31 January, 2017

Johnny Goes Unlimited!

Yesterday I went to Johny Rockets and was pleasantly surprised to see their unlimited menu where "All you can eat" menu is available for a throwaway price of Rs.449 for vegetarian and Rs. 499 for non vegetarian. If you are shopping in DLF Promenade in Vasant Kunj, you can enjoy six course meal inclusive of pre appetizers, appetizers, signature shakes, burgers, salads and even desserts. It cannot ever get better than this. Can it? Oh yes, it can- Kids below 6 eat for free.
They use 100% fresh and all natural prime ingredients. They have two bun options- whole wheat and Brioche. They have a variety of yummy, hand spun shakes like banana, Hershey's, Kitkat, mocha, Oreo cookies and cream, strawberry. 
What I really liked was that their size of burger was nice Indian size and not typical American giant size burger.
The burgers we tried were succulent. They offered high quality, innovative menu. The service was friendly and upbeat. In between, the staff merrily broke out into singing and dancing and they greeted each customer with a loud- Welcome to Johny Rockets scream.
Must say I loved the savoury, juicy and tender burgers. It is a must try.



















30 January, 2017

Eating heavenly food with a friend

A friend of mine, Ashish Chopra is a Culinary historian, Author, Television host, Gourmet, Travel writer and Flavour analyst. The knowledge and passion about food he has is incredible. He loves to cook, feed, invite friends over, collect very traditional cooking utensils and what not. His zeal is infectious. Eating at his place was like being transported to food heaven. I could just marvel at his skills and enjoy the finger licking cuisine that he had prepared so kindly. It was a delightful array of food/art on the table.
There was
Gobi gajar matar ki subzi
Bathua ka raita- ammm. I could eat it all my life
Murg ka dhuan dhar kofta
Taazi methi tamatar raja mircha aur dry fish chutney (Bhoot jhalokia methi ki chutney)
Mushroom aur waadi kat pulao
Baigan ka teekha bhartha
Chana dal palak wala

There was selection of pickles (achar)
Lingde ka achar
methi ka achar
neembu ka achar
sangri ka achar
amle ki chutney

We started with home made ginger ale and for the dessert we had Mystically purple. Aah! it is one of the best and most innovative desserts I had ever tasted. It was made from kali gajar (black carrots) from which we generally make kanji and yogurt. It had crushed peanuts, cardamom and almonds. I could finish the whole bowl in one go. No kidding.

There are plenty of restaurants with fine dining and exotic cuisines. But when a friend invites you over and you sit and have meaningful conversations and enjoy the meal so lovingly prepared by them, it is nothing less than nirvana. 














24 January, 2017

Lehenga Choli Trends Every Girl Should Try In 2017






Lehenga has emerged as a very trendy garment in the recent past. Of course, it is adorned by the Indian brides and is a favourite attire for everyone during traditional Indian weddings. It is no more referred as to as village attire. You would be surprised to know that the roots of this royal ensemble are dated back to Mughal times. It reflected grandeur and enigma that was reflected in the fabric, embroidery, motifs and embellishments.
Today Lehenga trends in 2017 have evolved and emerged to suit the needs of everyone- young and old.
Lehenga really has no age limit. A 4 year old can be seen wearing it and so can 70 year old. It is primarily a 3 piece ensemble which has a blouse/ choli, a skirt (generally long) and a duppatta/ scarf.
The fabrics have varied from silks and brocades to now georgettes, chiffons nets and even velvets.
Lehenga can be worn on special occasions and festivals like Diwali, rakhi, bhai dooj, weddings, Eid, Navratri (while playing garba), etc. It spells class and is majestic. It is a fairy tale kind of garment that immediately has an effect of glass shoe worn by Cinderella. Every girl feels like a princess when she wears one.

The contemporary designers have kept the essential feel of the garment the same. Yet they have added modern and practical twists to it. They have clearly drawn inspiration from the original Mughal era but have also experimented with styles and silhouttes, which make them even better.

Today we see many variations like A line lehenga or mermaid style, full flair ones resembling vintage gowns. The cholis too have many variations- you can opt for halter necks or full sleeves, bodycon style. The lengths of cholis and its sleeves can be customized to your choices.

Today’s brides are open to experimenting. While some prefer the original Mughal style embroideries with motifs, paisleys, rich historical weaves, others like to give a touch of Swarovski, precious stones instead of zari and gold threads.

Today we have many variations of embroideries on lehenga. It could be chikankari or phoolkari or kundan work. Designers do not limit to only ikat and kalamkari and zardozi and dabka work.

In fact, these modern designs are even inspiring the latest sarees and we have variations of lehenga sarees that are pre stitched and draped like a saree.

