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Exploring Mumbai: Where to Eat

With its palpable energy, warm people, and chill vibe, Mumbai in Maharashtra has always been a favoured travel destination for me. This time I was in the Lokhandwala area. This will be a series on my experience of Bombay in February 2018. It’s an account of some gems I discovered, not a definitive travel guide. The first post in the series was about things to do (click here to read). This post talks about places I ate at.

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Posing at Bastian

<a href=”http://Theobroma Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato“>Theobroma:

This cute bakery has come a long way since its inception in 2004 at Colaba Causeway. I’ve tried their delectable brownies before, and this time enjoyed a deliciously creamy cold coffee.

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Address: Shop No 6, Ground Floor, Nebula Co-Operative Housing Society Ltd, Lokhandwala Complex, Below Sanghvi Hospital, Andheri West       

Timings: 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.

<a href=”http://Bastian Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato“>Bastian:

This restaurant’s smart sit-down setting, and kid-friendly policy (my 2 year old son and his nanny were with us) were a big draw. The delicious food and yummy cocktails enhanced the experience further.

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Flanked by the awards Bastian has won

We ordered the Bastian Fish Fry as an appetizer, but it was clearly a dinner meant for eight hungry people! It consisted of mud crab, prawns, snapper, calamari, lobster tails as the main offering; accompanied by potato salad, onion rings, coleslaw, garlic butter brioche, house pickles and roasted corn with Bastian bay seasoning, melted garlic butter, lemon wedges and house made tartar sauce. Not only was it filling, but also a great way to sample different things from their menu, without wasting any food! I’d highly recommend this food experience to large groups of people.

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The delicious and filling dish of ‘Fish Fry’ at Bastian

Address: B/1, New Kamal Building, Linking Road, Next to Burger King, Bandra West

Timings: Tuesday- Friday: 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

                                            7:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.

                              Saturday: 7:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.

                              Sunday: 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

                                             7:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

                             Monday Closed

<a href=”http://Cafe Moshe's Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato“>Moshe’s:

I was quite disappointed with the salad I ordered. The roast lemon chicken salad with apricot, fresh coriander, mixed lettuce, oven dried tomatoes and pickled red cabbage, was tasteless and forgettable. My mother’s Egyptian vegetable salad with Dukkah- a salad of white bean, corn, red bell pepper, olives, feta cheese with olive oil and honey dressing with roasted walnut, didn’t taste as nice as it sounded. Perhaps their sandwiches and other traditional items would fare better.

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The Roast Lemon Chicken Salad at Cafe Moshe’s

Address: Palladium Mall, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel

Timings: 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.

<a href=”http://Coma Coma Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato“>Coma Coma:

This delivery food service is a hit with lovers of Mexican food. They have a delivery radius, but for a small fee can deliver in other areas as well. Their sizeable helpings of burritos, tacos and burrito bowls make filling and yummy meals. Be sure to customize your order with their special sauces (this step isn’t clear on their website, but the sauces really boost the experience!).

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A feast fit for a king! 

We ordered medium sizes of everything and had a lot of leftovers. I ate the Chipotle chicken burrito bowl, which was spicy but tasty. The desserts were fantastic, especially the key lime pie.

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The Chipoyo Burrito Bowl

Delicious desserts. Chocolate Tres Leche and Key Lime Pie

Address: Pali Hill, Bandra West (https://www.comacoma.in)

Timings: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 11:30 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.

               Friday, Saturday: 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.

               Tuesday Closed

<a href=”http://The Bar Stock Exchange Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato“>The Bar Stock Exchange:

The price of each drink served here changes depending on the number of people ordering it. The concept is fun, the space is fantastic, the music is good, and the drinks are delicious; but it’s confusing to mathematically challenged people like me. If one keeps changing drinks according to the price, one can get really drunk!

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Checking the price of drinks at the Bar Stock Exchange

Address: Juhu Supreme Shopping Centre, Opp Criti Care Hospital, Gulmohar Road 9, Vile Parle West

Timings: 12:00 p.m. -1:30 a.m.

