PonderingTwo

Asus ZenPad 7.0 (Z370CG) Review - A Stylish Tablet for Daily Use

A Stylish Tablet For Daily Use.
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Our FAM Trip to Adlabs Imagica

When we had lots of fun!!
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A Note of Thank You

When I say a Thank You to the Missus '' *
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's How NOT to Conduct a Television Interview

When an interview completely fails.
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Tuesday 31 December 2013

Expectations

Published on: 12/31/2013 06:36:00 pm by Unknown - 12 comments

Probability
Though not negative arouses
Expectations

This post has been written for Haiku Heights, the prompt being 'Expectation'.

Inspired by the theme at

Mom

Published on: 12/29/2013 10:11:00 am by Rohan Kachalia - No comments

Madonna With the Milk Soup, 1510, Gerard David

Aromatic polyphagia

Conviviality that spreads

With tender love and warmness

Altruistic essence

Hunger cedes hands down

Beaming faces

Conjuring print

Moist eyes

Mom

This nonet has been written for Mag 199 based on the above picture.

Embrace of Love and Souls

Published on: 12/27/2013 04:59:00 pm by Rohan Kachalia - 5 comments

That nodding of hearts

Grand intertwining of souls

A tight embrace

Love cradles the ship

Time hurries as love flowers

A tighter embrace

Life’s pages gets loved

Moments turn into memories

A tightest embrace

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

Blog Review : Dreams and Drama

Published on: 12/26/2013 10:46:00 am by Rohan Kachalia - 6 comments

Introduction: It is that time of the year when there is too much holiday cheer and festive mood. Right from the start of December till commencement of the new year, the month long extravaganza brings life and heart into the lives of many people through lots of Weddings, Christmas Eve and New Year Eve.

And since Christmas Eve is around the corner, The Indiblogeshwaris decided to spread some cheer through the secret elves and what better way then reviewing a blog! So, I as the secret blog elf is reviewing the blog Dreams and Drama co-authored by Arpita and Swarnali - Friends by chance and Sisters by choice. Also, Swarnali writes at Half Baked Voices too.

Review: The first thing that I liked is the simple presentation of the blog through its template which is good on eyes, clean, crisp and beautiful and also the user friendliness in terms of navigation. The blog is up since September, 2011, with 140 posts and more than 1 lac visitors have graced the blog. This shows the writing prowess that both the girls possess.

The blog is all about various stories told through the medium of many contests held at various forums and book and website reviews. With many accolades coming their way in the form of winning contests, it affirms the writing skills along with providing some great content for the reader.

It is extremely difficult to find one good post out of so many beautiful posts that I suggest reading each and every post. What did catch my attention is the approach and attitude that both the authors display while writing any posts which is highly commendable.

Few things which I would like to bring to the notice is that there is no social media tabs on the blog which is highly important in the world of bloggers, to promote their posts and get noticed. Also it will be better if all the tags or labels that you write on are displayed for allowing the readers to understand on the kind of topics you write.

Verdict: Dreams and Drama is where dreams light up and real life drama unfolds in the posts.

Kiss of Love

Published on: 10/25/2013 05:01:00 pm by Rohan Kachalia - 8 comments

Source: Google

An unusual feeling gripped me.

The insides started to tremor.

Breathing became erratic.

Fingers started to stroke.

Intimacy felt.

Pushing her back

Closing in

We kissed.

Love...

This post is attempted for the Write Tribe, where the prompt is to write a Nonet poem.

P.S.: A nonet poem has been attempted for the first time. So all the suggestions are highly welcomed :)

Book Review : Baramulla Bomber

Published on: 10/24/2013 07:31:00 pm by Unknown - No comments

Author: Clark Prasad

Published by: Niyogi Books

ISBN: 978-93-81523-97-1

Genre: Fiction/ Thriller

No. of Pages: 314

Price: INR 395

Synopsis:

An ancient weapon from the Vedas and Bible

Once hunted by the Nazis

Reborn with the help of Quantum Physics

Going to be unleashed onto the world

& Kashmir holds it’s secret

The only way

Multiple intelligence agencies are tracking Mansur Haider, a god-fearing aspiring cricketer from Kashmir. His girlfriend, Aahana Yajurvedi, is trying to locate her missing mountaineering team, which vanished after a mysterious earthquake struck Shaskgam Valley. Investigating Mansur and the Shaskgam Valley incident is Swedish Intelligence Officer, Adolf Silverskiold, whose only relationship to god consists of escorting his girlfriend to church.

