Life is taking a different route. Newer chapters are being turned. My girlfriends and I no longer talk about our boyfriends or gossip about a mutual pal. We have bigger, much mature, more important things to talk about: marriages. 

The one common topic when I hang out with my girls is engagements, weddings, honeymoons, and babies. I am 24, my friends are about the same age. And I'm not here to talk if 24 is too early to marry or have kids but to simply state the facts. Until a few months ago, we only spoke about our dreams and our jobs and our careers and our goals. But now, it's all about marriages. Every time I meet a group of friends, someone we know is either getting married/engaged or is already married/engaged. And, though it seems lovely, at the back of our minds, we all sigh secretly; and that, my dear readers, is a sigh full of worry. 

How is our wedding going to be like? When are we getting married? Will our current partners be our life partners or would we split apart in the end? Can exes get back together? For a few friends, we hope they do, and for a few, it's a straightaway no. 

The committed are waiting for the financial and mental stability and waiting for their boyfriends to take a step ahead, and the single girls are afraid: all of them just hoping they find a boy belonging to the same community. They're scared of arranged marriages because, for all we know, people can pretend they're sweet and post-wedding, be completely different persons.

I am worried about my single girls. I always pray to God that they get a wonderful boy. I pray that they get their dream husbands. Few of my girlfriends have lived very restricted lives; I hope they get a partner who doesn't know what boundaries are. 

It's a terrifying phase of life. We girls are not pressurised but our parents have started talking about our marriages. They talk about settling sooner, finding the right guy, and many of them have started searching for Mr Ideal-Son-In-Law (of course, from the same community and same economic groups).

At my place? It's much calmer. I have told my parents to start worrying about my marriage after I turn 26. Until then, I have requested them to enjoy and let be. I'm still struggling to establish my business. I'll require at least two years to achieve my first financial goal with blogging and travelling as my only source of income.  

It's quite startling, you know? Two of my best friends are married, one good friend is getting engaged this December, another best friend is battling to let her finish MBA peacefully without simultaneously pressuring to meet prospective grooms, and I am just trying hard to sink all this in. 

Anyway, this is part of life. Here's to a terrifying yet sweet phase. May we all get the partners we have always dreamt of...

To quote the legend, Coco Chanel, herself, “No elegance is possible without perfume. It is an unseen and an unforgettable accessory.” It's true and I completely jibe with her as I am a person with a sensitive nose. Every fragrance has had some importance in my life. For instance, a chocolate fragrance takes me back to my school days when my crush smelled like he had just sprayed a chocolate deodorant and I used to catch a whiff while he passed by. Then a certain bold aqua fragrance reminds me of my uncle as it's his signature note and he has been using a similar one since we were kids. Likewise, Florida perfume reminds me of a friend from my 8th-grade classes as she always smelt like a rose...

So I was looking for a good perfume the other day and luckily the team from the Trescho perfumes contacted me. I adored almost all the bottles from their collection and had a hard time picking only one.  However, after spending a good amount of time, I finally selected their Florida perfume. It is an Eau de Parfum and has a floral fragrance. Long story short, I totally adore it. My review:

Florida's packaging is what caught my attention primarily because of its diamond-like cap and crystal clear bottle. The perfume name, which is embossed in a circular design, makes the packaging even cuter. Further, the light pink liquid made me want to read further. 

The perfume comes in a matching box that yet again looks really adorable. The overall packaging has a lot of cushioning, so your glass bottle remains safe from cracking. In a gist, its packaging is sure to turn heads.

The perfume comes with a spray nozzle and you just have to press it to release the perfume. It’s quite effortless!

The perfume has a sweet harmony of flowers and fruits. It includes blackcurrant leaves and notes from fruits like pear, mango, melon, cedar, and musk. Its original and signature notes include orange blossom and are complemented by rose petals. 

The composition begins with a compound of orange blossom, silky rose petals and peony. The heart continues with harmonies of rose nectar, fruity subtleties, jasmine, and vanilla. The base tops it all with a woody accord of patchouli and sandalwood.

Out of these constituents, the strongest note, according to what I smelt, is rose. Also, melon. You can say, you will get a rosy melon aroma after the application. The rest of the notes would be suppressed because of the dominating rose. The fragrance is floral, needless to say. It is classic if you want to add a feminine touch to your mood. It even bends towards the festive side, so if you’re wearing a beautiful pastel suit and a flower-garland around your hair bun, this perfume would sustain the ambience extremely well. The fragrance is quite long lasting and is sure to catch anyone's attention.

