What I should have known about credit cards 10 years ago

I got my first credit card all too easily, when I was a junior in college. I never even applied for one, but there were lots of credit card offers and I was given a pre-approved application and got the card within a few days itself. While I knew I had to be careful about charging money on the card, it was just so easy to get pulled into buying things on sale and think about paying later on. Credit cards are something that we have to have but have to be cautious about. Credit cards are essential in today's world; you can't even rent a car without a credit card, so the only way to handle credit cards smartly is to have an agenda about them, to pay charged amounts as soon as possible, before even the interest is charged. I wish I had been able to read basic credit guidelines such as these before I got into the credit card cycle. It's also a good idea to understand what balance transfers are all about, so you can take advantage of better interest rates elsewhere.

how tech friendly is your corner shop?

The changes one sees is the small retail stores these days is quite interesting. Some time back most of the corner stores never bothered with any technological support but now all of them seem to have a host of retail tech support such as inventory control, audit support or a receipt printer and so on. With the investments that retailers have made into this part of their business, the results are definitely going to show an improvement once the cost of the software has been taken care of.

Do you go to buy.com?

It's been a week since we moved into our new home and we've made really good progress on the unpacking and organizing, but once the initial rush wears off, I'm finding it hard to get excited about finishing off the work. For one thing, our new home is radically different from our old one, so it looks like we will need to change some of our furniture. Our desk is just wrong for this space and it needs to go, so I've been looking for deals online. I found a good deal on a Canon printer at buy.com, which will take up much less space than our current one and will look better in our more modern surroundings. I was quite impressed with the offerings at buy.com, especially at the variety of offerings on their weekly deals page, where one can really snap up some good stuff. It really doesn't seem like 3 years ago that I was setting up our old home and now it's time to do it again. How the time as gone by so fast it's hard to really understand at times. I like to make changes to our home and doing it in a new space is even more exciting.

nothing like comfy shoes, right!

I'm still surprised at the number of brands available here. There is something from every part of the world it seems. Take shoe brands for instance, there is everything from the super luxurious to the thrifty and everything in between as well. I was happy to see that steve madden shoes were also available. These days, I can only look at and try on the super fancy shoes, I don't even consider buying anything with a heel and love coming home to wear my comfy chappals! I'm thinking of trying out some reflexology soles or shoes to see if they make my feet feel better after all the running around we've been doing these past few weeks.

photo: in the evening.

Nothing like a relaxed afternoon or evening, isn't it! although this looks like it was a relaxed time, I was probably rushing around to cut the fruit, to grab my camera from the bedroom, to take some pics and then gobble up the guava before little E called out for me. Life's like that!

gift giving options

I'm always looking for great gift ideas for different family members, so when the time comes, I already have an idea on what to buy, instead of getting something generic and hurried at the last minute. One of the things that has been on my list for a while is a pair of Nikon binoculars that will be good for bird watching, since 'someones' old ones are a bit bulky to carry around and need an overhaul. The 'someone' I am talking about never sees my blog so it's ok to write about it out here, but I still don't want to mention the name :-)

thanks to my over enthusiasm

For a lot of people, knee and joint pains start once they hit middle age, but I've had knee problems for a while already. In fact, it started out right after college, when I worked endless and thankless hours at my first job. I suppose I was so kicked at getting such a great job, and the highest salary of my class, that I wanted to really excel. That I did, but I also messed up my knees for a lifetime. According to the docs, what happened was that the cartilage between the knee caps is wearing out, the technical name for it is something like Chondromylacia or some such thing, and one of the key things that helps reduce the damage is the right mix of vitamins glucosamine chondroitin msm. The dosage has to be right, but also the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin in the same capsule, so make it doubly effective. Most of the time I have no daily problem with my knees, but coming down steps bothers me as well as getting up after a 3 hour movie at the theatres.

Keep track of your health

The techniques of getting fit have moved far beyond just eating healthy and exercising. With the kind of lifestyles we lead and the kind of food we eat, we need to keep track of each and everything we eat, how much we work out and how many calories we have burnt. It's hard to keep track of all this data and that's where a calorie counter comes in handy. Where to get one? Go online and search for them and you'll find a lot of interesting products, such as food calorie counters, which looks pretty much like a regular calculator but does a whole lot more, like calculating calories, fat, carbs intake. Besides home-cooked food, the calorie counter can also has food items from restaurants like McDonald's, Wendy's and many more.

the right ads in the right place

Have you ever noticed that marketers have been using social media for pushing their products? All social networking sites, especially popular ones like Facebook have a host of advertisements on the side, all fine tuned to your local area, so that you can click away for getting the safest acne treatment or getting class photos printed on T-shirts for your reunion and so on. I only noticed these ads quite recently. Well, since I don't go on to Facebook much, I'm not likely to notice them earlier, am I? The thing is that I was quite impressed at the reach of their local ads. I mean, some were of places that I'd actually go to, but hadn't known where to find them. So it's a job well done for the marketers and SEO chaps.

not quite so batty yet

Reading what I wrote some time back on a blog post might worry some people that I'm getting too impatient at losing the baby weight, but it's really not as if I'm going around asking everyone can i buy apidexin in stores or some such thing. No way, I'm quite sane, still. And I hope to remain that way! Maybe it's just too late at night to be up and blogging. And you look at the time I posted this and say, wait, 9pm isn't too late at all, but for me it might as well be 3am, since my little baby decided not to sleep at all today and bypassed all her naps. Well, she takes two of them in a day. All of them makes it seem like so many....ah, I remember the early days, when all she wanted was milk and sleep. I could get to sleep in the day time too, but now I can't remember the last time I took a nap during the day. And so I'm back to rambling....Ooops.

