Guptaji Ka Nashta: Super Quick Breakfast Recipes



In our list of priorities, it’s very easy for a breakfast to fall low in a busy morning. However taking a few minutes to have something in the morning can make a huge impact on your day. Many of us don’t have time for breakfast. It could be because of several reasons. 

1) Late to school
2) Late to college
3) Late to work

Why breakfast is called the kind of all the meals? Why do few call it as the most important meal of the day? After an overnight fast, breakfast is the one which gives the brain and body with fuel.  A lot of well-known nutritionists advise that we should have breakfast within 2 hours of waking up. A healthy breakfast should be able to provide calories somewhere around 20-30% of your daily allowance in the guideline. Apart from giving us energy, breakfasts are sources of vital nutrients like iron, Vitamin B and calcium. Vegetables and fruits are good sources of vitamins. Hence including a portion of them in your daily breakfast can make a lot of difference to your day. 

I can hear you. Your question is ‘Who has got time to prepare breakfast in the morning?’ Let’s take a look at Guptaji’s family recipes. These recipes can be prepared in a flash. This is the reason Guptaji’s family is quite popular in the neighborhood.

Here’s a recipe of Cornflake Coconut Ladoos. All you need is ¼ tsps. Each of ghee, condensed milk and designated coconut along with 2 cups of cornflakes (crushed) and 2 tbsp. of mixed nuts (Chopped)



Here’s another interesting recipe you can prepare in less than 5 minutes. All you need is a cup of cold milk and cornflakes, 2 tbsp. of walnuts (chopped) and ½ cup of custard apple pulp (Deseeded). Let’s get going now. Pick up a bowl and fill it with the cup of cornflakes. Add a cup of cold milk and top it up with walnut & custard apple. Best served immediately. 



Who doesn’t like walnut cornflakes with Chocó balls and what if I tell you that you can prepare this breakfast recipe in less than 15 minutes. All you need is ½ cup of lightly roasted walnuts (Chopped), lightly roasted ground cornflakes, ½ cup of milk chocolate (roughly chopped), and ½ cup of dark chocolate (roughly chopped). Follow the procedure below. 



Here comes my most favorite of all Guptaji’s family breakfast recipes because it can be made in less than 3 minutes and hence my perfect breakfast recipe. Pick up about one and a half cup of cold milk, one sliced banana, ½ cup of strawberries (Sliced) and a cup of cornflakes. Take a bowl. Fill it up with cornflakes, add the cold milk, top with bananas and strawberries and you are done. 



Take a look at how Guptaji’s neighborhood is going crazy for their family’s breakfast invite



You can find a lot more of Guptaji's family breakfast recipes here - https://www.facebook.com/anaajkanashta

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Find Happiness in Tiny Things Around You....



I know I'm getting older every day, but I feel mature at the same time. I know my wallet is not full, but I earn enough to keep my stomach full. I may not have all the things I wanted, but I do have all the things I need to survive. 

Over the period of time, I have learnt happiness is valuing what you have. Happiness is enjoying the objects, places, people and events happening around us. 

Many of my friends and colleagues always ask me that how I manage to remain happy despite tough circumstances one normally face in their life. Here's what I tell them. 

Know yourself: You can be happy only if you know yourself well enough. The definition of happiness is different to you and me. So, why compare yourself with others? The more you know yourself, you will discover ways to keep yourself happy. 

Mind your own business: What you think of yourself is more important than what others think of yourself. It's always better not to enter into other's people business unless and until if you're the only one who can solve their problems. 

Be Confident: Confidence is not about walking into a room thinking you're better than everyone else out there. Confidence is not comparison yourself with others in that room. There's a very thin line between confidence and over-confidence. As long as you know that, things will fall into place. 

Speak Up: Minding your own business doesn't mean you don't have speak at all. There are times you need to have the courage to speak up for yourself. If you're not going to do it, then no one else is gonna to do it for you. 

Dedicate an hour every day to yourself: I know it's difficult, but it works. Do whatever you want to do for about an hour every day. It's one of the best de-stressing exercises available out there. It could be listening to music, reading books, cooking, playing guitar or anything that you've always wanted to do. Take out an hour every day and do that. Trust me, it works like a charm. 

