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7 things Chef Vikas Khanna did at the QuakerBowl

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Sun, 17 Apr 2016 06:42:00 +0000

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."

Virginia Woolf was absolutely right when she spoke about dining, eating and life. Food is important and vital in our daily routines. Period. Food was the main agenda for Chef Vikas Khanna at the QuakerBowl. He did 7 things at the QuakerBowl but we'll come to that in a while.

With the advent of lifestyle related diseases across the cities, more and more people are turning towards healthier food options.

With this very insight in mind, the QuakerBowl was organized at the JW Marriott Juhu on April 10, 2016.

There couldn't have been a better host than Chef Vikas Khanna, official brand ambassador for Pepsico. The minute he comes up on stage and starts speaking, you get to realize what an incredibly warm, sweet and humble human being he is. Flashing his most charming smile, Chef Vikas enthralls and captivates the audience, even though it is a Sunday morning.

Let's have a look at the 7 things which Chef Vikas Khanna did at the QuakerBowl.

1. Spoke about nutrition

India is a land of varied cultures. Naturally, each region has its own diverse food habits and cuisines as well. However, with a growing youth population and quick adoption of the Western culture is leading to unhealthy food habits, diets and lifestyles.

According to a news article report in the Hindu, more than half of the women in India are anemic. India is on track to achieve only 2 of the 8 global targets on nutrition. However, it has significantly improved its nutrition performance in the past 10 years.

2. Personal Anecdotes

Chef Vikas shared with all the bloggers the funnier nuances and anecdotes from his career as well as well as his early years.

3. Chef and Quizmaster

Chef Vikas revealed his skills of conducting a quiz and testing our knowledge about the food we eat but more importantly about the diverse and rich landscape which India is.

I was at the receiving end of a lot of new information and knowledge.

I learned that:

Pampore valley in Jammu and Kashmir produces the world's finest and best saffron.

Lettuce actually belongs to the Sunflower family.

Pears, cherries, almonds and others belong to the Rose family

4. Being sweet

As I have mentioned before, Chef Vikas is a truly humble person. Always ready to pose for clicks and being candid in front of the camera.

5. Fun Time

Chef Vikas didn't lose out on an opportunity to mingle with the bloggers, goof around with them and share selfies. It felt like meeting a good friend after a long time.

6. Cook

Well, it would have been a delight to watch him cook but he didn't. So, he did the next best thing. He made all the bloggers become Chefs for 10 minutes. All the bloggers were divided into groups and given ingredients. Then, it was time to come up with a recipe on the spot.

It was mayhem. It was chaos. It was messy. More importantly, it was fun.

7. Hampers

Chef Vikas doled out huge hampers of Quaker oats during the meet. Not only that, each of the bloggers received Quaker goodies and a Quaker oats recipe book.

So, that's giving the ingredients and also showing you how to make it. A simple reminder to adopt a healthy lifestyle. I couldn't agree to it more.

Thanks to +QuakerIndia and #QuakerBowl for the lovely experience and meeting with Chef Vikas Khanna

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5 ways to make your LYF more fun

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 08:17:00 +0000

"I know it is wet and the sun is not sunny, but we can have lots of good fun that is funny."

Well, Dr Seuss had a word of advice for all of us out there, in his book 'The cat in the hat'. Even if your LYF becomes boring, there's always a way to make it more interesting and fun. We shall talk about 5 ways in which you can make your LYF more fun.

We'll get to that in a bit.

Our life is governed by the elements of nature. Earth, wind, water and fire are the elements which define our existence on this planet and Universe. They're so omnipresent and yet we don't really get to feel them on a day-to-day basis. We've almost accustomed to them.

In this endeavor, Reliance has thought up of an innovative idea of bringing together the elements of nature and packing them into technology. This is how the birth of LYF Smartphones came about.

Let's see the 5 ways in which you can make your LYF more fun

Dual Back cameras

Yes, you heard that right. The Earth series of LYF Smartphones has 2 back cameras, 13 MP and 2 MP, respectively. Now you can go with any worries and get click-happy with all those stunning images captured in the lens. The OptiZoom and ChromaFlash feature ensure that your clicks come out crisp and in-focus.

Head over here to know more about the Earth range of LYF Smartphones.

Superior Display screen

The 12.7 cm. full HD display on the Water 1 range of LYF smartphones ensures that you do not miss out on any of the small details in your digital life.

With an awesome viewing angle of 160 degrees, show your gorgeous selfies and clicks to all of your friends in the group, at the same time.

See for yourself the wonders of the Water 1 range of LYF Smartphones.

Superior Processing

You cannot go wrong with the processing prowess of Water 2 range of LYF Smartphones.

With 2 GB RAM, you are guaranteed a glitch free and smooth using experience. Your life would never be boring. With all that RAM, easily play those lovely and addictive games, increase your social media life and take pictures which speak volumes about your personality.

To top that, you have 16 GB of internal storage for storing all those lovely moments, videos and apps.

Check out the Water 2 range of LYF smartphones

Selfies Galore

Yes, selfies are here to stay and will be for some time to come. That's why, LYF Smartphones have come out with the Wind range of phones.

It has a 5MP camera in the front for those perfect selfies. Not only that, it has detection for face, smile and blink as well. But that's not all, there's 6x zoom also in the front camera.

How cool is that?

Check out the Wind range of LYF smartphones now

Power of 4G

4G is the next big thing to hit India. The super high speeds of 4G are going to change our digital lives forever. So, to be prepared for that, LYF smartphones have come out with the Flame range of phones.

Not only are these phones 4G enabled but they are dual SIM phones. The power is indeed, now in your hands.

Go ahead, have a closer look at the Flame range of LYF smartphones here.

#LYFsmartphones
@LYF_In

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Top 5 cool things seen at Lakme Fashion Week 2016

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 05:35:00 +0000

"To ugly ducklings everywhere, don't worry about those fluffy morons; they'll never get to be swans"

Zoe Marriot penned this idea in her book 'The Swan Kingdom'. At the Lakme Fashion Week 2016, this thought and 5 top cool things were to be seen. Let me get to the cool part in a bit.

Fashion has always been about thinking out of the box. Taking bold steps into the unknown, not sure of what would become the next fashion trend or fad. The current installment of Lakme Fashion Week 2016 was also a step and a glimpse in that direction. The entire theme was 'fashion meets technology' and there was plenty of technology to be seen during the week. Innovative stage props, live digital coverage of the event, selfies galore and loads of social media engagement. The celebrities, designers, models, brands and the consumers, all of them took to the digital platform in a big way to express their views and thoughts.

So, as i was saying, let's now see what the 5 cool things were at the Lakme Fashion Week 2016

The Celebrities

The Celebrities, the showstoppers
image - Vogue India

Almost a mandate and a norm since ages, celebrities stepped into the spotlight and walked the ramp for their favorite designers. It was magical watching them strut the best outfits of the designers and become the showstoppers for the event. All of our favorite stars, right there in front of our eyes, enjoying themselves on the ramp.

Although difficult to become a superstar overnight, you can still become your own everyday star. Check this out to see how technology can help you do just that.

Being Bold

Bold themes, outfits and colors

Bold themes and bold fashion emerged in the Lakme Fashion Week 2016. Designers as well as bloggers and fashion enthusiasts came up with the most innovative and courageous themes and outfits as well.

Why should you get left out in this? Here's a way you can go bold as well.

Activism

Doubt is out AJIO Show and flashmob

Lakme Fashion Week 2016 was also about bold activism.

The unique flashmob set the tone for the AJIO #DoubtIsOut show the next day. AJIO.com is the new online fashion gateway under the flagship of Reliance. AJIO focused its attention on doubt is out and brought many leading ladies and other celebrities on to the ramp for a unique fashion experience.

The themes included, gender no bar, career no bar, size no bar, age no bar and choice no bar.

Flaunting well known people like Sunny Leone, Helen, Bharti Singh, MIG Fighter Jet flyer Suman Sharma and the transgender activist Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi, AJIO stirred quite some publicity and awareness.

Masterclass With Renzo Rosso

Master session with Renzo Rosso, in conversation with Sabyasachi Mukherjee

For anyone remotely associated with fashion and garments, Renzo Rosso rings a bell and warrants immediate attention. Renzo Rosso is the President of OTB group and owner of the renowned Diesel brand. He was in India to take part in the Lakme Fashion Week, in conversation with Sabyasachi Mukherjee. A billionaire and known as the 'Jeans Genius' across the industry, Renzo's story is something of an inspiration for all of us out there.

If you missed out on the talk during the fashion week, I covered it all in my previous post here.

The Colors

Colors at Lakme Fashion Week 2016

Yes, fashion is almost nothing without all the colors. The overall theme was of fashion meets technology, however, the theme for the designers was of 'the elements of nature'. As a result, it was a colorful visual delight for the viewers.

Know more about the 4 elements which rocked Lakme Fashion Week 2016

Did you find more cool stuff during the Lakme Fashion Week 2016? Share it with everyone and comment in the space below. Speak out your thoughts, feedback and ideas.

#LYFsmartphones

@LYF_In

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4 elements that rocked during the Lakme Fashion Week 2016

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 11:54:00 +0000

Lakme Fashion Week 2016

"Move swift as the wind and closely formed as the wood. Attack like the fire and be still like the mountains."

That's Sun Tzu speaking about the elements of the world and the Art of War. What does this have to do with the Lakme Fashion Week and what are those 4 elements which rocked the event? We'll get back to answering those questions in a bit.