To save the world

A dual China-Pakistan battlefront scenario facing the Indian Home Minister, Agastya Rathore, whose ancestors carry a prehistoric secret linked to the stars. He is faced with the challenge of finding a lasting solution to the Kashmir crisis.

Is to challenge one’s faith

Which Biblical Weapon was tested in Shaksgam Valley? Why is Mansur Haider important? Is there a solution to the Kashmir Crisis? Can destiny be controlled? Does a cosmic religion exist?

Review: Baramulla Bomber. What a name! It is said that a good title works wonders irrespective of the plot and believe me Baramulla Bomber has an interesting plot to narrate apart from the captivating title. And so when Blogadda came up with the review, I applied immediately and thankfully was chosen for reviewing the book. And am pretty pleased to have read this book!

It does take time to read 300+ pages but not even for once you will allow yourself to put the book down. Infact I regretted many times after putting the book down for various reasons as you always start thinking what will be next in the plot. Such is the plot filled with Vedas, science fiction, espionage, quantum physics, cricket and politics. All nicely put together to what is called ‘Baramulla Bomber’ – Part one of the trilogy (Svastik Trilogy).

The beginning is where the royal descendants meet where a blasts take palce and most of them dies, apart from the one Abhimanyu Kashyup. And from there on he vows to keep the secret discussed alive as the plot starts to keep the readers engrossed into it unequivocally.

The plot is racy with a nice timeline at the start of every chapter that helps in easing the confusion with lots of plots, people and places put together simultaneously. The plot is based in India and Sweden.

What amuses me is the way the author has kept on introducing new characters in a subtle way without even once letting the readers to flip back pages to remember the names of the character. Apart from that the humongous amount of research that has gone into it has made the plot look rich filled with substance worth reading.

I didn’t find much to criticize as I was left spell bound after finishing the book.

Writing: The writing is crisp and clear without any grammatical and other errors which shows a good proof reading is done. The tone of the language is pretty Indian which is nice.

Overall: A must read science fiction espionage thriller, which will keep you at tenterhooks and eagerly awaiting for the second part of the trilogy. A thriller of a novel not to be missed!!

Ratings: Highly recommended.

5/5 *

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

The Arrival

Published on: 10/24/2013 02:44:00 pm by Rohan Kachalia - 8 comments

‘The weight has increased tremendously since we last met’, said a burly voice assumingly looking not so pleased with a crinkled brow.

A cute chuckle adorned the cherubic face.

A slight twinge inside and there came the deafening ‘aah’ as it moved, signalling that the time has come to relieve from the physical exertion.

This time will surely make it outwards. I knew it was my last day there as I could sense the coldness of fresh air blowing inside through the orderly incision.

Heart began throbbing with the passage of every second.

‘Congratulations! You’re blessed with a baby girl’.

This post is written for Write Tribe where the prompt being 'I knew it was my last day there'.

My Delhi Manifesto

Published on: 10/23/2013 05:05:00 pm by Rohan Kachalia - 4 comments

Source: Google

The National Capital Territory of India also know as Delhi is the world's second most populous city and largest city in terms of area. And with such credentials comes huge responsibility when it comes to the governance part, infrastructure and maintaining law and order.

A wonderful city with some breath taking historical monuments such as Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Qutub Minar etc. along with some delicious cuisine worth tasting it has off-late started to lose its sheen with the tags such as 'Rape capital of India', 'Delhi's killer buses' and 'Epidemic zone'.

Also the highhandedness of the various civic authorities in dealing with various social issues is putting a huge blot on the faces of dilwalo ka shehr along with the capital of the country too. As it is rightly said ‘There’s no nation that is perfect, it has to be made so!’ and so here I am, as a citizen of this country presenting in front of you my Delhi Manifesto!

1) The eighth most populated metropolis in the world and one of the most heavily polluted cities in India, time has come to transform the city to bare minimum environmental polluted city.

2) Controlling pollution wouldn't be possible without observing a proper hygiene and cleanliness regime that doesn't allow epidemics to break with ease and comfort. And hence spitting, loitering, defecating in the open would attract a heavy fine and if no money to pay then a compulsory public service w.r.t to cleaning of roads, public places be given as a deterrent and punishment for a minimum amount of six months.

3) 'Atithi Devo Bhava' is what we as a country have always believed in and believe so. So any incident involving tourists and foreigners will be dealt strictly with a non bailable warrant to be issued against the offender in support of adequate proof.

