Destination Infinity's Blog, page 26

Selfie with Bahubali Characters

During our recent Thrissur (Kerala) trip, we went to an exhibition/show called DJ Amusements, upon an autowallah’s recommendation. That turned out to be our best outing in Thrisur.

Selfie-loving people that we are, we found many many objects to take selfies with. Sorry if you came to this post thinking we actually managed to take selfies with the actual actors of Bahubali movie. Although that might happen soon, it has not yet.

BREAKING NEWS during our Thrissur Trip

I know I am a bit late in revealing this ‘BREAKING NEWS’ that actually happened during our Thrisur (Kerala) trip, last month. But the video got ready only now. So without further ado, here it is

A Few Deepavali Vaana Vedikkaigal Captured on my Cam

Here are a few Deepavali Vaana Vedikkaigal (Fire Crackers @ Sky) captured on my camera this year (2018) in and around my home at Chennai. Actually there is a flyover (bypass road) that goes over a small lake. I managed to stop there for a few minutes and shoot the video with the reflection of the cracker lights on the water surface, which I have included in the below video.

As promised in my earlier post, I didn’t burst a single cracker this time

I Support Time Restrictions on Deepavali Fire Crackers

In Tamil Nadu, where I live, Court has permitted people to burst firecrackers from 6 A.M. to 7 A.M. and 7 P.M. to 8 P.M.

I welcome this Judgement as it is not a blanket ban on firecrackers, but instead seeks to reduce them slowly.

I encourage people to adhere to the timing. If possible, I request people to refrain from fireworks altogether for the reasons mentioned here – among others.

Of course I am planning not to burst crackers this year – irrespective of how much its going to irk whom. I am actually proud that I have refrained from bursting polluting crackers for the major part of the last decade. I think that’s an achievement, especially in the Indian context where unhealthy practices are thrust into our throats in the name of culture and tradition.

While I welcome good/healthy traditions, this one is neither.

Destination Infinity

Cycle Brand Introduces Pooja Products for TN Market

Cycle brand, popular for Cycle Plus Agarbatti, recently introduced pooja products for the Tamil Nadu market – among others. They held a press meet event at Hyatt Regency, Chennai on Oct. 26, 2018. As they invited a few bloggers, we too went there.

Right on their logo, they mention ‘Since 1948’. So this family run business has been going strong and retaining the top positions for agarbatti sales consistently across India for over three generations. Besides, they also sell their agarbattis and other products in 65 countries now.

Since TN is an important market for them, they had arranged a separate press meet in Chennai. Mr. Arjun Ranga, the grandson of the founder and the current CEO addressed us and told us what makes Cycle brand special.

What came as an unexpected surprise for us was the other chief guest who came for the product release event. It was none other than the famous South Indian movie star – Ramesh Aravind. He has acted in Tamil films like Keladi Kanmani, Duet, Sathi Leelavathi, Panchathandiram, among others.

Seizing the opportunity we took a selfie with him

Awesome View @ Selex Mall, Thrissur

We went to Selex Mall while at Thrisur, Kerala to watch our first Malayalam movie in the INOX theatre inside the mall – Kayamkulam Kochunni.

While there, we found this spectacular view behind the mall (it’s visible from near the McD shop on the rear) with high-rise buildings behind a small lake. Here it is. Howzz itt???

Toothpicks as an Alternative to Mouthwash, Mouth Freshener, Chewing Gum

While brushing our teeth regularly is an important aspect of maintaining our oral hygiene, that in itself may not be sufficient to maintain healthy teeth. While there are options like mouthwash, mouth freshener and dental chewing gums, each one has their own limitations. That’s where herbal chewing picks with flavoured oils might be useful. In fact, it’s an all-in-one product as it can combine the advantages of all the above products.

One of the biggest causes for dental problems are the food particles struck up between teeth. Bacteria thrives on these areas creating dental problems, bad teeth odour, etc. Many a time we gargle water to remove some of it. Or we use a toothpick. We even use our nails to remove some of them. While all the aforesaid ways are OK, there are herbal toothpicks available in the market that offers more benefits.

Mouthwash and Mouth Fresheners help get rid of bad breath. But the mass produced commercial ones contain more chemicals than herbs. Using them frequently might result in long-term health issues. It’s the same problem with chewing gums. Since chewing gum induces mastication and is a stress buster, it’s easy for people to allow it to become an addiction.

