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STYLE YOUR HOME LIKE A PRO!

Decorating your home can be a thrilling journey as you set about shaping your living space in a way that reflects your personality and lifestyle. While everyone has different tastes and preferences, certain guidelines can help you create a remarkable ambiance in any room. Here are 25 decor tips to help you tailor your home’s motif to your liking. 1.  FUNCTIONALITY IS THE KEY Think about what you will primarily be using each room for before you decorate. For example, the bedroom entails a relaxing vibe, while the living room is more social. 2. SELECT THE RIGHT COLOUR PALETTE Choosing a color palette can direct your decor style. Mild tones of creams, greys, or pastels work well for a gentle and serene ambiance, whereas bold hues lend a dramatic and lively feel. 3. DESIGNATE A FOCAL POINT Every room should have one main focus. This can be a statement furniture piece, artwork, or even an accent wall. 4. STRIKE A BALANCE Strive for harmony and balance with furniture, colours, and accessories 5. SELECT FURNITURE WITH THE RIGHT PROPORTIONS Ensure that the furniture fits well in your room and complements the room’s scale. 6. MIX TEXTURES Infuse your space with different textures to create interest and uniqueness. Mix smooth with rough, and plush with stiff materials. 7. MIX PATTERNS Don’t shy away from mixing patterns. Just ensure they are coordinated by a common element like color. 8. USE RUGS Use rugs to define spaces and add warmth and colour. 9. USE MIRRORS Mirrors add light, depth, and make rooms feel larger. 10. USE LIGHTS Layered lighting in rooms creates a warm and inviting environment. 11. SYMMETRY Use symmetry to balance rooms and create an orderly, calm mood. 12. ADD GREENERY Use plants to add life, colour, and texture to your decor. 13. USE GALLERY WALLS Use a gallery wall to show off your collection of art or personal photos. 14. ACCESSORIES Use accessories sparingly to avoid clutter. The less-is-more approach works best! 15. EMBRACE NEGATIVE SPACE Don’t feel the need to fill every inch of space in your home. 16. DISPLAY BOOKS Not only can this make for interesting conversation, but it also adds colour and personality to your room. 17. STYLISH WINDOW TREATMENTS Use curtains and blinds to add texture, colour, and privacy, as needed. 18. DON’T IGNORE YOUR CEILING: Don’t forget the “fifth wall.” Painting or wallpapering the ceiling can dramatically transform a room. 19. USE WALLPAPER Wallpaper can add instant personality and depth to a room. 20. MAKE ARTWORK APPEALING Hang artwork at eye level for better visual appeal 21. INTRODUCE STATEMENT PIECES Select one or two statement pieces that reflect your personality. 22. EXPERIMENT WITH TRENDS Don’t chase the trends. What looks good today might not look as fashionable in the future. Choose enduring styles. 23.   ADD A PERSONAL TOUCH Display your collections tastefully and attractively. 24.   USE EMPTY CORNERS Don’t ignore the empty corners. A plant or a small tabletop can transform that space. 25.   EXPERIMENT Lastly, don’t be afraid to experiment and make changes. Your home should be as unique as you are! Styling your home should be a fun and rewarding experience. Over time, you will gravitate towards a certain style, making the process easier. However, don’t rush the process. Take your time to feel the space and make changes gradually. Decorating is an ongoing journey – enjoy it!

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The Power of Journaling – Unwind from a Hectic Day!

