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Tuesday 24 March 2015

Moto E The Smartphone that helps you become a SmartUser

The first’s in our life is definitely very important. Be it our first job, our first salary or our First Smart phone. The choice of our first smartphone can make or mar our image of smart phones. I say this from my personal experience. I have seen so many elderly people buy their first smart phones as feature filled expensive devices that are hard to operate as sometimes their hands shake so they are unable to dial the phone or are too intimidated by the complex navigation. Younger users who want feature rich phones find them a drain on the battery. Each smart phone user has a different  perception of a smartphone device based on his or her own experience. However with a Moto E all this is about to change.Smartphones can be intimidating and a new smartphone can give the first time user or even an experienced user a hard time trying to figure out its features. However with the Moto E all this is about to change. I am smitten by this feature rich yet easy to use phone. Just like when you fall in love, your love should become your strength and let you discover your partner day by day. So is this phone you can discover a new feature each day. I am so impressed by its features that I have made a list of 10 features that make me fall in love with this new smart phone that is here to make the users life easy  .Here are a list of ten things that makes me say" I do" to the new Moto E


#1 Big 4.5 inch HD display That makes the display very pleasing. Irrespective of the age of the user the bigger display makes the phone experience a lot more richer. Luckily I am young and with good eyesight However even had I been eighty I would have found the phone equally easy to operate and navigate the menus.

#2 4G LTE provides extra fast mobile internet  experience and Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad Core processor gives you control over the applications and the phone. So that no app can overwhelm my phone  instead my smart phone would be able to handle all the apps and multitasking like switching between apps without compromising on the speed or causing hanging of the phone.
#3 My Love story is not just in Black or White as the choice of colors. Instead I have the choice to customize  the phone and have a different colored phone everyday. Thanks to the six additional colorful bands not only do I get a colorful and trendy look but a firmer grip (thanks to the additional grip shells) and extra protection for the body of the phone. So it is suited even for those having butter fingers.

#4 Brilliant Picture quality due to the brilliant display and high quality picture taking because of the 5 megapixel rear camera and a front facing VGA camera for taking selfies.
#5 Open your camera by twisting your phone twice.The quick capture feature make it so easy to take a picture so no need to search for an icon or button to start the camera. So if the user is 4 or 40 ,8 or eighty , QuickCapture feature makes taking pictures so easy. Touch anywhere to take a shot. Its super easy to take portraits ,panoramas or record a video. By the single flick of the wrist the camera switches from rear to front end and you are ready to take selfies. Share your photos with just three taps.
#6 Front screen is clean and ready to be customized this way it does not intimidate a new user. For younger users it gives an opportunity to customize and load the apps that I want. For the older users who are often intimidated by too many apps and find it difficult to use apps. Instead they can add the apps as and when they need it. This way they would have a simple learning curve .

#7 Google voice search for controlling apps and searching over the internet. So no need to learn how to navigate the menus instead I can use voice search. I find this feature extremely useful for all age groups. For younger people it gives them the ability to multitask. For the elderly  people whose hands shake and have difficulty in navigating or dialing numbers on the touch screen this feature is a blessing. My grandparents who find smartphones confusing are going to love this feature. Even when a person is ill or in need of medical help just by saying Call doctor or hospital can connect him or her to medical assistance and can help save lives. So getting directions while driving is going to be super easy due to this feature. Sending emails or browsing the web is going to be very convenient.
8# The phone is reasonably priced so that anyone can buy it and get started on their first smartphone experience.
#9 I love Lolipop. Powered by the lollipop O.S it is super fast and supports all the latest apps.So I can install any app that I want on my phone. Each application opens and closes smoothly without hanging my phone.
#10. Its fast and will remain that way. The architecture of the phone and the software's are such that even after using for quite some time and even after loading a lot of applications on my phone my phone would continue to run as fast and smoothly as it did on day one. The battery life is wonderful and makes the phone last up to 24 hours on a single charge of battery.