Simplifying medical processes

The health care industry is one of the most dynamic industries at the moment. With the number of patients rising, the kind of systems that are required to make the process efficient are increasingly coming onto the market. With products like Timeline-MD physicians, nurses and medical students can use to create, modify, delete or make other changes to your record so that all information is available for use at a later time. Symptoms are noted on a patient's record, so that a doctor can get a better idea of the history of the medical issue. The system does not require any download and you can be signed up in just 10 seconds.

the last 2 that won't budge

I'm in a bit of a odd situation these days. I've always been a skinny to slim girl but now after the baby, it feels weird to have a different body. I've got just the last 2 kilos to go but they don't seem to want to budge at all, and I'm so tempted to go in for something radical like searching for how to burn belly fat and taking the plunge. Well, actually, I'm not going to do anything like that but at times the frustration gets to me and I'm so tempted to go take a look at them when I go past the pharmacies. Got to get my mind to a different direction I think!

as life goes on...

One of the important pending jobs we had we I got back home was to add on insurance. Having basic health insurance is important, but nothing makes you realize the importance of having backups than having a baby. Sometimes it is as simple as getting some insurance quotes and getting started on a more all rounded package for the whole family, instead of the basic package. Life's priorities go for a six, when you add a little bundle of joy in the mix. What you think are the important things aren't worth much at all and so on.

back to blogging

I'm back after ages and ages it seems. Well, actually it really has been ages since I blogged here. So much has been happening in our lives in the past year, such exciting times but also exhausting times, since it leaves me with little energy to do anything but the basic. Well, anyhow, lately I've been feeling that it's time to get back to some of the things I used to do, and so I thought blogging is a good start to get back some of the old stuff, and when my neighbor asked me about where to find some groomsmen gifts for the wedding she is helping to organize, I could not resist going online, and finding some local companies who do stuff like this. And then, of course, I blogged about it :-)

photo: safe in her father's arms

I've been away for a very special reason. Our daughter Elisha was born on April 26th 2010 and she has filled our world with joy. Here's a shot I took of her asleep in her father's arms. So precious.

Protecting online documents

For anyone who works on a computer, which is the majority of the people, it is essential to have a reliable data security setup, so you don't need to worry about loss or theft of sensitive data. There's been a buzz on the Internet the last few days about an online data security system by www.securezip.com, who is giving free downloads of its software for a limited time. Better still, it's not a trial version that they are giving, but the real deal. Their system is reportedly the best way to protect email and attachments, store data on hard drives, laptops and portable media. SecureZIP integrates with Microsoft Outlook and automatically encrypts, digitally signs and zips email messages and attachments. SecureZIP - The next generation of ZIP is what one needs to get set up, to have peace of mind and assurance that one's data is secure. It's the way of the future, so get your completely free download today!

corporate gifting

Corporate gifting has become a big deal lately and with each passing day, it seems to gain more importance. Whether it is some office item like personalized stationary or pens or something more personal like cigars, the popularity is rather amazing. With some companies, it doesn't matter what you gift, but how expensive and exclusive the gift is. In other words, a good gift is one that is hard to find, due to its price or just its exclusivity and if you get something like this, you're sure to gain some points.

more jobs on the horizon

A lot of people are talking about how the rise of job sites is making a difference in ending the drought of jobs. I do think many companies are being more aggressive when it comes to marketing their services, but also many of them are changing their tactics and not playing hardball as they were inclined to do earlier, when they held all the cards. Now, many companies are looking for people, and often are using their internal hiring departments instead of using outside companies, which are feeling the pinch, hence the rethinking of the strategy.

Tomksoft's Techblog: a valuable find

As a blogger, one tends to read a lot of blogs to learn something new, a new product, a new perspective or a new trend. Those are my top three reasons for looking for interesting sites and lately my interest has been shifting towards reading more and more technology related blogs. I am a retail analyst, but I have a curious mind and like reading about the ways that technology has adapted and woven it's way into pretty much all aspects of our lives. While my main focus is on reading about retail related technologies, I am fascinated by the subject as a whole.

My latest find was a techblog called Tomksoft's Techblog, which is written by Tomasz Klekot, a 14 year old living in Poland. While the blog is for the most part quite technical and highfalutin, I found myself reading post after post, as Tomasz is able to elaborate on his subjects rather well. The main focus of the blog is of course programming, software languages, delphi and Google Adsense, which I found I had to bookmark immediately, so that I could come back and re-read it. Do read how he wrote some code to get 7000 emails off the Internet in just 10 minutes.

must have jackets that keep changing

Before I went to college in the States, I really wanted one of those letter jackets that football players wore. I didn't know that you couldn't just buy them, players had to earn them, but I kept telling my sister that's what I wanted and she must get it for me! Nowadays, it seems that these Nascar jackets are more popular than the old style letter jackets worn by football players. What's the next craze going to be?

everyday jewelry?

