‘CUPIDEST’ WAYS TO ASK YOUR CRUSH OUT ON VALENTINE’S

http://cupidgames.closeup.in/

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. For young parents like me whose kids’ birthdays fall in the month of November, this day can make you feel real nostalgia…*ahem…wink*. For younger people, this day offers a great excuse to ask your crush out, and a wonderful opportunity to get away with subtle advances. For those who are really religious, it is an occasion to attend mass at the nearest Church and pray for St. Valentine’s soul which might definitely be experiencing grave unrest as we speak.

So, you came here looking for some real ‘kewl’ ways to ask your crush out on Valentine’s Day. From the perspective of a young parent like me, the best Valentine’s Day possible would be your toddler allowing you to stick to your planned schedule, and finding time to have a quiet dinner somewhere without running behind baby with a bib and a bowl of baby-food. For youngsters, on the other hand, the world is your laboratory to try out anything you like (as long as it does not violate the Indian Penal Code…haha…‘Penal’ ;) )

Presenting some decent/bold/funny/classy ways (depending on your personality, traits and mental balance) to ask your crush out on a date, and some important caveats. Try them out at your own risk, and please remember that we DID NOT have this conversation:-

1. Book two tickets for a movie/concert/Carnatic music recital beforehand and tell your crush that you have an extra ticket. Make sure though that your target relates to the event, or you’ll have to give those tickets out to your friend and his date, for free. Do not give your crush both the tickets, or someone else will be going on a date with him/her at your expense.
2. After a long and tiring day at college, assuming you are college students and have to attend college on Saturdays (poor you :p), ask your crush if he/she wanted a free back massage/head massage/foot rub, and so on. If they comply, you could pop in your question and hope you get a Yes. Of course, if he/she agrees to both propositions, you’re a winner all the way. If he/she agrees only for the free service, you still have your personal ‘touch’ to flaunt. Some of you might lose on both counts, so brace yourselves for the eventuality of weird suspecting and disgusted stares for the rest of your lives.
3. A V-Day card can be real cliché, if it doesn’t have some added flavour. If you make it all yourself – the card cutting, images, sketching, lettering, poems, et al -  maybe you can score with him/her. Don’t try the ‘khoon se likh raha hu, syaahi mat samjhna’ stunt, lest you end up in prison for stalking.
4. Go on a group date maybe, where there are equal number of boys and girls, and everyone goes around in pairs. He/she won’t suspect anything amiss, and maybe after you had a great time, you can let him/her know that you felt it from within. Make sure you don’t have dumb friends who keep giving you the ‘I know what’s going on’ and giggly look from time to time.
5. Go on an adventure sports trip in a group. Try to set yourself up with your sweets for a couple sport like sky-diving (how you ask? Go figure yourself, nothing in life comes served on a platter). In mid-flight, scream your lungs out into his/her ears about how you feel about him/her (you’ll need to scream, the air pressure on your ears while descending makes it hard to hear). Maybe the thrill of the moment, or pure delusion will make him/her ‘subscribe to your scheme’. Make sure you activate the primary and/or secondary parachute at the right time and altitude, lest you miss out on your date and other possible action.

So there you are, choose your option. Let's see if you lie to tell your tale.

For daring ideas on how to get closer to your crush this Valentine’s Day, visit http://cupidgames.closeup.in/

DABUR CHYAWANPRASH - A MOUTHFUL OF IMMUNITY

https://www.liveveda.com/dabur-chyawanprash/3x-immunity.aspx

There is nothing more endearing than the laughter of a child. Nothing sounds better than the cackling of little children, especially if they're your own. A healthy child is an active child, and an active child is always laughing and playing around.

So what happens, when your child becomes sick? Obviously, it's a time of lots of tears, crying, bawling, and a sight no parent would ever want to behold.

I have a son who's just over a year old. A really naughty kid, there's not a single moment that you can leave him unattended. He's always up to some kind of mischief - pulling things out of cupboards, pulling down the bed sheets, opening the kitchen drawers and pulling out utensils, dropping things on the floor, and much more. It sometimes gets on our nerves, because supervising him means leaving all other tasks on the back-burner.

When he falls sick, however, our hearts sink, because all of a sudden there's no giggling, no running around, no pulling of hair or clinging. We'd prefer a naughty kid over a dull one any day. Not to mention the fact that we're extremely anxious about his health whenever he falls ill. My kid falls ill quite regularly. Most of the time, it is cough and cold that puts him out of action. It probably has something to do with the Mumbai pollution or the extremes in weather that the city encounters. Whatever is the case, the home suddenly becomes a dull place.

