Catching Live Cricket Action was Never so easy!

Commuting from office to home in Delhi in monsoons is no less than a big challenge, due to never ending traffic jam on the roads. But I have a wonderful idea to keep all the traffic off the roads. Just keep an India Pakistan ODI match everyday, and whole of the nation including Delhi will be glued on to TV sets instead of increasing the on-road traffic. Cricket is no less than a religion in the country and Sachin Tendulkar, the living God. I still remember one of my job interviews had to be postponed since the interview was supposed to be held in Chandigarh and the day coincided with Indo-Pak World Cup semifinal clash in Mohali.

While thousands of Delhiites were stuck yesterday in #DelhiMetro technical snag at Lakshmi Nagar, the time coincided with the start of the Ashes test between England and Australia. Ashes rivalry has always been as historic as Indo-Pak matches. One of my friends stuck in the Metro was constantly ringing me up for getting the latest updates on the match. Being in office, I asked him to download any news app to get such updates, but due to large number of concurrent internet connections near his location, the net speed did not allow him to make any new downloads. Searching some other option, I came across a wonderful option of embedded Cricketing action in the browser itself.

Guess what, I told him this wonderful option and he didn’t have to call me again for any further updates. Luckily, UC Browser was already in the smartphone, since it is one of the best mobile browsers which allows faster browsing over the net. It has recently added an embedded option to catch up all the cricket updates within the browser itself. No more missing Yuvi ke sixes or Starc’s bowled victims. Want to see the latest score of the ongoing match, or eager about the schedule of the upcoming matches, UC Cricket is here as a one-stop solution.

It is very easy to connect to cricket in UC Browser. Clicking an icon titled ‘UC Cricket’ on the homescreen and here we are connected to all the cricket updates.  It features live Scores with auto updates, fixtures & result, latest news and videos. Do check out the link here for complete details.  

So, while the technical snag at #DelhiMetro caused inconvenience to many including my friend, it got me known of this wonderful option and yes, bye bye now to all the cricket apps to fasten my phone and this option in UC Browser is all I need now to connect to internet, wherever I am. Watch the video here to get more eager:

#YuvisurfsUC and so do I. When do you plan to start?

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Time to be Sherlock Holmes!

It’s certainly very exciting being a blogger and expressing your heart on whatever you want to speak about. It gets even more interesting when there are certain events and activities which are made exclusive for the bloggers. I noticed an invite from BlogAdda.com in my inbox which invited only male bloggers for the activity. Curious about the activity, especially the keyword #sniffsniff, it was certainly something I got excited about. I immediately registered for the activity, as the destiny was meant to be, I was selected for the activity.

However, I was really clueless about how the activity is going to work out. It was a hot Sunday noon and I was just about the bathe, when the doorbell rung. 

Certainly Not the right place to use the Wooden Clip!

As I went to open the door, there was a delivery boy handing me over a BlogAdda packet with a wooden clip which was stuck on the nose on the face over another paper in the packet. You may call it coincidence, it was just about the time I was going to remove my body odour by having a nice bath in the fresh water that the blogadda packet arrived. Out of curiousity, I tried all the permutations for what the clue might be all about. But yes, one thing was sure, it was something to do with body odour.

But yes, the clue was interesting and since I knew there will be three clues before the surprise is revealed, it was more exciting. The next day, I kept asking at home if there was any more packet. But no, there wasn’t. The next clue finally arrived on Tuesday. But hey, it was a clue to make you clueless. 

The Mysterious Potli

Guess Who Spilt the Beans!

The box contained a small cloth bag, or what we used to call a ‘potli’, and guess what, the potli contained coffee beans. While the first clue made me almost sure about something related to Body odour, the second clue was seemed of no help, but may be I will have it in a coffee mug sometime. The frangrance of coffee beans makes me feel, a great coffee lies within. Then, I just tried googling anylink between coffee beans and body odour and bingo, coffee beans are a great source to stimulate body to oppose the odour.

