#Sparkistan showed that anything is possible if you have the conviction and the SPARK

Some of us are born knowing what we want to do, some of us learn later what we are meant to do. But to achieve what we really want to, we have to put in such struggles. Ask the person who’s about to sit in an exam, or the one who’s an inch away from securing that promotion. Even though most of us try to work our ass off to get what we want, we sometimes go astray. It is in those times when we need stories. Stories of people with conviction, the will to finish what they started. I found my latest dose of inspiration from the heroes around us highlighted by Atlas Battery in their latest campaign Sparkistan.

Sparkistan is a movement featuring stories of doctors, activists and record breakers who made impossible, possible. The name comes from the idea that people who have what it takes give this nation and its people the ‘spark’ needed to survive challenges of life.

The campaign has so far featured and brought to limelight, the stories of the following:

• Dr Naeem Taj, a Guinness World Record holder of removing the largest gall bladder from a human body. Dr. Naeem Taj wanted to be a vocalist but his father pushed him to become a surgeon and made him believe in himself. It is due to that faith that he became a sensation.

• Mohammad Ali who got motivated by a bunch of alarming societal issues like cases of missing children and abuse etc. created Roshni Helpline which caters to the problem. Through his initiative hundreds of missing children have found way back to their homes. He has also managed to pull transgenders to support the cause too.

• Samar Khan, a young Pakistani daring lady who is the first woman to cycle her way up Biafco Glacier wanted to do the unconventional. Despite being a Pakistani girl, Samar was unstoppable. She wanted to be unconventional and prove that women can do things as great as men, maybe even better. With conviction, she proved herself. Oh and she has it all sorted.

What is great is that these are common people, people like us. Whenever I look at such achievements of people, I tell myself ‘when they can do it, why can’t I?’ and that basically keeps me going.

I am glad to be a part of this country where people are literally crazy, crazy to follow their dreams and keep their spark alive, making Pakistan, ‘Sparkistan’. It is true: a home is known by the people that dwell there.

International Comedians making an entry to the Pakistani Comedy Scene with Comedy Masala

Comedy Masala, as it debuted in Singapore is a movement of numerous International Standup comedians coming together for the common purpose of entertaining audiences. Over the years, it has emerged as a brand in itself.

Comedy Masala is about to make its entry in Pakistan. As a part of the launch (first event being held on 23rd February 2017), Comedy Masala will create 6 shows, and will include 3 entertainers from the USA: Paul Ogata, Dwayne Perkins and Matt Davis. Comedy Masala organizer and Pakistani artist, Umar Rana, is the force behind this initiative. Advance month to month shows have been planned for April, June, July, August, September, October, November and December 2017, with each show highlighting an alternate line up of international humorists.

This is the first time ever Pakistan will experience thrilling performances by international comedians and many are looking forward to it. The news has already caught attention of many and the organizers are hoping to make it the talk of the town.

Meanwhile us, the regular peeps hungry for quality entertainment, await the wittiest and the most f’awesome thrilling experience. Hope the organizers and the performers live up to the expectations.

For more details and schedules, you may check out their website www.comedymasala.com/pk or the event page. Want to get in touch with them? The Facebook page is the answer.

P.S. Stay with my Twitter for updates on the event.

Give your metabolism a boost by kickstarting your day with Coffee

“I need a man who’d serve me chai in bed every morning I wake up” – the biggest wish I’ve had so far.

While tea makes a good start to my day every morning, coffee makes a great companion for my evenings and weekends when I’m in bed reading ‘Little Women’ or ‘Forty Rules of Love’ for the 100th time.

The chai vs. coffee debate has been so old now. Everybody has their opinions and preferences, and reasons for their choices and I will not dig into the debate but I feel it is my duty to educate my audience. Read the next few sentences, and you'll be surprised. :)

Contrary to the popular belief, I’ve recently discovered, that coffee provides a lot of health benefits especially black coffee (or Americano, if you’re fancy). What took me by surprise was the one thing that matters the most, the fact that coffee provides a good metabolism throughout the day. Through my research, I found out that coffee and black coffee in particular helps burn a lot of fat. Although according to some people, once your body becomes caffeine tolerant it stops providing this benefit, but studies show empirical evidence that coffee helps consume less, hence contributing to the overall fitness of a person.

