The Miracle App - before I leave this world.

The hospital wall held little flowers here and there disclosing my eightieth birthday. Beside my bed a little girl stood with her innocent smile. Her father was a young man, tall and handsome for his age. He gave something to his only daughter who in turn gave it to me saying,

"Happy Birthday Thatta!”. My grand daughter smile reminded me of someone who I knew but my old memory doesn't have the capacity to revive any.

My son struggled to control his tears seeing me in the last phase of my life. But, I tried to put a smile on his face, thanked him for his gift and put it in my pocket. That was the last time I saw them. 

Photo by scheissegal

Hours later,

I was carried off in a stretcher back home - a place where I lived my 40 years of life along with my wife Sundra. People flocked in and out of my house, an unusual thing that haven’t happened in a decade. It reminded me of the day when Sundra left me all alone in my home. Just then, I realized something . I was looking at my own body. I freaked and called out for help but no one could notice me. I was like a mad man running around and scratching myself from my head to toe only to find something hard in my pocket. I pulled it out swiftly and found a smartphone gifted hours ago by my son. I was astonished but no one seems to notice anything. 

I flitted near an empty space and started accessing the phone. A bright light was shining on the mobile and it read “WeChat”. I touched it and all of a sudden it pulled up a list of names. I was flabbergasted as I knew all those names in the WeChat contact lists which was skillfully extracted from my memory. I scanned the lists, found my Sundra's name and accessed it with a click.

It took few seconds to connect. 

"Welcome Dear. I have been awaiting here for you for a long time “she replied. Tears were rolling my eyes and I knew I was not alone anymore. I had missed her all along my life. She was a piece of me who fitted me perfectly and connecting back to her through this little miracle app offered me comfort. After few conversations, I chose to find more people to connect with.

My Mother Lalitha name was shining bright near my eyes. I clicked instantly and asked her where she was. Within minutes came a reply,

“My son, I am making our home ready in the astral plane for your arrival. Sundra is also there with me. Don't worry, Mommy is always there to help you." Tears were rolling again. My mother has been a great support for me and every time she willingly serves me no matter how and where I am. "What will happen to me without your unconditional love Mother" I thought.

"Where is papa?" I called out to my Mom. “Waiting for you” came her voice reply.

Papa! I scrolled down to his name Mr.Rajan(papa) in the wechat app. Before I could click his name, there was a voice message from him.

"My son, finally you have come back to us. How in this off-earth plane I could be without you? We all will come to help you soon" he said.

His voice was full of enthusiasm. I remembered his days where he returned back from work just to hold me in his arms, tell stories and put me to sleep. I could never have a best dad than him. I send him a voice message back telling ," Dad, I am waiting but before leaving this plane, I still wanted to talk to two more persons."

My hands were trembling in fear now. I knew I had to call this person one last time. I have to ask her for forgiveness or else I will leave this world without peace. I don't know how she was now, alive or dead. I searched hard but sadly, it was not even available in my contacts. I then finally concluded that her name was not there since I have erased her from my memories long ago in respect for my Sundra. I got tensed, tired, shook my phone in distress and thought hard. 

CLING! I heard a noise. In my phone, I found few names from the look around feature of the app. Shaking my mobile has connected with bits and pieces of my past. Even with my forgotten memories.

Daisy was her name, my ex-love. She was my first crush but fate was not favorable for us. Her parents had her married in a hurry even before I could convince them. I failed to return at the right time as promised. I cursed her at her face for not waiting for me. She cried that she waited long enough. But still, I punished her with my words. Marriage was a big thing in life and sometimes things don’t go as planned. I understood that only when I got my own son married.

"Daisy! I am sorry for whatever trouble I caused you. I know you were too young then and I failed to fulfill my promise. I lost you and I know it caused the same pain for you as it was for me. Sorry for everything and I hope we will be free of all regrets " – I recorded my voice in the app and clicked send. 

Minutes passed but there was no reply. I believed that she had no intention to talk to me. And so I finally I dialed my son Jai's number. He was standing near my lifeless body crying like a baby. I must inform him that we are always beside him protecting him and his family as guardian angels. I called him.

"Son, you were a special gift in my life. And you gave me another gift through which I am connecting with you now. Son, I am always there for you protecting you. And remember there is a time where you will meet all your pasts in your lifetime. So as for now, live in your present and stay happy. Your pasts can wait." I voice messaged him and looked at his reaction.

For a minute his face was blank. He looked at his watch and the time on his mobile. His hands were trembling as he entered a message. I knew what he typed and so replied him again,

“You got to believe me, my son. Don't try to access your past until it comes in search for you. I will no more message you since I want my son to move forward to his future like a strong man. "

After hearing my voice message, he sighed heavily, wiped his tears and clutched his both hands in prayers. He had trusted me.

Time has come for me to leave earth. My vimana was ready for take-off. 

Daisy! Daisy! Where are you? Please do forgive me! I cried in silence.

My grand daughter looked up, smiled and whispered," Good bye! I was here all the time”

I left the earth still holding on to my mobile phone where Daisy name was shining brightly.

FICTION STAMP

-------That's the end of the story  of The Miracle app --------

This fictional post was written for Wechat's ( WeChat's Youtube channel ) prompt "

"If you could connect with 5 or more people in a WeChat group - who would they be, and why? What would you talk about? The people can be dead, alive or even fictional" 

Do you like about my story? What you like about my story? Your comments ?

