Transcending into 2017

I must admit - 2016 has been pretty spectacular. It has in fact been special! This is truly the year I lost fear of scarcity - heck I lost all fear! Re-starting as an entrepreneur - and failing multiple times along the way - has made me a beacon of courage and made me valiantly daring. I wasn't afraid of much, but I can say I'm totally fearless now! 2016 has truly been the year that set me free!

Besides rediscovering the freedom of being self employed and Launching YogaTrippie, the only dedicated wellness and travel agency in the GCC, I also made some very cool business investments in the domains of E-Commerce and Virtual Reality. My small social media consultancy has also taken off and I even restarted My MC'ing (compering) in full swing. I have more clients for my Luxury Travel advice services too! 2017 will see me forge ahead as an investor and an Multi-preneur and venturing further into other domains too. :)

Sustained Relaxation
2016 was further exciting for me as I rediscovered my affiliation to everything spiritual, paranormal and psychic. Of course I am trained (and certified) in multiple disciplines of martial arts, healing arts and esoteric practices and aim to expand this part of my consciousness in the coming year. 

This year, I discovered the true meaning of "being relaxed" and am applying this on a minute to minute basis to all my decisions in life. Of course it isn't easy and takes a lot of self awareness and environmental cognizance. I am able to practice this state further because of the Martial arts system that I train in. But by doing so, I am able to grasp the real truth behind things better, and have a deeper appreciation for everything. My role as a cosmic, sentient being is very clear to me and also I am confident of sharing this others. My understanding has increased and perception has been enhanced. Being in this constant state of being free from tension and anxiety is causing me to create "miracles" in my life and live extraordinarily. 

Create your 2017 make it #1

My wish for you for 2017 is that you can discover the power of your mind and realise that you are the creator of your universe and the maker of your reality. In my opinion - who you really are is "non local awareness" (or conditioned awareness)- independent of space and time.

If you learn to quiet your mind and move your awareness into timeless awareness, you are likely to begin to experience things that will surprise you give you another view of reality.  For example - if you look in the mirror in the morning, and think that who you see in that mirror is who you really are, then you are in for a lot of suffering.

You are that awareness, that allows you to move your experience, your consciousness and your perception anywhere in the world independent of space and time. 

Numerologically, 2017 totals up to the Number 1 - giving you a chance to reclaim your control over your life. 

Number ‘1’ is the number creation, of God, the great omnipotent spirit of life. The Yang. The number of consciousness, light, Genesis, ego. It is the beginning, from which all the other numbers are created. "1" can be divided into any number leaving it unaltered and so represents the Spirit / energy / prana which can enter all things without changing. It is immovable because whether multiplied or divided by itself one remains the same. This does not happen with any other number. It is the number of aim, ambition and action.

Let 2017 be the year you make prompt conscious decisions to co-create a new evolutionary journey with the universe - dont let it be a passive process that happens by itself.

Transcending

In 2017, my wish for you is to be able to Join me in this state of continual relaxation. equilibrium and Bliss. Move your awareness into conditioned awareness, then you can experience the universe as it is, and find a transcendent way to experience the world. 

My invitation for you is to explore this consummate place of total relaxation and come share it with me. In 2017, may you surpass the ordinary and be exceptional.

Thank you for all the love this year!

 More power to you next year. May it bring you everything you want. 

I wish you a spectacular 2017!

I invite you to leave your thoughts below as a comment

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YogaTrippie - Yoga Travel Website - is now alive!

As you might know after having been foolish enough to resign from my full time job earlier this year, I have been in the process of setting up YogaTrippie - a Yoga Travel Website. The journey has been long and interesting, and everyone has been asking me Just one Question -  When do you Launch? 

I have an answer!!

WE JUST DID!!! At 9:09pm (UAE Time) tonight, our website opened to a few people! 

September is the 9th month of the year and today being 09/09/09/2016 (2+1+6=9), from the perspective of yogic numerology this compelling date offers us the pinnacle of a powerful new time of new beginnings.