<a href=”http://Bombay Breeze Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato“>Bombay Breeze Café:

The chicken noodle soup from Bombay Breeze Café is a light yet filling and flavorful meal. They delivered on time and I had no complaints.

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Chicken Noodle Soup from Bombay Breeze Cafe

Address: 6th Floor, Trance Avenue Building, Mahada Colony, Behind Mahada Telephone Exchange, 4 Bunglows, Andheri (W)

Timings: Friday to Wednesday: 4:30 p.m. – 5:00 a.m.

               Thursday: 8:00 p.m. – 3:00 a.m.

<a href=”http://Natural Ice Cream Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato“>Natural’s Ice-Cream:

This iconic ice-cream parlour sells the most delicious tender coconut ice-cream. Other flavors of note include sitaphal and almond.

Address: Widely spread across Mumbai

Timings: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (On average)

This wraps up my post on what I ate in Bombay. Follow my blog for more travel updates!

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Bye for now folks!

Click here for all Mumbai bookings

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Exploring Mumbai: Things to do in the Suburbs (Shop and Relax)

 

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Cheers!

With its palpable energy, warm people, and chill vibe, Mumbai in Maharashtra has always been a favoured travel destination for me. Over the years I’ve visited different parts of Bombay (as I prefer to call it). However now that my brother, Anhad Singh, is pursuing the silver screen; I hung out with him in the Lokhandwala suburbs he’s currently camping at. This will be a series on my recent experience of Bombay. It’s an account of some gems I discovered, not a definitive travel guide. The first post is about things to do.

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Family trips are the best! Pictured here with my brother Anhad Singh

Shop:

My mother, Harleen Anand, and I spent two of our four days in Bombay, scouting the best deals!

Lokhandwala Market:

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Shopoholic!

This bustling marketplace seems endless. With boutiques, tech places, general stores, and café’s; it caters to all needs. My focus was on clothes and accessories, sold in abundance. My favourite discovery was Snazzy shoes (some of my favourite styles pictured below), which had two branches in the same market. The vast variety of stylish shoes and bags were trendy, durable, comfortable and reasonably priced.

Address: Lokhandwala Complex Main Road, Andheri West

Timings: 12:00 a.m. – 11:59 p.m. (Sundays Closed)

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Snazzy shoes-  Click to buy. Picture courtesy: http://www.amazon.in

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Snazzy shoes- Click to buy. Picture courtesy http://www.amazon.in

Phoenix/ Palladium Mall:

A mall is an easy way to cover territory under one roof. Our shopping was limited to the likes of H&M, but we witnessed an Arabic cultural performance in celebration of Kuwait week. Bombay never fails to surprise!

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Mall rat

There were many stores and restaurants of note and an interesting architectural design with a large open courtyard and stage. Beautiful artworks were on display as part of an ongoing exhibit. On a weekday afternoon, it wasn’t very crowded.

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Kuwait Week Celebrations at High Street Phoenix Mall

Address: 462, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel

Timings: 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Beautiful Cosmo Products Pvt. Ltd.:

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Makeup haven- Beautiful

This unassuming general store is a make-up lover’s haven! Along with prominent beauty brands, an entire section is dedicated to imported makeup not usually available in India. For a beauty junkie, no trip to Bombay is complete without a trip to Beautiful! Some of the products I bought are linked below.

Address: Shop no. 4, Grenville Chs Ltd. Plot no. 98A, near Lokhandwala Bridge, Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri (W)

Timings: 9:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

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Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Palette- click here to buy. Picture courtesy- http://www.amazon.com

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Tarte Shape Tape Concealer in Light Neutral- click here to buy. Picture courtesy- http://www.amazon.com

Relax:

The Waterstones Club:

This resort located near the airport is popular with the expat community. A gorgeous infinity pool, gym and multi-sport courts are a draw for many; as are the spa and salon services. There is no scope for boredom with the game rooms, billiard, music and movie lounges. A well-stocked library and sundeck are also on offer. A plethora of bars and restaurants serve delicious food (I personally wasn’t disappointed with anything we ate). There are also conference rooms for those interested, as well as a lovely kid’s play area supervised by a trained nurse/ educator.

