“Cheers!” is ever green

What we used to do on the New Year eve, when we were kids?

Take sketch pens, white papers,  draw Micky mouse, Mini or other Disney characters like Donald duck or Daisy holding flower bouquet and write “Happy New Year” as beautifully as possible and wish our near and dear ones for all prosperity……

Next stage, buy the Archies or Hallmark greeting cards, be busy in choosing which ones to send to whom, pack them carefully, lovingly and post them at least the second or third week of December….and wait for the postman to receive few too….

What’s next?.... Probably, send the online Cards…or order flower bouquet to reach your loved ones on 31^st Dec 12 midnight, or 1^st Jan morning. Equally, wish everyone on the wall – ofcourse, ‘Facebook wall’.

Now, another way got added….Whatapps….yes! Float whatapps messages to your groups, or message one on one….

But, just think…..in all these phases…..which one is common???  The word – “Cheers!” Don’t you agree? Probably, initial stages, we used to see others saying "Cheers!", gradually, we started saying "Cheers!" :)

New Year time is a time for get together….And “Cheers!” always used to rule, now also rules and will surely rule in all these kind of cheerful time…..I am sure, you understood which “Cheers!” I am talking about….. ;)

Happy New Year!!! Cheers!!! J

responsible tourism

Hardly possible, but what’s the harm in dreaming!!! If my luck opens and my Boss offers me open tickets for vacation and says, “Madhu! Take few days off…enjoy with your family….”  Where would I love to go, if it really happens? ;) 

Honestly, I would think about the places where I can relax, soothe my eyes and mind, and also get to know something new, though “Nature”….yes, amidst nature, I would prefer always. Of course, nobody would love to go to a place which is dirty, no natural beauty, and among people with lots of complexity.

I believe, as tourists, we have some responsibilities and as hosts, the local people of that place too have some duties.

Photo Courtesy: Bidip Gogoi , Location: Assam

So, as responsible tourists, what are our responsibilities?

Get inspired by Swachh Bharat concept. Treat the place as our second home, does not matter how many days we are there. Keep the place clean, set an example if needed. Many secret lovers love to express their love in script on the walls of the historical monuments, on beautiful trees, litter on the roads, throw away polythene, food items anywhere. We should be extra careful to discourage or stop these acts. Search for a recycling bin or carry a potli or bag to keep your waste while you are on the road. Use your own refillable water bottle, if possible.

Keep Conscience up. Many people’s life depends on the tourism in these places. So, try to bargain and shop stuff without exploiting the poverty of sellers. Try to avoid buying any product which is made from an endangered plant or animal, which may indirectly help to lower the demand for illegal trade. 

Reduce pollution by using local transportation. Plan properly. Make itinerary beforehand. Research and note the nearby places of your destination and all possibility of commuting. Use local bus, train or hire a bike or bicycle which not only helps mingling with local people, but also be cheaper mode of transportation.

Respect and get a feel of local culture. We should respect the local culture, their customs and traditions of the place. Different places and people have their own style of living, dressing, food-habits, looks etc. We don’t have any right to make fun of it, or exploit it and also we should not dress and act inappropriately. Instead, try to enjoy with them, I am sure the local people will also be very happy to serve you, help you.

Besides, we should obey and follow the local rules and regulations in order to maintain modesty and decorum. We should not take photographs or shoot videos at the strictly prohibited places. 

Photo Courtesy: Bidip Gogoi , Location: Assam

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As the hosts, the local people of the place also have some responsibilities.

“Atithi Devo Bhava”: a guest is equivalent to God. Many people earn their living on tourism. Tourists help in the development of the place. The local people should create a safe and secure environment for the tourists.

Should not fleece the tourists. Many local sellers charge double the cost of the stuff, which are only available in that place. In holy places, the pundits charge money without any reason, which ultimately make bad name of the place. Taxiwala or Autowala also try to cheat the tourists in different way. So, it’s the responsibility of the local people to understand their duties and responsibilities towards the tourists.

People should be welcoming. If the tourists want to know about the local culture, nearby places or any other information, they should welcome and help them without any hesitation. It reflects the image of the place and people.

Be extra careful to keep the place clean. A proper planning of the local people is also important to keep the place clean, like keeping recycling bin in particular places, arranging drinking water in various places etc. 


These are just few points, but let's be responsible traveller and responsible host too and encourage Responsible Tourism. 