During this potent time - every pattern we have identified with, every behaviour, belief, person, place and experience that we have been engaging with till now come to the surface to be examined closely to see if they are something that can continue with us on our journey, or they are something that we can let go of once and for all. 

The number 9 is a magical one and very important in many ancient esoteric and spiritual contexts.This is the time to lay the foundation for the kind of reality we'd like to create in the next 9 year cycle. This is often the time when new jobs, new homes, new relationships and new travel begin. How apt for us right? 

What is YogaTrippie?

YogaTrippie aims to be the first ever dedicated Yoga travel website in the GCC region. It aims to bring the yoga community of Dubai and the UAE to create memorable and unique yoga based travel experiences. We intend to be a travel directory of yoga retreats, yoga and spa resorts, budget yoga travel, yoga holidays, yoga courses, wellness vacations and luxury yoga Vacations

Whether you are a beginner or advanced student, Whether you are looking at a traditional yoga class in India, Nepal or the Asian Subcontinent, or want an incomparable yoga adventure, we have trips for all levels of Yogis and Yoginis.

What do we intend to do? 
In one simple sentence - we want to facilitate changing lives and rewiring of minds.

Traveling is one of the greatest things you can do, and yoga only makes it better! We want to help people to travel the world and strike a balance between culture-packed, nature-engaging, healthy, invigorating, one-of-a-kind wellness vacations. We are sharing this website with you with the hope that you will book yourself a Yoga Vacation. You will surely find a unique travel opportunity designed to help you balance mind, body and spirit. 

DO you Want a Sneak Peek Too? 

Head to www.yogatrippie.ae and just enter your email address. Your exclusive first look password will reach your email inbox soon! 

I guess the FUN Has just begun?

Follow YogaTrippie on Social MEDIA

YogaTrippie SoloPreneur

I  completed 4 years in the UAE on the 10th of June 2016. I landed at the golden land of the sand on the 10th of June 2012 and its been a crazy, fun and amazing ride over the last 4 years. I have made tonnes of new friends, learnt so many new things, been exposed to incredible amount of opportunity and traveled extensively.

Lots have happened, lots has changed over the last 4 years. The most recent development being having left my high paying, full time, well positioned, government job in Feb 2016 to fuel the entrepreneurial fire in my belly and to start my Yoga travel company -YogaTrippie. The journey of a SoloPreneur (I like to call myself that since I don't have a full time team yet) is not an easy one. Its filled with doubt, resistance, obstacles and fear. I panicked in march and went back into the job market, picked up another job on April 1st, realized by the end of April that I was back to being an "employee" and resigned again on the 1st of May. Its July now and no panic attacks so far! Phew!

In case you haven't guessed yet, I am happy to announce that - after four years in the UAE, I have finally let the land of opportunity inspire me enough to boldly take a step forward and start my own company. I am bootstrapping the entire venture and there are a few friends helping me along the way.

When I announced it on Facebook a while ago, I got a really positive and uplifting response from my friends, family and followers. This energy is what is carrying me forward and giving me the fuel to forge ahead full steam.

Of course this journey is going to be filled with ups and downs but I approach all my hurdles with tremendous passion. What is the point of a life that's not lived with passion right? I am embarking on this adventure and it is consuming me. Its becoming my reason for existence. A wise man once said - Do things that feed your soul and your life will be happy and that's exactly what I am doing, so wish me luck!

In the new avatar of this blog, I plan to also catalog my journey as a SoloPreneur and the founder of a travel startup. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I am enjoying setting up this company.

Dont forget to follow my daily escapades on SnapChat 

and my SoloPreneur advice on my FacebookPage 

International Yoga Day - One step at a time!

