ShamiKa.in

Ask somebody how to increase Instagram followers & they will tell you to keep posting pictures. Basically make sure people don't forget you. Same goes for a blogger. Make regular posts updates so that you're not blinked out of existence. Whatever be the blog, the person writing it is normally very creative. But some days, there comes a time when even your brain gives you the ditch. But there is always that urge to type, to write something, to form opinions on every single topic under the Sun (even on things you haven't heard about).

The initial idea behind writing this blog was to tell people about my travels within India. But slowly as I became more involved with writing, I realized that only travel posts would not satisfy me. So, I moved on to blogging about trending topics. This post is actually a continuation to one of my first travel posts but with a twist. In college we had a Marketing lecture in which we were studying about the extended 3 P's (from Marketing Mix).  Physical Evidence was one such P. This point was about the ambience a certain place had.  Last year, I went to Nashik and visited Sula Vineyards (a winery). We stayed in Igatpuri (Mystic Valley Spa and Resort). 

In my earlier post, I wrote about Trump Force One & Trump Tower. Below is a guided tour of President-elect Donald Trump's Private Airplane (and not a Jet ).  Trump Force One Now for his home.....or mansion/ palace/ wonderland/__________ fill in whatever you can think of after seeing the pictures. Just a small disclaimer before you start : Everything that you see is 100% real. No photoshops at all.  The tables are real marble, the bathroom sinks and taps are actually gold plated, etc etc etc. The list is endless. But you get the picture, right ?  And yeah, just for the record, everything is super-expensive. As they say, "Only because you haven't seen it, doesn't mean its not true."     I am not even trying to name the rooms.....they are way too many of them !

Is this possible ? If there's one thing that I know about politicians is that a lot of them (actually the majority) only talk and rarely do anything concrete. Now that's something which is common in all countries. At that time it doesn't matter if you belong to the United States of America or to India or any third world country. They're all the same. I once saw a documentary based on the lives of stock market traders. They may start their day on a loss but by the end, almost all of them are in profits. One guy actually said : " Once a trader, always a trader". Same goes for politicians and businessmen. They really don't change overnight.

So here's the situation. (It's a full 7 days,so pay close attention to the chain of events) Monday is your last paper (gets over at 5:30 pm). You chill the entire evening. Tuesday is a holiday. Since it's a first after studying for one whole week, you find no problem in whiling away your time. Wednesday, your college decides that you have had your share of enjoyment, so they call you for 2 marketing lectures.  Thursday and Friday turn into unexpected holidays because the teachers are doing supervision duty. On the former, you go out furniture shopping. The latter is spent in reading books. Saturday is the most hectic day of the week. Lectures until 11:30 am. Next you have to go for an interview in Andheri (Train - Metro - Rickshaw). Not to forget that you enter the wrong office and then while coming back take the wrong metro. *hehe*.

This is one of those rare days when I don't know what do with myself. And I'm saying this in a boring sort of a way. Has it ever happened to you that during your exams or during a time when you need your concentration the most, it sort of ditches you and you start thinking of something totally unimportant that you can't get it out of your mind ? It always seems to happen with me. And now that there is nothing, absolutely nothing to do, I have full access to the laptop, my brain refuses to supply me with any ideas to help while away my time. How unfair ! I have spent approximately half an hour sitting in front of the laptop trying to force thoughts into my mind to write but there seems to be some Great Wall of China which is protecting it from I-don't-know-what. That, my readers is a writer's block.

Who is the first person who comes to your mind when you read the title ? Strangely Perfect Now there are two ways of answering this question: 1. Are you thinking of a strange person who is perfect ? OR 2. Are you thinking of a perfect person who is strange ? Think , Think, Think !!