Nowadays, people are looking to avoid chemicals and go natural. It’s a good trend.

Keeping up with that trend, and to ensure good dental health, Krop Herbal Chewing Picks are available in India.

This is a flavour toothpick, so you can remove the food particles from in-between teeth. Since these come flavoured with natural essential oils, you can chew on them. Mastication (chewing) is a great stress reliever and an edible herbal toothpick is a good chewing gum alternative for mastication.

These flavour toothpicks also kill germs and freshen breath. So they are a good alternative for chemical-based mouthwashes and mouth fresheners.

This all-in-one dental care product also uplifts mood, deters sugar craving, reduces stress and urge to smoke – hence reduces chewing gum and cigarette addiction. So, this is actually an all-in-one health product.

You can order Krop Herbal Chewing picks on Amazon.in.

By the way, personally, I have found that applying/gently rubbing salt can also strengthen teeth and gums. Try it.

PVR ICON Cinemas @ VR Mall, Anna Nagar

PVR ICON Cinemas has just opened at the 3rd floor of the VR Mall at Anna Nagar, Chennai. The VR Mall was opened only 2-3 months back, so the entire setup is new. And big.

If I remember correctly, there were 10 screens in this Cinema Complex. 10 screens. I don’t think I have seen as many theatres within a single complex anywhere else in Chennai – except maybe Mayajaal.

The ticket rates are on par with other theatres. We went to see ’96 (First half was OK, second half was so slow.) and the tickets were priced at Rs. 150 each, which is less than the maximum ticket prices prescribed by the Govt. Maybe because we went on a weekday.

The parking charges at VR Mall currently stands at Rs. 30 for the first hour and Rs. 20 for every hour afterwards (two-wheeler).

Surprisingly, for a PVR complex at that, we found a small popcorn for as less as Rs. 100! Can you believe it? I think, the minimum charges for popcorn at Ampa Skywalk is Rs. 220 by the same PVR group.

The snacks were priced lower than other PVR complexes – maybe because the theatre is new. Or maybe they have revised their snacks pricing in order to sell more (I hope). We even found Indian chat items like bhel puri, pani puri, etc. Otherwise, the menu is similar to other PVRs.

This new PVR ICON Cinemas looks beautiful. The decor is all gold and yellow. I have made a short photo slideshow video with a few pics taken at this venue. Enjoy

My New Camera: Panasonic Lumix FZ1000

In my previous post, I told you that we went to Thrissur on a trip to buy a camera. But I realised I didn’t show you which camera we bought. So here it is – Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 Bridge Camera that can shoot 4K video, do 120fps slow-mo, has 18x optical zoom, 5-axis optical stabilisation, 1-inch sensor, and most importantly 3.5mm audio jack to connect to external microphones. Here are some more reasons on why I bought this model – if you are interested.

I like this camera very much, but it’s a used (one-year old) model. So the risk of any malfunction falls on me. I hope it will hang on for one or 1.5 years by which time I’ll buy a better camera (by which time manufacturers will release another gem like this). Nevertheless, in the meanwhile, I look forward to learning, photographing and videographing to my heart’s content

Unique Selfie @ Thrisur, Kerala

Last week I saw an ad on olx.in mentioning that someone wants to sell my favourite bridge camera. It was a one-year old model at an attractive price – so I decided to buy it. The issue was, the seller was located at Thrisur, Kerala.

That issue, turned out to be an opportunity for us to make a 3-day impulse trip to Kerala. We went there at the beginning of this week because the train tickets were available only then.

What started as a purchase trip became an unplanned tour. Even while there, I had work for half-a-day. But once the work was over, we just hit road and asked the auto guys for recommendations on where to go. Yeah, we didn’t have time even to google for suggestions.

They directed us to an exhibition where we took lot of interesting selfies with Animals like King Kong & Dinosaur, Bahubali characters, etc. Then, we asked if there were any Kerala-style palaces nearby and they directed us to a Museum housed inside a palace. On the way we took selfies at two large Temples which were looking like palaces themselves!!

We noticed lot of crowd standing before a cinema hall trying to buy tickets, and (as you may have guessed) asked an auto guy what the excitement was all about. He not only told us about the new Malayalam movie releasing on that day (Kayamkulam Kochunni) staring Nivin Pauly and Mohanlal, but also offered to take us to Selex Mall (iNox) which was the only place where, he rightly predicted, we would get the first-day-first-show tickets. Yes we did