Big Boss Kannada

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i-Pad mini and SR i-Pad: Latest avatara of Lakshmi and Narayana?!

Design: RK / RwB

This ‘n’ that! – Aug.26, 2012

1. If there was no FB, the LIKE symbol would have been mistaken for “Give me a lift” or THUMS UP!

2. If EKTA KAPOOR marries a guy named TIGER. she’ll become EKTA TIGER!

3. Bollywood’s ‘Rahim Chacha’ takes final bow two years short of 100. Nimma abhimanigalanna bittu hoggiddu ‘YEKE’ Hangal?

4. Spinner AshWINs Test for India!

5. Maria Sharapova has launched her own line of candy, titled Sugarpova, in New York. If at all this brand comes to India, it’s sure to create a stir, just for the candy shapes and the logo which includes a pair of lips. On the website, we get to know that there are gumballs in the shape of tennis ball, gummies in the shape of dress shoes and lips.

Death By Chocolate Ice Cream at Polar Bear

Do you love food? Good food? I mean really tasty good food? Do you get a sense of tranquility when you have good food?

There is a guy whom I know for a long time. Ever since my childhood. I met him yesterday evening near Malleswaram 14th Cross. He looked so calm and in harmony with nature!

There was a small fight going on in front of him for a parking space. But this guy just stood still, which he doesn’t, usually.

I asked him, “Hey, how come you are so peaceful today?”

“I just treated myself a DBC at Polar Bear. How can I not be peaceful?”

“I have heard about BBC, KBC, even OBC. But sorry, what’s this DBC?” I asked.

“Death By Chocolate!”

“The name looks scary…I said.

“Oh no! DBC is non-violent. I will tell you how. From the time you place your order, the calming exercise begins, gradually. When the guy places the cute bowl with dark chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream, chocolate fudge and whipped cream with honey topping in front of you, you don’t dig in immediately. You pause for a moment, thank each layer of DBC for the peace it is bringing within you!

On top of the bowl, you see honey poured on the dark chocolate cake. It is sprinkled with almonds and underneath all of these a scoop of vanilla ice cream is sitting quietly, just like goddess earth. You need to dig in carefully, to get a bit of everything on your spoon. The moment the first spoon goes into your mouth – TRANQUILITY!

Pic courtesy: Polar Bear

The hot chocolate syrup makes it easy to scoop the ice cream out of the tub. Some ice creams stay frozen long after serving. However, Death by Chocolate Ice Cream by Polar Bear is deliciously rich, chocolaty and tasty. The quantity is just right. I love the richness of the chocolate as well as the chocolate cake, and almonds.

I can thoroughly enjoy a DBC only if I have skipped a meal. But today, I didn’t skip…and still I loved my DBC at Polar Bear. The moment you are done, you will not find any fault with the world!” he said.

After he ended, I thought, this guy must have had hundreds of DBCs. But he told today was just his 5th DBC!

“I cannot forget one of my colleagues in my previous ad agency as she was the one who made me drool over DBC. She would narrate about it so nicely. But she had cautioned me that it takes two to finish a rich DBC!

But it was long after I lost touch with her that I decided to have one at Polar Bear – Chandra Layout. That afternoon, I experienced PEACE for the first time! The next one I had at Malleswaram 14th Cross. My third and fourth DBCs were at Sadashivanagar parlor. The fifth time I am experiencing PEACE in this world is here again, this evening! Every time I have a DBC, I thank Anu!”

Hearing him, you could sense the passion he has for tasty food!

Thanks to him, he made me write this post this morning. He is the FOODIE in me!

Would love to hear your DBC stories! Do write about them in the comments please!

Engrave.in: Memories, etched forever

We see them everywhere – on the wall, on the shelf, on the desk, all across the city, on hoardings, at the road entrance where people are mourning someone’s death, on the mini screen with a series of visuals of the birthday kid, behind the chairman’s seat in his chamber, hung to a tree inside the temple, leaning against the electric pole, hung on a bare chested man at the traffic signal, inside the wallet, on your boss’ table… not to forget the albums with velvet covers in every home. Today you can expect any PC, laptop and mobile to be brimming with these. The Picasas, Flickrs and Photoblogs were all started to facilitate us to make a better use of this which is equivalent to a ‘k’ words.

