Nikhil Chawla

You are the 'Big Picture!'

2010-11-18T11:28:00.000-08:00

I hardly share anything personal about myself on my blog as I live by its tagline - 'It's not about me....It's about us....'

But if the news is so grande, I can't help but let it out to all my readers, friends and family. Before I share the news, I would like to express my gratitude towards Aviva PLC for such a big opportunity.

News is that my picture's not the one's that I have clicked as a photographer but the one's that I have modelled in are being projected on one of the tallest building in Delhi, The Statesman House on 18/11/10 at 1800hrs. So, be there to cheer for me, its ok if you can't make it as you can watch it as a webcast too :)

Have a look at the screenshot of the mail that I received from Aviva PLC for the same:

Following are the links to the pictures that would be showcased:

http://www.youarethebigpicture.com/#/gallery/person/1723029457E41F13677414

http://www.youarethebigpicture.com/#/gallery/person/1133881375E41F13677414

To get a better idea of how its going to be like, please have a look at the video:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxL3Msl86dw]

PS: You are the Big Picture! Why and for what cause has Aviva taken this initiative:

Update:

Here are the projected images:

Image 1: The Guitar Tower

Image 2: Rock On!

Every post in my blog ends with a famous quote, but this time as the post is on me thus the quote is by me.

Quote of the Day:
I enjoy doing photo shoots and transforming myself into different looks for photo shoots.

-Nikhil Chawla

Six reasons why CWG is Anything but CommonWealth Games

2010-10-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

CWG - Commonly known as the Commonwealth Games but for me the only thing correct about this abbreviation is the word 'Wealth' in it. I am not saying this out of frustration or anger but because of the facts.

Before you start reading this post, I would like to request you to keep any kind of prejudice away as this post has nothing against the selfless Indian athletes who have always brought pride to the nation, the brave Army men who built the foot-over bridge and kept us secure, the children, the volunteers or the policeman without whom this event wouldn't have been possible.

I am only and only against the corruption that has taken place in the name of CWG. My plea to everyone who reads this post is - Let's not the let the brilliant performances by our athletes or the spectacular Opening & Closing ceremonies overshadow what people like Suresh Kalmadi has done with our trust and money. Its time to bring the scoundrels to justice.

Here are the 6 abbreviation's of CWG that I could come-up with. Please feel free to add more in the comments section.

1) Congress Wealth Games

As pressure mounts on Kalmadi to sack his aides, he finally said that Organising Committee Joint Director General T S Darbari will go. CWG treasurer Anil Khanna quit over allegations of corruption. Kalmadi himself says he’s ready for any kind “scrutiny“. Meanwhile the BJP stages a demonstration demanding his expulsion.

There were greater concerns dogging the Commonwealth Games. The progress of the construction work had taken a backseat while charges of corruption and politics are pushed to the forefront. As per reports say that late Sunday night (Aug 01, 2010), the Sports Ministry wrote to the CWG Organising Committee to sack joint director general T S Darbari and deputy director general Dr Sanjay Mohindroo. The letter says,

“They tarnish the image of the Games and adversely affect its credibility… I would strongly advise you that the above two officers should be immediately relieved of all their duties in the OC and the Government informed accordingly…”
With the controversy not showing signs of abating, IOA chief Suresh Kalmadi met External Affairs Minister SM Krishna earlier today to “clarify CWG’s stand on UK money trail“. Kalmadi still maintains that there is no corruption and that they’ve always been transparent with their work.

However, he does appoint a three-member panel to probe into this allegation of money laundering. Will this move make any difference? Or is it too little, too late?

2) Corruption with Guts

Is part of the 35,000 crore meant for the CWG going elsewhere? Reports indicate that there is a “major scam” with a huge amount of money being transferred to a UK-based company.

Television channels reported that over 4.50 lakh pounds were transferred through a British bank to the A M Films company, said to be a one man show, which was also receiving 25,000 pounds a month.

There has been a disquieting whiff of postcolonial satisfaction in the foreign reaction to rising India's comeuppance. Yet a wholesale cancellation might just be the best thing for a nation that — while it can lay claim to tremendous promise — is still struggling to be great.

Many observers will be tempted to see this failure as a fable of false pride ending in just humiliation. But apathy, not hubris, is India's fatal flaw, and a bracing dose of shame may be exactly what is needed to shake its incredibly capable, but politically inert, middle class into action.

The risk is that this shame will inject new life into the old argument that India suffers from too much democracy — a favorite hobby horse of this bunch. No, India is not China. But the Games fiasco was not the result of parliamentary gridlock or popular protest. The farce was scripted by cronyism, corruption and a complete lack of accountability — all aided by the Indian politician's complete disregard for the voter's disgust. Unfortunately, the most shameful are the most shameless.

3) Convenience will-be Gone

This is what our Games Village Mayor had to say when he was scrutinized by the Media.

Dogs sleeping inside athlete rooms – The fault of the MCD. The dog catching team was asked for but yet to report. So the stray dogs can jump in and take an afternoon nap on the same beds where athletes are supposed to relax. For God’s sake run after anyone you like, but don’t poison these innocent dogs for your ego.
Paan spits on the wall – The workers are all from UP & Bihar and fond of their Paan and Gutkha. So they might have done this artwork. Ask them instead of me, as I myself don’t consume them nor I have spit all around.
Messy and filthy rooms – Even when you occupy your own flat for the first time, it generally is messy. So we citizens shouldn’t blow our ass for this small reason. Oh really? Then should we ask all the athletes to come here along with their Jhadu, bucket and pocha lagane ki kapda? That would pretty much settle the case and solve the problem.
OC guys pissing all around in open air – Its nature’s call and one better be disposed to the nature directly.It is a matter of individual’s choice. You might like Western toilets but I might prefer visiting the nearest paddy field with a lota in my hand. You know it’s all about comfort levels. This is another theory of relativity in terms of shitting. And Albert Einstein turned violently again.
Algae in water tanks - It was for sure a bad day and the best was reserved till the last. Out of nowhere a foot overbridge near the Jawaharlal Nehrustadium gave in. This eventuality made the queen of the opera to come to the stage with her polished Miranda house accent. How I can forget her flamboyant cotton Saree? When asked how each day a new bloody thing can happen to the CWG, this is what she has to say – The foot over bridge was for the aam admi (so shouldn't be attached with CWG), not the players. So? Aam aadmi can die as long as you can save your back from the CWG ghost? Mam, can you imagine what would have happened – if few athletes were right below and the bridge crashed on their heads? Don’t bother how many of the aam addmi the bridge might take along while crashing on the poor athletes’ heads. As per her, the builder is black listed and some bloody enquiry would be carried out with reports expected in three weeks. So for next three weeks we shouldn’t bother her by showing our filthy and unhygienic faces. Let me admit – I am still in dilemma, whether to cry or laugh on these stupid statements. To top all this, a section of the roof in the wrestler’s arena of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium collapsed, and the Delhi CM, Ms. Sheila Dixit’s riposte was that small things keep happening.

4) Collaboration with Goons

Ms. Sheila Dixit
Suresh Kalmadi
M.S. Gill
Lalit Bhanot
Maj (Retd) Dalbir Singh (Games village mayor)

Figure this out. One-stop luxury shop Harrods of London sells one of the world's best treadmills for Rs 7 lakh. But the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC) shelled out an astronomical Rs 9.75 lakh for each unit of the fitness equipment (not necessarily the same brand) - that too on rent. And this is just one of the products which cost the OC a bomb.

In fact chairman Suresh Kalmadi's list of expenditure has left even the wealthiest of people startled, with a roll of tissue - that should cost a mere Rs 35 - being bought for Rs 4,138.

Each chair has been rented by the OC at a cost of Rs 8,378 and it has spent Rs 8.8 lakh for every cross-trainer. A 100-litre refrigerator has been hired for an astonishing price of Rs 42,202.

The OC had floated tenders for overlays (equipment that will be rented for a period of 45 days since it would not be required on a permanent basis) for the October 3-14 Games. But the beleaguered is now feeling the heat over the huge bills it has run up for the equipment.

Astoundingly, while the OC has paid little attention to the quality of infrastructure - which is described by most technical experts as lacking in quality - it has exceeded all conceivable limits in its expenditure on rented equipment.

The deals made on overlays - treadmills, cross-trainers, air-conditioners, umbrellas and chairs - have already been given the go-ahead by the OC. The overlays consist of around 1000 different items to be placed at 60 venues, 4,000 rooms and in external places to be used by athletes, security personnel, volunteers, Games officials, VIPs, workforce, etc.

Despite the glaring impressions of mismanagement and splurging patterns, the OC claims it has spent very conservatively.

"The contracts were allotted on a competitive bidding basis," OC secretary general Lalit Bhanot said on Monday.

"The rates for some individual items were higher compared to those offered by other vendors for the same pieces, while some rates were comparatively lower. The overall price of the lowest bidder was lower than the price of the other vendors," he claimed.

"The treadmill is of a high-end make and was used in the Beijing Olympic Games. The purchase price is Rs 29 lakh (approx). The rental is Rs 9 lakh, which is less than onethird of the cost price of a new machine. The rental includes operation and maintenance of the equipment. There is a major difference between the household treadmill and the ones used by professional athletes," he added. But the reactions of athletes also bear testimony to the fact that the amount at which Kalmadi and his officials have hired equipment from abroad defies common sense.

Top athletes of the country have argued that India has the best of equipment and there is no need to spend so much on such trivial aspects.

"I think all this could have been spent on training the athletes. After all, they are the ones who will compete in the Games and win medals," an ace shooter who did not want to be named said.

"There is so much of money to spend on everything other than on athletes themselves. When highquality gym equipment is available in the country, what prompts them to get treadmills for Rs 9.75 lakh from abroad?" another athlete asked.

A trainer at a high-end gymnasium of south Delhi said, "We run a multi- purpose gymnasium. We generally buy all such equipment time and again and it includes maintenance as well. Yet the costs are not so high."

5) Can We Go (Away from this mess)

You might have heard of the Summer vacations, Winter vacations, Diwali holidays or Christmas vacations but this time we Delhites had the CWG Holidays.

According to tour operators, countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Mauritius are seeing an increased tourist inflow from Delhi for short-haul vacations to escape from the city during the Commonwealth Games.

"There has been a 40 to 50 per cent jump in the number of bookings for people going out of Delhi. Because of CWG, with all the educational institutes closed, people in Delhi are making plans to go out of the city," Yatra.com Co-founder and Executive Vice President Sabina Chopra said.

Factors such as economical travel packages and visa on arrival make the region a favoured destination.

"A lot of hotels such as Banyan Tree and Amari in the South East Asian countries are offering packages starting Rs 20,000 per person designed specially for people looking to travel during the games," TRAC Representations Associate Director (Operations) Rajeev Nangia said.

The company represents a host of international tourism boards and hospitality firms in India. He said countries such as Thailand and Mauritius also offer free Visa on arrival.

Expedia, a travel services provider that has designed special packages targeting such travelers, said it has witnessed increase in bookings for outbound travel from the Capital.

"There is an increase of around 30 per cent in the number of bookings for outbound travellers," Expedia India Marketing Head Manmeet Ahluwalia said, adding South Asian countries are the favourite among the travellers.

Families are also looking to travel during the games as many educational institutes and offices will remain closed.

Besides foreign destinations, Yatra.com is also offering packages to Andaman and Nicobar islands with special chartered plane.

"This is the first time we have taken such an initiative," Chopra said.

According to industry observers, usually in North India people do not travel out during this time of the year.

But this year due to the CWG the trend seems to have changed.

