So your best friend suddenly decides to get married to her long time partner. Good news is that the wedding is in another city and hence it would be a nice, short getaway with friends. Also, you get to be her bridesmaid, which means a lot of goodies and special memories. Bad news is that the trip is just a week away and you really don't have that much savings to pay for the expenses. You just bought a fancy new phone and hence your credit card limit is over. Ok, don't blame yourself, you did not see this coming, right? But then, how are you going to find the money you need? Fret not, being the avid budget planner I am, here are my few tried and tested tips to sail through this smoothly and happily. Read on!

1. Cut down your expenses before the trip. Just because the trip is just a week away, does not mean you can't utilize it. 

a. Make your coffee at home. Stop buying it from your fancy Barista.

b. Ditch the Uber and take the subway or bus to work. Bonus: that extra walking will make you fitter for the trip.

c. Don't eat out, cook at home. You can't even imagine how much you can save from just cutting down your takeaway expenses. Pack your lunch for work.

2. Apply for a Payday loan. So you thought of borrowing some moolah from your closest friend but could not because she, too, is going on this last minute trip! You don't want to call your parents and want to manage this on your own but then where's the solution? A payday loan. Yes, if you have not heard of this, you better do now because it's literally a life saver!

So what's a payday loan? It's basically short term borrowing which usually gets approved within 24 hours. You neither need a high Credit score nor the humungous amount of paperwork required for a conventional loan. If you have a salary, you are eligible for it. It's basically a part of your next pay check. Sites like Money Mutual help bring lenders and borrowers together. 

3. Budget your getaway. Book a train ticket instead of flying or take a road trip. You can convince your friends to do the same and accompany you. Buy food from the supermarkets on the way. The journey matters, right? In the end, you all would be overflowing with beautiful road trip memories. If you have to pay for the accommodation yourself, opt for a nearby Air BnB with a kitchen. Ditch the fancy hotel where the wedding guests are staying. Load up on groceries from the department store for the meals outside the ceremony. You will save a lot. You do have to pay back the payday loan, remember?

4. Sentiment over price tag. Instead of dreaming of getting that fancy appliance as a wedding gift, make her something sentimental. It's way more precious. Think of something outside the box, make a souvenir of your days spent together or create a trinket with your own hands. If she values you, your gift would be priceless for her nonetheless.

5. Shop your closet. We girls tend to go on a shopping spree whenever there's a trip planned. Instead of visiting the mall, rummage your closet. You would be surprised to find a ton of outfits that fit you, but you haven't worn them in a long time. Clean and iron them, pack them up. Same goes for the accessories. Upcycle and save.

Trust me guys, I use these time tested tips over and over and save a lot! I always believe in spending on experiences rather than fancy coffees or outfits. If you have more budgeting tips, feel free to add them in the comments below!

 So when you are in Munchen, Germany, you might wonder why to visit a garden right? This place will pop up in every list of To Do things or places to visit. And you might plan to skip it, like my husband. What's so special in a garden? It would be just a park to jog and walk right? Well no! This is no ordinary park or garden. Spread over 3.7 square kilometres, it's the world's largest urban park. And not just the size, it is definitely one of the prettiest sites in Munich.

It is very easy to reach there by public transport. Thankfully there are no entry fees. There are several spots to visit in the garden and the greenery will take your breath away. We visited during September and the leaves had already started changing colours. 

Now why is it called the English Garden? Because it does not have a definite architecture (read Baroque) like French Gardens. Whatever it is, you can witness a river, lake, small hills and various other variations here.

The Japanese Teahouse and Garden: Since we visited early in the morning, it was closed. It's by a stretch of water and very pretty from outside.

It was mid September and the leaves had started changing. It was indeed a wonderful sight.

Kleinhesseloher See: It's hard to imagine how such a vast lake can be within the premises of a garden. See means lake in German. Of course this lake is manmade and there are 3 islands in this lake.

Eisbachwelle: There are tonnes of other attractions in the garden but we had limited time. So this was our final stop and definitely the most exciting. We had never witnessed anything like this before.

Munich may be a land locked city but that doesn't deter the people from surfing. In the entry to the garden, the Eisbach river gushes to provide surfing waves to surfers. In fact, the Eisbachwelle is the largest, best and most consistent city centre location for river surfing. Surfers from all over the world come here and this has been going on for 40 years!

