Saturday, July 12, 2014

First Blogger Award : Quintet of Radiance..!!!




Today is a big day for me as a blogger as I proudly flaunt my first blogger award.
It is also big as it has been given to me by none other then the man whose blog was my first read, my inspiration when I was a novice blogger and one of my very good friend, Stephen AK aka Solitary Writer.
With more then 300k page views and 1000 likes this man rocks the Blog-sphere World. He writes amazing short stories and I am a big fan of them. Thanks a lot dude for considering me worthy for the Quintet of Radiance award. I accept it wholeheartedly.

Things to be done after accepting this award -:
1. Display the logo on your blog post
2. Thank the blogger you nominated you
3. Using the alphabets, describe yourself.
4. Nominate few bloggers for the award.

As I have completed point 1 and 2, let me continue with the 3rd one.

A-Amiable
B-Blogger
C-Creative
D-Devil (Sometimes..)
E-Energetic
F-Foodie
G-Game
H-Helping
I-IndoriFoodie ( that's my twitter handle..do follow..;)
J-Jolly
K-King of Hearts
L-Lovable
M-Mean...well sometimes..;)
N-Numismatic
O-Optimistic
P-Philatelist
Q-Quixotic
R-Romantic
S-Sarcastic
T-Trustworthy
U-Understanding
V-Valiant
W-Witty
X-Xenodochial
Y-Yern
Z-Zealous


And here goes the nomination 
Neha Sharma
Saru Singhal
Deepti Verma
Sriram Ramaswamy
Ankita Singhal
Rohan Kachalia
Namrota Mazumdar
Privy Trifles
Gayatri Aptekar
Garima Shrivastva Nag
Vinita Bahl


Saturday, July 5, 2014

When the Incredible saved Planet Earth..!!!

Today life has become so fast and hectic that we don't get time for many things.
Many dreams just remain untouched, wishes unfulfilled, tasks undone and life ends on an unsatisfactory note. 
Every person is short of time and opportunities. 

So if we have something which does everything for us, wouldn't it be great.
If I want to go somewhere it will become my car. When I reach office it will become my Tab.
And when I reach home it will become my TV.
But wait a minute it should also multiply. So if India is under attack I can produce a number of secret fighter jets which will blow the enemy away.
To keep a check on corruption I will have every politician under my surveillance through multiple Robocams, which can be any device with a cam. And for the safety of people it will convert itself into SuperCops, robots who will work to nullify the crime.
A secret army of mine for the welfare of humankind.

Also as a human being we commit so many mistakes that half of our life goes in sorting and rectifying them.
I always wished that there was an UNDO button in life too, so that I can go in the past and correct my mistakes. What if there was an UNDO button which could change any thing in the past, it would have prevented many wars, saved lives of many innocent people, prevented rapes and other antisocial activities and the best one it could have even prevented Mahabharat from happening.

While all these thoughts were surging in my mind, a question popped up before me.
What is that one thing which could have all these superpowers ?
One thing which is always with me and I can't live without ?
I started with the search for the incredible , that would help me see what others can't see and do what others can't do.
My search ended pretty soon as that thing was lying just beside me , glittering and creating a shield of light around itself which I had never seen before. Did god listen to me ?
Was my phone packed with all superpowers ?  Had it become Incredible ?
I didn't had to wait much as there was an announcement from my phone.

You have been chosen by the almighty to save earth from an inevitable Nectrons attack.
These Nectrons are super powerful who are on the mission to destroy every form of life in this world.
Here are my Superpowers and the way to use them.
1.Undo Power
   You can undo any action of the past or in the present by just pressing the "U" key on         the top.
2. Transform Power
    You can transform me into any machine you want by pressing the "T" key on the right
3. Multiply Power
    After you have transformed me into something you can multiply me as many times as       you want by pressing the "M" key at the bottom.
4. Connect Power
    With this power you can connect to any person in this world by pressing the "C" key.

I was delighted to have all such powers but at the same time determined to save my planet Earth.
The inner six planets of solar system roughly align in every 100 years and 20th December was the day when it was going to align again which according to the announcement was the Doomsday, when nectrons were going to attack our solar system.