It must be of great pride to yoga lovers that the United Nations General Assembly (on the 11th of December 2014) declared 21st June as the International Yoga Day. This year being the second edition, the festivity on this special day has reached new heights with practitioners from all around the world participating in classes, and creating. various world record attempts. There were celebrations in NewYork, Paris, London, Delhi, Honkong, Beijing and other top cities in the world

Here is a nice collection of photos from around the world on International day of Yoga

I know for a fact that there were at least 30,000 people gathered at the World Trade Centre, Dubai to celebrate this occasion. There was even a Guinness world record attempt.

International Yoga Day in DUBAI. Pic Courtesy Gulf News.

But today was a very important day for me as an Entrepreneur. It was supposed to be my first milestone. My yoga travel company YogaTrippie was supposed to launch its beta site today.  But evidently it’s not happened. I’ve always read that the startup journey is not an easy one and many times there will be factors beyond your control. Let me tell you… reading about it and experiencing it are totally different things! 

 Yoga Trips and Wellness retreats from YogaTrippie - Coming Soon.
(Photo courtesy @Dan Borris and Alejandra Boris. for more check out http://www.yogacatz.com/)

Delayed Delayed Delayed

Among the long list of things that are delayed are some crucial ones including my web design, web development, content aggregation, scripts, and the company license and immigration card. 80% of the business deadlines that I had placed for myself have now been compromised and it’s not a good feeling. Every entrepreneur goes through these trying times apparently, and the only way forward is to keep going. 

Missed deadlines can be costly sometimes but a missed deadline is surely an opportunity. It is a chance to revisit the drawing board and see where you went wrong and what processes you need to change. It’s an opportunity to re-calibrate your working style and rewire your mind to ensure you don’t miss deadlines again.  Of course there will be external factors, but the harsh truth is that no one cares in business as to why you are missing a deadline.

The flip-side is that now I am aware of the factors with which the deadlines were missed and that makes me wiser.. Some deadlines feel so out of reach and figuring out how to achieve them seems impossible and I know that the only way to make the impossible into possible is to take it one step at a time. Everything is achieved exactly the same way: one step at a time. Including a successful yoga practice!!!

On that note I wish you a Happy international Yoga Day, may you take your practice and life one step at a time, may you be completely living in the moment and may meet all your deadlines! J

Love and Light.

Dont forget to follow my daily escapades on SnapChat 

and my SoloPreneur advice on my FacebookPage 

Get facebook to Listen?

I was one of those first few Radio Dj's in India to start posting content a facebook page (Not profile, Page). This inevitably happened due to being the runners up for the "best job in the world" campaign by Tourism Queensland. Afterall I was the only finalist from India and subsequently announced "Tourism Ambassador to India" by Tourism Queensland and held that post for 2 years.

Anyways, I Digress

So this facebook page was my first outing into my world of social media communication and I touched the 10k mark within months of my debut. At that time I was also on orkut and twitter and eventually instagram, but my facebook page still was the one I posted most content on. I even shameless admit that I had found unique ways of monetizing  my page wether it be FAM trips in exchange for content or free merchandise in exchange for likes. Social media had turned the way I thought about media and content dissemination. But I was soon to realise that there's nothing called a "free meal"

If you own a facebook page (or even follow one) and especially if you are a business owner, you must have noticed that over the last few months that your organic reach has considerably reduced. As a page owner you probably want everything you post shown to everyone. Facebook now filters feed in an attempt to show the most relevant posts to your page fans. And in case you want it to reach more people. You have to Pay up!!
Here's a nice article by Stream feed about how the organic reach of your page is reducing.

The justification that facebook has for this is But people only read a limited amount of News Feed per day. There simply isn’t room for everything, and the competition for feed space is intensifying. Also the total number of Pages liked by an average Facebook user grew more than 70% last year according to the head of facebook's news feed.
But I dont buy it. Facebook is a big company now has reduced to having the morals of most big corporations. Money over happiness and taking as much from the poor user as can be obtained in the short run. With this excuse of "de-cluttering" the users news feed, Facebook assumes that us users aren’t intelligent enough to unlike a Page we no longer wish to see posts from!