"On an average, a family of four is spending between USD 5,000-7,000 for a holiday. We have received around 500 bookings from people opting for leisure travel outside India," Pearl International Tours and Travels Executive Director Arjun Seth said.

"Even corporates are organising dealership incentive programmes to places like Thailand and Malaysia," he added.

6) Call-girls Whilst Games/ Common Whore Games

Delhi’s oldest red light area, GB road, is giving itself a more pleasing and friendly look. The paan-stained walls are being replaced by the glossy surface of the LCD TV while the fluent English of the sex workers will make the communication easier. Facilities like split air-conditioners and refrigerators are financed by the owners of the brothel houses to attract more customers.

Delhi based non-voluntary organizations are focused on the health and hygiene of the workers. A series of medical tests are being conducted to identify those who are HIV positive in order to ensure the safety of the sex workers as well as that of the prospective customers. There is bound to be a surge in the clients (largely tourists) in the brothels during the games, thus strict precautionary measures must be taken to avoid the spread of diseases.

NGO’s are counseling the workers about the preventive measures like, “No condom, no sex, as simple as that” as told by a sex worker from Andhra.

Americans and Europeans tourists have remained the much awaited and favorite clients of the Escort services as they pay well. These agencies are busy increasing the number of national and international call girls in order to meet the customer’s requirements. Making the girls look well groomed and fit so that they can work for extra hours has become the main focus of the escort agencies.

Tina Jaiswal who owns the No 1 Delhi Escort agency said, “We hope to make good money during the games. We will simply follow the demand and supply principle of economics. We will double our rates a month before the games begin and increase our workforce.”

I have a lot more to share but I think I've made my point here. I have snippets and pictures supporting all the above claims but I have avoided the use of them as its not a media gimmick for me. I am doing it for a cause and will stand by it like I did previously for 'The Peace India Campaign' where we assembled outside Jantar Mantar for a Peace Walk.

I am elated that this time we have celebrity power @GulPanag with us who is an activist and a humanitarian . She not only takes care of www.colshamshersingh.org but also takes part actively on twitter for social causes.

If you also feel that we are fighting for the right cause then join us for the protest. For more info visit the @CWGcorruption page on Twitter or Facebook

Quote of the Day:

Corruption is worse than prostitution. The latter might endanger the morals of an individual, the former invariably endangers the morals of the entire country.

-Karl Kraus

What I’ve Learnt

2010-07-17T23:57:00.000-07:00

I have been written off or declared dead many a times in the past. I had gone for too long this time, my readers sent me hate mails for not getting any updates, I was interviewed by IBA and was asked to return to blogging, blah blah blah. So, here I am with a list of 25 things that I’ve learnt since I was gone. Why the number 25?? 25 because I will be turning 25 in 10 days.

1. I’ve learnt that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in.

2. I’ve learnt that no matter how much I care, some people are just assholes.

3. I’ve learnt that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you’d better have a big dick or huge tits.

4. I’ve learnt that you shouldn’t compare yourself to others — they are more fucked up than you think.

5. I’ve learnt that I can look 15 with a clean shave and turn 30 with a grown beard.

6. I’ve learnt you should always leave loved ones with loving words. You may need to borrow money.

7. I’ve learnt that you can keep puking long after you think you’re finished.

8. I’ve learnt that a good time can be had by sitting on the beach and drinking with a bum.

9. I’ve learnt that heroes are the people who do whoever has to be done when they need to be done, regardless of the morning after.

10. I’ve learnt that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down will be the ones who do.

11. I’ve learnt that maturity is a magazine for old people.

12. I’ve learnt that your family won’t always be there for you. Of course, if you win the lottery, the hag, the philanderer, the screw-up, the missing one, the asshole and the horse tooth girl will be and will also claim to be your best friend.

13. I’ve learnt that no matter how good a chick is, she’ll only contribute to your alcoholism.

14. I’ve learnt that two people can screw the exact same person and compare notes.

15. I’ve learnt that airport personnel don’t like you joking about bombs in your luggage. No matter how many times you state that you’re only joking.

16. I’ve learnt that overzealous customs agents can change your life in a matter of hours.

17. I’ve learnt to say, “Fuck them if they can’t take a joke” in 6 languages.

18. I’ve learnt that if you have a BlackBerry in your one hand and iPhone in the other, they will treat you like a king even if you are broke.

19. I’ve learnt that if your sibling is settled abroad and doing well, he would still want to exchange places with you no matter how fucked up your life is.

20. I’ve learnt you should never keep talking to your dog just because he is looking into your eyes.

21. I've learnt that you should always drink and drive as you end up being too cautious to not to bump into anyone.

22. I've learnt that the name of my companies are as weird as me -> 1)Soch....A Creative Thought. 2)techNYK Ctrl+Alt+Del your gizmo problems.

23. I've learnt that it doesn't matter if I have the direct numbers of celebrities in my phone as I am never going to call them and neither are they going to [Ego-Hassles].

24. I’ve learnt that you are only valued when you are gone – That's what happened with my hero Michael Jackson :(

25. In the end, I have learnt that I am turning 25 and all I do is I.T. Training, Modelling, Blogging, Photography and a 100 more things but still not happy with my job. Only if I knew which job to be happy with.

Quote of the Day:
I believe in the imagination. What I cannot see is infinitely more important than what I can see.
--Duane Michals

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Where did the blogger go?

2010-06-13T23:51:00.000-07:00

There used to be a blogger named Nikhil Chawla, whose passion were blogging & photography. If that’s the case then why there hasn’t been any update from him. There is no reason to justify that but there are endless reason for his absence. Let’s first have a look at the reasons he has to give and then let the readers be the judge. We interviewed Nikhil Chawla to know why and where has he vanished. Here is the interview :

Ques: Hi Nikhil, how are you doing?

Ans: I am doing just fine, don’t get taken aback with my beard as its just there for no reason What about you, How you doing?

Ques: Do you know who we are and why we are here?

Ans: Yes, I think you are from the Independent Bloggers Alliance and you want to interview me about my blog.

Ques: Thats correct, I am Tina from IBA but I am not here to ask you about your blog, instead I am here to ask you – Why did you leave blogging?

Ans: To be very frank Tina, I didn’t really leave blogging but the circumstances were such that I never got an opportunity to blog. There were times, when I noticed or experienced something which I instantly wanted to blog and share it with my readers but could never really do it. I was invited to so many Blogger meets, people wrote mails to me asking me to start writing again, I was sent products from all over the World for reviews and my take on them but nothing really could motivate me enough to get back. Infact, I started to write a few times and all those entries are still in the draft section which I hope I publish them someday.

Ques: I wonder what could have changed you so much that you stopped doing what you loved?

Ans: It wasn’t just one thing or one incident that changed it for me. It was a set of unfortunate events that changed it all around for me. I wont be able to answer it publicly in detail but it was related to me quitting my job with Microsoft and then starting my own business which really didn’t do well and I had to shut it down too. My personal life was also in a turmoil after my breakup, I still haven’t overcome all of this, so once I do, I might make a comeback.

Ques: Do you have any idea how helpful your blog has been for the people who needed info about – Frozen Shoulder; GTN spray; Auto Expo; India Peace Campaign; etc.

Ans: I have a fair idea of it as I keep getting a lot of queries about Frozen shoulder asking me for therapy and other things. A lot of people thank me for the article ‘Quack Quack – The Doctor’ as they didnt end up repeating the same mistake as my friend Atul did. Infact just today I received a long mail from a gentleman from Gurgoan sharing with me his mother’s story and how this article saved his mother’s life.

Ques: I wanted to ask you this question offline but I will ask it live only – Will you please get back to blogging for me? As I represent the general public right now and I want you to bring more social issues to light and help spread awareness.

Ans: If thats the case then I would not say no and act like a prick. I still remember how my last article ‘It happens only in India – Mera Bharat Mahaan’ and how the police officials called me and asked me to take it off.

So Nikhil, I take it as a promise from your end that you will be back with a purpose sooner then we expect and help make this world a better place to live. Looking forward to read your next article in a day or two

Thanks for your valuable time and warm hospitality.

- Tina (IBA Network)

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It happens only in India....Mera Bharat Mahaan….

2009-12-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

I didn't have an idea that a simple album on Facebook would turn out to be so big that people would ask me to post it on my blog and send it to the news channel. Before I share any more info about it, I would like every one of you to have a look at what exactly is causing such rage

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Now that you have seen it for yourself that how the Law & Order is put at stake for the sake of religious activities. I want to inform you when and where this video was shot.

Location: Kashmiri Gate

Time: 10:15 P.M.

What, I fail to understand is that how conveniently we are fined for crossing a Red signal on the Traffic Light but there is nobody to even intervene when a major Traffic Light went missing.Hopefully these pictures or the video will see the light of the day and come on the news to act as an eye opener for the Delhi Traffic Police.

If any one of you has witnessed something similar then please come forward and share your comments,pictures or videos.

Nikhil Chawla is still alive

2009-11-21T17:53:00.000-08:00

I don't know how many of you have experienced a near death accident but I surely did tonight. I am lucky enough to be alive right now and able to type this after being hit by a drunk driver at 100kms/hr. Won't be able to share anything more at this time will just post some pictures of my crushed car and will update everybody tomorrow as its 7:00 am now I just and entered back home after being in the police station and trauma centre all night long. All I can say is that I am in pain and shivering right now but still elated to be alive.

Final Goodbye to ‘The King of Pop’

2009-08-29T03:05:00.000-07:00

As promised in my last post that I’ll be giving a tribute to MJ for his work & excellence, so here I am with my final post on Michael Jackson. MJ remembered by friends & family:

Quote of the Day:
In this world, it is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich.
--Henry Ward Beecher

Michael Jackson is Still Alive

2009-07-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

Today on my birthday, 28th of July i.e. exactly a month before Michael's on 28th of August, I would like to inform the whole world that MJ isn't dead and never will be as he will live in our hearts forever as the 'King of Pop'. I don't know about others but when I heard the news about MJ's death on 25th June, I passed it as a rumour/media gimmick. How could have I believed something so insane and uncalled for. I couldn't have let him go without seeing him in real as that's what I wanted to do since I was a toddler. I grew up looking at his posters and listening to his music. I clearly remember it was 1989 and I was 3 years old when my parents started taking me to school's in Delhi for admissions, they took me to the best of school's in Delhi including D.P.S. , St.Columba's, Modern, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, Army Public School and a few others. I got through all of them except Sardar Patel Vidyalaya as I didn't want go to the same school where my brother used to go. Out of the 10 most prestigious school's in Delhi I chose St.Michael's as I always thought that it was founded by Michael Jackson thus I'll get to meet my idol. Little did I know that it was not named after MJ but instead Saint Michael( the only archangel named in the Bible as recognized by both Jews and Christians.

Years passed and as I grew up, I got to know that Saint Michael's is where I study and MJ is never be coming to our school to meet us. I felt sad but still never gave up on my hero as I know there will be a day when I'll get to see him performing. Soon the day came when I got to know that MJ is coming to perform in India it was 1992 and I was 7 years old. I was thrilled to hear the news, according to the tour Itinerary he was supposed to perform in Bombay(Mumbai) so I convinced my parents to take me their for his show. When the day was finally approaching, I was left heart broken yet again as the tour got cancelled due to security issue/drugs scandal. After this day,I really lost hope that Michael would like to come to India again. But that day came and he did visit India in 1996 and here is the complete account of it :

The King of Pop himself Michael Jackson came to India as a part of History Tour in the year 1996. This was his first and the only visit to India.
Michael was supposed to come for a concert as a part of World Tour much before 1996 but it got cancelled due to some unknown reasons. MJ (Michael Jackson) made a 2 day visit to Mumbai, India

Arrival
Nevertheless, the day was 30th October, 1996. MJ arrived at Sahar Airport (now known as Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport), Mumbai wearing his usual Red Jacket, Black shades and the Hat. He was welcomed in an Traditional Indian Ceremony by Bollywood Actress Sonali Bendre by performing 'Aarti puja' and applying 'Tilak' on his forehead. Sonali Bendre was wearing the iconic 9 yards long Orange coloured Maharashtrian Saree.

