Reflections

The wesbsite says " Wechat: The New Way To Connect - Anytime, Anywhere, Anyone; Chat any way you want, Voice Video and Text for free! Connect with friends across platforms ". Cant describe it better myself. WeChat is the latest in the line of mobile internet messengers; but it comes with a whole list of differentiators that mark it out as different. In the modern hypercompetitive market, it is critical that any product have significant differentiating features, which WeChat is simply loaded with. First off, it is available for : Android Symbian iOS Windows The download is fast, and the launch is pretty straightforward and easy. You have the option of synchronising with Facebook as well as with your mobile phone contacts. The chat experience is fast, and trouble free. However, I use a 3G connection, so don't know how well it works on a 2.5G or a 2G network. The part I liked best is its simple interface. You dont require any held of any kind whatsoever in ei

This is the first Ken Follett that I have picked up, and I must say that it was a great choice. The author has considerable skill in putting together a great story, and keeping you glued to the pages... Winter of the world is the second novel in the century trilogy, and covers the period from 1933 to 1945. It follows the Spanish civil war, onto the Second World War and its intrigues, political background and developments. It is this storyline, somewhat along historical fiction lines, that attracted me to the novel in the first place. No regrets, since the novel is well worth the money. And importantly, it has little links with the previous novel, which means you can read it as a standalone as well! The Characters:   ( Way too many to put 'em all here, sorry!!!!! But I'll touch on the ones who impressed me the most ) Think I am exaggerating? Well, FYKI I am not exaggerating. There are at least 92 characters. Yup. All of 92.  Daisy Peshkov: Gutsy, brave

Rating: ** It could have been 3 stars, even 4 but for the food.... VEGETARIANS, BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!! This Dussehra we decided to undertake a holiday (not a pilgrimage, like last year). This is what made it special; it was a first holiday in 3 or 4 years, perhaps more. The fact that we enjoyed was more due to this little detail than anything else. Getting There There are several ways... flight, train and bus. Plan in advance if in season, for obviously you wont get tickets. And by advance I mean 2 - 3 months in advance. Also select hotel and book in advance, or run the risk of the non-veg food and/or sub-standard accommodation  If possible,  travel by Konkan Railway (that too second class), for you will be treated to some of the most fabulous views of landscapes and waterfalls. A treat for the eyes... so take a day train to Goa. You wont regret it. The flight and bus is meaningless, as it takes this pleasure away.  A word of advice: If perchance you have to trave

The.Shadow.Throne By.Aroon.Raman It seems hard to believe that only a couple of years ago I was thinking of the lack of quality Indian writing in the English Language... well, this is one time I am glad that I have been proven wrong. Of late, there has been a literal deluge of class books in almost every genre. In this long line, we now have the latest entrant in the person of Aroon Raman with the delightfully enthralling " The Shadow Throne ". And to cut a long story short, it is a good read, and well worth the purchase.  THE PLOT Author's Note: It is my intent to place The Shadow Throne against a backdrop that mirrors current underlying reality - especially as it applies to India's current political predicament and its inevitable impact on our security. That we are passing through challenging times on the internal and external security front seems widely accepted, and political and bureaucratic stasis in times like these can have far reaching con