Magic

Kids are always fascinated by magic and for them everything is magic. Show them the blooming flower or crawling leech everything is magic.

Recently Colgate has come with this unique idea to put in magical pictures inside the toothpaste box. It's a nice touch to nudge the kids into creative mode and also pull them out of their tab and smartphone mode. As a part if their promo activity here I’m blogging my #ColgateMagicalstories at BlogAdda in association with Colgate. Below is the story which my younger one came up with. (There were 'base' for each of the pics but he couldn't make it stand with that, so the collage)

"We received 3 boxes of Colgate and it had my favorite pictures of space travel. I am a big fan of astronaut and space missions. Me and my sister was selected by ISRO to be part of the new mission 'Explore Plant X'. We were very excited. We practiced how to do space travel and space walk. On the D-day our take off from Sriharikota was perfect and we reached our designated space station. After going thru the formalities in our space station, we proceeded to Planet X. From our initial research we knew X is a terrestrial planet and it gravity is similar to earth. It had 2 moons, Moon X and Moon Y. Because of our sound initial research and planning we had a perfect landing.
          As a precaution we sent our exploration rover to get the initial information about the surroundings and terrain. After a positive assessment from the rover, me and sister started out in our manned rover. We tested out the soil and were looking out for signs of alien life.
          Suddenly we noticed an angry looking meteor fly by. It had a unusual sparkling tail and was more like an angry firecracker than meteor. While we were keenly watching the meteor we didn't see an UFO that was coming behind it till it was about to land. We both were stunned to see this unusual flying object that we forgot to run and hide. Once it landed we saw a strange looking creature get out if it. It had huge eyes and looked more or less like a huge frog. We were giggling seeing it. Then we heard some screechy scratchy sound coming from the alien.
         Good thing was that ISRO had given us an alien translator which was convert all alien languages. As we turned it on, we came to know that the creature was actually asking us to fight.  We tried talking back to it explaining our purpose there is to make contact and not war. But unfortunately that creature didn't had our translator technology so couldn't understand a single word we spoke and also we didnt had the tech to translate our language into alien language so as to make it understand what we were saying. It took out its weapon and started aiming on us. But I was quick and I disarmed the creature with a single beam and captured it. In the end we took the alien back to earth with us till we build the translator which will let us talks it language."

Growth stories

I think when ones kid is just not of the 'standard' type, the mothers are the one who become the most anxious souls. My daughter was born healthy at 3.4 kg, reached all milestone and though has skin problem, Bangalore cold problems but overall has been a healthy (touch-wood) one. I always think may be she ended with my genes, because in her heart she is a south indian, who devours her dosas and rice!
But my son, is all his father. He was also born at 3.4 kg, had covered all his milestones at top class in his 1st year, but somewhere from the 2nd year, he started ending up always on the lower border of the growth graph. This is in terms of both weight and height. To add to the problem I am healthier one, who will put on weight if I just see fatty foods. So when I couldn't make my son in the same category as me, it made me super-anxious. I always thought that people are going to say that I ate all his food. Though my son had a better appetite than my daughter & far lesser visits to doc than her, still his growth was below standard types. When he goes out to play, he is puny compared to the boys who is younger than him.
As I said he is a typical north indian like my hubs, who devours his parata & chicken. But at the end of the day, i simply don't know where all that food ended, because none of it has stuck to him. Till date he is skinny to the bone, the moment he takes off his shirt, I feel as if he has come from Ethiopia. I had pestered my doc to the end, to prescribe something that will make him in the normal graph. But he keeps joking saying as long as he is active why you want to make him obese. Then I consulted some ayurvedic doc, I tired some home medicine, heck I even tried the remedy an auto guy suggested, but none of it seems to work on him.
Some suggested that boys growth happens in spurts, she said he will grow fast at 5 yrs, but nothing happened at his 5th year, then they said wait till he is 7, but he is in his 7th year but whatever spurts are happening its not visible to me. As a consolation my MIL came to my rescue, she said its all in the gene. Its seems even my hubs was a puny child till his college. His growth spurt happened only after 18!
So now I have to wait till his 18th year. If there was any magic formula that will get his growth back to normal, what not would I do to get my hands on it.

p.s. This is written as part of Horlicks Growth+ .Do you think that will be "The Magic Formula" I  waited for these years?! Do you think I stand a chance!?

