Get Instaxicated With Fujifilm Instax | Click Print Love | Instant Photography Experience

Instant Photos used to rule the world. Today's generation might think that this happened when dinosaurs roamed the earth. But in reality, it used to happen just a while ago. I remember how my parents used to talk about those days (especially the brand  & company Polaroid) fondly when I was a teenager. 

Then came cameras, digital cameras, phones, smartphones and everything changed!

Fujifilm (established in 1934) cemented its name in manufacturing of motion pictures, followed by  a wide range of photo-related products & printing materials. With the advent of digital photography & smartphones cutting into its flagship products' sales, it went into a Photo Renaissance mode to revive the whole concept of shooting,preserving, displaying and gifting photographs. After all, their slogan of 'Value from Innovation' is all about ascertaining customer needs & fulfill that with the best of technology, products & services.

But how can one compete with the increasing supremacy of smartphones with all the bells & whistles when it comes to photography and the hoopla of selfie culture? Well, here comes Fujifilm Instax to Instaxicate us :)

It was my pleasure and honor to attend a memorable evening about Fufjifilm Instax at Barking Deer Mumbai along with a bevy of top-notch bloggers. I had only heard about Instant Photos till then, finally it was time for us to see instant photography in action & get addicted ourselves! Fujifilm Instax is the only product of its kind that enables us to create unique photos that are immediately printed and ready to be preserved forever. Remember those dusty photo albums our parents & grandparents browse through? While we are busy scrolling through our digital snapshots, the magic of actually holding a photo album in hand is at a different level altogether. Well, it is back with a bang. Click photos, print them immediately, preserve the unique copy in the vintage way :) Click, Print, Love. How simple is that!

Instead of me writing a book about how cool this is, why not take a look at a video that aptly describes the cool quotient of this very idea :)

Simple. Beautiful. Brilliant. Fujifilm Instax is Instant AND Forever. In a world where our increasing dependency on technology is frankly making a lot of people paranoid, I say let's go back to the world of Instant Photography :) I have myself bore the brunt of corrupt data, viruses wiping out my hard drives, hacking attacks on my email as well as computer and then what happens to all the memories we store as MBs on our computer/pen drive/hard disk? It is at times like these when I feel 'Oh if only I had a hard copy of that special moment'.

And think about it -from birthdays and weddings to girls' night out to friendship day to valentine's day to a travelogoue, Instax creates unique memories anywhere, anytime! There is something magical about those little pictures. Call me romantic, I plead guilty :D I am in love with this versatile idea and the ethereal way Fujifilm has brought it to life.

At the bloggers' meet,we were acquainted with the idea, got to interact with famous lifestyle photographer Neeraj Chitalia who personally uses Fujifilm Instax for majority of  shoots (he has even enchanted quite a few wedding guests by printing polaroids for their special moments!) and got to know about the full Instax range. Oh, the beauty of it all!

Current Instax range includes Mini 8, Mini 8 Joy Box, Instax Hello Kitty Neo Classic Mini 90, Mini 70 and Wide 300, all of them equipped with various features to take Instant Photography to the next level. The bright colors Instax flaunts have made them every fashionista's choice and Fujifilm's tie-up with exclusive film promotions, artists and musicians have made Instax a prestigious lifestyle proposition.

Again, instead of boring you with technical details of what,how,why, just take a glimpse at all the fun we had playing with these beautiful tech toys!

Instax is Intoxicating. Why, you ask?

• Even though Instant Photography has been around for ages, it is new & cool because it is so retro (for the latest generation)! 
• There is something magical about feeling physical pictures, a unique way of preserving a memory
• No chance of data getting corrupted,virus attacks wiping the pictures out (well this is the most important point for me!)
• The whole experience of clicking and getting the picture printed on the spot.
• I believe it brings seriousness in photography back. We are no longer going to go mad clicking the button like we do on our smartphones or digital cameras. There is a need to frame the shot,think and then click. Relax. Take a deep breath. Life is good. There is time. Click!
• Makes any event more memorable, from a wedding to birthday. Versatile idea, done very right.
• Comes in beautiful colors like Grape, Raspberry, Pink, Blue, Yellow, all of them look like cakes :D
• Looking cute is not the only thing it does, they come equipped with features like dedicated sensor, high key image shooting option, selfie lens and so on.
• So easy to operate even a 5 year old can do it. Photography is fun. Instax reminds us of that. Just Click It.
• Brings honesty back in this day & age where 'filters' rule. Again, it is important to me. No more sitting in front of a computer polishing a mediocre picture through 1000 filters to make it look unrealistically good. This is on the spot. Click. Print. No way of going back. Seasoned photographers will tell you these kind of pictures are the best, they capture the moment in all its real beauty :)