Our world is complex. Not just our planet earth or even our Milky Way, but the entire black expanse of space which we call The Universe. There's a lot of activity going on there. Understanding such a complex thing such as the Universe can be quite cumbersome. So, some of our scholars tried to simplify things a bit. They decided to use simple and easily available substances to explain the world in which we live in. This is where the Scientific elements theory comes into the picture.

In this theory, the scholars used earth, water, air and fire to explain our world. This is where we step back to our place in the Lakme Fashion Week.

The theme for Lakme Fashion Week was fashion meets technology. However, the overall theme was using the four elements all around us. The designers stood up to the task of portraying the four elements in their designs.

Let's have a look at all the four elements in action, one-by-one, and understand what they stand for.

Earth

Earth element being represented by green color

The element Earth is generally represented by the color green. It symbolizes our planet Earth and represents nourishment, stability and security. The models walked away in the most soothing green colors creating an aura of calm in the room.

Although, most of us don't really get these characteristics in real life but there's hope. Check this out, which actually gives stability and security, time after time.

Water

Water being symbolized by blue color

We all know how important water is for our survival. Water signifies wealth, abundance and purification. It symbolizes all the water bodies on our planet. A majority chunk of our planet is covered with water, even the human body is comprised of water majorly.

Water has been portrayed with the color blue during the Lakme Fashion Week 2016.

We might already be rich or on the way to reach that position but you cannot go wrong by adding this to your personal wealth and abundance.

Wind

Wind being symbolized by the color yellow

Imagine pinching your nose closed and staying like that for 1 minute. Quite an uneasy and uncomfortable feeling, right? That's how important is air for us. It' vital for our survival. Period.

Air/Wind has been denoted by the color yellow for explanation purpose. All communication and energies flow through the air as a medium. Wind cannot be contained or stored and acts as a carrier. It's an invisible force which is always at work.

Even though the odds are against it but you can still have a portion of wind in your pocket. Check this out to know and see for yourself how the wind can become an ubiquitous partner for you.

Fire

Fire being represented by red color

Fire is an element which has the power to create as well as destroy. It all depends on how fire is put to use. Fire/flame symbolizes energy, youth, recognition and fame.

Fire has been denoted by the color red.

All of us yearn and crave for fame and acceptance among the people and the society. Here's a guaranteed way to do achieve just that, check it out.

Are there any alternate meanings of the elements of nature? Do you know of something more, which has not been covered in this post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section below.

#LYFsmartphones
@LYF_In

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Renzo Rosso's top 3 tips for fashion and life

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 17:14:00 +0000

Sabyasachi with Renzo Rosso

"In order for fashion to progress, we have to always be willing to invest in someone or something new and embrace risks, regardless of the economy."

Renzo Rosso, President, OTB Group, Owner of Diesel Jeans brand couldn't have put fashion and life in a better perspective than this. He was in Mumbai during the ongoing Lakme Fashion Week 2016, in conversation with renowned Indian designer, Sabyasachi Mukherjee.

One of the first things which hit you when you see Renzo is his energy and aura which he brings to any room he walks into. However, very few know of his rise from obscurity to a famed denim magnate. That was one of the things which was on the agenda when both Sabyasachi and Renzo walked in to commence an hour long talk.

The entire theme of the Lakme Fashion Week 2016 was of fashion meets technology. That became pretty evident, once you stepped into the venue with smartphones, DSLRs, live tweeting, live streaming and online digital contests.

Renzo also had a few tricks up his sleeve.

We'll get to that later.

Here are 3 key takeaways for anyone stepping into the field of fashion and startups.

1. Be Bold

Renzo Rosso with Sabyasachi

Renzo was always a bold person at heart since the very beginning. He got fired from his job within a week. His boss claimed that he was too lazy at work. After much coercion, he was brought back to the company, only to resign once again. It was Adriano Goldschmeid, from the Genius Group, who would eventually mentor the young Renzo and paved the way for a pioneer.

Renzo took many bold decisions and gambles in his life because he always wanted to be different than other people.

Imagine taking on the mighty Levis brand by opening a 15,000 square feet store in New York right opposite the Levis store.

That's a bold display of grit and determination, pretty much like the bold display here.

2. Stay grounded and humble

He's done it all: became a billionaire, won many awards and is known the world as a management guru as well as a fashion icon. Yet, Renzo manages to keep his feet deep into the grounds from which he has risen up.

Despite the fact that the fashion capital Milan is close by, he chose his hometown Bassano del Grappa as the headquarters for his company.

"I never get jaded." That's all that he has to say for himself.

When one stays grounded, nature opens up any vistas for creativity. Stay humble, stay close to our planet Earth in this manner.

3. Hire and communicate with the best team

Renzo believes in the power of a great team. This is one ideal which has stuck with him since his early days. He always goes out of his way to hire the best people for the business and then ensures that he maintains a healthy communication channel with all of them.

He jokingly tells Sabyasachi that 300 is his favorite movie. 300 is the perfect example of how formidable an army can become if they form and stick together as a team. That's what Renzo has also wanted with his teams all across the world.

In order to communicate with the best people in the best manner, one needs to be swift and gentle as the wind. Here's a way in which even you can become like the wind.

So, I had mentioned earlier about the tech savvy side of Renzo. He is always active on the social media. He never misses an opportunity to show his consumers, employees and the world the places he has visited or the people he has met. Even during his trip to India, Renzo was happily clicking pictures, tweeting, posting on Instagram and Facebook and liking other posts.

Sabyasachi showing his Diesel jeans

Renzo Rosso and I

Want to click a super selfie like this? Head over here to find out how.

#LYFsmartphones @LYF_In

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Are you tuned into the right frequency?

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 07:24:00 +0000

My heart's a stereo

it beats for you so listen close,

hear my thoughts in every note.

Make me your radio

and turn me up when you feel low

this melody was meant for you

just sing along to my stereo.

Adam Levine sang to a lovely tune and some awesome lyrics in this song but maybe it hinted at something much more profound. This goes back to a conversation I had few months back. The hour was late into the night. The partner in crime - my batch mate from XLRI. What could have been a casual chit chat turned out to be quite a pot boiler with loads of mental sparring and moments where one would go 'Aha!'.

Do you belong to the generation which had to manually adjust the dials of a radio set to reach a particular frequency? Even if you don't, you might remember checking the frequencies on your smartphones, car stereo or MP3 player to listen to your favorite songs. You may not have realized it but that was a physical and surreal depiction of how our lives pan out to be.

Our lives are akin to a radio transistor. We spend huge amounts of time trying to find that elusive frequency which would play the happy tunes in the most clear fashion possible. Yet, the frequency evades us, most of the times. Usually, it's the great static noise which greets us every time we try. Isn't the static which we hear very similar to the disturbances which we face in our actual lives? Mental, emotional, physical or spiritual disturbances which hinder our progress and take us off our paths.

Surprisingly, it should be brought to notice that most of the times the static is not even from an external source. Frequently, it is our own thoughts which causes the most static disturbance. This static arises from an unwell, disturbed and gloomy mind. The reasons for such a frame of mind can be numerous and can stem from external sources.

We tend to forget that any factor arising from the environment external to us cannot be controlled by us in any manner. What we can control is our thoughts and our bodies.

Most of the times, we just let the static hang in there. When we should actually be changing our frequencies and tuning to a newer and happier frequency, we get stuck up in the old noises. Sometimes, you can do nothing for the external factors, you can just forgive yourself and keep moving on. This is precisely where my batch mate said something, which will stick in my mind for a long time and which I always believed in, subconsciously:

"clean conscience is indeed the softest pillow."

As long as you strive to keep your conscience clean, no amount of noises or disturbances could ever distract you.

So, are you currently facing distractions of some sort? Something in your present or from your past diverting your attention? Are you stuck up in a frequency?

What are you waiting for, just get up, move the dial and change the frequency. Change something in your life, your lifestyle, habits, place, address, circle of friends, hobbies, places, cities or even your complete personality.

Who knows, that elusive frequency playing your favorite song might just be a kilo/mega Hertz away.

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3 surprising truths about body odor

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Sat, 20 Jun 2015 04:05:00 +0000

“Life’s like brown sugar sprinkled on shit. Sure it tastes great, if you don’t mind the smell.”

Indeed, smell does affect our sense of taste/flavor whenever we eat something. A pleasant smelling object/source in your vicinity would greatly enhance the overall richness of your sensory experience whereas an unpleasant would completely ruin it for you. Well, the list of unpleasant odor sources are plenty but the ones which originate from humans cause the most awkward and tough situations.

Talking about odors reminds me of these beautiful lines penned by Javed Akhtar,

"Khushboo si hai jaise hawa mein tairti,

Khushboo jo beawaaz hai,

Jiska pata tumko bhi hai,

Jiski khabar mujhko bhi hai,

duniya se bhi chupta nahi,

ye jaane kaisa raaz hai."

Yes, the one secret which you cannot hide from everyone and is omnipresent and an instant repulsion - body odor. The BlogAdda SniffSniff activity was conducted at the Four Seasons Hotel to tackle this very issue. It was a lovely get together of bloggers who braved the rains to make if for this event (I arrived at the venue with a completely soaked shirt and a mind soaked with my eagerness).