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Modern Health care and Cutting Edge Technology in Medicine

Health is a very important issue and no matter how much dollars or pounds you earn, without good health there is no peace in life. The basic need of survival for any living thing is to be in good health. While I was young, I used to hear many stories of "kai vaitiyam" and "paati vaitiyam" which were undertaken by the elders in the family during emergency. But, today even though we have got the materials needed for doing such practises, there are neither experienced teachers nor unadulterated products in the market. 

Along with advancement, came new diseases in life which even makes the experts confused. The emerging disease in 2013 that keeps humans at risk is the SARS-like virus. This respiratory virus is contagious and spreads from human to human contact , a news that can't be digested by a normal person like me as it can be epidemic at a very short span of time. Everything is like a learning process. The diseases (virus) learn ways to keep themselves from being defeated (technically called "developing resistance") and the humans (docs/experts) find ways to treat them with more advancement in their technology (one reason why antibiotic is not recommended every time you fall sick). Though this happens at one side, the other side we have got some good news. The diseases which has been hunting us for decades can now be within our control using cutting edge technology in Medicine. I found the following below advancements in today's Modern Health Care written as well as for the topic " How does Modern Health Care touch lives " by Apollo Hospital and Indiblogger.

ROBOTIC SURGERY

Robotic surgery is a type of minimally invasive surgery which has several advantages over conventional cardiac surgery

• Minimal incisions 
• Enhanced precision
• Less pain and trauma to the patient
• Faster recovery than a traditional surgery

The da Vinci system, the most advanced platform for minimally invasive surgery available today can operate on the heart by making three or four small incisions each about 1 centimetre in length in the chest for inserting three or four stainless-steel rods ( for heart bypass surgery ). One rod has two endoscopic cameras and other two rods have surgical instruments for the operation at one end which is inside the patient body. The other end of all the rods are held by the robotic arms.

The 3D images of the surgical site as well as the surgical instruments are sent by the cameras inside the patient body to the control console a few feet from the operating table. Using the joystick-like controls located underneath the screen, the doctor manipulates the surgical instruments which works in sync with the movements of the surgeon's hands. By this, the doctor can complete the surgery, remove the rods from the patients body and close the incisions.

Toshiba’s Aplio 500 CV and Aplio 300 CV  system is a new addition to the cardiac portfolio designed to Improve Cardiac Diagnoses. It delivers premium image quality, advanced visualization capabilities, and work flow automation tools in a compact, easy-to-use system. Its imaging technology includes more depth and detail information of Tissue Enhancement, Advanced Dynamic Flow, Stress Echo, Auto-IMT Tissue Doppler and more clinical application. It is said that Physicians can conduct the best bedside cardiac exams and have access to the most comprehensive quantification measurements (strain, strain rates or ejection fraction) on-board the systems in Just 3 Clicks. Available in only few hospitals , it is a life saver with its minimal time and advanced technical results. 

Other applications of Robotic surgery includes Cardiology, Urology, Gynaecology, Nephrology and Neurology.

COSMETIC/PLASTIC SURGERY

Although cosmetic surgery is widely used in entertainment industry for the purpose of changing ones appearance , Reconstructive plastic surgery is still a necessity for those who are born with facial deformities or those who run into accidents.

It includes most common cosmetic surgery like Nose reshaping (Rhinoplasty), face and neck surgery, Liposuction (removal of fat deposits ), Mammaplasty (breast implants, reduction and lifts) , Phalloplasty (penile liposuction), to accepted surgery like Sex Reassignment Surgery.

FERTILITY
The fast food and time consuming lifestyle has already had an effect on the ovulation of women paving way to delayed childbirth in couples. Some aren't even aware until two years of their marriage. 

The innovation of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) with procedures like In-Vitro Fertilization technique , Intra Uterine Insemination , Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection, Testicular Sperm Aspiration and other procedures are a boon to today's couple who have difficulty in getting children. Many have successfully borne children with these techniques and procedures.

STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION
These days if you visit your Gynaecology, you never miss to read this new term "Stem Cells Transplantation". During my days, I came to know that these are vital for your kids in the new age where diseases can be cured using these stem cells got from the blood taken from the umbilical cord of a newborn baby which has the potential to turn itself into anything the body lacks. Imagine getting a new liver cell or body cell right after removing the cancerous ones from your body.

But today, these stem cells can also be got from the bone marrow or from the blood which increase the chance of curing various cancers and blood disorders. Another remarkable discovery quite recently is that the stem cell technique used in therapeutic cloning helps in treating rare diseases and disorders caused by gene mutations.

LIVER TRANSPLANTATION 

If you are an excessive drinker, you may come to know the damage drinking might cause your liver. Liver can also be affected by certain diseases caused by overdoses or viral infections where liver transplant becomes unavoidable. Apollo Liver Care Hospital has successfully transplanted over 500 Liver with a success rate of 90% till date.

During this procedure, your diseased or damaged liver is removed from the body and is replaced with a healthy one. State-of-the-art technology for liver surgery includes the Laparoscopic Argon Beam Laser, Tissue Link™, CUSA™ and Laparoscopic Vascular Stapling for Liver Diseases and Transplantation in Apollo.