I had 6 months to understand the power and save the planet.
Quickly I started with its usage. My first mission was to eradicate terrorism from this world , whose preparation would also help me for the D day. I prepared my secret army of Super Soldiers, Super Fighter planes , Super Cams and Super Cops.
The Secret army performed really well and mission was accomplished.
Everyone had only one question, Who is doing all this ? Whose Super Army is this ?

I had to be patient as the final day was just a week away.
It was the D day and I was all set to face the Nectrons force which was swiftly moving towards earth.
There was a havoc in the world as the satellites showed Huge SpaceShips coming close.

As the first attack was done my them, it backfired destroying 20% of their army.
I had put Huge Tantanium Screens surrounding the whole earth which could reflect almost everything falling on it. So the laser attack was reflected back on the nectrons ships.

They quickly sensed the presence of such screen and went invisible.
I was ready for such a thing and had already created Super Cams which could even detect invisible things. 
These cams were embedded in Super Cops, Fighter plans and soldiers.

There was a fierce battle in which the Super Army was able to destroy most of the nectron's ships and also those nectrons who landed on earth.
Last 2 of their ships were left and both of them were put on self destruction mode.
Kaboom..!!!!
One of them blew in Sahara desert and other in Pacific Ocean at the same time as the timer for both was set together.
I could stop only one of them as the UNDO power backs off only one action at a point of time.
The one in Pacific ocean would have had more severe repercussions then the Sahara one as it could have caused Tsunami and Earthquakes.

Quickly I pressed the UNDO button and deactivated the Self destruction mode of the ship which blew in the ocean.

Finally earth was saved from devastation or I must say complete Annihilation. 
I was damn happy. Suddenly a voice came from inside the Phone
"Mission Accomplished. Congrats.!!
Impressed by your wisdom, courage and determination , almighty has decided to grant your phone these super powers forever. Now the responsibility of Earth is on you. Make it a better place to live"

 This post is written as a part of contest In Search of Incredible by ASUS on Indiblogger



Friday, July 4, 2014

A visit to Thailand with Skyscanner

In the last two years I have been bitten by the travel bug multiple times.
It started with the two amazing countries of Truly Asia, Singapore and Malaysia.
The dazzling Petronas Twin Towers, Majestic KL tower,  Adventurous Genting Highland, A completely different world, Universal Studio and Casinos made it the most memorable trip of my life.

Next the Heaven on earth "Kashmir" beckoned me.
Skiing and Sledging with countless falls, Visiting the most beautiful gardens of the world which dates back to Mughal era and enjoying delightful stay in the houseboats of jewel of Kashmir, Dal lake gave me lifelong memories.

Crazy Goa and Picturesque Bandhavgarh National Park ends the list.

But now the bug which was dormant for last 5 months has got back into senses again.
And this time I was dreaming to visit the land of white elephants, the country of smiles, Thailand.

But this beautiful dream looked less likely to convert into reality when the humongous task of "Planning" the trip that too in a pre-decided budget of  one lakh rupees started.

Internet bombarded me with numerous options but none proved to bring any ray of hope, it was when travel-o-wiz SkyScanner came to my rescue.

The first daunting task was to find the cheapest two way flight for our travel period which was from
1-8 Nov 2014.
As I selected the destinations and clicked on search flights. Man I was agape after seeing the price for 3 adult people which included me and my parents. Just Rs 14,545....simply wow..:)



Planning Accommodation took the next priority and I clicked Hotels so see what magic was stored there.
A Pitara of offers on the most lavish and re-known hotels of Bangkok showed up before me.
Was I dreaming..No not really..5 stars luxury at such a "grab it at that moment" offer was so delightful.
I quickly booked Siam@Siam , Design Hotel & SPA, this 3 words took me off the ground just for Rs 14,931.