The event began with a session of personal grooming, personality shaping and the process to tackling body odor. The discussion was led by Mr. Animesh Gupta, positive conditioning coach at LimitlessEQ. Read up more about him here. The discussion focused on the following aspects:

causes of bad body odor
self awareness about body odor (accepting its presence/absence)
personal grooming
tips to avoid body odor
confronting people with body odor in a positive manner

The session was fun filled with activities, introspection and loads of interaction. Through discussions we got a lot of myths and misnomers about body odor out of our minds. I personally got to learn quite a lot and came out of this session with three key take aways:

The first step to banning body odor is accepting the fact that your body odor is bad, whether it is a one-off incident or a prolonged stint of odor.
Most of the techniques of personal grooming which is in use presently, does not ensure a complete removal of body odor.
All of us have been applying deo spray in the morning right after we take our bath, which is completely wrong. The best time to apply deo is in the night, just before going to bed. Read this article to know more about this phenomenon.

The session was followed by the surprise which we had all been waiting for. Right there in front of all of us came Arjun Rampal, model turned Bollywood actor, who's the current brand ambassador for Nivea Men. Even though the presence of females in the crowd was minimal, all the hearts in the room skipped a beat to see this fine man, exuding youth, possessing an impressive personality and immense stage presence. He spoke about his trysts with body odor and how he had to tackle this issue on a daily basis with a few of his female co-stars. Body odor does not spare anyone and one has to proactively take conscious steps to eliminate it. He even went on to say that he would actually thank the person who would go up to him and point out that he's having body odor.

After the one-on-one with Arjun Rampal, we had the opportunity to witness the product launch of Nivea Deodorizer for Men.

I am presently using the product and following the regime of applying the deodorizer before going to bed. I must admit the results have been quite satisfactory. I would definitely recommend this product to all those school, college, office goers traveling by auto, bus, local trains and braving the agonizing traffic as well as the Indian subcontinental climate.

I attended the #SniffSniff product unveiling event by BlogAdda in association with Nivea

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PingPay - the era of transacting socially

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 16:24:00 +0000

Ask to receive

Maybe, a word which rings loud in the corridors of management and marketing. Maybe, a word which introduces possibilities, probabilities and unsure thoughts. Maybe, just maybe.

Well, maybe might start to lose its sheen in some time, if things start moving in the social circuit. Consider these scenarios:

Your best friend in college wants to get photocopies done of the notes for that upcoming exam but his account shows no balance. He simply pings you to send money and within 2 minutes he has taken out cash from account and paid to the photocopy guy. How?

Your mother has run out of talktime balance in her cellphone. She can't go out to recharge her phone so simply tells you to recharge her mobile quickly. Within minutes she is already on the phone talking to her mother in the village. How?

Your local newspaper vendor has come to collect money for the bill. However, you don't have cash with you. However, the bill gets paid in minutes without the use of any cards or borrowings. How?

It's your birthday and you decided to treat your best pals in a five star hotel. However, what you didn't expect was footing a huge bill and you don't have that much balance in your account. In a few minutes, your father has solved the problem in the comforts of his home. How?

Well, you must be wondering that all of this is just a prank like the ones on TV and that I'm simply fooling around with you. However, these are actual scenarios which come up in our day-to-day lives. The only difference was that we did not have a quick fix solution, up until now. The answer to these questions has been brought forward to us by none other than Axis Bank.

Introducing to you, PingPay, a unique multi-social payment solution to enable customers, specially the youth and smart phone users, to transfer money and mobile recharge, person-to-person, including to non-Axis Bank account holders, using social and messaging channels like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Email and Phone Contact lists.

Take a look at the features of this app:

PingPay is the only banking social payment application which allows users to share digital content like text, images, audio and video, while sending/asking for money/mobile recharge.
An innovative gesture based mobile app designed to provide customers with a delightful user experience while enabling money transfers and mobile recharge with utmost convenience.

This app is meant for all those netizens and techies out there. However, the icing on the cake and the feature which wins hands down are a couple actually:

The hugely interactive user interface

The highly customized manner of asking/giving money with the help of personalized messages, videos, audios and images.

Take a look

So, what are you waiting for? This app is only for Axis Bank Customers, so it's time to spread the message and the word and help your near ones become a part of the Axis Bank family and enjoy the whacky way of sending/receiving money.

PingPay on Google Play Store

PingPay on Apple iStore

This post is about 'Digital Axis' meet conducted by Axis Bank in association with BlogAdda.com

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The shocking truth about corporates: Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 14:56:00 +0000

"God hath given you one face and you make yourself another."

That's Shakespeare speaking on the subject of deceit and deception in one his finest works, Hamlet. On the same lines, the subject at hand here is one that is filled with deceit to the brim.

Before getting on with the book review, I must admit that I always look forward to works of fiction penned by Ravi Subramanian (I shall refer to him as R.S.). Being a part of the banking fraternity myself, becomes a strong reason for my gravitation towards his books. Although, don't get misguided by the word 'fiction', for a lot of subjects talked about and mentioned in this book have their origins with real life people, technologies and scams. With each book, RS seems to growing like a banyan tree, spreading its roots into a larger and larger radius while his eagle-like gaze is very focused on the topic at hand.

The teasers and the competitions leading up to the book launch were well designed by the team. It was a pleasure meeting the author in flesh at the launch event and grabbing a quick copy personally autographed by RS himself.

The Specifications

Title - God is a gamer
Author - Ravi Subramanian
Publisher - Penguin Books
Pages -322
Price - Rs. 299/-
ISBN - 978-0-143-42139-9

The externals

The author, Ravi, has ensured that the cover looks appealing by keeping the title of the book in bold and golden fonts. The center of the book belongs to a golden Bitcoin imitation which sets the tone for the entire book. In keeping with the trend of his previous books, the cover for this book also features a dark silhouette against the backdrop of the White House. Another trend followed by the book is that of a punchline. 'Is revenge a crime' gives the book another shade of revenge to it. All in all, a book cover to satiate the senses of a thrill seeking reader.

The plot and characters

The externals complement the internals and the action begins from the first paragraph itself. The author employs the use of a converging storyline in order to give different perspectives to the unfolding drama. The script runs like a Jason Bourne-like action packed film. The reader can almost visualize the entire action happening right in front of their eyes. This has been ensured with the use of shorter sentences, swear words and short chapters.

The storyline has multiple threads to it and the characters in this story also have multiple layers of personalities. However, the author effortlessly weaves all these threads into a single garment.

One side of the story has a US government official Gillian Tan who is assassinated in a car bomb explosion in Washington. During the course of the investigation a website called Cotton Trail is discovered which sells illegal items via a free network called the TOR (Onion Router). The most challenging aspect of this investigation is the involvement and use of Bitcoin as a currency of payment. This brings the investigations officers to India.

Aditya Rao runs a gaming company Indiscape and eTIOS. Reuniting with his son Varun after several years (who is also into drugs and all) turns around the world of gaming and brings the kind of success that his father, Aditya, had always dreamed of. However, Varun's methods and motives stand in doubt and question.

A phishing scam unexpectedly affects innumerable customers of NYIB (New York International Bank) a place where Aditya had once worked. This is followed by the death of the chairman of NYIB, Malvika Sehgal. The field is open for accusations and even the Finance Minister is placed under suspicion. Meanwhile, her daughter Tanya comes closer to Varun while trying to come to terms with the sudden death of her mother.

The ending comes with its share of twists and surprises.

Reactions and experiences

Whenever I pick up a book by Ravi Subramanian, I am sure that I'll have an entire evening dedicated to his book. I wasn't disappointed in this case as well. The fact that both of us share the same corporate background of the banking industry, makes me oscillate towards his books even further.

I share with you few of the thoughts and highlights in this book which caught my attention,

On real wealth,

"I wish I had looked back. Life would have been different. We are all chasing illusory pleasures. Our real wealth is not in our bank accounts."

One particular thing which caught my attention was the missed call excuse. This was something which I have used quite often in my corporate life and I'm sure most of you out there have as well.

"Morning, Peter! Sorry I missed your calls. The phone was in silent mode." Irrespective of the level one was at in the organization, the excuses for not taking a call remained the same.

The infamous online black market, Silk Road, also finds its place in the book in the form of Cotton Trail. The author has done substantial amount of research in the areas of Bitcoins and its origins as well as the online TOR and Silk Road network. (The silk road creator recently got caught and is undergoing trial, a sign of things stemming from the book? Maybe.)

The hits

True to the author's penchant for financial crimes and thrillers, this book also uncovers many grey areas, corporate level tussles and individuals who turn to the dark and wrong side. The book should come as an eye opener to readers who are oblivious and unaware of the scams taking place in our corporate and financial services sector.

The misses

The intimate love making scenes looked more like fillers and the reading landscape could have been used in showing the thought processes of the main protagonists.

The final verdict

Go ahead and read this book before it gets turned into a Bollywood blockbuster.

Rating - 3.6/5

Check out my review on other websites

GOODREADS

FLIPKART

AMAZON

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The Mystery Of The Ghost Writer And Wheat - Part 17

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Thu, 25 Sep 2014 08:15:00 +0000

Team Blogstirrers

You can read Part 16 written by Priyanjana Roy for Game of Blogs by Blogadda.com

The view outside the window was very soothing and welcoming because it belonged to the best place in the world - her home. Roohi was standing at the window and looking outside. Everything so familiar, so safe, so full of happiness and so full of life. It was her neighbourhood, her world. To the left, some children were running behind one another and playing some game. A few elderly aunts were sitting at the bench close to them keeping an eye on the kids. As she shifted her gaze to the right, she saw a man selling balloon and cotton candy. A group of children were hovering around his cycle, hungrily eyeing the delicious cotton candy. Roohi's taste buds too were watering. She was standing at the epicentre of this small world of hers and she was delighted by this fact. She took out her tongue to lick her lips.

