A Memoir - This Month Last Year - April 2013

Hi Guys,

I always wanted to share what has been the stepping stone to my blog and what happened in this particular month last year. It's only today I got the inspiration to actually create and write one and from not onwards it will be a monthly feature where I share my good posts and what happened with those posts. It's a sharing of journey as I can now connect the dots looking backwards.

April 2013 was the month when I was an approved member of Indiblogger community and started writing for their various contests and Indimeets. They organized various meets in April and as I started blogging only to be a part of Indiblogger community, I was very much excited to join all of those meets and make a lot of friends in those meets. It was one of those months when I got serious about pursuing this hobby to blog on www.thelifesway.com and bought this domain also with the help of a friend Murtaza Ali from ApotpourriofVestiges whom I met at my first Indimeet.

1. Sunsilk Perfect Straight - Gentleman's Experience - It was my first Indistuff contest entry on Indiblogger community. Receiving free shampoos to write about was a lovely experience. My family members still miss this shampoo. 

2. My tryst with Indiblogger Microsoft Office 365 - It was my first Indiblogger meet at Delhi. I kept my tweets going for the day and finally at the end of the day, I came home with Rs 1500 cash along with Microsoft Arc mouse, Indiblogger tshirt and a lot of memories. It felt really great to meet the whole Indiblogger team and meet a lot of other fellow bloggers. 

3. #HPCONNECTEDMUSIC - Me Myself and Music- This was the most defining post of my life as I won the HP laptop for writing about the music I love. We all love music and I love Bollywood music a lot. HP appreciated it by making this post won their prestigious Sleekbook with Windows8 and Connected Music subscription for an year. I still remember writing this post and asking my friends to read it and provide comments. They didn't liked my song choice but I was adamant to keep what I love in there. I think that paid off and I got the amazing new laptop.

4.  My Dream Business – The Microsoft Office 365 Way - Microsoft launched another contest after Indimeet to write about your dream business using Office 365 package. I won the runner up prize and received free Office 365 package and also an invite to see one of their event at The Lalit Hotel in Delhi. This at that time gave me immense happiness to be recognized from many brands and companies. 

5. Soldier for Women - What I learned from my dad?- I also became member of Blogadda and wrote several contest posts with sure shot vouchers and prizes. This is one of those entries and even before participating in Indiblogger meets and contests, Blogadda sent me a book RIP to review along with a personally signed letter from their CEO Nirav. It really meant a lot and I have treasured that letter in my file at home. Some other entries for the same contest are Soldier for Women - It's us all - Father of daughters!

& Soldier for Women - Guards at our offices

All other posts are simply about all the contests I won on twitter and facebook and the goodies I received during that month. Twitter gave me an opportunity to test myself with a lot of other young people playing all the contests. I do miss those contests now as I am not able to play them and win.

Cheers!!!

Contact me for your product's review on twitter @araijain or @thelifesway or email - thelifesway@gmail.com

Product Review - Old Spice Deodorant Spray

Hi Guys,

Old Spice has been in the market since 75 years and has been able to create an own niche in men’s shaving range of products. I have always been fascinated since childhood towards the red bottle of Old Spice after shave lotion. I have used my uncle’s bottle of Old Spice several times whenever I used to get some wounds while playing or just for the cool fragrance. 

The very first time I bought my own bottle of Old Spice Whitewater and Musk after shave lotion was in Hyderabad when I was doing my MBA. I still remember it was on sale combining two lotions in one pack. I immediately bought two Old Spice After shave lotion packs (one for me and other one for dad) and they really served me long. In between I switched to Clarins as I got that as a gift from my brother in law and as soon as that one was over, I bought Gillette but I dearly missed my red bottle.

As life events happened, I moved to Johannesburg and my roommate gifted me Old Spice Musk in this small white bottle. It felt like a home coming while being outside the country. I was really happy to use the same.

Meanwhile, I always wanted to use their deodorant range and wanted to break away from the fascination owards BRUT. Old Spice new red deodorant spray cans with several versions namely Kilimanjaro, Hawkridge and Wolfthorn really motivated me to buy them immediately. I bought them from the nearest Pick n Pay store.

I really felt in love with their fresh and refreshing fragrance and long lasting effect. All the versions are great and I really loved this new range of Old Spice deodrants. Try one for yourself and you will like them too!

Cheers!!!