Now that I believe works as a catalyst to fuel many other benefits that coffee provides. Moderate consumption of coffee helps control diabetes, works as a shield against stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, protects against growth of cancer cells, and contributes as an agent in anti-ageing characteristics.

I know quite a few millennials who don’t drink tea. So if you are not too habitual of consuming tea every morning and look at something else that could help you kickstart your day, you might want to make coffee a part of your morning routine. All the above facts, good enough reasons, no? :D

Here's to another cup! Cheers! :D

Information source: http://coffeeandhealth.org/#

Meaty Treats for the Meat Lovers at Karachi Eat Festival

The weekend that just passed was a foodie affair. Almost everyone I knew flocked to Frere Hall for a flavor of something desi, something tangy, something sweet, some innovative food concepts etc. But as Pakistanis we tend to be a nation that hogs on meat wherever we see it, thus it came as no surprise when I saw many people performing literal tawaaf around the Meat One stall (don’t mind the religious jokes, have a good sense of humor please? :p). Also saw many people around the Chapli Kabab and the Jucy Lucy corners.

So I decided to give some of the meaty delights from the Meat One stall a try. These were some of their offerings:

• Chicken Samosas – 3 for Rs. 100
• Chapli Kabab – 2 for Rs. 100
• Chicken Cordon Bleu – For Rs. 300
• Medallion Steak – 2 small pieces – For Rs. 300

I tried the Chicken Cordon Bleu and it truly was a hit in the right places. Filled with a cheesy sauce topping and a crispy texture with mild spices it was a really good treat form me. I am not a big chicken fan, but the Cordon Bleu surely had a distinctive taste to my liking. Also complimenting on the side, mashed potatoes, made it a good combo.

The Petite Beef Medallion Steak was medium to well done and didn’t have a hard chewy feel to it. I was able to easily cut through it even with my plastic cutlery. Flavors were also balanced.

When inquired, I found out that recipes were the owner’s mom’s, which gave the items the desired taste. The price for each (Rs. 300) was also fair as per the serving size. They got a pretty decent response. Perhaps Meat One should open up a little restaurant of its own. Something to think about, no? :)

Highlights of my Experience at #KarachiEat2017

This is Karachi Food Diary and if I don't put one update on #KarachiEat2017 that would be unfair, so here it goes.

These are a must have at the festival and the highlights of my food experience here:

1. Pav Bhaji and the Bun Kababs at the National Stall. Priced at PKR 100 each, the dishes were a good value for money and tasted pretty good. The bun kababs had a moderate qeema filling, served with green chutney it tantalized my taste buds. Pav Bhaji was just too good. For a hardcore wanna-be vegetarian, this was an ultimate delight. #NationalAtKEF

2. The Butter Puff crackers made with different meat combinations were so light on the pocket (for Rs. 30 each). But the other offerings at the #PeekFreansCafe are getting more and might I say the rightly deserved attention. The Chocolate S'more (for Rs. 50) with layers of chocolate chips and dark chocolate and the ice cream sandwich made with Chocolicious cookies were badass,not to forget the Panna Cotta (PKR 50) made with Marie.

3. The Batair and Prawn Tempura at GR Premium Catering were a cherry on top. For an above average serving size and the taste of the dishes, a PKR 300 seemed justified. Being a crazy seafood lover, the prawn tempura made my tummy yearn for more. #GRcateringAtKEF

 

4. The Churros at the Wall's Cafe were such a good fresher. Even though it was freezing but ice cream is a must have so ordered the ones with chocolate. The Churros were sweet enough but slightly less chewy. Really liked the addition of Oreo and chocolate chip as toppings.

5. Jaan Leva Dahi Papri was a big hit. I liked the taste a lot, but the dish had more yogurt than tamarind according to me and thus lacked the desired level of tangy flavor as per my liking. It was slightly on the higher side too, Rs. 150 for literally 5 bites. They should perhaps consider increasing the quantity.

6. The burger at Jucy Lucy was pretty decent. A friend told me that they had a layer of cheese within the patty and I knew I had to give it a try. It was a little raw on the inside, perhaps because of the cheese, but the fusion of flavors was pretty good.