- Adorable packaging

- Beautiful, feminine fragrance

- Inexpensive

- Available online

- Splendid gifting option

I don’t think there is any!

The Florida perfume by Trescho is truly an amiable gifting option as it will fit in your budget and would make the receiver feel really special. The fragrance lasts long and bends majorly towards rose. So if you like the rosy fragrance or know someone who does, then the Florida perfume would make a remarkably tender purchase. I would surely buy this again as I am charmed by its look, fragrance, and the longevity. Also, I don’t need to break my piggy bank for always smelling good! 

There are a ton of options by Trescho and you can purchase your own perfume, absolutely hassle-free, on Amazon. They also have attars, so if you’re an attar fan or know someone who is, then you have a ton of options to select from. I found the product details on Amazon really informational as they've clearly mentioned about all the three layers; hence, even if you despise or are allergic to a particular fragrance, you can pick your perfume accordingly.

Will I buy Florida Rose Essential perfume again? Yes, I certainly would. I would even be delighted to try more from their range, especially Miss Amber and La Fleur perfumes.

WEIGHT: 100ml

PRICE: Rs. 650

FROM: Amazon.in

This post was originally titled as May Favourites, which is a part of the monthly series in which I share my personal achievements and the best moments from the previous month. However, while I was composing this post, I tweaked it and the remnant you can see the title today.

You might have stumbled upon a variety of articles unearthing offbeat places in and around a locale. The word offbeat catches our attention so fiercely that we cannot help but click on the link. The more exotic locations we learn of, the better (even though we don't necessarily have a travel plan in that region).

Whenever you sit down to build an itinerary, one of the searches I am sure to find is offbeat places in and around so-and-so. How do you think travellers discover exceptional mountains and lakes? I'm not sure how they do it, but I have my own trick.

To make this task understandable, I would refer to a Hindi saying,"Bagal mein chhora, sheher mein dhindhora." Roughly translating into English, it means: The boy is next to you, yet you go announcing about it in the entire city.
I purposely chose this saying as a reference. I have seen so many of you trying your best to find a treasure across India or globally, but miss out on the riches around you.

Exploring adjacent locations gives me as much happiness as travelling to another city or another country. However, we all are so glued with the Lonavalas and the Mahabaleshwars, that we forget Mumbai has more fascinating places in the outskirts than the ones already famous today.

HOW TO EXPLORE OFFBEAT PLACES

I'm going to let the cat out of the bag. This is one of the biggest travel secrets I hold and you're lucky to hear it. How exactly do I discover offbeat places like Usgaon lake, Chinchoti waterfalls or Bhavali dam? It's a no-brainer; I take the help of Google Maps.

For instance, let's say you live in the Nalasopara or Vasai-Virar region and you're looking for offbeat places around. How do you do it? Open Google Maps and go to Vasai, for example. Zoom in the map and you'll see some green and blue spots. The green indicates a forest and the blue indicates a water body. Go to those spots one by one and zoom in to find their names. Additionally, Google Maps also lets its users share images of the locations. So if you're lucky enough, you too shall find images of these offbeat lakes and waterfalls shared by people.

By following this trick, you shall come across a plethora of options. Now, let's try to explore offbeat places in a popular destination. Let's take up Dehradun, which is a beautiful city in the west of Uttarakhand.


For this, I fed in Dehradun on Google Maps and then zoomed in to search either tree or camera symbols, both of which are of our interest. When I did this, I found two Tea Gardens in Dehradun and of course it delighted me! Next, I dragged and browsed through other spots. I came across Kalingan Park (Kalinga War Memorial) that looked interesting with tombs all over the place. It reminded me of the South Park Street Cemetery of Kolkata! This is how to find exotic places that nobody talks about.

SO, WHAT NEXT?

Finally, after enlisting places from Google Maps, research about them individually. Go to Google Images and look out for pictures. Then go to YouTube and search for vlogs or videos. And lastly, go to Instagram, which is an amazing way to find some recent and candid pictures. Just type the location name in the search bar and look under both tabs 'Places' and 'Tags'. You're sure to find images here!

This is precisely how I explore offbeat places! It's simple, isn't it?