A CHANCE TO WIN A LENOVO K900!!!

This little wonder has a Dual Core 2.0 GHz processor, has a 5.5 full HD display, a 13 megapixel camera as well as runs Android Jellybean 4.2. Find a full list of specs here.

All you need to do to win this beauty is:
1) "Like" my Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/kiranscorner
2) "Follow" me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kchhabria
3)  Send me an email to kiran@kiranscorner.com with "Done" as the Subject. In the email please let me know your name on Facebook and on Twitter (your Twitter handle).

Here's a few things to remember-
- The entry is open for the next 2 weeks till the 5th of September 2013.
- The competition is open to Jumbo and Lenovo staff in the UAE too.
- The competition is open to anyone in the world who can get someone to pick up the phone from the Jumbo Office in Dubai! I will not be posting the phone out.
- If you already are following me on Facebook and Twitter, please go ahead and follow step 3 above!

Good luck guys!!
-
A big shout out and thanks to the folks at Lenovo for the device!! 
Jumbo has recently been appointed as the distributor for Lenovo phones.. and trust me, they have a fantastic range of phones at amazing prices!! You can go to any one of the Jumbo showrooms to check out the range as well as the K900, which really is a fantastic device!
-

Book review- To Kill a Mockingbird

There are some books that are quick reads, some that are absorbing reads, you have the funny reads, the trashy beach reads... and there are some that reach out and touch you, enrich your life and forever change you. In recent years Palace of Illusions was one such book for me, and last night I finished To Kill a Mockingbird with a sense of wonder and amazement. What amazed me more than the glorious writing though, was the fact that every one around me seemed to have read the book but me.

If you belong to the few who haven't as yet read the book, or were forced to read it in school but don't quite remember it, can I please urge you to pick it up? The story is about a lawyer, the formidable Atticus Finch, who defends an innocent black man in court for the alleged raping of a white girl. What makes the novel particularly moving however, is that the entire story is seen through the eyes of Atticus's five year old daughter's eyes.

Atticus is a single parent raising his two kids, Jem and Scout, in a very poor and prejudiced town in Alabama. Throughout the novel Atticus does the best he can in trying to impart words of wisdom to his kids, and tries to raise them the best way he knows how.
“Atticus said to Jem one day, "I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird." Throughout the novel we view the loss of innocence of the kids, of the townspeople and see a clear fight between good and evil. Sometimes evil wins, and Lee, the author, does a beautiful job of depicting a Father trying to explain to his kids why that is sometimes so, showing them how to deal with adversity in his life.

It is no wonder that this book was a Pulitzer Prize winner and it's sad to think that this is the only book Harper Lee ever wrote. She is a gifted storyteller and once you're done reading the book it may be of interest to you to read about the Authors own childhood and upbringing. 

This book is one of the most magnificent ones I've read and is in places deliciously funny, while making me cry in others. It's not only a snapshot of the times (the South during the great depression) but also of a family dealing with death and loss, hope and light, and all the prejudices and struggles that come in between.

Really, I can't put it in any more words than this- To Kill a Mockingbird has to be one of the best books I have ever read.
-

Book Review- On Writing

I have read a few "how-to" books on writing novels, (some really excellent ones like Bird by Bird and Writing Down the Bones) and was always ironically looking for instructions on what to write about, and how to actually start. Years of reading on the subject got me nowhere, but recently something strange and wonderful happened. A novel sort of just poured out of me... as if by magic. Now while I had a rough first draft out, I had no clue on how to actually go about editing and creating a second draft, despite knowing what changes I wanted made. My masterpiece felt like a house of cards with great big gaps in the middle that I knew I wanted and needed to fill, but instead I felt like I was being consumed with what felt like writers block. I went on to Amazon.com in the hopes of finding a book that could help me out and that's what I found On Writing.

On Writing, a memoir of the craft, is written by Stephen King who is best known for his sci-fi/horror genre of work like Carrie and The Green Mile.While I have never even read anything by him and have no intentions of writing about aliens or poltergeists, the reviews on Amazon seemed promising and the best part of the book was that it was short. After all, I needed to get back to my own writing so needed a quick read and fix. What I was met with however, was great writing, extremely useful tips and a very motivating life story.

The book is split up into three parts with the first being about the writer's life right from his earliest memories to now. A boring autobiography this is not. There are short chapters that literally capture memories from King's life and are beautifully written, sometimes being laugh-out-loud funny to having some poignant moments that had me teary eyed. The second part is actually where the tips on writing are to be found. The third part talks about the writer's brush with death, when a driver ran him over while he was out for a walk. Again, I have never read any of Stephen King's work but reading On Writing really made me want to.