We were stuck in awe! Firstly, it was our first river surfing experience. Secondly, it was completely novel to us that surfing could be done like this! It was such a sight! It was a Sunday that maybe that explained the innumerable surfers waiting to catch the wave.

There are innumerable spots that deserve a visit. But of course you need ample time for that. The Monopteros, sculptures of eminent people like Chopin, Confucius and all, they all deserve a special mention. 

The iconic Monopteros in the backdrop.

We had our flight back home at night so we had to return. Even on time crunch, we had spent more than 4 hours in the garden. 

If you are visiting Munich, don't skip this place thinking it's just a garden. It's in fact a small piece of paradise.

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.

 Praha or Prague requires no introduction. This mystical capital of Czech Republic is known equally for its dark history as it is for its Gothic architectural charm. We were in Praha for a quick 48 hours, but managed to squeeze in all the major attractions of this fascinating city. If you hail from a vast city like Delhi, you will find European capitals like Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, etc very small and coverable on foot. So here's a quick guide to the major attractions of this city, that could be done on foot. This is the 1st part, on the day we reached Prague from Budapest. 

Old apartments in European cities have winding staircases with no elevators. We had a lot a lot of luggage, plus I was 5 months pregnant so that was quite an ordeal. Anyways, will describe our stay later (which was an adventure in itself). We dumped our luggage, freshened up, had a quick bite (from the superstore) and left for the city centre.

The Prague castle is a short yet magnificent walk from the tram stop. The buildings are intricately carved and there were bright blooms wherever we would lay our eyes. We entered the castle from its hind entrance.

The Prague Castle or the Czech Pražský hrad, also called Hradčany, is the largest ancient castle according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The castle grounds do not require a ticket and there are myriads of attractions to see without paying for museum visits. Of course if you are too invested in studying their history, you ought to visit those artifacts and royal belongings.

The castle is a conglomeration of attractions. You are greeted at the entrance by soldiers who look like statues. I mean he really does not move! As you keep walking admiring the architecture all around. Then you walk into the second courtyard and there are huge structures catching your attention.

The St Vitus Cathedral is tall and overpowering. It would be impossible to fully capture it from the courtyard. So remember to click it from outside the castle, before you enter.

The second courtyard gives the entry to the St Vitus Cathedral. It was quite late in the evening so it was closed. The cathedral is huge so we managed to capture ourselves with the enormous, intricately carved doors.

Then there is the Kohl's fountain which has soothing running water. There are many other structures to see and examine, but since it was going to be dark, we made our way out.

The exit has the dungeon where a skeleton of a soldier is preserved in its hanging position. The history of Praha is not without extreme darkness, cruelty and inhumanity. The Dalibor Tower or this dungeon gives way to the Golden Lane.

The way to the top gives a spectacular bird's eye view of the red roofs of the city structures. The moment you see this view, you are able to recognise Praha. There are telescopes too, and you have to slide an euro to access them.

The castle gives way to the Golden Lane, again a famous attraction of Praha. There are tiny houses along the lane, very well preserved till date and you can see dolls and tea sets peeking from those tiny windows. The name is so as goldsmiths used to live here. And so did policemen and other meagerly paid people of the society.

The lane has rows of brightly coloured tiny houses from the medieval times. Some of them have been converted into souvenir shops. The eminent Czechian author Kafka used to stay in his sister's house in one of these and had written here. Also, Nobel laureate Jarosav Slaifat used to reside here. 

We walked to the bank of the Vltava River, where there were numerous swans. The lights shone sparklingly from the Charles Bridge. It was magnificent. We walked our way through the cobbled streets and hurriedly entered a cute restaurant when it started raining. It had gotten very cold all of a sudden. Even my pregnancy could not warm me enough!

I had the famous Bohemian dish: Pecena Kachna or the Bohemian Roast Duck. It's a three ingredient dish made of duck, garlic and caraway seeds. It was served with potato dumplings and braised red cabbage. It's a festive Czech dish as the people could not afford the expensive duck or goose; unless they were the szlacta or nobility. Vegetarian husband had the spaghetti aglio oglio and like always, he stole the potato from me :D

That was a long, eventful and exhausting day for us (pregnant me!). However the night wasn't over yet! We further explored this mythical city in the eerie dark, and we discovered so much! More coming on the next post!