Well, imagine a world without photos! In today’s age, we cannot. But long long ago, there was one . Since the last 100 years, photos have transformed from being a status symbol to a necessity.

Any place you go today first asks you 2 passport sized photos and only then, your name! Today, a mobile without a camera is like a girl lacking oomph. You can manage a wedding without a bridegroom (No, I am not talking about LGBT.) Remember so many movies where one of the guests marries the bride. But without a photographer – are you in your senses?

For a long time, humans have been recording history (hmm… Nala or Neela should have blogged about Ram Sethu). Jokes apart, in the puranas, we know that the Śrauta tradition was used very effectively for teaching and recording events. Other methods include cave drawings, etchings and engravings on wood,  stories with illustrations, manuscripts, paintings, sculptures, wall carvings, books, newspapers, online diaries, blogs, photographs…

I can already see a thousand images when I hear the last word PHOTOGRAPH – so you can imagine the power of an actual photograph! As a kid, I saw my father using Alpha Reflex camera, while my uncle in the US had a Polaroid camera for some time. I still cherish those pictures I took using my Kodak camera (a special gift indeed!) in the mid ’90s.

A world without photos would be impersonal, sad, colourless, lonely and depressing. The joy of holding a picture cannot be matched when one sees it online on the computer screen, mobile phone, digital camera or on the television – we have to agree that we have a soft corner for the hard copy print!

Today, it is not just photo prints, we are able to etch and engrave pictures on different materials to add that special touch. Technology can help us keep memories etched forever! Gone are the days when these were available only in the developed nations. Today, there are firms in India which are capable of catering to any specific demands and requirements when it comes to engraving.

One place I can recommend immediately is Engrave.in – which is your source for photo etching and personalized gifts. Engrave.in utilizes state-of-the-art laser engraving combined with a master craftsman’s eye for detail to produce top quality laser engraved products & gifts, perfect for any occasion.

Whatever your engraving needs, you can trust the quality of Engrave. Their engraving materials are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. With several products in-stock, Engrave offers you a large choice of materials for the Plaques, Crystals and Wall hangings in their product catalogue – Wooden Plaques, LED Illuminated Acrylic Plaques, Brushed Aluminium Foils, 2D Engraved Crystals, 3D Engraving – Religious Idols, 3D Engraved Crystals and Wooden Wall Hangings.

It was strange how I got to know about Engrave – I received a congratulatory mail from them a few days ago. It read:

Was browsing through some art blogs and got your link. Congrats for turning 5! Read the post and could connect with your journey. Keep the posts coming.

A start-up and going to turn 1 pretty soon, Engrave.in sent me a Wooden plaque of my picture.It measures exactly 20cms wide and 14.5 cms high. It is a beautiful solid wooden piece 10mm thick, with a drilled hole at the back to fit the 6cm long brass easel.

Engrave.in handled the complete process in a very professional manner. They asked me to send my picture (their FAQs page is very informative and answers clearly most of your queries), and before processing the artwork, they mailed it to me for a preview.

I received the wooden plaque in a week’s time in a well packed carton. It was amazing to see the details in the engraving. I got the smell of fresh wood bringing nostalgic memories. The engraving is very close to the actual picture!

Clockwise from top left: 1. The original photograph. 2. The design before engraving. 3. The wooden plaque arrives. 4. Front view. 5. Side view. 6. Rear view (notice the easel. Engrave logo is at the bottom right.)

The amazing detail of the designs, coupled with beautiful and unusual materials makes these products memorable gifts and eye-catching marketing materials as well as powerful memorials.

It will be a lovely way to surprise your loved ones with a laser engraved personalized photo gift that is designed to last a lifetime. What more – Engrave.in are now offering Cash-on-Delivery at no extra charge!

Thanks to Engrave.in, memories needn’t disappear when they can be etched forever, shared and cherished so easily.

ENGRAVE.IN
(Mon-Sat 10am-6pm)

Mail Photos to:
Gratifi Ecommerce
B-236, Popular Center,
Shyamal Cross Road, Satellite,
Ahmedabad – 380015

Tel: +91.8128128223
Email: support [at] engrave [dot] in

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Video: The engraving process on a wooden plaque