Trip to 2 most amazing places in Asia : Singapore & Malaysia : PART III

The Morning alarm rang at 7:30 a.m and it was time to wake for another amazing and fun filled day of our trip of Malaysia...

This time we were going to a place near Kuala Lumpur which was known as Genting highlands...otherwise also known as Resort World Genting..
It is a hill resort in Malaysia developed by Genting group. It takes around 1.5 hours to reach the place from Kuala Lumpur.

I really enjoyed the ride from Kuala Lumpur to Genting Highland, the best part was when the Ghat section started.. The panoramic view was really mind boggling..It was nature at its best..

After enjoying the view it was time to start moving as we arrived at our hotel, "The Awana Resort"

It was a lovely resort with fish ponds, big swimming pool , nice dinning restaurants and luxurious rooms..Our room had a balcony too..And boy!!! the view was amazing..:)

Quickly we kept our luggage, unlocked the rooms and started with the expedition of Genting highlands..

The first adventure came in just 5 mins, it was Cable car also known as Genting skyway..
There were around 7-8 people allowed in a single car. The journey was of about half hour.
Now coming to the bestest part of it, the cabin view..
Nothing in the world can be as beautiful as those valleys , mountains , greenery.. that exotic view..wow..:)

After this wonderful experience it was time for the theme parks..

There are 3 theme parks in Genting Highland

1. Outdoor theme park

                         

2. First World Indoor theme park

3. Water Park

                      

We started with the outdoor theme park. The volunteers gave us a wrist band which was our entry pass to the park.

The main signature attraction includes

a. Flying Coaster

b. Pirate's Train

c. Space Shot

                         

d. Jurassic Park

                                 

e. Genting Sky venture and many more..

The rides were really thrilling and full of adventure..I enjoyed them thoroughly..\m/

This time all the baccha party of the MakeMyTrip group was together...The guju gals, Mr Iyer son and daughter...man she is such a lovely example of natural beauty...Flawless skin, that glow, wow...mesmerized..:P
I tried to talk to her..did she enjoy the ride, how was the experience and all, but than there were people around to disturb us, our siblings ..:(...At times i really wished that the group should move ahead and by some chance I and she be left alone..Anyways that never happened..:(
But yeah i got to see her more closely, be with her for a longer time..something to cheer about..:)

It was evening time and our guide told us to head towards the Indoor theme park.
The indoor park is no less than the outdoor one..Statue of liberty riding a bike,
the symbol of love Eiffel tower, Genting Casino and a huge Oscar trophy are few of its attractions..

But what I loved the most is Ripley's Believe or not Museum...Amazing collection and hats of to the people who maintain it..really i mean it...simply wow..:)

Haunted house is a sheer waste of money so i suggest not to go for it..

The build of indoor theme park is also amazing..Castle like structures build everywhere...roller coaster running on top of your head..i wondered how much fun it is to be a volunteer there..

                         

                                     

Had never seen something like this before, even not in India ,so i was really overwhelmed with thrill, excitement and joy..got lost in my own fantasy world for sometime..:P

Finally it was time to leave the theme park and move towards the hotel as delicious dinner was waiting for us..
After dinner we went to our rooms to enjoy the luxury of king size double beds, but this time it was one for each person..;)


Next day was a travelling day..We had to say good bye to Malaysia and head towards the enchanting Singapura..It takes around 5 hours to reach Singapore from Malaysia.. The journey is quite interesting with lot of panoramic views to enjoy..

We had to stop at the boundary of Singapore for the immigration verification..
After it was done we entered into one of the most beautiful ,developed and richest country of Asia, Singapore..

Just 15 mins had passed and a yellow Lamborghini overtook our bus in nano seconds i think..:P
Wow man...everyone was jumping, standing , pushing each other to have a glimpse of it..It was proof that we were in a country with the highest per capita income in Asia..

I think every 3rd car there was a BMW, Mercedes or Audi..I so so so love cars...*thinking to settle there*..

Finally we reached our hotel "The Hard Rock hotel" which was located in Sentosa Resort World..

                       
As the name suggests it was based on the theme of rock music...The rooms are well appointed and the beds are comfortable..Bathroom is of good size with nice toiletries...The swimming pool is also quite big..loved it..:)

                                                                       
                             

Next on the list was Night Safari. It was optional, per person cost $50 which included the transportation too...Most of the people from the group decided to go for it..
Nigh Safari includes few shows and a tram ride of 30 mins which passes through the natural habitats of various animals.