Protect yourself from All the Bad Air!

The detective within me was getting more excited to receive the third and final clue. And yeah, when I received it, I could not stop laughing. It was an air mask and believe me, with the kind of sweaty journeys Metro makes me undergo, this is the only way out. But all this made me conclude that a new product to eliminate body odour is on its way, but the way its being unleashed is surely something new and exciting.

I'm using my investigative skills to uncover the mystery of #sniffsniff at BlogAdda. Lets’ see if Sherlock Simar Holmes was successful in his first case.

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IGP makes my Day!

While I was just browsing through the web of the Internet, I came across a new site on the block: IndianGiftsPortal. As you would guess it, the site offers a wide variety of the gifts, which it delivers to the location you can even think of. I just thought to try out the website for sending across a gift back home on Fathers’ Day.

The website has a nice interface and easy-to-explore design. While the search started from the Gifts for Fathers, I noticed that it has a wide variety of personalized gifts including mugs, tees, photo frames and cushions, all bearing touching themes and designs that promise to warm the recipient’s heart. The portal has also come up with a nice mobile app and then I used the device in hand to complete my order.

Welcome Screen on the Mobile App

As you open the app, the range of occasions to send gifts opens up. The gifts are very well sorted in these categories, but to choose the best amongst the best, you obviously need to browse across the categories. And that’s what I did. I was looking for a product that can be used as a part of our lives. 

The Site through the Mobile App

The Gift I zeroed on

Finally, I stuck on a beautiful wall clock which allowed me personalization and I could actually put up my family photo in it.

Personalization Page

Now when the product was all finalized, the checkout process had to start and believe me, the whole process ended in 3 minutes after I had zeroed in on the product. The photo upload part was smooth, payment process was even more smoother. Although when you are spending some money of your pockets, you would hope that the payment process is a little slow so that you have a little more time to think upon your final choice. But jokes apart, the process sails you smoothly and you don’t have to worry about the failed payments.

Even though I was a bit late on my order and a bit more late on providing a better resolution picture for the product, the personalized product got delivered right before the Father’s Day. So, the delivery process was even more smoother. And as I write the post, I have received the picture of the clock already beautifying the wall in my parents’ room.

The Wall Clock beautifying the Wall @ Home

Cheers to IGP team for such a nice product. IGP is surely going to be my choice for gifts next time as well. May be you can give it a try too. 

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Life seems so Much Lodgykal!

While the world was busy with the talks of #MaggiBan, #DelhiMinisters, #FallingSensex, I was having a tiring May in Office this year and thanks to the sleepless nights (or if I put it better, ‘nights with less sleep’), I am planning to go on a vacation.

The traveler in me has been on a hibernation mode, since last time I had a break-from-work vacation was in December 2013 in the north-eastern parts of the country. Travelling is always fun when the things that make you happy are with you. First and foremost thing for me while planning for a vacation is getting the plans of our gang of friends. 

Gang of Friends

No vacation is good unless you have the crazy friends by your side. It generally gets difficult to get the plans of 4 friends, working in different companies, in sync but as they say where there’s a will, there’s a way. 

Simar 'the Photographer'

Also, the photographer Simar refuses to take a backseat whenever I am on vacation mode. I often prefer spending time in the lap of nature and no wonder, photography comes naturally in the natural atmosphere. So, a DSLR camera to capture the cherishable moments is a must in my luggage bag.

Further, whenever into a long vacation, I need to have my laptop with me, and no, not for any official reasons, but since I need it to vacate the space in DSLR’s memory card and to share the pictures.

As opposed to my friends, I am an early riser and hence, a pair of running/ jogging shoes is what I require to go for jog in the morning. I like talking to the nature and morning is the best time for the conversation.  