MEDICAL APPS

The advancement of technology means innumerable ways to make use of available medical awareness to our best use. No home is without a smart phone. And many people have access to iPhone  iPad and Tablets. Android apps paved way to facile download at few clicks in your place.

Apple has a new section in its AppStore for medicine which can be downloaded at Apple iTunes . For android users, medical apps for iPhone , smart phones etc can be downloaded at Medical apps for android.

With all these in this post, one last thing I wanted to convey is that "You are what you feed yourself". The famous saying "Protect Yourself before you fall sick" is like seeing yourself completely through a magnifier. Our body gives us clue months before through our skin, eyes, mouth as well as excretions (urine and stools) of what is happening inside our body. The healthier you feed yourself, the healthier you are.

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Best Bluetooth Speaker - Bassboomz Compatible, Portable and Rechargeable

Bluetooth wireless technology sustains easy and effective communication with devices. Today with innumerable options of Phones, iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches, PCs and Macs available, there arises a need for a better communication between these devices which Bluetooth has successfully delivered. One among them is the capability of a wireless portable Bluetooth Speaker.

Of among the best available audio decks, Air Play speakers and other sounding devices which are quoted at a high price, Bassboomz offers relatively good sound quality with a lowest price possible. With its good look taken in account, it is one of the best bluetooth speaker one can afford. Bassboomz are also available in eight stunning colour options and the one I am reviewing in this post as well as in my You Tube channel (scroll below) is the Blue coloured Bassboomz.

Given below are the features of Bassboomz's 

• Compatibility
• Portability
• Rechargeability

Bassboomz blue tooth speaker is compatible with both iOS devices and the vast majority of smart phones and tablets including the devices that supports the 3.5mm audio jack output. With what was available with me, I went ahead to review the Bassboomz streaming music through my HTC Smart phone. I found that the sound produced by Bassboomz was original and clear with no distortions. 

If you are looking for a best Bluetooth laptop speaker or Blue tooth PC speaker at a price you can afford, Bassboomz is the one you can certainly go in for.

Another feature that I liked in Bassboomz is the Bass Expansion system which can be released by twisting the Bassboomz. The shrunken size means more portability that I can tuck in the blue tooth speaker into my pocket. 

The most feasible way of charging this Bluetooth speaker is directly through your Laptop using the USB connector that comes along with this device. And for me this proficient design saves lots of batteries since I had one such experience using an ordinary speaker which swallowed batteries every week.

YOU TUBE REVIEW

HIGHLIGHTS

• Compatible with all wireless devices with a Bluetooth connection as well as with any audio device that has a 3.5mm audio jack output
• Portable anywhere
• Rechargeable using the USB cable
• Available in 8 stunning colours
• Twist and release Bass Expansion system

Disclosure : I received the above product for the purpose of a written review. All opinions are my own written ONLY after trying and testing the above product. No false information is provided to the best of my knowledge. 

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Family Happiness in 140 characters

" Giving lots of love, sharing what we can, Caring when needed most, hugs from to time, bringing smiles now and then lies my Family Happiness "

The above is a Micro-post on Family Happiness written for LimeTree in 140 characters 

Sometimes I also believe that ,

A happy family is one when a baby is born, believes in love with her every crawl and grows with a smile that fills every corner of the Home.
- another Micro-post on Family Happiness

These are the few things that I believe to exist in all Happy Families. Do you have any more to add ?

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New Walkers Hoops and Crosses Roasted Beef - an healthier option for crisps

The importance of wholegrain in our daily food consumption has grown tremendously lately. The major increase in obesity , diabetes and other related diseases especially in children have lead to understanding the crucial importance of eating a balanced diet for an healthy lifestyle.

As my child's school promotes healthy eating, I am just allowed one treat either in form of a crisp, biscuits or juice in my kid's lunch box along with an healthy balanced food. So, it becomes easy for me to select different available possible treats in less quantity but if that treat becomes a part of a balanced diet , you must know how glad a mom like me can be.

Just few hours ago, I tried the New Walkers 'Hoops & Crosses' which is a brand new product thats perfect for kid's lunchboxes. And its nutritional information includes of about 36 % less fat than a typical potato crisp and made with 56 % wholegrain with no artificial colours or preservatives.

It comes in three flavours : Salt and Vinegar, Roast Beef and Prawn Cocktail . The cheeky monkey package I tired and tested had one such flavour - the roasted beef and this is what I found.

PACKAGING : Professional!. As you can see from the above image , the packing was done in a cardboard box with a cheeky monkey cover which included one Walkers Hoops and Crosses (roasted beef), a booklet and a lovely cheeky monkey toy.

LOOK AND FEEL : The crisp are light and comes in two shapes : circle (hoops) and cross. You can see little brown on the  yellow crisp which hints that it is baked.

Fun criteria : My kids told me that the shape of the crisp reminds them of a famous Tic-Tac-Toe game. With X’s and ‘O’s already in the crisp bag, eating can never be so much fun for us .We took turns to play in a 3x3 square grid and the winner who scored all the three rows eats them all .

SMELL : I opened the package expecting some funny smell. But, I was surprised of the smell the crisps had. NO violent beef smell but I can smell the sunflower oil. 