Along with Sonali was Politician Raj Thackeray and her daughter. At that time Shiv Sena- BJP alliance was at an all time high. Shiv Udyog Sena (former part of Shiv Sena) claimed the responsibility for the whole tour. From his security, accommodation upto his concert. It was known Shiv Sena was forcibly making them leaders of this event.
Michael was overwhelmed with the reception according to the onlookers present at the airport.

Michael's first words
"I am very happy to be here in India ... in support of charity"

Dancing with Roadside dancers
MJ was then escorted out under heavy security, there were 20 cars in front and behind taking him to his next destination. While on his way, Michael was amused by roadside fans that had lined up along the highway. MJ asked to stop the car, he got out from his Toyota and putting his security aside interacted with lezim dancers (Lezim is a popular folk dance form of Maharashtra. Lezim is performed using wooden mallets with dancers in colorful costumes)

MJ even danced few steps along with them. Michael was seen picking few children up in his arms hugging and kissing them.

Met Bal Thackeray ?
Michael then proceeded his way to residence of Shiv Sena head, Bal Thackeray at Matushree in Bandra East. Bal Thackeray himself gifted MJ the traditional Indian Musical instruments the 'silver tabla' and 'tanpura'.
MJ signed his autograph on the wall in bathroom he used at Bal Thackeray's residence. Mr. Bal Thackeray have kept that signature intact and shows it to everyone. He is very proud of it.

Stay at Oberoi Hotel
Jackson was accommodated at The Oberoi Hotel. There was already a huge rush present at the hotel. Jackson was seen freely mingling with fans. Hotel staff claimed that he was very friendly, blowing kisses to his fans and shook hands with everyone he met with a smile on his face.
The Oberoi Hotel staff made sure everything and anything that MJ liked was given to him. MJ loved the Indian festivities, The Kohinoor Suite he was staying at was decorated with confetti, flowers, balloons and lights.

Jackson asked for a Poolside Party
Michael Jackson himself requested a poolside party at Oberoi Hotel for kids. Children from local Orphanages were invited. MJ played with the kids and offered gifts and chocolates to them which he had brought with him.

Bash held for MJ
Later that evening, Bharat Shah (Hindi Film financier) held a special event to exclusively welcome MJ to India. The event was attended by all famous Bollywood celebrities and Royal Families from various parts of India.
Michael only made a 3 minute appearance before heading to his room for some rest. Everyone in the bash was left high and dry as they could not meet him personally. But 2 individuals did had a lucky night.

Anupam Kher jumped on the stage brushing aside tight security and grabbed Michael Jackson's hand to shake it, uttering ‘Yeah Woo, woo’.
Second lucky person was acclaimed writer Shobha De. Later on Shobha De told the media that “Shaking hands with him was like an orgasm!”.

Soon after Bharat Shah presented MJ with the silver replica of Taj Mahal.

Next Day another party for kids
On the day of concert, Michael invited 50 kids to his room. He ordered burgers and cakes for all. Kids were seen sitting on his lap and playing with him. Jackson specially arranged a photo session with kids. The sofas and the surrounding were draped with Indian Saree's to give it an Indian touch.

The Concert
On November 1, The Concert, the Show, the phenomenon happened at Andheri Sports Complex.
Jackson's own Special teams were called for setting up the stage. All the equipment was imported by 3 Russian Antanov cargo planes. There were an 3 teams - assembling team for setting up the stage, a dismantling team for bringing down the whole structure and a standby team for further assistance.
Preparation had started few days before only. It took 24 hours for the team to build the stage and less then 6 hours for dismantling.

The Stage was 210 feet long and 60 feet deep. The green room as usual was made beneath the stage. The area had a meditation room, rest room, photography room and a VIP guest room. Although no one was allowed inside except the security and his staff.
Every room was decorated in Traditional Indian appearance. His whole visit was televised on Sony Entertainment Channel.

The show had spectacular fireworks, Dazzling light effects and a sold out arena.
Event was anchored by Mahru Shaikh and Javed Jaffery.

A special route was planned for MJ from his hotel to the Stadium. He reached the venue at 8:30PM.

Michael appeared in a Space shuttle dressed in a silver suit. He performed 20 of his popular songs. Danced, jumped, moved all around the stage in his trademark performance.

Michael Jackson's love interest with Indian food
MJ tried several Indian dishes during his stay. He had a 'masala dosa' for breakfast and the next morning he ate 'Allu Paranthas with Makkhan'. All his meals included Indian dishes such as butter chicken with butter naans, tandoori chicken and spicy Indian Veg curries.
On the day he left, he ordered lots of naans, tandoori chicken, paranthas and other dishes to accompany him on his flight out of India.

Jackson left a message to India on a pillow and a frame
Michael wrote a message on a pillow he slept on to all his Indian Fans.
The Note said
“India, all my life I have longed to see your face. I met you and your people and fell in love with you. Now my heart is filled with sorrow and despair for I have to leave, but I promise I shall return to love you and caress you again. Your kindness has overwhelmed me, your spiritual awareness has moved me, and your children have truly touched my heart. They are the face of God. I truly love and adore you India. Forever, continue to love, heal and educate the children, the future shines on them. You are my special love, India. Forever, may God always bless you .
— Michael Jackson.”

Later on the pillow was held for auction at an charity event which Bharat Shah bought it for himself for a large sum of money.

MJ wrote another small message on a frame i quote "God Bless India, My special Love - Michael Jackson"

Video Footage of Michael Jackson performing in Mumbai, India
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4OBn2M1fRE

Video Coverage of Michael Jackson's tour to India
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG4-HqK0r3Y

Pictures of Michael Jackson's visit to India
http://movies.ndtv.com/gallerydetails.aspx?category=Movies&id=4220&picno=1&section=Bollywood%20&ShowID=173#BD

PS: There are lot more memories of MJ to be shared so my next post will also be dedicated to 'The King of POP' . The Life of MJ(1958-2009)

Quote of the Day:
“If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.”

- Michael Jackson

Technorati Tags: Allu Paranthas with Makkhan,Andheri,Anupam Kher,Bal Thackeray,Bharat Shah,Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport,Happy Birthday,India,Javed Jaffery,Lezim,masala dosa,Michael Jackson,MJ,Nikhil chawla,NikhilChawla,NYK,Russian Antanov,Shobha De,Sonali Bendre,St.Michael,The King of Pop,The Oberoi Hotel,World Tour,www.nikhilchawla.com

Quack Quack - ‘The Doctor’

2009-06-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

As far as I am concerned, I was always taught by my parents never to lie or hide anything from your Doctor/Lawyer/Chartered Accountant as they make or break your life. Trust me it has always worked for me and I am sure many of you agree to it. Out of the three professionals mentioned above I believe Doctor is the most important one as we often relate him to GOD yes I mean the Almighty. Now the question is why do we do that?? Well simply because its ‘The Doctor’ who brings us to life in this real world from our mother’s womb. Not just that there are so many times in our lives that we get into a critical condition wherein only the ‘The Doctor’ saves us and brings us to life yet again. Hence, if I am not wrong after God, ‘The Doctor’ is the one who really saves us in times of despair. Well, then what did my dear friend Atul do wrong if he did the same when he took his dad to one of the most renowned doctor in the country to save his dad’s life. Not only did Atul confide but also followed each and every instruction religiously given by ‘The Doctor’. I remember Atul telling people how excellent ‘The Doctor’ was at his work and he also went on blabbing the credentials of ‘The Doctor’ as if he was hired for his advertisement. Once, I got really bugged up and asked Atul if he had taken the job of a PR with ‘The Doctor’ as he had nothing else but to praise him all day long. I cant believe Atul replied to me this “Nikhil Bhai(Brother), unless and until you have faith in ‘The Doctor’ you are getting you're treatment done from you cant get cured as its like having faith in GOD,if you have it you are always a winner.” And, I thought maybe he is right, maybe that’s the way it works and I like a fool keep thanking the technology and science for my cure every time.

But,This time I was right as to your shock & horror, whatever you read in the paragraph above turned out to be completely FALSE as ‘The Doctor’ he sung praises for turned out to be Money Hungry QUACK who would trade anybody’s life without a wink as all he ever needed was money. Yes, That’s true and as my friend suffered dearly because of ‘The Doctor’ , I come forward to save each one of you to go through the same kind of pain and humiliation. But if I share the incident myself then it wont do justice as I want you people to hear it from the Victim himself. Here is a first person account of the sufferings my friend Atul went through written by himself :

Hi Everybody ,
I've been honoured and blessed with friends like Nikhil. I've always been a happy go lucky guy enjoying life in my own cocoon. Since I live in a cocoon I'd like to give you people a dwell into my pathetic and otherwise boring life. People and circumstances have been more or less favourable,but the problem arises when you meet people who don't fall into your periphery of thought but I always thought it would've been good if I'd been more fateful to follow my own path I was a science student and like all the parents. My parents wanted me to be a doctor;engineer or any white colour job but as hopes are held high , dreams are drained down the gutter. By fate I had to enter my business because of my dad's illness a few years back. He was diagnosed with high and fluctuating blood sugar levels. Things still fell into place as I started off good in my business. My dad had to rest but like all stubborn dad’s he never bothered to as he started going on tours. All was going well till last year as his health deteriorated and his body became weak and he started having a problem in breathing. Soon he was diagnosed with a problem in the heart and he was also diagnosed with CVS( cardio vascular stroke) We suffered hard times and everybody stood by us. He soon recovered from paralysis and underwent angioplasty at Indraprastha Apollo hospital. He came out a winner but his heart pumping rate was as low as 14% (normal range 45% to 75%) Dr.Balbir Singh who did the surgery foretold us that he'd be needing a BI-VENTRICLE PACEMAKER implantation to recover completely. Till the time he doesn't he wont be able to lead a normal life. Everybody advised us not to go for a surgery again as my dad's body weight was very low and his body extremely weak that even I didn't consider pushing him back into the hospital bed. I was scared like a kid is at the time his result. But it sure wasn't the time to act like one. As, surgery was not an option I started enquiring about cardio physicians who would try to improve his health and heart pumping rate with the help of medicines..I came to know about one highly reputed doctor NAME WITHHELD. You know why the name cannot be let out so easily. Just because of this hypocrite system of ours. Yes I know we have the RIGHT TO SPEECH. But I’ll have to have a proof before I can a point a finger at him. Since, I've been denied to use my right freely I feel I should help you guys exercise your RIGHT TO INFORMATION and also fulfil my social duty to inform everyone in this Country to beware of such doctor’s. Anyways as this doctor doesn't have any name. We'll call him DICKY.