Clicked using Panasonic FZ5 Camera
Contact me for your product's review on twitter @araijain or @thelifesway or email - thelifesway@gmail.com

Gillette - Shave for the Soldiers Campaign 2011

Hi Guys,

Gillette has always been a brand that has continuous promotional campaigns going on throughout the year. Way back in 2011, they were promoting Gillette Fusion which was just launched in India at Ambiance Mall, Gurgaon. I was there with my wife so got this opportunity to get myself shaved with the newly launched blade and got the same for me for free. Here goes the pics...

 

 Thanks all!

Soldier for Women – A Friend in need

Woman’s safety today is not just about saving her honour or keeping her protected from the omnipresent lecherous eyes around. It is more about the all round well being of women right from the moment that she is an egg in her mother's womb. It encompasses the wide spectrum of crimes against her including female foeticide, female infanticide, girl child abuse and trafficking, honour killings, eve teasing, rapes, dowry related killings and every single thing that happens to women across the globe, all because she is physically not as strong as her male counterparts and socially not as empowered as them. The recent Delhi rape-murder case had shook the nation and evoked reaction from every soul having a heart. The only mistake the poor girl made was to be out late at night, wearing an allegedly provocative dress and responded to the unjustified comments passed by the gang of men. The price she paid was a battle at the hospital and ultimately death. This particular case was brought to light hence it gained momentum, but what about the thousands of cases that go unreported or worse reported yet ignored? I recall watching a movie "Matrubhoomi" which painted a horrid picture of what the nation would turn into if things continued the way they are with respect to killing of girl children. General awareness needs to be spread among the simpletons around us, to make them realize the wider picture of the consequences that await such gruesome deeds.

As mentioned in my earlier blogs, it’s the attitude towards women that matters the most and you need to always aware that your family must be having a women in your families. If you are passing comments so rest assured that your sister/wife/cousin must also be listening to. What goes out comes back to you with added interest – that’s KARMA! Though talking about religious stuff doesn’t matter to those who are already leading their lives the wrong way.

I would like to dedicate this post to one of my known who was studying with me at CDAC Noida and used to travel from Palam to Sector 62 Noida daily through public transport way back in 2001. At that time there was no Metro in Delhi NCR and it was only the white line buses and shared autos from 12-22 to Khoda and sector 62 in Noida. To come from Palam to Dhaulan Kuan was also difficult with shared auto filled full & IGI work going on and no highways. The autowallahs in Palam area used to fill all ladies and then more people more than auto can carry. Ladies did complaint of the same but no ears as there was no other way to travel.

My friend A. Mathur was travelling as usual that day and a girl was being teased by the autowallahs being pushed for the seat to be created for more people. My friend tried to stop Autowallah from doing that and it literally came to hand fighting between the two. Not only my friend and the girl was thrown out from the auto, his wallet was also taken and he has to call his father at home to bring his car and some money so that he can make it to the study centre. It was his courage and sincerity towards women that he was able to stand against those people. I felt very proud to know that guy and being friend with him.

Thanks a lot!

This post is a part of <a title="#Soldierforwomen" href="http://www.gillette.com/en-IN/" target="_blank">#Soldierforwomen</a> in association with <a title="The Best Community of Indian Bloggers" href="http://www.blogadda.com" target="_blank">BlogAdda.com</a> 

Soldier for Women – My wife’s Brother

Hi All, 

A woman is the whole of nature wrapped up beautifully and sent to the world to make it a better place. She has the power to create, nourish, nurture, love and heal. Today, right from the moment the doctor tells a mother the three golden words, "It's a girl", a strange fear tugs the mother's heart. Fear of rejection, fear of what might be done to her because of the lack of that primarily important Y chromosome and the greatest of all, the fear of her little angel having to deal with rapists, eve teasers and dowry seekers. Each breathing moment carries a feeling of helplessness in the parents' hearts, when they see the apple of their eyes out alone in this big bad world.

In those moments of truth, it’s the brother/cousins who are of your own age and always acts as your friends for life. They are the protector and always are ready to go the extra mile to save you from all praying eyes. My wife is totally devoted to his brother Avanish who made her stand on her own feet. He helped her did ICWA and when that didn’t fetched her the job, he helped her to pursue MBA. He even helped her financially with the coaching fees, books, filling up all the forms and travel expenses. As she took admission to a prestigious MBA college he helped her with monthly expenses throughout for 2 years. She did manage to fetch a scholarship but all the other expenses were covered by him through his hard earned money. Finally he spent whatever was necessary to spent on her marriage to me, we had a love marriage and so no dowry was exchanged as we both saved money for our household goods and expenses through our jobs.

