Category: Information

NBA In India !

 

NBA in India was like IPL in the USA.
some of the iconic basketball players like Lebron James, kobe Bryant, Magic Jhonson and Jordon  are of the players and the only team you know is Lakers from Los Angels and nothing much. just like in our Cricket you know and must have heard about Sachin, Virat and Dhoni  who are  some of the legends  from the games. but it’s more about the experience, the carnival( Music, cheers, Madness, the energy the moments, And Deepening your knowledge about the game.)
The NBA  game has 30 Teams divided into Eastern into (Atlantic,Central and southeast and Western teams are divided into (Northwest,Pacific and southwest )  about 80 odd games are played  over a period of six months from November until April. Each game has  
4 quarters of 12 minutes, With time out breaks of 5 minutes and a fifteen minutes break at half time. Well in all it goes on for about 120 minutes to 180 minutes.
Each player was a  minimum 6”2 and  posses the ball for twenty four seconds, Before he could  pass the ball to another player or take a shot at the basket.  There were moments where a lot of the fans felt like minions and dwarfs if they would have stood against the players. The sprints, the dogging of the ball, the accuracy and sometimes the miscalculation of the shots made  the crowd roar and brings them on the edge of their seats and Scream and Cheers. The game  was all about what you actually experience with hundreds of people all there to witness the sport and sinking the feeling of having brought a sport other than cricket brought to our nation, At   the prefect time to introduce a sport that has a potential market.
The Match between Indiana Pacers vs sacramento kings was the first ever official game of NBA in India,Mumbai held on the 4 and 5th of Oct.  It was a great experience, Playing the virtual basket ball game during the breaks and winning Book my show vouchers  worth 500.   Jerseys and merchandises Were  disturbed randomly in the stadium,  And lucky contestant were  part  of  the  the real basket ball moment, with  jersey and Attire making them feel like the players out there. As part of entertainment act Kings united, the Winner of  an American Dance show from India  performed  during the break, To grabbing nachos and cola for the “Real American NBA experience in India.”
To be honest, those one twenty minutes of action, had many moments where we were lost with what’s was happening on the court, As when you are experiencing a live match there are so many distractions out there, you just want to enjoy the Experience, where as the telecasted matches focus on the game rather than the experience. This was my NBA experience in India, now I am pretty sure what a “Foreigner”  goes through while watching an IPL or a cricket match without having much idea about the sport or want to experience and know what the game is all about.

#LFW 2019 !

Lakme Fashion Week was something that I always wanted to experience to know why do people rave about it so much,And what happens in a fashion show. But,Then again I had to wait for a couple of years to witness #LFW.

At the entrance , outside they have photo opportunities with Branding all over, A cafe styled counter and everybody drinking and smoking and soaking in the light showers with an Ariel view of Mumbai. 8th Floor they had designers participating and showcasing their collection. These weren’t the one’s that were going to showcase their collection at the show. These were talented designers, Who were part of the most talked about fashion show. 45 minutes before the gates open to the auditorium, where the “Runway” Show will happen. We are all Queued up. The Queue was long, We are coming in .Moments later,We hear there is a slight delay, as the models aren’t ready.

We are literally Warming up ,by sweating it out waiting for the gates to open.

Gates open,Guest are making their way into the auditorium,As we reach the gates we are stopped. And Preferences to the Guest who have a designated seat number, make their way to the auditorium, We just hoped we shouldn’t be sent back home, If the auditorium is filled up to the capacity. Minutes later we make our way through the auditorium.Looking at the stage, the lights the people out there who have come to watch the show. And the whole ambience.

The Set, Was like a night at the Desert. With Metal Catus and bushes.

The Music began, The Models started making their way through and posing for the Paparazzi. The Collection was subtle and colourful by the designer. The designer was Kunal Rawal. Who’s one of the Men designers I admire for the collection and style. The style is normally Indian,Elegant and simple. The collection he showcased was known as Confluence. Right from Shirts, to jackets to pants all so simply stylish. In the End It was the best evening to attend the lake fashion show and that too of Kunal Rawal – who’s collection of classic Indian wear is the best in the business.

Bungee Jump!

Adventure is something, I look forward to every now and then. 