4) A complete ban will be imposed on the posters and various advertisements related to various parties and instead posters on cleanliness, road safety, stop violence against women, Atithi Devo Bhava and public welfare schemes will be put up.

5) Various crimes especially those against women be met with severe punishment and to treat each and every offence as 'gravest of the grave' and punishment be accordingly given with huge sums of money as fine.

6) Numerous workshops and exhibitions be held for showcasing the rich culture of the metropolis along with the arts and crafts of skilled technicians specializing in Zardosi and Meenakari.

7) Entire accounts of the various parties be made public with proper receipts of donations and expenses incurred and duly audited by an independent auditor such as CAG.

8) Also every party worker, MLA, corporator etc. will have to be compulsory visit their constituencies and interact with the people to find out their problems at the root level on a weekly basis and submit a report to the CM on a monthly basis updating the problems, steps taken, solutions offered and job done with full public satisfaction.

9) Being a citizen of India first, it will be the top most duty to see that each and every citizen be it in Delhi or elsewhere possess the 'Election card' or 'The Voter-Id card' so that each and every individual can 'vote' for their candidate and hope to see a brighter future for a good and better city and nation as Hanouz Dehli dour ast.

This is My Delhi Manifesto in association with BlogAdda.com.

Timepass Chocochip Cookies - Doodle Recipe

Published on: 10/23/2013 10:08:00 am by Unknown - No comments

What do you do when suddenly in the midst of sleepy afternoon, the door bell rings and you brace yourself out of the duvet only to find your best friends standing in front of the door, talking animatedly and giggling? You definitely would welcome them in, rush inside to make yourself look presentable and ...

... O shit! I don't have enough ingredients to make some good light evening snack!!What will I offer them now? What shall I do? You start pondering with these questions and then with the pop sound of your finger snapping, you allow yourself to smile and heave a sigh of relief. Idea!

As you allow yourself and your friends to some light gossip and heavy laughter, you also multitask by making some light Chocochip Cookies along with tea.

And this is how you prepare the Chocochip Cookies...

Let us start with the ingredients required for preparing the cookies.

1) 1 cup flour

2) 3/4 cup butter

3) 3/4 cup powdered sugar

4) 1/4 tsp baking powder

5) 1 tsp cocoa powder

6) 2-3 tsp milk

7) 100 gms chocolate pieces

And now the method...

1) Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius at convection mode.

2) Beat butter and sugar untill light and fluffy.

3) Sieve flour, cocoa powder and baking powder in a bowl.

4) Mix all the ingredients together along with chocolate pieces and knead a soft dough.

5) Roll the dough and cut into cookies with the help of biscuit cutter. (Or else simply roll out small balls from the dough)

6) Pierce them with the help of fork to make an impression.

7) Place biscuit atleast 5 cm apart giving enough space for expansion.

8) Grease the non stick tawa and place cookies on it and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20-25 mins on rack and your Timepass Chocochip Cookies is ready to be served hot and fresh.

My Doodle recipe is a part of Easy Doodle Recipe contest at BlogAdda.com in association with TastyKhana.com

Moments

Published on: 10/15/2013 06:27:00 pm by Rohan Kachalia - 21 comments

To -

The Apple of my eye

How easy it was to say ‘Yes’, sitting across each other without even knowing anything about each other (likes, dislikes, hobby etc. doesn't count), putting a blind faith on each other’s commitment to stay healthy as a beautiful couple once the garlands have been exchanged. Well, that’s what arranged marriage is all about. Isn't it?

But what turned in your favour was the effervescent self, rich with positivity mixed with a tinge of blush as our eyes met and the curve of the lips when it parted to speak and smile. Of course the flirtatious nature of your long lustrous tresses did play a hand in it when some of the strands kept on caressing my cheeks as we had sat for the customary chit-chat.

That moment and the moment when we blinked together and said ‘yes’ were few of the moments that are still fresh from the oven, baked with pure feelings with the crispiness of our chit-chat filled with your invigorating beam.

Unable to sneak a glance of my Love on the D-day in spite of being present in the same venue, sitting almost 200m apart it was cruel. But as it is said ‘The fruit patience bears is sweet’. And so holding on with the rush of emotions in my heart, I continued with the rituals and traditions. And then came the moment to reckon. The sight of You, looking resplendent as always with a sort of cheeky smile adorning your lips that made me fall head over heels in love with the most beautiful lady I had ever seen. That enigmatic moment can never by captured by any artificial lenses but it has been captured by my eyes and stored in the safe custody of my heart eternally.