Is there anything more exhausting than being caught up in your hectic work schedules, attending timely meetings, and living a busy lifestyle? Would you like to take some time to relax and let go of the stress in your head? Journaling is a wonderful activity that can help you unwind, recharge, and improve your lifestyle! Journaling doesn’t have to be considered a daily task; instead, you can make it a way to unleash your creativity and empty your mind to make space for fresh thoughts and ideas.  But how do you start journaling? Actually, there are a lot of journaling styles, and you can adapt a creative style for yourself.    Create a Visualisation Board Of course, we all have the skill to imagine things. Don’t we? Our wishes, aspirations, strong desires …everything we picture in our thoughts. Bringing life to your desires is so much fun when visualising them and creating a replica on your vision board. You can make it more attractive according to your imagination.  For journaling, you need a book or diary. Simply paste some images into the book and jot down your favourite inspirational quotes that align with your goals. You’ll feel inspired when you look at this dynamic visual representation!   The Jar of Positivity A journal is a wonderful space to reflect on your mind and capture your thoughts and passions. How about adding a beautiful embellishment to your work table with a cute mason jar filled with positive thoughts, goals and motivational quotes? You can make it even more enjoyable by creating a theme-based ‘positive mason jar’. Write short anecdotes, funny adventures and delightful memories on small colourful papers and fill the jar. Every night before going to sleep, take a note and visualise the incident. This practice creates positivity in your mind. It will turn into a beautiful collection of good memories and positive vibes! Create a Book of Gratitude Jotting down the positive incidents and the blessings will create a positive atmosphere. A gratitude journal is the best medicine to relieve your stress and fill your mind with contentment. When you feel low or stressed, you can always go back to your journal and remind yourself of what you’re grateful for.   Theme Based Journaling Choosing a unique theme for each month would be a great idea. Set a goal for the month and list things you would accomplish. That can be some upcoming tasks at your office, something related to your house, a trip with your family, taking care of your health, and more! Feel free to jot down any special days and celebrations happening that month! You can check if the tasks are completed at the end of each month. This practice helps you in effectively managing your time, allowing you to evaluate and enhance your productivity.   A Unique Bond With Nature It is much more enjoyable to redefine your journaling by exploring creative ways. You can try out this incredible technique to connect with nature. Grab your pen and start doodling about all the beautiful things that inspire you. Conversely, you can express your love for nature in this way. You can make the diary more attractive by dedicating some portions to sketch and colour.  You have all the freedom to explore colourful, creative ideas in your journal. Everything depends on your time and interest. By choosing such techniques, ultimately, you can find your “Me time” and nurture your inner self. As you flip through its pages in the future, you’ll find a record of days and a beautiful collection of the moments that make your life unique. Have a wonderful time journaling! Like reading this article? Please subscribe for more such stories.

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5 Surefire Tech Gifts To Amaze Your Loved Ones!

This December marks the summary of the year and ends with the last festive season of 2023. We all are prepared to welcome the new year with optimism and happiness. Imagine, how exciting it would be to celebrate the year-ending party by giving perfect presents to your loved ones? It will surprise them and they will cherish those gifts as a lifetime memory. Isn’t it? For your loved ones, we have listed some unique gift ideas. Let us explore. Sleep Headphones Do you have a habit of listening to your favorite song before sleeping? Do you still use your mobile phones to play tunes? Then we suggest you use the brand new sleep headphones, which are more convenient. The sleep headphones come with a comfy eye mask and compact speakers, which are soft and comfortable. Buy a sleep headphone and gift it to your husband, ask him to just relax on the bed after a hectic day, listening to a soothing melody that will drift him to sleep as gently as a breeze.   UV Water Bottle You may think that gifting a water bottle to your loved one is not an impressive plan. However, once you understand the unique features of UV water bottles, we are sure you will change your mind. Do you know that ultraviolet light can eliminate water-borne bacteria and other microbes? Self-cleaning water bottles use UV technology to kill the microorganisms present in the water while cleaning the inner surfaces of the bottle. Isn’t it great, right? Delight your parents with a branded UV water bottle as a present. Digital Diary and Pen Set As we get ready to end 2023, it’s a good time to look at the past days, think back on our experiences, and appreciate the lessons we have learned. Writing a journal is the most common and powerful practice to lift yourself in the new year. What about gifting a digital diary to your best friend for this occasion? Premium branded digital writing sets are available in the market. With certain smart writing sets, you can copy your notes digitally and save them for further reference. Make use of such technological advantages and ensure that your memories will last a lifetime.  Bluetooth Speaker with Neckband Prime brands like Sony have launched unique Bluetooth speaker designs with varying features. The Bluetooth speaker system is very convenient as it has a neckband.  It can be easily worn on your shoulders. Not only that, you can connect it to a TV, laptop, or smartphone and enjoy the music or listen to any audio file. The compact design replaces the traditional speakers helping you save a lot of space. Let this year-ending bash be more enjoyable with a brand-new neckband speaker! Smart Jewellery and Accessories Do you want to impress your girlfriend with a unique gift of the year? Then we suggest you opt for a piece of smart jewelry! Indeed, they are entirely different from conventional accessories. Still, they are not at all compromising in terms of quality and stunning appearance. From fashionable wristwatches to exquisite fingerrings, the options are endless. With features like fitness tracking, notification settings, etc they offer a one-of-a-kind combination of fashion and technology.  So, what are you waiting for? Make a list and start your purchase.  Share and Subscribe for more such stories!