So Dicky's folio boasts of the following...MBBS, MD, FNCCP,FCCP, FICA (NY), FACA (USA) and what not. If you look at his prescription then you will notice that there is hardly any space to write anything as its filled with his
fellowships and degrees and achievements etc. Anybody would be impressed and I being a complete idiot & alien to the medical world fell for it.. You guys know why I typed fell in italics, because that's the exact word you use for an animal who falls after being hunted down or trapped. Dicky does both the trick with ease as he traps people and being a cardio physician shoots them in the heart. And the vulnerable medically uneducated poor people even pay him for that. Like all these people I was also looking for a safer way to escape and expected a miracle. I wanted Mr.Dicky to be that miracle guy for my dad. His patients list is longer than his degree list. We hurriedly took an appointment and reached there somehow. 2:30pm was our allotted time. We reached there by 2:45pm.The view was breathtaking. There were over hundred people waiting for him. But DICKY had not arrived. The waiting room for heart patients wasn't impressive at all. No AC,No cleanliness not even an arrangement for basic things like water. But the place was high on entertainment factor. There were two jokers who sat on the reception table who wrote down appointments and arranged the papers. While doing so they cracked jokes on the heart patients and there attendants waiting for their turn to come. For some vague reason everybody gulped down the humiliation because all they needed were a few minutes with DICKY who they thought would save their life. As soon as he arrived his two jokers went inside his chamber to provide him the papers. And they started the process. I was shocked to see that people who had their first meeting with Dicky were called on priority basis than the regulars despite the time allotted. I thought this was a great thing as there were some people who were first timers and needed treatment like my dad. Very soon we were called upon in Dicky’s chamber.

His very first words.. "KYA UMAR HAI AAPKI ? (What’s Your Age?)" He asked my dad. My dad replied "FORTY EIGHT“ and then suddenly he started speaking in English with some stupid and funny accent. He started instructing him to lie down on the examining table. Since my dad is not well versed in English so he couldn't understand a word. Dad looked at me for help. But as soon as I opened my mouth DICKY shouted at me. And told me to shut up and these were his humiliating words to my dad - "JAB ANGREZI BOLNI NAHI AATI TO KYU BOLTE HO(When you cant speak in English then why do you even try?). SEEDHE SEEDHE ADTAALIS NAHI BOL SAKTE THE(Couldn't you have simply said 48 in Hindi instead). MAIN 7 SAAL ENGLAND ME RAHA HU(I stayed in England for 7 years). WAHAN KISI HARAMZADE NE HUMSE HINDI ME BAAT NAHI KI(Nobody talked to us in Hindi over there). PAR TUM YAHA KAALE ANGREZ BANKAR APNI MATR BHASHA CHHOR KE UNKI ANGREZI BOLTE HO? SHARM AANI CHAHIYE!"(But you over here you try to imitate British's and avoid your own mother tongue and speak English instead. You should be ashamed of yourself). Me and my dad were startled by the sudden humiliation and attack. Let me tell you his prescription his name plate , every signboard in his office was in ENGLISH. Call it irony or hypocrisy. Anyways, He examined my dad after that and being an attendant I tried to tell him the prior medications, surgery and treatments my dad's been through. He again told me to shut up and didn't listen but Somehow he came to know all this. And after examining he showed us the dream we always wanted to dream. He told us in his military harsh voice,"DO YOU WANNA GET HEALTHY AND NOT UNDERGO A SURGERY?" Our obvious choice was a Yes. "IF YOU HAVE THE WILL POWER, YOU'LL BE FINE WITHIN MONTHS" he promised. But he prescribed us the medicines after some tests were performed. He refused to see any prior reports. That was fine with us. He told us to meet his jokers for the tests. They told us 5 tests that'd cost us about Rs.50,000 which were to be performed at labs referred by him in extreme four ends of Delhi. And told us to meet them with reports after two days. Because the tests would take take two days. Well nonetheless we did the needful. And reached Mr.Dicky on time after two days as asked. I was surprised to see every new fellow patient with the same test's reports. But every one's problem was different. Anyways it didn't bother me much because I was blinded by the trust for Mr.Dicky and all I needed was his miraculous prescription. He prescribed some medicines which were so rarely available in Delhi. But were easily available at stores near Mr.Dicky's clinic and cost Rs.4000 every month. We followed his instructions blindly and religiously took his medicines which he made us follow for 3 months. But about a month later Mr.Dicky 80+ of age didn’t feel ashamed to experiment and test his age old knowledge on my dad. He increased dad's medicines from 12 tabs to 24 tabs a day. And told him to cut down water intake and stop salt intake in hot summer months.3 days without water and 3 gulps of water daily for a heart patient are like 3 days of hell. On the 4th day which happened to be a Sunday my dad's body gave up, his face went red and he trembled and fell down on the ground . I panicked and my mum started crying. Fortunately I had GTN SPRAY PEN with me. Which stops a heart attack/failure. I hurriedly sprayed it twice in my dad's mouth. He didn't breathe for at least 40secs. He was drenched in sweat as he jumped back into life. As soon as I figured out what had happened I called Mr.Dicky to ask for some help and assistance. Mr.Dicky being a complete nuisance didn't pick my calls for 6 times as it was a Sunday.
But a doctor is a public servant and must respond with responsibility. 7th time he did pick up the call. and as I told him what has happened to my dad. He said "how do you know your dad had an attack or what? Are you a doctor?" I reminded him of the emergency and told him to suggest some immediate relief and it wasn't the appropriate time to
discuss my if I am medically fit to certain if it was a heart attack/failure. But instead Mr.Dicky took it as disrespect and told us to take the patient to the nearest hospital and said “I CAN'T DO ANYTHING“ as his lifesaving words. Wonder why I call them life saving words. Because these were the words which acted as the last nail in
Mr.Dicky’s COFFIN. And our left over trust in him shattered.We immediately rushed dad to Apollo. Where he was given proper medications and was immediately admitted to undergo that pacemaker surgery.The operation went successful and he was discharged within days. Now he's recovering just fine.

Mr.Dicky's rapport in Apollo is of a QUACK As quoted by a senior doctor there but if we think about it, Mr. Dicky certainly doesn't have a hunger for fame as he's received two national honours. And as i told you about his degrees and fellowships He must also have some knowledge because I think when we increase our knowledge it increases our sense of responsibility and DICKY has plenty of it then what makes him a QUACK Lets just have a look for synonyms of a QUACK -Counterfeit, imposter. FRAUD??? Yes that’s the word he absolutely fits the bill here, there’s just one thing that's driving him in this age - MONEY my friends. The the root cause of all evil.

This is how it works with him : 100s of people visit him daily 40% of which are new patients, he sits at 3 places daily and if we roughly calculate his earnings from his consultation only we get figures as big as Rs.3 lacs daily and the tests he suggests to everybody costing approx Rs.50,000. Seeing his hunger for money we can say that he must have his 25% share in the tests which makes his daily income jump up to 6-7 lacs daily. Picture this a doctor who earns as big as this doesn’t even have an AC or a Water dispenser for his patients in the waiting room. Can’t say if he’s doctor or not but he surely is a businessman or a politician or a money hungry monster trading lives for his lust for money.

It’s for You guys to decide..

Now that you have read the post, I would request you people to come forward and share your own incidents so that we can save other’s from falling in the same trap as we did. It’s time for us to stand against the evil practices that have been going on our country since always. Please send in your story at any of my ID from the Contact Me page. Lets fight against the Quacks and eradicate them from the society.

Quote of the Day:
“Doctors are the same as lawyers; the only difference is that lawyers merely rob you, whereas doctors rob you and kill you too.”

- Anton Chekhov

To Be or Not To Be

2009-05-07T07:23:00.001-07:00

We want youthful leaders to run our country but what happens to the youth when it comes to voting. I always knew that they are many more like me who don’t much about Indian politics or the politicians other than a few prominent ones. I got my voter ID card made at the age of 18 but had never exercised my right to vote till now. This time when I had finally made up my mind that come what may(May 7) I’ll vote and also inspire my friends and family to do so. You all would be shocked to hear the kind of excuses that they made,In orange is what they said and in blue is what I replied :

1.Its too hot to step out – Would you say the same if your girlfriend called up and said “I’ll waiting for you in GK M block Market around 2’o Clock for lunch.” I bet you would have made it before time even in scorching heat.

2.How does it matter – If it doesn't matter then why don't you try living in a non-democratic country like China where the government decides what you can search on Google or how many children you can have. We are blessed to have been born in a country where we can choose who are leader should be so why waste such an important right.

3.I’ve heard the queue is long – Oh really! If that's your reason for not voting then I am sure I would never see you waiting outside a Movie Theatre/Discotheque/Concert standing in a queue. Would you use the same excuse if Shakira or Iron Maiden was performing in your city and the queue would have been half a kilometre,I am sure you wont mind that.

4.I am a first time voter so if I skip they are hardly missing me – Till the time you don't start voting you will always remain a first timer and use the same excuse time and time again so get off your bean bag/bed/couch and just go for it.

5.Its not a weekend so I’ll finish off my pending work – Ya right,how could I forget that voting takes merely 5 minutes but that much amount of time can run you into a major business loss.

6.I never considered myself as an Indian,I am born in the UK/USA - I am proud of you my friend as you have lived in this country for 20+ years but just because you were born there and lived a few days of your life there that makes you more proud to be their national and not an Indian then shame on you. Why don’t you just move back to your native land as you are not even proud to be an Indian. I hope you know Our National song/animal or even the name of our first or current president.

7.How will my vote change the system – Nobody can promise it will, but at least it can get better and gradually change or transform into what we always longed for.

8.They all are corrupt and good for nothing – In a way I agree but that's also are fault we bring the wrong people in the power and then let them stay forever even when we know that they were so many scams in their last term.If people of America also thought the same way then trust me then they would have got an inspirational leader like Barack Obama as their President – Lead the Change.

9.Voting is done my Lower Class people not by us – That’s the lamest I have ever heard but unfortunately its true. For the rich and the powerful its too L.S. (Low Society) to stand in the queue as there all low class people there standing like a herd of cattle. My answer to them – GET A LIFE!

10.Polling booth is a bit far off from my place – Yes it maybe but not as far as your Gf/Bf’s place. Polling booth is always in the same locality just a few meters from your place or in extreme cases 1 or 2 kms to the max.

There are so many of them that each one of us would be able to relate to the above mentioned excuses as we would have made them at least once if not this time.

As this was the first time I exercised my right to vote I’ll urge all the nationals of this country to come forward and vote no matter whom you vote for and what the reason maybe but just do it. I know there are never ending problems we have with our country and its system but do answer it yourself which country in this world isn't lacking a good system. Luckily India is still not under the crunch of recession like UK or USA, I have family member living their and they aren't even sure if they would have their jobs the next day or not.

This list of doubts I have in my mind about the political system in India are as follows :

1.Why do we need Film stars for campaigning, aren't the leaders confident enough about themselves?

2.How come people with criminal background are allowed to contest elections?

3.Where on earth an illiterate person is given a chance to be a leader?

4.Leaders who are already under the scanner for frauds and scams are allowed to contest again and become leaders again.

5.How many of them have actually faced shortage of Food(Roti)/Clothes(Kapda)/Housing(Makaan) the three basic amenities for a human being which they keep claiming that they will provide to the needy people.

I know that there are no answers to these questions but still we need a change and we need to bring the change which is only possible by voting and bringing a new set of leaders.

Few personal reasons why I think we all should vote :

1.We have had enough of terrorism so now its time for peace to prevail. Check this out for more info - India Peace Campaign.

2.Corruption has ruined our country like a blood sucking leech.

3.Inflation is on all time high and sky rocketing even higher.

4.Its high time we change the leadership and see whose better.

5.Last but not the least – We need a change – Let’s Lead the change.