Who doesn't love diamonds? Everyone right! I'm not one for wearing too much jewelry, actually any real jewelry at all, but even I love to look online at diamonds in my free time! The other day my mother asked me why I don't wear any gold at all, no chain, no bangle etc, and I said I just couldn't be bothered wearing the same thing day in and day out...I love to play with my casual jewelery, changing it on a daily basis. But she has a point, I think it's high time I get some nice gold bracelet, something modern that I would like to wear everyday, something that would fit my lifestyle.

The viability of reseller programs

The Internet is a source of income for a lot of people who earn large amounts of money from it. One of the ways that people make money online is by domain name registration and Internet businesses. There are thousands of inactive websites out there, some with good SEO keywords in it that can be resold for a profit and there are lots of reseller program companies that will help you get started. To earn money from this business, you need to be able to resell domain names and hosting in bulk. The way to go about it is to do your research on what niche you want to focus on.

With some kind of a local resellers program, all you have to do is select the products you want to sell and activate the list. Pricing is up to you, so you can determine just how much profit you want to make. The entire website can be set up in under an hour and you can customize the images, font etc to what you prefer. Having a reseller program is a great way to earn a secondary income. I think one of the major concerns would be regarding how much knowledge was required to do something like this successfully, but a good amount of research can set that right.

limits of meanness

When one goes to the Chemist or doctor's office one has to be prepared for anything and everything. I hate it when the receptionist at a doctor's office is not proper about being quiet about patient's complaints. I mean, no one really wants to know that the pretty lady in the pink skirt was here for treatment for hemorrhoids and see her turn into all shades of pink herself. That's just plain mean on the part of anyone. Chemists seem to do it too, often yelling across the store when the prescription is ready, with the complaint, only to find someone quietly slink to the counter, grab the medication and then rush back out head down. I sometimes think they do it on purpose.

an easier way to handle projects

Business software is a field that has become rather competitive lately, and rightly so, as the scope is amazing. Initially, there used to be only the simple types of software available for business, such as accounting and data entry, but now you have assistance in everything from project management software to appraisal reviews, which I think is one of the really cool ones. I did a trial on one of them and I was really impressed at how it worked. With project management software too, there is a lot of coordination involved and so having a software to deal with all the technicalities of time and money allotment and of course deadlines, makes it much easier.

Small business phone systems

Ever since I started working from home, I've been using a VoIP phone system for all my work related calls, especially my international calls. Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP as it is more commonly known as, is an especially great option for small to medium businesses as it saves on time and money. There are lots of small business phone system services available, of which Virtual Office has one of the most powerful hosted PBX systems. Perfect for both long distance and local calling, once you start using the Virtual Office, you'll wonder why you didn't switch earlier.

Residential plans start at just $24.99 a month, which gives unlimited local and long distance calling in the US and Canada and fax only plans at $9.99 a month. Maintenance with VoIP phones is non-existent to minimal, so it's perfect system to install and just forget about it. Business plans start at $14.99 a month for the Virtual Attendant plan; with a wide range of plans, it is easy to customize the kind of service you require.

search goof ups

Surfing on the Internet, one can be sure to come across all sorts of sites, regardless of if one was actually searching for something similar or not. The advertisements on the right bar are especially irritating as they keep coming up with mis-matched results. So you might be searching for a "extended family vacation" and getting something like extenze on the result page. Very odd and definitely not what I was thinking will show up on the page. Quite often it happens with the smaller search engines, but even Yahoo and Google turn up with such results every once in a while. If you see the stat reports for your blog, you will see the way people end up on your blog and often it's through a word that you might have mentioned somewhere deep in the blog, but have nothing at all to do with the subject per se.

magazine ads

Open any magazine and you are sure to find a ton of advertisement for everything from gorgeous hair extensions to getting the perfect tan to weight loss programs such as quick trim burn and cleanse reviews. It all makes me curious as to how many people actually go through the back of the mags for these advertisements? Have you ever bought or used anything that was marketed, advertised or promoted by celebrities on these pages? I haven't found anything that I really must try so far, but one never knows, does one!

no quick fixes in life

I keep writing about it, but it seems to make no difference to those who have already decided to take this course of action. The thing is that there are no short cuts in life, you have to do the work to make things right for the long haul. Even though you might be successful at something like a quick weight loss plan, there are no guarantees that it can be applied to the rest of your life. Some things and even the one I mentioned might not really work at all in the short run. Try if you'd like, but it just make sense to go slow and steady.

photo: one morning

A photo from my winter trip to India. I visited north India in the winter after many, many years and although enjoyed a bit of the chill, after a week, I was ready to head back to the warmth of Dubai...lol, I sure will not get to say that very often! This was taken in the park close to home where I really enjoy going for my walks.

as a resource tool

Did you know that prospective brides use the internet for research and ideas more than magazines these days? Did you use the internet as a source of information and ideas for your own wedding? I confess that I did not, but I do like to spend time now looking through these sites for the amazing ideas they have. From wedding accessories to photo specials, these sites can be a great help if you're planning your own wedding, or have definite ideas that you want to pass on to your wedding planner. A little bit of everything works well in these situations.

gizmo's...help or nuisance

When it comes to technology, do you really think there is a point where one can stop and say enough is enough? I don't think so. As new things keep coming onto the market, we get convinced that we do really need them, to work better, to be more efficient and of course to multi-task, where something like a Bluetooth headset would really come in handy. I do like to keep up with new technology and fun gizmo's but sometimes it feels like they are a lot more work than the help they promise to provide.

photo: indulgence

Indulging in a teeny-tiny piece of the most delicious and decadent chocolate cake. It's from a bakery called Baker and Spice, located in Souk Al Bahar, overlooking the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and I just cannot get enough of it. I wish I could have a slice or two every day. I don't think I could ever get tired of it.

printing away

I find that having a 4-in-one printer, scanner, copier and fax machine is a real boon. I would have ended up wasting so much time if I didn't have this at home, and the printer cartridges last for a good amount of time, so it's really worthwhile. While some retail oriented printers such as the epson receipt printer are said to be also a good option, I like my basic version which has been a great buy.The small grocery down the street is always complaining about how his receipt printer is packing up, so I think I should recommend this one to him.

a sleek look

The past couple of weeks, we've been busy doing some rearranging of furniture etc at home. We is a general term, actually it's just been me! He comes and nods in approval though every once in a while :-) I've always like a more un-fussy style and so having some contemporary sofas in our house was a given. I don't care for anything too modern, things that look like they came from the Star Trek set and all that, but I like it to have clean lines and nothing gaudy or jarring at all. The one we have is a nice sleek one, but is really comfortable too...especially for taking afternoon naps!

TheNewsRoom: embed news on your site

Today's surfing found a very interesting site that allows you to earn money from video clips that you embed on your site. The News Room is a completely free service and signing up just takes a couple of minutes. Once you have your account set up, you can upload video clips of your choice on your site and get paid each time someone watches it. It's a great way to make money via advertising share, with CPM staring at $1. Besides cash, members can also earn prizes, including big ones such as cars and vacations. Embedding a video is as simple as copying and pasting a code and that's is.

There are thousands or licensed news stories that members can publish or 'mash' on your site. By combining content from a number of sites such as Associated Press (AP), Reuters and many more, TheNewsRoom has given access to some of the best sources of news to its members. I decided to search for some interesting news to embed and found that I had a hard time choosing just one item. With news from across the world and from all sphere's there is something for everyone at TheNewsRoom.

a new way to send wishes

Well, this is something that I've not come across too often. There was a time that people would send Christmas and other holiday cards to each other, the post offices would be inundated with bags and bags of mail, and everyone would proudly display their cards on the mantle. Now days the way to go about it apparently, is to write a post about it on your blog and email that link to your friends and family. I've not done it, but I think richard willich has. It's a new way of doing things, but not sure when I'm going to go in that direction.

never to young to.....

When is it time to start using beauty products that promise to turn back the clock? Is it in one's 40's when the lines really start showing up? Or is it in one's 30s when the lines first appear, but look more like signs of happiness than wrinkles, or is it in one's 20s when one should try to prevent them from even occurring? Well, if the manufacturers and marketers of many wrinkle crème brands are to be believed, it's the last scenario. Really, I'm not kidding, they actually think that the best time is to start using them when one is in one's mid-twenties, so that you can partly stall the damage and partly get used to the idea of applying 20,000 different things onto your face. I'm not impressed. It's all a marketing gambit obviously. Wrinkles are not "damages" as they put it, they're signs of a life well lived. Deal with it and be happy with it.

its not just for old people

I'm too young to start having joint pain, but the fact is that I do. It seems that the cartilage in my knees is worn out...one knee is worse than the other, so it's not just something that happens to old people. I even went out and bought a bottle of joint pain supplements but then never got around to taking it till it was almost expired. Oh well! I think I was in a bit of denial myself. What has helped is moderate but regular exercise, such as walks and even going up and down stairs, which I thought would make it worse, but it has actually made it better. Hope my enthusiasm for keeping it at bay continues!

caught up in reading

I have to confess, I've barely been sleeping lately. I'm hooked onto a new series of books that is just not letting me sleep until it's late, late, late into the night, and if I don's let up a bit I'm soon going to be the one searching for things like cream for deark circles under eyes and so on. Oh dear, that can be dreary, can it not! With the days been so busy, I've just not had the time to read much during the day, although I've started taking the book with me and reading in the car...yes, it's the only time I get to read in the day time, but it has given me a head start!

photo: by the flowers

Remembering the masses of winter flowers at home when I visited in December. The weather was great at that time, bright sunny days and cool nights, hardly winter at all, and so the flowers all bloomed a bit earlier than their usual January time line.

the trend for teen spending to continue

According to research by a leading retail management group, the focus on teenagers and adolescents will continue in the coming year thanks to the huge spending potential of this segment. Despite the cash crunch, this section of the population is not cutting back its spending on what it considers as the essentials, such as treatment for blackheads or acne or for any other kind of beauty treatment that can be purchased over the counter. Marketers have noted this trend and are even bringing out newer products that will reach a wider audience.

the push to looking better at any cost

Back from all my errands and chores that pile up to be done over the weekend. Wait a minute, isn't the weekend meant to be about relaxing and enjoying the time off from work? I try to keep one day completely free of any kind of "work" so that one gets some time away from it all, but sometimes it's just not possible. This morning I'd gone to the pharmacy to stock up on vitamins and saw the largest section of the store dedicated to diets for quick weight loss programs and so on. I visit my local pharmacy every month or so to stock up, but this is the first time I've seen such a strong push towards these products, and the local neighborhood is quite conservative, so I was surprised to see it all.

photo: clarity..

Don't you love looking up into the sky and watching the trees and leaves quiver in the wind. It's my favorite kind of daydreaming along with dreaming about my dream home of course, of art to hang here, of a sofa to place there, of just the right console table and so on. Anyway, I've gone off topic....to be out in nature is a wonderful feeling for me and I love the peacefulness of this picture.

of kits of all kinds

The other day I was at the market and came across a huge variety of kits, everything ranging from pond kits to herb kits that grew in water in a little rectangular fish tank kind of glass. I was quite intrigued by it and read the instructions. It seems easy enough and even worthwhile enough to buy, especially since it wasn't too expensive. All it requires is some time and attention at the initial germination stage and then one just has to keep it watered. If only I wasn't going to be away for some time, I would go for it now. I think I will get it once I'm back. Seems like a good experiment if nothing else.

the confusion of it all

We've been running around getting some new health insurance lately. Well, "getting" is the wrong word, I suppose, since we haven't finalized with the new company, thanks to the confusing way they work. It turns out that if I am out of the country for over 2 months, my insurance gets invalidated and since I would have to pay for the full year up in advance, I don't get any refund or any such thing. I mean, hello...the whole insurance business is already so confusing with annuities and a whole bunch of other legalese, but the complicate the matter more, seems pointless. For customers at least!

photo: on the creek

Remembering our trip to the Creek last year when the weather was fabulous. Well, it's that time of the year again and we're planning to head that way again, hope to find some new interesting nooks and crannies in the area as we usually do. A new cafe, a hidden juice bar, a local pastry shop and so on.

investing in an education

Getting a specialized degree is always going to be an asset, but it's also a good idea to consider it an investment, something that will pay you back over the course of your life. While most working individuals cannot take time off to go full-time to a regular university, an online university such as Western Governors Online University is a good option that will help you in the long run. Now, I know that there are lots and lots of online universities out there, but in the end what really makes an educational institute count is the results it can achieve for its students. Say, for example that you take an online nursing degree from then go on to work at one of the leading hospitals of your city, then the experience is surely worthwhile, right? Tied along with the learning one gathers from such an education is the hands-on practical training that goes alongside, which makes it more applicable than any other type of learning.

diversify your talents

In the time that the economy is slow, it's a good option to explore new areas of work. This is especially true for professions that allow you to freelance, such as business plan consultants where you could maybe do some extra work in your off time and see if you're suited for it. Getting another degree or some kind of qualification is another good option while things are slow, since it always pays to be more qualified. A specialized degree or a degree in a diversified field are both good options and are generally looked upon favorably by recruiters.

photo: do you notice the light and shadows?

A photo from our trip to the Bastakiya arts quarter in Dubai in Nov/Dec. I love this little area...it's got character and atmosphere, even though most of it is not old and has been redone somewhat recently. But it's been done well and it's a wonderful place to sit back and imagine what life would have been in this city, a 100 years back.

when is the right time to start on anti-aging creams?

Again, in continuation with my last post, the other thing that teenagers obsess about constantly are skin care products, which is an obvious result of anyone having any kind of skin problem. The skin care segment is a gigantic sector, but the two areas that make the most money are the teenage segment and the mid to older segment to whom companies market the anti-wrinkle creams and so forth. Interestingly, the second segment used to target only 50+ women, but now all anti-aging creams focus on starting using these creams by the time you're in your late 20s itself. Is that really required? I doubt it, but fear is a good marketing gamble.

marketing to teenagers

What is one of the most popular topic for blog posts among teenage girls? Not really that hard to crack...its solutions for acne that hits the top spot. Not only is the most written about topic but it is also one of the most researched one, besides searching for their favorite singers and downloading their songs. Marketers are tapping into this insight and have been offering money to post advertisements on teenage blogs or others which have a teenage readership. It pays to keep up with the trends and nothing is more important than understanding or trying to understand how their mind works! Quite a tough task!

Computer games

For anyone who spends a lot of time working online, playing games is one of the best way to relax a bit. I have drastically reduced the amount of time I used to spend playing games, but still do manage a couple of hours each week. I found a site that has lots of pc computer games that can be played online, from puzzle, arcade, action, video, casino, adventure, cards and much more. With so many types of games, I am sure to be occupied going through all of the for quite some time. I am especially fond of puzzle games and there are lots of such games available including Jewel of Atlantis, Bejeweled, Treasure Island and much more. Among the word games, I love Bookworm.

to click or not to click

In continuation of my last post, about how one finds advertisements placed in a variety of sites, I came across an advertisement about fda approved diet pills on a well-known interior design magazine site and decided to do some investigation. It can often be risky business clicking onto unknown advertisements, but I thought let me at least see how authentic these advertisements actually are. Do they lead to a real site or just one of those sites that compile and collect another bunch of sites. Anyhow, it turned out that my wireless connection was lost right then, so I wasn't able to connect. I take that as a sign :-)

placing ads

One just cannot get away from self improvement ads of all kinds. No matter what kind of site you open up, well, not all sites, but the bulk of sites, there are advertisements on the side for a variety of weight loss programs such as http://www.weightlossprogram.net, which I saw on a decor site. I didn't think they really went together, but as the readership of most decor sites is primarily women, it's the exact kind of audience that self improvement and weight loss sites are looking for. It would be interesting to find out the stats on how many people actually click through to these ads though.

Discounts on office supplies

I'm a office supply buff, simply love buying stuff for my home office and there's no place better than Office Depot. As much as I love going to the store and browsing to get ideas on new products and gizmo's, I've started buying stuff from them online since I get some sweet Office Depot coupons from an online store which is this really cool way to save money. I got a nice discount on some filing cabinets that I ordered from there and since I was getting such a nice discount, I ended up buying some additional stuff as well. And, that's what shopping is all about...finding a store that you love and getting great deals.

on the weather affecting one's health

One is always reading about how different climates affect ones bones, especially as one gets older. For people with more serious problems, many believe that arthritis pain treatment is much more effective if done in the right climate as well. Cold, misty and rainy places might seem wonderfully romantic, but apparently they are quite bad for anyone with any kind of bone problem, where the joints get stiff and the pain increases. Warmer climates are much more suited to those with these kinds of problems.

somewhere warm and sunny

Winter is a great time to plan getaways right, especially to places where the weather is warm and sunny, the atmosphere relaxed and the breeze always blowing! Well, maybe it's time I started checking out some of these turks and caicos hotels for deals and specials, since we're just back from a vacation, and it only makes sense to go again if the price is right! Ha ha, yes the pun is definitely intended :-) Searching for vacations is fun, but only if one manages to go for them right!

Are you a celeb watcher?

The most popular sites these days are those that allow interaction and involvement from its viewers. I came across a site about celebrities that collects news and gossip items from a variety of sources and lets its readers vote for the best and leave their comments as well. The site is quite new, but has already built up quite a following it seems. Everyone is interesting in watching celebrities and especially in celeb gossip these days and this site not only gives all the information, but also lists the sources, which makes it interesting to get a complete perspective. It looks like quite an interesting concept, definitely some thing that will catch the attention of celeb watchers social networking fans.

a good blogging year

Just some quick last minute posts before I sign out for the new year. It's been a good year for blogging, I feel. I've paid more attention to my blogs this year than the last and more than just attention, it's been a bit more focused attention on the topics rather than random ramblings. Well, there have been some of that too, but then that's what a personal blog is all about, right! I can write about the book I'm reading and jump to a post on a NJ Cosmetic dentist if I feel like it. There's certainly a nice freedom to doing that, instead of feeling boxed in and having to stick only to a single topic. Here's to another prolific year in blogging.

NYE plans

With the new year almost here, everyone seems to be planning for their parties for New Year's Eve, from clothes to food to music. The party we're attending is going to be outdoors, which is going to make it really pretty cold. There will be a tent although the sides will be open and there will be a huge bonfire in the open area and individual warmers spread around the tables as well. I do hope the new year brings me some peace from the constant questions I've faced from readers regarding safe weight loss pills and so on. It's flattering to be contacted for my opinion but it just became a bit too tedious since I had to say the same thing over and over again. Here's to a new year free from all of this!

a new redo on the street

Each time I come home for a visit, there is always another house that is undergoing a renovation on our street. It's been going on for the past 5 years or more at least, and each time it seems to get more and more fancy, complicated and time consuming. Everything from the latest bath fixtures to tile flooring seem to be used in the newer houses or rather newer updates. It's a good boost to the local construction industry I suppose to see so many houses undergoing work even in slow economic times.

The truth about debt

It seems like just about everyone is living in debt these days. Our wants and needs as consumers have increased while our resistance to waiting to save for a purchase has completely disappeared. So, we all spend as we please and then are not able to pay off our expenditures on time. Each year our christmas expenditures have been rising along with more impulse buys which is a dangerous trend. Recent reports have highlighted the fact that the number of people with debt problems in increasing rapidly and will continue to do so. While most consumers are taking high interest loans to pay off their debts, what usually happens, is they they end up even deeper in debt unless they make radical changes to their lifestyle and their spending habits. How much does the average consumer really know about debt? Most have very little knowledge on the facts on debt. So while we continue to live the way we do, we will continue to face these problems.

rushing to the bookstore?

I remember when I was in college, many students used to rush to sell textbooks before even giving the exam at the end of the term. The reason being that if the store got too many of the textbooks back, it wouldn't want yours, so there was always a rush to sell them and get some money in time for the Christmas holidays. The same went for the Spring semester, but it wasn't that much of a dash since most students were going to get jobs anyway.

time for a vacation

We'll be leaving on vacation in a few days, so have been busy with sorting all my pending stuff out for our trip. But that still hasn't stopped me from doing a little fun surfing every once in a while, and on one of them I found the tempting sights of saint thomas on offer. Winter would be a great time to head to the Caribbean, away from the cold, away from the usual Christmas stuff, away from one's work and so on. Wishful thinking! Anyways, our vacation will be good too...filled with family members and friends and old haunts.

Christmas shopping ideas

As the holiday season heats up, its time to find some great deals and specials online I think. One of the best ideas is to look for online deals and coupons that cater tor a great number of merchants. I found some super coupons that offered up to 60% off select HBO DVDs and had lots of other specials offers as well. We've been collecting DVDs for quite some time now and are always on the lookout for deals on movies. The other great coupon that I found was coupon for an office supply store that has lots of discounts, including $30 off on any purchase of $150 and so on. It's a good time to search for deals on the Internet as retailers are pulling out all the stops to win over customers this holiday season. My holiday list is not completely ready as yet, but I have a general idea of the kind of things that I want to buy for friends and family.

ask me something inventive next time!