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Fall in love with this super healthy Banana Flower Chutney

Indian cuisine has managed to make use of literally every part of the Banana tree. May it be the wise old recipe of a Kidney stone cure – Banana Stem stew/soup, or the modern adaptation of halwas – Banana leaf halwa that has made people question reality, the Banana tree is packed with large health benefits and an even larger versatility in the Indian cuisine! One such adaptation of the Banana flower is a creamy, spicy and lip smacking chutney that just makes every tiffin better. This recipe takes about 15 mins to make, and is extremely easy and basic, that even an amateur cook can make it. Loving such mouth watering recipes? Follow for more! What you’ll need: ● 100g of Banana Flower● 2 tbsp Oil.● 100g Onion.● 3 Garlic Pods● Red Chilli powder to taste● Lemon sized Tamarind● 50g Tomato● Salt as Required.● Mustard Seeds● Asafoetida How to make it: ● Remove and separate the petals from the bracts as we’ll only need the petals for this recipe.● Clean and dry out the petals and add to a hot pan with oil, onion, garlic, tamarind, and tomatoes and the spices and cook until soft.● Once everything is completely cooked, let it cool before blending into a fine paste.● Temper this delicious South Indian delicacy with some mustard seeds and curry leaves and serve with soft, fluffy idlis or crispy, crunchy dosas! Note: It is very common to add urad dhal to the mix and cook along with the other ingredients before blending for that extra creamy texture. Some recipes mention the addition of the banana flower’s core that is cut, cooked and blended with the other ingredients, but can be avoided if not preferred.

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Is Mental health as important as your Physical Health?

We live in an era, where innocent people are shamed, bullied and trash talked for seeking help from professionals for wanting to have better mental health. Somewhere along the line, we, as a society, forget that individuals who need mental health support, but are bullied and neglected or ignored, are the ones causing major damages to the very same society. Being fit and healthy physically is not just the only criteria to call a person healthy. The mental aspect of a human plays a crucial role in moulding their lives and that of the ones around them. Just like how excess water kills a cactus, excessive stress, anger, sadness and pressure results in fatal scenarios for the victim. It is high time that we recognise the importance and need of a healthy mental state of a human. Because we reap what we sow, and sowing unhealthy mental practices and unattended mental illness into our society is simply going to result in a society that doesn’t accept kindness or empathy and grows vulnerable without a social bond. Here are some tips to ensure that your mental health and peace are unharmed by the hardships of life. Share and spread mental health awareness into your circle and help become a part of a healthier and safer society! Start to appreciate and thank more Appreciating and being thankful for what we have at hand is one of the first steps towards attaining mental peace. By thanking and appreciating even the tiniest acts in your household, workplace or even your local community/society, you not only make someone’s day better, but also start realising how complex our lives are and how interdependent we are with one another. The habit of being thankful and appreciating the efforts is a constant reminder that we’re all equals, effectively reducing a major part of your everyday fights/ arguments. When overstimulated, take a step back Sure, not all of us have a smooth sail throughout our day. We have our ups and downs and at times, even hit rock bottom. Even though this rock bottom keeps redefining its depth every time an issue pops up in your life, it is important to remember that there is a rainbow around every corner, and no matter how bad your day is, it will end soon, and you will get your peaceful me-time to de-stress and relax. Keeping this in mind, remember to take a step back whenever you’re feeling overstimulated by strong feelings and emotions like anger or sadness. If you feel like your anger is shooting through the roof, it is time for you to take a deep breath and reassess the situation before you say or do anything you might regret in the future. If you find it hard to relax yourself or take a step back when you’re angry, try drinking a glass of water. Since humans can either swallow or breathe at a time, you will be forced to take a decent interval between your breathing patterns, and ultimately relax a little before you proceed further with your argument. Keep reaffirming positive phrases A boat doesn’t sink unless there’s water inside it. Remember this the next time when you’re in self-doubt. You are what you feed your thoughts. Your thoughts are extremely capable and can shape your present and future. So try and avoid self-hatred phrases and remember to reaffirm positivity. Even if the whole world keeps looking down on you, you still have yourself to climb up the ladder. Right from birth till death, you are the only person who is going to be with you, and actually know what you’re going through. Others can empathise and sympathise all they can wany, but no one can actually and truly know what you’re going through, so don’t be so hard on yourself and seek out help if you need it. Nobody can define the threshold and tolerance limits for your mental health. If you feel like you need external support to make your mental health better, get that help immediately.