Now lets discuss all the frivolous reasons to Vote (All these are applicable after showing the voting ink on your finger):

20% Discount on Louis Phillippe.
15% Discount on Haldiram’s .
15% Discount on Fashion Bazaar.
20% Discount on Spykar Jeans.
Discounts and Schemes at Full Circle and Cafe Turtle.
10% Discount at designer boutique WHITE in Hauz Khas.
100Rs off at Splash Water Park.
50% Discount on PVR Meal combo’s

Some helpful links for understanding Voting Guide:

Election Commission of India

Lead India

Jaago Re

Quote of the Day:
When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.
--Franklin D. Roosevelt

Better Late Than Never–Happy New Year

2009-03-19T02:58:00.001-07:00

Its been ages since I posted anything on the blog and as the list is endless so as to why I wasn't posting anything so lets just not even start it.Instead lets talk about what all was special in the year 2008.Here is a list of top 5 of almost everything in 2008:

Top 5 Personal Accomplishments

NIKISH <3.
Became a blogger and people loved it too.
Joined S60 and met the most inspiring and loving people ever.
A brief stint with modelling – Cover Page of a magazine and S60 editorial.
Got a job and currently working with Microsoft.

Top 5 News(World)

America got its first black president in Barack Obama – Obamania!!
Recession glooms over the World - Several businesses forced to close doors.
China Olympics - first time China hosted the Olympic Games.
Shoe throwing Incident on Bush - Muntadhar al-Zeidi, a journalist, threw the shoes.
Pakistan

Top 5 News(India)

Business capital Mumbai was under worst terrorist attack on 26/11.
India’s First Unmanned Mission to Moon - Chandayaan-1 on 22/10.
IPL+Cheerleaders became a craze and cricketers became richer.
Aarushi Talwar – Murder Mystery still remains an unsolved mystery .
India safe from the Worldwide Recession.

Top 5 Bollywood Movies:

Ghajni
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
Singh is King
Jodha Akbar
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na

Top 5 Hollywood Movies:

The Incredible Hulk
The Dark Knight
Wall –E
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Top 5 Bollywood Bombshells

Priyanka Chopra
Katrina Kaif
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Deepika Padukone
Kareena Kapoor

Top 5 Bollywood Songs

Kaise Mujhe (Ghajini): Benny Dayal & Shreya Ghoshal, Music by A.R.Rahman
Kabhi Kabhi Aditi(Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na): Singer: Rashid Ali, Music by A.R.Rahman
TuHiMeriDostHai(Yuvvraaj):Singers:A.R.Rahmanand Shreya Goshal,Music A.R.Rahman
Tum Ho Toh(Rock On): Singer: Farhan Akhtar, Music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy
Zara Si Dil Mein(Jannat): singer: K.K, Music by Pritam

Top 5 Hollywood Songs

Hot N Cold – Kate Perry
Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) – Beyonce
Womanizer – Brinry Spears
Gotta Be Somebody – NickelBack
Disturbia – Rihanna

Top 5 iPod Alternatives

SanDisk Sansa Clip
Samsung P2
Microsoft Zune 120
Cowon iAudio D2
Sony Walkman A720/A820

Top 5 Podcasts (Music)

The Acoustic Lounge on KSFS
2. Irish Flute Tunes
3. Mike Rizzy
4. TromboneLessons.com Video Podcast
5. Hannah Holland

Top 5 Consumer Complaints

Identity Theft - 313,982 complaints
Third Party and Creditor Debt Collection - 104,642 complaints
Shop-at-home and Catalog Sales - 52, 615 complaints
Internet Services - 52,102 complaints
Foreign Money and Counterfeit Scams - 38,505 complaints

Top 5 Gadgets That Could Get You Arrested

The WASP Knife
Sonar II Burner
EMT Paintball Sentry Turret
Fiber Laser Marking System
Lil' Buttie LB110

Top 5 Amazing Astronomy Discoveries

Alien worlds
Martian life?
Dark energy
Black hole antics
Solving Mercury mysteries

Top 5 Incredible Science Discoveries

The Arctic melts
Electron filmed for the first time
Huge new population of gorillas discovered
Memory's limit found
Stronger link between birds and dinosaurs

Top 5 most anticipated game

Grand Theft Auto IV
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Spore
The Agency
Ghostbusters: The Video Game

Top 5 Broadcasting Uproars

Phone Filth Call Shocker
Strictly Come Voting
Socks Off
Antiques Road Show Desecrated
A Master at Work

Top 5 Cyber Security News

SQL injection attacks
Hannaford Brothers supermarket breach
Dan Kaminsky and DNS dangers
Microsoft Vista adoption issues
Slowing the spam surge

Top 5 VoIP Threats

DoS (denial of service) Attacks on VoIP Networks
VoIP Eavesdropping
Microsoft Office Communications Server
Vishing by VoIP
VoIP Attacks Against Service Providers

Top 10 hottest phones

Nokia N96
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1
Samsung Soul
Sony Ericsson W980
NTT Docomo Wellness phone

Top 5 Cellphone Letdowns

iPhone 3G
Google G1
Palm Treo Pro
Motorola Z10
LG Dare

The list is endless,In fact I’ve more than 50 more Top 5 lists that I compiled so if anybody needs a list of anything else just leave a comment and I’ll be more than happy to add it to my post.

PS:In a bid to make-up for keeping all of my avid readers waiting for posts,I’ll be distributing free songs,movies,software's so just a leave a comment stating what you need and leave the rest to me.It can be anything,a song or movie you were trying to find for ages or an application that you don't want to pay for but a need a a full version.

Quote of the Day:
A blow with a word strikes deeper than a blow with a sword.
--Robert Burton

From Terror To Peace - India Peace Campaign

2008-12-09T05:43:00.000-08:00

In times of Terror,when all the news channels,newspaper and other form of media are busy showing/stating how it happened;when it happened and where it happened.We a group of people headed by Nirali Vasisht, Ridhi Kapoor, Malvika Grover, Deepti Gupta, Sneha Joseph,Kalyani Seth,Sneha Muralidharan and Sneha Chopra decided to join hands for Peace and not for revolt,aggression or retaliation against the Terrorists,Government Officials,Political Outfits or any other people in this blame game.Instead,we will walk for peace and prosperity by being united in the INDIA PEACE CAMPAIGN around the globe on the 10th of December 2008.

Before you read further just have a look at the following links :

Official Blog : India Peace Campaign

Event Page - Facebook

Join Us Here : Group Page - Facebook

I request you all to join us from your respective cities and stand in solidarity for this noble cause.I would like to remind everyone again as its a peace walk so no hate - slogans and banners like we witnessed in other campaigns around the nation till date.Shouting our lungs out and swearing wont make a difference so lets make an effort and let Peace prevail.

Tomorrow,10th December 2008 is the day that will go down the memory lane as an initiative for spreading peace by the youth all through out the world.We all want to be a part of this historical moment so lets do it.Together we can and we will make an difference,we did it whenever our nation needed so we can do it again.

As,I firmly believe 'Action Speaks Louder Than Words' so its time for me to request you all of you out there to meet us at the venue and make the 'Walk do the Talk'.I'll keep it short this time as I've to finish a lot of other things for tomorrow.But,to cover up for such a short post I am adding some of my favourite pictures related to the peace walk for everybody to relish :-)

PS:Your comments & suggestions are most welcome.

Quote of the Day:
It is better to suffer wrong than to do it, and happier to be sometimes cheated than not to trust
--Samuel Johnson

Remembering The Good Old 90's (Jaane Kahaan Gaye Woh Din)

2008-10-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

When I recently visited my blog it seemed like a tech blog to me rather than a blog for all genres.So, I decided no more posts on technology instead lets visit 'The Good Old 90's.' One thing I always wondered after growing up and getting all involved in gizmos and technology is how did I manage without all these things(PC,Mobile,Playstation,IPod etc) when I was young?

So,lets just revisit the golden era once again and see....

How did one survive growing up in the 70's, 80's and 90's?

We had no seatbelts, no airbags and sitting in the back of a truck was a treat…
Our baby prams had the most gorgeous lead based colours…
No such thing as tamper proof bottle tops…
Opening kitchen cupboards was a breeze… as safety locks were unheard off…
Cycling was like a breath of fresh air…
No safety helmets, knee pads or elbow pads, with plenty of cardboard's between spokes to make it sound like a motorbike…
When thirsty we only drank tap water, bottled water was still a mystery…
We kept busy collecting bits & pieces so we could build all sort of things … and we were fearless on our bikes even when the brakes failed going downhill…
We were showing off how tough we are, by how high we could climb trees & then jumping down….It was great fun….
We could stay out to play for hours, as long as we got back before dark, in time for dinner…
We walked to school, or sometimes we even rode our bike.

We had no mobile phones, but we always managed to find each other…!!
How?? No one knows…
We lost teeth, broke arms & legs, we got cuts and bruises and bloody noses…. nobody complained as we had so much fun, it wasn't anybody's fault, only ours
We ate everything in sight, cakes, bread, chocolate, ice-cream, sweet sugary drinks, yet, we stayed skinny by fooling around.
And if one of us was lucky to find a 1 litre coca cola bottle we all had a swag from it & guess what? Nobody picked up any germs...
We did not have Play Stations, MP3, Nintendo's, I-Pods, Video games, 99 Cable TV channels, DVD's, Home Cinema, Mobile phones, Home Computers, Laptops, Chat-rooms, Internet, etc ... BUT, we had REAL FRIENDS!!!!
We called on friends to come out to play, never rang the doorbell, just went around the back…
We loved being let loose in the big bad world…without bodyguards…
We played with sticks and stones, played cowboys and Indians, doctors and nurses, hide and seek, soccer games, over and over again…
When we failed our exams we were given a second chance by simply repeating the same grade…without visiting psychiatrists, psychologists or counsellors…
Such were the days…
We had freedom, success, disappointments and responsibilities. ..
Most of all, we learned to respect others…

Now lets,have a look what we had on TV those days that always kept us busy even when their was only 1 channel:

Doordarshan Logo

Doordarshan's Screensaver

Humlog(India's First Family Soap)

Malgudi Days

Dekh Bhai Dekh

Ramayan

Mile Sur Mera Tumhara

Turning Point

Bharath Ek Khoj

Alif Laila

Byomkesh Bakshi

Tehkikaat

He Man

Salma Sultana DD News Reader

Vicco turmeric,
Nahin cosmetic
Vicco turmeric ayurvedic cream

Twaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinggggggg
Washin powder Nirma, Washing powder Nirma
Doodh si safedi, Nirma se aayi
Rangeen kapde bhi khil khil jaaye

Complan Boy(Shahid Kapoor) and Girl (Ayesha Takia)

Surabhi: Renuka Sahane and Siddharth
Then were 'Mungerilal ke hasin sapane' and 'karamchand'...'Vikram Betal', etc.

Quote of the Day:
Commonsense and good nature will do a lot to make the pilgrimage of life not too difficult.
--William Somerset Maugham

Nokia's answer to Iphone/TouchScreen Phone's - Nokia Tube/5800

2008-09-25T00:10:00.001-07:00

Till now Nokia was known for its durable candybar,clamshell and sliding phones.But it was lagging behind in the world of touch screen phones like the Apple Iphone,Samsung Omnia,SE Xperia,LG Renoir,HTC Diamond,Imate Ultimate and others.Here is a quick look at the best Touch Screen phones of the recent times:

True Nokia lovers like me who always wanted a touchscreen phone without loosing the Nokia User-Interface & features can rejoice now as their wait is finally over with the Nokia Tube/Nokia 5800:

Formerly known as Nokia Tube, the first S60 handset to feature touchscreen technology will run on the new edition of the OS - Symbian S60 Taco 5.0. Despite packing a generous 3.2-inch screen with the exciting widescreen resolution of 640 x 360 pixels Nokia 5800 XpressMusic will be more of an upper midrange than a high-end device. It will come complete with a 3.2 megapixel autofocus shooter, and will be able to capture videos at up to VGA resolution at 30 fps.