Short Term - Bane Long Term - Boon (Only Time will tell) Its been 2 weeks since PM Modi announced that 500 and 1000 rupee notes would be of no use in India (now that's a midnight surprise -well,not literally, but I'm super close). In these 2 weeks, every bank watchman has done much more work than he would have done in the past year. Bonus toh banta hai. People standing in queues to get their money converted or to deposit has become a normal sight. Standing in the lines can take upto 3 hours on really bad days. (I had my exams, so was exempted from that tedious and super boring task). But I must say the banks are trying their best to handle the situation. Waterbottles are being handed out to people as well as separate lines for senior citizens have been placed along with chairs. But as they say, Its all for the greater good. Is it ?

2016 has been the year of shocks and surprises. Trump winning the elections, India having a Coldplay Concert, Martin Garrix at Mahalaxmi Racecourse and the Demonitization of the Indian currency. And to think all this happened in November itself. Lets see what December has in store for us ! Its surprising how something happening in one place can trigger a number of emotions from people living in another place. This year's been an epic example of this very statement.

Just a small notification....I changed my blog name since Live Life Travel felt a tad bit common,  even though it wasn't.  I made it up myself. It's now ShamiKa.in so its easy to relate to the blog address. Thank you for reading !!

I didn't know who Coldplay was. But that status changed 2 days ago. Here's how :

8th November 2016. Indians will remember this as the day their lives became a total roller coaster. Prime Minister Modi declared that from midnight no one (except for hospitals and chemists) would be accepting 500 and 1000 rupee notes. A Huge Move. At first I doubt anyone was ready to believe this. But as reality sunk in, people started making a beeline for ATMs and Banks where they could exchange their money for the newly minted "pink" 2000 rupee notes. 

"They're made out of meat." "Meat?" "Meat. They're made out of meat." "Meat?" "There's no doubt about it. We picked several from different parts of the planet, took them aboard our recon vessels, probed them all the way through. They're completely meat."

Here’s wishing all my readers a Dhamakedaar & non- patakedaar Diwali ! Enjoy and stay safe ! Remember – It’s the festival of lights and not noise & smoke…..so lets celebrate this Diwali with smartness. No fireworks and definitely no bombs ! 3 cheers to the #DesiIndianSwag !! Hip Hip Hurray ! Happy Diwali !

One of the perks of being on Snapchat ? You get to see the most hilarious and trending stories. In one of my earlier posts, I wrote about the Clinton vs Trump First Presidential Debate (thanks to Snapchat) and here's another one : A man in Starbucks sits calmly even as the cafe gets flooded in Hong Kong Hasn't he ever heard of flood water containing infections ? Or is it that he is just confident and trusts his age old immunity to take care of him ? Whatever the reason, he sure makes quite a picture.

Do I really have to say anything more about this ? #chaiwala has now become a trending topic. Trust people to come out with weird hashtags !

You have definitely lived the #studentlife if you have had to do these things. 3 cheers to education ! It's made you the person who you are.  

I have a subject in college called Foundation Course. At first it seemed quite boring because it was History and Civics all over again. But then, we were kids at that time; saw and treated events and issues as just another chapter in our syllabus. But today, when I hear about all those practices, I react and feel differently.     Unity in Diversity. This is what actually defines India. This means that Indians are free to practice whatever religion they want. But we have the LAW which makes sure that no one is crossing their limits. The problem arises when religion and law clash.

Uri attacks - The attacks which shocked the nation. 17 jawans killed in a cowardly attack by Pakistan. As always, as all enemy countries do, they denied the attacks. The country erupted with anger. 1000s of tweets in twitter. People voicing their opinions. Outrage in the country. So much so that PM Modi ordered a surgical strike where we killed off their terrorists. But let me tell you something. A person reacts to an incident only if he knows it has occurred. If he isn't aware of a particular incident, he doesn't react; he carries on with his life.

I won't be writing the plot of the books. No words can describe it better than the story itself. However, I would like to comment on the nature if the author's writing. Here, my author is AMISH TRIPATHI.

Now you don't need to type the full www.iamshamika.blogspot.in to reach Live Life Travel. All you have to do is simply punch in : www.shamika.in or  www.shamika.co.in Super Happy to get my own domain name !