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Tips for a wealthy health

When I was young, my mom used to bless me with a wealthy health and a healthy wealth every time I started something new. This phrase has always puzzled me, as I was more used to hearing blessings to have a wealthy and healthy life, but never once heard the phrase “Wealthy health and a Healthy wealth”. So what does this phrase mean? Is it important to have a wealthy health and a healthy wealth? If so, how do we enforce the concept of a wealthy health into our daily lives? To answer all these questions, we first need to understand what ‘Health’ is. Health is the overall fitment of an individual with respect to their well-being, soundness of mind and body. It’s a state of living that every individual must thread their routine into. May it be having a balanced diet, an ample number of hours dedicated towards physical fitness, and ensuring that your mental stability and wellness is monitored and looked after. Being healthy doesn’t imply eating more vegetables, fruits, smoothies and salads and avoiding heavy processed junk food. A healthy individual needs a good, balanced and nourishing diet, a good workout routine or a physically engaging activity session and most importantly, having the ability to smoothen the ups and downs of your mental state. It is equally important for any individual, irrespective of their gender and sexuality, to have to pay attention to what they eat, how much they’re working out, heal their mental scars and safeguard oneself from any potential hazard that could hurt your mental wellness, and to be spiritually awake to build faith and belief of greater good and be able to travel beyond the ups and downs that life throws at you. Once you master the art of such balanced health, you are in a state of wealthy health, which, along the way, would lead you into gaining a healthy wealth that you can expand, protect, save and reinvest in. So, the next time you think about becoming a well-off individual with a serene retirement, take the vital steps to keep your health wealthy to keep your wealth healthy! Here are a few tips to keep a well-rounded and balanced health, or as my mom would call it, a wealthy health. Follow for more such health and wellness related content to understand the need and importance of being a healthy person! Empty a glass of water on an empty stomach – A lot of studies have revealed that drinking a glass of water on an empty stomach has adverse benefits like aiding digestion, rehydration from your long sleep, flushing out the toxins, and even clear out your skin! Workout first, scroll later – Scientists strongly advise to not start your day by scrolling through your phone. Just like how staying off your phone at least an hour before sleep is important for your brain activity, similarly, engaging with your phone right from the start of your day can have its own impacts on your brain activity. It is believed that the posts, news, information and interactions that you experience via your mobile phone right from when you wake up sets your mood for the day and has a risk of slowing down your comprehensive thinking for the day. Breathe fresh air, not smoke – Humans are known to breathe at least 20,000 times in a day. In the 24 hours we get, it is mandatory for every individual to get at least 20 mins of fresh air in a green location like a park or a lake. This is crucial for the physical and mental health of every human, and when compared to indoors, the air that we breathe outdoors, typically in places like parks are known to give out additional energy and boost us when low, or calm us when we’re tensed up. Watch your habits – Even our smallest of habits can have substantial impact on our bodies and minds, like an everyday cigarette can cut down years from your lifetime, or how your unhealthy eating desires and cravings that you give in to can be slowly rotting you from the inside. Learn to thank and be kind – Being a kind and charitable person not only helps you get a sense of satisfaction that you’re doing something good with your incomes and revenues, but also a content feeling that you’re giving back to the society that has raised you. Along with this, you learn to thank every individual’s efforts, time, and emotions when you do small acts of kindness regardless of the credit that you might or might not receive. Remember, you too, are a part of the society, and this means that what you sow into your society will be harvested years into the future by your own generations. So spread gratitude, love, equality, and most importantly, kindness and compassion in your society, so that you can inspire a whole generation to be a better human.