TASTE : The crisp are baked (not fried) and so there was no oily stuff on the fingers while eating it. Normally, I avoid  beef stuffs in chips/crisp since I don't like the taste of it. But, this one differs. The taste is just right. A beef crisp could have never tasted better.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (as mentioned on pack) : Each bag of crisp has about 85 calories and the crisp are made from wholegrain corn meal. They have no artificial colours or preservatives.

What I think can be included : As for me, I find the flavours too restricted with only  Beef , Prawn and Vinegar. So, more options of flavours like tomato, cheese, sweet chilli, or mint is also welcomed. 

My kids loved the flavour that we tried. With all these mind, I may use this crisp as a treat in my kid's lunchbox twice a week when compared to other crisp without wholegrain. It seems to be an healthier option   compared to a typical potato crisp. And at home, as a part of the evening snack with a small Tic -Tac -Toe game.

Disclosure : I received the above product for the purpose of a written review. All opinions are my own written ONLY after trying and testing the above product. No false information is provided to the best of my knowledge. 

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Ways to Get Your Kids Off the Computer during this Summer

Looking back even just 10 years ago, it seems like kids were happy to play with toys or explore their world. And kids today? Well, many seem to be attached to their phones, Nintendo, and PCs. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of gaming every now and then – and even adults are guilty of popping the new SimCity disc into the laptop once in a while. But with summer just around the corner, now’s the time to start thinking about how to keep your kids from spending all day, every day at the computer screen. After all too much computer does less good.

The trick is to find some activities that will really keep them busy and stop them counting down the hours until they’re allowed to press the power button again. Here are just a handful of ways you can keep kids of all ages entertained without computer games and enjoy the great summer sunshine, too. 

Find Creative Competitions for your Kids

Competitions can be very appealing for kids – doing something small could result in big rewards, and so kids find participating in contests or competitions exciting and fun. Look for creative or skill-based competitions that encourage kids to either really think about their entry or spend time producing a winning masterpiece, such as SurfExcel’s Earth Day art competition. Your children will love using various materials such as glues and glitters to produce different designs, and it’s a simple way to turn plain painting and drawing into games for kids.

Show Off Your Artistic Flare 

Going for a walk around the local park? Why not add some extra fun and excitement? Show your kids what a great artist you are by painting their faces to look like pretty butterflies, roaring lions, or their favourite cartoon character before heading out. You can buy face paints from craft stores, but it’s so simple to make your own natural paints with some shortening, cornstarch, and food colourings. If you’re feeling brave, offer your own face as a canvas for your kids to show off exactly what they can do, too. There’s no limit to the designs your kids can create, only their imagination. 

Make A Picnic 

For older kids, there are few things less enticing than going for a picnic with Mom and Dad – unless they’ve helped make it! It’s always so rewarding to make and then eat your own picnic hamper, no matter what age you are. Gather the kids in the kitchen, and rather than choosing traditional picnic foods, choose more exciting offerings. 

Film A Movie 

Another activity to encourage creativity involves making a movie of your own. You can use your home video camera – or even the camera on your tablet or smart phone – and film your kids making their own movie. It can be about anything they want – first, you could help them come up with ideas and then help them write out a script. Perhaps they could do a ‘day in the life’ style movie showing what they get up to over the school break? Or, they could gather their friends and recreate scenes from their favorite TV shows, or they could even produce an informative movie showing how to recycle rubbish from the local parks to keep the community clean. Once finished, you and your family could make a snack and sit down to enjoy the film in your home.

With so many activities and games to do over the summer, there really is no need for your kids to spend too much time on their computer. Ask friends and neighbors for some more inspiration if you’re lacking ideas, or take a look online and see what other parents do to keep their families happy and busy during the school break. 

- The above post is a guest article from Surf Excel Team.

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Fishtail Braid and Side Loop Ponytail for Tresemme Ramp Ready Hairstyles

Summer has arrived and a braided hair is the best form of hairstyle to beat the hot weather. Almost everyone should have tried the three layered braided look which is very common among young girls and women. There are many variations of braided look like French braid, Dutch braid and Fish tail braid. Fish Tail braid resembles french braid and comparatively I found fish tail braid easier. And I am going to go in detail of how to do a Easy Fish Tail Braid in simple steps including a short video.

FISH TAIL BRAID HAIRSTYLE

Step 1: First, gather the hairs into a ponytail and secure it with a elastic band.

Step 2: Then, divide the hair into two halves and get ready for step 3.

Step 3: Take a small piece of hair from the left half of the hair and bring it downwards  towards the right half of hair. After doing it, the hairs should look like two halves again.

Step 4: Now, take another small piece of hair from the right side of the hair and bring it downwards  towards the left side of the hair. Again, the hairs should look like two halves .

Step 5: Repeat the steps 3 and 4 until you reach the end and tie the rest of the hair with another elastic band so that everything is in place.

Step 6 : Slightly pull the sides of the hairs so that it look voluminous and yes, now you are done.

Your Fish Tail Braid is done. This hair style will be a best choice of hairstyle for parties or events. 
The below video will help you to get a clear picture of how to do a fish tail braid.

SIDE LOOPED PONYTAIL

This hairstyle is another form of Balloon hairstyle which we already saw in the post "In style with TRESemmé Ramp ready Hairstyles" . This one is very similar to Balloon hairstyle and one difference is that we are going to bring the balloon look on the side . It also looks like a loop and hence the name side looped ponytail .

