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Finally, we can all say "Thank god it is over"....I am, of course, referring to seeing the end of 2016. In a year that saw Brexit, the rise of Donald Trump as President-elect of the United States of America, numerous terrorist attacks around the world, terrible natural disasters in Italy, Chile among other places, and the deaths of many famous people, I am sure we would all like to put this year behind us and move forward. For me personally, 2016 has been good because I got engaged to a wonderful woman, and 2017 is going to be an even exciting time as we both prepare to get married in January during Chinese New Year. I have been overwhelmed by a feeling of thankfulness. This year has been perhaps the best year of my life so far. I am grateful for the support and love of my friends and family and above else, I am grateful for an amazing job and a career that many others dream of having- I LOVE my job as a writer. I am grateful for my fiancée, Vicky, for the incredible positive influence she has had on my life and the constant motivation she provides to me. This was my first time to visit the New Year eve's fireworks in London. Usually, every year we stay at home and watch the event on TV. However, given that I was provided two media tickets to cover the event, both Vicky and I enjoyed what must be the best New Year festivities ever. It was also nice to bump into the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who took time out of his busy schedule to come and briefly chat to the media. What a year it has been for him and if there is one piece of great positive news in 2016, then it has to be Sadiq Khan being elected by the people of this great city as their mayor. One piece of advice for anyone who wants to visit the fireworks display next year - try to stay on the Embankment side of the river as that is the place to capture the best views (and avoid the thick smog from the fireworks afterwards!). Here's cheers to a healthy, prosperous, safe and joyful 2017 for all of us.  Millennium Wheel and the Houses of Parliament: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  The thousands of peope waiting for the fireworks, some of whom had waited for over five hours in the cold weather: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Navjot with Vicky on Jubilee Bridge (reserved for the media only): Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Can see both the Millennium Wheel (through the camera view!) and the Houses of Parliament - with the BBC1 TV crew: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Crowds making a "London is Open" symbol with the lights from their phones- a gesture to show that London is a city that welcomes everybody: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Spectacular fireworks- London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Spectacular fireworks- London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Looks like an image of a galaxy, millions of light years away: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Spectacular fireworks- London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Spectacular fireworks- London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Spectacular fireworks- London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Spectacular fireworks- London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Spectacular fireworks- London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Spectacular fireworks- London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Navjot Singh with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Navjot SIngh in conversation with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Navjot Singh with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  London eye and River Thames: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  The crowds just after the NYE fireworks finished: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  New year's eye fireworks in London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  New year's eye fireworks in London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  New year's eye fireworks in London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  New year's eye fireworks in London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  New year's eye fireworks in London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  New year's eye fireworks in London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  New year's eye fireworks in London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  New year's eye fireworks in London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  New year's eye fireworks in London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  New year's eye fireworks in London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  The London Eye: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  New year's eye fireworks in London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  New year's eye fireworks in London 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Vicky taking a photo in front of the London Eye: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh Looking for a nice, quiet and elegant place to have your anniversary dinner? I would highly recommend the Les 110 de Taillevent in Cavendish Square in London- just perfect. The chef may also conjure up a few culinary surprises too!  Les 110 de Taillevent: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Anniversary surprise message from the chef at Les 110 de Taillevent: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Anniversary dinner at Les 110 de Taillevent: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  WILD SEABREAM, Brussels sprouts with maple syrup, poultry jus at Les 110 de Taillevent: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  CHICKEN, consommé, ravioli, vegetables at Les 110 de Taillevent: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  CHOCOLATE BUCHE, coffee icecream at Les 110 de Taillevent: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  On a cold and damp morning, a lone tree stands in the mist at Brockwell Park in south-east London: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  British writer A. A. Gill (1954-2016): Photo Copyright Getty Images Sad to read about the death of British writer AA Gill, who provided inspiration to many writers, including me. I was never his friend but it was clear from his writings that the man possesed a talent and gift for words that rarely you come across in the industry...his mind spoke and his fingers danced...the heavens have gained a gifted food critic.
