Qatar National Day Fireworks : Awesome

hi guys,

How was Christmas??????? This is the most wonderful time of the year to be happy and enjoy with family. Life sure is beautiful when times like this is around. :)
But there was not much christmas spirit in the middle east, but December 18 dawned as the National Day of Qatar and Qataris wanted to celebrate it to the max. Me and few of my friends went to Al Corniche to enjoy the beauty of fireworks displayed in the event of national day. It really was lot of fireworks and lots of people. In one word, it was "awesome". I took one video for you guys ;) Have a look.

Enjoy the Holidays.................

and wish you all the very best for the new year 2013...........

Latest smart phones (as of November 2012)

Hey guys, 

Lot of you checked my previous post on smart phones. But as of now, they have become history and new giants have stepped in. Apple introduced new Iphone 5 (little old now) and started war with samsung while samsung played their xxl giant, NOTE 2. For some time apple was gaining lot and now things seem awkward. At the same time HTC is "quietly" rising from Taiwan. One X series is huge success. (This is a superb phone really.) Nokia is trying to keep up with the Lumia series and Microsoft gaming but still seems to be left behind. Google is paving another benchmark and released Jellybean 4.2. Phew. loads of stuff happening. Lets get to the game by checking out few points I discussed earlier also.

The mobile market is rocking these days. And changing nonetheless. Every month a hot shot is coming out and "goldies" become "oldies". (like poor S 2)  So which phone you should go for? What do you look in a phone? precisely speaking in a SMART PHONE.  These are some of the stuff we all like to check in a phone.

• first and best : LOOKS 
• processor
• ram
• camera
• video (1080p@30fps)
• wifi (hotspot) / GPS / HDMI
• thick or thin 
• good touch

Now these are the "Hottest" names dominating the mobile market these days. 

01. SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE II

Size             : 5.5 inch (Corning Gorilla Glass 2)
Storage       : 16/32/64 GB
Ram            : 2 GB
Camera       : 8 mp ( video 1080p@30fps) / 1.9 mp front

Processor  : Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A9 (Chipset Exynos 4412 Quad)

OS               : Android OS, v4.1.1 (Jelly Bean)

Battery        : Li-Ion 3100 mAh
Price           : 110,000 (Sri Lankan rupees) / 2600 (Qatar riyal)

Check full specifications here (From GSM Arena)

This is a huge guy from South Korea with 2 GB ram. with 5.5 inch screen and clarity, Note 2 stands out in the list. Galaxy Note series started with a resounding quality. With brand new s-pen qualities, this guy continues to be within the best. But some people argue the size is quite too much. But this is a phablet. So this is what we get. Anyway a superb experience to have. 

02. SONY XPERIA ION
Size           : 4.55 inch ( Scratch-resistant glass )
Storage     : 16 GB (Microsd upto 32 GB)
Ram          : 1 GB
Camera     : 12 mp ( video 1080p@30fps) / 1.3 mp front
Processor  : Dual-core 1.5 GHz

OS            : Android OS, v2.3, 4.0, planned upgrade to v4.1

Battery      : Li-Ion 1900 mAh
Price         : 65,000 (Sri Lankan rupees) / 1900 (Qatar riyal) 

Check full specifications here (from GSMArena)

Here comes the first LTE version for SONY. Even though the mobile was announced in the beginning of 2012, this took few months to come out. So it faces severe competition with giants like Galaxy S3 and HTC One X. Even though the camera boasts for 12 MP, the quality lies beneath it. But a good, solid made phone.

03. APPLE IPHONE 5
Size           : 4 inch (  Corning Gorilla Glass, oleophobic coating )
Storage     :  16/32/64 GB storage  (No card Slot)
Ram          : 512 MB
Camera     : 8 mp ( video 1080p@30fps) / 1.2 mp front
Processor  : Dual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9

OS            : iOS 6

Battery      : Li-Po 1440 mAh
Price         : 145,000 (Sri Lankan rupees) / 4000 (Qatar riyal) 

Check full specifications here (from GSMArena)

This is the long awaited and anticipated big thing form apple. By far, this is the thinnest of the family and has a great looking aluminium body. Apple has increased the performance well and the battery life also said to be quite good. But is it worth all the cost? (Honestly I'm not apple fan) There are much more powerful and worth Droids on the market such HTC one x and Galaxy S3. Also Iphone 4S users should be thinking is this worth the upgrade with only 0.5" screen size increase and no difference of camera. Anyway this showed massive sales numbers within the first weekend. But right now Apple does not show to be satisfies with new IOS 6 and IPAD 3 mini. 