Nine years ago, when A friend of mine was introducing Bungy Jumping to India, at Rishikesh With Master Jumpers from New Zealand, place where it all began. Rishikesh Bungee was 83 Mtrs (240 Ft) 


Nine years ago, I couldn’t do it as I was recovering from a so-called facture. 
But, now Nine Years later when the second Bungee jump was coming up and is now up at Goa, Mayem Lake. I made my mind to do it. 


Day of Bungee:

We were twelve of us who were going to Bungy jump. I was slotted as the 10th Jumper. 
The excitement and the thrill to just fall off 165ft (55 Mtrs) that’s like falling from an Eighteen Storey Building was something I couldn’t wait for. And as we began walking towards the cliff (Platform) I began asking all the previous jumpers, What exactly happens? Do you get Jerks? Is it scary? As far as safety was concerned I did not have any doubts about it. The team had an experience of 80,000 jumps in the last decade in India itself. My concern was actually nothing. But, was just curious as I hadn’t experienced a fall from this height, Speed was something that I had always experienced. Sitting on roller coasters.
We finally reached the platform. The Jumpers are all gearing up for their Jump the experienced jumpers from our lot too, were slightly nervous. And I was just wondering, Why can I not yet feel anything? So One by one everybody jumped. No, I really did not see anyone jump.

Now it was my turn. 


I was harnessed. And have gone through a double safety check and according to my weight, an elastic rope has been clipped to my feet. The Master Trainers are then aligning the rope according to my weight. 
Slowly, Slowly, I make my way to the edge. Here I was a little nervous, as the master kept telling me to move ahead, Where I thought if I move another step ahead, I would fall. Well, Yes that’s what I was there for but…
One of the trainers is instructing me to focus on the two trees out there, without looking down. 
And the moment had come 3…2…1… 
I Jumped, Not knowing where I was going to fall. The Re-bound (Hanging in the air for about a minute) Was more scary for me than being on the edge. Nevertheless, It has been one of the best experiences of my life so far and has earned me a certification that I’ve Got Guts!!! 
So if you too have Guts!!! Or want to challenge any of your friends,
Head to Goa or Rishikesh to Experience A Fall where you can Literally bounce Back. 

Check out the link below to know more about the where you can go for Bungee.

http://jumpinheights.com

Russia!

The Moment we landed, and got off the aircraft, walking towards the passport control. We knew we had arrived and waiting for Russia & Russians to welcome us. 
At the passport control, the representative kept scanning the passport and kept looking at me, without my glasses, with my glasses and what seemed to bother him the most, I believe was my Red Yankees cap. It had been fifteen minutes both my parents were now cleared, It was only me from the family that was waiting to be cleared and I guess because it was my first visa on my new passport and that too a Russian, that bothered him way too much,I guess that he couldn’t find anything more suspicious besides my “Red Yankees” that he finally set me free. And that was my “Warm welcome to Russia” 
Moscow is the capital of Russia and is named after the river  Moscow and pronounced Moskva.
The city famous landmark includes the Redsquare -The name Red Square has nothing to do with communism but derives from the word “Krasnyi”, which meant “beautiful”.
St.Basil Cathedral that was made by Ivan the terrible one of the landmark that is recognized as Moscow. The story goes Ivan the Terrible blinded the architecture after he constructed the st. Basil Cathedral. Another interesting fact about the cathedral. It was painted white to match the colour of Kremlin, the word ‘kremlin’ is used to describe a castle or an important Russian fortified complex. But, in 1700 the colours were added. And since 1990 St.Basil Cathedral has been part of Unesco Heritage Site. Moscow’s sightseeing is all around the red square, making it accessible to walk around all the sights. 
The other beauty of this city and country lies deep down underground. “The Underground Metro station” is a sight in itself with the detailing in design to the colours and style of each metro station being different right from the ancient design to the modern design the metro stations are all worth visiting. 
The Escalator lye minimum 150ft deep to 300ft.
The St. Petersburg Admiralteyskaya metro is   2nd deepest in the world.
Russia as a country was even more challenging than Japan, As here they just couldn’t understand English one bit. 
It’s a fact there are around 11 million more women than men.
We used the local “Gett” App Uber for Russia and the drivers too couldn’t understand anything, we had to always stay stationed around hotels like Four season & St.Regis to have our drivers meet us. Else we would have been fleeced and literally being taken for a ride. Traffic in Moscow is so bad that wealthy Russians hire fake ambulances to beat the jams.
St.Petersburg after being in Moscow for the last five days, we travelled to st. Petersburg- Was once named Petrograd  ‘Peters’ city but in 1991 it was renamed to its original German name “Sankt-Peterburg” in English it’s pronounced “Saint Petersburg”, It’s also the  Cultural capital of Russia with a lot of Museum’s. 
 The hermitage museum is one of the world’s largest art museum. Where even if you spend a minute admiring each art piece, you will take eleven years to see the complete collection. 
50 cats are employed in the State Hermitage. To protect the items from rats and mice.
Saint Petersburg will remind you a lot “like Venice” “Budapest” a little like  “Prague” “Germany”  and “ Amsterdam” With the bridges and the water all around The Neva river and Fontanka River. The Kazan Cathedral is best viewed from Dom Knigi “House of Books” Singer Cafe. 
The Midnight cruise from one am to two forty am is the best way to see the city by night, you can see the drawing bridges not one but a couple of them. And enjoy the sunrise at three am.
Interesting Trivia about Russia:
  • It has more time zones (11) than any other country, but only nine are used now.
  • The first railway of Russia appeared in Petersburg
  • Christ the Saviour Construction of the temple lasted for almost 44 years: it was founded in 1839, and consecrated – in 1883. It’s a unique cathedral with a height of 103,5 meters, The temple is visible from any point of the city, its bell ringing was resounded far beyond Moscow. 
  • The Hotel Astoria in St.Petersburg is where Hitler planned to hold a huge celebratory banquet once he’d conquered the city
  • Writer Alexei Tolstoi gave the cellar its name as he and others looked for a cultural refuge in the city, saying “Why are we running around like stray dogs?” And the name stuck.“The idea of the cafe was to establish a place where young creative people, maybe not always well-known, could get together, talk to each other and become inspired to create something.”