Overall, it’s his great love and sacrifice that my wife is happy with her life and what she is earning and what kind of job she is doing without MBA and with MBA. Avanish surely has helped her excel in her career and life.

Thanks a lot Saale sahib! 

This post is a part of <a title="#Soldierforwomen" href="http://www.gillette.com/en-IN/" target="_blank">#Soldierforwomen</a> in association with <a title="The Best Community of Indian Bloggers" href="http://www.blogadda.com" target="_blank">BlogAdda.com</a> 

Soldier for Women - Guards at our offices

Hi All,

As I entered the my office today, the guard at the gate said ‘Good Morning, Sir’. I was pleasantly surprised as this is not a usual phenomenon (unfortunately even from our side) and returned his greetings. I have been left wondering if it was a small gesture due to the fact that today is some special day or; whether it was an individual act or a collective decision by the administrative staff.  Out in the civil world we do get to see feel-good gestures every now and then from some people but not universally. When it comes to a woman’s security the need is for a universally secure environment in which we live. 

But once you are inside your company campus the guards are always there for your help. Starting from parking of your car, bike to checking of your identity cards and bags they do it all. They even help you to get the cabs and auto's. They are the unsung heroes who must have helped thousand of women and men staff at various moments of day to day work at an IT industry. 

Many a times we don't even look at their faces as we are completely engrossed in what to do and how much is left to be done in software coding/testing and other activities. This is really unrespectful on our part to not condsider them as someone and I too try to keep an check on myself to respect each and everyone. We are always alert in case of our boss is coming which ways or wherever he/she meets us, why not these guards?

In the end, it may have been an individual gesture or a part of an instruction given to them by their supervisor. If it was the former it’s appreciated very much but is an isolated gesture. If it was the latter, it would have been learning for many and a step in universal implementation. Perhaps, many would go home and greet their womenfolk lovingly & respectfully today.

As I see them they are really unsung heroes of our lives and I really salute them for being Solder for Women! 

Thanks all!   

This post is a part of <a title="#Soldierforwomen" href="http://www.gillette.com/en-IN/" target="_blank">#Soldierforwomen</a> in association with <a title="The Best Community of Indian Bloggers" href="http://www.blogadda.com" target="_blank">BlogAdda.com</a> 

Soldier for Women - It's us all - Father of daughters!

The safety of Women- a topic that called for heated discussions and massive protests throughout the country. India has witnessed a huge uproar, a revolution against lecherous members of the society who have caused immense shame to the entire country through their heinous acts.

The question on everyone's lips… the question that has been echoing around the globe, which has been blaring out of televisions and radio stations worldwide – “What is wrong with Indian men”?  Why is it that there are incessant incidences reported almost every day and even after numerous claims and promises by the government, police and judiciary nothing seems to have improved? Infact, the situation has worsened over time. Who is responsible for the safety of women in a country of 1 billion people??

The answer lies within each one of us, the only problem is we do not realize it. It needs a lot of brainstorming to identify that WE are responsible for all that is happening around us. Eve teasing, molestation and rape are the draconian forms of everyday petty incidences at our homes that we ignore. Each time a couple repents the birth of a girl child, however secretly, a shameful sin transpires. Each time a family favors their son over their daughter, the seed of superiority is sown in the mind of the little boy. The family gives fuel to this fire of superiority everyday by showing preferences towards the boy. It can be as trivial as letting him to go out and play while refraining his sister from doing so or dividing the responsibilities of household work among siblings in such a way that the girl gets to be holed up in the kitchen while the boy can go out to the market. As Mahatma Gandhi has said, for the first seven years of their lives, children are like clay. They will mould into respectful, responsible and honest citizens if you teach them to. This is the time children need to be taught equality and respect towards the opposite gender. We have to nip the mere thought of gender inequality in its bud.

The momentum gathered by the fight for a woman’s safety reveals a sad and bitter truth about our society. I believe that this issue cannot be solved superficially by shouting slogans or amending a few laws. After all, it is upto us to either follow the laws effectively or to flaunt them. If every father stops feeling the burden of his daughter’s marriage, if every mother seeks pride in letting her daughter make important decisions of her life herself, I bet the problem is solved there itself.