Roohi was jolted out of her midnight reverie by the scampering of a rat brushing her hair aside. Roohi licked her lips but there was dust all over it. It took her a few seconds to realize that she had been dreaming. She looked around the room. Then, she hoisted herself up to take a peek at the night sky outside. How she yearned to go back home. She was hungry, thirsty but more importantly, desperately missing her mom and dad. She wanted an end to this very nasty nightmare. In the pale moonlit night, sparkles of tear drops were visible rolling down her cheeks. Hunger had deprived her of the energy to make any noises.

She rested her head on the wall. Slowly and in a faint whisper, she started singing.

"I have a dream, a song to sing,
to help me cope with anything.
I believe in angels.
Something good in everything I see.
I believe in angels.
When I know the time is right for me,
I'll cross the stream - I haaave a.................."

Before she could finish, she fell back asleep.

Read the next part here.

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The Mystery of The Ghost Writer And Wheat – Part 6

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 18:30:00 +0000

Team: Blogstirrers

You can read Part 5 written by Harshal Gupta for Game of Blogs by Blogadda.com

The young are full of desires, the old are stuck in lighting up their fires.

Every employee looks forward to Fridays, looks up to the sky and breathes in the fresh air of the weekend breeze starting to blow. Two client meetings, one conference call, one brainstorming session and data gathering for the upcoming presentation to the Chairman - perfect recipe for a hectic day. Although, Tara wasn't too bothered, it just acted like an adrenaline punch for her.

After taking the last call for the day, Tara checked her wristwatch - 20:30 hours. A girl's night with her college friends awaited her on the other side of 21:00 hours. Tara cleared up her desk, picked up her purse, cellphone and took one last look at her desktop before signing off.

In the parking lot, Tara unlocked the car using her electronic car keys. Before opening the door, her eyes caught sight of an oily patch on the roof of her black Honda Civic. From inside the car, she took out a paper napkin and wiped it off till the surface was squeaking clean. The contended smile indicated towards her satisfaction with the cleaned part. She then bent down to adjust the buckle of her heels. Standing at five feet eight inches, her eyes were treated to quite a view of the world compared to her lesser and average height female friends and colleagues. The look of content was still on her face while adjusting the buckle.

Tara was 13 when nature started pouring the magic sugar on her. She was not the average-next-door-Jane. She had pretty and bouncy hair, her face and her body as well started developing contours and her height started shooting up. With so many physical advances taking place and with the generous helping of Bollywood films, Tara's love for high heels and good clothes started to develop very early on. She would stand in front of the mirror, looking at and admiring herself.

Tara straightened up after adjusting the buckle and took a quick at herself in the rear view mirror.

"One, two, three, four. Roses are red but I love you more." she muttered under her breath.

Tara always used to say that to herself since childhood. Not only did Tara feel that for herself, the guys in her school also felt that about her. Her classmates, her seniors and even her juniors, everyone was a fan of her. When she would walk into the school in the morning, at least five guys would wave a Hi or a good morning at her. All the boys simply loved her height and her looks, they would usually suggest her to look at modelling options. There was once a guy who even tried climbing to her first floor home to give her a gift and a rose. However, his plans were foiled by Tara's father.

There was always a 'Tara ka bechaara' (as her friends used to say it) in her vicinity.

All this adulation received by Tara from the boys did not change or make any impression on her. She was a career oriented girl, then and now as well. She had mastered the art of handling a male quite early on in her life. This was one of the primary reason for going into the media sector and being able to make a mark in it.

Tara rubbed and smacked her lips after applying lipstick. She looked all set for the night and started her car.

Read the next part here.

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From proving to hence proved

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 10:19:00 +0000

“No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right, a single experiment can prove me wrong.”

A lingering thought in the mind of Albert Einstein shows us his innermost vulnerabilities. Even a person of his caliber had to face the test of time.

A recent conversation with a female college batch mate triggered the thought for this blog post. The conversation turned from the mundane to the serious within a few keystrokes. It was during the discussion that I realized a few things. Not only are we here for a purpose but we also have to prove ourselves worthy for that purpose. Yes, I know what you’re thinking. How do I land up on philosophical thoughts out of a routine conversation? All I can say is that we must realize that there is magic hidden even in the routine dialogues.

I’m sure you must have heard about the Theory of Evolution proposed by Charles Darwin which states “the preservation of favored races in the struggle of life” or simply put, “Survival of the fittest”. Each and every species present on Earth has to prove itself to be able to survive in this world. Not only species, even non living objects are present for the same reasons and hence have to prove their existence. Take a tree for example; it exists in this world to supplement the lives of other creatures inhabiting this planet. Obviously, humans are no exceptions to this rule. All of us have to prove our human lives in one form or the other. This is the reason why we have economic, literacy and social imbalances present in society today. Some people make the cut while others fail to do so and still many others are left hanging in the balance in between these two segments.

So, we know that proving ourselves is a part of this big game called “Life” but what do you about it? It is an integral part of our lives and the place we inhabit. Proving oneself can either be an internal exercise or an external one. By internal, it implies proving and answering to the self whereas external can mean proving oneself to others and society. Keeping this in mind, one cannot simply throw up their hands and surrender to fate, destiny or karma. This situation calls for a careful analysis of and it starts with – You.

Yes, quite often, some of life’s greatest mysteries are solved by delving deep into one’s mind and consciousness. In this regard, I will introduce you to a process which I have named as

The 3-Re process

As the name suggests, this process involves 3 steps to it.

Relax – Obviously, this is a no-brainer. Any process demands that one relaxes and becomes patient. Nothing can be achieved in a single night with all guns blazing. So, save up that all-important energy in your reserves, you will need it in the marathon coming ahead of you. However, it must be noted that relaxing does not translate to procrastination, laziness or indiscipline in maintaining one’s routine.

Realize – This is the step where most of us falter. The youth of today’s generation require a lot of support and help in this area. Most of us fail to realize that one single work which moves us our entire body and soul. Passion, objective, goal, dream or idea – call it what you may. The important part is to realize one’s true potential (that takes a lot of effort and time, btw). Don’t worry if you’re not able to find your ‘mojo’, keep process number 1 in mind and keep looking for that elusive potential.

Remarkable – Now, that you’ve found out your true calling, your true vocation, your true desire, it’s time to ‘better your best’. Finding ones potential is only half the battle, the next half involves getting good at your potential. The key here lies in becoming remarkably good and not just ‘good’ at your potential. True success awaits you if you strive to become ‘insanely’ good at your potential/talent.

“Actions speak louder than words.”

Indeed, these words would seem hollow if they are not backed up by relentless action. The action part calls for a lot of discipline in one’s life, something which I often miss out in my day-to-day life. However, actions are the bonds which will tie together ‘the 3-Re process’ together. In other words, the best way to climb a mountain is by actually climbing it.

In summation, in order to achieve anything or prove oneself, one must have the right amount of ignition in one’s soul. I leave you with this thought:

“Give a man a match and he’ll be warm for a minute but set him on fire and he’ll be warm for the rest of his life.”

What is your take on this topic? Do you have your own process to manage these obstacles? Share your thoughts and feedbacks here.

How safe is your heart and mind from emotions?

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Fri, 21 Mar 2014 02:46:00 +0000

Harry Potter: what does a patronus look like?
Professor Lupin: each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it.
Harry: And how do you conjure it?
Professor Lupin: With an incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory.

Yes, this is the conversation which took place between Harry Potter and his mentor Professor Lupin, when he was teaching Harry to conjure a patronus to protect himself. The process of conjuring as explained by the professor has its origin in the birth of this blog post.

The recent past has been pretty heavy on the heart; my heart, to be precise. Nothing unusual, as that is the manner in which life unfolds before us. There is not a single moment of solace, not a single moment of quiet and not a single moment of stability. Life is just like the waves rocking a boat in the open sea, ride it or sink in it.

In all these trials and tribulations, I happened to chance upon Harry Potter's quest to ace the patronus conjuring process. Upon reflection, I found out that there are many similarities between Harry's and our condition in actual life. Just like a patronus needs a single, very strong happy memory to be conjured, similarly, in our lives as well, we require many happy thoughts to keep moving forward.

Ok but how do I generate such happy thoughts and memories, you may ask.

Well, it all boils down to doing things which you actually and truly love doing, meeting the people you love meeting and going to places where you love to go. It isn't that hard. Follow the heart and see where your heartbeats start to increase, there you shall find happiness.

That's fine but not everyone gets to do what they truly love in their lives, you may point out.

It is quite true that we have to make several concessions in life but therein lies the essence of this post. The key to happiness in life is doing things which you love and that brings us to the focal point.

At some point or the other, in our lives, we have to start doing things which we truly like to do. Even a single powerful happy memory is enough to annihilate all forms of despair and sadness in one's life.

So, in a nutshell, it is true that one needs to be practical in their lives and not always go doing things which one loves doing. However, does that mean that you eliminate from your life, such opportunities to gain happiness?

A thought by John Lennon rightly sums up this post.

Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.

When was the last time you conjured up your personal Petronus?

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Warning: Don't ignore these 7 ways to live and not simply exist

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 10:18:00 +0000

Talking about life and living, Pope Paul VI had the following thoughts to share:

"Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying, Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows."

Before we move on with the topic, I owe an apology to all my regular readers for going off on a hibernation and powering up after a gap. You, the reader, have been regular in your readings, your feedback, your comments and your brickbats as well. I, on the other hand haven't been as regular as you. All I can say is that sometimes an off is needed to contemplate over things surrounding our lives, sometimes an individual needs to pause and take in the view in front of them. This is what I would call 'stock-taking' of the situation at hand. My sincere apologies for being amiss from your lives, I hope I don't present such a situation again in the near future.