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Ready for a day of relaxation

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The gorgeous property 

The service was amenable and the space was fantastic. My only gripe was that nannies weren’t allowed anywhere other than the kids playroom on weekends; making it rather awkward for our group. Fortunately my son’s nanny was given an empty business room and made comfortable while she waited for us.

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Delicious pool-side food. Spaghetti aglio olio, chicken club sandwich and cold coffee

The club is only open to members and guests, but I’d highly recommend its membership!

Address: Waterstones Club, Sahar

This wraps up my Bombay recreation post. Stay tuned for the next one- Places to Eat!

Experience rating: 4.5/5

Click here for all Mumbai bookings

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Life Update- June 2020

It’s June 2020 in Delhi, India. The coronavirus is still at large, people are fighting for equal treatment and basic civil rights in the USA, and migrants in India are trudging back to their villages in deplorable conditions, some even walking for hundreds of kilometres. We have just entered “Unlock 1.0”- the phase where the country is opening up after over two months of a complete shutdown. A cyclone knocked on Mumbai’s door, our business capital; swarms of locusts attacked Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan; and Delhi, facing frequent seismic activity, is gearing up for an earthquake.

The world may seem like it’s coming to an end, but unsurprisingly life keeps moving. By focusing on staying positive, I believe every adversity can be turned on its head.

The lockdown presented me with a plethora of opportunities, most of which I’m still exploring and working on. While I announce every activity on my social media platforms, I sometimes forget to update them on my blog. So, this is that update. Perhaps I’ll do one every month- a candid record of events in my life. Every month won’t be as eventful as this one, but we’ll take it as it comes.

In no particular order, here goes:

  1. MY BLOG RANKS 14TH IN FEEDSPOT’S LIST OF BEST LIFESTYLE BLOGS IN INDIA

Last month, I was overwhelmed and honoured that Feedspot ranked me in their Global List of Lifestyle Blogs. Just yesterday, I received an email allotting me the 14th rank for the Indian lifestyle blogger’s list! Woot woot!

Check out the list here: https://blog.feedspot.com/indian_lifestyle_blogs/

  1. MY BLOG RANKS 18TH IN FEEDSPOT’S LIST OF BEST LIFESTYLE BLOGS IN THE WORLD

Though I was ranked 19th on this list initially, I’ve moved up a spot to rank 18!

Check out the list here: https://blog.feedspot.com/lifestyle_blogs/

  1. I’M WRITING A WEEKLY FEATURES COLUMN IN THE ONLINE NEWSPAPER “THE DAILY GUARDIAN”

Ever since I started blogging, I had nurtured a dream to write a features column in a newspaper or magazine. I finally have that opportunity with a weekly column in “The Daily Guardian”. My posts will be published every Saturday. Here’s the first one on avoiding conflict situations at home during lockdown:

https://thedailyguardian.com/5-ways-to-avoid-conflicts-at-home-during-lockdown/

  1. I’M HOSTING A WEEKLY TALK SHOW WITH THE 1947 PARTITION ARCHIVE ON THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE

The 1947 Partition Archive documents the stories of survivors of the partition of India. Having collected over 9300 stories so far, they are racing against time as the affected generation is dying out. They have been unable to proceed with their regular methods of preserving stories during the lockdown, but to keep the conversation alive, they are conducting weekly Facebook Live sessions called “Sunday Stories Live”.

Eminent personalities whose work focuses on the partition, are invited as guests and I’m the host for the event. For the first episode, I spoke to Urvashi Butalia, writer and publisher, on her book “The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India”.

Watch the episode here:

  1. MY SHORT STORY HAS BEEN FEATURED IN THE ANTHOLOGY “THE WOMAN THAT I AM”

Deeply affected by the religious riots in Delhi earlier this year, I penned a short story called “The Turmoil Within”. It has now been published as part of an anthology of works entitled “The Woman That I Am”, released during the Blogchatter E-Book Carnival. Edited by Rashi Roy and Manas Mukul, this anthology stands apart from others as it’s a unique collection of fictional works, poetry and opinion pieces, in Hindi and English, with the only common thread being womanhood.