The situation we face today is not because of a man’s libido. Nor does it depend on the clothes of the girl or how late she chooses to come back home. The problem lies in the eyes of the beholder. The problem is the lack of respect given to women in this patriarchal society, by men and women alike. If every individual recognizes that a girl is not an object, that her place is not reserved in the kitchen, that she is not merely meant to cook and make life easier for her husband, that she is someone who has her own priorities, ambitions and dreams, we will triumph over this problem.

A major lesson that we all need to learn is that the Indian man is not solely responsible. At a time when everyone is ready to jump down the throat of every man they see, we must not forget the brave men who stood up to protect their friends, girlfriends, sisters or even complete strangers. Many men, like Keenan and Reuben have lost their lives fighting to stand up for the equality they believe in. Let us not forget that women are equally responsible. A few days after the Delhi gang rape, a woman sensitization program was being conducted by a senior woman scientist. In front of a large audience comprising of policemen, the public and senior government officials she lambasted the victim .In her opinion the gang rape victim should not have fought back while being raped since that may have ‘saved’ her intestines. She also wondered what she was doing at 9 PM alone with a boy. When powerful women are actively participating in victim blaming, how do we expect to change the mindset of boys who are brought up by these women?

Let us not forget that the responsibility of keeping a woman ‘safe’ is not merely restricted to protecting her from rape. It encompasses protecting her dignity and self esteem even after she has been raped. It means to never, ever blame the victim or make any excuses for the crime. It implies never questioning her intentions of staying out at night or wearing what she wants to. Would we question our sons if they wanted to wear shorts and go out for ice cream at midnight? Protecting her safety signifies protecting her from discrimination at every single step of her life.

Today, when the entire nation is clamoring over the problem, cribbing over the rules, critising the judiciary, the police and the government, I appeal to the people of India, dig deep into your family, because you have the capacity to bring about a change in your family and your neighborhood. Feel proud to be the father of a girl, don’t curb her freedom. Instead teach your son to respect his sister. Teach your daughter to be fearless and independent. Teach your children equality. Do not let their genders guide what you teach them. Irrespective of their sex, teach your children to cook and to play cricket. Teach them to sew buttons and to plan for their future. If your son is interested in fashion, send him to an art class. If your daughter is an athlete, coach her for the Olympics. While many have labeled this period in India as a fight for woman empowerment, I believe this is a fight for equality.

I see a soldier ready to think different and make my daughter all powerful to handle all life situations independently. I will be there to support her but not help her. It's the attitude that matters and every father has to become one Soldier in his or her family and do not differentiate kids on the basis of girl or boy! 

Thanks all!    

This post is a part of <a title="#Soldierforwomen" href="http://www.gillette.com/en-IN/" target="_blank">#Soldierforwomen</a> in association with <a title="The Best Community of Indian Bloggers" href="http://www.blogadda.com" target="_blank">BlogAdda.com</a>

  

Soldier for Women - What I learned from my dad?

Hi Soldiers,

Soldier is not the name but the attitude that some of us carry always and it is to respect everyone and come forward to support someone in distress. With society changing & deteriorating a lot in this uprising India we need soldiers not at the front but also in every walk of life. We need soldiers in buses, metros, every mode of public transport and on the roads, public spots, parks, parking…I can’t think of any location where we don’t need soldiers. With women becoming more and more independent & food earner of Modern India their security is always at stake as our society has not accepted the same at large. The political mindset too has not changed whereas all the Politician women power stays and lives in Delhi. That’s an irony of the thing but an event did reunited the whole country together & thought that women safety is a necessity and a priority. Helplines numbers have been opened but still incidents are visible as nothing has changed much so each and every citizen has to become a soldier in himself to save guard the women in their lives and society too.

Coming back to the soldier in my life is my Dad Suresh Kumar Jain who has always taught me to respect women and having the courage to stand for them in case required. He comes from a modest background with losing his father at the age when he just started his college first year. With 2 younger brother and a sister and no savings whatsoever he has to support his mother to run day to day expenses of his family. May be that was the time he saw the power of women in his life and took a decision to support them always. He did well to stand his whole family with the help of my grandmother and made a strong bond with all the family till now. All of us are now in very good positions with all kids of my generations are engineers and some has done MBAs from the likes of IIMs too.