My overall impression of “Moto E” is that its not just a smartphone targeted at the beginner bit a smartphone for everyone in the family. This is how I interpret the “E” in the Moto E
It is designed to connect you with friends,family and loved ones . It’s truly a smartphone that is feature rich and instead of flaunting them and overwhelming me it lets me discover and  learn to use them at my own pace.It gives me the freedom to customize my phone. It’s a smartphone that helps the user make smart uses of its features and helps turn the user from a novice to a smartuser.
#ChooseToStart

All images taken from http://www.startwithmotoe.com/

Sunday 22 March 2015

Finding happiness at home

Happiness is that exquisite feeling that brings a smile to your face. In this life which is always full of stress and deadlines I always like to search for opportunities that would make me smile. Thinking of the things that make me happy and bring an instant and genuine small to my face I could think of a long list of things however if I were to prioritize  then I would say when my immediate and extended family gets together it creates magic. With grandfather, my loving grandmother, my uncle and aunt. Our home fills with cacophony of sounds. To an outsider it may appear as chaos however to me these are familiar sounds of being together,of caring and sharing. Running around the house playing pranks, and pulling legs. These is so much happening. Every day and every moment that we spend together is like a festival. Its celebration of togetherness and that of being alive. Normally we all live separately and go about our lives but on weekends, holidays and festivals we get together. Sometimes we go out together to a fair that may be nearby. On other occasions we all get together cook and pack lunch in baskets and go out for picnics.Then we would spread bedsheets under trees and eat a lavish spread that we have brought from home. Sharing our food and spending this quality time brings a smile to my face. Then playing cricket with my grandfather and when he bowl me out, my insisting that I am not out and he letting me lovingly bat on while we both know that I had got out makes me smile as I feel so loved and pampered by him. I feel the most valued  moments are the ones spent with the people you love. Like going to the market with my grandfather makes me very happy as I enjoy his companionship. Then sitting together with my grandmother as she reads out jokes from the daily news paper or when I put my head on my mother’s lap and she gently caresses my face with her soft hands or runs her fingers through my hair all bring immense joy and  make me smile. Looking at the list of things I wonder that how such little things can make me smile but this is happiness and it expresses itself in the form of that a smile. I find that buying expensive or material things only makes you feel good for a moment. However the feeling of happiness and a smile that follows is like the touch of that butterfly that flutters around you and when you hold it some of its color comes on to your finger before it flies off . The feeling of happiness is similar for me. I feel happy and smile when I am able to do things for my family and bring a smile to their faces. This inadvertently brings a smile to my face as well.

Monday 16 March 2015

If its about Food then it has to be Singapore Takeaway

The moment I stepped in to Singapore my senses were awakened by the variety of food ingredients available and being sold on the streets,and the markets.
The vegetables were so shiny and fresh that I wondered how wonderful would be the food made with them.(Singapore maintains very high standards of cleanliness and hygiene)

Then I saw and tasted some exotic fruits and vegetables for the first time

The sweet treats were no less tempting


I have nowhere seen so many types of food coexisting side by side. It was a delight. From people eating all sorts of ice creams on the streets and shops displaying mouth watering treats.

 It would only be fair to call the island nation of Singapore as an Oasis of flavors and tastes that are the best in the world. Even the motifs on the streets are a celebration of food.

"chestnuts being sold in Singapore I wondered Am I in Europe?"

 When I went to Singapore I had unlimited exposure to the food available. Initially I thought it safe to stick to Indian food alone however the choices and variety of food simply floored me. I must confess that I loved the Indian food in Singapore and I found it better then some of the best restaurants food that I have eaten in my own country i.e India. Even if you are someone who follows a strict food orientation then you would be surprised by the number of restaurants serving excellent quality of food. In fact I even tried Japanese, Chinese and other oriental cuisine and it was par excellence.
 Just as Singapore has a very cosmopolitan culture with people from all around the world so is the food. What ever the type of food that I tried, it agreed with my palate and made me feel so good. Food is decorated on shop shelves inviting you to come and eat it. 
Too many signboards inviting you to come and eat 

Can you resist this? I could Not ;-) It was so Yummy!