Keep learning: Being confident is one of the keys to happiness. How can you be confident? When you know what you speak. How could you do that? By keep learning every day. I dedicate some quality time in a week to learn something about my job and it keeps me updated which in turn builds my confidence. 

Let things be: There are few things in the world which are never meant to be changed. So don't fret over something which you can't change. 

Don't try to find happiness in complex things. Happiness is there in tiny things around you. It could be a child, your bike, your guitar or a bottle of Coca-Cola. 


If you're unable to view the above video, click here - http://CokeURL.com/96jnc



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My Most Memorable Day...A Look Up Story

Source: Freepik
Asking a depressed person to get motivated is quite similar to asking a rock to dance. Both will have the same result. It's not because the people who are depressed doesn't want to get motivated. The process of getting motivated could be an overwhelming task. There are few days in life which will push you into deeply depressed stage. I did have that kind of a day once in my life. 

I was doing my Post Graduation in Hyderabad. It was the first week of April 2011. It was also the time I had to pay my tuition fees to college. My dad had deposited Rs. 75000 in my bank account. To my surprise, INR 40000 was deducted from my account. I was under the impression that this could be because of some technical issue with the bank. I went to the bank to check and I saw a big queue of people already waiting at the bank with the same issue. The bank manager told me there was no technical issue and according to the records, it's the account holder who had withdrawn the money. We all were shellshocked. That's when I remembered this moment. The previous week to this incident, I had swiped my debit card at a very well reputed shopping mall to make a purchase. Later on, we came to know that all our debit cards were duplicated and the scammer took the money from different ATMs (Where webcams were not there) using the PIN number we entered into the machine. The bank said that they cannot do anything with this issue, as it was our fault to swipe our cards at this particular shop. It was the same bank which encouraged us to use the cards for purchases and not the cash. The police just took the complaint and didn't even bother to investigate it further. 

I had no clue what to do. I didn't know what to tell my dad. Though he was going through a rough patch in his business, he did make sure I receive the money for my tuition fees. It was completely my fault. I was a student and Rs. 40000 was a big deal to me. I went into a deep depression. I didn't eat for a week, didn't talk to anyone and was just crying inside. 

My brother Surya came to know about this issue through a friend. He asked me to meet him at his residence. He listened to what happened and was completely angry with me. It was not because I lost my money but because I was depressed doing nothing. He made me understand it's not the end of the world. It's just money which we can earn at any point of time in our life. What we do as a person when we don't have money tell us what kind of a person we really are. He helped me evaluate the kind of expenditure I have and how to cut down on few. He also helped me find a job through which I can cover my tuition fees. All I have to do was to stretch myself for a month. He also spoke to my college about the delay. He also made me understand that this is a very small issue that I could have handled myself. That was the best managerial lesson I've ever received in my life. Even now, when something unfortunate happens, I don't go overboard. I sit back, evaluate, speak to my friends & family, draw out an action plan which will help me come out of the delicate situation. 

That was the day which changed the way I look at issues. That was the day I started being optimistic. Things might not go the way we planned. Sometimes we think too much about ourselves and just forget the people around us who're always willing to help. 

Housing.com believes in the same philosophy. It believes in the power of staying together at tough times. In my case, it was my brother. In your case, it could be someone else. Find them out and seek their help without hesitation. Doing that will change any bad to a memorable day. Always look up - https://housing.com/
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How Do I Stay Optimistic...A Look Up Story



A lot of great people have shared their thoughts on how one can always be optimistic in their life. For example, Anais Nin once said  that we don't see things as they are. We always look at things as we are. I've always been inspired by these types of thought leaders. Be it the way I live or the way I work or the way I build relationships. When it comes to my personal development, I always try to improve my outlook on life rather than focusing too much on me as a person. I've always believed in the principle, when you change your outlook on life, everything looks different. 

We might have all heard of the story of optimist/pessimist's look at a glass of water. An optimist would say it's a glass of water filled in half. Meanwhile, the pessimist would say it's a half-emptied glass of water. 