These lehengas are available for every season. The brides who are getting married in summers have gorgeous lehengas available even in chanderis. I have chosen some of my best lehenga cholis in my collection online from some fantastic websites like- Craftsvilla. The fits are not a problem and I can see so much collection, variety in one go. The prices are reasonable and I pick up something in my budget. From these websites, I always end up picking up pieces that get me many compliments. I do not have to wander in the sun or burn my fuel. These are convenient websites giving me best deals at the comfort of my home.

It is exactly like royal feel where the whole shop would come to your home and you could select it at your comfort.

21 January, 2017

A Parent’s Dream: Take a Tour of the Unbelievable Paul George Global School

After successfully establishing the prestigious St. George’s School in New Delhi 54 years ago, as well as establishing Nursing School and Colleges and Muthoot Institute of Technology and Science (MITS) in Kerala in the recent past, The Muthoot Group, one of India’s leading business conglomerates has now its new state of art educational institution – the ‘Paul George Global School’ (PGGS) at New Delhi.

The Paul George Global School campus is located in Alaknanda in South Delhi and has world-class infrastructure, academic and sporting facilities. PGGS is aimed at being unique, exemplar and one of its kind in the country. It is designed and built by the internationally renowned architects Arcop Associates Private Limited (founded in Canada).

The infrastructure of the school just blew my mind away. I wish, when we were kids, we had such amazing facilities. The classrooms were colourful and inviting. Each grade had a special name. Some classes were named after birds, others were named after flowers or rivers, etc. Each class has a smart board and projector. There was a library, medical room, cyber room, dance studio where children learn Indian and western dances and music room. The Canteen has a capacity to seat 700 children, where the kids are served nutritious, vegetarian meals. They have a nutritionist on board and a food committee. 
The school has a great teacher’s program. Each teacher is encouraged to never stop learning and to make the curriculum interesting for the students. They are handpicked and especially trained to deal with extracurricular and activities that boost student’s sense of self.

Parents are appreciative of how the school imbibes their kids with a global view and are encouraged to participate. Their parent participation program has also been recognised and awarded! Parents find that the home visits by the teachers also help strengthen bonds with the kids as well as their understanding of the child’s personality.


I was amazed to see the world class multipurpose facility of an indoor Basketball, Badminton and Table Tennis court with a provision for automated retractable seating and a stage to host cultural programs, gatherings and stage performances.

The front block is on stilts and has the provision of an automatic temperature controlled shaded all weather swimming pool underneath and an 8-lane and a 100 metre synthetic track running through the building. There is full-fledged cricket playground with floodlights also. A skating rink along with a ‘Wimbledon type’ tennis court is also there.

The school has a Wi-Fi enabled eco- friendly campus. The entire initiative was designed to have a minimal carbon footprint. A Rainwater Harvesting System is also operational in the school whereby rain water is collected and drained through perforated pipes to underground areas to recharge water levels and prevent depletion of the ground water table. All this is being done with the intention of developing an environmentally sustainable edifice.

The management believes that children should be encouraged to participate in Sports from early on. PGGS thus offers opportunity to participate in a range of indoor & outdoor sports activities and has allotted space for : -
  • Swimming Pool
  • Synthetic Running Track
  • Skating Rink
  • Basketball
  • Badminton
  • Table Tennis
  •  ECA-Extra circular activities
  • Tennis 

STATE OF THE ART FACILITIES
You won’t believe what the school has to offer in terms of facilities, here’s just a few:
  • 100% CCTV enabled campus, 24x7 deployment of trained Security Guards and GPS-enabled transportation with live information on location and movement of school bus
  • First-of-its-kind, multi-purpose auditorium with automated retractable seating capacity of 700 people to facilitate indoor sports like Basketball, Table Tennis and Badminton.
  • Grand Amphitheatre overlooking the central playground with mini-hockey and football play areas
  • Unique roof-top skating rink, ‘Wimbledon style’ tennis court, child-friendly sand-pit, splash-pool and dedicated outdoor play area for younger kids
  • Well-equipped library, computer labs, art and activity rooms with attractive, colourful and child-friendly furniture to make learning an enjoyable experience
  • In-house Medical Care Centre with full-time nurse and Doctor-on-call
  • Wi-fi enabled campus, airy classrooms with access to natural light and fully air-conditioned classrooms using eco-friendly German made Radiant Cooling System, reducing pollution and providing uniform heating and cooling
USP of the school is not just focusing on infrastructure. It is curriculum and programs, which are child centric and learning centric. The school has incorporated new programs beyond syllabus. Example of this is an extra mile program for grade 1 and upward. Children share knowledge through projects, presentations, dance, displays and interactive session with parents. A topic for example, a country is chosen and children display their knowledge about it. It is an excellent form of learning.

This is all about the infrastructure of the school as you can see in the pictures. But the school is not just about the infrastructure. In the coming blog posts, I will take you through its USP's, its values, its educational system, and excerpts from The Principal. It is a revelation and a pioneer in educational system. 

Click on the link to know more about Paul George Global School -https://goo.gl/TeWCMp




















computer labs