For a girl there is one thing which makes her look even more beautiful than she already is. Its her HAIR. Yes, you read that correctly. Forget the almond shaped eyes, the flawless skin or the luscious lips. Its the hair. Dermatologists say that they can predict how healthy a person is by just looking at their hair. You may say that you eat a lot of food. But at times its not the quantity that matters, but the correct type of nutrients. I once did a project in school about balanced diet. It said the same thing as well : Focus on what goes in and not how much goes in. Why does your hair start falling ? Because the body says, " I am not getting enough nutrients, so I won't supply to some part of the body." So it decides to sacrifice the least important one : HAIR So, I've browsed through a couple of sites and found out the best ways to prevent hair fall (and it doesn't include going for hair spa).

In my earlier post "Ability beyond Disability" I wrote about physically disabled athletes who brought glory and honor to our country. But what if you are handicapped even though you are physically fit ? By that I mean not having enough or proper resources and facilities to help you achieve your goal. Here is the classic case of Dipa Karmakar, the girl who attempted the deathly Prudonova also known as the Death Vault- because you can die performing this at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She is the first Indian woman gymnast ever to compete in the Olympics and the first Indian Gymnast to do so in 52 years. Quite a long time, isn't it?

For all the taunting and bickering we do about our country, here's how much we actually trust it to take care of us.

Olympics are the games we all know. However, not many of us are aware of the Paralympics and even less are interested in it. However this year's Olympics and Paralympics generated a lot of excitement. For the simple reason that this year India saw PV Sindhu reaching the  finals and winning a Silver in Badminton singles ( the only achiever so far being Sania Mirza who won a Bronze) and Sakshi Malik who won a bronze in wrestling as well as Dipa Karmakar who finished 4th. *Respect* But this article isn't about them. It is about those specially abled people who won way more medals than the Rio Olympians.

Ever been to an amusement park ? Ever felt the adrenaline rush when you see a roller coaster ride , or a scream machine, or a free fall, or bungee jumping ? What your going to see now is going to get your stomach turning at ground level itself. If you feel  national defence life is tough, check this out. It will take you to a whole new level. The first Paratrooper jumps at 3:27 minutes.

Ever heard a dog lover getting angry with you when you call their dog a dog ? Ever had the same experience with a cat owner ? Here are Animal Perceptions : What the other party thinks.

Well, the title says it all. This is all the outcome of being in the right place at the right time. The day I met Erica Fernandes : Dr. Sonakshi Bose (now Mrs.Dixit) from Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi. Now there isn't anything much to say about the meeting because it lasted hardly 2 minutes. I had gone with my uncle and aunt to Mount Mary's Church, Bandra. I saw this lady in red who looked familiar. Then I saw the camera and realized who it was.  And you know what the best part was? I did come on TV. Yeah yeah yeah !!!

Some habits are too good or too old to change. It becomes a tradition. It defines who you are. You will be known for that. Here's a list of some people who've turned billionaires but haven't stopped doing the things they always did.

Okay.....So I was on YouTube and I accidentally clicked a video which had this guy's face on it. It was 52 seconds so I thought might as well see it. Good thing I didn't change my mind. Here is a song which took the internet by storm. And by "storm" I mean 65 million views in 2 weeks. Pen Apple Pineapple Pen

Welcome to the world of MS Dhoni . Well, part of it. Reasons why I wanted to watch this movie. #1. I am a Dhoni fan. #2. I wanted to see Sushant Singh Rajput act after Kai Po Che. #3. I wanted to know more about Priyanka (his girlfriend) and Sakshi (his wife). #4. I definitely wanted to see his struggle. What I didn't know : #1. It would be a 3 hour movie. #2. He related even romance to cricket (the helicopter "thappad" shot). #3. His friends were his support system. #4. His girlfriend would die in a car accident. *sob* *sob* #5. Finding Sakshi to be like Priyanka was a huge coincidence. #6. The reel Yuvraj Singh looked exactly like the real Yuvraj Singh. #7. His friends pooled in money to help him reach the Calcutta airport for the Dilip trophy and he             missed his flight by half an hour, Ouch. Hurts. Sushant Singh Rajput and Kiara Advani in a still from the film So here is the review. Sushant Singh Rajput was awesome ! A sem

Well, this was how they looked during the debate. Maybe Trump a little more funnier and Clinton a bit more freaky. Thats it. After Barack Obama , I really can't imagine either of them being called Mr. or Madam President. Well, I saw the debate. There are two differences that I found between the ones held in my college and the Presidential Debate.