*I am blogging for #ResponsibleTourism activity by Outlook Traveller in association with BlogAdda

ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser review

I have some idea or perception about ASUS products, as I have attended couple of blogger launch of the products.

Next mobile phone I was planning to buy was sure shot of ASUS. Was not sure which model, ofcourse! When I received a lovely handset called – ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser to review, excitement made me busy using it in my leisure time.

It came to the market in August, 2015.Here is my review after using for couple of weeks....

Look and Feel….

It’s simply trendy at the first glance! It is beautifully crafted with ultra thin edges.

With 5.5-inch display size, it somewhat falls in phablet territory. The phone is slightly large for one who loves to keep the phone in the pocket most of the time, but good for those who love to read books or mails, play games or watch videos on the mobile.

The HD screen isn’t as sharp as some others in this price range, but it is still clear and looks good. The 5.5-inch HD (720x1280p) IPS display offers vibrant colours, good brightness levels and wide viewing angles.

The phone comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection to safeguard against scratches. Touch response is also pretty good.

The phone’s volume control buttons are on the rear and the power/screen lock is at the top. This is an uncommon combination as most of the phones launched in the recent past come with side buttons for power/screen lock and volume control for easy access. But the double tap-to-wake feature solves this problem. Besides, that’s okey I believe as it all depends on the habit.

Just below the display, there are three capacitive touch buttons for navigation and a metallic strip. The navigation keys on the Zenfone 2 Laser are not backlit, but these are clear enough.

The phone sports a removable back panel that features a matte finish and is slightly rounded.

Specifications:  

Performance is good enough for a phone of this class with good battery life. The 3000mAh battery easily lasts for a day, even with 4G on. You will be able to play most of the games and multi-task without a problem. In fact, Zenfone 2 Laser has strong connectivity, getting a signal in areas where many other phones don’t.

The phone runs Android 5.0.2 Lollipop with Asus' new ZenUI skin that also supports themes.

The Asus ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE550KL) is powered by 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor and it comes with 2GB of RAM. The phone packs 16GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 128GB via a microSD card.

The phone offers Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS connectivity options. It does not support NFC but offers FM radio.

There's also a Kids Mode in case you have kids who always have their eyes set on your phone. It lets you choose selected apps and password protect the rest of the phone.

Call quality and signal reception of the phone is good.  I used 4G data where I was able to get a good signal with 25Mbps+ speeds.

Camera

Do you have pimples or rashes or any other spot on your face? Then, don’t worry, take a selfie by this phone and you will be amazed. It’s 5MP front camera takes such nice selfies that automatically make you look really good with beautification effects.

The most special functionality of this device is - laser Auto Focus. The phone sports a 13MP rear camera with laser Auto Focus for 0.3 second focus time and dual-LED flash. It's one of the few phones, infact the only budget phone to come with laser autofocus for faster focus. The rear camera of this phone features a five-prism Largan lens and Toshiba sensors, and is accompanied by a dual-tone, dual-LED flash.

The camera which has f2.0 aperture, takes good quality pictures in daylight with optimum level of detail and balanced contrast and colours. However, in low-light conditions, the pictures are not as excellent or details as in the daylight, though the dual-LED flash helps in filling light.

Different mode options of taking picture will surely reduce ‘the urge of clicking by a DSLR camera’. Here are few pictures, I clicked in different mode:

 

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Price :

Zenfone 2 Laser comes in two series: ZE550KL and ZE500KL, which again have two different variants based on their configuration.

In ZE550KL series, the Rs. 9,999 variant comes with 5.5-inch display, 2GB RAM, and 16GB internal storage whereas the Rs. 13,999 variant has 3GB of RAM and rest of the specs are same as of Rs. 9,999 variant.

And both the variants of ZE500KL series features a 5-inch display, 2GB RAM, Quad-core processor, but the 8GB internal storage variant is priced for Rs. 9,799 and 16GB storage option is priced for Rs. 9,999.

Conclusion:

If the camera matters to you a lot, then the Zenfone 2 Laser is an excellent choice. There is a little scope of improvement in volume when you put the call on speaker.

The Asus Zenfone 2 Laser is one of the best smartphones available under Rs 10,000. It packs in good hardware specifications, a great camera with laser auto-focus, good battery backup and well-off software features.

I am not just saying for the sake of it, but I am saying all these by using this!