Robert Caruso the founder of BundlePost, has started a petition against facebook being the bully and forcing page owners to pay up for people to get their content. Ive always been an advocate for the underdogs and suddenly seems like page owners in the world of social media are being given the short end. He was tired of the way Facebook was bullying the little guys. If you are tired too - Here's the Petition. You can sign it too!

To: Facebook

Stop the pay to play requirement for Facebook pages to reach their fans and allow users to see all the content from pages they like in their newsfeeds. Make it free. You owe us that much.

Sincerely,
Anjaan

 

 

 

 

Footnote -  Ive now become active on my Facebook group, seems to be a more viable option for sharing content and giving away prizes. Join in?

A beach birthday

Looks like Paradise right? I'm hoping its going to be exactly that.
Over the last 10 years, I've spent my birthday at an exotic vacation location. Invariably it ends up being a beach since I'm such a self confessed beach bum. These have ranged from the beaches of Goa and Kerala to the the exotic islands of southern Italy, the privately owned exclusive luxury islands of Australia and the diving hot-spots of Malaysia and Thailand. This time, I didn't have to look far.

Don't let the photographs fool you. This is not some exotic European Island or some atoll in the Indian ocean. This is a man made island in the UAE, in the emirate of Ras Al Khaima. Yes for my beach vacation this birthday are headed to this heavenly looking resort, and I don't even have to catch any flights for it. :)

I'm spending my birthday weekend at the newly opened Marjan Island resort and Spa in RAK. I will give a post stay review so that you can know how it was. A 1 hour drive away from Dubai, this is located in Ras Al Khaimah's first man made archipelago of 4 picturesque coral shaped islands and boasts breath-taking scenic marine views of the shimmering waters of the Arabian Gulf.

Would you like to visit it sometime? Should I run a contest and give away a complimentary stay?

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Middle East Comic Con - Getting my Geek On!

They say you can never get bored in Dubai. And its events like the Middle East Film and Comic Con Festival that bring that statement alive. Dubai has more events, conferences, activities, concerts and things happening that you could get around to enjoying in one lifetime. There's always something new to see, to do, to try to taste and to experience in Dubai.

See All my photos here 

The concept of the comics convention started in the in the late 1960's & early 1970's and has become a worldwide phenomenon. All of us now know superheros, aliens, spaceships, some manga & Anime characters since they have become mainstream entertainment today. Comic conventions celebrate this alternative pop culture and attract thousands of fans in almost every major city in the world. I am so proud to be living in Dubai to witness the Middle east versions! :)

See more photos here 

The Middle East comic con is an annual Event that happens in Dubai and attracts patrons from all over the middle east. Its undoubtedly the regions largest pop culture fest and it features artistes, celebrities and some cool entertainment. Its the place to be if you are a geek like me and especially if you are interested in comics, film, sci-fi, anime, manga, video games, collectible and more. I agree its not for everyone, I know friends who dropped by and were compeltely lost, either because of the enormity of the thing or perhaps because they didnt know the bigness of this alternative culture and the cosplay characters or the exhibitors. Yes its not for everone. Its for geeks.
Its actually a geek's Paradise! And being the geek that I am, I was in heaven! :)

Last year I went dressed up (as a ninja) and like for most cosplayers like me, it's was about forgetting who you are for a moment and being someone else. Some photos from my experince at middle east comic con 2013 are here do check them out.


Here's another photo from last year with my co instructor & fellow practitioner in the martial arts that I train in.





This year of course was bigger, better and crazier. I didnt manage to dress up but got to experience comic con as an exhibitor.