Pratham is designed to calulate the Total Electron Count in the Ionoshphere.

A bit over the top ? Overreaction ? Yes ? No ? Maybe ? My Answer ? No. A big fat NO. Well for those of you who don't know what happened, here's a gist. Actress Tannishtha Chatterjee visited the Colors Comedy Night Bachao Taaza set to shoot a roast sequence.

So since the time college has started, I've joined quite a lot of activities which prevented me from going out anywhere. College was from Monday to Saturday, but as if that was not enough, I joined Taekwondo (self defence) classes which took up my Sunday as well. However, I did manage to get one Sunday off. That day we went to Jawhar ....100 kms away from Thane.

I had to write an essay in college during the Business Communication lecture. So here it goes :                                  This incident took place about a week ago. We had gone for a family trip to Jawhar, a small hill station about 2 hours away from home. To reach Jawhar you need to take a few winding roads, some having very sharp turns. The route is very scenic as you climb higher with the hills on one side and valley on the other. Due to this, many bikers and youngsters are also seen on this road. 

Books. An essential part of my life which transports me to a different world, a different time. Having read many books from a wide variety of genres I have come to the conclusion that "The Prodigal Daughter" by "Jeffrey Archer" is my favourite book. Set in a time before I was born, it traces the journey of Florentyna Rosnovski from a daughter to a wife, to a mother, Senator and  finally to the President of the United States of America. Here is a woman you can look up to as she fights the world, breaks all norms and traditions and proves herself time and again. She is an achiever, never accepting defeat and in whose vocabulary the word "failure" does not exist. This book teaches me that determination, belief and hard work are the only things needed for a successful life.

Kihim is a quaint fishing village located to the north of Alibaug. This is the resort we stayed in.

22nd April 2016, 4:40 pm, - Chennai International Airport- The minute I step out of the airport, I see taxi men in white waiting for their passengers to arrive. It's easy to spot my aunt. This was my first flight alone, my very first step towards travelling India on my own.

Compounding is nothing but interest on interest. The world's richest person Warren Buffet thanks the power of compounding for his fortunes. 30 years ago he was a nobody. But thanks to a return of 18% - 20% he is the world's richest person. You can also be rich by investing early and regularly. See this chart :

Dr. Anandibai Joshi  became India's first lady doctor when girls' education was not given any importance. Although she lived only for 21 years, she managed to achieve so much that now a  crater on Venus  is named after her - " JOSHEE ". Yamuna(renamed Anandi by her husband), born in March 1865 in Kalyan was married at the tender age of 9 to  Gopal Vinayak Joshi  (a post master ) who was 20 years her senior. Anandi, got encouragement from her husband to study English and Sanskrit.

Gajar ka halwa is a traditional slow cooked recipe of grated carrot with milk,  ghee,  cashew nuts,  sugar and raisins.

Last year , we went on a trip to Silent Hills Resort, one of the largest planned resorts in India, situated in Manor, off National Highway 8.

Your home is a workshop and your brain the mastermind. These holidays, Be Consciously Creative ! Pep your room up ! Every morning when you wake up you face a blank door, but not any more. Brighten up your day by doing up your room door !

 It was my grandmother who introduced me to the world of books, a one which I entered at the age of 5.  My BFFs are my books. The one thing that will never leave me alone, never let me down, never discourage me and always show me the right way.

11 people.  And all under one roof.  In one huge bungalow.  Many people have visited Mahableshwar and Panchgani, mainly for its strawberries and view we decided to do something different. The Travel Junkies