The above hairstyle is in response with TRESemmé India Youtube channel for TRESemmé Ramp Ready Hair Style.

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Photo Book with Texts, Image Masks and Photoshop Plugins by Vistaprint UK

Getting Digital is the trademark of today's business. But few things that stands apart from being laid in soft copies are the smell of old books and the nostalgic feeling of looking into a photo album.  I love digital albums but sometimes fear of losing the precious memories by a sudden crash or scratch as days goes by. Although I am careful enough to backup them into external drives and online servers, what I love best is preserving them in form of Photo Album. Photo Books are now available in trendy looks to suit our taste , lasts longer and are convenient to secure the memories wherever we are.

Creating a photo book with Vistaprint is so easy with availability of options at a reasonable price. And being offered a trial book gave me freedom to explore more intricate features of Vistaprint and finally to play with my own photo book creation.

Key features of Vistaprint that I love,

1. Different sizes of photo books to choose according to our preference

2. Option to create our photo book either online or offline

• Create photo book online : This option saves us time with simple editing and layout option. We can either go in for automatic filling to create our photo album in seconds or use manual filling to distribute the photos across the page layout ourself. 
• Create photo book offline: To create our photo book offline, we have to download the Vistaprint Photo Editor which gives us full control of our photo book including Photoshop plug-ins, Photo Effects and Image Mask. Again we got an option of either to go in for automatic filling or manual filling.

3. To order the photo book in one click with an option to pay either through Visa/Master/Credit cards or Paypal.

4. No compromise in quality and a super fast delivery .

Vistaprint Photo Book Editor :

I downloaded the software for free and used it as I would do for any photo editor. Using the images on the left hand side, we can attach any photo the way we want to the page layout below. Vistaprint photo editor gives us more option to edit or transform the photos the way we want using the photo effects and the plugins above. I tired the Image Mask for the left hand side image and as you can see , it gave a professional look to the image.

You can download more interesting image masks from Internet and apply the one you want on your photo. Photoshop plugins are a plus in Vistaprint photobook editor and it offers more effects for editing photos like artistic, patterns, gradients, etc . Several free plugins are available online and can be downloaded for advanced effects .

Photo Effects

Photo Plugins

You can see the image below wherein I have used Text Editor for editing my texts for fonts, colours and sizes. Also, by applying a background theme, we can fill in any white or empty spaces to make the photo book look like a pro.

Text Editing

Payment ( Order Now) :

After having done the photo layouts, it is time to Order the Photo book for delivery. By using the "Order Now" button, we are directed to the next step of binding quality and quantity needed. Then, follows step 2 wherein we are offered certain recommendation for a T-shirt, Mug, Mouse pad and other matching products which we can add to our shopping cart if needed.

The final step is Checkout. Here, we are asked to fill in the shipping details (our address) , type of delivery (express or standard) , Payment methods which can be done either through Credit/Visa cards or through Paypal and Order confirmation. Within minutes, we get an order confirmation mail in our inbox.

Review of Product Received :

I know I would be getting my photo book from Vistaprint within 14 days as committed in the delivery status but I never knew they would be so fast that they delivered my photo book in just two days. I was waiting to see the photos I had created and the simple neat packaging made it all effortless .

The binding was thick and the album cover was the way I wanted it to be with Disney Princess.The Quality of the pictures inside are too good  and the pictures were also big inside. As I had ordered for a glossy finish, my photo book came with images on a  glossy paper. Themes were light on the paper making the photos look brighter as well as trendier.

Overall  I was proud to own my photo book and if had to create and order another photo book in future , my first choice would be Vistaprint. Another advantage of using Vistaprint uk is that is offers promotional codes now and then apart from their free products.

Disclosure : I received the above complimentary product for the purpose of a written review. All opinions are my own. No monetary compensation was exchanged. Whether agreed or not , I only recommend products I personally use and feel that would be good for my readers. I follow FTC rules and regulations.

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Early Cinema and Theatrical Magic for the Kids

It was Easter Holiday. And I along with my kids had plans to visit the Holiday workshop with Mirror Mirror in MK Gallery for fun. The workshop was meant to be for kids but it also promised to give an insight of how early cinema worked and how an artist explored their works through different ideas. This of course worked well for me in understanding concepts of things I love. And attending one such workshop in our area made sure that my children are exposed to different artforms thereby combating their boredom. This time it was Theatrical Magic.

We were joined in by other families and all the children grouped together creating 2D and 3D objects thereby exploring the atmospheric potential and its effect on ‘the projected image’.

At first, we were introduced to different types of music and dance sequence wherein we explored the mood of music and came up with words ( Excited, Calm, Happy, Sad , so on) and the patterns that described the music on a sheet of paper. Each kid was given a paper wherein they painted their feelings towards the music they heard. Then, we were asked to create a 2D layout of what we have painted. Each kid placed their artwork in random trying to bring out a overall look of one single piece of Art. And you know how it worked with children (*winks)

Then, we moved to the next step of creating a 3D objects. This is where the magic of theatre came in. Our vital items were cardboard boxes and the 2D artworks of children. All the children worked together to create a messy stuff with card boards, papers, scissors and tapes. And this is what we finally ended up with.