My wife distributes these fantastic vector pop art images made by an Artiste friend from India. The brand is Graphicurry Middle East. We had a stall at the Artistes Galley and managed to put smiles on many peoples faces. The artwork sold like hotcakes and were very popular!  Check out photos from our stall & exhibition here

Graphicurry Middle East Happy Buyers

If you would like to own a Piece of Graphicurry art in the UAE make sure you check out our facebook page www.facebook.com/graphicurry.me  some pretty cool products we have! :)

And btw, in case you didnt know already, comic con was filled with celebs and meet and greet opportunities! :)

Geek King Seth green

Celebrities who dropped by included well known super geek Seth Green, known for his role in Austin Powers films and on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, besides being the creator and voice of Robot Chicken,



I also spotted Max Landis, the writer of the cult supernatural hit Chronicle (he was here last year too).

Giancarlo Esposito with a Fan

And if your a fan of the  hit TV show Breaking Bad you will recognize Gus -  Giancarlo Esposito,


Joining him was Canadian heartthrob Taylor Kitsch, you might remember him as Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and as John Carter and Lt. Alex Hopper from Battleship. 


Also present was  Scottish actor Sylvester McCoy, who played the wizard Radagast in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit series, and the 7th Dr Who in the long-running British science-fiction series.

Scottish actor Sylvester McCoy

The legendary Stan Lee, the creator of Spider Man, Iron Man, The Fantasitc 4, X-Men & The Incredible Hulk participated in a video conference. It was an open to all forum and he answered everyones questions with his notorious sense of humor. Every nerd's dream come true! :)

Tony Jaa & Micheal Jai White with a Fan

Tony Jaa Doing the Grasshopper pose!

And last but not the least - some of my favorite real life action stars who were there included Spawn’s star Michael Jai White (who also played Mike Tyson) and Thai martial artist actor Tony Jaa, known for the Ong-Bak films.

These stars posed for photographs, they gave away autographs and mingled with everyone who came to say hello. This truly made the event very EPIC!

The Mefcc 2014 was one of the most hyped and anticipated events in the region. This is because of the tremendous publicity that it had. A fantastic job by the organisers for the marketing and promotion of the event ensured that the convention this year attracted around 30000 people. Yes It was crowded but who's complaining. Not the exhibitors at least *wink*. It is definitely the largest popular culture festival in the Middle East.

                                         See more photos here 

 A still from the TV spot promoting the Middle East's first Film & Comic Con shows stormtroopers dressed in traditional arabic costumes wandering Dubai's deserts.

Besides the excitement of just being there, what addedd to the epicness were cosplayers, workshops, movie screenings, celebrity gift lounge, performances and fantasic exhibitions for collectors. One of the highlights of the weekend was Metropolis Collectibles, and the world’s largest vintage comic book dealers and online vintage comic auction house ComicConnect.com. The co-founder, Vincent Zurzolo, brought with him the first Superman comic, Action Comics 1, and the first Batman comic, and the first Spider Man, all valued at more than $1 million (Dh367 million) each. I doubt if anyone had the dirhams to spare though! |

This is the third year that MEFCC is running successfully. The team behind it is Extra Cake PR and they deserve a special  mention for organizing this massive convention almost flawlessly. The dedication and foresight with which they executed the conclave is commendable. Here's congratulating them and wishing them all the best for next year and the years to come.
                                     See more photos here 

Here's a photo taken by Seth Green and it definitely does show you the EPIC-ness of Middle East Comic con 2014. As the years go by, Middle east comic con only promises to be bigger, cooler and geekier. Long Live and comic con!
I cant wait for MEFCC 2015. Its gonna be insane for sure! Im going to be there for sure ... what about you?

