iPhone 6 Best Phone For Taking Pictures

We all have a phone, be it a smartphone, regular phone or the basic landline phone. But now advanced is definitely much better.

Smartphones have surely conquered all the cliches attached to phones that these devices are merely meant only for communication. Smartphones nowadays are much more than communication devices. They are almost our everything!

I am a big fan of photography. I admire beautiful pictures, I am particular about my own pictures and also enjoy taking pictures of my loved ones and of scenarios.

Our recent trip to the States was one amazing experience and luckily I got to capture almost every beautiful moment in a picture. From the Golden Gate bridge to the beautiful sunset at the Big Sur drive, I got to click every moment.

But this time most of the pictures were not taken with my canon DSLR camera but with my iPhone 6.

So I just wanted to share with you, in particular, the advantages of carrying an iPhone 6 with you especially while traveling.

Big Camera VS iPhone 6

1.Smartphones are Easy to Carry

Big cameras are like an extra luggage piece. They need extra care and have weight. iPhone 6 or any other smartphone can be easily carried in your pocket and is pretty sturdy.

2.Large storage

iPhone 6 has a storage capacity of up to 16GB which means you can store almost more than 5000 pictures.

3.Long Battery Life

As compared to iPhone 6 my camera’s battery life was low and whenever my cameras battery disappointed me with its low battery life my iPhone 6 was always there.

4.Amazing Pictures

The picture quality of the iPhone 6 is pretty amazing. I know there are many people who argue about the megapixels in iPhone 6 being only 8 megapixels. And other smartphones have more megapixels, but trust me this just didn’t affect the quality of my pictures. In fact, any picture that I took from my camera and my iPhone 6 had no difference at all.The main talking point is Focus Pixels, additional elements that work out where light is actually coming from, so they can provide directional information to the camera to focus more quickly.This, combined with the lower MP count (which makes the task of taking a photo less onerous for the sensor) improves snapping speed.via iPhone 6 review.

5.Best “Selfie” Phone

Although I am not a big fan of taking selfies but for some reason because of friends and family I have to become a part of it. And when it came to taking selfies with my iPhone surely everyone was impressed. And yes I did take some selfie shots of myself and couldn’t resist admiring myself 🙂

6.Instant Share

Also one of the biggest advantages of taking pictures from any smartphone is that you can instantly share it online. And before you upload your photos right away you can always do some basic editing like managing the light add some effects and also crop the image.

As December is usually the month of weddings and anniversaries in Karachi and people are usually looking for the perfect gift for their loved ones, an iPhone 6 I think would be a pretty valued gift.

Also if you check online the prices are less.

As the winter season is approaching I am anticipating sale season. Last year we witnessed a huge sale in different outlets in Karachi, from Gul Ahmed to many other big names, the sale was pretty daunting and so it was on Daraz Black Friday Sale.

It is expected that there will be a same kind of sale this year too on Black Friday. So keep an eye on the prices of the products that you want to purchase, because the prices suddenly become very less, and you don’t want to miss it.

Trust me online shopping is the easiest shopping!

Winter Shopping Festival; Is It Really Worth It?

As the beautiful cool winter breeze sweeps the land of Karachi, people make more and more trips to malls and other shopping centers. And why not after all we literally fight the brutal scorching heat all year round and two beautiful winter months are utter bliss for us!

We have more weddings, more birthdays, more anniversaries, friends and family visiting from abroad and the pretty long winter vacations. So winters here are basically in all a celebrations for the Karachiites.

Now with so much happiness, fun, excitement around the corner why wont the big corporate business cash on these good times. Of course they will!!

So just like the West starts preparing for its holiday season which comprises of Thanksgiving and Christmas we also start preparing for mainly weddings and the New Year.

Black Friday the Start of It…….

Now with that said this year there was a new trend all over Pakistan and that is the complete awareness of Black Friday which was 27th November this year.

