Perfect gifts for Him and Her to put them in High Spirits

NOTE: The below post is suitable for people above the age of 21 years only.

Take a moment to go back in time, when you were buying a gift for someone you love, you surely would have anticipated their reaction and wondered if they will cherish and value the amount of time and effort you put in to buying them that gift.

After all gifting someone gives you as much joy as it does to the receiver as you sharing into their happiness.

But lets face it, we all have struggled many a times with what to buy people on their special occasion. What do they like, what would they appreciate, what colors would they prefer, do they already have the same one? Will it fit, will they use it, will it be saved for forward gifting it to someone else..... and the confusion can go on and on and on

WELL, ALL THIS HAS NOW CHANGED NOW!

United Spirits has launched their #ScotchAsAGift collection that comprises of some of India's finest Scotch brands i.e. #Vat69 , #BlackDog and #Black&White. (No pics of the bottles as you better be aware of how they look ;) )
The perfect ensemble of Scotch that is suitable for any occasion.
Think about it, its a perfect gift, no matter how many bottles of Scotch someone may already have, it will never be enough.
Whether you drinks socially or to celebrate an occasion or just to unwind, Scotch is the perfect accompaniment for everybody. It is classy, sophisticated, timeless and suits every palette and can be enjoyed either alone or with friends and family,

The launch event was held at the #TajWestEnd last evening and had 3 of the hottest Bollywood Celebrities #ChitrangdaSingh, #LisaHaydon & #ShibaniDandekar grace the occasion and share their joys of Gifting Scotch to their loved ones.

The panel discussion moderated by Anu Menon

The verdict after the panel discussion was unanimous - Scotch is the perfect Gifting choice for any occasion.

We were also able to interact with the 3 guests of honour and it was truly a privilege for me to be able to spend a few moments with each of them.

With the Gorgeous Chitrangda Singh

With the stunning Lisa Haydon

Selfie with Shibani Dandekar

So the next time you looking at gifting something to a loved one, Get #ScotchAsaGift

P.S.

Drink Responsibly.

DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE.

Missed the Bus.. but still walking

There are times in your life when you standing on the edge and you ask your self -

1- Should I jump across this ledge
2 - Climb down,
3 - Keep walking beside it
4 - Just go back and find another route

No matter which way you decide to go, whether you are right or wrong is not determined by your choice but by your efforts to make it the right choice.

At times, on the route you chose, you wonder if you made the wrong decision, that you forcing the outcome, just to prove that you were right.
Like if you decide to jump across the ledge and when your hanging in the air for those precious few seconds, all kinds of thoughts go through your mind. Did I jump right? Do I have enough velocity? Will I make it?


In the end I ask you, Does it matter? Maybe you dint make a clean jump, perhaps you bruised a knee in the process? Would you consider that a failure? Or can you say, I know where I went wrong, I learnt I needed to to compensate for the wind force and the bruised knee only leaves a nice scar for me to share tales of my adventures in future years?

After all, isn't success how you define it? Could success be that you gathered the courage to jump and not take the safe route back?

To me, as to many what really matters is how to play with the cards dealt to you.

You may have missed a bus but are you still walking to wards the destination where you can perhaps catch another bus?

Think about it...

Topic Ek, tweets Anek

On 26th May 2015 the Modi Led BJP (NDA) Government completed 1 year and has planned several celebration activities (ads in news papers, 200+ rallies across the country etc).

Given India's increasing digital presence and BJP's strong use of the online media to reach out to Indians especially while campaigning, a twitter activity was never going to be far behind. While almost all of Modi's followers got the coveted DM's they also ran a official hashtag #SaalEkShuruaatAnek

And 1 of my fav aspects of twitter is how people can take an idea and spawn off multiple uses of that idea.

Truly its a - Sooch ek, Ideas anek!

I have shared a set of my fav tweets by India's twitteratti below. Please suggest more in the comments and will add them too :)

Choose wisely!

Shhhhhh....

This is relevant for sooo many people

From the world of E-commerce 

Profound

Summarizes Religion perfectly

You see a correlation in the 2?

Half of Bangalore will know all about this!

Insaan ka kartavya hota hain, koshihs karna!

Ghar Wapasi

Kisne kiska chori kiya?

Isne to ulta kardiya

Read to book to know more!

Ouch..

Every Engineer will vouch for this

Relationships 

The better looking neighbors right?

Traffic woes

There are tons and tons more. Please drop links in comment section below and I would love to add them

The Incredible V 2.0

Have you heard about it?

