The Pimple Poem

Let me tell you story of a time.

A day when I woke up at dawn,

When it was still dark, and yet,

I walked out of bed with a yawn.

It was the day of my 16th Birthday, 

Just guess how much was I excited.

There was a birthday bash at dusk.

Long for this day had I not awaited.

Smiling, I squeezed the toothpaste tube. 

In one hand, the toothbrush clasped.

It was then I looked into the mirror,

And when I saw it, I loudly gasped!

Sitting on my chubby high cheek,

Was a ginormous and ugly pimple.

It was so so visible and red, And

God! It was right above my dimple.

On another day, I wouldn't panic

But the day of my birthday party!

I had invited so many friends…

Flaunty friends, as many as thirty.

I asked “Mirror mirror on the wall,

Who is the prettiest of them all?”

It said, “Even with an ugly pimple,

It is you my dearest birthday girl!” 

Alas! I felt I was in a nightmare,

For I did not have a magic mirror,

Who would answer this question,

N' save me from this untimely horror. 

I realized even with my great dress,

As pretty and of the color green,

I wouldn't look beautiful enough

If I didn't have a clean n’ clear skin.

“Just breathe”, I tried to tell myself.

And called Sanya, my best friend, 

“Just use a concealer on the pimple”, 

She said, “That would make it blend.”

But it was a pimple, not just a spot,

I knew the concealer would not work.

I felt terrified, I was panicking,

I could imagine my guests smirk.

With tears in eyes, I woke up Mom.

She looked at me, and patted my head,

Chastising on my unhealthy food habit,

She gave me something, and she said - 

“Wash your face child, it will clear the oil, 

But do it with Garnier Pure Active Neem,

For I have never seen a facewash better,

That can even beat a good pimple cream”.

I washed my face, like she said,

Hoping the pimple would go away. 

With so less time, that’s all I could do,

All except to just fervently pray.

You wouldn't believe if I told you,

That Mom’s tip worked like magic.

By evening my skin was glowing,

The poor pimple died a death tragic.

And finally when the evening came,

I looked so pretty in that green dress.

Along came my friends with many gifts.

As I cut the cake, all said “God Bless!”

They asked me to open the presents,

And tell, whom the best gift was from? 

With a wink I said, ”They are all good,”

“But the best was from my dear Mom.”

Pimple affects more than just our skin.
It affects the confidence and self-esteem.
It can make one anxious and reclusive.
And it affects the relationships of a teen.

Some may avoid just eye contact.
Some avoid all kind of social situation.
That's the power a pimple can wield.
Wearing heavy make-up ain't the solution.

I had the greatest 16th birthday bash,

Thanks to Garnier Pure Active Neem,

They said, I looked prettiest of them all,

Thanks to you, I lived this awesome dream.

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This post is written for the Indiblogger contest by Garnier Pure Active Neem Face Wash. It is a work of imagination and I do not endorse the product as a one-day cure for pimple. However, I regularly use either Garnier Pure Active Neem or Garnier Orange Fruit Water facewash and they work wonderfully for my skin. You can check more about the product here. But before you leave, enjoy this super hilarious filmy creatives by Garnier. 

(All image courtesy : http://www.nopimplesnomarks.com/).

No Fikar, Chat Quikr

Image Courtesy : www.indiblogger.in

Almost a fortnight back Quikr launched its newest product innovation - Quikr Nxt, an instant messaging service which is being called as the world’s first instant messenger in the online classifieds space and that has potential to take India’s online classifieds market a notch higher. Before this, a user had to list their numbers on the site in order to receive calls from buyers and negotiate and complete the transaction over phone calls, thus facing a lot of inconvenience in the process. 

Here are 3 reasons why I would prefer a buyer-seller chat over a phone call - 

1. Privacy – Privacy matters the most. A seller often faces fake buyer calls because of their number being listed on the online classified sites. Imagine a situation when you receive a prank call from a person who makes you believe that he is going to buy your phone, only to deceive you, get your hopes up and then disappointing you by never turning up. With Quickr Nxt, one can choose to make their listing private, thus hiding their email id and phone numbers on the site and their only point of reference is their Quikr ID. It ensures that there is no misuse of the private information provided on the site.

2. Convenience – Next advantage is convenience. Imagine missing a buyer call while you are in a meeting or heading to the loo. There is no way that you can tell a buyer what time is convenient calling time for you and what is inconvenient. Since you cannot predict a day’s event in advance, mentioning your inconvenient hours in your Ad is also not possible. That was about missed calls, what if you are getting bombarded with buyer calls while you are on a date or with a business client. Neither your date nor your client will be impressed with the number of interruptions that’s happening. Quikr Nxt lets its users chat as per their convenience and instantly. It does not hamper your schedule or makes you miss a potential buyer, nor does it make you lose a client or get you angry stares from your boss or result in break-up with your girlfriend. Convenient, isn’t it?

3. Tracking – Whether you are a buyer or seller, when you are negotiating a transaction over a call, it is difficult to keep track of the conversation and the price quoted, especially if you are selling and have been talking to a lot of buyers. When you do this over a call, you end up writing the details somewhere, but may lose it or even forget where you wrote it (happens with people like me). And when next time the guy calls up, you end up wondering what the negotiation that has happened previously was? With Quikr Nxt the negotiation is happening real time and you can keep track of multiple buyer-seller conversations with the saved chat histories.

With the launch of Quikr Nxt, the entire gamut of buyer-seller transaction have changed. And the tagline says it all - 'No Fikar, Chat Quikr'!