By awareness, I basically mean that most of the people knew that Black Friday means Big Sale and since most of us have information on our finger tips, the word did spread. From online sources like Daraz.pk to 70% sale by Gul Ahmed, the eager shoppers had already made plans to head to the shopping malls the first thing on 27th November.

And although I am too an eager shopper; can’t really say shopaholic the word “Sale” does excite me, so somehow managed to make a trip to Dolmen Mall Clifton around 10 at night and what I witnessed was something for the first time at least in Dolmen Mall.

A crowd of excited ladies waiting in line outside Sapphire Outlet….. and security guards on position to stop women from bursting inside. And just like the typical psychological magnetic attitude that we have when we see a crowd I also was intrigued as to whats happening inside and how much was the discount?

But owing to the circumstances I wouldn’t dare even try entering inside… later on sources told me that they offered a flat 50% off on ALL items, which is actually good but wait…… the original prices of Sapphire silk screen prints were for Rs.8000 to Rs. 10,000 and 50% means that it now costs Rs. 4000- 5000 which is still pricey!

How Many People Perceive Sale As….

But sale is sale and to most of the people its almost like a charity by the big brand that they are offering to the consumers by deducting their own profits so that’s why people madly fall for it and in turn end up buying heaps of stuff thus doubling or tripling their own expenditure!

What is the “Real Worth”?

And since its very hard to actually make out the actual worth of a dress/shirt/kurta, since we all know what the actual cost of lose fabric (cotton,lawn, chiffon, silk, satin, cambric, khaddar, swiss voile etc) is, and then the regular stitching cost with added designing features like ( ribbons, appliques, stones, sequins, diamentes etc) and what the overall cost would be? Thus we Pakistanis still need to be 100% guaranteed that what we are paying for has an actual value/worth especially for clothes.

Because Pakistan is a country where an entire wedding can take place for Rs. 1 lakh including food, dresses shopping etc and in another situation just a bridal dress can cost up to Rs. 15 lakh, so we really don’t know whats the actual worth?

But since we all are always in constant need of clothes for some reason or the other, people who wish to spend less and buy more are active participants of such Sales.

So coming back to the winter shopping festival that now almost every big name is offering from Gul ahmed to Khaadi, Al Karam etc I also did participate in this festival by spending a fair amount.

“But a very important thing to keep in mind when shopping from sales is make sure to read the tags correctly, if it says …. up to 70% off then it means that the sale might begin from as less as 20% and it also might be that you won’t be able to find a single item of 70%off.”

And even when they claim that 50% of on ALL ITEMS its not always true.

So here’s a review of the Sales that I shopped from:-

Gul ahmed upt0 70% Off

Very good actually!

My cousin had to buy a fancy formal dries for his fiance, the actual price of the dress was Rs.18000 and after 30% off it was for Rs. 12000 . The dress was pretty good actually because it was made on a nice cambric material with elegant gold embroidery, with a chiffon dupatta and cotton trouser. A three piece ready made formal dress from sale is a good deal.

And my mom in law bought some nice bed sheets of 50% discount, which ranged pretty less.

Khaadi Sale 50% on All ITEMS

I received a SMS from Khaadi about their upcoming 50% sale on ALL ITEMS. What ALL ITEMS??? This must be awesome I thought and I did mange to make a trip on that day sometime late in the evening, since there was a small crowd gathered outside Khaadi clothes I decided to check Khaadi Home.

It was basically Khaadi Home which offered the real 50% off on All ITEMS, yes on all items!

And this did get me!

Beautiful cotton King Size bed sheets worth Rs 3000 were for Rs 1500 and silk printed cushion covers actual price Rs 700 now for Rs 350 which is sale in real terms, traditional tea coasters actual price Rs. 1000 now for Rs 500 and so I did buy lots of home stuff for a reduced price and was pretty happy with it.

A Big Thumbs Up for Khaadi Home Sale. This was a true shopping festival.