The Nokia 5800 will measure 111 x 52 x 15.5mm and will come with quad-band GSM support and 3G with HSDPA. The weight is also quite acceptable, standing at 109 grams. Some of the other extras include: GPS, 3.5mm standard audio jack, TV-out and a microSD card slot. According to the reviewer the handset will also have an 8GB card included in the retail package.

Quote of the Day:
All my life, I always wanted to be somebody. Now I see that I should have been more specific.
--Jane Wagner

For those who thought E71 was the best E-series phone yet!!

2008-09-22T15:58:00.000-07:00

As everybody knows how impressed & obsessed I've been when it comes to the Nokia E61.Nikhil using the same phone for 2years i.e. from the day it was launched till date is like a shock for people who are aware that I change phones at the speed of light .

Well,there have been lot of changes since July 06 when I bought my first E-series device that is the good old E61.The first noticeable change was the Nokia E61i that was slicker and had a decent 2mp camera in it.But that wasn't enough for me to discard my good old E61 so I decided to wait till an entirely new E-series device with QWERTY keyboard is launched.

This year when the Nokia E71 was announced it was a breakthrough by Nokia.Check out for your self.

Welcome to the world of the Nokia E71,the masterpiece and the best E-series phone:

Key features:

Quad-band GSM support
3G with HSDPA 3.6Mbps support
Landscape 2.36" 16M color display of QVGA resolution
Comfortable full QWERTY keypad
Convenient business-minded shortcut keys
Symbian 9.2 OS, S60 UI with FP1 (topped with some FP2 goodies)
369 MHz ARM 11 CPU and 128 MB of SDRAM
Wi-Fi
Built-in GPS receiver, A-GPS
3.15 megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash
110 MB of internal memory, microSD expansion, ships with a 2GB card
Slimmest smartphone to-date, slimmest Wi-Fi and/or GPS handset to-date
Stainless steel casing
Standard 2.5mm audio jack
Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP support
microUSB v2.0
FM radio
Remote Wipe
Provider-independent VoIP support
Infrared port
Great battery life
Office document editor
Rich retail package

Nokia E71 Video Review

Anybody who would read the features and watch the video will fall in love with it as its the best well until today atleast.Astonished to what I am saying well believe it or not its true even before I could get hands on to it leaked and spy videos of Nokia E72 are out.Here is the first look at new device exclusively for you people.Sit back and enjoy or cry as I literally cried watching it.Unfortunately,the video has been removed due to complaint by Nokia thanks to the infringement law but luckily I had saved the pictures on my computer so here they are:

Quote of the Day:
Everything that lives, Lives not alone, nor for itself.
--William Blake

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Apple Iphone 3G finally arrives in India

2008-08-07T14:48:00.000-07:00

Well what seemed like a distant dream for an Indian mobile consumer will be a reality on August 22 as the much hyped mobile of the recent times the Apple Iphone 3g will be out officially so no more running to the grey markets and getting the without warranty Iphone's.

India's leading operators Bharti Airtel and Vodafone on Wednesday said they will launch the iPhone 3G on August 22.
The two companies have been inviting their customers to book their phones ahead of the launch, but did not divulge the volume of the demand so far, nor the price of either the phone or the service. However, it is highly likely that both will offer similar if not identical rates.
"We need to apprise customers of the price before we can get a realistic estimate of the actual number of people who will buy the phone," said a source in Vodafone.
The iPhone was first launched a year ago in US with AT&T as an exclusive carrier. Its inaugural price was Rs 15,960 for 8GB and Rs 19,960 for 16GB with a two-year service agreement.
It remains to be seen whether Vodafone and Airtel will offer a return policy for these iPhones. In the US, AT&T offers a 14-day return policy provided the phone is returned at the original point of purchase.
Usually, Apple signs a multi-year exclusive partnership where the iPhone is only available with the wireless service from one carrier in one country. The Apple iPhone 3G has been the technology revelation of the year, combining all the revolutionary features of iPhone plus 3G networking.

Lets have a look at the launch video of the Apple Iphone 3g

Apple Iphone 3G Launch

The new IPhone, looks very similar to the old one but has a glossy black or white plastic in place of a metal back cover.

Even though this next generation IPhone has much lower price point, it has host of mouth watering features built into it.

The best part is that new Iphone runs on third-generation (3G) wireless networks and loads Internet pages nearly 3 times faster than its previous avatar. The Iphone has much improved email features too.

The new Iphone also includes satellite navigation capability and comes with a inbuilt 8GB memory, which I think is more than sufficient to most of us.

A new service, “MobileMe,” will automatically send e-mail and other information to iPhones, similar to Microsoft Corp’s Exchange e-mail server product. The pay service will replace Apple’s .Mac service and offer Web applications intended to make the phone work more like a desktop computer.

Quote of the Day:
Progress depends on people knowing they'll be able to profit from their ideas.
--Deborah Neville

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The Official Guide to Pimp up your Phone

2008-05-31T18:09:00.000-07:00

You would have seen Pimp my Ride and other Pimp guides or shows on the T.V. But what would you do to pimp up your phone be it Iphone,Nokia,Sony Erricson,Motorola etc. Well the answer is - you would visit the Official Guide to Pimp Up your Phone : http://pimpupmyphone.wordpress.com

Pimp Up My Phone is an effort by me to help people pimp up their bland looking factory default phones into a piece of Art.This blog isn't another random idea by me but it has a lot of reasons for its existence today.The most important reason for me to come up with Pimp Up My Phone was my 'Karmic Sister' - Vidushi who owns a factory default Apple Iphone and was curious to know how she could change the themes or put a Mp3 ringtone.That's when I thought that there would be so many people out there who would be clueless about all these things.So here comes the GizmoGuru yet again to serve you people with some Pimpin' Tips & Tricks.You all are most welcome to visit http://pimpupmyphone.wordpress.com and leave your valuable inputs.

As my effort is in the beginning stage so it might need a lot of improvement and updates so if you don't find anything convincing or if something is lacking then please feel free to comment.Here is a glimpse of PimpUpMyPhone

Quote of the Day:
Everything that lives, Lives not alone, nor for itself.
--William Blake

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Nuisance on Delhi roads

2008-04-07T17:30:00.001-07:00

With this post I am letting out the photo-journalist in me that had been hiding in me since my college days of Journalism & Mass Communication in 2003.It means that I'll be capturing vehicles and other nuisances on the roads of Delhi.As its not obtainable in a day so this post would be updated regularly as soon as I capture something worth it!

1)To start with let me show you a Santro Xing car boldly displaying 'F**K THE LAW'

I specially clicked the photograph including the Number Plate and so called name of the guy 'DJ DAM'.Mind you this is just the beginning of unearthing of the carefree youth of our society,There is lot more to follow.

2)A Maruti-Suzuki Wagon R with a blank white rear number plate:

Back with bang as I promised you people that Law-breakers and carefree youth wont be spared.This time I captured a Maruti-Suzuki Wagon R with a blank white rear number plate on the Naraina road on 07/04/2008

Quote of the Day:
It is better to suffer wrong than to do it, and happier to be sometimes cheated than not to trust
--Samuel Johnson

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Glad to be the S60 Ambassador for India

2008-04-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

Quote of the Day:
Justice consists in doing no injury to men; decency in giving them no offense.
--Marcus Tullius Cicero

I was surprised when I received a package from Nokia,USA in the morning.I knew something was coming way but didn't have a slightest idea of what it could be.As soon as I collected the package from DHL delivery guy I opened it and loved the stuff I received from people at S60.To my surprise,the package included really useful stuff like Pen,Mouse-pad,Notepads,T-shirt,Neck String and all.All this will come in real handy while doing the real job that I've been hired for.

Considering that S60 people have shown immense faith in me and have given me such a valuable opportunity to work on such a prestigious project I can assure everyone that I'll be putting my heart & soul in it.I'll be meeting a lot of people in and would be interacting with them it may include my friends,my family and strangers too.Hope I am able to complete this project with flying colours with commitment and your support.Thank You,Karishma Singh(kishi) for helping me with my first report and being ever so helpful always.That's all for now....

Quote of the Day:
Justice consists in doing no injury to men; decency in giving them no offense.
--Marcus Tullius Cicero

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Frozen Shoulder - A to Z

2008-02-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

Phew,It was one hectic week and I am back from this long hiatus with something that might help most of us....Well its not about gizmos or fun instead its something concerning my mom.The reason for my hibernation wasn't partying but something really serious and that is Frozen Shoulder which my mom is suffering from and we came to know about it on Monday after four long months of her going through all the misery and pain.Therefore,I decided to inform each one of you about this incurable problem called Frozen Shoulder.

Frozen shoulder:

Frozen shoulder is characterized by pain and loss of motion or stiffness in the shoulder. It affects about two percent of the general population. Frozen shoulder most commonly affects patients between the ages of 40 and 60 years, with no clear predisposition based on sex, arm dominance, or occupation.

Causes:

The causes of frozen shoulder are not fully understood. The process involves thickening and contracture of the capsule surrounding the shoulder joint.

Frozen shoulder occurs much more commonly in individuals with diabetes, affecting 10 percent to 20 percent of these individuals. Other medical problems associated with increased risk of frozen shoulder include: hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Parkinson's disease, and cardiac disease or surgery.

Frozen shoulder can develop after a shoulder is immobilized for a period of time. Attempts to prevent frozen shoulder include early motion of the shoulder after it has been injured.

Symptoms:

Pain due to frozen shoulder is usually dull or aching. It can be worsened with attempted motion. The pain is usually located over the outer shoulder area and sometimes the upper arm.

The hallmark of the disorder is restricted motion or stiffness in the shoulder. The affected individual cannot move the shoulder normally. Motion is also limited when someone else attempts to move the shoulder for the patient.

Some physicians have described the normal course of a frozen shoulder as having three stages:

Stage one: In the "freezing" stage, the patient develops a slow onset of pain. As the pain worsens, the shoulder loses motion. This stage may last from six weeks to nine months.

Stage two: The "frozen" stage is marked by a slow improvement in pain, but the stiffness remains. This stage generally lasts four months to nine months.

Stage three: The final stage is the "thawing," during which shoulder motion slowly returns toward normal. This generally lasts five months to 26 months.

Diagnosis:

A doctor can diagnose frozen shoulder based on the patient's symptoms and a physical examination.

X-rays or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) studies are sometimes used to rule out other causes of shoulder stiffness and pain, such as a rotator cuff tear.

Treatment:

Frozen shoulder will generally get better on its own. However, this takes some time, occasionally up to two to three years. Treatment is aimed at pain control and restoring motion.

Nonsurgical Treatment:

Pain control can be achieved with anti-inflammatory medications. These can include pills taken by mouth, such as ibuprofen, or by injection, such as corticosteroids.

Physical therapy is used to restore motion. This may be under the direct supervision of a physical therapist or via a home program. Therapy includes stretching or range-of-motion exercises for the shoulder. Sometimes, heat is used to help decrease pain. Examples of some of the exercises that might be recommended can be seen in the following figures.

If these methods fail, nerve blocks are sometimes used to limit pain and allow more aggressive physical therapy.

More than 90 percent of patients improve with these relatively simple treatments. Usually, the pain resolves and motion improves. However, in some cases, even after several years the motion does not return completely and a small amount of stiffness remains.

Surgical Treatment:

Surgical intervention is considered when there is no improvement in pain or shoulder motion after an appropriate course of physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medications. When more invasive measures are considered, the patient must always consider that most individuals will get better if given sufficient time and that surgery always has risk involved.

Surgical intervention is aimed at stretching or releasing the contracted joint capsule of the shoulder. The most common methods include manipulation under anesthesia and shoulder arthroscopy:

Manipulation under anesthesia involves putting the patient to sleep and forcing the shoulder to move. This process causes the capsule to stretch or tear.