Staple Food on Vacation - Maggi

Whenever going on any trip, one thing Punjabis can never forget about is the food for the journey. Whether it is a 2-3 hours journey or it is a day long road trip, we carry loads of matthi achaar, namkeen, fruits etc. Whatever be the apetite of the fellow travelers, he food we carry always wins the competition on what lasts longer. Earlier, our staple food, Maggi used to top the charts for the journey food, but thanks to the Ban now, you are bound to miss it.

All this makes my vacation packing complete and one thing I figure out now is that my luggage is heavy to the core now. However, one more thing that is certainly true in majority of cases is that while we love planning and packing, we really hate to pick our heavy bags in the excitement of the enjoying the place. But while I was searching for a nice getaway to spend some leisure time, I came across Renault Lodgy, a perfect fit into my travel plans. 

It has a comfortable 7-8 seat configuration which perfectly suits our gang of four. Further, since every seat seems to offer similar comfort and legspace, we won’t have to fight within ourselves for our preferable seats. An open storage above the glove box and conveniently placed cup holders and flight trays take care of enabling us to enjoy our journey food. It also offers me a 12V charging socket in all the rows and am never away from twitter and FB owing to low battery.

And to top it up, it has a mediaNAV console with chrome surround which allows me to play my fav songs from the USB drive all the way. The journey never gets dull, even when you are waiting in a queue on a Toll plaza. 

So, before my vacation plan finalizes, my partner in the vacation seems already finalized. And with so many features to flaunt with, life seems so much Lodgykal with Renault Lodgy.

I’m participating in the #LiveLodgycal contest with Renault in association with BlogAdda to get a chance to be a part of the #LiveLodgycal Drive in Goa.

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Wildlife Never Seemed So Close

Book Review of ‘Capturing Wildlife Moments in India’ by Ashok Mahindra

Publisher – Oxford University Press(OUP) & Bombay Natural History Society(BNHS)

Genre – Adventure

One sentence for the book

Wildlife seems too close with some awesome photography in the book.  

About the Author

A Chartered Accountant by qualification, Ashok Mahindra retired in 2008 after a career spanning nearly 40 years. As a former Treasurer and Vice-President of WWF India, he got aware of the need for the preservation of wildlife in India which eventually led him to becoming a wildlife photographer. He has travelled widely in India to numerous national parks and sanctuaries in the pursuit of his hobby. Enriched with his vast experience of being so close to the wildlife, here is his first coffee table photo book.

Book Cover

Book cover has been designed quite interestingly showing Royal Bengal Tiger in his complete royalty having some relaxing time in the pond at Ranthambhore National Park in Rajasthan. With a great shot captured in the cover, the book gets you curious about what more it has in store for you.

About the Book

A small book of 85 pages with some 100+ pictures showcases the wildlife diversity in India. The book highlights the rich range of wildlife and its habitats in India. The book also indicates the continuing threat to wildlife in India and sets out how it could be more effectively preserved. The book lists the National Parks and Sanctuaries visited (over 30), the Wildlife Hotspots and interesting places to stay. However, besides giving a small intro about the wildlife specie in the different photographs, the book certainly makes you excited enough to have a more closer look at the wildlife in the country.

Sh. Ashok Mahindra states at one place:

"The power of photography to provide a platform to document threatened landscapes and species cannot be underestimated. At present,the entire ecological system is being seriously threatened. My endeavour as a photographer is to encourage people to care for all threatened species - from the smallest insects to the biggest cats - before it is too late." This one of a kind book bringing you more close to the nature will certainly interest you.

Thumbs Up

The photographs used in the book seem to have been shot with so much sincerity that the images seem so real. While I had visited Ranthmabhore National park in February this year, I have already got excited to get closer to the nature once more, this time, the destination might be the home of the Asiatic Lion, Gir National Park in Gujarat.

Thumbs Down

The photographs give you so much excitement and a sense of adventure just from the still images that once you close the book, it will certainly make you craving for an adventure visit sooner. Otherwise, the only thing I felt was that for an adventure enthusiast, the book might be exciting but the same may not be of interest for all kinds of readers.