Working as a branch manager in rural India Banks, my father has really helped a lot of women to stand on their feet with various government bank schemes to earn their daily living by opening small shops in their villages. He has helped settle family land disputes between brothers after father died and mother looking to sort out the matter. Family is of utmost importance to him as he understood the same very early in his life and so he was able to reconnect with all the rural people easily. He has various stories to tell us when we were growing up and that really made us to follow truth and remain ethical always. Good deeds will bring good results always! I totally believed in his motto for life.

Finally In the end all I can say that I still have to learn a lot from him and he is and will remain my soldier always! Thanks a lot dad!

This post is a part of <a title="#Soldierforwomen" href="http://www.gillette.com/en-IN/" target="_blank">#Soldierforwomen</a> in association with <a title="The Best Community of Indian Bloggers" href="http://www.blogadda.com" target="_blank">BlogAdda.com</a>

SatinCare

Gillette SatinCare

‘I wish I/she had opted for my/her hair removal’

The day when you wanted your wife to wear some party dress and her armpits are not shaved then  ‘I wish she had opted for her hair removal’ using Gillette Satin Care Razor.

That would have made those moments awesome and worthwhile. Enjoyed the time thought but she could not wear her party dress!


This post is a part of the <a href="http://www.satincare.com/" title="Gillette Satin Satin Care" target="_blank">Gillette Satin Care</a> contest in association with <a href="http://www.blogadda.com" title="BlogAdda.com" target="_blank">BlogAdda.com </a>

Cheers!!!

Support me if you like reading this blog post by buying me a cup of tea or coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheLifesWay Contact at thelifesway@gmail.com to collaborate and promote your services and products. Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel for giveaways, product reviews and mystery unboxings. #TheLifesWay #9YearsofTheLifesWay. Namaste!

Shave or Crave - Gillette 4 Me #TheLifesWay

Shave or Crave - Gillette 4 me

Shaving is always work that needs to be done daily or maybe after a day or two based on the growth of your beard and its type. I have always been very lazy to shave and thought that it hampers my skin and face softness. I have been using Gillette Sensor Excel since I first shaved way back in 1996. I still remember that I bought my first Gillette products from Gaffar Market, Delhi with a Gillette Foam (Lime version) & Sensor Excel razor.

Fast forward to the time when Gillette Mach3 was launched and I wanted it so much in 2002. My brother bought one from me in 2003 as a gift and ever since I started using Mach 3 till the time I saw Fusion firstly in London in 2010. Bought the razor along with Fusion Gel immediately but just kept using Mach 3.

After coming back to India, I went to an ambience mall and a promotional campaign gave me a chance to shave with Fusion5 in some Soldier campaigns. They gifted my used razor to me and I have been using the same throughout 2011. I started gifting my purchased Fusions from London to my relatives including my dad, father-in-law, brother and cousin brothers. They all were very happy but demanded more replacements of the blades. Fusion 5 is a great razor and normally can be used for more than six months. That's the history of my association with Gillette and now coming back on craving or shaving.

I strongly support shaving as it projects a great image and builds your self-esteem if you look good. I have always felt this way whenever I have shaved. Sometimes in winters, people tend to fall into the trap of laziness, but once you see the benefits of shaving and your image, you immediately want to shave. A person is what he projects of himself at least for the first impression.

Make men crave if he doesn't shave is a witty idea and it reminds me of a country where to pass resolutions, all law-makers wives stopped mating with them and the result was that the law was passed within less than a month. I hope that this marketing campaign can bring more and more benefits to society and Gillette as a whole. Don't forget to use Gillette Splash after shaving guys!

Hoping that you like my ideas and history with Gillette products. It's my first full-featured writing. Thanks a lot!

This post is a part of the <a href="https://apps.facebook.com/425290917524532/?fb_source=search&ref=ts&fref=ts" title="Shave or Crave" target="_blank">'Shave or Crave'</a> movement in association with <a href="http://www.blogadda.com" title="The biggest community of Indian Bloggers" target="_blank">BlogAdda.com</a>

Cheers!!!

Support me if you like reading this blog post by buying me a cup of tea or coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheLifesWay Contact at thelifesway@gmail.com to collaborate and promote your services and products. Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel for giveaways, product reviews and mystery unboxings. #TheLifesWay #9YearsofTheLifesWay. Namaste!