Review - The Bestseller She wrote

The Bestseller she wrote
   - by Ravi Subramanian

As typical with the author, in this story also the protagonist Aditya is a banker and as a twist he is also an author. He is a typical young author who is confident of his work as well as arrogant, who is basking in his new found glory as well feeling very secured in it. He is a one who has got it all but don't know the value of them.
He has a lovely wife Maya who is an achiever by herself. She is a strong independent women who choose to be Aditya's wife.
There is also Shreya who is the other protagonist that you actually want to kill.

The story starts with a typical bang of adultery. It actually felt like watching Poison Ivy or any other 90s thriller film. I actually felt that the author has lost his skill and have started to re-produce some Indianized Hollywood movie stories. But how wrong I was..

As typical of Ravi there came a major twist in the story. I usually pride myself in guessing whats going to happen next and in only a very rare cases have my guesses missed its mark. But unbelievably in all of Ravi's book my guesses never come true, which tends to prove on how good a story teller Ravi is. And also how well he has understood on what the reader might be expecting to happen next and how to give something unexpected.

I am a huge fan of Sidney Sheldon, not because of the sex scenes but actually because of his characters. In all of SS books, the women protagonist will be a strong women and also no matter what is their characters, SS will never categorize them as bad. At the end, all the deeds will be justified.

In similar line, Ravi characterization is also the same. At the end of the book, there is no villan. All of them actually did what they were supposed to do, everything was justified. As a reader this gives me a closure when I close the book. When I started this book, I was scrumming in my seat as going thru the book and praying when it will end (I can never close a book without reading full). But when it actually ended I felt bad, as I was so hooked to it.

I used to read Sidney Sheldon book in one go and in the same way I was never able to read any of the Indian authors, but Ravi's book is the only Indian authored book that I just couldn't put it down and actually completed within a day. That says volume. Actually I was piled on work both on personal front and professionally that I couldn't get away to write a review sooner. But this is a review that I cant say no too no matter how late it comes. Hats off Ravi, keep writing more such good ones.

My Rating: 5/5 

Overview of the book:

Paperback king, Aditya Kapoor’s life is straight out of a modern man’s fantasy. His literary stardom is perfectly balanced by a loving wife and a spectacular career. With everything he touches turning to gold, Aditya is on a winning streak.
Shreya Kaushik is a student with a heart full of ambition. Young, beautiful, and reckless, Shreya speaks her mind and obsessively chases after what she wants. And what she wants is to be a bestselling author.
What happens when their worlds collide? Is it possible to love two people at the same time? Can real ambition come in the way of blind passion? Can trust once broken, be regained?
Master storyteller Ravi Subramanian, delves into the glitzy world of bestsellers and uncovers a risky dalliance between a superstar novelist and his alluring protégé.
The Bestseller She Wrote is a combustible cocktail of love, betrayal and redemption.

About Author: 
Ravi Subramanian, an alumnus of IIM Bengaluru, has spent two decades working his way up the ladder of power in the amazinglyexciting and adrenaline-pumping world of global banks in India. For Ravi, The Bestseller She Wrote,  marks the beginning of a new chapter in his writing. A significant departure from his usual fare, this is Ravi’s first book on romantic intrigue.
He is the award winning author of seven bestselling books :
    If God was a Banker (2007),     I Bought the Monks Ferrari (2007),     Devil in Pinstripes (2009),     The Incredible Banker (2011),     The Bankster (2012),     Bankerupt (2013).    God is a Gamer (2014).
His 8th book, The Bestseller She Wrote released on October 19th 2015. 

I am reviewing ‘The Bestseller She Wrote’ by Ravi Subramanian as a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Best Fathers Day Gift

My dad was the typical conservative tamil dad. Till 10th I had to remind dad about which class I am in when he introduce us to some guests. But I remember he taking me and my sis for rides in the moped, no matter how tired he is from office. And the best part i remember is that, we had school for 6 days a week and dad also worked 6 days a week, but sunday are always special because we get to sleep in late in the morning and we had appa as company! Sundays were always marked by late mornings with dad and evening pakodas by mom. Also on sunday dad used to sit with sunday newspaper and no matter even if we jump on top him, he was always in a happy mood.