                           

I would not recommend people to go for this attraction.
first because you can barely see the animals in night time , u need night vision goggles for a clear view..
and secondly  because there is nothing to do here except the 30 mins tram ride, the shows are also not that interesting..

                            

After the shows and tram ride it was time for dinner which was at a restaurant in the safari itself..

It was time to head back to our hotel and have a good night sleep..:)


In case you have missed Part II click here
For Part I here is the link

Samsung Bloggers meet @ Blue Frog

I was really overwhelmed to see the invite for the Samsung bloggers meet in my Gmail..
To add to the excitement was the venue , Blue Frog..

The meet was on 9th of March, Saturday, so it was a gr88 start to the weekend.

I asked the organizers if I could bring someone along and they agreed to it.
So now I was all set for the meet with a pretty gal Palak accompanying me..


We took a slow local from Jogeshwari to Lower Parel. Gals will be gals ,they need a guy to take care of them was proved once again..Palak forgot to get down at Lower parel and I nearly got a heart attack after listening that. Though it was a hot Saturday afternoon , but the local was overloaded, also she was not much used to travelling by local, so I was a bit worried.

"Hey I got down at next station and will be there in 5 mins" , this words of her brought some relief to me.
Blue Frog is at a walking distance from the station. The way if full of chicken and sea food shops, so you have to bear the pungent smell for around 10-15 mins.

Finally after some lefts and rights we were at the venue. At the reception there were some lovely ladies dressed in their bestest of attire..They gave us a hat each , white one for the guy and red one with sparkles for the lady, a wrist band and cool beer mug shaped gogs. Nice stuff to match the ambiance.

As we entered in I was amazed to see the opulent design and unique style of sitting arrangement.
The first thing was to reserve a table and we did that in no time..:)

Slowly people started pouring in and it seemed that the event would start in some time. We made ourselves comfortable and took out our gadgets..
There was no free wifi in the house and that thing really annoyed me. Cme'on its just a wifi.

Anyways Palak had net activated on her blackberry , so I managed a couple of tweets about the activities happening around me.

In the meanwhile our host for the day..Charu Shankar took the center stage. She was a ravishing beauty , with a killer smile.

She introduced the Samsung team who were the technical host for the eve.
We had the Samsung Digital Head for India and his team to make us aware about the amazing Samsung products and apps.

In some time a big plate which had around 12 veg and non veg cuisines was served.
Also Votka shots were served at regular intervals. The food was oky, not that yummy..

The first contest of the eve was about the max no of tweets with #Samsungpartybloggers. Winner was going to wake away with a brand new Samsung S3...wow..:)

Next event was related to photography...5 people were called on stage, each given a Samsung galaxy camera. They had to click pics in different modes with a single subject in focus.
Everyone was given a Toblerone..

The best part of the meet was getting to explore those amazing Samsung devices which were presented by the gorgeous models at regular intervals.

I got the opportunity to put my hands on Samsung S III, Grand and Galaxy Camera..:)
I had my heart on the amazing Samsung Galaxy Camera..
It is a superb cam + it has all the features of a smartphone too..wonderful product..:)

Now it is time for some gaming event , so lets race, announced the host. Yes car racing was the next event , not on road but on Samsung Grand.

4 people were called and the winner walked away with a Samsung Grand.

Finally an event for everyone called Pictionary, was announced. In this event we had to identify the movie from the drawing made on Samsung Note II. I t was a fun event though we couldn't win a single chocolate..damn..:(

Last event for the day was "The Best pic of the eve" where everyone was required to click a pic only with Samsung Galaxy Camera. They were tripods kept everywhere which had Galaxy Cameras mounted on them. The task was to click one of the finest pic using them.

Gaurav Hasbanis won the prize for the best pic, a Samsung Grand..wow..:)

The grand prize Samsung S III was given to a guy for tweeting 126 times using #Samsungpartybloggers... amazing speed..:O

Now it was time for some drinks and deserts. Deserts had 6 varieties of yummy Pastries. I really loved them. Drinks lover too were enjoying the treat.

Feedback session was on the cards and we were searching for Mr Aditya Babbar , The Digital head India and his team to share our suggestion.
I told them that I am working for Bank of America and it doesn't allow camera mobile phones in office.
If there was a smartphone having all the features except camera than it can be a boon for around 40k employees who are working in Investment Banks and Financial Institutions.

