What's app?

I must profess that there are a couple of apps I am conversant with. Whatsapp, for instance.

This time when I was in India on vacation, I was surprised to discover my parents talking about Uber cabs. Surprised, because I have a tough time coming to terms with this 'apps-based' service. Apparently, you have to download the app in order to avail of Uber cabs and, of course, given my aversion for apps, I've never considered Uber (or any other app-based transport system) to be my preferred mode of getting around town. I noted, with some amount of dismay, how even my parents are in the apps' loop - however fuzzy their comprehension may be - and here I am, lunging around in the dark, trying to flag down cabs (mostly in vain). Having said that, I must profess that there are a couple of apps I am conversant with. Whatsapp, for instance. And the one that tracks the number of steps I take per day (there was a time when I was in the 10,000-steps challenge, because I'd read somewhere that 10,000 steps a day are all it takes to keep them all - doctor, personal trainer, yoga instructor - away). Even for Zomato, that I systematically refer to whenever I eat out - or order in - I don't have the app. Fortunately, the rest of the world is not living in a time warp like me, and are all busy making their lives more enriching with some help from apps. In the UAE itself, there is a bunch of entrepreneurs whose business models are apps-based. Meet these game changers. Maybe I need to move beyond Whatsapp.
We then have a chat with aviatrix Tracey Curtis-Taylor, who is flying 13,000 miles across 23 countries in her open cockpit vintage biplane from Great Britain to Australia, recreating the historic flight originally executed by Amy Johnson, another pioneering aviatrix, in 1930. Tracey talks about flying through the glass ceiling, and the predominantly male establishment that is aviation, her many adventures, and the "almost terrifying freedom" that comes with what she does and how she is trying to use it to benefit others.
Lata Mangeshkar, who hasn't stopped singing ever since she burst on to the music scene many decades ago, has a heart of gold. Other than possessing a voice of pure gold. In Hollywood, it's up-close and personal with the original Zorro, Antonio Banderas. Travel takes us to Sri Lanka, the emerald isle with lush greenery and spectacular beaches. Kitchen Classics opens up your kitchen for calorie-friendly fare; if you thought cooking healthy was clinical and boring, think again. All this and much more.
Enjoy reading wknd. and have a great weekend!