How does it look like? Remember this is our 3D Model :)

The theatre was getting ready and the children were given the job of bringing life into the theatre. The theatre had three white screens hanging from above and this is where our object is going to come to life. And there was a projector to project the image (our 3d model) to the screens. The above two models are our basic images which introduces the art of early cinema or say theatre magic to the kids. 

Our 3D models were ready to come to life as you can see from the below image. And what do you expect to see with these creations. And believe me,  The results were truly amazing .

Can you believe the magic on the screen?. Theatre Magic!. It is the shadow image of what the children created with the cardboard boxes including the other stuffs and what we adults at first thought was messy. Our messy objects turned out to be an awesome creation of art. This image brought  life to an Egyptian King .

So, what will be the shadow image of our next model ? Can you guess?

There you go. It brought life to an image of a sailor travelling in a boat. The model as you can see is kept on the left side and its image (shadow) is been reflected on the right side on the screen . And as we move the object, the image moves giving a feeling of a moving boat. That's truly tricks on your eyes 

The children including my daughter and son were filled with joy seeing their objects come to life on the screen. I, being a part of the fun made sure that this theatre magic of experimental optics and how early cinema worked is well preserved through my camera and my blog.

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Soldiers in Disguise !

Soldier for women! This  is a sound of bravery and sincere motive to help women in need. In my last post, I was had clearly written about the Men my life who deserve to be saluted for what they are to me under the title " Three awesome men in my life". And today given a chance , I come out off my personal circle to pick out Men outside my circle who I have witnessed have come forward to help women in needs. My hunt was on for those soldiers just by recollecting memories of incidents that touched me in one way or the other.

Incident 1:

Dated decades ago : It was a day when I had to travel on a public bus with friends for a special class in my school. It also happened to be the same route for a reputed college as well as a fish market. So, as you can guess the bus was always crowded. Finding a place to sit was really hard at that time and the journey became cumbersome when you have to travel standing under the April's hot weather. If the heat and pain of standing is unbearable for a school girl like me , then imagine the plight of older women esp. those who have travelled a long way for selling the fish in the market. One such woman was standing nearby me along with her fish basket and the journey seems to be worse for her. It was that day, I saw this college boy who stood up and gave her place to sit. It was an act of kindness. Then, every time I had an opportunity to travel by public bus, I used find one in ten men who often  get up willingly to offer their seats to older women and pregnant ladies. I take this opportunity to salute these Men who are ready to give a hand of protection to travelling Women.

Incident 2:

I used to ride in a scooter / bike to and fro to my computer class when I was in college. And one day as I was travelling, I was been hit by another bike on the rode and fell on the ground along with my scooter. Even worse was the bike fell over me. I lay confused and blank with pain unable to move. Though the road was a bit crowded with both men and women, it was only few men who came running towards me to offer me help. Without them, I would be in a worse condition then. They offered me help and words of courage. I take this opportunity to salute these Men who offered me help and those who are still offering help to woman in danger.

Incident 3:

It was a time I had to travel by plane to Chennai from London through Delhi transit along with my two kids. Unfortunately, we had only minutes left to do all the check in and check out .And before I could finish everything, the women in the counter said that the flight to Chennai already took off and the next flight that was available was only the next day. This news shook me as I was in a city where I had no help, my mobile phone was out of coverage and worse enough the language in the city was alien to me. Imagine the situation with my two little kids there . I was stranded at the Airport. Just then it happened. By God's grace I was not alone. Along with me there were 15 more people who were in the same situation. Together the men went to that particular airline teams stressing them to make arrangement in the next evening fight itself. After few exchange of arguments, finally the airline team agreed to our proposal and asked us to show the ticket copy to issue another new one. 

There I go again misplacing my ticket and was left behind. All of them could have gone there way after getting their new ticket issued but the men in the group came forward to help me talking with the senior officials and having me issued my new ticket. The women in the counter who had been all through the happenings came towards me , handled my new ticket and said," “You should be lucky to get  people like these who fought and came forward to help you ” . That day made me realised how it feels to be protected especially from people who you have never met in your life.They were soldiers in disguise. I take this opportunity to thank these people who have helped me in the past and those people who are helping women in one way or the other.

To conclude, I must say that Men who supports women by offering their little helps and support when they need are also a Soldiers. These are the Men who we meet and cross them every day in schools, colleges, shopping complex, roads, markets, etc and whose intention are genuine. I do salute to these soldiers who are in disguise protecting the women in their daily life.

This post is a part of #Soldierforwomen in association with BlogAdda.com

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In style with TRESemmé Ramp ready Hairstyles

TRESemmé is well pronounced as 'Très aimé' in French which means 'much loved''. With Très, all in caps it also sounded like 'Very much like Emmé '. Whatever it means, I was just in love with this Brand. 

TRESemmé has its own style in launching new products too. The latest one to be launched in India is the TRESemmé Ramp Ready for which they are campaigning through the TRESemmé India Youtube channel. Diana Penty, our Indian model welcomes us into an interactive salon and takes us to the Mercedes Benz Fashion week in New York. She also provides us with an exclusive virtual access card with our name and photo printed on it. We enter into the backstage along with her as she explains briefly about the hairstyles and the show. Next, we are invited to select few hairstyles to create our own ramp show . Then, we are welcomed by Dodo (Dharmesh Hingorani), a celebrated TRESemmé hairstylist who shows us how to wash our hairs with TRESemmé smooth and shine shampoo and conditioner (for my choice of straight hairs) to be salon ready. He also teaches us on how to do our chosen hairstyles with the help of the models. Finally, we are presented with our Style album.

