photo: sweets and ices

A photo from several months back, when I was at my parents place and had time to explore the bookshelves, I found a cupboard dedicated to recipe and gardening books belonging to my grandmother, and wow, it was such a find. Some of the books were gifts and are inscribed with the name of the giver, names of people I've never heard of, of a time when she was my age or maybe even younger.

Managing performance

A new breed of companies that provide services other companies are gaining in prominence lately. These companies are raising the standard and quality of work that is being done. Firms that are in the area of management and performance evaluation of firms are especially being noticed. Longview Solutions, a business performance management firm and one of the leading providers of strategic finance software for financial institutions has been selected as one of the Top Business Performance Management (BPM) vendors for 2007 by analyst and consulting firm BPM Partners. Longview has also received 4.4 out of 5 in the annual BPM Pulse Survey, for its customer support and price/value ROI of the company's performance management platform.

adjusting to the new

Since moving to the new apt, we're getting used to the new grocery store. At first it just seemed so different than our old one, the one that I had got so accustomed to, that I used to make my shopping list according to the aisles, so I didn't have to go back and forth. Yes, I could and can picture each aisle in my mind. At our new store, it's a little different, actually a lot different. For one, I still haven't figured out if they have a pharmacy inside, I don't think they do, but then I've seen ads for phentermine which is usually found in the pharmacy section. Another difference, is that there are two central aisles instead of one, which makes it really confusing to find stuff and figure out what is where. Still I've found lots of really interesting stuff that wasn't available at the old store, so that's always nice.

to believe or not

Some things you believe right away and others you doubt no matter how much people try to convince you. Where do you sit on things like diet pills that work? With all those experts advice and research that these do work, do you believe them and would you use them or are you still doubting the experts. Often the problem is that the "expert opinion" cannot really be verified, and that's a huge holdup for a lot of people who rely on reviews to make decisions, but what about all the others who verge on the gullible and believe anyone and anything.

the joy of cards

I love sending eCards since it's just so much more convenient and the range of cards is much more exciting than a regular store, especially the animated cards. I love that you can be sure to find something innovative and interesting for all occasions. I especially like the funny cards that one sees now and the animated ones too, since they are the real reason behind the success of eCards. There are many sites that have annual memberships so that you can send unlimited cards, but I think it's better to vary the cards from different sites, since sometimes they can be quite similar. Even though it's fun to send an eCard, there is nothing like getting an actual card in the mail. And I have waiting for me to open....just a few days more though, so I can open it on the right occasion.

finding the right gift

The holiday season is almost here and with it comes the responsibility and the dread of buying gifts, not just buying gifts, but matching the right gift to the right person. Buying the right gift for the right person is an art, when you get it right, it's the simplest thing in the world to buy a present, but otherwise it's a mess. When you're looking for Personal Creations xmas gifts for him then it's best to be specific in your search, instead of buying generic ties for every male on your list. Being more specific according to someone's personal taste is the way to do it right, and to personalize a gift is the best way to create the perfect gift.

vintage or just plain old

Clothing has always been a way of expressing oneself hasn't it, and with T-shirts the concept has been far ahead of all other forms of 'expression'. These days vintage t shirts are all the rage, where ever you go and online sites are buzzing with the latest find. Best of all are new T-shirts that are designed like vintage ones, and these are the ones that sell best in the retail stores as well. Looking for vintage items will get you lots of raggedy ones as well, so watch out for the odd pieces.

photo: simple things

Simple things are the best, aren't they. I love noticing things like this, or sometimes creating them. I find that if I keep things simple in my photos, they come out much stronger and are more memorable. Clutter is draining in photos and in real life as well.

Hosting podcasts

Have you come across this site called Mypodcast.com that offers free podcast hosting? Podcast episodes usually take close to 30 megabytes for approximately a one hour podcast, and if it popular, you could have thousands of downloads per episode. The kind of bandwidth required for these number of downloads could generate close to a terabyte of bandwidth on a monthly basis. It's a better idea to use a hosting service to handle your downloads instead. With advantages such as unlimited bandwidth, unlimited storage, free podcast templates, and a free membership, it's a good idea to use a professional service to host your podcasts.

Share files anywhere

In this age to connecting and communicating with everyone, including people you don't personally know, I came across a site called Box.net which has come up with a software that creates a box widget for you that you can upload and share on your blog, Myspace or elsewhere. Box.net also has a flash player that streams podcasts, music, photos, videos and other types of files. The Box.net Widget comes with unlimited bandwidth and the company will also host up to 1gb of your files for free. I think its a great way to connect and share information. In the age of information and speed, it seems like a great way to get and share information.

the plumber, my new best friend

Settling into a new place is always a bit of joy as well as madness. Our old apt was in an older building and as is the case with older buildings, it had it's quirks and oddities. I thought that moving to a brand new building would solve it all, but no, we've had a good amount of visits from the plumber to fix things that shouldn't be needing fixing so soon. The problems are so silly and small, but they end up irritating me so much that I crave the simplicity of old fashioned pedestal sinks. I'm waiting for the day I see our building's resident plumber in the lift or down in the lobby, and I can tell him that I have no new problems!

is it time for new traditions?

The festival season is here already, can you believe it! Have you done all your shopping? With the way gold prices have been lately, a lot of people are getting really creative about gifts and instead of traditional gold purchases, many are opting for silver instead. Would you consider buying a couple of silver bars or is that just too different? I like the idea of adapting to the times and being open to changes or maybe even starting a new tradition, but a part of me still wants to do things the old fashioned way. Maybe starting off with silver earrings and bracelets will be a better transition!