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Baked Happily Ever After.

We all know how important is working out. But the most challenging part (unless you are a fitness freak) is getting started. But as you know, the journey of a thousand miles begins with that one single step. And when you just start, the rush of endorphins is the greatest reward and motivation to get going. Once you get into the groove, then there is no looking back. I am definitely not one of them as I hardly ever get the time to workout and have to push myself to even take a walk. However, I am a pro when it comes to motivating my patients. So here are a few tips how I do so:

1. Treat yourself to new, cute workout clothes. What we wear can make us feel either super confident or just drab. And gym wear is no exception. Let go of those boring tees and leggings. Get yourself some snazzy wholesale sportswear. Ditch those browns and whites and get some cool colours like baby blue or lavender. And if you shy away from hues, you can show character through statement sports shoes.

These sportswear are available in co or sets which can be mixed and matched also. Beautiful pastel hues, you can get full leggings or can opt for biker shorts. These are seamless, which promises utmost quality and comfort while working out. These are skin friendly, does not give up while squatting and the elastic holds you in. You can use them for daily wear at home too.

2. Look at yourself naked in the mirror. I learned this from a very famous American influencer. She said this out and loud that looking at herself naked everyday in the mirror is her greatest motivation to workout. Believe me, I tried this (semi naked) and it is such an eye opener! The flaws stare at you so rudely that you are compelled to do something about it, whether it's clean eating or exercising or both.

3. Treat yourself after you workout. You may be running a really busy schedule with no time for self care or entertainment. Or rather, your schedule is so cramped that anything of this sort makes you feel guilty. Keep it as a reward for exercising. For example, if you do those crunches and burpees for 3 rounds, you get to watch your favourite series for half an hour. Or when you get into shape, you can always buy that body con top you had been eyeing!

And even if it does not fit you, you should not get demotivated. Every body is different and loses weight/inch loss at different paces.

But that does not mean you can't feel good! Invest in good wholesale shapewear. They tuck in in the right places and accentuate the other parts.

These are made of nylon and spandex, and their seamless design means that they are invisible under the clothes. Overlap gusset makes bathroom trip easier and the adjustable shoulder straps keeps you fit and comfortable.

4. Get a workout buddy. Keeping yourself accountable is the biggest motivator. Announce on your social media that you are going to exercise 5 days a week and ask your friends/followers to join. When you have to update regularly, you are bound to be regular.

Or if you are lucky, you can rope in your neighbour or college friend and you both can motivate each other to go for power walks or gym or home exercises. Of course you can always twin or complement each other in your gear. After all it's all about style right? You can also try some butt lifter shapewear to feel extra good. The thong style makes sure that no lines are visible and your natural curves are accentuated.

Do you work out regularly? What motivates you to do so? 

 #BloodyHypocrisy

The constitution of India provides equal opportunity to women in every sphere of life. There are special laws in our constitution to avoid the exploitation of women in our nation. Although India has been trying to empower women, are Indian women really empowered?

It's paradoxical. At one point we say that women are empowered yet a female can't buy/ hold a sanitary pad in public. That is why when a female need to change her sanitary napkin, she would never take a walk of pride to the restroom instead she would either grab a purse or any cloth to hide her sanitary pad in it.

Not every woman in our nation is equally privileged & blessed to have a safe and broad-minded environment to discuss their menstruation queries or experiences in their home which leads to a lack of menstrual awareness and an abundance of menstrual myths. On one hand, Indian women like Falguni Nayar from Nykaa and P.V Sindhu Badminton Player have made not only the nation but the whole world proud by brightening up India’s name.

And on the other hand, there are girls out there, dropping out of school due to a lack of menstrual awareness. Who knows if these little shining stars would be the next Falguni Nayar and  P.v Sindhu? 

There are numerous factors contributing their part to this unfavorable situation of women in our nation and one of them is “Hypocrisy”. We believe Hypocrisy has played a major role in this whole scenario as for centuries, women have been on the center stage whether we talk about  Vedic culture, where the most important early divinities were women like Usha or dawn. In fact, in our culture, Navratri is celebrated where for 9 continuous days a girl is worshipped and people would touch her feet, and offer her everything that brings her comfort and joy.