And the last task was to get a car for commuting from one place to another.
I was a bit worried about it as in India the cost of booking a cab is very high. The cheapest one charges
Rs 10/ KM. Hoping SkyScanner to wave its magic wand again, I clicked on Car Hire tab.
It rarely happens that you don't get a magical offer and this time was no exception.
2 Days car rental just for 4,799. I was surely dreaming..*Rubbed my eyes twice*..




Bangkok is famous for its historic palaces, ancient temples , magnificent buildings and shop till you drop markets.

                                                              Temple of Emerald Buddha

We devoted two complete days exploring Bangkok. Grand Palace, Temple of Emerald Buddha and Holy temple of Wat Pho were the main attractions.

                                                              Holy temple of Wat Pho 

Next we took a flight to Phuket which costed us a mere Rs 4,796. **Happy face**..



This time we wanted to book a Resort near the beach and Skyscanner read our mind at once.
It presented with a wonderful option of staying at Mangrove Panwa Resort for a fair enough price
Rs 25,820.



We rented a car for 4 days and it was at our disposal for just 8,439 bucks.



After relaxing at the hotel for some time we were on our way to Khao Lak which is a collection of beautiful sandy beaches famous for clear blue waters far away from the cry of the city.
Just 1 hour boat journey from Khao Lak are the Similian Islands which are famous for their white sand beaches , underwater marine life and water sports.

                                                                 Similian Islands

I am always crazy for beaches. Fresh air of sea, cool relaxing sand and the beautiful marine life are just splendid. And if the beach is isolated its a treat for the travelers.
We returned to our hotel in night after having a chilling day.

Next on our list was Khao Sok National Park.
This 739-square-kilometer park offers a variety of outdoor adventure including elephant trekking, hiking, jeep safaris and canoeing. Also it is home to various mammals, birds, insect and reptiles.
It was a full day adventurous trip which gave us memories of lifetime.

                                               Stone Structures at Khao Sok National Park


Next day we relaxed at our hotel and also indulged in exploring the local markets and places.
It was the last day of our stay in Phuket and we planned to visit Phang Nga which is famous for James Bond Island. Long tail tourist boats are available to visit this magical land of mother nature.
James Bond Island, with its signature rocky pinnacle has been a major attraction since it was featured in 1974 bond movie.

                                                               James Bond Island

After having a thrilling 4 days stay at Phuket , it was time to bid good bye and head back to Bangkok.
We spend around 15k during this stay. This summed our expenses to Rs 90,000 and were still left with a good 10k.
We used this for shopping in Bangkok where electronics are really cheap.

Finally we boarded our flight back to Mumbai.
It was a great trip all thanks to SkyScanner which helped us plan it smartly so that it could fit in the
Rs 1,00,000 budget.


This post is a part of Skyscanner travel wizard activity at BlogAdda.com

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

The KickAss Mardani...

It was evening time, children were playing, aunties gossiping with their neighbors and students returning from school. Mrs Sharma and her daughter-in-law were returning home buying some vegetables when a bike passed them snatching away the gold chain from the neck of Mrs Sharma daughter-in-law.

This was the 5th case of chain snatching in past 2 months and police could do nothing about it.
In one of the case , Mrs Tyagi who was riding a scooty even fell off from it because the chain was snatched with full force. There was no fixed time for this incidents. Some happened in morning while rest in the evening or night time.

My watch showed 8 p.m. and I was waiting for my sister to return from parlor as we had to go to a wedding function. As I peeped outside she was visible at a distance of 100 metres. But to my fear there was also a bike speeding towards her from back. As the bike came in parallel a guy with a scarf tried to grab her chain. Few seconds latter what I saw was just mind-blowing. The bike was ramped in a pillar and both the GENTLEMAN were lying on the ground. Next what happened will always remain in their memories.

One of them took out a knife and tried to frighten her with it. But they were not aware that my sister was a martial art trainer. A kick on the arm and the knife went flying into the bushes.
She caught them with their hair and slapped and kicked them with her full force.
"Jo aunty scooty se niche gir gayi thi tum kamino ki vajah se,unko seer mai 10 taake mai aaye hai", She bursted out with rage.