Every single time he falls ill, we take him to a doctor. Some doctors will JUST NOT prescribe medications for a child, no matter how worse his/her condition becomes. And at the other end of the spectrum are doctors who are dangerously generous in prescribing medications, sometimes for very small things. I've been through both extremes, and worry for my child.

Ultimately, it all boils down to the child's immunity. If the child's immunity is given a boost, illnesses stay at bay for a good amount of time. Medications do the trick, but is it really safe to put your child in a condition where he/she will have to rely on medications for a lifetime. What if there was something natural, without side-effects and safe to boost your child's immunity?

The answer has to be Dabur Chyawanprash. Old-timers or elder will vouch for its health benefits. It is known to be a time-tested, age-old formulation. It encapsulates the power of an array of herbs and fruits. Some of its ingredients are Amla, which is a superior antioxidants and a major source of Vitamin C, Giloy (Guduchi), which is known to have immuno-modulatory properties, and 40 other natural ingredients. Dabur Chyawanprash's anti-oxidant properties helps to strengthen the body's immune system, thereby providing resistance to infections such as cough, cold, etc. It strengthens the body’s natural defence mechanism by stimulating the body's 'Natural Killer' cells, which assist in fighting with viruses and harmful bacteria. Scientific studies conducted on Dabur Chyawanprash seem to prove Dabur Chyawanprash's immunomodulatory and anti-allergic potential.

For those who are skeptical, Dabur Chyawanprash need not be used as a substitute for conventional medical care, but to complement the same. Being absolutely natural, there are no risks of an overdose, or side-effects. In layman terms, it can be used as a top-up to heathcare services. 

So adopt Dabur Chyawanprash in your daily life to keep illnesses at bay, especially for your child. Prevention is better than cure after all. 

For more information, visit https://www.liveveda.com/daburchyawanprash/

MAKING A QUIKR MOVE TO BANGALORE

http://homesindallasdfw.com/

Every person has different traits. Some of us are wanderers, who hate the idea of staying put in one place for a long time. On the other hand, some of us would not fancy the idea of relocating, even if our lives were at stake. I, for one, hate change. Maybe it is because I have a sense of attachment to things and places. I had a tough time moving out from my parents' place after marriage to settle with my wife in a different house, even though it was merely a five minute walk away.

This post though is about how Quikr can help me alleviate my relocating problems.

Let's assume a hypothetical situation where I need to relocate to Bangalore with my family, for a few years at least. Although Bangalore is a wonderful city to live in, home is home after all. So I would probably be living in a rented place.

Would I consider buying new stuff for the house? Probably not. I mean, maybe stuff like crockery could be purchased, but not things like furniture, certain electronic items like LCD TVs, a washing machine, a refrigerator, a wardrobe, an AC, etc. These things of daily use would burn a REALLY BIG hole in my pocket if I had to buy them fresh off the market, so it would probably be a better idea to buy them second-hand and save some hard-earned money, no? 'Easier said than done', right? Wrong. Quikr has a solution for such problems. And the best part? They have a separate forum on their website for the city of Bangalore. It's http://bangalore.quikr.com/

So this is what the homepage of the website looks like. I've marked out the sections I can use to find stuff I need.

http://bangalore.quikr.com/

Let's continue with the electronics & appliances section. Here's what you will get if you click that option.

http://bangalore.quikr.com/

So, as you can see, you get to choose from among a wide array of options - kitchen appliances, air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, TVs, DVD players, cameras, inverters, UPS and generators, home theater systems, office equipment, even laptops and computers, name them and Quikr has them. In other words, they offer a platform for buying and selling everything that you might need, and more.

Another useful feature is the filtering options on the website, that make it simple for finding stuff. As you can see on the right side of the page, you can select the kind of appliance you are looking for from the drop down box. In the box below that, you can select the location, in case you don't want your deal to involve travelling to meet a seller who stays too far. The best part, you can key in your price range as per your budget. There is also a check-box that would enable you to get only those results which have images of the product, after all seeing is believing, right?

Once you are done specifying your requirements, you need not have to revisit the website for a follow up. his is because Quikr will make sure that you get mails directly in your mailbox in case there is a match. How cool! If some of such offers seem attractive to you, you can directly contact the person who has posted the ad via his email ID or contact number.