TRESemmé has neatly designed the campaign, the background music was good and the interaction was awesome. We can also select our viewing experience with the jumps provided in the video link. Overall, it made the whole viewing experience enjoyable. 

RAMP READY HAIRSTYLES
After having an amazing experience with TRESemmé, it is time to try the hairstyles learnt from Dodo  to be TRESemmé Ramp ready. I found the following  hairstyles easy to do at home and it suited my straight hair perfectly . 

• Balloon Ponytail 

• Butterfly Ponytail 

• Twisted Hair band 

I loved all the above three styles and tried them on my hair at home. I bookmarked the other hairstyles for future use. The third one was tried with my daughter as she was getting very anxious to know what I was doing and wanted to try one. I protected her identity by hiding her face in the above (3rd)  image. Now, I think it is time to work around my own style. 

Straight Hair to Curly Hair Naturally

I had straight hair ever since I had born. I secretly yearned to flaunt with curly hairstyle too. I learnt to do this trick from a YouTube video done by "Cute Girls Hairstyle" and I think it is the right time to try it on my hairs without using any heat, hair rollers or hair crimper. After shampooing with TRESemmé, I let my hair to partly dry out. My hair was a little damp and was quite ready for the cocoon curls.

I started with the front section, made a small ponytail with a hair band / rubber band and secured it in place so that I can work around the lower part of the hairs. Then, I sectioned the hairs on the lower side into four parts, twisting them tightly like a rope one by one and curling them into a cocoon curls. Similarly , I made cocoon curls working from bottom to top part of my head. I sectioned my hair randomly in between but made sure that all the hairs are used up for the cocoon curls. And in the front side, I sectioned the hairs into two parts and did the same technique. I was working on them slowly and soon found that the dampness dries off quickly. So I had to sprinkle some water now and then for maintaining the dampness which is important to hold my cocoon curls in place till I finish working on my head. Finally, the cocoon curls filled up my head and the beauty of these curls is that they stay in place naturally without any rubber band or clips ( see the picture Straight Hair to Curly Hairs Naturally)

The below image will briefly tell you on How to do Cocoon curls step by step 

Leave the whole thing to dry for about six to seven hours (about half a day) or overnight. Finally, untie the knots and let the hair free. Voila , I got curly hairs now.

Straight Hair to Curly Hairs Naturally

TRESemmé Style Athena Braids
After converting my straight hair to curly hair, I tired the Athena braid taught by Dodo on my hairs and this is how it looked on me . Now, I am ramp ready to flaunt my hairstyle and showed it to my hubby and kids who stood smiling at me .

My hubby and kids has been watching all weekend what I was upto trying different hairstyles and roaming with a camera all day. Now,  it is time to know the secret. Yes ! This post was written as a part of the contest for TRESemmé India Youtube channel and Indiblogger.

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The Diary of Son (4) - The Bonding

“ Read this dairy. It is my confidante who shares my past. You will find answers for your questions inside it ”, Rahul said clearly. As he was saying, Santosh looked at Rahul’s face.

Rahul’s eyes seemed so deep and Santosh believed that his friend had lot to say through this Dairy.  -continuation from The Diary of Son (3)- Maya 

from The Twilight Series 

Santosh began to read , turning back the pages of Rahul’s life.

" Though I had a promised future with money and status sourced from a rich dad, I somehow felt unattached to all those things. I had known only one person in my life who has been with me all through my life from the time I was born. My dear Mother Sara, a beautiful, soft women and my best friend. I have seen her silent tears more often than her true smile. The reason was my father. He always controlled my mother thinking that having full control on his wife made him as a complete husband. 

He never gave her choice in her life including my birth. I have heard the reiteration of my story that I was born out of her unwillingness although she loved me so much. She was married young at the age of 15 to my father who was ten years older than her. She wished for education at that age for she had good academics in her school but like the mindset of many men, my father doesn’t want any brains in his wife. All he wanted from her was to give birth to his generation and to make sure that his wishes were fulfilled. My mom was like a worm, defenseless and struggled with her desires suppressed.  She was even great singer too.  Her cries were heard only through her songs that she sung for me.

I grew up seeing my mother moving lower in self-esteem and my father growing higher in self-esteem . His business bloomed. He earned lot of money and fame but lost his wife with unfulfilled dreams. That day, I promised my mother that I will not foster another Sara in my life through my future wife. 

Nanditha came into my life promising to share both joy and sorrow together. She too was quite young  like my mother. She was twenty, seven years younger to me and had good academics. I don’t want her to be like my mother. And I wished her to have what my mother did not have. I provided her Freedom. I provided her choice to continue her education after our marriage. I gave her time to speak out her mind and share her opinions.  I know she was not perfect as my mother but I still believe that she will learn to become one soon. I know she will. 

And when done, this dairy would have a happy ending "

Santosh was holding on to the dairy with tears accumulating in his eyes. He never knew that Rahul had so much pain hidden inside him. He hugged his friend tight and kept the book above the table.