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"Radio Heads" at the Dubai Hercules Trophy

Over the last weekend I got the good fortune to represent my company "Gulf News Broadcasting" at a super fun corporate gaming event called "The Hercules trophy". I was participating on behalf of Radio 2 - (Sister station of Josh 97.8) Our team consisted of a few of my colleagues who are super fit and the "sporty" kinds. With my martial arts and fitness background, I guess this was right up my alley too and so I signed up! :) Plus it looked really happy and fun and that's what we are all looking for right? Multiple ways of finding happiness! :)

Team "Radio Heads" Taking stage at the Dubai Hercules Trophy - March 2014

Once we had got kitted up in our team costume (courtesy Adidas), the day started out with some brain labours - simple puzzles that we solved together as a team. We were so tired exercising our grey cells, we had a really huge breakfast, and then to burn it off, a fantastic group warm up session. The thrill of moving in a synchronized way with 1000+ fit people is something that has got to be experienced. It was really heartening to see all the participants from the 80 odd teams do the warm up drills.. man what a rush!  
Post that we had a little impromptu parade kinda routine where each team took stage, waved their team flags and posed for the camera! Some photos are on the hercules trophy facebook page

Team "Radio Heads" - Rochelle, Joanne, Anjaan, Barry, Emma (standing from left), Vicky, Bella (Kneeling from left)
at the Dubai Hercules Trophy - March 2014

Right after that we moved into the first set of Labours. 

A  labour is one of the 12 team activities/challenges that all teams must compete in. Its called a labour, after the 12 tasks the legendary Greek hero Hercules had to carry out to please the Greek god Zeus. The different labours require varied levels of stamina, strength, problem solving abilities and skills. Descriptions and photos of the 12 Labours we had are here - On the Hercules Trophy Facebook page

Posing with the Dubai Hercules Trophy Mascot

Team "Radio Heads" Rochelle, Barry, Joanne, Anjaan, Hercules Trophy Mascot, Emma and Vicky (left to right)

What is it?

The Hercules Trophy is a super-charged inter-company teambuilding event that helps enhance relationships between employees, customers and suppliers through the camaraderie of sport. http://www.herculestrophy.com/ 

When & Where was it?

It was on March 22nd, 2014 at the Sevens Stadium, Dubai

Aeriel view of the Dubai Hercules Trophy at the Dubai Sevens Stadium

Got more questions?
Check out Hercules Trophy FAQ 

My Gorgeous Colleagues Emma & Joanne from Gulf News Broadcasting :)

At an event like this, one could truly feel multi-cultural nature of Dubai, with more than at least 30 nationalities embracing this highly competitive, intense full day of fun activities. Yes, some of the labours were tough, while the others a breeze. Taking part as a team teaches you patience, respect and a deep rooted civility towards other beings. I feel these values resonated across every team that took part and brought about a sort of communal happiness. I had a blast. Perhaps you should convince your company to take part next year? 

Hercules Trophy Team #Selfie - Mandatory right?

It was well organised, full of energetic happy people who work out and really lots of fun. The carnival kind of atmosphere also ensured that even though you were physically exhausted, you were mentally rejuvenated. I even made some new friends and got to know some colleagues better. Though we didn't win it (we came within the top 20) we did come out as winners. 

After all winning always doesn't mean being first, winning means doing better than you've done before, or doing something you've never done before! ;)

Fooling around with the Dubai Hercules Trophy Mascot

Happy Festivals - Holi & St.Patricks Day

I love it when 2 festivals from completely unrelated cultures land up on the same day. Even though these festivals have absolutely no cultural or religious relation with each other, their underlying theme seems to be the same. 

St Patrick's day (also known as the feast of St. Patrick) is an Irish traditional festival which commemorates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, céilithe, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. People wish each other love luck and Happiness. 

Anjaan in an Irish Leprechaun hat

The most famous Irish beer

Holi is a spring festival also known as festival of colours, and sometimes festival of love. It is an ancient Hindu religious festival which has become popular with non-Hindus in many parts of South Asia, as well as people of other communities. It is the Indian festival of color, joy and happiness.

Notice the common thread between these 2 festivals? Yes you are right - It is happiness. 

Wether it is Bhaang or Beer, Bhangra or Tap Dancing, Gujia or Guiness... the final destination is always happiness. No matter which festival you are celebrating, here's wishing you lots of love, luck and happiness. Spread the joy! :)