7. Last but not least, the Cordon Bleu at the Meat One stall was to die for. Such a balanced taste and the meat was cooked to perfection. The after taste was great too. Other items that are worth trying from this stall: Chapli Kababs, Medallion Steak. #MeatOneatKEF

All in all, it was a fooding spree that I went on and it was totally worth it. A great experience it was. Me, Seema Tejani and Amber Zulfiqar also made a #SimplyYum video and revived our little food show. Here:
https://www.facebook.com/thosesevenminutes/videos/vb.1034929343186570/1392345744111593/?type=2&theater

Sunsilk Co-creations is setting new wedding hair trends

With the wedding season and never ending functions, every girl needs a different hairstyle. Stylists put together interesting looks on models in various TVC’s and campaigns. That’s where we pick up our trends from as well. This season, stylists are focusing on side braids, side partitions, and bouncy hairdos, which is quite evident from the new TVC of Sunsilk.

It is noticed that with long heavy dresses girls usually prefer tied hair, braids, or buns so the beauty of their clothes come out. Braids usually go with mehndi mayun themes since they set the parandey, teekay, matha pattis and other traditional bits in place. But not many people are comfortable creating hair styles out of baraat and valima looks. They prefer that hair be left untied.

Recently I’ve seen quite a few ladies leveling up their braid game at various wedding based festivities. A couple of really close friends recently got married and what was spotted was how women are taking to these styles. Now most of you know this already that I have dead straight hair and my ears pop out when I tie them :p, thus I can’t experiment much with my hair looks. But perhaps with more volumizing conditioners and serums, and hair products like bumpits I can totally pull off the side braid. I plan to try out a wavy braided look soon. Wait for it, but tell me which hairdos are hottest at the moment. Perhaps share pictures so I try to recreate them.

In the meanwhile, perfect those dance moves for the next wedding in line and enjoy this new Sunsilk TVC. Adios, amigos! :)

Bioderma Sensibio H2O: The best makeup removing product so far

Maintenance comes in all forms and can be a super-duper hassle, but to me there are just a few basics that if you take care of, you’ll be set.

1. Drinking lots of water
2. Incorporating fruits and vegetables into your diet
3. Removing all make up before going to bed

And when it comes to relying on one product that does the trick for me when I need to get rid of all those layers of cake on my skin, I take to Bioderma’s Sensibio H2O solution.

Now I will not bore you all into what ingredients it has that makes it the go-to product, but I will certainly highlight some of the outstanding benefits of it. What makes it stand out:

1. No to itch and irritation because when you remove all that heavy layering of your eye makeup with this it will not itch/burn a bit.
2. No harmful chemicals that other cleansing products have
3. Devoid of that weird saline taste
4. A very balanced pH needed to maintain a good skin
5. Can be used as a facial toner
6. Transparent and just like water (it’s called Sensibio H2O for a reason), devoid of any fragrance so you can easily take it to all corners of your facial skin

Now with so many functional benefits, what adds to the authenticity is its French origin and compliance with international standards. So forget wipes, gels, cleansing milks and other products because Bioderma Sensibio H2O is here to the rescue.

Dolmen Shopping Festival – A Shopaholic’s Paradise

To end 2016 with a bang, the management of Dolmen Mall created an entire festival where people could shop their favorite brands at discounted prices. They had lined up lucky draws, kids' corner, lots of food discounts and a grand prize.

Here’s what made it a delight for me and Seema Tejani (I’m sure you all know about my partner in crime).

1) Mantra 
There was up to 50% discount on most of the items. Their signature jersey tights are the most reliable ones with a flawless fit and material. Originally priced at PKR 1350, we got them PKR 950 each. We also ended up getting a couple of sports bras for gym and work out routines etc. The overall bill for 6 items was around PKR 5,600.

2) Stoneage 
One of my most favorite and go-to places for western wear and jackets, Stoneage never ceases to surprise. Again it had up to 30% off on the collection and we ended up getting the sexiest brown leather jacket and a couple of tees and tops. This was the highlight of our shopping experience. Wore the jacket to an office training the weekend after, and people were all praises :D

3) Caanchi and Lugari
I’ve recently fallen in love with this multi brand store at Dolmen City and their leather products. Got a bunch of gifts for some of my favorite people (details after I present these to them).