There is so much choice that I often thought are their more fish in the see or more types of food available in the various types of restaurants in Singapore.

 I felt that the open kitchen culture followed by a lot of restaurants where one can see the chef and his team put together the dishes adds a level of interactivity.
A restaurant kitchen where a glass wall separates the kitchen and the dining area and the diners get a view of the meals being prepared 

 As compared to places like Europe I found more variety of food and a lot more flavors. Food is available to suit every pocket and satisfy every kind of taste. Be it Continental or Asian,Indian,Korean,Chinese you name it and its available in Singapore.

So many places with a good view and a wonderful meal are readily available




I find that there are two kinds of people. Some eat to live and others live to eat. Singapore has food to cater to both these types of people


Singapore has food that is not just good to look at but delicious ,nutritious and hygienic



There is more variety in food available then you can possibly imagine

I felt I was in paradise :Good food & Good people made me think so.I guess my good karma had brought me here!

When good food happens then friend and family comes together and happy times begin. Do I need to say more?


If good food gives you a reason to live then this one is for you amigo!


With so much tasty food can you still afford to stay hungry?

Whoever said that the way to a person's heart is through his stomach had Singapore Takeaway in mind

Good food is always enjoyed with friends. Sharing a meal with a stranger turns him into a friend & sharing with a friend turns you into best friends.




All memes created by me and all the images used in the post were taken by me on my last trip to Singapore

Saturday 14 March 2015

The magic of being together

Togetherness with family is a magic cure or a magical wand that does wonders against stress and helps us focus on the task at hand.As I say this my thoughts take me back in time when I was preparing for my entrance exams. As the exam date drew closer my preparations were gathering a feverish pitch. However an essential component of preparing for any exam is the stress that comes with it. Day by day it builds as the exam dates come closer. To a certain extent it is constructive and helps you to stretch yourself and focus on your studies. However if not released it exceeds the certain limit that you can handle and instead of it being constructive it begins to  take its toll. You begin to feel constantly tired and fatigued. Such was my condition and I found it hard to concentrate on my studies. It seemed as though all the hard work that I had done would go  waste. This was despite the fact that I had revised my course a couple of times and now I was feeling drained and tired, neither able to concentrate nor able to focus . My body and mind were feeling exhausted due to the rigor of the strenuous routine that I was following. However the worst part was going to be that all this work was going to go to bear no fruit as I had reached the stage when I was feeling fatigued and burnt out.  That too just a few days before my exams. However my immediate and extended family had other things in mind as they prepared to throw a surprise birthday party for me as my birthday was just a week before my exam dates. It is so ironic that at a time when my family was preparing to celebrate my birthday by throwing a surprise party .I was at that same time at a lowest point of my life, so frustrated that I could have done anything to get back my happy life and cheerful self. So on the appointed day my entire family got #together for what was going to be a party of a lifetime. It was not a conventional two to three hour affair where we get-together when one eats drinks and goes away but instead it was a whole day affair where all my cousins, uncles and aunts had got together. There was eating, singing, playing and merrymaking. Normally so close to the exams I would never have allowed such an extended celebration that too for the whole day. After the hectic and busy schedule all this togetherness with loved ones came as a breath of fresh air. I later discovered that my sister and parents had organized this surprise birthday party to cheer me up. Looking at my stressed out condition they had sought and discovered the perfect remedy that was to act as a complete stress buster. Needless to say I ended the day on a happy note, full of laughter, fun and thrills. All the joyous time spent with my family had recharged and rejuvenated me. I felt as if I have come back from a long and happy holiday.  With this renewed energy I could focus better on my studies and when I appeared for my exams they went very well and when the results came I found myself in the list of successful candidates. In the process of my academic studies I had not only acquired the skills to pass an exam but had also discovered the power of togetherness with family that helps you overcome stress and come out a winner however tough the challenge of life it may be.
#together