Rating

4.5/5

A half point deducted only for the fact that the book is priced little bit aggressively. A lighter book would have helped a little as well.

This post is a part of the book review program of at Saevus Wildlife India in association with The Hemchand Mahindra Foundation for the book Capturing Wildlife Moments in IndiaBook Review of ‘Capturing Wildlife Moments in India’ by Ashok Mahindra

Publisher – Oxford University Press(OUP) & Bombay Natural History Society(BNHS)

Genre – Adventure

One sentence for the book

Wildlife seems too close with some awesome photography in the book.  

About the Author

A Chartered Accountant by qualification, Ashok Mahindra retired in 2008 after a career spanning nearly 40 years. As a former Treasurer and Vice-President of WWF India, he got aware of the need for the preservation of wildlife in India which eventually led him to becoming a wildlife photographer. He has travelled widely in India to numerous national parks and sanctuaries in the pursuit of his hobby. Enriched with his vast experience of being so close to the wildlife, here is his first coffee table photo book.

Book Cover

Book cover has been designed quite interestingly showing Royal Bengal Tiger in his complete royalty having some relaxing time in the pond at Ranthambhore National Park in Rajasthan. With a great shot captured in the cover, the book gets you curious about what more it has in store for you.

About the Book

A small book of 85 pages with some 100+ pictures showcases the wildlife diversity in India. The book highlights the rich range of wildlife and its habitats in India. The book also indicates the continuing threat to wildlife in India and sets out how it could be more effectively preserved. The book lists the National Parks and Sanctuaries visited (over 30), the Wildlife Hotspots and interesting places to stay. However, besides giving a small intro about the wildlife specie in the different photographs, the book certainly makes you excited enough to have a more closer look at the wildlife in the country.

Sh. Ashok Mahindra states at one place:

"The power of photography to provide a platform to document threatened landscapes and species cannot be underestimated. At present,the entire ecological system is being seriously threatened. My endeavour as a photographer is to encourage people to care for all threatened species - from the smallest insects to the biggest cats - before it is too late." This one of a kind book bringing you more close to the nature will certainly interest you.

Thumbs Up

The photographs used in the book seem to have been shot with so much sincerity that the images seem so real. While I had visited Ranthmabhore National park in February this year, I have already got excited to get closer to the nature once more, this time, the destination might be the home of the Asiatic Lion, Gir National Park in Gujarat.

Thumbs Down

The photographs give you so much excitement and a sense of adventure just from the still images that once you close the book, it will certainly make you craving for an adventure visit sooner. Otherwise, the only thing I felt was that for an adventure enthusiast, the book might be exciting but the same may not be of interest for all kinds of readers.

Rating

4.5/5

A half point deducted only for the fact that the book is priced little bit aggressively. A lighter book by weight and on the pocket would have helped a little as well.

This post is a part of the book review program of at Saevus Wildlife India in association with The Hemchand Mahindra Foundation for the book Capturing Wildlife Moments in India

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Be Happy Singh!

We live in a world today which waits for Valentine’s Day to express our love for our beloved and Mother’s Day to extend our affection towards our mother. We are generally always on a lookout for ‘false’ reasons which denote happiness. We keep running after the worldly pleasures considering they are the sole means to the eternal happiness. But the truth remains that even in a 100-room villa, one needs just a single bedroom to sleep. The true happiness comes from enjoying each and every moment you live on this planet. One must do what he likes, or start liking whatever he is doing.

Here are my simple fundas to be Happy Singh:

Stop Thinking what Others Think of You

Thinking what others might think of any of our actions is simply getting into somebody else’s shoes. If we even think about what others think of us, then what job do we leave for others to do. As a hindi quote goes, “Duniya ka sabse bada rog, kya kahenge log!”, get free from this highly infectious disease about what people think about you.

One should do things not to please others but to please the inner self. It’s certainly fine to be stupid, childish at moments.