Although you were adorned with jewellery but I was and still left amazed as it didn't gleam even for a second as it ought to in front of your electric smile. And at that moment itself I had promised myself to do whatever it takes to keep that smile on your face.

That awkward moment is still to be cherished when I had my eyes fixated on you as I stopped midway with garland held in my hand and your head slightly bowed forward which was coherently followed with lots of oohs and aahs.

As we advanced with the proceedings, the slight brush of our fingers gave an extreme pleasure as it was the start of our journey – a journey heaving with promises and selfless Love for each other.

And then came the final moment when we posed for the camera, obeying and following the instructions that came from the principal photographer. But what followed in the end was something that none present over there would have imagined. A kiss on the lips as we melted in each other’s warmth unknown to the surroundings.

‘A photograph can capture the souls but it cannot capture the feelings and emotions that the souls go through’. And that precisely is the sole reason of writing a letter to you which will be held closer to our chests leaving with us the moments to re-live and cherish ceaselessly.

From -

The Pineapple of your eye

This post has been written for Write Tribe Letters Unsent prompt 4 where we were supposed to write a letter to our love either current or ex and this is my attempt to write a letter to current spouse.

Bouquet

Published on: 10/04/2013 07:31:00 pm by Rohan Kachalia - 12 comments

Courtesy : Write Tribe

Bouquet of foliage
Unlocking the butterfly
Dreams galore

This entry is a part of a contest held at Write Tribe where a haiku has to be written based on the photo prompt.

Book Review - English Bites!

Published on: 10/03/2013 05:10:00 pm by Unknown - 2 comments

It is said that 'Presentation makes a first and a lasting impact.' And if you receive a book in such a beautifully covered manner wrapped with a ribbon along with a personal note, it surely does have an impact. For once I must admit, I was pleasurably surprised by the packaging. And this, did generate a more sense of enthusiasm in me to read the book as I cut through the covering slowly, making sure that the damage to the cover is bare minimum, thus preserving the entire packaging for some nostalgic moments to be cherished with some bites of cookies and English.

Synopsis - Is the English language your biggest nightmare? It was Manish Gupta's, the author. Until he decided to cheat and beat the system. Today he is a smooth-talking banker and has come out with a unique English learning guide that is easy to read, super effective and hilarious. So whether you're a vernacular speaker, a GRE/GMAT/CAT/XAT aspirant or just a language nut, English Bites! will expand your vocabulary and improve your verbal ability. And there are chances that you might fall head over heels in love with this language.

Author - Manish Gupta

Published by - Penguin India

ISBN - 978-0-143-41900-6

Genre - Non-Fiction

No.of pages - 334

Price - INR 250

Review - Are you paranoid about English, then grab the book is what I would say. And precisely what I did when the author asked for a review of the book. Having studied in vernacular language, I can understand what one goes through when it comes to reading and conversing in English. And I still fear them. But the book has given me a way to learn and master this nightmare of a language with easy ways to expand my word bank coupled with fun learning tools like jokes and anecdotes.

The book is a result of the author's tryst and his journey with the language. From his school days right till he became a banker, the book shows how he mastered the language and can confidently use the language. The book is full of examples and anecdotes from the author's personal experience which massively helps in understanding what a word actually means. The book starts of with a guide and turns out to be a mini dictionary with numerous new words which can be used in daily life. Also apart from the new words, the book also reveals some interesting trivia about the language. This all in all provides a new dimension at the way at which English as a language can be studied and learnt.

The USP of the book is the footnotes explaining the meaning of the words used. A perfect and a smart way to explain a language without allowing the readers to use the dictionary for reference.

What amazes me is that someone who was not so well versed with the language has eventually mastered the language to such an extent that he has penned an entire book on the same and shows the amount of love he has developed for the language. This also proves that what the author has written will indeed work provided it is read chapter wise, slowly and not at one go.

Overall - English Bites! is one such book which you will definitely like to visit again and again if not for mastering the language then purely for the rich treasure of the words you will learn. A must read for all the English language haters and lovers too. Probably as I said you might fall head over heels in awe with this language.

Rating - Highly recommended. 5/5.