4) Khaadi 
Most of the stock was sold but we managed to get one beautiful orange embroidered kurta for our little cousin from the kid’s section.

5) Amante 
Although there wasn’t a sale on any item at the store but the outlet in Karachi is only located at Dolmen Mall Clifton. Thanks to #DSF2016, I was able to purchase a very classy pair of lingerie from their Aura collection.

Also had a very filling brunch with friends at the food court.

The good thing is they announce such seasonal discounts every now and then. You might wanna flock to DMC or other Dolmen Malls (Tariq Road and Hyderi) the next time #DSF is announced for great savings. Stay tuned to my Twitter account for regular updates on such things. Ciao!

All the reasons why Infinix Zero 4 is the phone for all photography lovers

So if you are a photography enthusiast, you’ve landed at the right place. Infinix has recently launched its signature Zero 4, which if you’d look carefully has outstanding features for a photography lover.

Here’s a list of some of the features which will make it the go-to device for all backpackers.

1. Pano Selfie

Until now, only iPhone could brag about this feature, but now Infinix Zero 4 is also equipped with the technology that provides an ultimate panoramic selfie experience.

2. 4x Zoom 

With a 4 times zoom and focus that fails to budge, anyone with even shaky hands can capture a shot without it being blurred. Also what is great? Moving objects can be captured without much hassle.

3. 16 MP back and 8 MP front camera

A 16 MP back camera and an 8 MP front camera makes Infinix Zero 4 a wanted device. This resolution is ideal for all sorts of instant social media usage. Next time you want to go live on Facebook, you wouldn’t think twice if you have this.

4. 32 GB Internal Storage (expandable up to 128 GB)

For a midrange phone, an internal storage of 32 GB and a RAM of 3 GB means you don’t have to dump the data on your system again and again. The SD Card slot allows storage expandable to 128 GB thus making it a great phone for back pack journalists and bloggers.

5. XCharge 

The XCharge feature ensures a smooth and accelerated charging mechanism. And the battery power of 3,200 mAh might suffice you the entire day with medium usage.


With all these features, the phone is priced only at PKR 22,999 and is available for online order through Yayvo.com and Daraz.pk in Silver, Gold and Black. What’s cherry on top? The premium look and feel of the phone!

So try Infinix Zero 4. It could lead you to the next photography championship :D

Australian Food Festival - boding together love for food and peace

Food brings people together. Such has been an initiative of Avari Towers Karachi. With their chain of restaurants and 5 star services, Avari never fails to impress. Recently they’ve ventured into some food experimentation holding food festivals from various ethnic origins like German Food Festival, Australian Food Festival etc. 


The Australian Food Festival was one of its kind. It was held at the pool side of the hotel with an open area where chefs were preparing live food for the guests, so you could get your steak/meat done just the way you like it: rare, medium, well-done etc.   

It was a different kind of experience since I had never tasted Australian food before. The bread bar was very fancy with different kinds of breads in variety of shapes. What was unfathomable though was that there was no cheese bar accompanying it.


The food had a very distinct taste. Salmon had a nice peppery touch to it and was quite a hit (got all gobbled up before I could help myself to the second round of servings). There were lobsters and mussels and clams, beef gravies and roast lamb etc. The starter’s platter with onion rings and chicken quiche were delectable. But the dessert bar was the most raved about that evening. Mousse, puddings, flans, walnut cakes, chocolate pastries everything was just too good. 

It was a great fooding experience with conversations flowing around food, culture, travel etc. Also got a chance to interact with the First Secretary (Economic-Public Diplomacy) from the Australian High Commission, Nicole Guihot, who had been around Pakistan. She recounted a bunch of stories of her travel experiences there. She got delighted when I told her about my exchange year in the United States and how my stay with a Jewish host family had been so rewarding in many ways.

Networking and food were the highlights of the evening, not to forget that I interacted with the head chef Jesse, who was kind enough to walk me through their offerings. He also took feedback very pleasantly and assured that he’ll work around it. Looking forward to experiencing many other cultures at Avari Towers, Karachi.