04. HTC ONE X+
Size           : 4.7 inch (Corning Gorilla Glass 2)
Storage     :  32/64 GB storage  (No card Slot)
Ram          : 1 GB
Camera     : 8 mp ( video 1080p@30fps) / 1.6 mp front
Processor  : Quad-core 1.7 GHz

OS            : Android OS, v4.1.1 (Jelly Bean)

Battery      : Li-Po 2100 mAh
Price         : 90,000 (Sri Lankan rupees) / 2500 (Qatar riyal) 

Check full specifications (from GSMArena)

HTC one X+ came just following its predecessor one X. The mobile is superb with all 4.7 screen, fully equipped Jelly Bean, Beats audio enhancements, etc. But this was not able grasp the market like Galaxy S3 did which recently boasted to have sold 30 million devices. But I personally prefer HTC one X series. Rather than glossy back of the galaxy, matt finish of this droid feels more comfortable. Web browsing also amazing. And if you check true color effects of the camera, this stands out. Overall this a leading droids at this time. 

05. MOTOROLA RAZR HD XT925
Size           : 4.7 inch (Corning Gorilla Glass)
Storage     :  16GB storage (microSD upto 32 GB)  
Ram          : 1 GB
Camera     : 8 mp ( video 1080p@30fps) / 1.3 mp front
Processor  : Dual-core 1.2 GHz

OS            : Android OS, v4.0, upgradable to v4.1 (Jelly Bean)

Battery      : Li-Ion 2500 mAh
Price         : ----- (Sri Lankan rupees) / 2300 (Qatar riyal) 

Check full specifications here (fom GSMArena)

Again Motorola came up with a droid equipped with acceptable performance and good battery life. All in all this is a good experience, but not one of the best. The camera and the chipset do not stand out of the crowd. Here also battery is not user accessible. 

06. NOKIA LUMIA 920 
Size           : 4.5 inch (Corning Gorilla Glass 2)
Storage     :  32 GB storage ( No microSD slot)  
Ram          : 1 GB
Camera     : 8 mp ( video 1080p@30fps) / 1.3 mp front
Processor  : Dual core 1.5 GHz Krait

OS            : Microsoft Windows phone 8

Battery      : Li-Ion 2000 mAh
Price         :  (Sri Lankan rupees) / over 2500 (Qatar riyal)

Check full specifications here (from GSMArena)

Nokia released this new mobile after huge advertising and hope it is worth it. This just came into the market. There are giant droids and Iphone 5 waiting to battle against this guy. As per reviews, windows 8 seems to be quite an experience. Lets wait and see what it delivers.

07. BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981
 
Size           : 2.8 inch touch with qwerty keypad  
Storage     :  8 GB storage  
Ram          : 768 MB
Camera     : 5 mp ( video 1080p@30fps) / NO front camera
Processor  : 1.2 GHz 

OS              : BlackBerry OS 7.0

Battery      : Li-Ion 1230 mAh
Price         : ----- (Sri Lankan rupees) / 6500 (Qatar riyal) 

Check full specification here ( from GSMArena)

Nothing new from Blackberry for quite sometime. This year the company was fully quite. Rumors are going around for Blackberry 10 but still it's not official released.

Google released Nexus 7 tablet sometime back. It's a stable device but short on camera. But LG Nexus 4 is on the market just few days back. with 2 gig ram and out of the box android 4.2 jelly bean, lots of people are waiting to hear about this. 

Anyway this is not going to be THE END. This is a hugely dynamic market and it's at the blossom. We will wait and see. May the better one wins. 

Dubai Musical Fountain - Awesome sight

Hi guys,

Last week I was in Dubai. My days were busy, but at night I managed to have some sight seeing with one of my friends. There I came across this wonderful human creation.

Between the world's tallest hotel, Burj Kalifa, and the World's largest shopping mall, The Dubai mall, happens one awesome and superb events. The musical fountain as they name it. Here is a video I took. This should be experienced first handed. Really awesome. Do check this out.

Social Etiquette-02 (Professional, dinner etiquette)

Hi guys,

After a long time we meet again. Few weeks went by super fast. Here we are again on another post. From the way you guys are checking, I realised that many are interested in knowing about social etiquette. So I thought of doing the next part on the issue.

When talking about social and professional etiquette, there are many topics to cover.

01. Way to behave properly in a meeting
02. Manners to follow in a formal dinner
03. Meeting up new people
04. Face interviews
05. Proper clothes to wear for the occasion, etc.

01. Way to behave properly in a meeting 

when you are meeting someone for the first time, the initial impression is most important. This is applied for any professional or personal meeting. We need to tell the person we meet what we expect them to feel at the first sight. So your clothes is important. 

