Royal Wedding - what people are talking about

Last weekend I was in London to see my in-laws off. I was thinking of going out to watch the Royal wedding celebrations but changed my decision at the thought of the crowds and my kids. We were able to watch the wedding in the comfort of my bro-in-law's house.

I really enjoyed and what ever people say, I think that the event was really what the British public needed. To a lot of people weary of the cuts, rise in prices, job losses and everything else, the event provided a welcome respite and brought cheer to a lot of people - even republicans. I am still enjoying the holidays.

Looking at the blogosphere and the various social media, the two most popular topics related to the wedding seem to be about bridesmaid Grace van Cutsem, who is also Prince William god daughter.

She was covering her ears and not really enjoying the event. Many thought that she might have some sensory problems (autism?) but people seem to forget that she is just 3 years old. Some of the comments were really cruel.

Another popular topic is Princess Beatrice's Philip Treacy Hat. It's a viral on the net now and you can even have your own picture with the hat on.

A lot of people don't seem to like the hat. If it was attention she was looking for when she choose the hat, she got it. I thought it was really brave of her.

Other popular news seems to be about Pippa Middleton, the bride's sister and maid of honour;and about the controversial snub of former (Labour)Prime Ministers, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, both of whom were not invited to the wedding.

Another autism guide

A few days back we had our son's six month review. This was to evaluate whether his school is suitable for him. We had fought hard to get a place in this school which is actually the only Mainstream school in Coventry to have a special autism unit attached with it. The places are limited but we were able to get our son in. We did not want to send him to a general special school which are not really focussed on children with autism.

Anyway, we have realised that because of our son, our research on autism has actually exceeded that of our own PhD research (based on the number of files and books we have in the house).

I will be carrying a list of blogs and resources on the net on autism with my readers. This is the first of the series.

While going through the net, I came across the autism guide for parents. This is an informative blog with short posts that I think will assist parents of autistic children. There are several posts and one of the posts talks about 'how parent's cope with autistic children". I can definitely relate to some of the stuff written down there. I wish other parents with neurotypical children understand what we have to go through.

Join us in our journey with our son Imaan as well.

Alternative registration for cars in California

If you live in California and hate to queue up to register your car with the Department of Motor vehicles or the DMV, visit Nodmvlines.com.

According to Skeet DMV Consultant and Owner of Nodmvlines.com, if you need to register your car, she will deal with the DMV so that you do not need to go in, make an appointment, or ever have to go to the DMV and wait in line.

The office is located at 21777 Ventura Boulevard Suite 267, Woodland Hills, CA 91364.

The service will take care of all registration requirements so you dont have to wait or make an appointment. Other services include transfer of vehicle ownership, lost plates and certificates, registration of out-of-state vehicles among others. The company can also help you obtain personalised plates as well.

Please visit the site for more details. More content will be added soon.

Sponsored Post

Warm baselayer made from bamboo

Last month, the guys at BAM Bamboo clothing sent me a Zip neck baselayer to review.

It was a perfect fit when I first tried it on and it really felt comfy. I have been using it for a while now and I only have good things to say about it. It was apparently designed for skiers and come with thumbloops to keep wrists warm and prevent snow going up your sleeves when you have a wipeout.



When using it for cycling, I don't use the thumbloops as they were uncomfortable with the gloves on.

The first time I tried it on while cycling to the University of Warwick campus, the morning air was a bit nippy and I put a light jacket on. Halfway to the University, it became warmer and after a while I was sweating really bad. I stopped halfway and took off my jacket which is waterproof. I was soaked but I had no choice but to go on. The cold air was refreshing and I reached my office soon. I took the baselayer off which was soaking wet in the toilet and put on a fresh T-shirt I had bought along. As usual, I dried off the baselayer on top of the radiator and it was completely dry in a couple of minutes before my room mates came in.

The great thing was that despite all the sweat, it was not smelly at all. I later found out that the baselayer is guaranteed to be odour free. I know of many people who refuse to go into a lift with a sweating cyclist - this revolutionary clothing might actually change that. I also read somewhere that the bamboo fibres inhibit bacterial growth and is also anti-fungal and anti-static (meaning it won't stick to your skin) as well.