Now Khaadi Clothes. After waiting for 5 minutes in line we did enter Khaadi and thankfully women were very well behaved, there was no shouting, no making faces to each other if they both laid hands on the same dress, no snatching, the crowd was actually very well behaved.

And so there was a rack of clothes that claimed 50% discount I did pick a few but to my dismay only one of them was 50% off and the rest were 30% off and even more to this the dresses were half unpacked which wouldn’t display the entire design so thinking that I got a long shirt when I got home it, I found that it was a short shirt.

So when it comes to Khaadi clothes sale I won’t really rate it 5/5 because not all items were 50% discount and most of the dresses were 30% off. However since its Khaadi and their designs are pretty unique paying Rs. 1800 for a shirt is fairly OK.

The Next Big Thing in the list of Sales is Origins Sale

I am a big fan of Origin dresses, their colors never fade, their stitching is professional and their designs are always a mix of urban and traditional designs.

But as I am searching through their online store I can hardly spot a 60% off item, and this is giving me doubts as to will the visit be worth it?

By now you all must be also viewing crazy videos of whats happening in Aga Noor or the cat fight in Sapphires outlet, and when such videos are going viral we can also make out as to which direction these women are headed too!

A simple piece of dress which is not EVEN FREE cannot turn you into a beauty queen over night and I may not be an authority to give my opinion its just a simple thought that I wish to share with my readers. 🙂

Happy Winters and Spend Wisely!

Meat One Qurbaani Service Review

Honestly for me Eid ul Azha or Bakra Eid is entirely a family affair. Parents, cousins, aunts, more the people, the merrier the festivities are.

After all human resource counts when you bring down a big cow and chop it into pieces!

And because this time most of my family was abroad and we were just a few here, bringing a cow home for Bakra Eid wasnt a possibility, so we opted for Hisa.

We searched around the vicinity (Defence and Clifton) and short listed two notable Qurbaani services Meat One and Saylaani and finally laid the verdict on Meat One.

Meat One has built quite a reputation in a very short time. And it has maintained its standards. Although the meat products are a bit overpriced, people who wish to buy from there have kept the business running so far.

Meat One Qurbaani Service

A Part/ Hisa of cow was for Rs 13,000 inclusive of taxes and a goat was for Rs. 19,000 inclusive of taxes.

Although Saylaani were charging Rs. 8000 inclusive of taxes for Cow Part and Rs. 12,000 for a Goat.

Since many people opt for Qurbaani from Meat One its a better idea to get your booking done a week before Eid or they will turn you down.

I must say their computerized system is pretty impressive and all the information is jolted down in the computers software and you receive a receipt, confirming the name and date and time of the arrival of the meat.

So now my main concern was Will Meat One justify its price? This was a mystery which would be solved only on Eid.

We were allotted a time between 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, but because our rider got a bit confused while searching for the address our delivery was delayed by half an hour.

Finally when our part of meat arrived I was impressed.

A clean, labelled zipper bag with a proper thermocol box inside to maintain the freshness of the meat. And what surprised me even more was that the parts of the meat were properly distributed in separate plastic pouches.

Mince, boneless meat, bone meat, trotters, and steak pieces all were separate. And also the meat pieces were very clean opposed to the usual regular butchers who chop the meat mercilessly and always leave the extra fat on the meat.

Meat One Qurbaani Service is a big Thumbs Up from my side!

3 Bahadur Review: Awesome Movie

Today I finally got a chance to watch the movie 3 Bahadur with my 5 year old boy.

We went to Nueplex Cinema along with some of his school friends and their moms.

We took the 2:30 show in Cinema 1, which is one of the biggest screen there.

3 Bahadur started with a melodious song about life, happiness, ownership which sparked positive emotions in the audience and excited everyone for the movie.

The story is quite obvious and predictable; evil versus good and in the end its always good that prevails.

However owing to the fact that this is a 100% Pakistani made movie, one can’t help a hats off to the movie.

Superb graphics, amazing voice overs, every minor detail was beautifully crafted reflecting a typical Pakistani neighborhood.