Grabbing them from collars she took them to the police station.
"These are 2 members of the chain snatching gang which police was so unable to catch hold off, I hope now police can at least catch the remaining ones", She said angrily to the Inspector.

She was just back for vacations but when she heard about the chain snatching incidents, she made her mind to kick the asses of culprits.
I am so proud of my KickAss Mardani sister..:) Chak de Fatte..\m/



This is written as a part of I am Mardaani activity exclusively at BlogAdda.com for Indian Bloggers

Sunday, June 29, 2014

My best treat ever..

I am a foodie and my taste buds are always busy, urging for more.
I love to try different type of cuisines. No wonder why it is said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach which holds very true in my case.
Though I love trying different varieties but when it comes to a perfect meal I always want it to be Desi Indian style.  My mom and by God’s grace my GF is also perfect in cooking Desi meals.

 It was my Birthday.
As I had to go out with my family for dinner so I told my GF to have lunch together.
But she had planned something else and asked me to come at her place.
Well I know what is running in your mind now but our “GADI” didn't go in that direction..:P
I also came to know about the same after reaching her place..:P

So around 11 a.m., I was there at her door with champagne, prepared for the surprise, a bit nervous and excited, thinking about what I can be.
As the door was opened, a ravishing beauty, my princess was standing right in front.
To my surprise she was dressed in a Saree, looking drop dead gorgeous.
As I entered in I was lost. The air was filled with aroma of my favorite dishes whose sensation even got to my mind.

She blindfolded me and took me somewhere where the aroma got further intensified.
As the blindfold was removed I was agape.  All my favorite dishes were beautifully served on the dinning table.

As I was ready to eat till I die, something else also got my attention. It were those beautiful glasswares in which the dishes were served. No doubt that added to the beauty and made the dish more desirable.
When I noticed the brand it was Borosil, the same which my mom uses. Intelligent gal..:)

Let me run through the perfect mouthwatering meal served on the dinning table which included the below delicacies

Favorite dish of all Marwaris and pride of Rajasthani food was served in deep round casserole.
These flaky round baked Baatis were completely dipped in ghee ready to give your taste buds a pleasure of lifetime.  

Curd is my favorite and the most delicious dish made from it is Kadhi.
Beautifully served in a easy grip round casserole with Ghee floating at the top and smell of fresh curd are enough to mesmerize you, but when Kadhi is served hot you are definitely going to get addicted.

Dals are a ready source of proteins for a balanced diet and the most popular among them is
Toor Dal, also known as the yellow pigeon peas. Just pour some Nimbu in it and the sour taste will add to the delight of gulping it. When combined with Baati, it forms a deadly Combo which will even make all the Angreji Indians lick their fingers.

Next my eyes fell on the red hot beauty. It was lying their warm and soft in a beautiful oval dish, ready to melt in my mouth…wow…mmmmmm !!!
This lip smacking dish is none other than “Gajar ka Halwa” also known as the sweet carrot pudding.  After having one spoon of it, I remember Lays Ad, no one can have just one.
Adding to its beauty were Raisins, Cashews and neatly sprinkled Almonds at the top.
Delightfully delicious is what I will say about this absolute beauty.

Gram flour dumplings flavored with dry species lying lazily in gravy of curd were looking amazingly beautiful.
This famous dish from the land of Rajasthan, “Gatte ki sabji”  is an add on with Dal-Baati.

Long grained rice flavoured with exotic Indian spices, layered with fresh vegetables and paneer in thick gravy was lying hot in a beautiful rectangular dish. Yes it is my all-time favorite rice dish, Veg Hyderabadi Biryani. Now I was confused what to taste first between the two B’s,  Baati or Biryani. My GF solved the problem by feeding me the ever yummy “Gajar ka Halwa”.

This easy to make great taste add on, versatile Indian condiment was placed beautifully in a small glass Katories.  Coriander Chutney also known as Hari Chutney is a must when you eat delicacies like Dal-Baati.