They liked the idea but the main thing is implementation. We have our hopes high as their response was quite positive..

Now comes the most exciting part of the meet , the giveaway time. Iball speakers and a  pair of Tequila shooter glass was what everyone took home...now that's really a wow moment for all who attended the meet.

That's all about the meet from my end... Catch you guys at the next one soon..:)

A Disciplined India

I wrote this post sometime last year on my blog Just A Minute (http://justamin.blogspot.in) seeing the scams surfacing on a daily basis and ill-treatment of women whom we (atleast are supposed to) highly regard going by our culture.  No matter how far we go or how high we reach, unless done something quick we will always lack in the most important prerequisite - Discipline.

Physics teaches us 2 quantities - vector and scalar. While both of them have magnitude there exists a major difference between them, that of direction. A vector has direction while a scalar doesn't  To me a perfect example of a scalar quantity is India. Yes, India.

I can’t help it. I am an Indian and my heart beats for India. It’s every success is mine, its every loss is heart wrenching. India may have been the cradle of civilization and the finest example of town and civic planning in early days but unfortunately today none of that is visible. Why is that a country known throughout the lands for its good suddenly finds itself wanting in all spheres of life? The answer is simple. The answer lies before our very own eyes and is not as complex as rocket science. A simple thing that we have forgotten the meaning of and probably even the spelling. And that’s discipline.

It’s this same discipline that allowed a puny country like Great Britain to conquer India. The same discipline that let them conquer almost all the countries of the world and build an empire so huge that the sun wouldn’t set there. The same discipline that let them hold the world captive for centuries. Leaving aside Britain, it’s the same discipline that differentiates us from any other developed country of this world. The same that differentiates an Indian and the rest of the people. The same that makes our head fall in shame when we are compared to the world.

No one can deny the talent we possess. Give us any situation and we shall be victorious. We have the magnitude but the discipline is missing. We care two hoots of road discipline and other rules. We drive like as if we own the roads, cutting lanes and honking to our own free will. We even don’t mind entering areas clearly marked as ‘No Entry’ or even drive in the opposite lane. We stop at traffic signals only when we are on the zebra crossing and slowly proceed and reach the middle of the forbidden area in the anticipation of the signal turning to green. We would overtake from any side just given a chance and even use the footpaths to reach earlier. Are we always like this? No. Place a cop and we undergo a surprise transformation. We suddenly become law abiding citizens and upgrade our driving skills to a level comparable to the best in the world. If you thought we are like this only in driving then think again. We treat our country like it’s a vast public latrine - spitting, throwing up paan, peeing and littering wherever we feel like. Do we do this everywhere; no, it’s a special treatment only for our country. If we go aboard we leave all these qualities behind. I wonder where our high level of education goes. Where does our civic sense and theories of Bharat Mata and Dharti Mata go is a big mystery. You tell us to stand in a line at a counter and all we understand is crowd up. Our lines move in all directions all approaching one single window. Simply said in India we follow only 1 thumb rule – find a place and fill it.

If you ask me how I would love to design the future then my answer is simple. Inculcate a sense of discipline in each of us. If that may involve a year or two of military training so be it. I’m ready to sign up for it right away. Make sure it’s taught and enforced in our schools and institutes of learning right at the grassroots level. Discipline does not mean punishment, after all punishment is useless unless lessons are learnt. Discipline is all about love, encouraging self-control, trust, self-control and obedience. Lastly Discipline is a journey. To inculcate good discipline we need to be good role models, after all what’s the use of only preaching and not practicing.  Though the changes will not be visible soon but in the long run it will surely show.

Through discipline we would learn to live as better individuals supervising ourselves. Our conduct wouldn’t be determined on whether we’re being watched or not. Our approach towards life would be better. For a country like India discipline is a dire need, thanks to its burgeoning population and terrible infrastructure and law enforcement agencies. It would also help in policy making where our MLA’s and MP’s would have a debate in the truest sense and not turn the Legislative Assembly or Parliament into a fish market. In fact we would need far lesser administrators – like during the times of the British and Portuguese one officer was in charge of an entire state.