Having said that, the reason behind this post is pretty simple. Just take a short pause/break from whatever work you are doing and ask yourself, "Have I lived my life or am I just existing?"

Everywhere I look around, starting with my own life to the lives of those of my near and dear ones, this question becomes more and more apparent. Most of us are usually working, sitting behind a desk waiting for the month to end and the salary to get credited. Then we go on a shopping spree and finish off all that income and by the middle of the month, we are back to the same wait for the month to end.

Of course, there are quite a few of us who are born managers and one way or another, those few find the time to get work done and live their life to the fullest as well.

This post is dedicated to all those people out there who are still trying to live their lives and take control of it, rather than letting their lives control them. Read the following seven ways of doing just that:

Learn to let go

Life is a complex dish made up of many different flavors. Sometimes it's spicy, sometimes bitter, sometimes bland while sometimes full of sweetness. Learn let go of the bitter, sour parts because keeping them encased in your memory will only make the pain even more difficult to subside. If you don't let go of your previous bad experiences and emotions, how would you take on the incoming future bad experiences. Life has been designed by the Supreme power in such a manner that happiness and sadness comes to everyone of us at different points of our life. So, there is no point in holding on to that one emotion for eternity, just let it go.

Today's Thought Learn to let go [tweet this].
Explore and know yourself inside out

Life is all about knowing what you, as an individual, desire and want. Your strengths, your weakness, your talents and your skills, all will be revealed to you if can just pause to introspect deep inside you. For some of you, this would be a simple task but for many of you, this would be task around which your entire life revolves around. Even if it takes that long, you owe it to yourself to find out the true reason of your existence and the value you can add to the human society. So, keep exploring and don't settle.

Today's Thought Explore and know yourself inside out [tweet this]
After knowing yourself, then be yourself

One of the problem which arises is that we tend to imitate other people, other views and opinions just to give our inner soul some satisfaction. However, you are actually painting a wrong picture in front of others and more importantly, in front of yourself. Once you have fully explored your inner self and know yourself inside out, only then can you be yourself.

Today's Thought After knowing yourself then be yourself [tweet this]
Don't be too harsh on yourself

Life is like a long winding road which gets over pretty quickly. Both you and I are still humans and therefore we are always subject to mistakes and errors. Take such situations in your stride, don't criticise yourself severely for such mistakes. Always keep in mind that bad days will give you experiences and valuable lessons of life. Learn from them and give yourself some love as well.

Today's Thought Dont be too harsh on yourself [tweet this]
Enjoy the little joys of life

A major breakthrough in your lifetime is quite a rare occasion. So, you're entitled to the euphoria and ecstasy of being in such a situation. However, that doesn't mean that you should stop celebrating the small joys of everyday life. Remember, how as a child we would be at cloud number nine because the teacher tugged at our cheeks and said 'good boy/girl' or the time when we beat our dads at racing. Yes, life is about all these small moments which bring us joy and a smile to our face. Treasure them and enjoy them to the fullest while they last.

Today's Thought Enjoy the little joys of life [tweet this]
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone

Ever ventured out alone in a new city? or went to the market to bargain for stuff? or travelled alone on a train? or finished that task which you had always made you feel uncomfortable? or got rid of that fear of heights/spiders/ghosts? From childhood to youth, we are brought up in a cocooned environment created by our parents. Naturally, they want to protect us, however, if you stick around in the cocoon for too long, that same safety net will become an impedance in your growth and progress.

Take a look in the habitat around you. Look at how the birds teach their young ones by pushing them off the edge in the hope that they will learn to spread their wings and fly. Or the animals who teach their young ones to go around hunting in search of food.

You, I or anybody else for that manner, cannot really grasp the limits and boundaries of our thoughts, talents and strengths till we don't put them to the test. The only way to test it is to consciously move outside your comfort zone. This is the singular most important trait which all of us should imbibe in ourselves to attain a life worth smiling about.

Today's Thought Life begins at the end of your comfort zone [tweet this]
Choose your relationships wisely

Usually we tend to get fooled by what we see in the movies or read about in books. However, our relationships are pretty different than that. A relationship, especially that of a life partner, calls for enormous amounts of patience for each other and being able to express love for another even after 30 or 40 years of being together. Such relationships are not only meant for the good and happy times but also for the troublesome periods full of despair and obstacles.

Choose the relationship wisely, don't get into a relation just because you're lonely. Sometimes, the wait for a great relationship reaps great rewards and eternal happiness in the long run.

Today's Thought Choose your relationships wisely [tweet this]

This list of 7 things was by no means an exhaustive list. I'm sure all of you have even more experiences and thoughts to share. Go ahead, express your views and opinions in the comments section below.

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By Jay Singh

Footprints

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 04:24:00 +0000

Vivian Leigh once said that,

"Life is too short to work so hard." [Tweet This Thought].

In keeping with these periods of time available to us in short supply, I present to you something short to inspire you, 50 words to be precise.

Six years. Finally, Zack's startup was showing some promise. Zack was tired - no salary or vacation for months and usually no weekends. "You could easily have made a lot of money elsewhere." his friend remarked. Zack smiled, "But the chance to leave your footprints somewhere - before anyone else, is priceless."

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By Jay Singh

How To Take Charge Of Your Complicated Life ? F?@K KNOWS

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:48:00 +0000

You will read, but not understand.

You will understand, but not do.

You will do, but not understand what you did.

Does it make a difference?

F?@k knows.

Truth be told, I never had a good impression about this book when I first saw it. In fact, upon its arrival at my home, the book had to kept under the covers and only read when there was solitude, partly because of the eye-catching color and fonts on the cover page. In many Indian households, the F word is still held as a taboo by the families. I myself was criticized by my mother for reading such books which "play around with the minds of the youth and spoil them."

However, as soon as I started reading the first page of the book and continued into the book, my fears & apprehensions started to get dispelled. I realized what a gem of a book this is and that the Author, Shailendra Singh actually spoke some sense. Actually, he spoke my mind and talked about all those notions and ideas which have been present in my mind for the past 1-2 years now.

Before we move into the review of this book, I wish to warn the readers and offer my own disclaimer as well.

Read this book at your own risk. It is FULL of abuses, euphemisms, dirty language, detailed description of erotic stories and love making. Reader discretion is advised.

Having said that, let me make a point very clear and I know that the author will agree with me. This is definitely not about the abuses. It does not teach you how to abuse people. My personal request to all the readers of this book is to capture the essence of this book and not be distracted by all the abusive language. If you succeed in doing that, then this book is a gem and one meant for collection purposes.

Now, with the disclaimer out of the way, let's get into the book review.

The Specifications

Title - F?@K Knows
Author - Shailendra Singh
Place - New Delhi
Publisher - Rupa Publications
Pages - 248
Price - Rs. 195/-
ISBN - 978-81-291-2388-6

The Externals

The cover has been designed by Nicole Sottung. One look at the cover tells the reader, that this book has been made keeping the youth in mind. The cover uses generous doses of bright, vibrant colors such as yellow, red and black fonts. These bright shades might be attributed to the brighter outlook towards life and career, which the book speaks about in its various chapters.

The spray can effect on the fonts both in the title of the book as well as in the author's name, in a way reaches out to the rebellious nature of today's young generation. The cover also includes small icons depicting a cricket bat, ice cream cone and most notably, a bottle of liquor. More on the significance of these icons later on in this review.

The Author

The Author is Shailendra Singh, most notably known as the Co-founder of Percept Media and also the concept owner of the Sunburn Festival.

In the year 1987, 20-year old Shailendra left his career as a professional cricketer in English County and stumbled into the world of advertising, to join his elder brother Harindra as a partner in a 3-year old advertising business, Percept Advertising.

In 1994, he setup Percept D'mark (PDM). In a short span of time PDM became India's leading Experiential and Sports Marketing Agency.

Read more about this man in his profile page.

The Internals

The author dedicates his first published work to the Universe. The presence of a table of contents reveals that the book has been divided into chapters and headings but no numbering of these chapters. In this way, the author has come up with some really cool and wacky names for the different chapters.

The author gets into Author mode from the disclaimer page itself and the readers gets a peek into his witty and humorous side.

It is in the 'How to Read this book' section, that my hunches about the cover picture turn out to be true. The author gives detailed suggestions on various methods and places where you could read this book and that too, enjoyably. The Author tops up his suggestions with the names of his favorite brand of Liquor. These suggestions explains the reason behind the Liquor bottle occupying the central spot on the front cover.

Basically, the book is a collection of the Author's experiences which he has collected through these years of existence. That's the reason why, he warns the audience in the Preface section that he does not have the answers to all the questions which plague the youth of today.

Reactions and Experiences

The book is a wonderful delight to read and the amount of lessons to be learnt from this book is enormous. The author makes use of short to very short sentences and easy to understand vocabulary, which underscore the importance of the message which he's trying to send across and the impact he wishes to generate.

Throughout the book, he urges the readers to read the instructions and then keep the book down to actually perform the exercises or activity which he speaks about.

The main objective of the author is to get his message across and inspire the youth to do things which they like doing, which their heart tells them to do.

Consider this thought on detachment,

"They say the key to enlightenment is detachment. Detaching oneself from desire and from the mind. Dissociating from mind-generated thoughts. Stop identifying with them, because they are not you. They are not your true essence. Your true essence has to become the watcher of those thoughts."

On being a loser, the author says,

"If a kid doesn't aspire to be something that society deems 'incredible', then they are already made to feel like a loser."

On the thought of leaving behind,

"I guess I realized that, at the end of the day, I wanted my work to create more than profits. When the time for me to leave this world came, I wanted to leave behind more than balance sheets, bank accounts and receipts."

