Tushar Mangl's Blog, page 28

Go Clown - #AccheDin for Comedy - Shatrugna Vadwlas

The book is a work of satire at its best. The author has managed to mingle humor and sarcasm together to show a mirror to the society.
The book is written by a debutante author, Shatrugna Vadwlas who has done a pretty neat job in putting the story together. It goes beyond the usual life of an engineer and peeks into various dimensions of our society. From NRIs to American born confused Desis, ragging in engineering colleges to workplace dynamics, this book has it all. The reader follows Kiriti on a bumpy ride of life from birth to a student of engineering to a politician and a mountain climber. And then there is the clown which just spices up the story to the next level.
As a plus, the author has added an innovative game to the book which is based on a Japanese game.It is heartening to see an author putting up such an effort to make the book so interesting.
However, I felt that the book-length could have been shortened. Also, some of the chapters were way too long. All in all a good book.
Published by Shatrugna Vadwlas
Pages - 325
Genre - Satire_____________

Received a copy from the author for a review. If you wish to get your book reviewed, contact at Orangy[dot]in@Gmail[dot]com. 

Blogger Interview - 9 - Tarun Singh

I am starting this interview with an awesome pic of Tarun & me.


 Tell our readers a bit about yourself
A. Hi everyone, I am Tarun Singh. I am in my 20s. I am a third-year computer engineering student. I am passionate about blogging, online shopping, and digital marketing. 

Currently, I do part time blogging because I have to manage time between college studies and blogging. In the future, I am thinking of going with full-time blogging as my career. I have recently started another blog OfferSutra with my 2 college friends to realize my dream of full-time blogging.
 Some words about your blog


 I started my blog www.imtarunsingh.net in June 2013. The story behind this domain name is that at that time, I was reading about IM(Internet Marketing) so much. 
So it made sense to name my blog as 'Internet Marketeer Tarun Singh' or in short 'I M Tarun Singh'. However, my blog is not about Internet Marketing. 
It's all about online shopping. The blog is a result of my passion for blogging and online shopping. The unique thing about my blog is that it is the first shopping blog in India for men by a man.
 Your Favorite Blog

 It is impossible to choose one blog as my favorite. I have read many blogs till date. Choosing one blog as a favorite will be an insult to other blogs.
SEO or SMO, what is more, important for a blog today?

Both SEO and SMO are important. But I focus only on SEO because that's where my strength lies. Also, the niche of my blog suits readers from search engine more since my blog gives buying advice. 
It's not like that people on social media will be waiting for my post to make a buying decision. They will just google.
 An ideal blog according to you would be?

According to me, an ideal blog would answer problems of readers as well also act as an outlet for the blogger to share his/her unique views about the topic. If these two criteria are satisfied, traffic and money would automatically come.
The most defining moment of your blogging life

The most defining moment of my blogging life came when my blog was selected in the Top 15 Shopping Blogs in India. The interesting thing about this was that my blog was the only blog for shopping for men in the list. Also, I was the only man in the list completely dominated by ladies.
Any tips or advice for readers to promote their blogs? 

Here is what I do to promote my blog:
1. Share post on my blog's facebook page.
2. Share post on my Twitter handle.
3. Share post on Stumbleupon. Most people neglect it but it brings a lot of traffic.
4. Share post on relevant subreddit on Reddit.
5. I send the email newsletter to blog subscribers.

In the end, I just want to thank Tushar for having me here. It was great to answer all the questions. This is my first interview as a blogger.
________________________________________________________

Interested in being featured in this section? Drop in a mail at Orangy.In@Gmail.Com

Is self publishing confined to digital publishing?