• Wear suitable for the occasion. If its business meeting, you can wear business tailored suits or business casual. It's not advisable to be extra casual in business.

Business - Tailored suits

Business Casual

Business Casual

Dont be extra casual. Because your dress will speak before you. (this is true in business). Dont wear too short skirts or dresses for ladies. Dont use jewelry too much. Men have neat hair and shave properly. (First impression matters guys, trust me on this)

• Have a firm hand shake. But dont squeeze hand. Dont let your hand go numb or show you're nervous. A firm handshake shows your confidence. 
• If you are going to meet a group of people, introduce yourself to the most senior first. And if someone is coming to meet you and if you are senior to them, its good to let them offer hand first. Maintain authority.
• Always keep good eye contact. When you speak to someone, look at their eyes. Dont look above the shoulder or here and there. That shows you are nervous. 
• Speak Loud, Clear and Slow. The other person needs to understand you properly. Convey your ideas well.
• Always get to know people by NAME. If you address someone with their name, they always make a positive feeling about you. Try to remember everybody's name you meet. If you forget, dont be shy to ask again. It's better than forgetting.

02. Manners to follow in a formal dinner

We already discussed about this. Please check this link.

When you attend a formal dinner party, it usually contains three main courses.

1. A starter - Soup,a small portion of appetizer or a light salad. 
2. A main course - this is a large portion of meet, fish or poultry or a vegetarian option, usually served with vegetables
3. A dessert - this may be some cheese, ice cream or some fruit but it is usually a sweet dish.

03. Face Job interviews

• Golden rule: Speak LOUD, CLEAR and SLOW.
• Arrive on time. It's better to be 10 minutes early than 2 minutes late.
• Be ready with what you are going to present. You have to show them why they must hire you. 
• Before you go to the interview, go through company web page over and over and have a clear understanding what they are dealing with.
• Keep a pen and paper ready with you all times.
• Answer in proper and complete sentences. This is a formal event. You must act accordingly.
• Your dress must be appropriate. Always dress for the job you want, even if its not the job you have.
• Never discuss personal issues with the interviewer.
• Do remember to send a thank-you note same day. 

There are many other things to discuss about Professional Etiquette. I hope at-least you got the general idea from this post. Keep tuned. We will hear about this topic more in the future. 

See you again.

The Super Stars (The real reality of reality TV)

Hi dear friends,

After a long time. My work is keeping me busy these days. But I updated my fb page time to time.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Life-Is-Beautiful/332131870206184

So here I am today with a free verse I created some time back.

An aesthetic creation, may it be in the form of a song, poetry, free verse, drawing, drama, etc., need one thing common to be a success. The creator should be able to give his mind set to the reader. If the audience can live inside the imaginary world of the creation while he is enjoying it, then it would be a success.

We are all different people, and we experience different things. And a single person will not be able to experience all those things by himself. Literature plays a major role here. It allows us to experience things that we might not see by ourselves. When we see a film, when we listen to a song, when read a story, we live in that world. We create it; as the writer intends or as the reader wishes. (This also important. The audience does not supposed to to see exactly what the writer needs. Writer sees it in one way. Audience may see it some other way. It is writers ability to make the audience see what he wants)

Check this and enjoy.

The Super Stars

(Real reality of reality TV)  

                   Smiling ear to ear

                   Hugging & wishing my fellow

                Telling you they are the friends

                          But beneath...

It’s again a Colosseum

 Fight you do,but show you not.

 Hate you do,but spill you not.

 Counting their every move

Fear bubbling  inside

See the cheering crowds

They grade you & may fail you

Go now show your lie

A life of lies

Reality?....Not shown

                          It’s just a play.....

WWE : Tattoo showcase II

Today looks like a tattoo day for me. ;) So there is the next post of tattoos i saw in wrestling. Many wrestlers use tattoos as a garment to intimidate their opponent and make a better image for themselves. If we  check in the history, the purpose of having tattoos is similar. Let us talk about that another time.

Lets check some rocking tattoo designs accompanying to wrestling ring.

London Olympics 2012 : Tattoos Showcase

Hi guys and Girls,

London Olympics also finished. See how fast time flies. Anyway it was an event with many colors. British wanted to make 2012 Olympics a remarkable occasion in the history. And they are successful in my opinion.
But today I thought of showing something more colorful happened at Olympics. This is for the tattoo lovers and for those who are wishing to get a tattoo.......

Here are some of the snaps captured of sportsmen and women with their tattoo display.

Enjoyed the show? Tell us what you feel. This is just the beginning of tattoo series. ;) I'm a bit of tattoo freak myself. (Still waiting to get my first tattoo).

See you with another post guys............... Ciaoooooooo.....