The day he remembered forever

It seemed to be just another day as I got up at 7:00 am and looked out of the window. There was a thin fog hanging around and the chirping of the birds was matched the cacophony of the vehicles as the early commuters were already on their way to office in order to avoid the rush hour traffic of Bangalore. I nudged my husband to wake up and gave him a fleeting kiss before getting out of bed. 14th February seemed no different. And one cannot expect it to be any different when you have been married for six long years.

As I picked up the newspaper, I just wished for a genie to pop out of somewhere and make the morning tea for both of us while I savor the news. And suddenly I could see two hots cups of tea right in front of me. I rubbed my eyes to make sure that I was awake and it was still there. Putting down the newspaper, I tentatively reached for one cup and took a sip. It was real and just the way we liked it. My husband ambled in and expressed his surprise when he saw that the tea was already made. I smiled back without any further exclamation. As we sat and sipped the tea, I thought of making something special for his lunchbox and wished for an encore of the magic that I had just seen. Miraculously, it happened yet again. As I walked into the kitchen with the soiled tea cups, I saw that half of my work was already done just the way I had wanted.  After all, no magic can replicate the love that one can add to a dish. I thanked the higher powers as I finally finished packing his favorite lunch of choley-bhatura and kheer.

Once he was off to office, I did a quick rethink of the small celebration that I had scheduled for the evening. Though I had already bought the gifts, I decided to make best use of this special power till it lasted. I quickly surfed through Jabong, Myntra and Watchkart to check out the great stuff on offer. Once I was done with the selection, I wished for all of it to magically appear in front of me. Though these retailers do offer home delivery on the same day for selected products, I had an early date on my mind and did not want anything going wrong.

Then I called up my husband to ask him to come home earlier than usual saying that I had a special date in mind. By 3 p.m., I was ready for the date. I had decked up in a beautiful Vero Moda sleeveless dress and a pair of golden sandals . The door bell rang as I was putting the final touches to my makeup. As I opened the door, my husband looked surprised with my makeover. Without letting him into my little secret, I gave him the gifts and asked him to change. The Tommy Hilfiger shirt looked great with the Calvin Klein jeans and the cream and brown Fossil chronograph watch was something that he had been eyeing for sometime. It was a pleasure to see him look so happy.

Without waiting any longer, I took his hand in mine and wished for us to be transported to the beaches of Goa. And the next moment we found ourselves standing on the pristine white sands with the waves dancing at our feet. I explained to my bewildered husband that I had been bestowed with special powers and I could make things come true with something as simple as making a wish. We walked on the sand for a long time discussing about the things we could do with the magical powers and then settled down as the sun disappeared on the horizon. It felt like the early years of our relationship where we could just be ourselves without any responsibilities weighing us down. Then as we started feeling hungry, I wished for a table to be set up on the beach itself and all our favorite dishes to appear on it. We chatted and ate under the stars for a very long time. But I had secretly started eyeing my watch for I had a feeling that this power would disappear at the stroke of midnight. Maybe it stemmed from my fascination for fairy tales (Cinderella to be precise) as I kind of loved them as kid but I could not shake off that feeling.

My husband had sensed the change in me. He attributed it to my being tired and asked if we should return. So, I made a final wish for us to be transported back. Only when we had reached the safety of our sweet little home, I shared my concern with him. He laughed it off saying that one does not need any special powers to attain happiness and that is something that we could always have as long as we are together. He thanked me for the special evening and said that he would remember it forever.

The next day when I woke up and wished for the tea to appear by magic, I realized that my powers were gone. But my loving husband had very sweetly woken up and made the tea for both of us.

This post has been written for Baggout's Blogging Contest on Valentine's day. Baggout provides awesome deals on Flipkart, Myntra, Jabong, Snapdeal, Amazon and 100+ online stores.

Matches are made not fixed !!!!!!!!!!!

Its time for my favorite celebrity couple to exchange their vows. Yes, the cricketing poster boy finally ties the knot with the beautiful Yash Raj girl. The adventurous couple have decided to have an all out beach wedding at Goa complete with the rustic shacks serving sorpotel and vindaloo ( Ofcourse...there will be the feni too). And being appointed the wedding planner, I am in seventh heaven as I get a ringside view of the nuptials! Shhh...stay tuned as I may pass on some of the insider info from time to time...........

Organizing a celebrity wedding is no easy task but being the online freak that I am, I obviously turn to one of my favorite website Baggout.com. Yeah.......it is my destination of choice for deals and coupons (hehehe..and some cashback too). Well I am going to make the most out of it and help my clients save on their wedding expenses. Agreed they earn much more than all of us put together but still they are smart people and want to spend it right.

I have been handed the guest list and the couple have given me a few suggestions for the wedding invites and the gifts that will go out with it.  Print venue  and Chumbak offer some great designs and variety along with good discounts. I am sure the couple is going to like the fact that the gifts can bear a personalized message or mugshot or even both. Planning to suggest some Photo coffee mugs/sippers/engraved pens/mobile covers that their friends are going to love.