Though conservative he never stopped me or my sister. He was always careful about others opinion but in home we were allowed all things. He never forced us, either for studies or for others. Though a stare from him is enough to make us quite, he never hit us. And if we fall sick, he will be the most worried person. Every 5 mins he will check on us, make us comfortable and so. Mom was always the rational one and dad the emotional.

He was always concerned about everyones comfort and well being. Even at the ripe age of 70+ he still like that. Anyone asks for help, he is there no matter how hot the climate in chennai is or how sick/tired he is. All rely on him, whether to run to courthouse for somebody's divorce or to hospital for somebody who is bedridden.

In all this midst, if i wish him happy fathers day, it will be both meaningless and empty. He never expected returns for all his actions. He never asked for tropies or accolades. He does everything for family. For him father's day is not there, its just a marketing gimick. So in this case even gifts become ridiculous. So when I think what could be an ideal gift for him and any dad. I would say a 'Hug' will work in a beautiful way. My dad is a shy person and also one who can't and won't express his love in PDA. So a hug will be best gift. Hug is free of cost, so he cant complain that I am spending money and still express all the things a good gift should do.

This father’s day, I am expressing my love towards my dad by participating in the #HugYourDad activity at BlogAdda in association with Vicks.

My first expert

My mother was always the expert at home. She was a graduate when girls were hardly allowed to complete schooling and to top it she was a gold medalist in her graduation. She had a career when people thought that girls are only a burden before getting them married and to top it she was working in an airlines wherein all famous personalities of yester years used to queue up infront of her! I was always in awe of my mother. But inspite of her achievements she was The most down to earth person and the most pratical one too. She was also a feminist more in her actions than in her fights. She never fought for her rights but she just took them very politely. Though sitting in a chota-mota village, she managed to keep her knowledge updated.

 

 Here is what she taught me
1. Your circumstances need not dictate who you are. Sitting in a small village, she managed to achieve so many new skills and positions. We were all recognized by her name
2. You need not be a great cook to be a great hostess. Though she never was a good cook, she never shied away from it. Whether its burnt or innovative, she made it. She also ensure that all guests are served the same and had eaten too. I have never seen her waste food, good or bad.
3. Hospitality actually means hosting a party without its expenses. She used to communicate so well and her knowledge is so wonderful, that the guests usually forget what they are eating and where they are eating. She made everyone forget their surroundings.
4. Always look for opportunity to keep you engaged. Though she used to gossip with neighbors or idle away time reading novels, she made sure she kept on learning new things, whether its making garlands,stitching clothes or making bags.
5. Whether you are good or not, experiment. She taught us not to become stale with cooking, she gave us the passion to experiment whether its a success or not is secondary
6. Communicate, age no bar. She used to interact with each and everyone, whether its my dad's boss or whether its neighbors daughter or whether its long lost friend. I have never seen her out of words. Introvert/ extrovert or anyone doesn't matter she used to talk. My father never uttered any word to his dad but my mom and thatha used to chat all day long!
7. Passion for Maths. She was a gold medalist in her maths graduation and because of her it became my favorite subject.
8. Always have a smiling face. She used to smile when getting scolding, when serving burnt food, when people criticize her appearances. She used to laugh at herself before others do.
9. Though no matter how much she can talk, she always listened to what the other person says. She never pestered with opinions or orders, she always listened.

She is always the expert in anything and everything and whenever I face difficult decisions I'll always ask, what would she have done now..
Now follow godrej on what experts think..http://godrejexpert.com/single_used_pack.php

EkNayiLeague

When I was a kid, the only sports I knew existed is Cricket. Though we played so many games as kids, when somebody speaks about sports, its always cricket. Cricket was the ultimate game, there was passion, there was energy. I learnt the true meaning of patriotism in a India verses Pakistan cricket match. Though in school we used to have many sports activities, like football, volleyball, kho-kho, hockey but when it came to professional sports, cricket always stood out. And cricket was always synonymous to great names like Kapil dev,Rave Shastri, Gauvaskar, Sreekanth and later evolved to include Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly. They were always thought about in par with superstar heroes of movies like Rajini kanth & Vijaykanth (remember as a satanch Tamilian, I never knew about Amithab other than the name:))

But recently Cricket as such has undergone a revolution. Gone are the days together 'Test' matches, even ODI are out dated, IPL are the new season favorite. Somehow after 1998 world cup and the De-glamorizing of cricket, I lost the interest in them. May be I was watching it with dil-se and I was heart broken when I came to know that Cricket is also just another game played not by legends but normal corrupt mortals!