With shoulder arthroscopy, the surgeon makes several small incisions around the shoulder. A small camera and instruments are inserted through the incisions. These instruments are used to cut through the tight portions of the joint capsule.

Often, manipulation and arthroscopy are used together in combination to obtain maximum results. Most patients have very good results with these procedures.

After surgery, physical therapy is important to maintain the motion that was achieved with surgery. Recovery time varies, from six weeks to three months.

I hope this informative article helps you to be cautious enough to stay away from Frozen Shoulder.Everybody please take proper care, precautions, feel fit & healthy and most importantly keep smiling

Quote of the Day:
For Sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds; Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds.
--William Shakespeare

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Nokia Unleashes Super-Phone

2008-02-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

For all those who thought that the convergence has reached its apogee with the phones like the Nokia N95 & N81(8gb) or the Apple Iphone will be utterly abashed to know that they were counterfactual about the mobile convergence.The reason being Nokia N96 and as action speaks louder than word....See it for your own self:

And if that was not enough for you people then lets have a good insight of the specifications of the undisputed leader of the Phone-Industry the Nokia N96:

Technical Profile•System:WCDMA900/2100 (HSDPA), EGSM900, GSM850/1800/1900 MHz (EGPRS)•User Interface:S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2Multimedia Menu•Dimensions:103 x 55 x 18* mm (L x W x H)(* local depth up to 20 mm)•Weight:125 g•Display:2.8 inch QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) with up to 16 million colours•Battery: Nokia Battery BL-5F, 950 mAh

Media•Memory:16GB on-board memory,expandable via microSD memory card slot•Video playback:MPEG-4 / SP and MPEG-4 AVC/H.264,up to 30 fps, up to VGA resolution (scaled max QVGA on device, SDTV on TV-out)RealVideo up to QCIF @ 30 fps Windows Media (WMV9) up to CIF @ 30 fps Flash Lite 3.0 / Flash Video in browser•Music playback:MP3, AAC, eAAC, eAAC+, WMA

Main Camera•Lens:Carl Zeiss Tessar™•Image capture:Up to 5 megapixels (2592 x 1944) JPEG/EXIF (16.7 million/24-bit colour)•Video capture:MPEG-4 VGA (640 x 480) at up to 30 fps•Aperture:F2.8•Focal length:5.2 mm •Flash:Dual LED camera flash and video light

Operating Times•Talk time:Up to 150 min (3G), 220 min (GSM)•Standby time:Up to 200 hrs (3G), 220 hrs (GSM) •Video playback:Up to 5 hours (offline mode)•Music playback:Up to 14 hours (offline mode)•TV playback:Up to 4 hours

Connectivity & Data Services•WLAN IEEE 802.11b/g with UPnP support •Micro-USB connector, Hi-Speed USB 2.0•DVB-H class C, 470-750MHz•3.5mm stereo headphone plug and TV-out support (PAL/NTSC)•Bluetooth wireless technology 2.0 with A2DP stereo audio, enhanced data rates (EDR)•GPS receiver with support for assisted GPS (A-GPS)

Still craving to know more about it,If yes then you would be delighted to know that I got more :

Nokia Nseries Experiences

Video and TV•Watch high-quality video on the 2.8 inch display•Store up to 40 hrs of video on the 16 gigabytes of memory, and expand storage further with the microSD card slot•Video playback at 30 fps, for a wide array of formats•Access internet video feeds through Nokia Video Center•Transfer videos from compatible PC, using Hi-Speed USB 2.0•Watch Live TV (operator service using DVB-H or streaming over 3G, where available)

Music•Enjoy great audio through standard 3.5 mm jack headphones, built-in 3D stereo speakers or Bluetooth technology•Easily control playback with the dedicated media keys•Digital music player with support for playlist editing, equalizer and categorized access to your music collection•Podcasts, stereo FM Radio with RDS and Internet Radio •Search, browse and purchase songs online in Nokia Music Store (for availability, please visit www.music.nokia.com)

Maps and Navigation•A-GPS receiver, downloadable maps and satellite images*•Multimedia city guides and navigation services available* for purchase. Drive: voice guided car navigation, or Walk: pedestrian-optimised turn-by-turn guidance.* Availability varies by country –see www.maps.nokia.com

Photos•Location tagging of pictures captured, and online sharing•Organize photos by albums and tags, and synchronize with PC•Easy playback of videos and photos on compatible TV using TV-out cable or WLAN/UPnP

Explore•True internet experience with Nokia web browser, featuring visual history, mini-map, Flash video and progressive download•Get the latest headlines with RSS web feeds•Nokia Search (local & internet search) •Ready for N-Gage (when compatible version is available for download)•Email (SMTP, IMAP4, POP3), MMS, SMS.

Quote of the Day:
The person who is not hungry says that the coconut has a hard shell.
African Tribal Saying

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HOTEL KERALA-FONIA

2008-02-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

Here is a our own desi take on the Cult-Classic hit Hotel California by The Eagles.Its simply hilarious....It seems that its from down south according to the name,funny lyrics and the way its sung....Listen to it and have a great laugh :-)

On the road to Trivandrum
Coconut oil in my hair
Warm smell of avial
Rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance
I saw a bright pink tube-light
My tummy rumbled, I felt weak and thin
I had to stop for a bite
There he stood in the doorway
Flicked his mundu in style
And I was thinking to myself
I don’t like the look of his smile
Then he lit up a petromax
Muttering “No power today”
More Mallus down the corridor
I thought I heard them say

Welcome to the Hotel Kerala-fonia
Such a lousy place,
Such a lousy place (background)
Such a sad disgrace,
Plenty of bugs at the Hotel Kerala-fonia
Any time of year
Any time of year (background)
It’s infested here
It’s infested here

His finger’s stuck up his nostril
He’s got a big, thick mustache
He makes an ugly, ugly noise
But that’s just his laugh
Buxom girls clad in pavada
Eating banana chips
Some roll their eyes, and
Some roll their hips
I said to the manager
My room’s full of mice
He said,
Don’t worry, saar,I sending you
meen karri, brandy and ice
And still those voices were crying from far away
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them pray

Save us from the Hotel Kerala-fonia
Such a lousy place,
Such a lousy place (background)
Such a sad disgrace
Trying to live at the Hotel Kerala-fonia
It is no surprise
It is no surprise (background)
That it swarms with flies

The blind man was pouring
Stale sambar on rice
And he said
We are all just actors here
In Silk Smitha-disguise
And in the dining chamber
We gathered for the feast
We stab it with our steely knives
But we just can’t cut that beef
Last thing I remember
I was writhing on the floor
That cockroach in my appam-stew was the culprit,
I am sure
Relax, said the watchman
This enema will make you well
And his friends laughed as they held me down
God’s Own Country? Oh, Hell!

Download The Song

Quote of the Day:

A word to the wise ain't necessary -- it's the stupid ones that need the advice. - Billy Cosby

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Apple Does It Yet Again....

2008-01-29T12:59:00.000-08:00

Quite expected by an Apple product lover like me.Time and time Apple has proved itself with launching revolutionary products and becoming a pioneer each time,this time too its no exception.Alright,I guess it getting to much so I should let out the big secret...

MacBook Air is ultrathin, ultraportable, and ultra unlike anything else. But you don’t lose inches and pounds overnight. It’s the result of rethinking conventions. Of multiple wireless innovations. And of breakthrough design. With MacBook Air, mobile computing suddenly has a new standard.

Design

What makes the Air so thin?

MacBook Air is nearly as thin as your index finger. Practically every detail that could be streamlined has been. Yet it still has a 13.3-inch widescreen LED display, full-size keyboard, and large multi-touch trackpad. It’s incomparably portable without the usual ultraportable screen and keyboard compromises.

Features

So many innovations.So little space.

The incredible thinness of MacBook Air is the result of numerous size- and weight-shaving innovations. From a slimmer hard drive to strategically hidden I/O ports to a lower-profile battery, everything has been considered and reconsidered with thinness in mind.

What else on Earth would you need from your laptop...Nothing for me atleast and if you think the same as I do then grab a copy as soon as possible because it goes on sale from today(30/1/2008).

Quote of the Day:
You can tell the character of every man when you see how he receives praise.
--Lucius Annæus Seneca

If Aamir Khan did not make Taare Zameen Par

2008-01-14T14:16:00.000-08:00

"If you want to know how good Taare is, just go to your nearest theater and watch the people coming out after the show. The cacophony that surrounds a crowd exiting a theater will be missing. Some would be walking in slow motion. Some would look petrified.. At least that's what happened in the theater I went to. Not a single soul was talking after the movie, probably because what everyone saw on screen was not fiction, but a semi-biography of his/her own life. In fact, the normally rowdiest gang in a theatre (ie my friends and I) that is uber vocal at the end of a film left the theater in pin drop silence. The first thing we said to each other - ' Aamir Bhai has done it again.'
Indeed, Aamir Khan had done it again. I have a gut feeling that Taare would change people like no other movie has previously done.

I know only Aamir can make a film like Taare. But let us assume he did not make it (dream on!). What would the film have been like?

1.If Karan Johar made Taare Zameen Par
Obvious starcast:
Shah Rukh Khan as the arts teacher (duh duh duh!!).
Aryan Khan as the dyslexic child(even if he could not act for nuts).
Rani Mukerjee as the kid's mom(assuming Kajol is unavailable).
Abhishek Bachchan as the kid's dad.
Amitabh Bachchan as the school principal (who cares if the role is ultra minute, he can afford it).
It would be shot in New York to appeal to the NRI audience.
The story line would obviously be different. SRK would fall for the dyslexic kid's mom. The last scene would have the mom running to the teacher rather than the kid. And again, like in so many other movies, SRK would get someone else's girl.
It would have one dance number.
The film would be titled 'Kuch Taare Zameen Par.'

2.If Sanjay Leela Bhansali made Taare Zameen Par

Obvious starcast:
Salman as the teacher.
Rani as the mother.
Of course the whole film would be shot on elaborate sets. The school would be nothing short of Harvard university.
An orchestra would play every time anyone cried.
Slow motion, different camera angles for every scene.
The school uniforms would match the classroom walls even though that does not make a *beep* difference.
The film would cost 60 crores.

3.If Farah Khan made Taare Zameen Par
Obvious starcast:
SRK as the teacher (yawn).
In the original Taare, Aamir makes an entry at the interval point. In Farah's version, SRK would be on screen on for 2.30 hrs out of the 2.45 hrs and would be introduced in the first scene itself.
The story would be changed to make sure the above happened.The focus of the film would be a teacher who helps a kid fight dyslexia.
To make it a complete entertainer, there would be a romantic angle, comedy, and action thrown in. Oh idea!! Nikumbh's character likes another teacher and the kiddo helps him.. throw in some comedy moments there and you have romance and comedy settled. For action.. hmm.. lemme see... oh yah, the kid gets kidnapped and the teacher fights the baddies to save him. Wow!! I'm quite an imaginative writer. I can see how Farah can write a film from scratch in two weeks straight.
The film posters would have a big SRK with the tiny image of the kid in the background.

4.If Rakesh Roshan made Taare Zameen Par
Obvious starcast:
Hrithik Roshan as the teacher.
Since Rakesh Roshan cannot think beyond science fiction these days, this film would have that too. Instead of dyslexia, the kid would have alienositis or something, a condition induced due to him witnessing an alien abduction.Instead of Nikumbh being an arts teacher, he would be a physics teacher, and instead of asking kids to be creative, he would ask them to challenge the science we know.
In the scene where Nikumbh asks the kids to open their minds and make whatever they want outdoors, the kid Ishaan, instead of making a boat, would end up making a working spaceship prototype.
Nikumbh would cure the kids problem by making a full fledged version of the kid's prototype, traveling to the alien planet, and asking them to give the kid his powers back.
The film would have music by Rajesh Roshan ripped off from some world music.
The film's name would again start with a K.. probably 'Kuch Aliens Taaron se Zameen Par'.
The director would make sure Hrithik gets to show all his abilities. This would mean a scene with Roshan jr flexing his muscles, and a dance competition in the end, instead of an arts competition.