On the contrary, no one would be concerned about her comfort when it comes to those days of the month. This is what hypocrisy looks like and we need to put an end to it.

ABOUT INITIATIVE

We took a step forward to make the world understand the meaning of “Women Empowerment” by making them realize how they are incompletely empowering women. The empowerment of women has been somewhere limited to what has been written in books. No one is taking a step forward to think out of the book and empower women in real ways. We realized that people have understood the concept of “Beti Bachao and Beti Padhao” but what next? Yes, Indians are trying their best to empower women but Why is women's empowerment limited to education only? Real empowerment starts from home. And Indian women do not have the right to openly discuss and talk about periods in their homes. What kind of empowerment is this? What is the point of giving education to your daughters when they don’t have the freedom to express their views openly?

OUR MOTIVE

Our motive is to complete this incomplete empowerment without leaving any space for exceptions. We want the world to know the literal meaning of “Women Empowerment”. We are looking forward to encouraging families to have an open discussion about periods in their homes so that our little angels don’t have to roam here and there to accumulate information to know themselves and their bodies more accurately.

HOW CAN YOU CONTRIBUTE?

 We request you to help us reach as many families as possible with this campaign so that we can encourage open discussions about menstruation in our society.

• Tie a red scarf around your waist and post a picture with #BloodyHypocrisy. Don’t forget to tag  @everteen_wd

                                               OR

• Tie a red scarf around your waist and post a picture in the frame with #BloodyHypocrisy. Don’t forget to tag  @everteen_wd

                                               OR

• You can also use the filter and record yourself while checking your hypocrisy level and post it on your social media with #BloodyHypocrisy. Don’t forget to tag  @everteen_wd

                                               OR

• You can use the frame and record yourself saying “agar chot ka blood normal hai to period k blood par chuppi kyu?” and post it on your social media handle with #BloodyHypocrisy. Don’t forget to tag  @everteen_wd

10 PEOPLE WITH THE MOST ENGAGING POSTS WILL BE GIFTED A HAMPER WORTH  RS.50,000 

Let us women be empowered in the truest sense.

If you have least interest in Geography, you know that Indonesia is the land of active volcanoes. Bali, the most popular island for tourists has three active volcanoes: Mount Agung (which erupted in 2019), Mount Batur and Mount Braya Bratan. These volcanoes are popular for trekking/hiking, and we like any other adventurous traveller, wanted to get a taste of it.

Also read: Trek to active volcano in Philippines

The volcano is indeed beautiful from a distance but it gets concealed by clouds more often you would like. Hence we could hardly capture it to our satisfaction. It was afternoon when we started and while on the way, we spotted a very pretty restaurant. We were really famished (had breakfast early in the morning) and the place offered stunning views of the Mount Batur. We were sold. Later on ,after we returned to India, we realised that Amora Bali is a really famous restaurant that deserves a visit.

We decided to have lunch on the balcony (of course for the view). They offered buffet only. and I had a really good time with all the sea food and stuff. The husband had a variety of vegetarian options.

Also read: Philippines: The archipelago

By the time we were full, it was already 4. It was too late. Also, we were pretty satisfied looking at the volcano while stuffing ourselves. So we decided to head to our next destination, Tirta Ganga, which was located on opposite side of the island from there. It meant a really long ride.

By the time we reached Tirta Ganga, it was dark. It was one of the saddest moments of my life. I mean we rode all the way and Ubud (the place where we were staying) was one hell of a ride from there, all was for nothing! The place is poorly lit; it's not meant for after sunset. It's absolutely stunning and we regret till date about not having being able to visit this place in its full glory.

It's basically a royal palace, with water fountains all around and bright and big goldfishes swimming in those waters. You can jump from one stone to another over the pond for pictures. It's a delightful experience.

This palace was almost destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mount Agung in 1963.

Heartbroken, we clicked what we could manage and then left in a hurry because Ubud was really a long way.

Has this ever happened to you? That you had planned of something and were unable to explore it properly; even after you reached there?