As much as I love the holiday months, I am almost dreading the influx of queries about all sorts of weight loss programs and fat burner systems that I usually get at the end of the vacations, when everyone realizes just how much weight they have actually put on. Well, in a way it's good too, but it gets boring since it is just so repetitive since I get asked the same question time and time again. C'mon people, come up with some inventive questions!

wishful thinking

Well, if one is dreaming of stuff for Santa to bring for Christmas this year, why not go a tad bit overboard and wish for something like loose diamonds! What a Christmas it would be if you got a bag full of diamonds, wouldn't it! What would one do with them? Besides play with and stare at them! I love being inventive with presents, for Christmas or otherwise, but never in a million years would think of something like this!

Streamlining processes

Technology for medical card scanning has improved immensely such as the MedicScan + ScanShell 800N package that lets you scan medical insurance cards which can be stored as a file on your PC or LAN server, so that you can export them to 3rd party applications, publish them via TP or send them by email. The Medicscan scan process is itself extremely simple and starts automatically once the card is inserted into the medical scanner. Storing these scans saves a lot of time sorting out paperwork and will increase productivity and reduce mistakes made by hurried medical staffers. Both sides of the card are scanned simultaneously, and the saved image is added to the patient file. The scanner needs no outside power supply as it connects to your PC via USB port.

a big fan of the internet....me!

Just imagine that you had to find out what Symbol LS2208 was and that there was no internet? So how would you go about it? Go to the library? Ask someone? Wander around hopelessly and hope the answer would hit you from the sky? Hmmm, seems like a tough world without the internet, right? I certainly think so. I seriously cannot imagine how we lived our day to day lives without it, very frankly. I grew up using encyclopedias and loved them. I spent a lot, really a lot, of time at the library in college, finding information, digging up stuff, but I am a complete convert to searching for stuff on the internet. Well, let's be honest, who isn't?

would you buy insurance online?

There are a ton of things that one can find and buy online, but one of the fastest growing segments seems to be the insurance online sector that seems to be registering quite a solid and steady growth rate. I've always thought that it would make more sense to talk to someone about things like insurance, but these days if you want the best rates, then you'll just have to go online to find them. Maybe one should get all the details by talking to different agents and when one is sure of what one wants and the right kind of insurance, then go online. This way makes more sense to me.

knowing your directions

If one is going to be traveling to out of the way places then getting a navigation system is a great idea, in fact it's kind of a must actually. There are a ton of gps systems available in the market so it can be quite confusing as to which will work the best for you, so it's a good idea to read up on the material with it to ensure that it will suit your needs and knowledge, as a lot of them are just so complicated that they lie unused once bought!

photo: shades of blue

A shot from my morning walk some time back. With the weather turning so lovely it's been a great excuse to wander out in the mornings. And yesterday we had dense fog here, so much that I could barely see past the gate. It was just a bit chilly, but it looked like it was really cold. Looking forward to winter now.

is it time to change the tv?

We are being bombarded with advertisements these days.... mostly from electronic stores in the paper and in inserts as well. I've got tired of looking at the ads now, but it has put a seed in that it's got me thinking that maybe it's time to upgrade our current TV to something like a Samsung HDTV or some such thing. Very frankly, shopping for stuff like this confuses me, so I put it off or put the decision on someone else's shoulders. Our current one is just over two years old, so it really doesn't need replacing, but if one gets a great deal, then maybe it's worth it. Let's see!

a busy landlord

The landlord's been really busy lately with stuff around the house. Last weekend he redid the front end of the drive, which was all broken up and today he's busy with electrical stuff, changing the switches in the utility room with these toggle switches. He repainted the house a few months back and made some changes in one of the apartments upstairs and I wonder what he's going to be up to next. He's a busy one for sure!

photo: Naldehra Golf Club

As you all know, I love the hills and mountains of India. I have been traveling and living in the area since I was a child and nothing makes me feel better than going back to familiar places. This shot was taken in June on our trip to Mashobra. This is the clubhouse of the Naldehra Golf Course, which is located around 15 kms beyond.

reliving old school days

When I get nostalgic, I remember school days. I remember the old wood paneled classrooms we had and the old wooden classroom chairs and desks, where we used to carve our names for posterity. Nothing like a trip to school days to relish in nostalgia, is there! I've been back to my old school many many times, but the trips usually don't involve going back to the classroom...mostly because they've all changed so much....been modernized so much, almost striped of their old personality. So we usually go to the other haunts that still remain as they were!

the beach beckons!

As winter approaches, the idea of a beach vacation sounds more and more appealing. Something like those Myrtle beach vacation rentals that one can take for a week at a time, chill back and just relax without agenda or plan for the day. To really be able to have a relaxing vacation, one has to have enough time to feel....ah, there's lots of time left as yet....it just doesn't happen in a 2-3 day long weekend vacation for me. I'm all about week long vacations!

photo: the sound of flowing water

A photo from our visit to Orient Cafe in the Bastakiya arts quarter in Dubai. This little area is a gem, so full of interesting sights and will lots of interesting things to do as well, from learning Calligraphy to restoration of local tile work. I could go back again and again.

