BlongShong

MCaffeine is a skin and hair care brand, that we all love now. Being a loyalist of their Naked and Raw line, specially the Coffee Body Scrub, I was very keen to try their new range of hair care products. I got the trio containing –Coffee Scalp and Hair OilCoffee Scalp ScrubCoffee ShampooNow, before moving on to the individual products, the two things which I absolutely adore about this brand in…

It’s that time of the year again, the time for which every bengali around the world waits for throughout the year. However, much like last year, this year too pujo will be a little different. As per the recent High Court ruling, revellers will not be allowed to enter pandals. But rather than dampening our spirits, it is pushing us to find different ways to celebrate the spirit of the festival…

“Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.” – Albus Dumbledore (J. K. Rowling) Most of us are aware of those lines, aren’t we? Drawing from that, let’s agree that words have power. In our muggle world too! Often more than what we could imagine, when we use them. But the point is, are we harnessing that…

Have you ever fallen in love with a place after seeing just pictures? Well, I had. When I saw the pictures of a balcony of a room that my friends had stayed in at Bijanbari, I couldn’t help but fall hopelessly in love. I knew I had to visit the place soon. A trip to Kalimpong was set for a weekend in February. On a rather boring work day I rather impulsively decided to squeeze in two days at…

Morgan House at Kalimpong, the magnificent stone mansion with enormous glass windows and multiple chimneys, was built some time around 1930. It is presently a hotel managed by West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDC). But what makes it extra special is the fact, that it is famed to be a haunted house, where para-normal activities can be experienced. A visit to the place was in my…

The entire era of lock down has changed many areas of our lives considerably. One such is the fact that now most of us have more time to be with ourselves, something essential yet mostly forgotten. So with the incessant parties and invitations taking a back step, I finally at the age of 31, got time to actually build a skin care routine and stick to it. I kept it super simple such that I don’t…

Durga Pujo. The quintessential Bengali annual gala. Months of prep leading to the epic finale- the 4 (now 7) days of endless pandal hopping, sumptuous breakfast, lunch, dinner spreads, and late-night snacking. Unlimited Adda, getting stuck in the never-ending traffic at 3 am, long queues to the pandal, and the ultimate pushing and pulling to get a glimpse of Ma Durga and her children. The sound…

পুজো তো প্রায় এসেই গেলো! তবে কি এই বছর কেমন যেনো  ‘feel’ টা আসছেনা। কেনাকাটা শুরু করেছেন? আদৌ করবেন? সেই ছোটবেলা থেকে শুনে আসছি দুর্গা পুজো তে গায়ে নতুন কাপড় দিতে হয়ে, এবছর না হলে ‘mask’ ই দিলাম। তবু কি একটুও হইহুল্লোড় করবনা! কেজানে কি হবে?সেই গলধঘর্ম হয়ে ঠাকুর দেখা, লম্বা লাইন এ ভেপু বাজানো, নামকরা রেস্তোরার বাইরে প্লাস্টিক এর চেয়ার এ ‘waiting’, পার্কিং নিয়ে নাজেহাল আর ড্রেনের জল মেশানো…

With the outbreak of of the Covid 19 virus in the country, India imposed a lockdown on the movement of all citizens from 25th March, 2020. West Bengal had placed a similar lockdown in the state from a few days beforehand. This was something which each of us needed to get accustomed to, at every level. It needed each one of us to discard our notions of ‘normalcy’, and embrace a new life. I don’t…

We are at War. It’s Us vs It.

It is crazy what a virus can do to our lives. Just a few days back we were going around freely, doing things that we needed to and didn’t need to. And then ‘you know who’ struck, and we all started running for a place to hide. When the first incidents started getting reported we were in our daily bubbles, feeling safe in geographical boundaries set by us mortals.…

Singapore- Eat, Shop and Roam

Singapore has been on the spotlight for tourism for some time now- but off late there has been a splurge in visitors. It offers a good package for a short trip- exposure to different cultures, excellent local food, great shopping opportunities, quaint neighborhoods and friendly people.

So when I got an opportunity of a week long stay at the country, I decided to make my own notes for a long…

Travel Plates – Georgia

Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonald’s? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria’s mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head?” . Remember these lines by Anthony Bourdain?

..The concept of Culinar…

Arabian Tea House – A gateway to Dubai’s past

Today we’d talk about Arabian Tea House, Dubai.Old-timers still like to call it the Basta Art Café. It is not an exaggeration to call this neighborhood and eatery a cultural reference point of Dubai. A journey into Dubai’s past could well begin through the door of a quaint tea house in the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, once known as Al Bastakiya.

How it came to being

The story of the man…

Souq’ing up Dubai

It is likely that the Dubai of our imagination comprises skyscrapers soaring towards a cloudless blue sky, mega malls sitting in the once arid and empty landscape, rows of sports cars gleaming in the untiring sunshine, residents and tourists frolicking in designer swimwear on white sand beaches, and, perhaps, the odd camel. That vision is accurate, but it doesn’t offer a complete picture of the…

I remember going to a toy shop to buy a bicycle with my father, as a ten year old. Well, let me re-iterate, it was a bicycle I was looking for. Not a doll or a toy gun, which are more often than not slotted according to the gender of the kid, rather than their inclination. I was enthusiastically directed towards the section for ‘Girls’ Bicycles’, where the cycles were painted brighter, with…

Coffee Museum Dubai – a hidden gem

For those of you who know us would know that me and my husband worship coffee (and tea!). Coffee for us is not just a beverage. It is like that comfort zone where you want to curl up after a crappy day or perhaps like a tight hug by a loved one when you need it most, a feeling of familiarity that brings a smile on your face when you are homesick in a foreign land. Thus while we were settling down…

Dressing up for Durga Puja- ‘Pujo r Shaaj’

The wait for Durga Puja starts from the moment it ends. So while the earth takes its fair share of 365 and a quarter day to complete this wait, the lesser mortals like us plan, schedule, shop and hope for the best 5 fun filled days of the year. Needless to say ‘pujo ashche’ is the best feeling ever. An integral part of Durga Puja is buying new clothes for yourself and your loved ones. Everyone…