Horse Betting!!

Always seemed curious to know exactly how does betting in horse races actually happen. No,Not that I had no idea at all.
Of course I knew a little or to confess actually nothing,You really can’t believe and trust what the movies show is actually that happens,They of course take the creative liberty, that’s why It’s known as a creative field.
So when I did get an invite for an event at the race course,As this was also the last race of the season.I not only made sure,I was in town.But, had my parents and their friends to come down for this particular event. For which I accidentally got invited and grabbed it with both my hands literally! Had a total number of nine people from my side.
We after absorbing the atmosphere out there, finally paid attention to one of the actual reasons why we made it a point to attend the evening. The races, So as the rush to go and bet on the horses was really high, without having any clue. We all chose are numbers,Keeping in mind the most popular Horse number, Numerology (The lucky numbers) and going with the instinct Of which horse might win and placed our bets on a couple of numbers. And out of the five number we had placed the bet on we were lucky the ”7” was one of them that won. This was just the beginning of the circle, well.If I have won this let me try out my luck once again (No,We did not want to consciously keep in mind that this would be our beginner’s luck .) So we go again and this time we learn something. What numbers would you like to place for the “WIN” and what numbers would you like to keep on Place”. We were now literally glued to know more and kept wondering what “Place” would be. No,We did not want to ask anybody We did not want to embarrass ourselves. So came up with a theory it might be an alternative number, that we would like to “Place” a bet on. So, not happy with the validation our last resort,”Google” will know it for sure and it happens “Place” Is the Horse number that you believe is going to either be finishing in the first Postion or the second position.While I got to know “Place” besides the “Win” options. I thought i knew the basic for the next season. I learnt a few more things.
There is something known as “Show” too in horse betting.
Well,Hold your horses! I am coming to that point, What exactly is “Show” now. Well! you will have to excuse me because here I will have to tell you and wouldn’t able to show it to you. Unlike the show business Where you show and don’t tell. “Show” is your horse has to either finish first,Second or Third.

There are a few other terms too, which I am going to share out here right now! For you to brag when you too would be going to experience the races.

Exactia – Who would the first two finisher’s (Pick them)
Trifecta – Who would be the first three finishers (Pick them)
Superfecta – Who would be the first four Finishers
Hi- 5 – Any guess what would this be? The first five finishers obviously.