Tuesday 10 March 2015

My mantra to grow and relocate and StartANewLife

I loved my home. In fact it was the same house that my mother brought me to when I was born at a nearby city hospital. After all these years it had become like a well read favorite book for me that has bookmarks or markings at various pages. So was my home for me. It had a secret alcove for me at the terrace that I used to cover with a few loose bricks and I used to keep my tennis ball and marbles in it. On the rear exterior it had a mango tree that would be loaded with sweet mangoes every year in the summer months and even before the summer heat would begin the sweet singing of the koel atop this tree would indicate that the mango season was around the corner. On the trunk of this tree were markings of my height for it was a yearly ritual for me. On every birthday my father would measure my height and put a corresponding mark on the tree trunk. Looking at it I could proudly boast to my friends how much I had grown in the past year. Overall the house that we called our home was a self contained unit .Our home was our nest that protected us. It gave us shelter and this is also a place where my dreams and aspirations took root, they hatched and grew up and became ready to take wings enabling me to soar high and reach my goals. Just like when a fruit is ripe it bids adieu to the mother tree. So was the time of my life when I graduated out of college and got a good job offer in another city. I was faced with a dilemma should I look for a job in this city itself? I had my home here that not just provided comfort & protection but had also witnessed all the events and happenings from my birth to my first birthday. All my friends were all nearby. However a brighter future beckoned me in another city. I was in a predicament and sat under the same mango tree gazing at the rented house that I called home for so many years and I thought that my home has been like a mother to me and if it could speak then it would definitely say that I should not let my bond with my home become my weakness instead the sweet memories should be my source of strength and instead of binding me and pulling me down it would set me free to soar high and reach for the skies. So I took the bold step of moving and relocating to a new city and #StartANewLife. As a young adult it was my first independent and big life changing decision.So I packed my bags and was all se to relocate. Along with my belongings I also had a bag full of memories of all the time spent in my home and what I leave behind is the mango tree with all those markings that are witness to my growing up years,that sweet singing koel that sang  in her sweet voice and that secret alcove which I hope would be utilized by another young lad who comes and stays in the house that we called our home for so long.In the new city after a few years I have purchased a house and I have moved into my new house with my parents Now I call this new house my home it’s a property which I have bought with my own money and in its backyard I have planted a mango tree so that when I have children they too can put markings on it and however old they grow and fly away their home will always await their return.

https://housing.com/.

Thursday 5 March 2015

Our Dry and Happy Baby

Our little one is a very active baby. He is a bundle of joy and very adorable. Being a baby is hard as it can only use its body language and cries to communicate with us adults. In the beginning we used to think that it would cry only when he is hungry however then we realized that he would cry when he is in need of a feed, when he is pain or wants us to switch on the TV or the radio. Incidentally listening to the radio is one of his favorite past times. Our baby is an early riser who would get up by five thirty in the morning and make all sorts of gurgling noises to get our attention. This is the time that he would have a wet diaper and feeling discomfort would want us to change it. If we delayed the change then it would cry incessantly to draw our attention towards his discomfort. Over time we discovered that though the diaper would be dry from the outside it would be wet from the inside and as a result our little ones delicate skin would get exposed to prolonged hours of wetness. As a result there would be skin rashes ,allergies and irritation. Now we have switched to Pampers Baby Dry Pants. What it does is that the diaper uses a special technology to keep the baby dry for up to ten hours. So good is the material that it can soak up up to 5 glasses of fluid from its surface. This keeps the wetness away from the baby’s skin. It is infused with baby lotion so keeps our baby’s skin healthy. It is so easy to put on and take off that we can change it even when the baby is asleep without waking him up or disturbing his sleep. Ever since we have switched to Pampers Baby Dry Pants we have realized that our little one sleeps better and gets up fresher. As it no longer has to spend the night in wet diapers thanks to the Magic Gel technology used in these Pampers Baby Dry Pants diapers that lock away any wetness instantaneously. Now we enjoy our little ones antics even more as he points towards the radio wanting us to switch it on. Then listening to the songs he would kick the air,move around his hands and make all sorts of noises as if he is singing along or humming the songs. It is truly a delight to watch him play and grow in this happy manner. The best part is that we are relieved that our little one is free from the torture of being in a wet diaper ever since we have started using Pampers Baby Dry Pants for our baby. It means less frequent diaper changes, The baby skin lotion used in the Pampers Baby Dry Pants ensures a nice smelling,healthy, rash free ,irritation free skin for the baby. With the use of Pampers Baby Dry Pants our baby does not have to cry anymore to draw our attention towards a wet diaper. Instead it plays and sings the whole day and we have realized that our dry baby is a happy baby