On the thought of having options in life,

"In life, you get messages from up there, out there. You get signs to tell you there are doors and options open to you. But then, the call is yours. If you notice, you usually have two options in all circumstances, and you generally tend to pick the one that you are most comfortable with. Hardly anyone takes the path that is challenging and unknown. But the option is there."

On the difference between being Rich and being Wealthy,

"In a way, I believe that it is the money that you have earned, that makes you 'rich'. It is the money that you spend that makes you 'wealthy'. Wealthy is the state of the mind that you get from using your riches for your enjoyment."

The Hits

The book is full of personal experiences of the author which taught him a lot about life and now he passes on those treasures of learning to the youth of this age. I personally learnt a lot of new things from this book. Let me give you an example.

TIL (Today I Learned) that there are more neurons located in a 9-meter section of the gut (Enteric Nervous System) than are found in the spinal cord or the brain, combined. In fact, the Gut is usually referred to as the 'Second Brain' of our body.

It's actually true and you can read up about this at the following links:

How the Gut's 'second brain' influences mood and well being

Enteric Nervous System

The Misses

Well, apart from the usual typos and the high frequency of abusive words and obscene language, the book is a wonderful read. People who find such language offensive might find it difficult to go through the book. In fact, the author himself suggests that the reader read through the book one chapter at a time, as the messages it contains might take some time to sink in. So, he urges the readers to think it through.

The Final Verdict

As a wrap-up to this review, all I can say is that- go for this book. There are many points at which you would feel inspired while reading this book and this should lift the spirits of many of you out there who're battling it out in their lives. This book will teach you how to follow your heart and your gut instincts-no matter what happens.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Reviews Program. for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

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By Jay Singh

Lost

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:20:00 +0000

Dion Boucicault once said that,

"Men talk of killing time while time quietly kills them."
[Tweet this Thought].

He did have a point when he said this but more than that he had enormous amount of foresight.

Why do I say foresight, you may ask?

That's simply because this single quote/thought holds true regardless of our race, nationality and is valid across various time periods. Time is an essential commodity in a human's life, however, the majority of us fail to efficiently utilize the time which we have on our hands.

In keeping with the chaotic and busy lives of all of my readers out there, I'm presenting a short story to you.

Ok, so how short is this story?

50 words to be precise and it is my first attempt at writing a fictional piece in exactly 50 words, nothing more, nothing less. That's my contribution to the byte-sized information gobbling internet user of today's time.

Here it goes, then.

Anthony was completely lost. He was thwarted. His problem was straightforward. He couldn't figure out his exact location. Naturally, he was clueless regarding the direction or the distance to his destination. After struggling for a while, he realized what the actual problem was - he was carrying the wrong map!

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By Jay Singh

20 Quotes To Get You Charged Up In The Morning

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 06:02:00 +0000

"Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life." - Buddha [Tweet This Thought].
"Life is like riding a bicycle, you don't fall off unless you plan to stop peddling." - Claude Pepper [Tweet This Thought].
"All of the animals except for man know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it." - Samuel Butler [Tweet This Thought].
"If you haven't fought for your life for something you want, you don't know what's life all about." - Robert Stone [Tweet This Thought].
"A life is black, whiten it as you will." - E. H. Chapin [Tweet This Thought].
"Life is measured by the rapidity of change, the succession of influences that modify the being." - George Eliot [Tweet This Thought].
"Life is hard, after all it kills you!" - Katharine Hepburn [Tweet This Thought].
"Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit." - Henry Adams [Tweet This Thought].
"One word frees us of all the weight & pain of life: that word is Love." - Sophocles [Tweet This Thought].
"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill [Tweet This Thought].
"My whole life is waiting for the questions to which I have prepared answers." - Tom Stoppard [Tweet This Thought].
"I wish I had known earlier that you have all the time you'll need right up to the day you die." - William Wiley [Tweet This Thought].
"No matter how fast light travels it finds the darkness has always got there first and is waiting for it" - Terry Pratchett [Tweet This Thought].
"It only takes one person to change your life - You." - Ruth Casey [Tweet This Thought].
"The more you eat, the less flavor; the less you eat, the more flavor." - Chinese Proverb [Tweet This Thought].
"If you don't care for your body, where are you going to live?" - Unknown [Tweet This Thought].
"There are no limitations to the human mind except those we acknowledge." - Napoleon Hill [Tweet This Thought].
"Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you're usually right." - Henry Ford [Tweet This Thought].
"By working faithfully 8 hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work 12 hours a day" - Robert Frost [Tweet This Thought].
"There are 2 ways to make the leap of faith-either you're self motivated or someone pushes you to jump" - Jay Singh [Tweet This Thought].

The last quote is a bonus addition to the list, fresh out of the confines of my mind.

Which quote did you like? Which quotes are your personal favorites? Which quote would you add to this list?

Share this with your loved ones, because you may or may not know about these quotes but someone else could read it and get inspired.

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By Jay Singh

3 Ways To Stop Constraints From Becoming Obstacles

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 04:30:00 +0000

Referring to the subject of constraints, Ronald Reagan once said that,

"There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect."

Yes, constraints are a way of life and no matter how hard we try, they always keep cropping up in the most unlikeliest of ways. Look around you, there are so many people in your lives who are creating constraints for you every single day.

Your boss demands superior performance from you and for that you have to listen to loads of bantering and suffer the wrath of the boss's temperamental side. You're constrained from taking any action.
Your clients want top notch delivery and they are literally breathing down your neck; you're constrained.
Your spouse feels you do not pay any attention to them and they stop talking to you; you're constrained here again.
Your kids, your family and basically the entire environment and society in which you live in is a continuous source of constraints.

So, what do you do? How do you deal with it? In this post, we shall see 3 ways in which you can change your outlook towards these constraints and try to use them to your advantage instead of simply ruing their presence in your life.

Constraints results in adjacency which results in innovation

Let's suppose you live in a huge mansion with 20 bedrooms, hundreds of square feet of space and with only 3 members of the family living in that house. Just imagine, the number of times these members would be interacting with one another. Compare that to another scenario where the same family is inhabiting a household of just a few hundred square feet, let's say 500 square feet. The amount of interactions instantly shoot up, the members are literally bumping into one another throughout the day. There is a constant struggle for space and who gets to do what. Sometimes, it even leads to tension but it also leads to problem solving and finding the best possible solution to the problems.

This is what has been and is still happening in the best business corporations the world over. They're embracing the open office space culture wherein all employees including the bosses sit in open bays rather than cabins. The employees are allowed more break times, leisure time for frivolous activies to improve the chances of interactions and thereby resulting in some form of innovation.

Today's Advice Constraints leads to proximity which leads to innovation [tweet this].
Constraints can help you in getting quick assessments

While working with limited resources, the clients or the key stake holders would be keeping a close watch on you. This constant vigil actually results in increased efficiency in the output. When we keep restricting our timelines, our resources and our circle of influence, it results in getting more amount of work done and ultimately leads to a professional finish to the task. This aspect is expertly utilized by the manager of the biggest sporting clubs around the world.

Today's Advice Constraints get you quick Feedback [tweet this].
Constraints can aid in the creation process

Although we hate a constrained life and would love to luxuriate in all things easy and attainable, constraints are actually the doorway to creating something which is magical, mind-boggling and utterly creative, all at the same time.

The best example for this is the novel Gadsby which has been authored by Ernest Vincent Wright. The book is a story which has over 50,000 words but written without the letter 'e'. Imagine writing even 100 words without the letter 'e'.

We've all heard the famous adage,

"Think out-of-the-box"

But we must remember that it is only when we constrict ourselves to the box, that we're actually able to think of ways of getting outside the box.

Today's Advice Constraints can aid in the process of Creation [tweet this].

How do you deal with the constraints and restrictions in your life? What other methods do you use to overcome these hurdles? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.

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By Jay Singh

Warning-A ‘RIP’ping Tale Of Corruption & Conspiracy In India

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 10:50:00 +0000

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Rebellion against Tyrants is obedience to God.”

Profound words and history is witness to this fact. Whenever the levels of injustice, conspiracy, scams, fear and anger have gone up in a country and its citizens, it has always lead to uprisings and rebellions among the daring few. Sometimes, the very protectors of the country take up the task of rebellion, in order to safeguard the larger interest of the entire population.

Such is the tale of the book RIP authored by Mukul Deva and not only is this a RIPping account of the Indian Government and its working but it also moves at a ripping pace as well. Here is a hands-on review of the book, RIP.

The Specifications

Title – RIP
Author – Mukul Deva
Place – Manipal (Printing)
Publisher – Westland Ltd.
Pages – 299
Price – Rs.200
ISBN – 978-93-82618-19-5

The Externals

The Cover design, done by Saurav Das, makes generous use of orange and yellowish tinges and captures the interest of the reader’s eyes. Saurav Das is a veteran in terms of book cover designs and has many book covers to his name. Both the front & back cover display the deft use of testimonials and praises showered on the author by leading media & publication houses.

The cover features two very significant objects which are used extensively throughout the book. One, is the syringe needle pointing downwards from the top and the second one is a bullet (apparently it looks like a 7.62 x 54 mm bullet from a Russian SVD)pointing upwards from the bottom. The cover promises on a lot of adrenaline pumping action and manages to deliver on that as well.

The Author

The author of the book is Mukul Deva, an alumnus of La Martiniere, Lucknow. He has also undergone training at the National Defence Academy, Pune and The Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He was commissioned in the Sikh Light Infantry of Indian Army in 1981. After a successful stint at the Indian Army, Mukul has now turned his attention to his love for writing and motivational speaking. He also has a series of books to his name which span genres. such as, Lashkar, Salim must die, Blowback, Tanzeem, The Dust will never settle and now, RIP.