The UK Sunday Times columnist told the newspaper last month that he had been diagnosed with the "full English" of cancers. Gill, who had been having chemotherapy, said that he did not "feel cheated" and had been "very lucky" in his life. Sunday Times editor Martin Ivens said Gill had been "a giant among journalists" and the "heart and soul" of the paper he joined in 1993. May god bless AA Gill. Amen  Many congratulations to my mate and colleague, Owen Smith, for being voted in third in the BBC's Countryfile readers photo competition. Owen made it into the top ten shortlist in his first photography competition, out of over 700 entries. He was voted by over 300 of his friends and family to come third in the public vote. You can see the final top 10 here, which includes some stunning shots.
With less than 20 days to go to Christmas, official figures revealed today by YouTube Ads Leaderboard show that the digital Christmas ad by UK retailer John Lewis named ‘Buster the Boxer’ tops their annual festive leaderboard globally. However, supermarket retailer Sainsbury’s ‘The Greatest Gift’ was most popular with the British audience.
Supermarkets and department stores continue to dominate the digital ad space during the Christmas season; however, luxury retailers such as Burberry and pure-play digital companies such as Very.co.uk are also showing promising results. As Christmas adverts have become a key part of the holiday season, much like the Super Bowl in the US, people across UK – and the world – are turning to YouTube to search for the best. As a result, there has been a 53% increase in the number of UK views of the 2016 top 10 vs the 2015 top 10. The top 10 Christmas ads* of 2016 in the UK were: 1. Sainsbury's OFFICIAL Christmas advert 2016 -The Greatest Gift 2. John Lewis Christmas Advert 2016 - #BusterTheBoxer 3. M&S 2016 Christmas Ad: Christmas with love from Mrs Claus 4. Waitrose Christmas TV ad 2016 | #HomeForChristmas 5. The Tale of Thomas Burberry - Burberry Festive Film 2016 6. Very.co.uk Christmas Advert 2016 - Get More Out of Giving 7. Big Dilemma (Asda) 8. The Argos Christmas Yetis TV Advert 9. Aldi Christmas Advert 2016 – Kevin The Carrot 10. #BootsChristmas TV advert 2016 - the gift of beauty And the leaderboard globally* was as follows: 1. John Lewis Christmas Advert 2016 - #BusterTheBoxer 2. Sainsbury's OFFICIAL Christmas advert 2016 -The Greatest Gift 3. The Tale of Thomas Burberry - Burberry Festive Film 2016 4. #Zeitschenken – EDEKA Weihnachtswerbung 5. Neste Natal, agradeça com Coca-Cola 6. Apple - Frankie’s Holiday 7. M&S 2016 Christmas Ad: Christmas with love from Mrs Claus 8. Come Together – directed by Wes Anderson starring Adrien Brody – H&M 9. TEMPTATIONS™ - Keep them busy (30) 10. Coming Home for Christmas | Heathrow Airport * Both leaderboards are ranked based on an algorithm that includes paid views, organic views and how much of a video people watched. The UK list includes only views from people in the UK. For both lists we applied a filter to capture the ads that were referring to Christmas. “It’s fantastic to see our Very.co.uk Christmas advert riding high in the YouTube Christmas Ads Leaderboard. YouTube plays an important part in every campaign we run, and never more so than at Christmas due in part to the ‘Christmas ad battle’ where you see people crowding around monitors to watch adverts, or sharing links on email.” Said Kenyatte Nelson, Group Marketing Director at Shop Direct. “This year we created a longer-length Christmas ad specifically for YouTube, which allows us to tell our Christmas story in greater depth. YouTube as always is a great partner in getting the content we create in front of the people we think it will resonate with, and we’re thrilled to see our Christmas ad getting such a great response.” David Black, MD of Branding at Google UK, said: “We see people coming to YouTube again and again to look for their favourite Christmas ads. In fact, they start searching before the ads are launched on TV - we have seen a 40% year on year increase in Google searches for Christmas ads. “Brands know the value of YouTube as the destination for Christmas ads and when they use paid, owned and earned media together, they see strong results. They see YouTube as a platform for creativity and storytelling, where they can harness the power of sight, sound and motion to connect with consumers.” “More brands than ever are making Christmas ads that users love. Now, the likes of H&M, Burberry, Coca-Cola and even Heathrow Airport are joining John Lewis and Sainsbury’s and performing brilliantly this year.” “Here in the UK, Sainsbury’s quintessentially British commercial, playing on our love of stop-motion animation, has captured the public’s imagination. It’s great to see UK brands leading the way with Christmas ads, and exciting to see American, Brazilian and German brands tapping into this opportunity to put themselves at the heart of a global cultural moment every year.”  