The only thing that did let loose the grip was Mangus (the villain) voice over by Aly Khan, his voice was not strong enough to do justice to the character.

My favorite character was Kamil (Hanzala Shahid) one of the 3 Bahadurs, he was the cutest and most innocent one.

His thick bubbly voice tickled the audience and kids were laughing out loud in the cinema every time Kamil would do a blunder.

The movie depicted amazing situational comedy to which almost every Pakistani kid can relate to.

Another plus point about 3 Bahadur is the deliverance in proper conversational Urdu, which uplifts the importance of Urdu language in our children.

I suggest every parent to watch 3 Bahadur with their kids.

A treat they are sure to enjoy!

Green Line Train Pakistan: Live Review

Finally I did get a chance to travel in Green Line train and to be honest I was totally “WOWED”.

We went to Kashmir via Lahore and Islamabad.

There’s a whole lot to share but over here I will stick to my experience with Green Line.

We wished to go to Islamabad from Karachi through Green Line but this couldn’t be possible because we didn’t get the tickets. Even a week before when we went to Cantt station to buy tickets for 6 people, and since we were hoping to get one compartment there were no seats available, separate seats however were available; so we had no other choice but to go for Business Express from Karachi to Lahore and then from Lahore on a daewoo to Islamabad.

So a very important point to keep in mind here is that if you wish to travel through Green Line Train, then book your tickets at least 15 days in advance and especially if its more than 2 people traveling.

Since our trip was very tightly scheduled because Ramzan was due the next week we couldn’t afford to take chances and so we got our return tickets on Green Line Train from Lahore to Karachi.

The cost of one adult persons ticket is Rs. 5000 one way and for my 5 year old boy it cost Rs.3750 and my 2 year old traveled for free.

Our train was due at 8:10 pm from Lahore and the train took off at exact 8:13 pm.

I suddenly compared to Swiss trains where people can match trains to a clock, and for sure this was a big thing for us a Pakistani train to be almost on time.

The next thing, we stepped inside the train and it was so clean, we got in our compartment, and it was provided with clean blankets, plastic cups and pillows.

We found the pillow covers a bit more used and dirty so we asked for a change of pillow covers, the attendants were very kind and provided us with clean pillow covers.

The Air conditioner was in perfect working condition and its cooling was superb.

We were provided with an urdu newspaper and next was dinner. As compared to Business Express Train dinner arrived a bit late. On Business Express we were served dinner at 8:00 pm and on Green Line Train dinner arrived at 9:00 pm.

Dinner was delicious, hot and fresh.

There were 2 naans, ample amount of chicken salan, daal and Adams zeera raita.

Except for the fact there was no rice and dessert, the food gets full stars in terms of taste and freshness.

Although the train wasn’t like a fast train it did have speed and by not stopping for long at small stations, it didn’t make the passengers agitated.

There was a Changhong LCD screen and it did have a nice collection of documentaries, old Pakistani dramas like Angar Waadi, Bollywood movie Gabbar, Hollywood movies Focus and The Kingsman: The Secret Service, Children’s movie Home Alone.

But the biggest drawback of the Green Line Train was a very inefficient working WiFi. It just didn’t work. It showed glimpses of working at some stops but overall one cant call it an available WiFi. And I Really hope that in near future their WiFi systems gets to work.

We slept comfortably since their AC was not chilling cold as compared to Business Express, in which the AC was exceptionally cold that we had to cover ourselves with layers of clothing, especially kids.

Another remarkable feature of the Green Line Train was the separate washing basins, which are located at the end of each compartment. So you don’t have to go to the toilet just to wash your hands or wash your baby’s bottle etc.

Water dispensers for hot and cold water are a huge help for mothers with little kids.

The next morning around 7:00 am we were provided with newspapers and a complimentary morning kit which consisted of a toothbrush, a small tube of close up, a comb, a razor and shaving cream and a small soap. Things that are extremely useful for any person traveling.