So let us work towards achieving the most important thing for any profession or in any walk of life. Talent alone cannot guarantee success, mix it with discipline and you have a recipe for success. This country needs a sense of direction to move forward and discipline to propel us. After all you can’t be a superpower by being a scalar. It’s only a vector who becomes a victor!   

The Attacks Of 26/11-Movie Review

This is a guest post by Siddharth Gupta who blogs at The Standing Coin .You can follow him on twitter at @sidgsiddharth and at @thestandingcoin


NOTE: This review was also put up on IMDB(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2635622/reviews-17)

The Attacks of 26/11 is a movie directed by Ram Gopal Verma on the horrific and barbaric terrorist attack on the city of Mumbai and in essence, a proxy war waged against India, beginning on 26^th November 2008. Many expected this movie to be a dud or even worse, a disastrous rendition of an event that shocked us all. Contrary to all that, the movie is nothing like these descriptions and makes for a good watch.

The movie was more of a play-out the events drama, so the plot was not something that was woven out of thin air but rather the actual truth stitched together piece by piece. RGV uses an interesting narrative angle: The Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Police narrating the incidents to an inquiry commission. This too was inspired from the actual commission which deposed Rakesh Maria(the actual JC at the time of the attacks). Nana Patekar essays the role brilliantly, as he not only acts, but embodies the character, flowing with it in a tone which is hard to describe but if I had to, I would put it this way: “ Aisa lagta hai ki he was the actual JC at the time of the attack”.

A young newbie actor Sanjeev Jaiswal plays the role of Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, the terrorist who was captured and later hanged. Although I didn’t have my hopes riding on him, Sanjeev does a decent job playing the character. He has a mean look throughout the movie which tends to get a bit over the top at times but overall, is not too farcical.

Also, the highlights of the movie were: a. Due credits were given to all parties involved. Despite the hardcore media bashing it received post the attack; the Mumbai police had worked their level best last night. RGV encompasses all of this but also makes room for their errors. Plus, the movie is well crafted to ensure that the message (Terror has no religion) doesn’t die as the director sensitively handles the possible religious inflammation over certain scenes

Lastly, the flaws. The movie was a bit abrupt and short for me. For starters, it didn’t cover the shootings at Nariman House, Oberoi Trident and Taj adequately. The brave operation by the NSG which resulted in the extinguishing of the terrorists was omitted. Also, the role of the attack’s masterminds was just touched upon briefly and not detailed.

To end it, all I will say is this. The movie released on 1^st March 2013. 3 days later, nearly all shows at the cinema nearby are sold out. Mind you, this being a RGV movie, is a complete surprise after his recent debacles. So, this movie has something. Something that packs a punch.

Second Hand Death

Second Hand Death:

I've heard it whispered,

I've heard it said aloud,

I've heard it passed around

a thousand times.

I've heard it in my mind,

Dissolving all sense of reality.

I've heard it repeatedly,

Echoing hollowly.

The subject ceased existence.

It hurt me, every time I heard it.

It hurt me more, when I feigned, relaxed.

Gut wrenching pangs, not of grief nor anger.

Hurt me every time I remember

That sweet face that now sleeps tranquil

But my pain is second hand

--it doesn't belong to me--

It's owner and bearer

Is hurt more than I can imagine,

I have tried and failed to imagine, though.

How meaningless and hollow it is 

even when my grief is just half real;

that I am somewhere between being affected and affectation:

Second hand you say so well.

I do wish this pain had never come,

Not to the bearer, nor to the sharer.

(And it may it not happen to the sharer in actuality).

Coward, I am, who cannot face the fact

Of death, all pervasive intruder

into normalcy.

Though I grieve as the one no more

was one of my own.

Nothing could compare to the grief of the one

Who grieves because it was one's own

My grief is second-hand as is the death.

All about Table Tennis

As table tennis is my favorite game, I thought of writing something about it. So here is my post on the game I love and live for..:)

Table Tennis A brief I Intro

Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net. It's an Olympic game which is played indoors.

Origins of table tennis

The origins of table tennis go back to the 1880s when game makers tried to emulate the popularity of Lawn Tennis by developing indoor versions of the game.

The modern game of table tennis started in the early 1900s in Europe.

Table tennis table

Table tennis is played on a hard table measuring...

9 feet (2.74m) long,

5 feet (1.525m) wide and

2 feet 6 inches (76cm) high

... and the net is

6 feet (1.83m) long and

6 inches (15.25 cm) high.

The object of the game

The object of the game is to score 11 points before your opponent.