The guests have to be flown in from all over the country and abroad. No running after travel agents or repeatedly calling up the airlines and hotel reception desks to enquire about discounts and manage the bookings. Makemytrip is the perfect solutions to get everything done at one place. Currently they offer upto 50 percent discount on hotel bookings plus 10-20 percent discount on the domestic flight bookings. Local transportation for the guests will be arranged by Olacabs which currently offers a discount of rupees 56 on every booking. Seems minuscule by itself but adds up to a lot when the all trips are taken into account.

No wedding is complete without flowers and the bouquets and flower arrangements will be taken care by  Fernsnpetals....flowers...anywhere...anytime! Apart from the lavish multi-cuisine spread at the wedding venue, just-eat.in has been roped in to ensure that the guests do not go hungry or thirsty anywhere anytime.

Coming to the couple itself, it is time get some shopping done for them.After all they be going on a month long honeymoon once the wedding is over. He has decided to gift the stylish dame some great stuff from Jabong. Hardly surprising as the lady also happens to their brand ambassador. (Click here to take a leaf outta her style guide). Since she also happens to a avid reader, he has decided to gift a whole library of books ( and e-books too) bought from Amazon and Flipkart both of which have some great discounts running on at the moment. "And since your lady openly professes her love for jewellery by saying "Gehnon se bahut bahut pyar hai", a few statement pieces from Jewelskart will definitely make her day", I offer him some girly advice which he happily accepts.

Now its time for me to sit down with the lady and help her purchase the gifts for her beau. Apart from buying some trendy designer outfits from Jabong ( yeah they have been stocking names like Rohit Bal for sometime now !!), I suggest her to buy some dapper luggage pieces as both of them practically live out of suitcases given their hectic schedules. Apart from the fine collection at Jabong, Flipkart offers a mind boggling variety in terms of designs and colors. "By the way , you can also pick up some quirky and stylish stuff from FabFurnish and India Circus to do up your new pad", I offer as a parting advise . I can see her still glued to the homepage of Baggout as I wave her goodbye for the day. I cross my fingers and hope that I still have the job when I report for work the next day. With Baggout.com's help, anyone can organize a wedding !!! Even Virat Kohli and Anuskha Sharma.............




Disclaimer - This is my blog post written for Baggout.com's contest . It is a fictional account and any resemblance to any character dead or living is highly coincidental !!!

The Kejriwals shop it out on Baggout!!!!!!!

It's been a few days since Mr Kejriwal has been MIA. He is lounging at home and planning for the next 'Dharna' aka 'sit-out' over an endless supply of tea (courtesy Mrs Kejriwal). One such day after drowning the umpteenth cup, he again requests Mrs Kejriwal for another cup only to be turned down by the latter. He threatens her with a dharna only to be met by a "Will file a RTI to find out how many cups of tea/coffee is one's husband entitled to in a day".

Their little spat is dissipated by the entry of their nosy neighbour Pammy ji who barges in with two huge bags to show off her "online-shonline" haul. She rattles on endlessly about this new site which her daughter had told her about. "One can see the biggest discounts at one place. No more haggling with multiple shopkeepers." she screeches. All the while she is pulling out stuff from her bags. Sarees, salwar suits, clutches, watches, earrings, bed covers, accessories, she has bought them all. Mrs Kerjiwal's eyes pop out looking at her loot. She is silently devising a plan to do some shopping and to make Mr Kejriwal foot the bill. Her thoughts are interrupted by the ringing of Pammy ji's phone. "It's a 2 hour flash sale they are having", announces the lady before running out in a hurry. Abruptly, she stops and turns back. "Oh..did I tell you that I am also getting paid for shopping at Baggout.com?? Well, they have this incredibly good cashback policy that deposits money in your account when you shop with them.". By this time, Mr Kejriwal who had been a uninterested listener is all ears.

"Let us check this new site", he announces as soon as their neighbour has left. "Wow...so much at one place". It is a simultaneous reaction from both. "Do they stock mufflers...yours are so worn out", says Mrs Kejriwal. Her search ends with a dazzling display of mufflers in all possible colours. "Let us buy that grey one with blue stripes and the other one in red and blacks checks", opines Mr Kejriwal to which his wife retorts "Why not buy them in all trendy colors to match all outfits. Take a leaf out of Siddhu Pajji's style guide. After all he is so popular". With his popularity on the wane, he decides it is in his best interests to let his wife have her way. Mrs Kejriwal is now gathering steam. "How about ditching the AAP caps and embracing something more 'aam' ? Hoodies are the new trend and what's more it looks good on both sexes."

Mr Kejriwal is completely sold on to his wife's suggestions for a revamp of the party's look. "Lets calculate how many core members and immediate party members are left. We need to order for all of them before announcing a press conference to showcase this juicier then 'aam'(mango) news to the media/public", he mutters. "Darling.. while you are at it, do you mind if I do some revamping for the house and for myself ??", she coos. "Of course not..if you do not mind making another cup of tea", he responds. She obliges happily having got her way and finally peaces descends on the Kejriwal's household. "Must check if I can get a steal deal one of those automatic tea makers/kettles on Baggout.com", she makes a mental note to herself before proceeding to the kitchen.


Note - I have written this article for an online contest announced by Baggout.com. Check this given link for more details (here).