5.If Priyadarshan made Taare Zameen Par:
Obvious starcast:
Akshay Kumar as the teacher.
Paresh Rawal as the kid's dad.
It would be a brainless comedy. The kid's dyslexia would be made fun of. Half the times the parents will be running after the kid from one room to the other and that, in the director's opinion, would be funny.
The film will be full of sex jokes. So for example, when Akshay would come to the parents telling them that their son has dyslexia, the ignorant father would say something inappropriate like 'iss umar mein? par kaise, woh to hamesha boys school mein padha hai!'. And yes, the director would think it is funny.
In the climax of the film all the characters in the film would run around in the amphitheater for no reason, spilling colors on each other. That's where the film will end, without any logical conclusion.
And of course, Paresh Rawal would emote like an epileptic himself making us question the boy's mental abilities anyway.
~~~~
I know there are a lot of other directors, but I choose these guys because I feel they are the most gutless or overrated directors we have today. They keep doing the same *beep* again and again and more often than not depend on the stars to carry a *beep* film forward. They have no courage to try something non-nonsense, something that can use the medium of cinema for a little more than just entertainment, in spite of being the most sought after directors in the country
The reason I am making this comparison at all is to show how Aamir (and Amol Gupte) has made a pure film, without giving into the temptation of masala or 'what would the audience like to see' philosophy; for giving chance to fantastic yet unknown actors like Vipin Sharma and Tisca Chopra (I love Tisca); for riding against the tide; for not trying to hog the limelight in the film by happily playing second fiddle to the boy (even Aamir Khan's name comes after Darsheel Sarfi, the boy, in the credits); for giving the audience something different once again as an entertainer; and for truly caring about the society and using the medium to bring a change.
I remember earlier this year SRK made a statement: 'films are for entertainment; messages are for post offices.' Well Aamir Khan has proved that cinema is probably the best medium for giving a message and I can say that looking at the face of every person in the cinema hall. Not only that, he has proved (yet again!) that a message can be entertaining.
Behold bollywood bigshots, Aamir the director has arrived. With just one film, he has set the bar higher than most of you can only dream of reaching."

Quote of the Day:
The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.
--Anonymous

Sponsors :

Driving License in IRAQ

2008-01-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

After posting for Personal & Technology section, I've decided to spice up the blog with some Humour...hehehe , I mean who doesn't want that and the first post in the Fun & Entertainment section says it all :

Have a look at a genuine driving license of Fatima in Iraq and like me wish that you could posses it as one license would be more than enough for all the females in the Family or the whole neighbourhood : -

Quote of the Day:
The two foes of human happiness are pain and boredom.
--Arthur Schopenhauer

Sponsors:

32 Reasons That Would Make You Hate The Apple Iphone

2008-01-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not but its true....The most sought after phone/gizmo/gadget the Apple Iphone is a fluke and it seems that the computer giants Apple Inc launched an alpha or a beta version for the public in a hurry to capture the market share.The gimmick would convince none but the most credulous.Now lets have a look at the following reasons to know why it really SUCKS :

1. At $599, it is ridiculously expensive. (Add in the cost of an AT&T contract and you get close to $1500)

2. Those who want to buy one must sell their soul to evil mega-corporation AT&T.

3. Japan already has technologically superior phones, and they’re far cheaper.

4. Slower Internet than the commercials show: “The data experience is going to be very slow. If you’re on a cellular network, [using the Internet] is going to be very slow.”

5. Initial reports indicate that YouTube is slow and crappy using cellular network Internet/EDGE. It’s nothing like in the commercials.

6. You cannot remove its battery. Thanks for replicating one of the biggest complaints about the ipod, Apple!

7. The glass touch screen of the iPhone guarantees that thousands of customers who drop their phones will have cracked screens.

8. The touchscreen keyboard sucks, according to those who have used the phone.

9. It can’t send MMS picture messages.

10. The camera has little or no options, and the pictures it takes aren’t very good.

11. It lacks proper support for Flash websites. So much for the Internet.

12. It can’t record video.

13. “Pinching” pictures to zoom might look neat in commercials, but many reviewers are saying it actually sucks.

14. It lacks 3G high-speed data transfer.

15. No songs as ringtones.

16. No GPS.

17. It doesn’t work under 64-bit Windows XP / Windows Vista!!!!!!! Thanks for not including that in your Windows System Requirements, Apple!

18. It only allows for a maximum of 1 picture to be attached to each e-mail you send.

19. It doesn’t have a file browser/organizer.

20. Its default ringtones suck.

21. You can not save documents on it: documents can only be viewed as attachments when they’re sent to your e-mail address.

22. No games!!

23. Its “quick list” dialling sucks compared to traditional speed dialling, which it lacks..

24. Long activation waits: many new iPhone users are reporting that they are being told to wait hours or even days to activate service for their phone. Thanks, AT&T!

25. Heat issues: the iPhone can get very hot when it is in use.

26. Deceptive Ads: Apple has been using models with gigantic hands in their advertisements for the iPhone in an effort to trick consumers into believing it is more compact.

27. Many of the positive press reports about the iPhone are influenced by newspapers and TV networks that simply want to profit from the hypefest, or even worse, reporters who are looking to sell books about the iPhone.

28. It creates incredibly annoying iPhone fanboys.

29. No Bluetooth file transfer (pictures, music, videos), which is a pre-requisite for any phone.

30. Can't copy-paste text

31. Downloading audio and pictures and saving them from safari browser is not allowed, you can only play mp3's not save them.

32.Ironical but can't select and delete multiple messages at once or even send a message to multiple people.

So, be the judge yourself and spend your hard-earned money on a blunder like this.

Quote of the Day:
Creativity is the sudden cessation of stupidity.
--Dr. E. Land

1-1-2008 The First Day of the year

2007-12-31T13:51:00.000-08:00

Hmmmmm wow what a great feeling it is...The first day of the year...A new beginning - a new life - a fresh start...everything seems so nice...everyone recalling their resolutions and planning to follow them from day one..Ah but I beg to differ as everything exactly the opposite happened with me...no no its not because of the hangover...To begin with this 31st the party I went to in Chattarpur Farms didn't even have music lol, secondly I had decided not to drink beforehand and I lived up to it and to top it all one of the friend I went with passed out at 11:30 and it took 3hrs to get him back on his feet after slapping,kicking,throwing chilled water and giving lemonade.So wasn't a great start to the year anyway's but before sleeping at around 6:30am I decided will try and make the day better than what I had experienced the previous night but to my horror I woke up and saw the time it was 4pm half the day had already gone..still I never gave up and told myself now will do better.

Did absolutely nothing all day long other than lazing around and finally before I went hysterical thinking about what to do I started updating my blog as you know its my life nowadays and nothing bad in that 'cos all these notes may seem silly right now but a few years later they will bring back old memories..Memories are Priceless atleast for me.Talking about memories lets see the things that happened with me in the year 2007 Happy New Year - 2008(Leap Year) .

As its the first day of the year let me share some short-term goals to be achieved before the end of this month :

Pursue my Master's from a well sort after university
Get a pleasing job with no hidden notions
Convince my parents to shift my place
Join a gym
Focus on my energy and not to waste it in the form of anger

Quote of the Day:
If you really want to do something, you will find a way. If you don't, you will find an excuse.
--Anonymous

Happy New Year - 2008(Leap Year)

2007-12-29T13:46:00.000-08:00

So here is how the story goes like...While the word(atleast people I know) are sleeping or partying away to glory,I Nikhil Chawla here is updating his blog for no reasons as such...lol .Well there are apparent reasons though :- I thought why not share my thoughts with people on how my year(2007) went because everybody his or her own story so even I should tell mine. To make it simpler to read I'll jot down the flashback in points but they are not in chronological order as such:

I got a new car yippee(Honda city)
Not single anymore like last new year
Acquired quite a few gizmos - 4cellphone;2Ipods a new Core2duo PC and a hell lot
Dissolved my Studio Soch due to unforeseen circumstances
Had no business to do so worked in Sitel from May 2007 to Oct 2007
Made loads of new friends namely(I am sorry wont be able to mention all of them.) Jasdeep,Rachit,Rohit,DJ,Lalit,Mridul,Anshul,Abhinav,Gaurav,Hema,Rachna,Sid,Prateek.
Got completely drunk for the first time in Blues-CP last week.
Menu that knocked me off - 8 Large(60ml) Jack Daniel's & 3pitchers of Draught Beer.
Took part in the Hutch(now Vodafone) Marathon 2007 and got a medal yet again.
Celebrated my bday with Ady, Atul and Himanshu in GK2
Got a chance to meet Clare & Akhil on Diwali...Their visit made our life so beautiful..We miss you guys...I miss Clare more than Akhil but after all you are my brother so cant change it...I love teasing you bro..
Bought 3Nokia E61's.Its a bare necessity indeed.
Fought approximately 1000000000times with Aku and was responsible only 99.9% times so there is an improvement
Oh yea and had one of the best night out ever on 23rd DEC with Atul & Ady...Will post the videos soon be a judge yourself..
Sold off my bike and my first car that dad gave my mom when i was born...it celebrated its 22nd birthday with me before being scrapped.
I became a Mamu(Uncle) as my sister Priyanka gave birth to a baby boy(now named Chanakya)
Iphone & Mac OS Leopard was launched but didn't get any of those :-(
Revamped my room with new colours and interior arrangement..
Taught Psychology,Sociology and god knows what all to Aku over the phone....Didn't have a slightest of idea about any of it ;-)
Saw the maximum number of movies on the hall in an year since birth
Stopped buying DVDs from Palika to stop piracy rather downloaded it ;-)
Got a subscription of Auto Car for 5years when visited the Auto Expo in Jan.
Completed an year of knowing Karishma though i got a lot of scolding for not being able to wish her but i still cherish the day...Listening Kishi
Stopped using Orkut and Hi5 and joined Facebook instead
Remained Chikna(clean shaved) most of the year...tried french beard too
And had a blast at the Channel V Launch Pad with Himanshu...It was in the open and it was raining,everyone was drenched in water but it still rocked out there!!!
Thought of doing a business again after leaving the job but couldn't figure out which one as I had 288 ideas and my parents wanted me to do a job again.
Met Himanshu's parents for the first time after knowing him for 4 years.
Saw a movie for 50bucks in PVR on a valentines day
Got a new watch - Mont Blanc Automatic
Finally went out of Delhi to Amritsar Golden Temple.
Missed mom a lot when she went to Mumbai for 10days leaving her budhu bacha.
Got to know the secret of life,money,relationship think was following it for ages...
At Megha's Birthday party met Aku's mom...It was too much awaited...what took you so long aunty???lol
Tried different hair styles - Crew,Messed up,Aviator and a fringe too lol
Kept planning to join a gym all year long but didn't as was too good for them.
Became the Indian Idle for sitting at home for 6months..
Did Junior's naamkaran a zillion times giving him names like - jooni,jaangri,dugi cheegru-peegru,kutti,billi,bagira,Lord Junior,zingaro,snoop dogg,royal stud rest are explicit and censored by government of India..
WTF...Do you expect me to remember everything that took place in 365 days
Oh Ho I'll add more when I remember them..