having loose motion ..... and now how you are busy in replacing the term "loose motion" with some not so embarrassing term.....

Same situation Anju was in when she had to cancel her dinner plans with her college friends...... yet again ..

Just to avoid their comments she had to say her mom was not well and that she has to stay home just to take care of her as no one was home that night..

Flash back.....
She has been really happy cause of the weight loss in last 3 months....

she did not had to do much ..... all she could recall was as soon as her job started .... she could not eat properly..... she use to feel heavy after a small meal......

Stomach cramps were more frequent than a weekend .... but job stress does cause all these don't they .... well that was what she thought.

Back to present......
This time a cousin was visiting Anju and her family when she had to cancel her plans for dinner..

Sitting in TV room with her mother and her cousin Mani ..... there normal chatting became embarrassing for her when her cousin sarcastically said " Anju you have lost so much weight in just three months...... don't lie to me atleast ..... tell me whatz the secret ".

And her mother started her regular nagging saying ...."she don't eat much these days..... and whatever she eats half of the time she throws out in less than 30 mins and if by chance she does not throws out chances are high that she will have loose motions....... you see her stomach is not that strong....... she has less immunity than a 3 years old child ... but what to do she don't do anything I say....." and so on she went..

And this conversation ended when Anju thought that she has had enough for the day..... Her mother's nagging has been growing day by day.....

what started off as a pleasant experience due to weight loss has turned into a horrible situation as she has to face such situations every now n then ..

In few months situation became worse and now she could not even think of going out to eat anything...

And when she fainted in her office was when she was took to see a doctor.....

Her family doctor always told her from her childhood to eat healthy ... as she fell sick more frequently than other children off her age...... so her falling sick from last few months was not a surprise for Anju..

But this time when she was taken to a hospital near her office..... after knowing the whole story doctor ordered Anju to get few tests done....

Anju was later informed that she had colorectal cancer... that her cancer has already spread throughout her body and is now incurable... and she had atmost 3 months to live ......

Among girls weight loss expected or unexpected is always welcomed warmly .......

Even unexpected weight loss is never mentioned to anyone ..... and this could prove suicidal.
As unexpected weight loss, frequent upset stomach or stomach cramps could be signs of colorectal cancer....

If noticed within reasonable time could save someones life .....

Every single person I know has a loved one (either spouse, mother, father,mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister, brother or brother-in-law, nephew, niece) who has cancer. I came to know more about these symptoms when my own beloved grand father (my baba) was diagnosed with lung cancer. Its frightening.

And that was when his doctor said its not only you guys, most of the people ignore signs ....... simple signs ...... that warns you of forecoming danger.

Signs as simple as frequent upset stomach says a lot ......... but you need to a ready to listen to it.

According to WHO India is among countries having highest cancer rate.... people feel safe just after purchasing an insurance policy.... they do not realize that insaurance will provide them with finance if they fall sick, but insaurance policy will not cure them from an incurable disease....

So The moral of the story is to every person should be educated about symptoms a human boy shows when not well.......So that diseases could be diagnosed and cured in time .

This post is an entry for My Healthy Speak Blog

Summer Special...

Summers are here.................. I am not broadcasting any news......I know its obvious its summers everybody knws it and hates it the way I do ..........

Summer makes you feel like staying home all day long........... all though it is not possible.....
Even nights in summer is hot you hate it when you are supposed to go to any party..... all those heavy clothes irritates you........I know I know....... but you can't help it.... one thing you can do is to choose your hairstyle........


Well in summers open hair are overrated...... its time for buns..... knots ....... braids........any every possible summer hairstyle...... the whole sky is the limit........

Its not always possible to have ample time to do a picture perfect/unique hairstyle ..........

A very simple yet beautiful hairstyle that you can try is what I am going to show you..

This post is entry for TresemmeIndia

for tutorial watch video

here is the result....... this one was really easy..... and perfect for summers....looks amazing <3

Ramp Ready in 2 minutes !!!!!!

When I talk about me in particular (as I don't know about everyone else's hair) , one thing I can say with surety that my hair will be a mess specially when every I think of going out.

I always use to think what I can do with hair like mine in about a minute or two .......

with time one solution that I got was side bun ...........
I was delighted with myself when I saw similar hairstyle on TRESemme India 's youtube channel
click on the name if you want to watch Ramp Ready Hairstyles by TRESemmé - Twisted Side Bun

Well my version of it is somewhat different bit more messy .........