When you eat a heavy heal in summer there should be a drink which makes you digest it and at the same time is the yummiest of the lot. Pudina Chaas, an old time favorite drink was beautifully served in the Galaxy Glasses.  Another favorite of mines made from curd.

Finally crispy and flaky Indian flatbread called Parathas whose each layer was shining with Ghee were neatly placed in the container.


I asked my GF if she made it all alone and her reply made me feel SO SO blessed and fortunate.
She and our mutual friend Sneha got up at 6 in the morning to make me feel so special, to prepare my favorite meal. I hugged her tight, tears rolled down my eyes.
A girl who usually gets up at 11 and has strong aversion for heat, gets up at 6 in the morning and bear the heat for 5 long hours just to make me happy is nothing less than a goddess.


This post is part of the contest My Beautiful Food on Indiblogger

Monday, June 23, 2014

Sarhad Paar Dilo ko jodti ye zindagi..

I was in my college days and the cultural fest was on the cards.
Sonu Nigam, K.K and Euphoria were the obvious choices, but there was a surprise this time.
Few days later posters of JAL Band were put all over the college.
It was a Pakistani band whose songs ruled the ears..

Sajni Pass Bualo was on tip of every one's tongue..



Bikhra ho mai was equally popular



In those days I used to sing these songs everyday which are still in my favorites list.
Pakistani Gazals and songs have always had a long lasting impact on the people at this side of border.
So when Indiblogger announced the #JodeyDilonko meet along with Zee's new channel Zindagi which is about to go on air on June 23rd, 2014 with its Sarhad Par ki Kahaniyas, I was really looking forward to the opportunity to meet new artists from neighborhood.




The venue for the meet was one of my favorite "Hotel Leela" which had been the proud owner of hosting Zee Indiblogger meets.



Indi meets are always know to offer something different every time and this time the idea was to begin the meet with Lunch. Smart move to make all those lazy beings follow time.
Lunch specially the deserts were delicious. Ras Malai was nothing less then mouth watering.

Post lunch we were escorted to the Banquet Hall where the meet was going to be held.simultaneously in two cities Mumbai and Delhi. Bloggers at both the ends were quite excited.



The meet started with the Twitter contest winners who got 1k Flipkart vouchers each.
The contest was all about tweeting pictures of self with friends/family in a different city or country
Luckily my pic of Singapore tour where I was trying to imitate like the Transformer standing next to me in Universal Studios won me a Flipkart Voucher.






Also the best blogposts about one visiting another city/country were awarded with Moto G each in Mumbai and Delhi.

Next was what we have never done before, MumbaiVSDelhi.
It was a face-off were both the cities battled out to the best on various topics which were
1. Best public Transportation --> Mumbai Won
2. Best Food --> Delhi Won
3. Best Good looking Men --> Tie as the girls started flaunting about themselves.
4. And in the final round of Best Climate --> Mumbai finally won over Delhi ki sardi.

So the title went to Mumbai, with protests from Delhi side. Realizing the need to end this soon IB team quickly introduced the Zee Zindagi team. After the creative and business head introduced about the initiative, it was time for Imran Abbas, the lead Pakistani actor to take the centre stage.



All eyes were on him and the young lad didn't disappoint. He touched everyone's heart with his answers to the sensitive cross border questions asked by the bloggers. He didn't took any side nor talked senseless like the Pakistani army officials do on Times Now debate. I love to hear when someone talks in Urdu and Imran was no exception.
He told us about the different shows like Zindagi Gulzar Hai, Auun Zara, Kash mai Teri Beti Na Hoti,etc which show the realistic stories from Pakistan.







Next he introduced Sultana Ma'am who had produced lot of famous daily soups in Pakistan and represents the independent Pakistani Women. It was great interacting with this lady who brought the real face of women in Pakistan.
Also Imran sang few songs for us and I must say the boy was not only good with his looks but also with his voice.

Now was the time for high tea and snacks, surely a delight to our tummies..:)
After tea break everyone gathered again in the hall and IB team who is so good at surprises was up with another one. It was a simple task in which one had to pick a number from 1-10, the only difficulty was to be pointed by Anup, the host of the day. Because if only he picks you, you will get a chance to pick a number.
The prizes ranged from Sugar Packet, Water bottle for the unlucky ones to Flipkart vouchers and Bagpacks for the lucky champs.




