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| And here is my beauty 😀 |
This post won the Nokia Lumia 800 at the #Nokiaapptasting Event held in association with Indiblogger on Aug 19, 2012……..yeah me!
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| The Brand, the Booze and the Billboard! |
The ideal man would be the one who can cook for his woman and make her laugh. I met both of them at the #Nokiaapptasting meet organized by Indiblogger at the Taj Lands End. The date, 19th August, 2012 will forever be etched as a Sunday evening well spent indeed. The very suave Rajiv Makhni, (with a drool worthy surname) and the boy-next-door Vikas Khanna (author of the yet to be penned, 50 Shades of Crimson) made for a ‘hilaricious’ (Hilarious + Delicious) duo. Yes, I made up that description, ever since my cheeks have moved a notch higher and refuse to reconnect with my jaw line.
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| The ‘Hilaricious’ Duo |
Rajiv’s wit had the audience wanting for more. His innate ability to gift wrap ‘in your face’ punches was so smooth that the contestants loved the personalized approach. Heck, he momentarily turned the Nokia phone into a breath analyzer that actually worked! At least the contestant thought so. Vikas on the other hand had no clue what he was doing right. The crowd loved him and the young girls were swooning over his baby pink tie that matched his rosy cheeks, while the older girls went awwwww when he narrated his ‘Pairi Paina Biji’ anecdote. First time in the history of quizzing, a true or false question was passed and got the wrong answer, twice in a row. Epic! So the apptasting was where Sparkling Champagne Rajiv met Desi Lassi Vikas and the cocktail that followed was a heady mix of jest and mirth, topped with peals of laughter and spiced with a dash of technology. I call this intoxicating drink ‘Kukkad Koon’, a toast to the two Amritsari mundas, who made our Sunday evening supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
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| The IndiBlogger Team |
The fantastic set up ensured that spirits were high as confessed by the Indiblogger team, who flagged off the event with a war cry otherwise used to shoo birds. So as we huuuurrrrred our way into the evening, we wondered if technology and cuisine could have a common meeting ground after all. Our gracious hosts put to rest all our fears. Right from the right way to slice an onion to getting into the body odour space of complete strangers to a public orgy of almost making out with our phones, we covered every aspect of the human euphoria. The atmosphere was electric. We were so charged that we could light up the crystal chandeliers. Alas, they were to be kept in a vegetative state for the photo quiz.
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| Poonam Kaul, Resident Katrina Kaif! |
Poonam Kaul, Director Communications, Nokia, wowed us with the gigantic leaps the brand has taken particularly in mobile solutions and tele-communications. Ok, who am I kidding? Her claim to fame really was the Chikni Chameli act that she promised and still owes us.
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| Simran revamped in 2012! |
Simran, a distant cousin of the Symbian technology endorsed and a variant of the DDLJ tribe was a ‘guy’ who lived up to the song and dance image.
Jeff gave a brief guest appearance while Rajeev had a wardrobe malfunction (microphone malfunction doesn’t sound that interesting to grab enough eyeballs….)
Coming to the host of apps, they ranged from various genres, thus, appealing to one and all. Nokia City Lens listed places near you, be it entertainment or emergency along with directions and directory listings. Foodspotting offered food reviews of best places to eat along with the affordability and taste meter. Hello Vino arranged for food and wine pairing at the touch of a screen for smart entertaining. The Smart Group shot with Camera Extras ensured no one in a group picture will be shot badly, ever. The Silent Film Director fanned the desire of being the next Spielberg in the entertainment business with its movie making magic. When Rajiv was done with the apptasting, people were asked to conjure up their dream apps. However, finding the perfect man and voting via mobile as an identification were the joint winners. The only residual thought that remained post this fantastic session was that technology was definitely the sixth sense crafted by and for humans. And Nokia was at the helm with Connecting People*.
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| Chef Vikas says, to taste effectively, smaller portions it is. |
The question and answer round between the techies and the foodies was one huge entertainer. Vikas held his ground with questions that ranged from the ‘official soup of India’ to the ‘first dish he served President Obama’ to ‘naming the Halwa city in India’. Real googlies! Rajiv on the other hand journeyed from ‘Sabeer Bhatia’s partner’ to ‘Steve Jobs’ legitimate father’ to the ‘rock band ACDC’. Difficult maneuvers, these. MasterChef Vikas however had an ace up his sleeve. A blind soup tasting ensured the listing of the ingredients for the grand finale. The result, apparently, salt has no place in soups! However, the girl duo that topped, took home a Lumia phone each, amidst cheering and applause, particularly by the hosts who did not think they’d go the mile and were kind enough to let them know.
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| Happy 5th Birthday IndiBlogger! |
Post the cake cutting on account of Indiblogger turning 5, dinner and drinks flowed along with the evening. The two charming men were swarmed by all for photo opps and they sweetly obliged. While Rajiv was concerned if the camera flash ruined my picture, Vikas in a typical Punju accent, invited me over to join him for dinner at the table for gupshup. My evening was made, well almost, if only Nokia had auctioned the two of them!
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| Ladies’ men 🙂 |
So as a consolation prize, the Nokia team announced 2 Lumia phones and 1 PUREVIEW as a giveaway for 3 top blog entries to all the grief stricken, men and women alike. If they thought I’d stop salivating over the ‘chicken tikkas in black suits’ and get to writing a post, I hate to admit, they were right!
Nokia was the first phone I owned. The humble 3230 that graduated to a 5300, N71, N91, N92 and finally to an X6 till the start of this year when I made the switch. Why? The same reason why a spouse has an extra marital affair, Ainvi! But you know how it is. You invariably never forget your first love. So, now as I lustily look at the NOKIA PUREVIEW amidst his raunchy look and piercing features, he seems to have a one point agenda. That to reclaim what belonged to him in the first place with a vengeance and a sign board that says “Come Back To Me.”
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