You don't have to be a writer to read or enjoy this book, but if you are a writer, I really suggest you pick this one up. This is one of the best books on writing that I have ever read. There are many handy tools present here, and ones that I could actually use and I wish I'd read the book before. One of things he keeps stressing on is "writing with the door closed" which not only means writing away from distractions, but not sharing your work with people till the entire thing is complete. I was sending out my work, chapter by chapter, to well meaning friends, and all the issues I have now are actually an outcome of that. In terms of my dilemma, he actually advises shelving the first draft away for six weeks before coming back to it, so by default my taking "time off" was actually just what was needed. I will be taking some more time to destress and get back into reading before I face my work again.

Again, if you do like to write, I cannot recommend this book enough. However, if you are a fan of Stephen King's work, want to know more about his life or just want to read some literature about the life of an author, I'd highly recommend this be your next book. A great, great read and one that I'll be referring back to in later years for sure.
-

My experience with Bentley in Dubai-

For over a year now I've been in the market for a new car. While I knew I wanted to upgrade my old Cayeanne Turbo (with the old shape) to a newer one, I was confused about what to upgrade my 917 Turbo Cabriolet to. As you can probably tell, I am a die hard Porsche fan. I've had my Turbo for 4 years now and before had a Carrera 4S Cabriolet for another 4. I decided though that it was time to test out something new and have been confused about what to change my car to for a very long time now.

 I'd written almost two years ago about test driving a Ferrari California and while I loved it, I just didn't quite love it enough to give up my Porsche for it. This year however I decided I really had to change my car and contacted my friends over at Ferrari again who handed me the car keys for another California for 4 days. "Talk about SERVICE!" I exclaimed to anyone willing to listen. They'd come over, handed the car with car keys to me, taken a signature and said, "call us when you want us to pick it up." That damn call was one of the hardest I've ever made.
I was still was going to go ahead and order it when a little birdy told me that the shape of the car was going to get changed in 2015. Since I'd be getting a 2014 edition, it just didn't make sense for me to go in for one now. I test drove the new Bentley V8 GT but despite its fantastic price (for a Bentley that is) I just wasn't convinced. I was going to test drive the Mercedes SLS but a visit to the showroom where I actually sat inside the car made me realize it's nose was way too long I'd visualized myself crashing into people all over Dubai. I've never been a fan of the Maseratis or Astons and the zippy Audi R8 was also rumoured to be getting a change of shape next year.

That's when a friend of mine pointed me into the direction of the Bentley GT Speed Convertible- I test drove it and it was an absolutely dream on wheels and after that there was absolutely NO doubt in my head that that was the car I needed to get. Maybe lacking the sex appeal of the Ferrari, it more than made up for it in driving pleasure, comfort and sheer luxury! Did I mention that this is the fastest convertible and probably the second fastest car in the world? This however is not a review of the car as I had it for less than half an hour. I grumbled about the short time I had to play with it but decided to order it as I was completely in love with it.

I was dealing with a gentleman by the name of Anas at Bentley and I have to say, this guy was fantastic. While even picking out which car I should get the guy had advised me to go for the v8 instead of the more expensive W12 as he said the performance of the car was just as good. Even while picking options for the car there were many add ons that he said were a stupid expense, like the 30K stereo system I was thinking of getting. And as soon as I'd finished placing my order, he then called me with a huge surprise- While my ordered car was only coming in November, he said he'd be happy to give me a brand new Bentley V8 to drive till then, absolutely free!! I was absolutely blown away. Mind you I was the last one in the family to actually get one as all my family are Bentley fans and I think my sister was even the first person to get one in India. I don't know about the type of service they received, but I must say, I am was one happy camper. What happened you ask?? Weeeeell, as luck would have it, without having a SINGLE accident in all the years I've been driving, someone decided to bump into and dent the loaner Bentley 10 days into me having it, that too while it was parked somewhere. While Bentley was great about it and fixed it at no extra charge and was happy to hand it back to me but I really didn't want the responsibility of driving the car just IN CASE something else went wrong. Paying for one of them was bad enough! Besides, I was scheduled to leave for my summer vacation a week after (still in Dubai however... don't ask!)

After driving the V8 for those 10 days, I was extremely happy I'd decided to get brand new Speed version instead. If you do get a chance, I really suggest you test drive the cars. And if you do decide to deal with them, I cannot recommend dealing with Anas enough. He was absolutely fabulous, and if sending me a car wasn't good enough, he followed it up with 2 bags full of Bentley swag. I can't rave about their cars and customer service enough!! While I'll review mine when I get it in November, here is a short instagram video I made of the loaner V8-


You can contact Anas at anase@bentleyemirates.ae. Thanks again Anas for the fab service! 
-