Two Souls One Heart

Published on: 10/01/2013 05:41:00 pm by Rohan Kachalia - 2 comments

Source: Google

perpetually

pounding heartbeats synchronized

as unity

with roots of love strengthening

the lacunae that it once left

This is the Third part in the series of #Micropoetry depicting 'Love at First Sight and After'. The previous parts in the series can be read:

Part 1 - Love at First Sight
Part 2 - The Plunge

Please do leave your footprints. :)

Retribution

Published on: 9/21/2013 12:40:00 pm by Unknown - 2 comments

And before I knew it, I had hit ‘send’.

‘If not the perfect time let me create it then’. Media will play the supporting role.

‘Time is indeed appropriate’.

PM: Kill him

Agent: Point Blank?

PM: Doesn't matter.

Next morning breaking news: ‘PM is found dead.’

Eliminating the parasite that plagues this country starts now.

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

Truly Alive

Published on: 9/19/2013 03:05:00 pm by Rohan Kachalia - 6 comments

Do I need to make them feel alive? Indeed. If I don’t, wouldn't they feel awful?

Truly Alive
Source: Google

Life had nothing to offer. Love had died aeons ago. Feelings and emotions were trampled and buried deep into insides of his heart. Only thing that was left to him was his intellect which allowed him to amass riches.

And it had started working instinctively. Outlining his master-plan with a profuse care not to get caught again, he scripted his escape route, opening the horizons of the world to be conquered.

I've arrived to strike again! He chuckled igniting their 'feeling alive' chase again.

This post is a part of 100 Words On Saturday conducted by Write Tribe. The prompt being 'Truly Alive.'

The Plunge

Published on: 9/19/2013 09:51:00 am by Rohan Kachalia - 2 comments

ready for the plunge

unknown to their parents wishes

tachycardia

she slid her fingers filling

the void perpetually

You can read the first part of the series of #Micropoetry on 'Love at First Sight and After' here

Love at First Sight

Published on: 9/16/2013 06:26:00 pm by Rohan Kachalia - 3 comments

though indecisive

about his future with her

shining eyes echoing

eternal love

ready for the plunge

.....

This is the First part in the series of #Micropoetry on 'Love at First Sight and After'.

Ambi Pureeeddd!!

Published on: 9/13/2013 03:03:00 pm by Unknown - No comments

Rohan pushed open the door, ran straight towards his bedroom to the cabinet where his things are kept. And in an instant I could feel the aroma of his most favourite perfume fill the ambiance.

Yes, we humans are like that. Where ever we go be it office or an important meeting or at a friend's place or a get-together or to impress someone or even at the gym or any and every place, we like ourselves to smell fresh.

Few hours into the drive, Rohan realized some weird kind of odor emanating from the car as the smell of perfume faded. He raised his left arm to smell his arm pit but it still gave a tinge of strong Lomani that he uses. Half an hour more into the drive he started to feel suffocated and that's when I said, "Khud toh perfume laga ke mast ho, lekin apni Esteem ko kab perfume lagaoge?"

That was it and thanks to Indiblogger I applied for the Lavender Ambi - Pur mini vent clip so that atleast he understands how it feels to have a drive with a soothing fragrance rather than a stale odor. And in few days we received the vent. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by the way the vent was shipped.

The vent comes with a clip to fix it on the AC wings and a nob to turn as per our wish from low to high depending on the amount of fragrance we need. This is an apt way to control the use of the perfume as well as the quantum of fragrance in the car. Once we set the nob to high, with air-conditioner on, the entire car was filled with the aroma of Lavender and it was like Wow! The fragrance is strong yet subtle. We kept the nob on for few minutes and then turned it off just to check whether the fragrance stays and to our surprise it stayed for quite a long time.

"This is amazing. I am feeling so fresh without a tinge of stress and all happiness even after driving some 200 odd kilometers! I am totally Ambi-Pureeedddd!!!! Exclaimed Rohan. #FreshNHappy He is totally in awe of the product and so am I and has asked me to buy a new one as soon as the vent is empty.

All the weird, rusty odors just seemed to vanish into the thin air and Lavender was what it occupied instead. The soothing, calm and wonderful fragrance is what one needs to have a stress free drive especially in traffic ridden and bumpy roads of Mumbai and Ambi Pur gives it. With a total of five flavours to select from, according to one's tastes and preferences, Ambi Pur surely knows how to keep a car smelling fresh and happy all day.

It is said, "A man has a distinctive personal scent which his wife, his children and his dog can understand." Similarly a car too must have a distinctive personal scent which his owners can understand and that can only be given by Ambi Pur." A double thumbs-up for the product!

Pros: