Out with the Old, In(novate) with the New

‘If we’re smart, we don’t wait for a challenge.’

Innovation is a key driver of growth in this day and age where ‘stagnancy’, as a word and a concept, can be categorised as a curse in business; and it is incumbent on every business person to explicitly lead and manage it. Leading strategic thinkers are moving beyond a focus on traditional product and service categories to pioneer innovations in business processes, distribution, value chains, business models, and even the functions of management. Businesses are no longer caged by geographical and cultural boundaries; every other establishment has the potential to become a formidable growth machine.
This is where innovation at an individual level comes into play. For which purpose, an employee or a worker at an organisation, irrespective of designation, should be made aware of what the concept actually means. ‘Innovation is combining existing elements in new ways to create value for customers’ says David Wittenberg, CEO, The Innovation Work group.

According to Wittenberg, there are three key traits that needed to be developed into part of your personality as the first step towards innovative thought:

1. Curiosity – If you are curious you will have more elements in your toolbox and hence more exploitation of new combinations. Your customer base will increase because you understand what value to them is and you begin to finally give them that.
2. Independent thought – Make changes, on whatever scale. When you think different, you learn and apply a great deal more than you would have otherwise.
3. A Sense of humour – The definition of innovation is one that talks about new, untried combinations. ‘What is humour? Humour is a sudden recognition of an unexpected relationship.’ Innovation in business comes naturally to such people because they unconsciously practice it every day of their lives.

The true test of success for an idea is whether or not it can make someone else’s life better. Ideas are never really ahead of their time unless technology cannot support them. Acceptability is a natural outcome of the comprehension of a benefit. If an idea is clear or is communicated well enough, the benefit is understood and the idea accepted. There is hence no real ground on which it can be called futuristic. This should not serve as a discouragement, not all changes can be ground-breaking. It is a fact that innovation is necessary either to ensure continuous small improvements (where methodologies like Six Sigma come into the picture) as well as when you face a problem. A problem is intrinsically a situation where there isn’t a learnt response. Learn how to identify a problem by being an observer. Your insight will follow, as will your strategic innovation project.

Middle-class India, as an ecosystem, discourages innovation. And thus follows the importance of having manageable processes in place to establish a culture of innovation in a business. Holding leaders accountable for encouraging innovation makes a tangible difference. According to Mckinsey research reports, 30% percent of the senior executives surveyed were accountable for it, through formal targets or metrics, in their performance reviews. They were more likely than the broader group of respondents to view innovation as one of the primary growth drivers, to manage it formally as part of the leadership team or through an innovation council, and to learn from their failures to achieve it.

On the same lines, innovation that goes unnoticed makes clear how important a professional network really is. You might just have the most revolutionary insight but lack the resources to implement it. There are a number of ways to grow in the business world; each of them requires you to put in the requisite effort yourself. You need to work hard to get to know the right people that would help you employ your capabilities in the right avenues that provide a scope for growth and an undistorted visibility. ‘Hope is not a strategy.’ Of course, networking does have its own ground rule – Make sure you are a value creator to the opposite party, not a value taker.

How sustainable should your innovations be? Is sustainability a smart option for businesses? Executives behave as though they have to choose between the largely social benefits of developing sustainable products or processes and the financial costs of doing so. But that’s simply not true. It is essential to realise that almost all businesses are looking only to increase profit under the guise of development of technologies that are intrinsically sustainable – in actuality, the intention behind doing so is that such technologies improve the bottom and top line returns as well. And, of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. Companies that talk about zero-waste are entering such an arena to cut costs and create goodwill – ultimately both of which add to the purpose of the company’s existence: profit. Waste management is evidently climbing up not just the political agenda for a reason different from environmental benefit.

So what is the moral of the story? If you haven’t gotten to it yet, it’s never too late to begin, simply because you can’t afford to not do so. All that is needed to get started is an insight, which is nothing but a discovery that comes after seeing what everyone else sees but thinking what no one else has thought. The procedure is not as tricky as it seems. Reliance Communications, for example, was born from an insight as simple as could be: people like to talk to their family and friends. One cannot stress enough on the criticality of being observant. Indian customers cannot be expected to be honest about your product if their opinion is not favourable, because of their cultural norms that do not advocate displeasing anybody. Observation is therefore the best bet to figure what creates value for that very customer. Value is, after all, the ratio of Benefits to Price: people pay for benefits, neither a product nor a service.

"If you're never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take any chances"

MESSAGE OF GURU GRANTH SAHIB

The Guru Granth Sahib promotes a moral teaching that Sahib explains is about living a life of Truth, respect for others, and high moral standards. Followers of the Guru are considered to be members of the Sikh religion, and they are known as Gurmukh – which literally means “follower of Guru”.

Qualities promoted by Sri Guru Granth Sahib

All people of the world are equal

The Guru Granth Sahib promotes the message of equality of all beings and at the same time state that Sikh believers "obtain the supreme status" (SSGS, Page 446). Discrimination of all types is strictly forbidden based on the Sikh tenet Fatherhood of God which states that no one should be reckoned low or high, stating that instead believers should –“reckon the entire mankind as One” (Akal Ustat, 15.85).
Sri Guru Granth Sahib promotes the concept of equality by highlighting the fact that we are made of the same flesh, blood and bone and we have the same light of God with us – Soul

Women's Status

 

Guru Nank Dev Ji said "Sikhi does not teach you to raise you hand on a women it teaches you to respect them"
Sikhism also preaches that equal respect should be given to women.

Speak and live truthfully

Sikhs believe in the importance of truthful living, which can only be created by purity of mind and not through religious purification rites. They believe that impurity of mind leads to many other vices such as anger, lust, attachment, ego, and greed.

Control the five vices

Devotees of Guru Sahib believe they must control the animal instincts of Pride/Ego, Anger/Temper, Greed/Urges, Attachment/Dependency and Lust/Addiction.

Live in God's hukam

A Sikh believes they should live and accept the command of God easily and without too much emotional distress. They attempt to live in contentment and in Chardikala (positive attitude)

Virtues

The Sikh religion emphasizes several other virtues: Truth (Sat), contentment (santokh), Love (Ishq), Compassion/Mercy (daya), Service (seva), Charity (dana), forgiveness (ksama), humility (nimrata), patience (dheerjh), non-attachment (vairagya) and renunciation (taiga).
These believers attempt to avoid anger (krodh), egoism (ahankara), avarice (lobh), lust (kama), infatuation (moha), sinful acts (papa), pride (man), doubt (duvidha), ownership (mamata), hatred (vair), and hostility (virodh). In the Sikh religion, freedom from these vices, or Sahaj, is attained through tension-free, ethical living, grounded in spirituality avoiding self-mortification and other religious rites of cleansing.

2011 YEAR IN REVIEW

As 2011 draws to a close, India will look back on the year with mixed feelings-from the highs of winning the much-coveted Cricket World Cup to the lows of trying to fight corruption. In a country as diverse as India, there is bound to be quotes that have inspired, shocked and some that just plain amused us.
Let’s take a look at the newsmakers whose quotes will ring in the ears of Indians for a long time to come. Some have been heartfelt like Virat Kohli on Tendulkar, while some have drawn much criticism like Rahul Gandhi’s comment on preventing terror, while still others have made the headlines for their sheer absurdity, like Mayawati calling WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange crazy.

1. VIRAT KOHLI ON SACHIN:

April 2, 2011: The Cricket World Cup came back to India after 28 long years. The win was especially because this is probably Tendulkar’s last time in the India World Cup squad.
After the historic win, when Team India went on a victory lap around the stadium, Virat Kohli carried Tendulkar on his shoulders much to the crowd's delight. On being asked by Nasser Hussain why he carried Sachin on his shoulders, Kohli said, “He (Sachin) has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years, so it’s time we carried him on our shoulders.”

2. OMAR AND MEHBOOBA ON SLUGFEST:

Sept 19, 2011: That there is no love lost between the two is well-known throughout the country, them being political rivals. But when they started targeting their fathers, both celebrated in their own right, things took an ugly turn in Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti’s relationship.
It all began with BJP leader Sushma Swaraj saying Mehbooba praised Narendra Modi’s worth ethics. To which Ms Mufti’s retort was, “I feel the party (BJP) is frustrated, but I would request them if they want some Muslim leader on their side to prove their secular credentials, they must approach Farooq Abdullah who has praised Modi and even said he had seen Allah in Modi's eyes…Omar was a minister in the NDA government when Muslims were massacred in Gujarat.”
This obviously didn’t go down well with the J&K chief minister. Omar took to Twitter to retaliate saying, “I'm not surprised Mehbooba praised Modi, she can praise who ever she likes; I am surprised she'd deny knowing others heard her speech... At least her father had the sense not to deny calling Laloo, as home minister, to order Advani's release. He just did what Ostriches do.”

3. KIRAN BEDI ON POLITICS:

On August 26, 2011: During Anna Hazare and team’s rally for a corruption-free India, there were many attacks and counter attacks with the central government. But the quote that stayed on people’s mind was the one Kiran Bedi made at the Ramlila Maidan in the capital when Anna Hazare on a hunger strike. She ridiculed the politicians and the entire political system. Mocking them, she said, "Our politicians are hiding behind a mask. They don’t think and speak. There has been no lathi-charge till now because of Anna. We don't know what will happen after he goes. Till now, Delhi Police is with us, but if they get any demands, we don't know what will happen. We have been tolerating for the past 60 years, how much more do we tolerate?"
She famously donned a towel on her head and made strong remarks about how the political system was being unfairly used by our elected officials rather than as a platform to serve the nation with her "Sarkari naukri seva nahin mewa hain" comment.

4. OM PURI ON POLITICIANS:

Aug 28 2011: Joining Team Anna against the government was actor Om Puri. His speech was almost something out of one of his movies, complete with melodrama. When he spoke to the crowd at the Ramlila Maidan, he came across as someone who means business. But that feeling soon died out when he took back all his words. Still, his quote will be remembered its sheer force in moving a people. He took a dig at the politicians, calling them Nikamme, ganwaar (illiterate and unfit to govern). He said, “For five years they (politicians) loot the country. Ask them what their background is…"

5. NAIPAUL ON WOMERN WRITERS:

June 2, 2011: That VS Naipaul is a controversial figure goes without saying. One of the most outspoken authors of our time, he doesn’t think twice about voicing his opinion. This year the supposed "greatest living writer of English prose" targeted women writers. According to him, women are no match to men’s writing abilities.
In an interview at the Royal Geographic Society, Naipaul was quoted saying that no woman writer could be his literary equal. He went on to say, "I read a piece of writing and within a paragraph or two I know whether it is by a woman or not. I think [it is] unequal to me."

6. AMITABH TO KBC FANS:

During an episode of KBC, Amitabh was at his usual witty best. In response to a contestant's hopeful sister with dreams of meeting Abhishek Bachchan, he quipped, "Madam, aisa hain ki woh sannlagn ho gaye hain kisi aur ke saath aur is mel ka parinaam kucch mahinon mein aanewala hain!"
Translated, he gently reminded her that his son is married to another, and the product of their marriage is to announce itself in a few months.
Aishwarya recently gave birth to a baby girl.

7. MAYAWATI ON JULIAN ASSANGE:

Sept 6, 2011: Uttar Pradesh CM Mayawati manages to make it to the headlines, one way or other. If it isn’t the congress party, Rahul Gandhi in particular, that she directs her barbs at, it’s anyone else who dares question her authority. In this case, Julian Assange. He had it coming when Wikileaks said Mayawati sent her private jet to buy her favourite sandals from Mumbai.
In retaliation, Behenji called Assange insane and that he needs to be sent to a mental asylum. Speaking at a press conference, she said, "There is no iota of truth in the cable leaks. The cables are all a blatant lie to tarnish the image of my government. He should be sent to a mental asylum by the country he belongs to and in case there is no place for him he should be sent to UP (Uttar Pradesh). We will put him in the Agra mental asylum."

8. NASSER HUSAAIN ON INDIAN FIELDERS:

Sept 2, 2011: Former England skipper Nasser Hussain does have a knack of saying the wrong things at the wrong time. Agreed you’re entitled to your opinion, but when what you say is hung onto by millions of avid cricket fans, you might just have to be a bit more responsible than the average Joe.
Hussain has, once again, rubbed the Indians the wrong way with him calling some Indian fielders "donkeys" during the one-off Twenty20 match between India and England. He made this comment after Parthiv Patel misjudged a Kevin Pietersen catch off Munaf Patel's bowling. He said, "I would say the difference between the two sides is the fielding. England are all-round a good fielding side. I do believe that India have few...3 or 4 very good fielders and one or two donkeys in the field still."

9. RAHUL GANDHI ON TERRORISM:

July 14, 2011: It goes without saying that in a year, there has to be at least one quotable quote from the likely future PM of India, Rahul Gandhi.
A day after yet another serial blast rocked Mumbai, Rahul said it was impossible to eradicate every single terror attack in the country but the UPA government had been successful in controlling most of the attacks. He said, "It is very difficult to stop every single terror attack in the country. Terrorism is something that is impossible to stop all the time. But 99 per cent of terror attacks had been stopped due to strong vigilance and intelligence efforts." Rahul may not have intended to court controversy, but what you say does matter especially if you’re seen as the next PM of the nation.

10. PRASHANT BHUSHAN ON KASHMIR:

Sept 27, 2011: Team Anna has been making the news for all the wrong reasons, although they claim it’s a vendetta by the central government. But what Prashant Bhushan said on a sensitive topic like Kashmir cannot be prompted by the government. After he voiced his opinion on Kashmir Anna Hazare was quick to add that it was Bhushan’s opinion alone, and not of the entire team.
His thoughts on the separation of Jammu and Kashmir didn’t go down too well with certain section of the society, namely the Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena. Two people beat him up inside his chamber in the Supreme Court. Bhushan had said, “Remove army from J&K, end AFSPA and try to get the Kashmiris on our side, but if they want to have a separate state, then in my opinion, there should be a plebiscite and if they still have to be separated, then they should be allowed to.”

Top 5 health benefits of having apples

We have all heard about the benefits associated with apples and most of us relish its refreshing, unique flavor but how many among us really know what makes apples such a recommended fruit or dietary item? Yes, apples have offer ease of portability and are packed with nutrition associated with fruits in general but you need to read the following to realize why apples are such an awesome addition to your daily diet:

1. Apples Keep You Smarter, Even in Old Age

Apples are proven to have a role in the better functioning of the brain. It has been established through various researches that apple, if consumed regularly as a fruit or juice, keeps the mind sharper. It is packed with certain plant chemicals that can even prevent the onset of neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s that are essentially a state of decreased mental acuity. Regular intake of apples is known to have a regulatory effect on critical neurotransmitters of the brain like acetylcholine. In fact, apples are recommended as a fruit of choice for people who are suspected of progressing towards Parkinson’s, another condition linked with reduced mental capabilities. Apples contain compounds that cannot be mimicked by pharma companies and are capable of raising the immunity of the neurons (nerve cells).

2. Apples: Nature’s Own Anti-Cancer Solution

Scientists from various medical research facilities have confirmed that apples have a definitive anti-carcinogenic effect. Some folks might argue that it is not assured against which type of cancer and in what manner apples contribute in this regard. However, it should be remembered that we don’t have any drug or medicine to cure or prevent cancer, i.e. the global medical fraternity can only partially curb cancerous growths and impair its progression. So, doesn’t it make sense to avert chances of being inflicted with this deadly disease by merely eating a tasty fruit regularly?! Certain biochemicals found in apples, like flavonoids and triterpenoids, are widely regarded behind the fruit’s anti-cancer properties.

3. Apples Are Established Diabetes Busters

Diabetes is the precursor to a series of highly damaging health conditions like cardiovascular problems, stroke and high blood pressure. Apple contains soluble fiber. This kind of fiber plays a vital role apart from regulating your digestion, i.e. it retards the faster uptake of sugars in the body. This helps in preventing and managing diabetes. Some medical facilities have indicated that eating apple on a daily basis can reduce chances of developing type 2 diabetes by nearly 25% among women.

4. Managing Weight is Easier with Apples

If you think about weight management solutions that allow you to gorge on sweet, flavored foods, apple should surface at the top of your options. This is the best fruit to manage cholesterol. As explained, the soluble fiber in apples helps to impair the absorption of fats from the intestines. Pectin is one such fiber that is found in appreciable quantities in apples. Polyphenols in apples are among nature’s strongest antioxidants and tend to reduce the toxic nature of cholesterol deposits, preventing plaque deposition within the blood vessels.

5. Apples for Better Gastrointestinal Health

Apples are the most recommended fruit for folks suffering from a range of gastrointestinal problems. This includes serious problems like gallstones that are formed due to excessive cholesterol in the bile. Foods high in soluble fiber and antioxidants, such as apples, are the perfect remedy for preventing painful gallstones. Apples are also a handy aid for resolving repeated bouts of constipation and diarrhea. Apple’s natural fibers aid greater absorption of water, regulating the movement of digested food through the intestines. Stressful lifestyles often lead to IBS—Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This irritating and highly debilitating stomach-related ailment can cause bloating and abdominal pain and is best managed with regularly eating apples.

Top 5 camera phones in December

Apple iPhone 4s — 8 Megapixel (Price Rs 44,300)

 Touted as the fastest iPhone, this handset is truly a remarkable device from Apple. The iPhone 4s comes with a sleek, sharp and thinner design that is similar to its predecessor — the iPhone 4. The fifth-generation model of Apple iPhone comes with a similar 3.5 inch screen with 640 X 960 pixel resolution which is known as the Retina display, the highest resolution display ever built into a phone, and FaceTime for video calling. The display has also been treated with a special oleo phobic coating which is very useful for the Indian environment.

The phone has got an 8 megapixel camera as compared to the 5 megapixel of iPhone 4. The camera has an LED flash also for illumination. The 8 megapixel snapper uses the one of the best image sensors to reproduce life like colours with detail and variance. The camera can also record full HD 1080p video and get functionalities like touch focus and Geo tagging. Along with this, the upgraded OS 5 and a mighty faster dual core processor makes it easier to edit and share pictures.

Apple users can also make use of the Apple iCloud service to store their pictures. Apple is offering 5 GB of space free on iCloud to all its users.

Nokia N8 with Anna — 12 Megapixel (Price Rs 22,000)

Many camera phones have come and gone but this device of Nokia continues to top the charts due to its amazing camera quality. The Nokia N8 boasts of Carl Zeiss optics, a 12 megapixel 1/1.183 inch optical format CCD image sensor, Xenon flash with automatic red-eye removal and auto focus. This type of a sensor has never been used in a camera phone before that makes the N8 unique to its technology and allows it to capture images that are far better in terms of resolution and variance as far as pictures are concerned.

With the Symbian Anna upgrade, the Nokia N8 has gotten newer video recording capabilities such as continuous auto focus, 720P video recording capability. Besides, N8 users can record videos in 30 frames /second as opposed to present 24 frames / second earlier.

Not just the camera, the N8 is an equally excellent device with good hardware and a very responsive and vibrant 3.5 inch touchscreen which makes usage of this device a breeze. The speedy 600 MHz processor might sound puny in front of the bigger multi core competitors but it has been optimised so beautifully that there is virtually no lag in anything you do on this device.

Samsung Galaxy Note — 8 Megapixel (Price Rs 32,299)

Apart from having the biggest smartphone screen, the Galaxy Note is by far the fastest Android smartphone available to the Indian customers. The Galaxy Note is powered by a faster 1.4 GHz dual core processor and comes with a 5.3 inch Super Amoled plus screen and 16 GB inbuilt memory. This phone is almost 200 MHz faster than the Galaxy S2 which is very useful for doing memory intensive tasks like photography and image editing.

The device has an 8 megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash. The device manufacturer has managed to keep the size of the device slim even while incorporating a higher resolution sensor. In terms of video recording, the Galaxy Note offers 1080p HD video recording at 30 FPS. In fact, it is the highest ever frame rate attained by a smartphone in terms of video recording.

The 5.3 inch display is very useful for seeing pictures and especially while editing them on the go. The device has all the necessary hardware for speedier operation and is a breeze to operate even with the included stylus.

HTC Sensation XL — 8 megapixel (Price Rs 38,800)

The Sensation XL is HTC's first ever phone to feature a 1.5 GHz processor supplied by Qualcomm and a whole new interface with the latest HTC sense 3.5 UI. Backed by the latest Android operating system, this device works flawlessly and offers users unparalleled performance. The Sensation XL comes powered with Dr Dre's beats audio enhancement system along with a pair of tuned "Beats' headphones.

The Sensation XL, like its predecessor HTC Sensation, features an 8 megapixel camera which is capable of recording high definition videos in 720p HD resolution. The quality of the camera is good with both stills and videos. The camera also features auto focus to give precise but automatic control to the user. The Sensation allows manual tweaking as well with its touch focus feature that makes the camera focus on the point where the user wishes to.

The device features a 4.7 inch qHD resolution based touchscreen that makes watching pictures and videos fun. The device is complete with its great camera capabilities along with exceptional sound quality thanks to the Beats audio enhancement.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc -8 Megapixel (Price Rs 29,000)


Although Sony Ericsson has upgraded the Arc to Arc S, somehow the former gives better camera wise performance than the later. In the past, we have seen world class camera phones that offer best in class photography options and results coming from the brand Sony Ericsson and the Arc is no exception to that.

The Arc features an 8.1 megapixel camera with HD video capability featuring Sony's exclusive Exmor R (CMOS) based image sensor that enhances still images and videos even in low light conditions. The image quality is impressive while the device meets all expectations any shutterbug might have. It records 720 P videos and has a very capable flash for low light shooting as well.

The Xperia Arc is powered with a 1 Ghz processor from Snapdragon including a dedicated Adreno 205 graphics engine for faster operations and a 4.2 inch touchscreen display. The phone features a 512 MB of RAM and a 364 MB of ROM for speedy operations and the phone also comes bundled with an 8 GB microSD card and can manage up to 32 GB of external storage.

The phone also features touch focus, which allows users to manually select which area to focus on while capturing an image. Users can also leave the phone on full auto mode or can select smile detection for that perfect shot.

A world tour is something that features on almost every person's bucket list.
Your life can simply not be complete before you visit some of the most definitive historical places around the world. With the end of the world edging in, its time to speed up with your travel plans and boook your tickets because we're deciding the places for you. Here are the top 10 places that you must see before 2012 strikes.

10. The Great Wall of China, China

Be a part of history by visiting this incredible man-made wonder. Built and rebuilt approximately two thousand years ago to secure the Chinese nation against foreign invasion, this tourist attraction never disappoints its visitors. Stretching upto 8,851 kilometres, the Great Wall is a sight to behold and seeing it with your own eyes is way better than how the history books explained them.

9. Vatican Museums, Rome

The Vatican Museum is a place seeped in history. Its collection of art pieces goes back to 500 years ago. Visiting a place that houses revered works of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Filipo Lippi and Caravaggio isn't that bad a deal. Standing there, looking at some of the most defining art pieces of history, will definitely be one of the most enriching experiences of your life.

8. Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Angkor Wat, a temple built in the early 12th century has fast become one of the greatest tourist places around the world due to its complex architecture, especially inside the temple. Walking through the monument can be a difficult task owing its confusing mix of chambers, porches, stairways and galleries. The challenge that the ancient monument presents, along with its significance in religious history, this place ranks high for adventure-seeking travellers.

7. Petra, Jordan

Jordan's most prized possession without a doubt, Petra is a unique city created by the Nabateans, the ancient people of Jordan, by carving natural rock. This wonder is a major tourist attraction and give tourists the freedom to explore the place at their own will. The more interesting part of the site is that, it was featured in the 1989 Hollywood film 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'.

6. Pamukkale, Turkey

Pamukkale, meaning cotton castle, rightly gives the impression of being a landscape made out of cotton. The site contains calcium-laden waters that flow through it. The calcium rocks hold pools of water flowing down from the mountain Cal Daa Western Anatolia. The water is said to have healing properties which is one key aspect that drive people to visit it.
Rumour has it that Cleopatra had once bathed in these natural pools.

5. Great Salt Lake, Utah

'America's Dead Sea' is actually a remnant of the prehistoric Lake Bonneville that has been landlocked. Being around the Salt Lake, you can witness the most exotic sunsets ever with distinctly different hues engulfing the sky. Kayaking (canoeing) across the lake is a worthwhile experience as it allows you to see areas that you wouldn't come across otherwise.

4. The Grand Canyon, Arizona

The Grand Canyon is not one of those places where you just stand and admire the beauty around you. This famed place has a lot to offer to the backpacker in you which includes hikes, boat rides or rafting across the Colorado river, mule rides to the Phantom ranch, etc.

3. Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

This is another of the many wonders of the world that continue to astonish us. The excellence of architecture and mystery surrounding its past make it the perfect place to add to your wishlist. It contains of three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis. It is also the only surviving one from the Seven Ancient Wonders list. When going visiting the pyramids, it is advisable to go in the mornings as it is quite likely that too many people turn up before you resulting which, you will be denied entry into the pyramids.

2. Santorini, Greece

Santorini is perhaps the first place that springs to mind whenever you think of Greece. The island is a paradise for the sight with the deep blue waters, dazzling white houses and a panoramic view make it a delightful escapade. Hard to believe that it was a deadly volcano that resulted in the crescent shape of the island

1. Great Barrier Reef, Australia

The world's largest coral reef is also one of its most threatened destinations. The reef is a place that will fill you with wonder on seeing its breathtaking beauty. An ability to dive will be an added advantage as you can see the real abundance of marine life in its true form.