Why Quikr then? It's a no brainer. It helps you get in touch with prospective sellers without having to scan your contacts list of contacting brokers. It saves you hefty broker fees and ad costs.

The newly-launched Quikr Nxt mobile app lets you get in touch with sellers without divulging your phone number. Instead, you can chat using the website or mobile app, without revealing your number upfront. This helps in cutting out irritating prank calls and semi-interested time-wasters.

Apart from furniture and electronic items, the website also offers real estate, cars & bikes, mobiles & tablets, and home & lifestyle products. In case you decide to relocate for a really long time, it also offers information on education & learning, services, pets & pet care, community & events and entertainment. For bachelors, it also offers a matrimonial section.

In a nutshell, Quikr endeavours to provide to you all that can possibly be offered to make your relocation to a new city easy.

Absolutely No Fikarrr, When You Have Quikr!

The post is written for Indi-Happy Hours …It's just Quikr in Bangalore.

Visit the website now for more information. It's http://bangalore.quikr.com/

TILL DEATH DID THEM PART

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 50; the fiftieth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. In association with ​Soulmates: Love without ownership by Vinit K Bansal. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

The sound of the police van sirens outside could be heard clearly. 'Maybe there were a dozen of them waiting outside', thought Frank to himself, 'or maybe more'. Very soon they'd all be free, unless the madman decided to take his own life and a few more as bonus. He clutched Vicky's hand a little tighter. She responded by digging her face into his chest.

Only an hour ago, the couple, in their late 20s, had stepped into the cafe - The Zorb - for a light evening bite. As usual, they had found the place teeming with humanity, but had managed to get hold of their favourite seats by the window by engaging in a barter with a group of college students. As usual, they held hands like teenagers, sipping their latte slowly and speaking softly to each other between sips. They had met each other two years ago as colleagues. Although they were currently working in different organisations, they had made sure that their offices were in the same building.

Frank had special plans for the day. It was the second anniversary of their relationship, and he wanted to make it extra special by popping the question. A diamond-studded ring lay cushioned in a small box and was safe in his pocket. He was gonna pull it out and do the needful, but this evening a crazy gunman had other plans. He had taken all patrons hostage and threatened to kill everyone until a dreaded terrorist that the government had in its custody was released.  

"I'm scared Frank", Vicky groaned, still buried in his chest.

Frank simply patted her head, unable to say anything. He was scared too. He wanted both of them to live together and start a family. But this dream seemed to be in danger of fading away with every passing minute. He grew anxious.

The gunman finally spoke up after a long time, "I think I'm gonna have to spill a little blood soon." He picked up his wireless phone and called up police headquarters, expecting to speak to the Commissioner once again.

"Hello. The gunman at Zorb here. Have you released him yet?"

"That's not gonna happen. Don't be silly. Cut out the drama and surrender", said the Commissioner. "We don't want trouble."

The gunman kept the device on the table without hanging up, and pulled out his gun. Then he simply walked towards a young student close by and shot her on the temple. Her lifeless body dropped down with a thud on the mezzanine floor, and everyone screamed in horror. Then the gunman picked up the phone again and simply yelled "ONE!" Then he hung up.

Vicky and Frank were both trembling now. The were overcome with a fear that they had never felt before - after all, life doesn't offer too many opportunities to take a whiff of the fear of death.

Outside, police activity seemed to have intensified. They could hear shots being fired and loud thuds - it seemed the police were about to storm the place.

The gunman, however, was defiant. "Who wants to go next?", he barked. Then without waiting for an answer, he pumped bullets into the college students at the table Frank had bartered. Frank and Vicky broke down wailing.

"EIGHT!" shouted the gunman, not minding the fact that the Commissioner wasn't listening anymore.

"Vicky", Frank whispered into her ear, "I wanted to propose marriage to you this evening...."

"Yes!", she accepted, crying, without  waiting for him to finish.

"I want you to know I love you from the bottom of my heart", he continued.

"I know sweetheart, I love you too", she sobbed.

The gunman spoiled their moment. "Lovebirds...how about you two this time?"

The couple hugged each other tight, awaiting their fate.

By the time the police could storm in, eighteen people had lost their lives, including Frank and Vicky. Vicky never got to see the diamond-studded ring. They never even had the chance for a last kiss. \ But survivors said that the couple were one in body and soul even when their lives were draining away.

Even without actually exchanging wedding vows, they had spent the rest of their lives together...TILL DEATH DID THEM PART.

As in life, they remained soulmates in death as well. 

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Participation Count: 06