The meet ended with all bloggers from Mumbai coming into a single frame for a  group pic.





I am really glad that Zee has come out with such a great initiative.
Zindagi as seen in the promising promos also, intend to bring the real stories from Sarhad Paar.
I hope this channel touches as many hearts on both sides of the boundaries and also make these hearts come together.



I was indeed another great Indiblogger meet jisne kafi dilon ko joda and I pray, hope and wish that the Zindagi channel does this on a very grand level for years to come..:)



IMAGE Sources : Google and Indiblogger


Monday, June 16, 2014

My first IPL match experience with White Mischief..

IPL is considered to be the biggest revolutions in Indian cricket. It has gone into the second half of its initial ten year plan and it is so evident that the high profile tournament has passed the test of time with flying colors.

There are lot of contests during the season where you get an opportunity to meet players and watch those awesome matches live from stadium.

One such opportunity came knocking at my door from the brand "White Mischief" itself and I was all set to grab it. You must have heard about the proverb "Dono haath mai Ladoo" , but did you got a chance to experience it? If no then don't feel disheartened as everyone has their first time as it was mine.



White Mischief was kind enough not only to provide me with 2 passes for the match , Mumbai Indians vs Rajasthan Royals but also give me a chance to meet the ever gorgeous and lively Cheerleaders.







My bad that they had to fly early and we couldn't meet but nevertheless I was excited about the match.



The venue for the match, Wankhede Stadium.was the host to numerous international matches.

I and my friend Stephen were all set to bleed blue. As we got down at Churchgate station and headed towards the stadium, the ambiance was superb. The street was sea of blue , with MI tees and flags all around. There were around 7-8 gates for entry into the stadium and ours was Gate 2.



Our seats were in Block 4 , right at the top of the stadium. Though we were a bit disappointed by the seat selection but the atmosphere brought our smiles back. I don't have words to express that breathtaking moment when we entered the block and the ground was right in front of us. What a view, just one word, WOW..







We quickly took our seat and waited for the match to start. This was the last playoff match of IPL and probably the biggest of all. The fate of both the teams was at stack as only one of them was going to get the final playoff spot. MI won the toss and asked the visitors to take strike. Sanju Samson made sure he gave his team a good start. Though one of my favorite player Shane Watson got out early, Karun Nair who came one down supported Sanju well.  Duo went for an all-out attack and made 100 run stand just from 57 balls.



After both of them got out , Brad Hodge and James Faulkner joined forces and smashed MI bowlers out of the ground. Such a rock solid batting performance propelled RR to a huge total of 189.



Scoring 190 from just 14.3 overs was a very tough task.

The start was good from Simmons and Hussey but soon both of them found their way to the pavilion.
Then came Corey Anderson , who did the unbelievable. He along with Rayudu went after the RR attack with all their might and dispatched the blowers to all part of the ground. The crowd was on the edge with just 10 runs to win of the last 3 balls. First ball went for a single , while the next went for a six. Needing just 2 runs of the last ball was looking very much gettable when Rayudu was run out while running the 2nd one.

The atmosphere got really emotional when Rayudu on returning towards the pavilion sat down and started crying. Everyone got behind him and started cheering his name.



Scores were tied and both the teams had the same net run rate. MI was still in the chance to qualify if they made the ball travel to the boundary. Thanks to Aditya Tare the ball traveled over the rope for a massive six letting MI seal an emphatic victory and their passage to the playoffs.







It was one of the greatest T20 match ever where emotions took center stage. People were chanting names of "Corey" , "Rayudu" & "Tare". At one moment there was joy and relief which was transformed into tension with a fall of wicket. Regardless you are a MI or RR fan, you have to admit that this was one of the most sensational game of cricket.







Thanks a lot "White Mischief" again.

Here is me dancing with the cheerleaders, celebrating MI victory.