Cupid Games 2015 - The Aphrodisiac Proposal

#CupidGames 2015 - The Foody Fiesta

Using aphrodisiac food to send my crush a yummy Valentine’s Day proposal - A #Closeup Cupid Game challenge in association with #Indiblogger. 

(Music Courtesy - Into the open air (Julie Fowlis) - Brave Soundtrack)

The Proposal

I guess I am one of those few women who can proudly say that they have taken the first step at least once in life. Well, I have taken it twice. Umm, may be thrice. Or was it four times? 

Though it is another story whether those proposal were ever accepted or not, but confessing your feelings always gives a feel good effect. Because life is too short to live in regret. 

My current crush lives in Goa (Damn! Did I just tell you that?). It's a great state to travel to, and greater if you have a proposal in mind. Romantically, yes, but more so because your knees won't hurt on the sand! 

Valentine's Day - 14th February 2015 - Midnight

Now, imagine this setting - Full moon night (Imagine I said!), moonlight reflecting on the sea and making it shimmer with a silver glow, a beach shack pub at Palolem beach, young people partying, some flying sky lanterns and a dozen sky lanterns in the night sky.

(Pictures from my last trip to Goa)

There is always something about Goa. 50% of your work is already done with this kind of a setting. 

As the night rolls by, the moon starts to dip towards the sea. If you have ever spent an entire night on the beach and witnessed this, you know what I am talking about and how romantic it feels then. Somewhere close to the horizon, the moon disappears as the light of dawn starts to spread. It's that hour between night and day, when it is neither night nor day. That's my cue card!

"Let's go kayaking!", I said, batting my eyelids flirtatiously.

A man would ideally never say 'No' to a cute woman trying to pull him away from the crowd. And getting hold of a kayak boat on a Goa beach is no big deal, whatever time of the day it is. 

So we fit into a kayak and row into the sea. We row in silence, listening to the sound of the waves, as we move further and further into the sea. At one point, I suggest rowing into the cove towards Butterfly Island. 

As we take the complete turn into the cove, he is suddenly surprised to see a yacht anchored there. 

"That's weird", He says, "Was a private party going over here all night?"

"Or may be a party is just about to begin!" I said with a wink.

What follows is popping of a champagne bottle on the yacht as the sun rises and a proposal that he would never forget in his life. And of course, I assume he would say yes, as it is hard to say no to such a lovely proposal, in such a romantic setting, to such an amazing girl. ;-)

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This post has been written for Indiblogger Happy Hour Campaign Closeup Cupid Games 2015. 

P.S. I do have a crush on Goa, but not on a Goan. (FYI Mom & Dad) :D

On-The-Go Sleek

ASUS EeeBook X205TA (Image Courtesy : www.asus.com)

ASUS All In One PC ET2040 (Image Courtesy : www.asus.com)

To start with, it's funny because just yesterday I was checking out the ASUS EeeBook X205TA on Flipkart and today I am writing a feature on it. So before we venture into which one I would prefer between the sleek and powerful ASUS EeeBook X205TA or the ultra-portable and perpetually connected ASUS All In One PC ET2040, let's take a look on their features -

Specifications	ASUS EeeBook X205TA	ASUS All In One PC ET2040
Processor	Quad-core 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z3735F	Intel® Pentium® J2900 Processor
RAM	2GB	2 GB Up to 4 GB
Size (Dimensions)	286x193.3x17.5mm	489.4 x 307.15 x 14
Weight	980g	3.4 kg
Screen Size	11.6"	19.5"
Graphics adaptor	Integrated Intel HD Graphics	NVIDIA® GeForce 820M 1GB
Total Storage	32 GB eMMC	500GB Up to 1TB Hard Drive
OS	Windows 8.1 with Bing	Windows 8.1
Camera	VGA Web Camera	1 M

In the first glance, you would always feel ASUS ET2040 is the better and more powerful choice. If somebody wants a Windows desktop PC, ET2040 would probably be the best choice as it is the perfect family computer - slim, stylish and space saving, with a maximum of 4GB RAM and hard drive up to 1 TB. It is more apt for gamers and designers or anybody who is more likely to sit at home and work, or play, or watch a movie in HD with family.

But with the change of lifestyles, desktops have gone out of many people's life, including mine. There is this new generation who prefer the wireless mobility. But in addition to that, the traveler in me will also prefer something compact which -

1. I can easily pack into my bag or backpack and carry along.

2. Does not add much weight to my luggage.

3. Does not eat up much space. 

And ASUS EeeBook X205TA is exactly that - It is compact and with a space saving design, as it is ultra thin. It is also light weight, weighing less than a kg. 

Here are some more features that help me choose the former - 

1. Price - It is priced at Rs. 14,999 on Flipkart. Not just sleek in style, but even sleek in price! It is the perfect portable option that fits my budget. And from the perspective of blogging, it is any day better than Tabs.

2. Battery Life - It allows me to surf the net for up to 12 hrs on full battery. This feature is important for a travel blogger as it is not always possible for us to find a charging point while updating those travel stories and pictures on social networking sites.

3. Microsoft Office 365 included!!! - Could I have asked for more? I am excited about it because Microsoft Office is not always included and if it is not, we purchase it, as many of us need it for everyday work. So no extra money spent in this case!

The 32 GB space is not much of an issue for me as I always carry my 1 TB hard drive with me wherever I go. 

So with all these above features, you know why the ASUS EeeBook X205TA suites my lifestyle and needs as a traveler. And I am sure, most travel bloggers would say 'Ay!'

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This post has been written for the Indiblogger Happy Hour campaign "Go Sleek", in association with Asus.