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Stories are a reflection of real life, a mirror unto ourselves. This dramatic reading is of an excerpt from my short story “The Turmoil Within”, which has been published in the exclusive anthology “The Woman That I Am”, as part of the @blogchatter ebook carnival. Edited by @royrashi17 and @manasmukul , the anthology includes works by 30 talented writers, across genres of fiction, poetry, memoirs and opinion pieces; exploring the various facets of womanhood and what it means to be a woman. This book will resonate with everyone- you may even find a part of yourself reflected in it. – Download your copy for FREE for a limited time only, at this link (CLICKABLE LINK IN INSTA PAGE BIO): https://bit.ly/TheWomanThatIAm – #nooranandchawla #thewomanthatiam #rrxmm #blogchatter #blogchatterebookcarnival #ebookcarnival2030 #ebook #fiction #shortstory #woman #feminist #feministwriting #delhiriots #northdelhiriots #fictionlovers #indianwriters #indianauthors #indianblogger #blogger

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Download it for free for a limited time here:

https://bit.ly/TheWomanThatIAm

  1. I RECENTLY REVAMPED MY WEBSITE AND JOINED LINKEDIN

Making good use of the extra time on hand, I finally tackled some of the tech stuff I usually put off! I’ve revamped my website and made it more user-friendly, and I’ve joined LinkedIn.

Subscribe to my website here: https://nooranandchawla.com/

Connect with me on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noor-anand-chawla-64117a1aa/

  1. THERE’S LOTS HAPPENING OVER ON MY INSTAGRAM PAGE

I have finally begun enjoying Instagram because I’m finding my feet on it, and creating content I enjoy. I have daily Insta Story updates, weekly TV show/movie reviews of the latest releases, and I’ve recently started dabbling in personal beauty and styling posts.

If you’d like to check my page out, visit here:

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“Pleasantly plump” “Curvy girl” “You have the perfect child-bearing hips” “You’re not fat…. but you’re not thin either!” The list of derogatory definitions of my body type goes on and on…. But honestly, they don’t bother me. I love my curves and I enjoy the challenge of styling myself to enhance the good parts and hide the parts I’m insecure about. This doesn’t mean I don’t strive for weight loss and becoming fitter, it just means that I embrace my body in every form it takes. – Many of you have been enjoying my personal style through my posts, IGTV videos and daily Insta Story Updates. So, I’ll be sharing tidbits from my personal “curvy girl” style journey going forward. – This look was for a video shoot and I loved the play of proportions in this outfit. A fitted top balances the voluminous sleeves and the loose harem pants. The statement necklace adds extra pizzazz. – Red ruffle sleeve top: @shein_in Black linen pants: Sarojini Nagar thrift shopping Multi-metallic necklace: Local designer from Rome, Italy – #nooranandchawla #personalstyle #personalstyleblogger #curvygirl #curvygirlfashion #curvygirlstyle #curvygirlsrock #indiancurvygirl #ootdblogger #ootdindia #thriftstorefinds #thriftedfashion #fashionblogger #fashionbloggerindia #plixxo #plixxoinfluencer #bodypositivity #fashion #bodypositivitymodel

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  1. I WROTE MY FIRST POST FOR THE IWSG AND CONNECTED WITH A BUNCH OF COOL WRITERS

In an effort to revamp the blog, I have begun reading and interacting with a bunch of cool bloggers whose work I was earlier unfamiliar with. I recently wrote my first post for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group (IWSG), where writers are encouraged to share their fears and successes without judgment. The prompt for this month was to share some writing secrets.

If you’d like to read five of my writing secrets, visit this page:

https://nooranandchawla.com/5-writing-secrets-i-hide-from-the-world/

  1. I’M CONDUCTING MONTHLY BLOGGING WORKSHOPS

Perhaps the biggest development of all has been that of my business model! With two successful blogging workshops under my belt and the third one around the corner, I’ve realised how much I enjoy teaching what I know and spreading knowledge. The workshop is aimed at people who are new to the blogging world, or people who find the subject intriguing but don’t know where to begin.