That moment of hope and optimism

With each tick of the clock time unfolds and brings in a new moment into our lives. Some of these moments bring hope and optimism that give us the power to rise above any obstacle and face any situation and come out a winner. These moments of hope and optimism come to us every now and then but we are at times too busy to notice them and turn them into spring boards that would propel us to new heights of success and achievement. I write these lines drawn from my experience and reflect upon an incident that happened many years ago that not only gave me hope for the future but changed the lives of so many people around me.
I was fresh out of college and into my first job as a trained engineer. Life was hunky dory and there was not much to complain. On the professional front our company had got a big order and to fulfill it the owner took a heavy loan to buy the raw material. Then suddenly due to a financial crunch the company defaulted on its loan installment repayment as a result the lending agency gave our company a time limit of 60 days to repay the loan or the office premises that was hypothecated would be impounded. The financial situation became so grave that the company had no money even to pay the wages to the workers.
My boss left the job and I found myself as the head of a business unit that seemed destined to be doomed. Overnight the lives of a few hundred workers had gone topsy turvy. This was the toughest situation of my life. Having no other option and with no money to pay the workers the management decided to lay off all the workers and close down the business unit. The task of breaking this bad news to the workers was deligated to me. That evening I had a lengthy discussion with the leader of the workers union who showed his dismay at the proposed shut down and lay off of the workers. The toughes job would be to break the news as so many people would lose their jobs and livelihood. Then it started raining and I offered the union leader a ride on my bike to his home. When we reached his house his four year old daughter came running towards us and  smiled at me disarmingly. She playfully held my hand and pulled me inside their home and asked her mother as to who I was.
The mother told her that I was her father’s friend friend from the factory and it was due to me that the child’s father could get her all the nice clothes ,toys and eatbles.
Looking at the trustful look on the innocent face of the young child disarmed me and the trust that her mother showed for me gave me a strange feeling of responsibility towards them. That night I could not sleep instead I kept thinking if I could do anything to help change what was about to befall.
I worked up a plan and took the union leader into confidence and had a meeting with the management. I presented a plan to the management in which the workers would work with the raw material and complete the order. As the management did not have the money to pay the workers they would share a part of the profit with the workers and pay the wages after completion of the order. For the workers it would mean that they would not be shunted out of work and could gain monetarily upon completion of the order. The management would not lose face due to lack of fulfilment of commitment.
It would be a win-win situation for both the workers and the management. After a long discussion both sides agreed. The innocent faith of a young child and the faith of her mother had propelled and instigated me to come up with this plan of hope and optimism that in the next sixty day would transform the fortunes and the destiny of so many household.
The entire workforce worked 24X7 as a cohesive unit .The men worked at the factory and the women set up a community kitchen that took care that no mouth remained unfed.

Needless to say the order got completed on time and in the span of 60 days the seed of hope and optimism that had been sown in me had grown, bloomed and blossomed into a full grown tree that sheltered and protected so many lives.