Smile

Laughing Budha brings Luck, Smiling Sardar spreads Smiles!

When feeling stressed out or when your mood is low, just SMILE, yes smile, because the brain often gets fooled and ends in making one HAPPY. Smile is a simple curve that gets many thing straight. You might not notice how the life is happy and cheerful, when you are smiling, simply because you spread an aroma of positivity and optimism to your surrounding environment, and that is what majority of the world needs these days being stressed out between striking a good balance between personal and professional lives.

Practice a Hobby

Don't Move, else I will Shoot You!

An empty mind is said to be devil’s workshop. A vacant mind houses all the evil actions. Its good to keep the mind occupied in something one can feel happy about. So, here’s how your hobby can be a tenant in your empty mind. Do something that makes one feel good. It may not always earn you more money, but will render a sense of fulfillment and achievement. For me, it’s either photography or writing my blog. Life gives you many reasons to smile, writing my blog gives me one more. :)

Expect Less

Being a finance professional, I tend to convert the routines into mathematical expressions and here is the simplest formula to be happy in life. Happiness from any event is just the difference between the actual outcome of the event and our expectations before the outcome happened.

Happiness = Actual Outcome – Expectations

So, in order to increase our happiness quotient, either the outcome should be higher than usual or what we expect from the event should be the minimum. While generally the outcome is dependent on several other factors than just our actions, what we can do is keeping our expectations low. If we can minimize our expectations, even the minutest thing occurring in our life will make us happy. Further, by practicing to keep our expectations low, we tend to relieve pressure from others as well, which makes them happy and that will make you happier as well.

However, there are always some exceptions to the general rule. Once you have checked out Ivy Estate by Kolte Developers Private Limited in the video for which I am also sharing the link below, it is tough to keep the expectations low but the video also assures me of a great outcome, certainly one more reason to be happy. :)

#CelebrateLifeAtIvy by owning a dream home at Ivy estate, an 85 acre estate with 34 acres of greenery and open spaces. Join the 1600 happy families already living here. Check out this walkthrough video and decide for yourself.

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A Sneak Peak into Mythology - ‘Ramayana - The Game of Life : The Shattered Dreams’

Book Review of ‘Ramayana - The Game of Life : The Shattered Dreams’

Author : Shubha Vilas

Publisher – Jaico Publishing House

Genre – History/ Mythology

One sentence for the book

The author tries to narrate and portray the Ayodhaya scene and beyond revolving around Rama’s exile, and moves on to connect the centuries-old tales to the modern day relationships.

About the Author

Shubha Vilas, a spiritual seeker and a motivational speaker, holds a degree in engineering and law with specialization in Patent Law. His leadership seminars are popular with top-level management in corporate houses. He also helps individuals deal with modern-life situations by applying the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana and other dharmic traditions.

Author’s Writing Style

I have not read Shubha Vilas earlier, but this book’s narratives were not what I will really forward for in my next book.

The Title and Book Cover

The book cover is eye catching and shows Rama sleeping with a troubled yet so soothing expression. The chariot with Dashratha is shown in the background, but with a donkey in place of horse driving the chariot. Based on the historical facts, one can indeed guess what it can expect out of the story.

The title indeed is interesting and already being aware of the Ramayana story, it surely helped me connect with the book even before I read it.

About the Book

This one is the sequel to the national bestseller, Rise of the Sun Prince, in the new spiritual and motivational series - Ramayana - The Game of Life. Even though I have not read Part 1, yet I was able to catch on with the sequel and there were hardly any missing gaps. The story captured in this part is the time after Rama’s marriage with Sita, Dashratha’s tough decision to send Rama on exile and the time thereafter. However, a particular thing which I really liked about the book was the way Keikeyi and Bharatha have been portrayed. Keikeyi is often considered to be the bad queen but Rama has been portrayed to be the loved one for her as well apart from for the whole kingdom.

The way practicalities of life have been threaded along with the story of Ramayana is what stands out to be the best part of the book. There is lot to learn in the book, provided you are ready to willing to.