But still some part of me even now regards Kapil dev, Sreekanth, Gauvaskar in a pedestal. So recently I watched the you tube ads of Kapil Dev's 'Ek Nayi League'. Have you watched them? Kapil is as usual charming, but more than that he says he is getting a new league in place, which if played 'dil-se' will be a 'hit-wicket'. Basically the ad conveys something that we are
even now doing with cricket. We play and also watch it with 'Dil-se', may be if we remove this emotional quotient, you get to play a game as a game. Like how we played during our childhood days. You don't play for the scores, you don't play for the awards, you don't play to win and you don't play to lose also. This league promises something like that..
Remove the 'Dil-se' part, we will get a Game which is played for just that, not for money, not for awards, not for winning. That would be like going back to the true spirit of games. You play just for playing, you play for yourself, nothing else. Ohh... now I am all piped to see what this 'Ek nayi League' of Kapil Dev's is all about. You too piped to know more about it?. Go watch and start dreaming about this EkNayiLeague like me. Happy Watching/ Waiting. You can also have a guess about it, like how I did. Nothing wrong in dreaming.

Here is the site http://www.eknayileague.com/ and the same can be followed in twitter by following @eknayileague or hashtag #EkNayiLeague

My mobile phone

When my sis got married, my athimbar's first gift to me was a mobile phone. He was a very practical man, he foresaw that rather than 'phata' my salli with clothes and stuff, he swooned me with a gadget! That was a time when mobile was a true luxury item. After giving the gift the 1st advice I got from him, don't show off with this, but rather hide in your bag and NEVER call from this and ATTEND calls in this. So following his wise words, mobile is just a device thru which I parents can reach me and not track me. This will give a miss call and I'll call them from land line! Because those where the days when you are charged for incoming s too!! Can you believe! All this show is for Nokia 3310! It was held precious than my wallet!

But you have to give it to 3310, he served me loyally for the next 8 yrs! Though I used to get angry and throw, 3310 never left me, for that matter he is still with me and still works if needed!

Then came the phase when incoming were not charged, roaming charges was removed and the golden days of mobile has begun. I gave my 3310 some rest and got a camera phone. But alas he was not able to survive in my kids hand and soon died. Then during the time I was a SHAM, mobile was always treated as a child play thing, to keep the kid company for some time. Then came the Blackberry, which introduced us to concept of smartphone. It gave me the insight that phone is just not for calling, I can use it for much more. So when I joined back to work, I started my hubs blackberry, though my hubs has moved to android that time itself. That was still when social media was in its early phase.

But unfortunately I lost the black berry while grocery shopping.

Now I started feverishly hunting for touch phone in flip kart which would serve my purpose of connecting with social media, entertaining kids, browsing and so. This search led me to Asus Zenfone. Though Asus was new to the Indian market and was waging war with Samsung and Micromax, but still Asus Zenfone held the ground. With my limited budget and said features, I fell for Asus Zenfone.

Asus Zenfone had all my required feature of good camera, good speed, good performance. But then my requirements got changed. I was basically overloaded my mobile with too many apps. My 1 GB RAM was not able to handle. Also anyone with a smartphone would know the worth of good batteries. Just before meetings I used to realize the % of mobile charge left or just before bed the battery will be 17%.

So when I heard about the new Asus Zenfone 2 that's going to be launched I was more than excited. This will be another step in my mobile experience. Gone will be the days when I am hunting for charger that's available for the next 8-10 hrs. Here come Zenfone 2 which charges 60% in mere 39 mins! Also who will not be swooned by the 4GB RAM. Since I already know about pixel master camera of Asus and can vouch that it, so if I get my hands on the new Zenfone 2, I can safely sell my hubs DSLR and become the official photographer in my home. Asus UI was always very reliable with almost nill lag or crash, I would say I am official;y on the prowl to get the new Asus Zenfone 2.

For more info on the new Zenfone, follow the link  http://www.asus.com/Phones/ZenFone_2_ZE551ML/.