Off late there has been a lot of discussion going around self-publishing and how it is becoming popular in India. The title refers to a query that came up on the WRIMO India group the other day.
So is self-publishing just about digital publishing or it goes beyond the virtual as well. The answer would be no, self-publishing has indeed crossed over to print as well. However, the scope has been limited.
Self-publishing as a concept actually grew from print, when some writers with enough resources who grew tired of the dominance of traditional publishers, went to a printer and got their books printed. They would then market these on their own, lugging them from one bookstore to another. 
Digital publishing actually took self-publishing to an all new level. Ease of technology, motivated many authors, facing rejections from traditional sources to actually go ahead with self-publishing. The acceptability of self-publishing has grown so much that many authors now prefer to make it their first choice instead of traditional.
But self-publishing in print is still not that popular. Issues like marketing, sales, and distribution along with sheer logistics do prevail. Most of the players in this area focus on vanity publishing. Some even disguise vanity publishing as self-publishing and seek huge monies from authors.
Digital is and will remain the best avenue for authors going for self-publishing their books. It is futuristic in its approach, very convenient to use and the reach is immense. I have sold books in countries like Denmark and Australia via the digital mode, something which I don't think would have dared with the print format. 
As for the money the author makes, digital is better here too. The logistics cost is quite less. You are not physically delivering the book to someone's place. It is a wireless technique. Makes it cost effective meaning savings for all parties involved. The author, the facilitator and the reader all save some.
In India, we are still to go a long way to recognize and appreciate the work of self-published authors. Digital also needs more penetration which will take time but gradually, things will shape up in a good way for authors and readers alike.

The advent of CousCous in Indian food scene

A few days ago I was at this cafe with a friend who decided to order CousCous with Mushroom and Tomato sauce.

CousCous is a staple dish from North African regions which has off late captured the imagination of the Europeans. It is very popular in France and Spain. But in India, CousCous has seen a very slow penetration. It is a healthy and nutritious item on the menu and very similar in taste to other Indian foods. One of the reasons I feel for its slow spread is that adequate awareness has not happened for it.Hence my post today to ask you all what you think about couscous?

Berger XP IndiBlogger Meet - Dwarka, Delhi

It was a fun filled Saturday with the Indiblogger team ganging up with Berger XP to create a fun-filled, knowledgeable event. It is always great that brands like to facilitate a blogger event to send their message across but it is super when a brand takes pains to make it all interesting and interactive.



I thought that the venue would be too far away from my place, but surprisingly I encountered very little traffic and hence was one of the first people to reach the event. They were still getting everything all set up at 11.30 when I reached the venue.


The people at the desk gave me a cool looking badge when I registered sharp on time and asked me to get a picture clicked at a photo booth set up. The beginning was indeed ominous as during coffee break, later on, they asked us to give a video byte at the same booth. The marketing personnel from an agency working with Berger shot off some questions and I answered them, with spotlight too harsh on me. 



Coming back to the event, and its awesome start which was made more awesome with a lunch to die for. You add fish and chicken and top it up with sumptuous desserts and welcome drinks made with cranberry and apple juice, you know your day is going to be great.



(This is Gaurab Tarun and me. Gaurab has been blogging since forever, just like me)
I mean the lunch was so good, that an Indiblogger team member had to come remind that the event was to start soon and we should come inside asap. I said I am done eating and when he left, went for another helping of dessert. Then another.
Mom wants our home painted and painting is a topic we often discuss at home. I dislike the whole process of getting the home painted for the mess it would be. After the initial warming up session with Anoop, Mr. Das from  Berger Paints explained the benefits of Berger's new innovation, Express Painting.
He spoke for some time and even took questions. A great guy who understands what he is talking about and speaks like a true expert. He made no attempts to bore the audience with technical or mundane. Kept the session short and simple.
 Basically, the Berger people have gone beyond the selling a product philosophy. They are focussing on selling a service. A painting service. Like all good innovative ideas, they have figured out time-saving as a priority. For this, they have come up with automated tools and trained people to use them for painting and do that in the best professional way possible. The home painting tools not only save time but are also efficient and ensure a uniform spread of paint.

They also have a system to make the whole process of painting neat and dust free. As a learning & development person myself, I liked thier idea of opening up training institutes for painters. Skill development is the need of hour in almost every sector. Experienced and well trenched corporates doing thier bit to bring in trained man power into the system is a great step.


(Tarun is a great blogger. I always want to review his blog here. But the plan just keeps getting postponed.)

Post session with Mr. Das, we had team based activities. Two activities were planned and points accrued in both activities was to determine the winner. Sadly my team stood second and won nothing.
Still, I think our team did pretty well in both the tasks given to us. This one was to smoothen the surface using a sandpaper. We actually got the entire thing off. In a pretty quick time too. Tarun rubbed the thing so hard that his gloves wore off.