Though if you have enough time to get ready to can do wonders with your hair no matter how long your hair are......or how rough they are.
And TRESemme productes help you with it.....

In this post I am going to show you 2 types of buns you can do specially when you think your hair are to messy or frizzy to let them loose or to try any of those perfect look hair styles.......

Buns are something that covers your hair ends....... which tend to get rough after whole day of college for me it might be office or other work for you..... and when you have merely 10 mins to get ready you can't even think to shampoo your hair.......in that case bun is a perfect solution.......

Do you really think bun is for aunties and not for you........ think again from kareena kapoor to deepika padukon goes for messy buns every now-n-then ......... and when we talk about summers buns are in......

Now curious about my look ........ well I don't look like either of them but then buns are my personal favourites ..............

For tutorial on first bun watch video

                                                    

And again my version of this bun is bit different rather than leaving a complete front section loose I have just allowed my flicks to cover my forehead ..... rest of the method is same

For second bun tutorial please watch video 

                                                     

And again my version of this bun is bit different rather than forming a loose braid in front section I have set front section of my hair loose.......

For the third bun well you don't even need 2 minutes for this bun......... my mom taught me this bun ...... and this was the first bun I ever learned

I ll definitely post video for this bun sometime in future......

As for now here are my pics with it

All these hairstyles are for contest by tresemmeindia

what i learned from my neighbour's stroke.........!

Merely 7 days back, morning 7 it was. I had my paper so I was up revising few important points that was when I heard my neighbour's wife (sheetal aunty) yelling for help. When I came down I saw my dad and my brother coming out of her house lifting Jain uncle ......... they saw me and called for car keys.

An hour later, when I was about to leave for college,( remember I mentioned I was having, m still having :(  my final semester exams). Stroke ...!!! it was ........... that too a major stoke......... dad said entering the house.

Thanks to Sheetal aunty her husband is alive today ........ she is a bit health freak ......
Always telling us to look out for few signs in people around us.....if any of those signs appear we should call doctor and tell doctor about those signs..
(we always thought she was a psycho case after her dad had an paralysis attack..... and take a u-turn on her first sight to avoid her health and precautions signs lecture  )

Today she is our hero....... she shouted for help when she saw some signs she use to tell us about in her husband, doctor said we took him to hospital just in time. She is definitely the only reason her husband is alive.

 After the whole situation was over...... I searched for those signs she use to talk about all the time and heart attacks in our country.

I was shocked when I read heart attacks is the biggest killer in rural and urban India.

According to the largest scale study ( so far ) made in our country shows that
'About 25 % of deaths in the age group of 25-69 years occurs because of heart diseases. In urban area, 32.8% of deaths occur because of heart diseases and this percentage in rural ares is 22.9% making heart diseases the biggest killer in India.'

If you want to know more about this study click on link :http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/India's+no.1+killer:+Heart+disease/1/92422.html

Now let me tell you about the symptoms you should be aware of ........ in general these symptoms indicate stroke ..... but if you spot any of these symptoms do not waste time call for medical help. Other then stroke they can indicate other major health issues and in either case you should consult doctor as soon as possible.

F.A.S.T is an easy way to remember these sudden symptoms...... when you spot any of these signs, you will know that you need to call for medical help.....

F Face drooping : Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile...... is the smile
                                  uneven ?

A Arm weakness : Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms.... does one hand drift
                                   downwards ?

S  Speech difficulty : Is speech slurred ? If the person cannot speak simple sentences like I am human 
                                      properly.

T Time to call for medical assistance.....!!! If someone shows any of these symptoms, even if the
                                      the symptoms go away.......get the person to hospital immediately .

These are the symptoms that clearly indicate major health issues ...... other then these there are some other symptoms but these do not always indicate a major health crisis .

For more information on symptoms on stroke go to the link http://strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/WarningSigns/Stroke-Warning-Signs-and-Symptoms_UCM_308528_SubHomePage.jsp

The whole Jain uncle's case was a life changing experience for me... now I know we should not let go such warning signs ignored...... It can cost us our life !!!!!!!

I was thinking on writing this post for a week now...... today I am posting it for My Healthy Speak Blog

Love
Salomi <3