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If you’re interested, sign up for the next one here, which is slated for Saturday June 20 from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.:

https://www.queensbrigade.com/learn-to-monetise-your-blog-with-noor.php

  1. I’M MAKING WEEKLY SELF-CARE VIDEOS FOR FACEBOOK GROUP MOMMY A-Z

I have been an active member of parenting peer group Mommy A-Z for a long time, and I was delighted to work with them on a weekly video series, where I share useful and practical self-care tips. You have to be a member to watch the videos, but if you’re interested, here is the link to join:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/mommyatoz/

That’s a lot of shameless self-plugging I know- please forgive me! But if I don’t share what I’m doing with the world, who will?! I wish you well, and I hope this period helps you to become stronger and more determined to achieve your life goals.

If you read this entire post till the end, thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart.

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*This is not a sponsored post.

**Copyright in pictures and content belongs to nooranandchawla.com and cannot be republished or repurposed without express permission of the author. As I am a copyright lawyer by profession, infringement of any kind will invite strict legal action. 

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Thinking of Life’s Treasured Thrills #AtoZChallenge

Thinking of Life Before Lockdown

Over the weekend, I binge-watched the second season of Amazon Prime’s original TV show “Four More Shots Please”. Inspired by the famous American TV drama, “Sex and the City”, this show about four women living their 20s and 30s in Mumbai, is an interesting peep into modern-day female friendships, romance, and various aspects of women’s liberation.

However, after watching the show, I was overtaken by immense nostalgia for the freedom I took for granted, till last month. This included the ability to get dressed and go anywhere I pleased, the capability of travelling to any country of my choice, the opportunity to hang out and drink with my friends, and the general lack of worry in my life.

Hence, I’ve been feeling wistful and sentimental about my pre-lockdown life. Here’s a list of what I’m missing most, in no particular order:

  • Having lunch with my parents while chitchatting about everything and nothing
  • Gossiping and laughing with my friends over endless glasses of wine at a swanky bar
  • Staying out too late at night and being crabby for lack of sleep the next day
  • Eating a delicious meal in a fabulous restaurant with impeccable service
  • Working out at the gym, and running in the park outside the gym for my cardio fix
  • Wearing high heels
  • Watching movies on the big screen with my brother, while devouring salty popcorn
  • Packing for a trip
  • Unpacking on my return and complaining about how much I hate unpacking
  • The awesome feeling of arriving at the airport, excited about a trip and the memories that I will make
  • Hugging people
  • Shopping for clothes
  • Shopping in general
  • Taking endless selfies with my girl gang
  • Picking my son from school and enjoying that look of glee on his face
  • Volunteering at my son’s school and bonding with the other parents
  • Birthday parties
  • Painstakingly putting together an outfit with matching accessories
  • Discovering new places through blogging events
  • Getting a head massage and various other services at the salon

This random list probably makes me sound very superficial, but that’s ok. I’m aware that the lockdown has been far worse for some and that I’m fortunate in many ways. But it seems likely that may of the things I’ve mentioned are set to change completely, so I’m celebrating and sentimentalising the small thrills of my life. This is my list of what I miss most- I’m sure you have a list too and I would love it if you shared the things that you’re missing most, with me. These may be profound or superficial. Don’t worry, I won’t judge!

This is also my tip to beat the lockdown blues today:

Make a list of what you miss most from your pre-lockdown life, and revel in the wonderful memories. Don’t worry if the memories upset you- it’s ok to feel sad. In fact, I think feeling sad is an important part of the long journey to accepting change.

I haven’t let lockdown completely rob me of all personal pleasures though! I still do certain things that give me tremendous pleasure, despite their redundancy during this time. For example, I put on makeup and wear regular clothes every single day. It makes me happy and ready to get on with life every morning.

I’ve also been proactive about sharing different makeup looks on my Instagram page, as I receive so many requests for them.

Today, I’ve shared a makeup look on my IGTV feed, while reviewing the new season of “Four More Shots Please”, and I would love it if you checked out my video and shared your thoughts. I look forward to your feedback on the makeup look and the TV show!