The second activity to do some painting on a chart paper. When all other teams were discussing ideas about what to do with the painting activity wherein all teams were given a theme, I came up with the best idea of all. Let's go to the stage and get a team photo clicked.

In this pic, I am discussing with Ravi the strategies of painting and mixing. Ravi is a great guy and a photographer. Our team which we named Surgical Strikes, got a pretty cool theme, Delhi Diaries. 

As usual, we end the day on a high note, sad that the show is over and happy because it was so good and because outside they will give us some goodies to take home :)

Assembly elections Feb 2017

Elections to various legislatures of Indian states are underway amid a slowdown in the economy and in the aftermath of the demonetization of higher currency which had shocked the nation last year.
The demonetization has had a crucial impact on these elections. Even though it was business as usual, cash crunch clearly showed in the campaign festivities. It was this reason perhaps which brought the Indian National Congress and Samajwadi Party together. And this can be well-made ridings choppy for the ruling BJP at the center. 
Indeed the BJP seems to be the pet target this election season. The Aam Aadmi Party has made it its mission to only fight elections where the BJP is currently in power. The other opposition parties getting together to fight the BJP is not helping them either. In Punjab, the party has virtually given up, outsourcing the elections to its ally, Shrimoni Akali Dal. 
In Goa and U.P., the party is still fuzzy about who its major leader is. In Uttarakhand, the party has left the electioneering majorly to desserters from the Indian National Congress. In Manipur, it is again hopeful of dissidents to come to it and form a government. 
One person who is already gaining ground is Akhilesh Yadav. He has asserted his position in his party and the endorsement from the Congress has helped build his stature in the state politics. By fighting with the older generation of the party, he has cleverly distanced himself from the negative, crime friendly image of the Samajwadi Party. Although he is a strong contender to win U.P. again, even if he doesn't, he has earned a place for himself as a major player in state politics.
The B.S.P. is on the slippery ground too. Gone are the days of cash garlands for its chief. (For obvious reasons.) It is working out of the limelight to gain back power but the whole campaign looks drab.
The Aam Aadmi party is gaining ground much to the sadness of Indian democracy. Punjab is known to deliver a decisive mandate and so does Goa. If the party wins in these states, things will not be good for the people. 
The elections are a tight race this time around with too many players and too less favorites. Do comment in, about your thoughts.

Hey Honey Bunch

Finally, on 05th of  Feb, I released my latest story. Hey, Honey Bunch. Writing any story, short or long takes a tremendous effort and frankly drains a part of you. This is especially true of me. Stories I write are etched inside me. When I write it is like carving a stone. I hardly write 15% of what I actually have in mind.

HHB is set in an urban setting. Lead characters Neelima and Pushkar love each other and like it happens every second of the day, their love story falls short. But Neelima asks for a thing which Pushkar considers his obligation to give her. Although, in fact, he cannot.

Readers can visit this link at Smashwords where I am offering a free copy of the book for a limited time period. Do add a review and let me know what you thought of Hey Honey Bunch.

The book is available in almost all e-reading formats. Very soon I would be coming up with the print version of the book too.

Here is the cover image designed by me. I haven't got any feedback for the story yet, but feedback on the cover is quite motivating. Now readers are asking me to better the cover of my other books.

How Can Writing Change Your Brain Activity?

IntroductionWe write something each day, a note, a grocery list, a journal, or even a story for those of us that are creative. How often, though, do we acknowledge the effects of writing - the benefits that writing provides for our brains? This article looks at how writing has a positive influence on our brains.From helping us have a meditative, focused mind, to being able to remember things more accurately, there are many benefits to be enjoyed!Despite being something that’s usually done on a regular basis and seen as something that cannot have a profound effect, writing shapes our brains in ways that are not easily noticeable even under a microscope, and they also take the time to manifest in us.We shall look at all the effects that writing has on our brains and the different parts of the brain that become engaged whenever we pick up the pen to write something down. We shall also look at some interesting facts that are associated with writing.