At the end of the evening, we were all given a little something by the good peoples at Fujifilm. Wait for the reveal on what it was and what I did with that. Till then, absorb all that was explained here and get your own Fujifilm Instax HERE :)

Pictures Credit : Prachi Shailendra Photography (pictures with the signature) and others by the good peoples at Fujifilm :)

Munch | An Ode To Comforting Deliciousness | Mahim Mumbai | Food Review

Went for a movie with family on a rainy night,

Came out of cinema thinking of where to have a bite,

The night was young but we did not want to go out to eat,

Went home wanting to sit in front of TV & with some TV shows have meet & greet,

Decided to get some delicious food home delivered,

We were famished like a great hungry bird!

Did not want Indian or Chinese cuisine,

We talked as we watched Supernatural series with Sam & Dean,

We saw Dean bite into a pizza and as soon as he was done,

We too decided we will dig into food that is Italian!

Went to meet a friend (last-minute plan) who suggested a place called Munch,

We decided to try it out and ordered food for a laaaate brunch :D

Veg Pizza, Pasta and burger made up our order,

Came home, got hooked to X Files with Scully and Mulder,

The outlet is small, packaging is sturdy, staff super polite,

Delivery is super quick, food is spectacular, no 'ifs', 'buts', or might'!

Hash N Cheese Burger had softest burger bun & hash brown patty,

One bite into this cheesy,mildly spicy goodness and I was penning this ditty :D

Give me more, I roared as I looked at the Pizza,

Then I saw my sister shooing me away singing 'Kabootar Ja Ja Ja',

Barbeque Paneer Pizza with Mushrooms, Bell Peppers and Cheese galore,

So warm, fresh and soft, we all were singing 'Ye Dil Maange Mooooooore',

If you like crunchy biscuit-y pizza crusts,

Then skip this pizza you must,

But if you like home cooked pizza flavor,

Do dig into this,just do yourself this favor!

My parents don't like Pizzas a lot,

Still they simply gorged on this and called it '5 Stars, No Doubt' :)

MamaRosa (Creamy Tomato Sauce) Penne Pasta was then opened by dad,

Trust me when I say this is THE BEST Pasta we ever had!

Loaded with warm comforting sauce and so many veggies,

This dish reminds everyone of grandmoms, International or desi,

That feeling of being fed wholesome goodness by grandma,

Something healthy + delicious, that feeling is brought back by this Pasta!

Everything is value for money as Quantity is huge,

My family recommends Munch to every foodie as THE ULTIMATE refuge :)

All Photos Credit : Prachi Shailendra Photography 

Arya Bhavan | Matunga Mumbai | Authentic South Indian Feast | Food Review

Matunga is THE place to be when it comes to authentic south Indian food. I have, like almost everyone else in Mumbai, visited almost every eatery here at least 5 times over past decade. It was on a recent Sunday morning when some of us friends decided to have an early breakfast meet here and I realized I have not reviewed any eatery here :D So starting with Arya Bhavan today.

Get up early as the hustle bustle in this area starts from 5 AM onwards and here too queue can be seen after 6.30-7 AM :) No ambiance to speak of, there are chairs and tables which are a task to fit into if you are a hippo like me. Not kidding. The flab tyres around our waists are not conducive to comfortable seating here :P It is basic, clean, small and functional with the funda of 'Eat, Pay, Go' in full force. There is AC here which is a plus point when compared to most other places. Maybe that is why the prices are a bit on the higher side and when I say that I mean a Dosa being Rs. 80 instead of Rs. 55-60 at Cafe Madras :P On its own,it is still very value for money. We 5 friends had a hearty breakfast within Rs. 650, seriously pocket friendly business peoples!

We tried some hatke items from the menu, starting with Thaat Idli & Coin Butter Idli (both were soft,buttery,fluffy), Kanchipuram Idli (looked beautiful but no taste at all,absolutely bland,like a big blob of steamed dough), Rasam (delicious,hot,spicy), Appam (soft and melt in mouth), Onion Rawa Sada (Crispy,Yummy,Real repeat value) and my personal favorite Masala Uttapam (a great light meal item for a light eater!) & Rawa Biscuit (cheesy Taco Dosas, beat that!). Other than Kanchipuram Idli,everything else was brilliant, especially the accompanying sambhar and chutney :) 

The menu boasts of many other items like Pav Bhaji, Sandwiches and so on, but I think coming here warrants a feast of authentic south Indian delicacies and that is what I am going to stick to and recommend too :) 

All Pictures Credit : Prachi Shailendra Photography