The author has been compared to the likes of Robert Ludlum and Tom Clancy and has a dozen or so testimonials present both inside as well as outside the book.

The Plot & the Characters

The plot begins at full throttle from page one itself. The entire plot is based around a retired Colonel Krishna Athawale who was a part of the elite 19th Para Commando and his team of five ex-Special Forces servicemen. They call themselves the K-team, simply because of the fact that all of their first names begins with the letter K. The K-team is out on a mission to restore balance and integrity to an otherwise corrupt and decaying Indian Political and Judicial set-up. Being fed up of the non-violent and Gandhian methods of changing the face of the nation, Col. Krishna and his team take it upon themselves, the task of eliminating the corrupt, the power hungry and the criminals who went scot free. It is here we are reveled the name of the book and the name of their anti-government group called RIP, which stands for Resurgent Indian Patriots (RIP).

Colonel Krishna is an army man who has everything good for him during his years in the army, when all of a sudden during the IC-814 airplance hijacking happens and in the process loses his wife, Pooja in the firing. The terrorists are gunned down but Krishna realizes that the bullet which killed Pooja had been fired from one of the guns of the K-team, possibly his own. After the accident, Krishna quits the Army while he was still a Colonel and alongwith him the entire K-team also quits the Army. Krishna, the estranged single parent, gives his best to raise his only son, Sachin while trying to fight the demons of the memories of that fateful accident.

Col. Krishna believes that the Political machinery in our country has decayed beyond repair and the only way to bring justice is by using the factor of fear. According to him, fear is not always seen as something dreadful, fear can even motivate people.

"Honor. Integrity. Honesty. Patriotism. These words meant nothing to these shameless people. But they would understand fear. Death, he knew, was the ultimate motivator."

The author delves into the mind of Krishna and we see that he is torn between fighting for a cause in this manner and risking the lives of his own, his team mates as well as that of the innocent citizens of the country. Krishna repeatedly questions the path which he had chosen and taken his team along with him.

The other main protagonists of the story include Raghav Bhagat, Vinod Bedi and Reena Bhagat.

Raghav Bhagat is also an ex-Special Forces man and had served in the 11th Para Commando. However, Raghav can do anything for money and has a fetish for good looking women and is always seeking out to satisfy his carnal desires. He's arrogant, hot-headed and easily becomes jealous.

Reena Bhagat is Raghav's a wife and is presently working in NDTV as a news reporter. She's a small town girl who has her morals & ethics clearly listed out. Both Raghav & Bhagat have a son from their relationship, Azaan. However, their marriage is now on the rocks since the time when Reena found Raghav sleeping with another woman. Betrayed by Raghav, she is unable to trust another man in her life again. That's till the time she has a chance encounter with Krishna and realizes that she must move on in her life.

Vinod Bedi is Special Director, heading the Special Crimes Division of the CBI. He's a man on a mission to uncover the truth behind RIP and their true identities. Vinod is himself battling a failing marriage. The Home Minister, DM Karunakaran, appoints him to the case. However, along with Vinod, Raghav is also appointed to this case as his own pawn whom he can control and get things done.

The Reactions & Experiences

The action takes place at break neck speed and across major cities of India such as Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow. It is in the author's note that we come to know of the true intent of writing this story.

"This book was born out of an extreme sense of anger and shame. Anger, at the appalling, naked greed so shamelessly displayed by the Indian Political class. And shame that they happen to be fellow-Indians."

The author manages to make the reader hooked on to the book and keep turning its pages till the very end. The direct reference to major leaders of political parties and the who's who of the actual Indian political set-up, makes it an interesting read as the reader keeps guessing the reference to the real-life counterparts.

The Hits

The author has packed in an action thriller which kept me awake till the wee hours in order to finish the book. He has made deft use of his military and combat knowledge and drawn references to guns, ammunition and covert operations. The author also showcases the techno-geek side of his personality with the help of latest gadgets and apps.

In fact, I found a very useful and handy app in this book as well. Tiger Text, which launched some time back, is used for SMSs to other phones with a limited time of availability. After the stipulated time, the message deletes automatically from the receiver's system.

The Misses

Somehow, while reading the book, I felt that the number of chance encounters were quite high. The lives of the protagonists kept crossing each other's life at regular intervals of time. In fact, at certain points, the narration of one character runs parallel to three other characters, all of them at the same place and same time. I did find this a bit strange as also the fact that K-team practically manages a flawless clean sweep without getting hurt, except for one instance when a bullet from a sniper grazes the back of one of the members. Again, the K-team has been shown as an invincible team which can neither be broken nor be harmed. An element of in-fighting within the group or heated disagreements could have made things more interesting.

The climax, too, I feel could have been dealt a little bit differently in my opinion. The elements of chance seemed to peek through them.

The book also has its shares of typos at different intervals in the book.

The Final Verdict

All in all, RIP by Mukul Deva is an entertainment package but it also shows the decayed underpinnings of our Indian Political system. It just goes to show that the politicians are absolutely abusing the powers which we the people bestow upon them. The book shows the readers how politicians break our trust time and again.

A good, adrenaline packed read for a nice weekend evening. Go ahead and let your hours pass away at RIPping speed.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Reviews Program. for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

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10 Things To Stop Doing To Yourself To Enjoy Life

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 13:16:00 +0000

William Lyon Phelps once said that,

"There is a strange reluctance on the part of most people to admit they enjoy life."

We all know that this quote applies to many people out there but are you nodding in affirmation to the above quote?

Are you one of those people who have just been living on a day-to-day basis with no clearly defined goals or path?

What's stopping you from enjoying your life to the fullest and being content with whatever you've got or achieved till now?

In this post, we shall see 10 things which might have been hindering or stopping you from extracting the maximum amount of joy from your lives. See for yourself and check whether any of the points from the list applies to you. Most importantly, check whether you have stopped the activity which stops you from enjoying life.

Stop going into inertia

Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion or state of rest. Once an individual goes into a state of inertia, he/she might be caught in a loop of activity wherein it becomes difficult to escape the routine. Inertia can cause a lot of dissatisfaction in an individual. Most of the times, especially in this modern age, it becomes highly imperative to keep doing engaging in newer activities to increase the likelihood of innovation. Read about how to break the routine.

Today's Advice Stop going into Inertia [tweet this].

Stop being afraid of committing mistakes

We all know the old adage "To err is human". However, how many of us really follow this principle? Rarely few. In fact, we've been taught since childhood that committing mistakes a bad thing and this belief has been brain washed into our minds. Truth is, mistakes are what have led people to achieve greatest heights, to invent, to make new discoveries and to register their names in the History books.

Today's Advice Stop being afraid of committing mistakes [tweet this].

Stop complaining

In Life, things do not always go the way we wanted them to. People will disappoint most of the times and there will be hurdles a lot of the times. Stop complaining and become a stronger person with each incoming hurdle and setback. Complaints are excuses for your own shortcomings and you’ll notice the difference in your morale once you stop complaining.

Today's Advice Stop complaining [tweet this].

Stop chasing perfection

A perfect or an ideal case does not exist in practical life, so stop chasing it. In the pursuit of perfection, you would end up not taking any action at all. One must remember that there is no substitute for pure execution of a work, don’t spend too much time fretting over details and getting everything perfect.

Today's Advice Stop chasing perfection [tweet this].

Stop blaming

Humans have a tendency of taking credit for all the adulation and praise whereas whenever there is a fault, we are quick to blame other people. We have no right to blame others, more so, if we have not gathered all the facts and the details. Usually, it is our own folly which leads to a failure/setback/mistake. So, think before blaming others.

Today's Advice Stop blaming [tweet this].

Stop worrying

The most important feature of the habit of worrying is that it has no impact on your tomorrow/future. But it ruins your today and snatches your happiness away from you. Don’t let that happen to you. Stop worrying about matters which have no concern or have no impact on you down the line. Useless worrying about every other matter gets you no where and degrades your health.

Today's Advice Stop worrying [tweet this].

Stop expecting

Do you know the root cause of all our feelings, emotions and our sadness/sorrow? It is expectations. It is only when we expect a certain behavior or a certain outcome/result, do we start experiencing emotional setbacks. We tend to get sad, happy, angry, oblivious, anxious, or scared, all due to expectations. If one stops expecting, everything comes as a gift to you and as a surprise.

Today's Advice Stop expecting [tweet this].

Stop becoming idle

Don’t sit around thinking about the consequences and your shortcomings. Act now. Be in the moment. Start doing.

Today's Advice Stop becoming idle [tweet this].

Stop trying to become someone else

All of us are unique, just like everyone else. Yes, that’s right; there’ll never be another you. So, stop imitating people and trying to become a person whom you’re not, that’s highly unjust for such a valuable individual such as you. Learn to recognize your own strengths and act upon it.

Today's Advice Stop trying to become someone else [tweet this].

10.

Stop seeing death with fearful eyes

Death is inevitable. No one has ever escaped it. However, most people don’t realize this. They waste the precious time which they have on mindless pursuit of materialistic gains. Remember to use death as a powerful motivator to achieve your goals. Don’t believe me? Watch Steve Jobs speak about life, death and his experiences.

Today's Advice Stop seeing death with fearful eyes [tweet this].

Which of the points applies to you the most?

Are there any other aspects, which you feel are not part of the list? Share them with us in the comments.

If you liked this article, share it with your near and dear ones so that they do not miss out on this.