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Heritage of India – The Cholan architecture

Ruling for over 1,300 years, the Chola Dynasty is the longest and largest dynasty in the world. Devoting towards Lord Shiva with an impeccable loyalty to their throne and justice, the Cholas had a reign that thrived in foreign trade, military, arts, science, architecture, farming and political prowess. Almost every face of the great Chola empire was sculpted to perfection and subject to futuristic thinking, constant upgradation, out of the box thinking and a thirst to learn new ways to make their dynasty better. While discussing the Heritage of India, one can never miss the rich and diverse socio-cultural bindings of the Chola empire, particularly the everlasting architectural wonders that were built at least a thousand years ago! In this ongoing series, we look at the flabbergasting Cholan architectural wonders that have become the statement of India with its deep rooted cultural heritage and the fact that these aspects have made India stand out in the international crowd. Follow for more such interesting contents that celebrate the cultural heritage of India! Vijayalaya Choleeswaram Temple, Pudukottai One of the oldest temples ever to be constructed by the Cholas, this hidden, yet magnificent UNESCO Heritage temple was built around 1,160 years ago around 862 CE (Common Era, aka AD). This temple, just like the other Chola temples, is devoted to Lord Shiva, and was overlooked by the ancestor of the great king Raja Raja Chola, Vijayalaya Chola. This architectural wonder is one of the earliest and first mountain cave temples carved out by the Cholas, standing tall on top of the rocky hills of Narthamalai, Pudukottai, Tamil Nadu. Constructed by what the modern architects call ‘Built-On Architecture’ in the Dravidian style of construction on a rock-cut method. The process of Built-On Architecture may sound simple and easy, and even similar to the times when we, as kids, stacked stray rocks on top of each other, except, Vijayalaya Chola used this method of stacking to make an intricately detailed and carved temple by stacking rocks on top of each other on top of a rocky hill! The wonders and mysteries of the Vijayalaya Choleeswaram simply do not stop there. The carvings and detailings of the temple tells the stories of how scientifically and technologically advanced the Cholas were even in the early stages, where sculptures and carvings of genetically modified animals were discovered. The sculptures of a creature called ‘Yaali’ can be seen here. What makes this creature different from the others? The word Yaali is, in fact, a combination of the words ‘Yaanai’ (Elephant) and ‘Puli’(Tiger), in Tamil. In simple terms, the Yaali was believed to be a genetic modification of an Elephant and a Tiger. This stands as a living legend of the practice of genetic modification and DNA alteration in the ancient India, as almost 3-5 different types of Yaali can be seen here, like Simha Yaali, the Lion faced Yaali and Neer Yaali, a water-based Yaali that had the face of a human! The construct of the temple is also a mystery, as the main gopuram with the garbagraham inside is circular from the top and is continued down to maintain a cylindrical shape in the garbagraham. Typically in Dravidian style temples, the garbagraham is a square, and such cylindrical main chambers are quite rare in Hinduism. Although there are a large number of allegations that this mysterious, yet majestic temple was built by one of the forefathers of the Pallava Dynasty, the Mutharaiyar Kings from the Mutharaiyar Dynasty, but later renovated and reconstructed around by the Chola king Vijayalaya Cholan. This, however, is certainly a controversial discussion with strong arguments towards the former and latter theories since there is no concrete evidence to who actually built this brilliant masterpiece that still stands tall after almost 1,160 mighty years, setting aside all the differences and theories.

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