I was blown away when I did!

Yes I am talking about the new Asus ZenFone 2

Click here if you have not yet seen how Incredible it really is:
http://www.asus.com/Phones/ZenFone_2_ZE551ML/

The ZenFone 2 - Image courtesy the Asus website

What excites me about this phone?

Well I currently use a ZenFone 5 and find it amazingly fast with a very good batter life and I think this is the best value for money mobile phone in the market today.

How good my current phone is and how much more Incredible the ZenFone 2 is listed below:

1 - 4 GB RAM - I think this is the world’s FIRST Phone - yes WORLDS FIRST to have 4 GB of RAM. With 2 GB I get superior performance with absolutely no lag at all. Imagine playing games with 4GB. It would smoother than butter on a hot pan.

Combine that with a Quad core processor and we have a true winner especially given the excellent value pricing.

2 - Longer battery life and faster charging - This is a no-brainer. Every smart phone is critically evaluated based on batter life and having used smart phones for ages, I can tell you is that my Asus gives me the longest battery life of all phones I have tried. The fact that the ZenFone 2 has fast charging makes it all the more sweeter to buy

3 - Camera - the next most important criteria – Considering that I click pics of food, my family and surroundings almost on a daily basis, I am quite happy and impressed with what I get at that price. The new ZenFone 2 has more features, better low light photography, something which I can use to click better food pictures with enhancing my blogs experience. The enhanced 5MP front camera will be a nice touch to click selfies with my little boy, who is all of 2 years but loves to click selfies J

4 – Screen size and form factor – I am a sucker for large screens and every time I move to a new phone, I ensure it’s bigger than the previous one. The fact that ZenFone 2 is a 5.5 inch with the same physical size as the ZenFone 5 is superb as it means more screen space without the phone becoming difficult to hold and handle. The fact that it’s extremely thin and light, something rare for phones in this price range makes it truly incredible.

5 - 5 – Look and feel – Today mobile phones are beyond utility devices and have become a style statement and style accessory. People love to show off their devices and many use custom back panels, crystal back panels, covers etc to enhance the look of their phone. Ever since I got the ZenFone 5 I have not bought a single back cover and I think the ZenFone 5 takes that to the next level in terms of style and personality. All you need to see is the below image to know how cool, sexy and designer these phones look.

Image courtesy - Asus Website

In conclusion - Asus has out done itself with the ZenFone 2.

It looks incredible, has incredible features with industry first technology and specs and will be available for a jaw dropping price of only around Rs.17,999 (this is what I have heard)

In short - a MUST BUY. I will certainly look to upgrade my 4 month old device to this very soon.

Together we can and we will

We may be separated by distance but will never be apart from each other ever

“WE two boys together clinging,
One the other never leaving,
Up and down the roads going, North and South excursions making,
Power enjoying, elbows stretching, fingers clutching,
Arm'd and fearless, eating, drinking, sleeping, loving.
No law less than ourselves owning, sailing, soldiering, thieving,
threatening,
Misers, menials, priests alarming, air breathing, water drinking, on
the turf or the sea-beach dancing,
Cities wrenching, ease scorning, statutes mocking, feebleness
chasing,
Fulfilling our foray.” 
― Walt Whitman

No quote evokes a stronger sense of strength in me than what Walt Whitman has said here.

For me and my best friend share more than a sense of camaraderie but a deep bond.

That of knowing what the other wants, needs irrespective of whether we are voicing it or not.

We may be far away from each other today, but every single time that we meet, talk or communicate, its not the words that we say or the gestures but the connection we share that assures us that all is going to be well in this world.

Soul mates is not a hypothetical phrase but a strong reality in our case.

If every day is a new journey in life and we embark on this journey many times together, but also often in separate ways, we know as surely as the sun must set that we will meet again at the end of that journey.

And that will give us strength to be able to carry on a journey by ourselves the next day.

We have seen many difficulties in life. Not about the difficulties one faces in life but that of being away from each other.

For we have been separated for years due to study and travel and marriage and kids and work and jobs and all that can come in between us.
At times ego, other priorities, other friends, deadlines, different interests etc

But every time we meet, its beyond magic. A sense of calmness overcomes us. It reduces a storm in our minds into nothing but a gentle cool breeze blowing across the fields.

I don't know if there is a karmic connection but there certainly is a feeling of gratitude towards God for giving us the best gift life could give us.