Thumbs Up

While the history is very much known to us, what I really liked about the book was the words of wisdom in the footnotes. It really changes the way you approach the book being read. The reader not just ‘reads’, but learns through the book.

Thumbs Down

Book has portrayed the mythological characters at some place in a drastically different manner in how we perceive the main characters of Rama and Laxman. Rama is portrayed to be content and enjoying the exile while Laxman gets portrayed as someone with no regard from Rama and Sita. One who does not know Ramayana history out of this book will have a completely different perception of the Ramayana.

Rating

3.5/5

History, being a subject of the past, does not leave much scope for creativity for the author, still linking it up with modern day lives was what kept me hooked up but at times, it got me into the ‘bored’ mode.

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

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An Experiment can Change your Life!

Life gives you many reasons to smile, writing my blog post gives me one more. :)

Sometimes in life, we feel like experimenting with ourselves. I too got this thought once around 10 years back. And that’s when I ventured to fill an application for a National Level science show 'Hum Honge Kamyaab'. Though this might not sound an experiment at first instance, it definitely was, for me who was pursuing Commerce stream. I got called up by my principal who asked me to attempt to clear the prelims for the national level science competition. It had already been a year for me in Commerce and I was surprised why I was being asked to go for the competition when the bright lot in Science stream was also available. However, notwithstanding my initial reluctance, I along with one of my friends in Medical stream, filled up the form. However, once the form was sent, we both really forgot about it.

However, after exactly a month of sending, in the first of March, 2005, I received a call from the organisers that me and my friends’ name had been shortlisted among 200 students across the country and we were now to appear in a written test which will enable the organisers to select the 36 students who will finally compete in the national completion. We both accompanied by his grandfather went to New Delhi to appear for the test. It was an exciting journey for me, as the sense of thrill was biting me. What if I get selected? How will I even make my participation felt, considering I was from non-science stream. Still, there was something within which kept me pushing.

A week after the test, it was a moment of happiness when I received a call from New Delhi informing me that I was one among 36 students selected across the country. But yes, I was told to bring a team mate with me to participate in the competition which will happen in a week long camp in New Delhi. I approached my friend from Medical stream which expressed his inability to come with me, since he would have to sacrifice his classes for that duration. I was in a fix now since I had to go with a team mate and I was required to intimate the organisers at the earliest. And then one of my seniors came across my mind. I conveyed him the idea and yippee, he agreed to accompany me. The best thing about this was that he also had his Commerce stream and we were now a team of Commerce students in a national level Science competition.

It was a week long camp and our team was there in New Delhi with my elder brother as our team’s guardian. As we reached the camp, we also got to know that the competition will be shot with one celebrity anchor and would later be telecast on DD National Channel. So, we were going to get on the ‘idiot box’. We were handed out the scheme of events and honestly speaking, those eight days were amongst the best days I had. We were given the task of creating a keyless door and when the judgement was going on for our model, one of the judges also made a remark that we were close enough to the victory. However, after knowing that our team was a purely Commerce team, he was surprised that how could we manage to come so far. And yes, that simple expression has made me believe that anything is possible with sheer determination and belief in self.

Gaurav Gera, our anchor for the Show

The day of our Shoot

This one experiment surely did change my attitude towards life, and I started believing more in myself. The interaction that happened in the camp with other students, the organizing team and the team behind the production of the show was really something that has brought a drastic change in me. My school friends who left the school in 10^th also tell me the same that the ‘Simardeep’ we know was a quiet studious guy and the one who we see now is a different one altogether.

The day I am writing this post marks exactly 10 years of the day I got back from the camp. But with pride I say, I am still in touch with most of the friends I made there.

This experiment filled me with optimism and taught me to always look up. Housing.com’s latest ad campaign reminds me of the all those glorious days since it always wants me to look up and look optimistic.

Let’s Look Up Together with Housing.com.

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