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Hi everyone, I just finished watching Season 2 of “Four More Shots Please” and I was inspired to create this purple and silver eyeshadow look, perfect for a girls night out, once lockdown is over. I also share my review and thoughts of the TV show. Leave your thoughts and comments below and share this video with someone that may like it. What would you like to see from me next? Leave your requests below! – PRODUCTS MENTIONED: 1. Eye Primer: Tarte Shape Tape Concealer in shade “Light Sand” 2. Eyeshadow Palettes: Milani Everyday Eyes in “Vital Brights” + NYX Ultimate Shadow Palette in “Smokey & Highlight” 3. Kajal: Faces Canada Ultime Pro Intense Gel Kajal 4. Mascara: L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise + Maybelline Lash Sensational 5. Liquid Lipstick: Nykaa liquid lipstick in shade “Bombae” 6. Lip gloss: Lakme Absolute Plump and Shine Gloss in shade “Beige Shine” – #nooranandchawla #theladylawyer #makeuptutorial #makeuplook #makeup #makeuplovers #makeuplover #makeupenthusiast #notsponsored #purpleeyeshadow #purpleeyeshadowlook #purpleeyes #cooltoneeyeshadow #cooltoneeyes #glammakeup #purplesmokeyeye #purplesmokeyeyes #purplesmokeymakeuplook #sardarni #delhi #fourmoreshotsplease #fourmoreshotspleasereview #fourmoreshotspleaseseason2

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Talking of TV shows, here’s one I think you should check out with the letter T:

“The Crown” on Netflix, is a fabulous fictionalised (inspired by real life) version of Queen Elizabeth II’s illustrious career as the longest reigning monarch in the world. Over the course of its three seasons, this beautifully written show explores various domestic and world events that shaped Queen Elizabeth’s reign. If for nothing else, watch the show for its cinematic value.

However, if you’d prefer a humorous TV show recommendation, I believe you won’t go wrong with “The Big Bang Theory” on Amazon Prime Video. This series about four nerdy scientists and their good-looking neighbour, guarantees lots of laughter and some learning along the way.

As for a book recommendation, here’s one I think you should read:

“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is an authority on the rampant racism that marred America at the beginning of the last century. It raises important questions that stand the test of time and are relevant even today.

Talking of relevance to today’s times, here’s a blog you should check out today:

www.trulyyoursroma.com written by my friend Roma Gupta Sinha, documents her tough journey through this lockdown, in the form of letters to her future grandchildren. Before lockdown was announced, she travelled with her husband and son to Vadodara for her husband’s business. Unfortunately, they couldn’t return to Delhi on time, and are facing the challenges of living in an unknown city in uncertain times.

That’s all for today folks- it was short and bittersweet, but I shall see you tomorrow with more fun content.

Please check out my daily update videos on Instagram Stories for #LockdownWithTheLadyLawyer and follow me there to stay better connected. Also tell me your favourite TV Shows/ movies/ books/ bloggers with the letter T?

Tot Ziens till tomorrow! (farewell in Dutch)

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This post has been written for the #AtoZChallenge 2020. My theme this year is #LockdownWithTheLadyLawyer, where I’m journaling my thoughts during the coronavirus lockdown, and sharing numerous recommendations that will help keep your spirits up. Read my other posts here:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S

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*This is not a sponsored post.

**Copyright in pictures and content belongs to nooranandchawla.com and cannot be republished or repurposed without express permission of the author. As I am a copyright lawyer by profession, infringement of any kind will invite strict legal action. 

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Social Distancing Enhances Social Stigma? #AtoZChallenge

nooranandchawla.com

I’ve mostly maintained a positive attitude through the coronavirus lockdown. However, one thing that has upset and worried me from the beginning, is the social stigma faced by certain sections of society.

‘Stigma’ is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as:

“Negative feelings that people have about particular circumstances or characteristics that somebody may have.”

When the coronavirus crisis began in January, China was the only country to be largely affected. Sadly, this resulted in people with mongoloid features becoming the first victims of an ignorant blame game, around the world. How was it their fault? One can blame a government for not announcing the rise of the disease when it should have, and not containing the spread of the disease as well as it might have; but how was the disease itself the fault of the citizens of that country? And even more incongruously, how was it the fault of people around the world, who happen to resemble the facial features of the people of China?