I will share one of my life experiences on how I turned from a pessimist to an optimist. I always think of the outcome before beginning an activity. It's an example of how I learned to drive a car. There have been several instances where situation demanded me driving a car. I have always been worrying about, what if I get into an accident. What will I do, when people honk at me while I'm driving slowly? What if I hit someone on road? There was 1000s of negative questions in my life because of which I never drove a car till I met a friend of mine. He made me realize that I've been extremely pessimistic. He told me to keep in mind that the road I'm gonna drive is mine. You drive the way you wanted to drive. All you need to keep in mind is the rule set by the government and not by the people around you. If someone is honking at you, let them honk. It's wastage of their energy and not yours. That was an inspiration. I picked up the car for the first time keeping all the tips in mind. It was quite effortless. I was able to drive without any worries. That's when I realized it's all about the mindset. You don't always have to think of an outcome. Even if you want to, always think of a good outcome. Keep in mind Aamir Khan's popular movie dialog 'ALL IS WELL'. 

I will share another quite similar life experience. I used a have a lot of stage fear during my under graduation times. I always shied away from stages thinking people might mock me if I make mistakes. It was all out there till one of my favorite professors advised me. He told me, keep in mind whoever is sitting in front of you is an IDIOT. That includes your college principal, head of departments, senior professors and fellow classmates. That completely changed my outlook towards public speeches. I started making effortless speeches in front of crowds ranging from 50-500. 

It's all about the mindset. It's all about the way we look at things. One can always stay optimistic if they don't let the distraction control them. It should be the other way around. 

Meet the new housing, which is bringing optimism to the world - https://housing.com/lookup
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How Did I Start A New Life...

Image Source: Housing
The story goes way back to April, 2009. The month I passed out of my college as an electrical engineering graduate. I didn't get much time to relax, as I had to take up my job the very next day after my last exam. I got trained as a Telecommunication Engineer at a Private company in Coimbatore. I used to travel every day about 75 Kms from my home (Palani) to Coimbatore during my training period of about 3 months. My parents didn't let me stay alone at Coimbatore, as they thought I wasn't ready to stay alone. After my training period, I was advised by the company to be posted in Bangalore. That's the first time I had to stay far away from home. 

My first official job in Bangalore. It took a lot of convincing to let my parents allow me to leave my hometown for a job in Bangalore. They weren't quite sure about how I'm going to manage my own life. They still looked at me as a kid. After I told them that this isn't just a job but a dream. My parents did realize later it's time for me to take more responsibilities in my life.  New job, new people, new language & new food habits. Almost everything looked Hebrew to me. 

My company was at Indira Nagar. It has always been quite an expensive place to find an accommodation for a fresh graduate like me. Along with two other friends, I managed to find a room in a PG accommodation at Ulsoor. I paid about Rs. 5000 as rent in a month. The room was lesser than 100 square feet and it was proving to be quite difficult for all the three of us to stay in one room. Since we all had to start to work at the same time, it turned out be really difficult for us to share a common washroom in the morning. On top of all these challenges, we had the cleanliness issue at the room. The workers at the PG accommodation  weren't regular and we lived with a pile of garbage. Food options around the PG hasn't been good. My friends and me used to have stomach upsets frequently because of the quality of food. 

Two months passed by. Every day was a hell for me. You can compromise on anything but not the place you live.  I even decided to quit my job and go back to hometown. However, my dream to live in a city like Bangalore kept me motivated. I sat back and worked out what I needed to do to find a better place to live. I figured out, to stay in a 1BHK at a place like Indira Nagar, I had to shell out a rent amount of Rs. 12000 and an advance amount of Rs. 60000. With my salary of Rs. 21000, I started noting down my expenses. I cut it down wherever I could save. I sacrificed my craving for food which is expensive, drinks and watching movie in multiplexes. Over a period of 1 year, I was able to save the money I needed to stay in a better place. I saved my money with thorough discipline and was able to stay in a 1BHK at Indira Nagar. When I shifted there, everything in my life I hated turned out to look good. It improved my productivity at work and I was also able to focus on bettering my relationship with people. My new life began at that moment. 

I wish I had seen or known Housing.com at that moment. I could've got a hell lot of better options and could've started living my life a little earlier. 