Around 8:30 am breakfast was served with 3 toasts, a perfectly cooked omelet, butter, jam and tea and a spoon and a spreading knife.

All the meals served in Green Line Train mostly satisfies the common mans hunger and one hardly feels the urge to buy items from different stations.

We reached Karachi right on time which was 1:45 pm, without any delay.

Best Features of Green Line Train

Fully air conditioned coaches.
Free WiFi. (Its free but not working)
Special lounges for the Green Line Train passengers in the stations of Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad. (A big plus) The lounges have comfortable sofas and big air conditioners but the condition of the toilets is very average)
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included in your fare.
Free mineral water, newspapers.
Clean pillows and blankets provided.

Green Line Train Fare

Karachi to Lahore Rs. 5000 (Adult)
Karachi to Lahore Rs. 3750 (Children aged between 3- 10 years)
Karachi to Islamabad Rs. 5500 (Adult)
Karachi to Islamabad Rs. 4130 (Children aged between 3-10 years)

Green Line Train Timing

From Karachi Cantt the train leaves at 9:30 pm and reaches Margalla station Islamabad at 8:45 pm.

From Islamabad Departure at 3:15 pm and arrival in Karachi at 2:30 pm.

Green Line Train Route

From Karachi to Hyderabad to Rohri, to Khanewal, to Lahore and Rawalpindi to Islamabad.

Advance booking and ticket purchasing can be done from Cantt station Karachi.

It was an absolute pleasurable experience to travel in Green Line Train with family and kids. Very comfortable and enjoyable.

Wishing all the best to Green Line Train for the future and hope that it always maintains its status.

The next time we plan to go to Lahore or Islamabad its definitely by Green Line Train.

Ensemble Salon: Simply Love It for Their Deals!

One thing that we all want from a service providing business is Client Satisfaction or simply put it this way, “We all want to walk out of a salon feeling beautiful and satisfied.”

Karachi is huge city and there are hundreds of salons here, from the very low standard and unhygienic beauty parlors to the highly advanced, spick and span, shining, pricey salons and spas.

Every woman visits her salon according to her pocket size and is either happy or unsatisfied.

As I am living in Defence, most of the salons here are notable and usually have a good reputation.

From Allenora to Toni & Guy to Ensemble Salon I’ve been to all, but lately I’ve laid my hands on Ensemble Salon.

Although distance doesn’t matter when you have a driver to drive you around, but still if some place is closer to you then its always a plus.

Ensemble Salon being located on one of the poshest streets of Karachi is one of the best salons here.

The best thing I like about it, is their excellent customer service, they are not snobs at all and always welcome every new customer with much warmth and respect.

All their staff is always smiling and they don’t make customers wait for long.

Since I usually do my makeup myself and don’t usually go to salons for makeup I cant give any comments about how well their makeup is.

However I have got my entire hair colored with highlights and low lights from there and I was very much happy with that.

And besides their hair color, costs are less as compared to Tony and Guy, I can tell you that because I also got my hair colored from Tony and Guy once but wasn’t satisfied at all.And they charged much much more.

For the past one year I simply close my eyes and go to Ensemble Salon for all other services.

And also recommend it to others.

Ensemble Salon Deals

But one of the most amazing thing about Ensemble Salon is their “Deals”

Very affordable, and almost a like a complete package for your day, one cant help availing the deals.

I will attach their facebook page here and you can get all the details here:-

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ensemble-Salon/222883931063440?fref=ts

C-32 E street, Blk 4 Clifton.
Monday – Friday: 9 am to 8 pm
Saturday: 11 am to 8 pm
Sunday: 1 pm to 8 pm
For appointments: 021-35821613, 0300-8245607

Vital Tea a Huge Disappointment

Its a dilemma with many new local brands is that they become the spotlight suddenly and suddenly go down the memory lane because of poor performance.

My family had been using Vital tea for the past 1 year, in fact relatives would even ask me about which tea I’m using and I would proudly answer Vital tea.