The Frontal LobeWhenever we write or speak, we involve our frontal lobe. This part of the brain is responsible for reasoning, planning, making judgments, problem-solving, and movements.
The Parietal LobeThis part of our brain is also associated with writing. The parietal lobe also does the interpreting of words and languages. People who suffer from dysfunctions of this part of the brain have a hard time writing things down and spelling words.

So How Does Writing Help Us To Remember?When we write things down, we stimulate a number of cells below our brain commonly known as the reticular activating system (RAS). The RAS functions as a filter for everything that comes into your brain and needs processing. It gives all the attention to what we are focused on at the moment.The act of writing transports the data to the front and activates our brain so we pay attention. You have probably heard that if you want to remember something, you should put it down in writing. Also, in school, teachers emphasize that each and every student writes their own notes despite having a textbook or a handout. Have you ever asked yourself why?As we’ve just showed, various parts of the brain are involved. Also, as you write, you tend to say, though not aloud, whatever it is that you’re writing. All this effort makes things stick better than if you were just listening. Besides, you’ll also have somewhere to refer to in case you don’t really remember what you wrote. How many times have you had to look for that piece of paper or notebook that you scribbled something on, but you just can’t exactly recall what you wrote…you just know that you did? See the power of writing things down?
Why Telling a Tale Is More Important Than the FactsWhen you pay attention to a PowerPoint lecture that’s formatted in bullet form, two parts of the brain are triggered, namely, the Wernicke’s and Broca's area. These are basically the areas in your brain where language processing is done and words are given meaning and nothing else.When a story is told, those language centers in the brain are not only triggered but are also associated with the coming to life or visualization of the story being told.For instance, when there is punching or sprinting in the story, the motor cortex in our brains will be triggered. When the are mentions of someone’s “hands like stones” in the story, our sensory response will be triggered. Our brains react as if we are experiencing the story first hand!Scientists have come to find out that hearing a story can be a source of ideas, emotions, and thoughts for the listener. Some studies show that when brain waves of a lady telling a tale and brain waves of her listeners were monitored, her audience’s brain waves went into sync with hers as she narrated her story.This concludes that writers have the ability to influence their audience. With an evocative and mind-boggling story, we can trigger our readers’ brains and make them feel as if they are there experiencing the events first hand, thus having a hand in the emotions that you want them to feel.
Avoid ClichésResearchers in Europe did a study on the brain and how it would react to an array of different types of words. They found out that regular phrases like “love is blind” have become common to our brains up to the point that they are seen just as words and nothing more.Such clichés might have triggered a sensory response in the brain when they were first introduced to it, but since the reader has seen them on many occasions before, they no longer have the same effect.This is why good writers avoid such clichés as much as they can in favor of new and creative ways to trigger the readers’ senses. Come up with something that your audience hasn’t heard so many times before, or make them appreciate something that they’ve always known through a different angle or perspective that they hadn’t thought of.
More Facts about Effects of Writing on the BrainWhen trying new writing material (a pen) for the first time, most people will pen down their names. Reading has proven to be a better way of improving our vocabulary (and therefore, our writing) as compared to other activities such as watching television. Pieces of literature contain more precious words than television.A literacy study conducted on teenagers came to find out that they could not read well enough to comprehend their exam papers. The findings suggest that most teenagers have a reading age of less than 11 years.Writing can have the same results on the brain as meditation. Our breathing slows down and we enter a “zone” in which words can easily flow from our minds. This can be a good way of de-stressing.
ConclusionAll the mind shaping tools can be disregarded by the brain if a cliché is inserted into the mix. Phrases like “love is blind” or “a dumb blonde” are skipped by our brains and it regards them as just a collection of words and nothing more. Clichés have become so familiar that our senses no longer react to them or feel moved by them as they would have previously.
Writing can heavily influence readers. As we have seen, storytellers have the ability to plant emotions, ideas, and thoughts into the brains of a listener. On the part of the writer, it can help improve the language, vocabulary, expression of thoughts, and can also be a way of blowing off some steam!There you have it, folks. Let's do more writing so as to shape our minds in more positive way. Whether you want to be a writer, for example, when writing your dissertation, or you want to be a better speaker, writing more and more will help you learn how to invoke your audience’s thoughts and make

About the Author
Jacob Chambless
I work as an educator at Jacksonville University. I'm always ready to help students, sharing my experience and tips on particular subjects.