For this connection is not about friendship but of elevation, about transcending over worldly worries into an emotion that knows knows calmness, peace of mind and a feeling - that we will experience bliss, satisfaction and joy by being together.

Much the same as what one experiences with http://housing.com/ a sense of companionship, a feeling that your in safe hands and that any decision that you need to make in terms of where to live or how to find a house is best made with them.

Being Together

The Social connector - how socializing is the key to survival

Today while I was driving to work - I heard on the Radio that Feeling alone / being lonely was becoming a serious medical concern and that it was as dangerous as Obesity.

Increasingly people were being alienated and hence a feeling of disconnect was setting in.

This is also possibly 1 of the causes of depression that is increasingly being seen amongst people.

While people are increasingly connected in the digital world, perhaps not enough time and effort is going into keeping the human touch.

While social media is a great tool to connect with people, especially for the ones who want to stay protected, those who are shy or vary of human contact for fear of being hurt, upset etc., it is not a good sign to completely alienate one self.

What we all need is that 1 groups of friends, who you can count on to always be there for you.

It does need to be a large group, even 2 to 3 friends will do, but what they help is to keep the human touch and connect going.

You may argue, saying who does not have friends these days but the point is 1 should not confuse friends with work mates, associates, roommates, acquaintances etc.

In that sense I am glad to have various groups of friends, who I can call upon in need and who call upon me in their moments of need.

These groups have my childhood friends and we have stood by each other through out what life has thrown at us, couple groups who have a common interest and we bond over that commonality (if you can't figure that out, message me and I shall explain), sports friends (this one is easy to figure out), ex work / education buddies from different companies / colleges, random other friends.
And finally my twitter friends group. Yes I have a group of people who I have met via twitter and we share great camaraderie, stay connected and meet from time to time too.

Not to forget the various family / cousins and relatives groups we all hold dear as I do have loving family members.

The beauty is that at any time any of us can connect with each other which always leaves us with uplifted spirits and provides a new hope that tomorrow will be brighter and better.

No matter where the trouble in life, whether it's at home, work or with some of my friends, being a united group helps us tide over those issues and come out feeling stronger and more confident of ourselves.

It's not about any 1 instance, but each and every moment spent with these various sets of friends, helps you realize that there is so much more to life than worry and concern and that with support and being #together we can conquer any challenge that life can throw at us.

It's the same kind of support and togetherness that you can get from https://housing.com/ when you looking a new home. Truly a website with a big difference.

Inspiration is all Around is. Thanks to our #EverydayHeroes

For every smile you bring to the world, the world will give you 2 back.


Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.

Dalai Lama

I am a firm believer in this philosophy. It is my quest to spread as much joy and happiness I can in this world. I go out of my way, often at my own peril.

I do give in despite it being against my belief or choice. But this is not for me to gloat over myself.

I most CERTAINLY am NOT the Only One and neither am I doing it more than others for there are people who are far more worthy to getting that title.

One only needs to look around us to experience a sense of gratitude. For there are people all around us who are doing their bit to bring smiles to people lives and to help make this a better place to live in.

#EverydayHeroes I call them. Unsung heroes is what you may be thinking about. Who silently contribute to your joy and you don't even realize it.

For in their actions and deeds they give hope and optimism of a better world that we will live in.

Who are these heroes? Here are a couple to illustrate my point:

Radio Jockeys - no matter what their mood / state of mind - they have to engage with their audience, spread smiles, joy and excitement and keep the audience hooked to their stations.

Twitter RoCur account managers - have you ever spared a thought for them? They typically get 1 week to engage with people they don't know, who are culturally completely diverse, across a vast age group and geography with different interests. All this means that they have very little to connect upon and the worst part is that they don't know what engagements have happened in the past!

Which means that they have to think on their feet, be different, interesting and engage with people they probably won't hear from ever again.

And there are people who volunteer to do this week in and week out.

If this is not inspiring then what is? Do remember that curators may get abused, fought with and insulted for hurting peoples sentiments even though they would have no such intention.

It is a thank less job and one that tells you that you have to be made of stern stuff if you want to be able to excel at it.

In the same vein there are a few companies who want to stand out in the crowd and make a difference. Who want to enrich your life in small ways so that you go to bed feeling happy at what you achieved that day.

One such company is Housing.com, Have a look at a website https://housing.com/lookup that you would never believe is from a company that is helping you choose a home.

It certainly gives you Hope. That there is a human on the other side too.