Six scents

"Hey, Foxy Mama! You smell kinda pretty, wanna smell me? Hoohah"
~Johhny Bravo

Certain smells can instantaneously perk up one's mood & I've rounded up six of them:

1) The smell of parched earth after the first rains have fallen. You may crib about the monsoon & its aftermath on the city, traffic & people; but you can't help but inhale deeply once your nostrils catch this first fleeting scent.

2) The whiff of warm coffee wafting through the air. So you got wet in the rain, had a bad day or feel sick? This smell will make you feel warm and better, even if you don't have the time to down a cup of Joe.

3) The olfactory onslaught of freshly baked bagels, breads, cakes, cookies, donuts, desserts, tarts, toasts, & waffles. You may be on a diet, but inhaling and indulging in these smells don't count as cheating. After all, you get the happy high and don't pile on the extra calories.

4)The intoxicating smell of paper in new and old books. The singular reason why you're a bookworm junkie and don't want to check into rehab.

5) The tang of citrus. Whether in candles, cleansing agents, perfumes and potpourri, or the versatile lemon, it's instant rejuvenation.

6)The heady vapors of petrol at a petrol bunk. No one is willing to admit it, but it's true. It's addictive and we're sniffers!

Inhale & exhale! Have a good pick me up!

What's better than a bath?

Awful day? Tired bones? Crappy decisions? Too much on your mind?

Strip down completely, turn on the shower to a temperature that is just right and stand under the water for a good 20 minutes. I know, why waste so much water. But leave that argument for later and for someone else. Once you are under the shower, feel the water wash away everything that was on your mind. Tired bones suddenly feel pampered and gooey, the awful day is magically shrouded behind a a foggy screen, everything unpleasant can be washed away by soapy suds and you can turn all soft and pink.

While you are in the shower, experiment with scents, fragrances and well, soaps. If you don't like it, it can wash off.

So go ahead, have a bad day just so you can indulge yourself.

Soft corner

A creamy dessert that picks any one up would have to be the soft serve vanilla cream cone colloquially referred to as ‘Softy’.

What is it?

It’s a delicious concoction of vanilla cream swirled, twirled and peaked to perfection onto a crisp wafer cone.

Softies are rich and creamy, never too sweet nor too bland, not ice cold enough that it will temporarily give you brain freeze; but just the right consistency of velvety, cooling comfort to calm tepid tongues and tempestuous temperaments.


For those moments when it's not words or objects that you crave, but that child-like experience where you ardently believe that the taste of whipped vanilla cream can make anything and everything so much better than it already is.

I have memories of eating only vanilla softies; never the other flavored softies like chocolate, strawberry or pistachio, simply because it never gave me that heightened feeling of sweetness.

A signature softy is thus synonymous with vanilla & nothing else.

Whenever I'm down, need an instant 'feel good' feeling, but don't have the resources to splurge on decadent desserts; i meander through the madding masses on busy streets, stopping only at corners replete with softy vending machines, to treat myself to vanilla softies.

What can i say?

I'm a 'softy'.

Comrades, Conversations and Calories!

If ever one needs a much needed mood elevator, especially after a tough day when everything that could possibly go wrong actually does go wrong; this is a sure fire way to feel better-

Surround yourself with people who love you, let delightful music play in the background, engage in conversations where you can be yourself (i.e. bitch, laugh, rant & scream), savor a cultured glass of fine wine or flavored vodka, indulge in a calorific meal followed by a large slice of sinful dark chocolate cake covered with chocolate ganache, dark chocolate shavings and ice cream.

All the bad will magically melt away & nothing wrong could ever happen to you. You'll have a smile on your face, a skip in your step & cheer in your heart!

Who wouldn't want to feel like that?

... gets me higher high high

For all of us there is a strain of music that can immediately lift our spirits and make it soar! We just need to find the songs that do that to us.

For me, it's Under Pressure by Queen.

Never mind that the lyrics actually talk about human pain and suffering. Never mind that the message is preachy. Never mind that there is a message. You still feel like singing along with the lyrics, and the beats make you tap your feet and do a little jig of your own.

I love Freddie Mercury's perfect diction, his stage presence, and his beautiful golden voice that can hit any note from the lowest to the highest with the same ease with which mere mortals like us breathe! Watching his performance or listening to his music always manages to get me higher high high...
When we lost him, we really lost a great artist!

And the best thing is that you don't need to be a great artist to sing along to this one. And trust me, you would want to. And hell, if I can sing along, then anyone can.

So don't forget to tell us what your pick-me-up song is! Leave us a comment. :)

Now, ladies and gentlemen - I give you - Under Pressure.

absolutely fabulous

Thing is you should want to change the mood and be happier.

Once you do that, I recommend watching a sitcom like Absolutely Fabulous.



And now get yourself a bottle of the best. Next, say to the world, "Cheers, darlings!"

the sexy way

Today was one of those days when things went quiet, suddenly. I finished my chores early but was not inspired to write. I didn't feel like talking to anyone, neither did I feel like taking a walk.

I needed something and needed it quick.

So, I filled a bath and soaked in it for an hour while I read Cosmopolitan.

Nothing picks you up, like a warm soak in the tub, reading about the 100 sexy things you can do.