As he bid good night to Rahul, he looked straight in his eyes and said,

“Rahul, I have learnt something today. I have been banged on my head with your true affection and care for your wife.  I was partly like your father and now you gave me a chance to make things right. I am going straight home and say sorry to my wife ”. The depth of Santosh voice promised what he meant.

There was yet one more person who had been affected and hurt after hearing the story from the dairy. It was Rahul’s father. He never had known how much pain he had bestowed on his family. All along in his life, he had thought that he had been a perfect husband and perfect father until today. He felt ashamed for himself and felt sorry for his wife.”Oh Sara, how selfish I had been in my life and why didn't you tell me what was on your mind. It was entirely my fault. I neither gave you the opportunity nor encouraged one to speak up for yourself ”. As he told these words, he would feel tears were flowing from his eyes. 

He did not notice that his tears soaked up the frame within which he looked at his son’s family above the table shelves. The photo frame felt too heavy for him. Almost everyday, he told to himself about how coward his son was but today he was a proud father. 

Now, he got an important work to do as a father. He waited for his daughter-in-law to change the dried flowers on his photo frame which she usually does everyday. When Nanditha came and changed dried flowers for the fresher ones, Rahul’s father made sure that a flower fell over the dairy of his son  kept on the table shelves.

Nanditha bend down to take the flower and she noticed it. Her husband name on the dairy caught her eyes. She slowly picked it up and turned the pages. She began to read it carefully. Tears were flowing from her eyes as she finished the dairy. She kissed the dairy and whispered ,” Rahul, I am sorry for being so immature about your silence. I know now I am really gifted to have you as my husband. My Husband! ” she said proudly.

Rahul’s father who has been watching her daugther-in-law all this time gave a satisfied smile. He knew this change in Nanditha would do more good to his son Rahul and to their life. Suddenly, he heard a soft delicate voice.

“Thank You! Thank you so much.You made his wish come true ”-  a delicate voice was heard.

Rahul’s father soon recognised the voice beside him. Dressed in Red Sari with soft looks, his wife Sara has finally spoken her heart to him.

Rahul's dad stood proud now holding tight his wife's hand and the smiles spread the frame making the photo look brighter .

THE END 

Full Story Copyrighted @Uma Maheswari Anandane

READ ALSO

Part 1 : Rahul's unexpected Act

Part 2 : Rahul's Dad

Part 3 : Maya

Part 4 : Reading now ...

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Sunsilk Perfect Straight Shampoo & Conditioner - Is it truly magic?

Introducing Maco

Before getting in detail in form of texts, let me introduce you Maco who will be the model in this Stop Motion Video. Created with a collection of images from MS paint and converted into a Youtube video using Windows Movie Maker.

Sunsilk Perfect Straight Shampoo & Conditioner - Is it truly magic? 

Let us ask Maco in this video,
(click play to watch the video and let me know what you think )

A couple of months back, Sunsilk conducted a contest among bloggers to find ways for a perfect straight hairs. A lot of bloggers came with innovative and funny ways. I too was a part of the race and I blogged seriously of " How to get a straight hair " after a mini research. Then, after reading the inputs by bloggers , Sunsilk along with Indiblogger awarded the wacky ways one might consider to get a straight hair.

Now, they again teamed in together announcing another contest giving a chance for bloggers to try and review their Sunsilk Perfect Straight Hair Shampoo and Conditioner puttng it under test. I too received my sample .

Received Sample - 
The packaging was truly good and the sample was big enough for a couple of months use. It had one Perfect Straight Shampoo and one Perfect Straight Nourishing Conditioner, both shining in their purple containers.

The Brain behind this product - 

Sunsilk Perfect Straight was co-created by the world famous hair stylist Yuko Yamashita , an expert stylist and inventor of Japanese hair straightening process.

About the product -

The package contains Sunsilk Perfect Straight Hair Shampoo and a Conditioner. And like all other shampoos, we use the same way to wash the hair. After washing the hair with the shampoo, slightly dry it up squeezing the excess water out. Then, quickly apply the conditioner and use the fingers to spread the evenness all along the slightly wet hair. And leave it to dry under the sun (since it is already hot outside)

As the hair dries , you can see few hair strands are already in place. I felt the oily presence a bit but as the hair dried , it gave a shiny glow to the hair. Also, it seems the trick lies in the oily serum used in the Sunsilk Perfect Straight product. I think the oily serum works its way slowly to give a straight hair as the hairs dries up. Though, I can't give it a full 100% for perfect straight hair but can tell that it can work around to give you a frizz less look, wavy and slightly straight hair. And since my hair was already straight say in the scale of 8, I had no problem looking better after using Sunsilk Perfect Straight.

My Opinion of the Product-

The product can be recommended for those who need instant result of straight hair.Works wonder for straight and wavy hairs but for curly hairs , alternate use of hair straighteners and the Sunsilk Perfect Straight can give a good result. And finally, trying once personally on your hair in regard with its inexpensive cost will help you decide whether to invest in it for a long term use or not. As for me, I find using Sunsilk Perfect Straight shampoo as a better option than using Hair straighteners. It worked truly magic in my case :)

This post is a part of Indiblogger contest for New Sunsilk Perfect Straight " Lock Karo!Rock Karo!

You may also like to read my previous entry for Straight Hair Experiment with a mixture of fact and fun :)

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