Take a look at this short movie to understand Housing.com better


Look up. Start a new life at https://www.housing.com








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This Summer’s Biggest Blockbuster



Recently I stumbled across this video by Pepsi. It starts with a strong copy ‘This Summer’s Biggest Blockbuster’. Turns out it’s going to be one. For my surprise, I could see plenty of who’s who of Bollywood and cricketing world. To name a few in the video; Bollywood Heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor, Indian Cricket Sensation Virat Kohli, Music Magician Pritam Chakraborty, Director Anurag Basu and Terence Lewis. Are they coming together for a movie? Is this an ad shoot? Could it be a reality show? Let’s take a look at what’s happening in this video.

Everyone in this video claims that this is all about them. Ranbir says people come to theatre to watch him in big screens. Virat Kohli says people come to cricket stadium to watch him play. Anurag Basu claims that he’s the backbone and others are just puppets. Pritam Da says the actor just lip sync for the music that he creates.

While almost everyone in the video gives me a feel that it’s going to be a star-studded movie, Virat Kohli doesn’t. He talks about cricket. Is he going to make his debut in Bollywood? There has been run off the mill rumors that he will make his Bollywood debut very soon and the fact Pepsi is claiming that this is gonna be this summer’s biggest blockbuster, it kind of gives me the same feel too.

My friend Sanjeev thinks it could be a reality show. Since everyone in this video, claims that this is all about them and others don’t matter, it kind of gives me the feel that reality show doesn’t sound like a bad idea. After all, reality shows revolve around individuals and their capabilities.

I also managed to get hold of few shots which were taken during the shoot







Let’s take guesses now. Shall we? Take a look at this video and tell me what you think this could be



If you face any issues in watching the video above, click the link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fajc2GSsTs8
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Apno Ko Apne Dum Pe Jeena Sikhao | An Initiative By HDFC Life

Source: Freepik

It's not very uncommon, we rely so much on adults we know to make our life run smoothly, to a certain point in time. In that point, we all realize that we must start taking care of ourselves and start taking our own decisions. 

My mom and dad took care of almost everything in life, till I finished my engineering degree and had to leave my town for work. Be it my laundry, taking care of my health when I'm sick or making sure I eat properly, my parents took care of everything. I was really scared the first time I left home for work. Bangalore! New environment, new people, the new type of food made me feel extremely uncomfortable. I stayed in a hostel, where I had to take care of everything on my own. Right from keeping the room clean, cooking my food and laundry. Days passed by. I worked for a telecom company for a year. I decided to do my masters in Hyderabad. 

Life in Hyderabad didn't suck as much as of the life in Bangalore. It was quite comfortable. People, food, environment and preferences were quite similar to that of Tamil Nadu. Days passed up. I was feeling very comfortable with life. Dad and Mom used to send money, that I used to happily spend along with friends. No responsibility whatsoever. I was on my way to complete my masters. That's when it all happened. Dad had to go through a tough phase in his business. I realized the challenges. I told Dad that I've taken up a job and he need not send money for my expenses. That's when I met my brother Surya, a distant relative of mine. He's the one who made me realize that I've no idea what I'm doing with my life. Since I was too comfortable in life, there came the time I had to lead my life without the support of my parents. I was also in a situation to help them out. 

My brother is the one who taught me some very important lessons in my life. He taught me to assume responsibilities. Gone are the days, you had to rely on your parents. Now it's the time they rely on you and they won't just do that, you got to give them the confidence that you can take care of them. He also taught me that I cannot rely on anyone ever in my life. That's the mindset I needed to have. If your room is messy, clean it up. If your vehicle is dirty, clean it up yourself. Every time you do that, you'll realize the amount of money you're saving. I would like to say, taking responsibility isn't always fun. Sometimes it requires you to things which are often tedious, boring, time-consuming and frustrating. However, when you get habituated, you get the confidence that you need not depend on anyone ever in your life. My brother is also the one who taught me to have a road map in life and never run in the dark. When you run into a problem, you should know how to solve it yourself without having to call someone for help. There will be times, you'll have to make serious decisions. You cannot expect someone to help you out. You should be capable of handling those decisions yourself. 

My brother Surya is the God to me. He came at the right time in my life, made me realize where I was going wrong, gave me the confidence to assume responsibilities and handle things on my own. That entirely changed the way I look at my life. I'm grateful to him throughout my entire life. 

Check out this beautiful short film made by HDFC Life, to see how a dad helped a little girl to grow into a better and self-reliant person. 


For more information on HDFC Life, visit http://www.hdfclife.com/
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