If you enjoyed this Article, please subscribe via email or RSS Feeds

Jay Singh

R’Ohm’eo and ‘Joule’iet | The ‘Physic’al Love Story – My Entry To The Get Published Contest

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 12:40:00 +0000

The Idea

The story of R’Ohm’eo and ‘Joule’iet revolves around two characters.

Om Singh is a Mechanical Engineer from Delhi College of Engineering and works at ABB in Vadodara while Juilee Joshi is a Commerce Graduate from MS University at Vadodara and is working in a private firm in the same city.

Om has been a brilliant student since his schooldays but his heart yearns for creative outlets and endeavors. He loves music, writing and dance and is a regular student of Shiamak Davar’s dance classes. However, his scientific mind and analytical aptitude helps him in solving problems from a different perspective.

Joule (as Om affectionately calls Juilee, due to the Joules of energy she releases in him whenever they meet), on the other hand, is a sweet and bubbly girl who has not yet grown up. She values emotions and keeps the ones she loves, close to her heart. Their love story blooms during a bus ride on National Expressway 1 between Ahemdabad & Vadodara.

But there’s a problem here, in fact two problems. Om, who’s a Rajput, is three years younger than Joule, who’s a Brahmin. Double the trouble and in addition to that, Om gets fired from his job, Joule’s mother is the queen of stubbornness and time is running out for both of them.

Can Om manage to use his scientific acumen to pull himself out of this bottleneck?

What happens when an Unstoppable force meets an Immovable object?

These and more questions will be unraveled in this ‘Physic’al love story.

What makes this story real?

The story draws on important landmarks, highways, food joints, companies, educational institutions in Vadodara, Ahmedabad and other cities. More importantly, this is a story which actually started unfolding on National Expressway 1 in the year 2011 and is still in progress. The names are fictitious but the events and the landmarks inside the cities are very much real.

Extract

Om’s mind was racing, trying to think of some method of exchanging contact details with Juilee. He was sweating, partly because of the summer heat but mainly owing to the presence of Juilee sitting right next to him. His hands occasionally touched hers and he felt a pack of energy bursting in his veins. Juilee’s bus stop was just minutes away; Om had to come up with something, when suddenly she got up to move to the aisle.

“This is it!” Om thought and in a flash, he took out his visiting card and handed it to her.

“Hey, if you need any help with commercial equipments or anything else, give me a call.”

Juilee took it with a smile and said, “Thanks for the card.” Then, she got off the bus hurriedly.

Om reached his office but his eyes were fixed on his mobile screen for some sign of a call or a message.

Please vote for this idea, click the heart icon or visit My Entry for Get Published

"This is my entry for the HarperCollins–IndiBlogger Get Published contest, which is run with inputs from Yashodhara Lal and HarperCollins India."

Jay Singh

Let There Be Light

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 11:58:00 +0000

And then God said, "Let there be Light" and there was light.

This quote is from the third verse of the Book of Genesis acts as the guiding principle for a team of designers from London, UK. According to statistics, over 1.5 Billion people in the World have no reliable access to electricity and as a result these people rely on biomass fuels such as kerosene. Kerosene not only causes lung cancer but also increases the carbon footprint.

The team of Martin Riddiford and Jim Reeves have spent the past four years trying to find, research and refine the solution to the problem of electricity faced by these 1.5 Billion people. They have come up with Gravity Light, an innovative and low cost solution to electricity woes. The team have a dream of 'Gifting a Light' to the underprivileged section of our society who do not have the sufficient means and funds to obtain electricity from both renewable as well as non-renewable sources. This condition is more prominent in the villages in countries such as India and Africa.

The basic functioning of Gravity Light is simple. It works on the concept of Gravity by using a weight kept in a ballast bag which is then lifted up using cords and bolts. The entire process of lifting up the weight takes just 3 seconds and this provides sufficient energy to light a LED bulb for half an hour. One can do this several times with absolutely no worries of running out of batteries or causing any environmental damage. In fact, the team of designers wish to do away with the concept of batteries altogether to help make our environment more clean and green.

Gravity Light is also being developed as a replacement for the kerosene lamps which are quite common in our country, India. There are no running costs for using Gravity Light and presently it is being sold for just $10. Imagine the savings it could bring to a household which is living below the poverty line. Have a look at their website.

Here's a video of the designers explaining Gravity Light.

In an era of rapid globalization, India needs solutions such as these to make the jump from being a developing nation into a developed one. However, such initiatives need encouragement for their creativity and research. India needs innovations like these as the majority of our population still lives in rural areas where even today, people have no access to round-the-clock electricity. Even urban metropolitan homes can benefit from the use of Gravity Light. This technology can be used at doors, hallways, driveways, store rooms or to power up some other device as well. Coming back to the Book of Genesis, Gravity Light says it in a nutshell, quite clearly, let there be light for everyone to use and prosper.

Do you think Gravity Light can be introduced in India? What other measures do you feel are applicable in this context? Can we, as the citizens of our country, take any steps or make an impact on the future of this country? Share your thoughts, views and opinions in the comments below.

Jay Singh

A Change For Facebook Timeline

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 11:44:00 +0000

Facebook timeline is undergoing a change for all the users around the globe. The change has already started for users based in New Zealand and will be rolling out to other users with the passage of time. The previous transition of the landing page to the timeline feature drew a mixed response from the users. It had a lot of security issues and the users were finding it difficult coping with the new feature and the revision. There a few reasons to hate it as well, as listed below:

A lot of the pictures in which you got tagged previously would surface up and someone who you recently met, might not take to those pictures too warmly.
People who liked putting up some random photo of a celebrity as their profile picture would get even more space to put up larger photos (that includes the cover pic and the display pic as well.)
The page loading time suffered as a result of this switching and it took forever for the complete page to display.

Facebook timeline in its new avatar in 2013 will feature a new facility to rearrange the boxes in the right hand column, which includes Likes, photos etc. The user can now select the order in which the boxes should appear from a tab known as 'the collections manager'. This should give the user profile page, a more refined look and feel.

This is how the new timeline will look after the change:

Facebook, in a bid to overcome the innovation S-curve, always keeps updating its functionality and features. The social networking has already crossed the 1 billion mark for users and subscribers and has become a ubiquitous term used in everyday conversations and case studies across business schools. Every start-up in Silicon Valley is desperately trying to emulate and recreate the magic of social networking which Mark Zuckerburg achieved.

The Facebook timeline comes as a New Year gift of 2013 for the users of this network, however, only time can tell whether this update is really worth it and whether it can propel Facebook to even greater heights.

Share your thoughts and views about the Timeline or anything related to Facebook in the comments below.

Jay Singh

Plants And Watering

noreply@blogger.com (provoqd) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:28:00 +0000

Do you have a garden at home? Ok, if not a garden, do you keep plants inside your house? Is watering those plants, a big pain in the neck for you? Scared to go on a long trip or vacation, fearing that your plants might die? Do you wish to take good care of the sacred Tulsi plant in your home but office and other commitments take up a lot of your time? If you answered yes to these questions more than a couple of times, then fear not, hope is within sight. The answer to your watering woes is pretty simple and consists of two words – Plant Link.

I’m talking about Plant Link which is the ingenious new technology being developed in Illinois, USA. Plant Link is a system being generated by OSO Technologies, which basically comprises of a team of six people with diverse backgrounds such as mechanical engineering, electronic and embedded systems engineering, computer engineering and marketing. Check out their team profile at their website.

Plant Link basically comprises of a link, shaped like a long cylinder, which is placed into the soil right next to the plant. The link makes use of soil moisture readings at an interval of every 5-10 minutes to determine when your plant needs water. It also takes into account external weather conditions and different plant types to arrive at the conclusion.
The information collected by the link is then sent by wireless mode to the base sitting inside your home.
The base, with the help of your wi-fi router, then uploads this on a cloud storage space on the web.
Once this is achieved, you’ll be able to get notifications on your phone informing you that your plant needs water. You can even check it on your PC.
Then, you can either go and water the plants yourself or using the valves which connect to a sprinkler system, water your plants wirelessly as well.

Of course, this system asks for continuous power supply at your home, wifi facilities, sprinkler availability and internet access on your smartphone. One must agree that in the urban households, these things are fast becoming quite commonplace, if they aren't already. However, this technology has been developed keeping in mind the developed countries like US, UK and Europe in mind, so the applicability to the Indian context, beyond the major cities, is a tad difficult. In my previous post, I spoke about how to turn off the lights through your wi-fi network.

I’m pretty sure, if the young minds in India are given the resources and the opportunity to think creatively, these systems and technology may start originating in our country itself. However, this calls for a concerted effort from the Government as well the Private players in India to facilitate and foster such ideas. Until that day, Plant Link should solve your watering woes and problems. (Note- they’re shipping this product internationally as well, so, you might wish to try this one out.)

What are your thoughts regarding incubating such ideas in India? Would you use this technology to water the plants at your home? Can you suggest some alternate methods of watering the plants? Share your valuable insight and views in the comments below.

Jay Singh

Target Daily Deals - Save Over 20% on Essential - 6" Innerspring Full Mattress

WELCOME HOME TO SANITARIUM

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Footprints

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Constraints results in adjacency which results in innovation

Constraints can help you in getting quick assessments

Constraints can aid in the creation process

Warning-A ‘RIP’ping Tale Of Corruption & Conspiracy In India

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The Externals

The Author

The Plot & the Characters

The Reactions & Experiences

The Hits

The Misses

The Final Verdict

10 Things To Stop Doing To Yourself To Enjoy Life

Stop going into inertia