Pack Up!

bpb freebie: Exclusive new deal from Tabrez’s home delivery deli service! For this and more freebies, enter your email address in the subscription box.

bIG SHOT

What: bpb brain child — Your life on film, directed by Rohan Sabharwal, visit rohansabharwal.com, price on request.

Why: Tombs of Egyptian royalty were painted with scenes from their lives - we bring you an updated version. Award-winning filmmaker Rohan Sabharwal who showed at Cannes this year, will script, direct, score and edit your life into a super slick short flick. Read on for other recommendations so cool, you’d want to take them to your tomb.

When: You want the show to go on.

pASSAGE

What: Cleopatra’s Revival Spa Treatment for women, call 9892452333 for an appointment, Rs 500 onwards.

Why: A magic mixture of saffron, cinnamon and milk, wellness therapist Smita Hirlekar concocted this one just for us. Best part is, she’ll bring her massage table right to your home.

When: You want to come back from the dead.

***

What: Whatshouldireadnext.com book recommendation portal; Putumayo World Music Collection, Candies, Bandra, contact 26424124, Rs 450 onwards.

Why: Type in your favorite novels and this site will give you a dead-on reading list tailored to your taste. Putumayo’s music from places as diverse as Africa, Ireland, Spain and Italy is guaranteed to keep you occupied for a good long while.

When: You need to endure One Hundred Years of Solitude.

bURY

What: Valpolicella Red Wine at Don Giovanni, Atria Mall, Worli, Rs 2,250 per bottle.

Why: This full bodied Italian red comes highly recommended by the gourmands at Don Giovanni. One sip and you’ll know that it has Bacchus’ blessings.

When: You’re going down into the cellar.

***

What: Past life regression sessions, call Dr Rahul Dutta, 9821758177, price on request.

Why: Because this doctor and certified hypnotherapist helps you revisit your past lives, minus the hocus pocus. Come on… we know you’re at least a little curious.

When: To know where you’re going, you need to know where you’ve been.

Party Favours

Bpb freebie: Exclusive new deal from Taxxi and Vitamin K. For this and more freebies, enter your email address in the subscription box.

bRING

What: Gourmet to Go cloth beer and wine coolers, Indigo Deli, Pheroze Building, Colaba, start at Rs 1,750.

Why: Available in fun retro prints and constructed from foldable thermal fabric, these booze carriers are a great upgrade from your clunky ice box. We also love the tiffin and picnic versions.

When: You don’t want to lose your cool.

pOTLUCK

What: Freshly brewed beer keg, call 9820046979, Rs 1,300 for 5 litres.

Why: Because you don’t want to spend the morning after clearing broken beer bottles and crushed cans. Give Archan from Kingfisher 48 hours, and he’ll have a convenient keg sent straight from the brewery to a wine store close to your party address.

When: You want to lock your stock in a barrel.

***

What: Home-cooked Chinese steamed bread and snacks, to order call Lawrence on 26461358, Rs 90 per dozen onwards, home delivery in Bandra and Khar.

Why: Lab tested at the family-run beauty salon, the wontons, spring rolls and dumplings dished out by this Chinese duo are the yummiest and cheapest party snacks around. Try their steamed bread stuffed with Schezwan chicken or paneer.

When: You want to outsource your Chinese goods.

bUNS

What: Brazilian exercise gear, Panday House, opposite Olive, Union Park, Khar (W), call 9870123456.

Why: After working on celebrities, fitness trainer Deanne Pandey is now whipping gym gear into shape. She stocks hot Brazilian gear for men and women, made out of a fabric that she claims tones your body while you exercise. Also on sale are gym bottles and eco-friendly yoga mats.

When: You want to flex your sex appeal.

***

What: Beer & Burger Festival, Woodside Inn, Wodehouse Road, Colaba.

Why: For two weeks, your favourite neighbourhood bar goes international, hosting brews such as Hoegaarden, Stella, Leffe, and Asahi. And don’t forget to sample the yummy burgers.

When: July 15 to 31 – lovely days for a Guinness!

News Flash!

Bombay Electric – which almost never offers mark-downs – is having their Flash Sale, where stock from The Little Shop, Ghee Butter, Gaurav Gupta and more is discounted by 30 to 70 percent. Ends Sunday, July 5. Pay special attention to their shoes and sunglasses.

Have a great weekend!

Ocean of Notions

bpb Freebie: Awesome discount on clothes and accessories for men and women at Attic. For this and more deals, along with a free weekend guide in your inbox every Friday, enter your email in the subscription box.

bUBBLE

What: Flying Mantas Scuba Dive Training and Travel, visit www.flyingmantas.com or call Neet on 9930932516, Rs 10,000 for SSI certification.

Why: Because these guys conduct your initial training in Mumbai, so that when you get to your scuba destination, you can dive right in. They also organise group and customised diving vacations.

When: You don’t mind a high-pressure holiday. Suit up for their Maldives trip on July 23.

***
What: Candy-coloured raincoats, Attic, Bir Sagar, 17th Rd, Santacruz (W), Rs. 5,000.

Why: Because even though they’re a little steep, these stylishly cut raincoats in yummy hues are worth splurging on. Plus, our exclusive discount will help ease the pain. We also love the plastic-lined rain handbags with retro Bollywood prints.

When: You want extra protection. Available for your pleasure in red, pink and blue.

pARIS

What: Personal and corporate wine tasting sessions, email shamitasingha@gmail.com or log on to shamita-singha.com, price on request.

Why: Because Kingfisher supermodel and TV anchor Shamita Singha will take you through a sensory, wine-drenched session that’ll leave you light-headed. Did we mention that she’s also a qualified wine trainer from tasting schools in Burgundy and Bordeaux?

When: You need to fulfill those grape expectations.

***
What: Deli home delivery service, call Tabreez on 9870044199, Rs 375 for a packet of Borsin Cheese.

Why: Because all you have to do is say cheese, and Tabreez will deliver anything from goat to Gouda, Borsin to brie right to your doorstep, at prices lower than the MRP. He also supplies other goodies like pancake mix, caviar, and meat cuts.

When: You want your (live)stock to keep rising.

bLINK

What: New online Asian photography magazine, log on to Blindboys.org, free access and submission.

Why: From the last surviving theater groups of Gujarat to child soldiers in Sri Lanka, this online magazine curates the best photography from lensmen across Asia, and also accepts submissions.

When: You don’t want your stories to get canned.

bpb Reviewed

We recently stumbled upon this review of bpb on BombayTalks.com:

“From a Love Lunch to the LoveSac, 10-minute konkani thali to custom-hand-painted sneakers, new online weekend guide Brown Paper Bag finds the coolest to-dos and to-buys in Mumbai before the other guys. The two gorgeous girls who comb the city for unique finds -- despite their day jobs -- take you straight to the source.

In true no-nonsense Mumbai style, the dope is written in delicious three-line nibbles. No gushing about the artists and designers, here. They come straight to the point with a three-point "what", "why" and "when" agenda for each category that packs in the essential information. Take this latest one, for example…”

Read more here.

The site, which aims to cover Mumbai, seems to still be under construction, but the finished product should be interesting - we already know that they have good taste :)!

Cheers,

Secret Scouters

Ongoing Freebies

This week, bpb subscribers get exclusive deals from the following:

Super cute clothes and accessories from Taxxi and Vitamin K;

Green Grower bottle gardens;

Alternate home furniture from LoveSac;

scrumptious cupcakes from Sugar Rush.

For these deals and more, along with a FREE Mumbai weekend guide in your inbox every Friday, enter your email address in the subscription box.

Cheers,

Secret Scouters