It was supposed to be so good, I was a real salesperson for this tea, and surely Vital tea had an amazing taste.

“Strong but not too strong, nice smell, awesome taste and the X factor KICK that’s needed once we have that first sip of tea.”

So once again we went for grocery to Hyperstar and I bought Vital tea.

I usually get the 475 gram pack which costs for Rs. 261 very economical as compared to many other brands.

But its never the lOW COST that convinces buyers to buy a product; its always always the QUALITY

However, this time I fell in the trap of marketing and sales.

I bought the 950g pack of Vital Tea worth Rs 558 because it had free tray offer and later we could also win a prize.

But since this was our favorite tea I wouldn’t mind a free tray and a prize.

Once we got home and I made tea, I kept waiting and waiting for the aroma to arise, but no it just didn’t and when I poured it in my cup it produced a very light color I wondered whats wrong??? This is always the way I make m tea, then I thought the taste will be fine but NO to my big disappointment the taste was totally bland.

No taste of tea at all, at first I doubted my technique of making tea but 2-3 trials produced the same result.

Sad that they have badly dropped down their quality and sad that I had bought the 1 Kg pack.

Now no more Vital tea at my place.

In search of another Tea….

KFC Deals Karachi 2015; Very economical and Totally Scrumptious

We all have a chicken broast outlet in our area. And many times these local chicken broast vendors serve excellent tasting, affordable broasted chicken with your choice of chicken piece.

But lately when hunger was calling me I went for a quick review on foodpanda.com to check out whats cooking.

Should I order chicken broast from Sunny Broast our local chicken broast outlet or try something else.

So a quick peek on foodpanda led me to KFC deals and I spotted their Everyday Affordable Value.

And this was much cheaper than my own local broast outlet.

I mean for only Rs.275 you get 2 pieces of chicken, fries, one dinner roll and a super tangy, spicy dip, Vietnamese Dip.

We ordered two of these Chicken Chips deals and it arrived within 30 minutes at our doorstep.

Hot, crispy, spicy and super flavor you got it all!

And another even cheaper deal is the Krunch Burger worth only Rs.150.

Next time I’m trying this one.

So hurry the next moment, hunger strikes, order KFC Everyday Affordable Value Deals.

You can order at Food Panda as well.

Borjan Shoes, Meesha Shafi Tapped Right On The Spot

Up till now I barely noticed Borjan Shoes, besides Stylo and Walk Eaze comfort and style wasn’t to be found anywhere else.

But the recent one minute and two second Borjan Shoes TV commercial starring Meesha Shafi has sparked the urge in me to shop from Borjan Shoes straight away.

I personally admire Meesha Shafi alot, her height, her elegance, her short hair and especially the way she talks.

So the choice by Borjan Shoes of starring Meesha Shafi has tapped the right market.

A commercial is never a hit until it ignites the consumerism power in us.

The product must shine upon the actors and the environment, and this is exactly what the Borjan Shoes TV commercial did.

The market targeted by Borjan shoes is young, working, energetic women who simply wont compromise on comfort and style, and that’s totally me.

Cosmopolitan: Amazing Interior and Sumptuous Food

I am a breakfast person. Wake up early in the morning, eat to your fill, top it with hot tea or coffee.

This week my friends and I decided to go to Cosmopolitan for breakfast.

Cosmopolitan Cafe Karachi

Earlier they were not serving breakfast but I guess adapting to the changing trend of Karachi life, people are now waking up early and want a hearty breakfast.

So coming back to Cosmopolitan. They totally nailed it with their location. One of the best street of Karachi, E street. Its beautiful, happening, trendy and up scale.

A 10/10 for the interior, its spacious, beautiful decor, outdoor sitting is very earthy and green.

But not recommended to sit outside in the morning as it gets very hot.

We were welcomed by smiling waiters, and I totally loved the interior.

C0smopolitan Cafe Map.