Racism was an ongoing battle fought by Asians around the world, but this crisis raised xenophobia to new heights. Delhi also reported stray incidents of young girls from the North-East being heckled on roads and called ‘coronavirus’!

Things worsened when a large Islamic congregation’s meeting in Delhi, just before national lockdown, came to light. The religious meeting was ill-advised and should’ve been cancelled keeping the global circumstances in mind, but the aftermath of religious hatred and suspicion of one single community as spreaders, was uncalled for.

Every Muslim of the country wasn’t present at that meeting, nor was every Muslim propagating hate, even if some were. It’s so sad that Muslims as a whole became the easy and unfortunate outlets for people to blame the spread of this deadly disease.

The culmination of this accusatory behaviour, happened when an affluent family from South Delhi contracted Covid-19 and blamed it on their Muslim guard, who denied having visited that particular religious congregation. On the basis of their verbal assurance, the local police filed an FIR against this poor man. Guess what his Covid-19 test results were? Negative. The family then backtracked, saying they had never wanted to file an FIR as they were only speculating and the police went ahead and filed it on their own. The police tried to shove blame for filing the FIR on the affected family. In all this, who suffered the most? The poor guard who probably won’t be hired for a long, long time.

With an extension to the lockdown, these social stigmas seem to be spreading far and wide. Though I can never condone them, I can at least understand the basis for racism and religious intolerance. However, I simply fail to understand how people can attack our frontliners i.e. the brave healthcare workers who are saving us from this virus?!

Doctors have been spat at and refused entry into homes and societies for fear of catching the virus, and yesterday a doctor who died of Covid-19 wasn’t given a proper burial because a furious mob was worried that his infected germs would spread to their neighbourhood.

Are we living in some dystopian nightmare? Has humanity died? Has all modicum of sense left the brains of these people? They can break the norms of social distancing to stand together against a burial, but they can’t allow a doctor, who died protecting our countrymen, dignity during his final rites?

This is a sad, sad situation and one I hope our government counters firmly and effectively.

Social distancing means being extra cautious in one’s dealings with fellow human beings during this crisis, but it doesn’t mean propagating hatred against anything that seems a vague threat.

Can we as a community spread this message against the ignorant social stigmas that abound in pockets of our country? After all, we are in this together, even if we are apart.

On a lighter note, here’s my tip to beat the lockdown blues today:

Send a message of encouragement to someone working on the frontlines today– a healthcare worker, a journalist, a person selling essential goods, delivery men, people who work in NGO’s providing food and shelter etc. They could do with a smile, and so could you.

Here are some TV shows you should check out with the letter S:

“South Park” on Netflix and “Seinfeld” on Amazon Prime Video are comedies on opposite ends of the spectrum. The former is an animated show for adults and the latter an iconic sitcom from the 90s. Both are complete laugh riots.

A book that you should read is:

“Sacred Games” by Vikram Chandra, which is one of my favourite books of all time. Chandra’s gritty look into Mumbai’s crime scene is gripping and far better than the TV show of the same name. Well worth the 1000 pages!

There are so many blogs I enjoy reading that begin with the letter S, but today I’ll leave you with three:

www.soniadogra.com written by Sonia Dogra has a riveting series through this A to Z Challenge. She is recreating lesser-known incidents from world history in the form of poetry.

www.soniasmusings.com written by Sonia Chatterjee will give you much needed laughs as she shares her picks of the best Indian comedians.

www.surbhiprapanna.com written by Surbhi Prapanna is a fantastic place to check out some easy and healthy recipes- perfect for lockdown.

That’s it for today folks!

Please check out my daily update videos on Instagram Stories for #LockdownWithTheLadyLawyer and follow me there to stay better connected. Also tell me your favourite TV Shows/ movies/ books/ bloggers with the letter S?

Sayonara till tomorrow! (farewell in Japanese)

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This post has been written for the #AtoZChallenge 2020. My theme this year is #LockdownWithTheLadyLawyer, where I’m journaling my thoughts during the coronavirus lockdown, and sharing numerous recommendations that will help keep your spirits up. Read my other posts here:

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