Writing articles is my passion, I want to share my knowledge with other people. Now, I also write for https://prowriterscenter.com/

twitter: @jacob_chambless __________

For guest article submissions at this website, kindly get in touch at orangy [dot] in @ Gmail [dot]com 

Punjab Assembly Poll - Your vote now has a price tag - A SmartPhone with free calling

It is quite confusing these days, whom to vote for. Each candidate seems promising enough to bring doom to the land you love. You can't expect any political party to take an honest stand anymore. In his budget speech, the finance minister said India and banks have benefitted a lot due to demonetization. Then he went ahead and gifted 10,000 crores of taxpayer money to banks to have a little extra to have fun with. No one gives a shit to the little man on the street. We, people, are here to slog so that the high-level people can enjoy their lives.



So, it would not shock you that your humble writer has been assured a mobile phone, a smart phone with free calling if I vote for a certain party. In all these years of my voting life, no one has offered me the whiskey bottles and the blankets. Those are only meant for poor voters I am told. You can afford your own whiskey. We salaried class people are mostly offered assurances that we would be taxed more, burdened with more legislations and absurd laws and are promised that the color of red tape would be darkened again.

Not this party. These are inclusive people.The political party is also very efficient. They registered me for the freebie even without informing me. I didn't even have any knowledge such a scheme existed. And they are such nice people that they even sent me an email to confirm this. Just in case you thought that they might turn dishonest.With codes and proper documentations. They have asked me

"Congratulations Tushar,

You have successfully registered for your smartphone under Captain Smart Connect Scheme.Your unique code is ___________
You will be required to furnish this receipt with the code as well as a valid ID card at the time of claiming your phone." How so thorough. Maybe I should ask EC to give me a receipt that I indeed voted for these people. Just to make my file good. You will notice I didn't mention the code here. I love my readers as much as they love me. But I am not sharing my smartphone with anyone. Sorry guys.

The Election Commission of India has no problem with this. Probably good for the society, if everyone of us has a smartphone. I think they should have intervened. Made sure that the quality of the phone is good. I don't want a cheap brand one. At least the EC should make sure I get a Xioami or Huawei. I know Apple or that Pixel phone would be tough. EC people are very big on ethics.

It all hinges now on that party to win. I will have to coax several others to vote to get the smartphone. Knowing the brand might have helped. Color too. I know they won't distribute saffron or blue (they being colors associated with the other contending political parties), but I want a Gold or White color. Perhaps, these nice people will give me a color of my choice. We are patriotic Indians. We should negotiate even during selling off our votes. Parents would be so proud.

But I don't know. I mean, prostituting your vote? Is it right? It sounds cheap. Wait. It says here, I will get 1 year 3G Data free too. Wow! This makes decision making so simple. 

10 Unusual Ways to Get Creativity for Writing

Most of those who write, sometimes have a hard time when it comes to getting creative so as to give the best work possible. Being creative takes practice and time; it’s something which has to be nurtured.
Different people have different ways of getting their creative juices flowing, from wearing their lucky socks to sitting at their favorite spot at the local coffee house or even watching their favorite movie.
Here are 10 ways to get creativity for writing:

1. Plan In Advance
Being creative does not warrant us to skip out on planning how to get the task at hand done. Making a plan prior can help to avoid situations where your creativity fails you when you need it and you’ll be less inclined to pass judgment on any of your ideas once you’re finished.
You can make a plan by simply writing down a ‘blueprint’ of how you want your writing to go or you can brainstorm ideas and arrange them in a chronological order that you can follow later. This way, you’ll be sure to avoid creativity plateaus that can make your work harder.
Creativity won’t come when you want it, but planning ahead will go a long way in helping you be a little bit more creative.

2. Set Weird Rules
We are sometimes given guidelines to observe when doing our work; we are also encouraged to set some odd rules to help us spark our creativity. One of these rules can be a rewarding failure but punishing inaction. Stir up mind, come up with conflicting ideas, look at things or situations from as many different angles as possible, break the norm, don’t act contrary to what you hear, and change things up to make your mind have a new way of thinking.
Once you train your mind to think along these lines, you will find that creative ideas come easily to you.