If the score becomes tied at 10 points each, the first player or pair to establish a two point lead will win.

A match consists of winning the best of any odd number of games - usually 3, 5 or 7 games.

Players hit the ball back and forth over the net and must only allow a ball played towards them to bounce once on their side of the table and must return it so that it bounces on the opposite side.

Points are scored when a player fails to return the ball in accordance with the rules of table tennis.

A point commences with a player serving in accordance with the official table tennis rules.

Each player has two serves.

After each two points have been scored, the receiving player or pair becomes the serving player or pair, and so on until the end of the game, unless both players or pairs have scored 10 points.

If the score is tied at 10 points each, each player shall serve for only 1 point in turn.

Play is fast and demands quick reactions. 

It's all about spin

A skilled player can impart several varieties of spin to the ball, altering its trajectory and limiting an opponent's options to great advantage.

There are mainly 4 types of spin

1. Back Spin

2.Top Spin

3. Side Spin 

4. Cork Spin

Types of Stroke

There are mainly 2 types of strokes

1. Offensive Strokes

2. Defensive Strokes

Definitions

If you're going to be playing table tennis, it's useful to know some table tennis terminology.

A rally is the period during which the ball is in play. (The ball is in play from the moment a player intentionally starts his service, until the rally is decided as a let or a point).

A let is a rally of which the result is not scored.

A point is a rally of which the result is scored.

International Table Tennis Federation

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), founded in 1926, controls the sport of table tennis.

The ITTF headquarters are located in Switzerland.

Championships

Table tennis is popular in Asia and Europe and has been gaining attention in the United States.The most important international competitions are the World Table Tennis Championships, the Table Tennis World Cup, the Olympics and the ITTF Pro Tour. Continental competitions include the European Championships, Europe Top-12, the Asian Championships and the Asian Games.

Best Players of the Game

An official hall of fame exists at the ITTF Museum.A Grand Slam is earned by a player who wins singles crowns at Olympic Games, World Championships, and World Cup.

The number of table tennis players throughout the world is said to be around 300 million, so I'd guess there's a pretty good chance that you either play table tennis yourself or you know someone who does.

And some people have the nerve to call it a minority sport!

Of course, the standard of those 300 million players varies considerably ... from the occasional fun players, through club players and serious amateurs, right up to the professional 

The professional game has changed significantly over the years.

From the early days of table tennis ... with stars like Victor Barna and Richard Bergmann who played with hard bats (rackets) in the 1930s and 1940s ... right through to the modern day sponge racket players like Jan-Ove Waldner and the current World Champion Zhang Jike.

Jan-Ove Waldner of Sweden first completed the grand slam at 1992 Olympic Games. Deng Yaping of China is the first female recorded at the inaugural Women's World Cup in 1996.

Best Male players

Rank	Player
1	ZHANG Jike
2	MA Long
3	XU Xin
4	WANG Hao
5	BOLL Timo
6	MA Lin
7	OVTCHAROV Dimitrij
8	CHUANG Chih-Yuan
9	WANG Li Qin
10	MIZUTANI Jun
11	SAMSONOV Vladimir
12	HYUK Joo Se

Best Women Players

Rank	Player
1	DING Ning
2	LIU Shiwen
3	LI Xiaoxia
4	GUO Yan
5	KIM Kyung Ah
6	FUKUHARA Ai
6	FENG Tianwei
8	SHEN Yanfei
9	ISHIKAWA Kasumi
10	WU Yang
11	GUO Yue
12	FENG Yalan

To Enjoy the beauty of the game here is a video

I am part of this gr88 group

Ping Pong Group

I wish you were here...

I walked down that narrow lane
With only my shadow for company
The mist, the grass, the broken window pane
Everything brings back her vivid memory....

I watched as the birds flew high
No fear, no tear, only plain cheer
I stood staring, wondering why
I am still being forced to suffer here....

I watched the street light glow in the dark,
Attracting little creatures all around
In this gloomy world today, we search
For a light to keep us safe and sound....

I watched as the sun rose brighter,
It made my heart feel lighter
A certain hope lifts my spirits high
Tomorrow will be a better day or is it a lie?

I remember the way your presence
enlighten my face and made my heart beats dance
If only I had one more chance
I would hold you tight in my arms...
and whisper in your ear...
Oh Dear!! I wish you were here!!!