December has arrived (finally), and as we get ready to say goodbye to 2016 and welcome the festive season, the White House has found an interesting way to open up the iconic building to the whole nation - through innovative technology and interactive storytelling. In a symbol of how digital is having an impact on all aspects of our lives and how important digital is, Nexus Studios’ innovative Interactive Arts division have created and featured animation from Nexus Studios director Jack Cunningham, with a new, free mobile app '1600', which will allow the public to explore the White House using augmented reality (AR) technology. The experience is narrated by White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest and tracks a stunningly intricate AR animation off a one-dollar bill. 1600 is an immersive and interactive mobile experience; a beautifully realized animation celebrating the traditional events that unfold each year at the White House. It continues President Obama’s legacy of using digital innovation to increase accessibility to the White House. All you need to do is open the app '1600' and point your phone at George Washington. Watch as the White House beautifully augments the one-dollar bill and move freely around it in 360 degrees as different events take place in and around the White House. From the Easter Egg Roll to a press conference in the Rose Garden, users will experience all four seasons at the White House, as they try to spot President Obama and the First Lady or President Kennedy or even President Lincoln. There are also a number of moments that can only be revealed through exploration; try tapping on the oval office or the White House roof for a hidden surprise. Additionally, users can literally pause the entire scene to explore the action in detail, zooming in and out and take photos for sharing on social media. Nexus Studios was pleased to use Unity as its game engine of choice to develop this animated AR experience #madewithunity. Luke Ritchie, Head of Interactive Arts at Nexus Studios, said: "It's a great honour and pleasure to have worked with the White House Historical Association and the Executive Office of the President on their first AR story. We believe interactive storytelling and emerging technologies can be unbelievably valuable in reaching audiences and with 1600 we've worked hard to tell an important story in the most beautiful and unexpected way". Effectively, anybody with access to a smartphone will for the first time be able to enjoy the story and experience a year at the White House in Augmented Reality. This digitally innovative experience is a fitting collaboration to mark the end of the Obama’s administration that has sought to engage the tech community in government at an unprecedented level.  US President Barack Obama: Photo Copyright AP |
Get in Touch:LIFE MATTERSHere I share my thoughts
and experiences during my travels, and how some things have affected my life as an expat and world traveller. Travelling is about capturing that moment in life. Every word, view and opinion on this page is that of Navjot Singh - except where indicated. The most recent is at the top. Scroll down to read the archive. Or search using CTRL+F (COMMAND + F) and enter a keyword to search the page. Just some of the stories you never heard before. The NAVJOT-SINGH.COM web blog is separate to this web site....Click blog, which may not be visible in some countries due to local firewall restrictions, so in those cases this weblog may be read. The weblog also includes some of my press trip reports- most of which are not published on the official blog because of copyright issues. The weblog also contains articles that may be associated directly with a PR trip for a country, airline or a hotel. These are PR reviews done in relations with various companies. If you are an investor or a trend watcher then you may find this website useful as investing has a lot to do with personal observations and finding the ideal trend or next big thing. The average human on the street frequently knows far more about the state of the economy than politicians, university professors, subject matter experts, and financial analysts who seldom travel, or if they do so, only from one hotel to another hotel! The pulse and vibrancy of an economy is nowhere more visible than on a country's streets. 
All photos and words are © Navjot Lauda unless stated. Photos taken by others or by agencies are appropriately copyrighted under the respective name. No photo or word/s may be taken without the prior written permission by the author (i.e. Navjot Lauda). All Rights Reserved. 
Navjot being interviewed by Cecila Lu at GDTV.
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