3. Don’t Think Outside The Box
You have been encouraged many times to always think outside the box; well, it’s time we get inside the box.
Remember, if you never think outside the box, you will most likely not be creative. However, if you never enter the box, you will certainly be stupid. No offense, but interesting, right?
Things seem to be a little bit more complicated, don’t they? Instead of thinking entirely outside the box, which is no easy task, but also truncates the principles that we have found to work, think inside the box and nurture those new ways.

4. Don’t Worry About Being Original
You will never get ahead if you reject things for wanting to be truly original. Most things have already been done before, the trick isn’t coming up with new ways to do things but rather knowing what to ‘steal’ and make it your own and even more interesting.
You can take someone else’s idea and add some flavor to it, spice it up, and make it new.
Picasso said it best: “a good artist copies, a great artist steals”.

5. Use Side Projects To Stay Motivated
You are bound to encounter a creative block or become less motivated when you focus on one project at a time. The best way to counter this is by distracting yourself with smaller projects that keep you away from your main project. They help you be productive and stay creative.
Once you’re done with one of your minor projects, you will come back to your main project with fresh ideas and more enthusiasm.

6. Change Your Morning Routine
Most creative people tend to be smelly and unkempt; do you know the reason why? Don’t worry, we’re not about to advise you on how to ditch your hygiene. Why don't you try to shake your mornings up by waking up early? Yes, you heard it right, wake up early, beat the sun for once!
The golden hour for waking up in the morning is 5 am, but you can wake up as early as 4 or 3 am and as late as 6 am. Once you’re able to wake up between these hours, you will able to come up with a lot of creative ideas. Why is that? It’s normally quiet and peaceful during these hours, thus you’ll be able to easily come up with ideas.
This will go a long way in making you have more creative moments that you were not able to get in the shower.

7. Exercise
It’s always a good idea to have a change of scenery. A 30-minute exercise will do just the trick. Exercise will help you boost almost every part of your cognition, so exercise regularly.
For those of you who can’t afford to hit a gym, you can do some simple exercises in the comfort of your home. Sit ups, chin ups, press ups can all be done in your living room. For those that like the idea of been outdoors, you can engage in a little jogging.


8. Don’t Work Mid-Thought
In case you find out that some days you wake up and you don’t know the direction of your project, consider where you left off the last time. This will help you remember the direction. Instead of knowing breaking points, be aware of what will come next, this way you can build up some creative momentum.

9. Sleep More
Sleep is very important for your health; it’s also good for your creativity. A researcher found out that if you sleep on new ideas, you are likely to connect them to distantly related points. If you’re on fire, it's ok to burn the midnight oil once in a while, but don’t brush away the idea of getting enough sleep.
According to research, 8 hours of sleep is more than enough for one person. Go to bed early and wake up early, this way you will have a lot of energy and you will feel refreshed and burst with creativity when you wake up.


10. Know When To Rest
It’s not possible to be 100% creative all the time. We get burnt out sometimes and we need to relax. Once in a while take a break and blow off some steam. You can take a walk, go see a movie, catch up with friends over a cup of coffee, or do something that makes you feel comfortable and relaxed. Whatever it may be, go ahead and do it.


Conclusion
Everyone has their own way of fostering creativity. The points discussed in this article are in no way comprehensive, and some ideas may not have made the list. We, however, hope that these will help you be more creative. Take some time off and relax, get some sleep, set some weird rules for yourself, and don’t forget to plan ahead!

Be it a fictional story, an essay, or if you just need to write a creative personal statement, these 10 tips will surely help you out!

About the Author
Jacob Chambless
I work as an educator at Jacksonville University. I'm always ready to help students, sharing my experience and tips on particular subjects.


Writing articles is my passion, I want to share my knowledge with other people. Now, I also write for https://prowriterscenter.com/

twitter: @jacob_chambless __________

For guest article submissions at this website, kindly get in touch at orangy [dot] in @ Gmail [dot]com