On the way back home, I wore it without the jacket and I was quite comfortable despite the chilly air. It is quite long and doesn't ride up my back while cycling which is really good. The wicking action was as good as my other baselayers but this one felt much warmer. The other baselayers have a mash type of material which facilitates wicking but can get really chilly.



Since then, I have worn the baselayer several times when cycling and even at home when it gets a bit chilly. It costs £40 in the online BAM store I am definitely going to buy a few more of them.

Bad experience with Etihad

It's really shocking how some big companies treat (or should I say mistreat) their customers. My brother-in-law was just telling us about their bad experience with Etihad Airways(which is the national airline of the UAE) recently and I wanted to blog about it here so that other people are aware. It was really surprising because the company has a long list of awards which they have won for their customer service.

They had bought a ticket to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from London for my nephew in January. Somehow they ended up charging my brother-in-law's credit card twice. The amount is about £550 which is not a small sum.

He promptly called them up to get a reimbursement following which they directed him to send them an email with details of the ticket/transaction. Apparently he has had the same conversation a few times and have been sending them back similar emails several times as well.

It has been three months since the original travel date and my brother-in-law still hasn't received anything, not even an acknowledgement.

In the meantime, he's been paying interest on the cost. Right now he totally fed up and is contemplating sending an official complaint to Consumer Direct.

I hope they solve it before it goes to that.

An ethical question

Imagine that your company (an MNC) is looking forward to enter a foreign country. You are the manager responsible for the entry and dealing with foreign Government officials.

After a few months of negotiations, the Government officials of the country which has recently opened up a particular sector, have agreed to let you in and also give you preferential treatment. Getting this approval is crucial as it would mean that your company would have the first mover advantage. None of your competitors have entered the market yet.

The chief Government official responsible for the decision calls you suddenly and when you get to his office, he suddenly makes it clear that he would require a cut - a gift for "services rendered". He also hints that even though your company had the approval "almost in your hands, there was still a chance that you might lose it if you delayed....".

He makes it clear that if you don't agree to provide a cut, they were going to choose another competitor even though they were clearly no where near as as good as your company. He also mentioned that he was willing to negotiate.

Your company does not have a policy with regards to "gift giving" or "kickbacks" and you know that if you refuse, there were several other companies who would go ahead and give money just to get into the newly opened lucrative market.

You don't want to lose out on this opportunity but at the same time, you are not comfortable with the idea of engaging in corruption.

Put yourself in the shoes of this manager.

What would you do?

Manipur, the sports powerhouse of India

Manipur, a small strife torn state in the north-eastern corner of India has emerged as the sports powerhouse of the country. At the recently concluded 34th National Games held in
held from 12 February 2011 to 26 February 2011 at Ranchi in the state of Jharkhand, they came second with a total of 108 medal including 46 gold, 33 silver and 29 bronge medals behind Services (Services Sports Control Board - SSCB), which was a combined team of the Indian armed forces. Manipur took the best state award.

What makes it more amazing is the fact that "35 Manipuris won medals for the Services Board, 17 of them won medals for Jharkhand, 11 for Delhi, six for Kerala, 34 for Madhya Pradesh, two for Uttar Pradesh, one for Karnataka, two for Andhra Pradesh, 21 for Assam, two for Orissa and one for Bihar."

Manipuris have been making a mark internationally as well and during the Common Wealth Games, 2010 at Delhi, Manipur players have won 3 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze Medals. Among those who have made their mark internationally is MC Mary Kom,a mother of two who is five times World Boxing Champion and aiming for a Olympic Gold in 2012. She follows in the footsteps of Dingko Singh, another boxer who won the gold medal at 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok.

This is pretty amazing for a state which makes up only 0.1% of India's population (2,388,634) and has seen a violent separatist insurgency since 1964. According to a journalist friend of mine, the state has had more people die due to the violence as compared to Kashmir, another troubled state but has been out of the international media spotlight. The state has no particular industry of note and government jobs are in high demand. Successful sports people are often given huge cash prizes and jobs in the public sector, especially in the armed forces and thus this is a huge incentive to take up sports as a career.

I wonder whether investing in sports might be a better strategy for the Indian Government to defeat the insurgency rather then sending more troops into the state.