Scintillating !

I watch a comedy show on the weekends on the idiot box.I was looking forward to the grand finale on the evening of 19th August.IndiBlogger had organised The Nokia Apptasting IndiBlogger Meet at Taj Land's end ,Bandra that very evening.I was in two minds - to attend or miss.My kid was insisting that we attend.So we went & well ,I enjoyed it because the sparkling wit & humour more than made up for the Grand finale which I missed  ! It was a bonus !

The setting was five star ,all thanks to IndiBlogger  team & Nokia  & obviously Taj Land's end ,in the queen of suburbs,Bandra,Mumbai ! The hosts ,tech analyst Rajiv Makhni & Michelin Starred Celebrity  Chef  Vikas Khanna were so perfect & down to earth that we all ,bloggers felt completely overwhelmed !

The warmth of the hosts,the superb ambience ,the presenters -all in all, a Scintillating event ! We all laughed so much that we were stress free for those many hours !

The onion cutting technique - a French one  introduced by Vikas Khanna was really simple .It made me wonder, why didn't we think of it before ! Rajiv Makhni simplified the  apps for those all who were not so tech savvy like yours truly !

The quiz round revealed some interesting bits of information.The onion halwa made at Khajuraho ,the temple town.Now, we  know why the sculptures in Khajuraho are erotic  -the scupltors devoured onion halwa as they sculpted away.Nokia is the biggest manufacturer of digital cameras  -all included in their fabulous mobile phones  ! Rasam is undoubtedly the national soup of India, as revealed by Chef Vikas Khanna.As the quiz ended,we were all jealous of the winners as they won Nokia lumia phones ! We all felt that we as audience deserved them more than the winners !

To indulge the audience ,Nokia vide its Director,Communications, Poonam Kaul announced this contest wherein we could blog about the event of the evening & win Nokia Pure View if declared the best & Nokia Lumia for the follow ons at second & third positions !

IndiBlogger celebrated its fifth anniversary at the event & it showed that IndiBlogger has been able to garner the best of the worlds ! May IndiBlogger thrive & rise further up to reach the skies & beyond ! Happy B'day ,IndiBlogger -the meet was a worthy b'day bash !

Well ,this snap of me & my daughter flanked by Vikas Khanna & Rajiv Makhni is just to recall that we were indeed present at the fabulous event ! 

So ,I decided to blog about it through this post .My blog post cannot truly  reflect the chuckles  we had as we participated by being there clapping ,looking ,cooking ,chopping,seeing & believing that we were indeed there !

Before I close,I would like to state that wine overflowed though we were too drunk on the wit & humour of the event to even take a sip of the wines !

Thank you IndiBlogger,Nokia & Tech Guru Rajiv Makhni & Master Chef Vikas Khanna for making this meet, the most memorable ever !

Change is symbolic of progress.

My laptop went bust more than a year back.I felt lost ! I tried getting it repaired.I was told that it was as good as gone.Repairs meant changing the mother board.My brother opined that the laptop had served us well for so many years.Now ,it was time for it to rest.I was getting withdrawal symptoms - I did not know what to do.It was nearly a week, since it had gone dead.I was not able to keep in touch with friends.No email,no chatting.I felt, as if, I was in some god forsaken place.I felt  lonely & aloof.

I told my brother, that, I desperately needed another laptop.My brother is my IT consultant.He was very happy to assist me in choosing one.We finally got home a new laptop & all is well.I am still using it & in touch with the world !

I choose a laptop, as I had got used to one.Moreover in matchbox like houses,it occupies little space.Moreover,I have got WiFi now & it can be shifted to any room in my small house.It is very convenient.My brother, even got a mouse, for me which has a elastic  cord.The cord can be shortened so that it fits small spaces.I can also stretch it , if need be. Initially, even, I had a Computer which commanded lot of space but  now, I enjoy the laptop for want of space. Changing times get reflected in  our choice of gadgets !

My cell phone is  shocking pink in colour.It is so, as being a woman,I want it to be bright & colorful.It has an FM radio & a camera.The FM radio is a must, as I walk listening to FM radio in the evenings.The camera is fine for taking casual shots.It is reasonably priced for the features it offers.For better clicks ,I have the digital camera.With such a camera,there is no need to print the photographs.I upload all the clicks from the camera to the laptop & I am ready to share it with all, through email & now even on the social networking sites ! So  fast & convenient ! It is also environmental friendly as no paper is needed ! The comments on the snaps by our near & dear ones are added bonus points !

In our choice of such instruments,we give ourselves away.They are our mirror images.The way we use them is also another way of knowing  us.Some opt for branded items,some others for latest models & still others, want value for money. Some will change their models every now & then to keep up with the latest in the market.There are a few who will keep using a gadget till it is able to provide its basic service though it may be not fighting fit for the add on features.

Our changing needs get addressed by better models.New models have many features which makes them very handy.Laptops & mobiles have built in cameras now.This was not so, in models available some years back. Hence, change means progress - a step forward or maybe many steps forward ! Today's newspaper reports suggest that very soon, our computer would nag us -about our health,messy rooms & so on . Really, technology is taking us places !

I also use the microwave.I learnt making eggless date cake through it only.I also used it for baking methi muthia for undhiyon.Similarly ,I use my pressure cooker for making khichdi ,pulaos ,biryanis etal.I mix all ingredients & pressure cook rice recipes.I even have a small cooker for pressure cooking rajma,chana,aloo mutter etc.I find pressure cooker the best way, to cook healthy wholesome food.It saves fuel & also time ! Similarly ,the mixer grinder is a great tool for cooking .It grinds even raw veggies very finely.I experiment, by making pastes of carrots,tomatoes,kadi pattas,,adrak,green chillies etc.Even onions can be added to the  mixture.Such paste can be added to veggies to make delicious curries.This is a boon for mothers, as kids keep removing veggies from their plates.In this form ,there is hardly any chance of doing that ! Gadgets have indeed, made, our lives simply convenient !

Dell has introduced  laptops with changeable covers Pl visit Dell Inspiron (http://bitly.com/inspiron).
Some are ethnic like Mehndi,Sangeet,Shaadi while still others are funky ones with Lovers in the morning  & even plain ones with colours like Horizontal Purple,Fire Red etal.Indibloggers are welcome to  experience change at exclusive stores throughout India.. I think, this reflects the many moods of the people who would like their  laptop to make a statement about them ! This is so, as all of us are unique in our own way /ways ! This is also a sign of the times we are in & in tune with it !