Shopping online or in the store

I'm constantly amazed at the way people happily spend their money on buying things on the internet. I've always been a cautious online shopper, usually buying only air tickets, doing hotel bookings or sending flowers overseas through the Internet, but according to a study, one of the hottest items that people buy online are fat burners. According to the report, consumers prefer to purchase such weight loss items online instead of actual stores, where they might be judged by the checker or by other shoppers.

relying on technology

I remember the first time I heard about virtualization services, I thought it was something from the future. Well, it isn't and it is all about a technology that is changing the IT infrastructure and computing as we know it. There are many combination's of it that can reduce your dependency on physical computer systems, while significantly increasing your efficiency and allocation of resources as well as applications. In today's work environment, we all need to focus on making our work and technology more streamlined and this is one proven way to do exactly that. I will definitely be reading up more on this technology.

photo: passing by

Considering just how modern the city of Dubai is, it is sometimes hard to find anything old about it, till one heads to the area by the Creek. I love to explore this area since it has so much character in it, and it feels so much more real than the new modern skyscraper filled Dubai.

noisy neighbors

Our landlord has been making changes in the apartment above ours for the past few weeks, making our lives quite miserable. The workmen show up at their enthusiastic best after lunch, especially on the weekends, when we just want to laze and maybe take a nap. I went up to investigate what all was going on the other day and saw that besides installing some very nice granite tile, a wall or two were broken to make new doorways and change the configuration of the rooms. I was quite impressed with the what the end result is likely to be, now hopefully we will get nice neighbors too.

one can never have too much of office supplies!

What is it about buying office supplies that is so much fun! I love to go buy things to organize my files, mark them to make them easier to find and a whole lot more. It's with a childlike glee that I head to buy office supplies for myself, even though they might be the boring computer printer and staples variety. I've always loved organizing stuff, so maybe that's why I love buying these things, but then a lot of other people who aren't into organizing are addicted to shopping for stationary too. I'm making my list right now of all the things I need and the things that I want to buy :-)

photo: taking in the view

On every vacation, I try to find a nice spot to sit and read, to contemplate life, to think, to ponder and to be thankful for the opportunity to be able to see such places. Often I find myself in such a mood on my morning walks, when I am by myself, but this photo below was when I sat at the golf club in Naldehra in Himachal, around mid morning, drinking apple juice, and taking in the scenery.

more on comparison shopping

In my last post, I wrote about how shoppers are increasingly using comparison shopping online before making their purchasing decisions. This is also especially true for life insurance leads and finding the right coverage. There are a several comparison sites that make it all easy for you to decide by showing you options side-by-side so that you can compare aspects directly. Comparison shopping for all kinds of insurance has been a popular way to select it, especially car insurance which is the kind that most people get first of all, before they even consider life insurance.

comparison shopping

What do you like most about the internet? Is is the connectivity that you like, so that you can keep in touch, or is it the information that you like, so you can read the newspapers from 10 different countries, or is it the power of finding stuff when shopping, such as comparing prices before you head out the door? I find that a lot of people really do use the internet for comparison shopping, so instead of actually going from store to store physically they find the best deals online and then go to the store to pick it up. This phenomenon really picks up during the Christmas shopping season and the Black Friday sales in the US. If you're searching for something like the best weight loss products then starting online is a good place, since if you go to a store, you might only see part of a selection, so for shoppers, the internet has become a great source of deals as well as information.

photo: through the doors

As you all know, I love to take shots of windows and doorways and of looking through them. I took this one at the souk at Madinat Jumeirah which is an interesting combination of old and new, a sanitized and cleaned up version of what the local souks are like, I suppose. It's a convenient place to go to if one wants to eat out and do some shopping for little trinkets too.

and more on my cleaning spree...

Lately, I've been on a cleaning spree. First it was the cupboards and drawers and now it's been all the electrical equipment. Living in the desert means that the air conditioner filters need to be cleaned very often, as often as every 15 days, which is a real pain, since our ceilings are super high and I need to find a extra tall ladder to reach the AC. My cleaning guy is a wimp, and will do anything to avoid climbing ladders or chairs to clean anything, so that means that I have to do it myself. That's fine by me since I'm adventures and a lightweight so climbing up rickety ladders is still doable.

time to clean up

Well, summer's almost over and so it's time to sort out my cupboards and home, kind of a reverse spring cleaning of sorts. The last time I did it, I found so much unused stuff, new clothes, new Dansko shoes that I'd bought for my hubby for work and he'd never worn. I find I really need to sort things out every so often, else they just get pushed to the back of the cupboard and one never even realizes they are there. I wonder what all goodies I will find this year!

photo: down the corridor

Reliving the Kerala trip with old photos. Here's a shot that I took in Calicut at the Beach Hotel where we stopped for lunch. The building was beautiful, built with traditional materials and had a tiled roof and I got to wander and take some nice photos. I like the perspective in this shot a lot.

just bought and outdated already

Sometimes it feels like one is never really done with buying technological stuff. The moment one buys one thing, it seems that a newer and upgraded version hits the market. Sometimes one can manage with little updates or by getting an sd card or two, but at other times, one just has to go the whole hog and buy it all over again. I have decided not to delay updates too long, else it just gets too much of a hassle to transfer things over from the older version. Hope I can stick to my schedule!

spotting trends

What is it about summertime that sends sales of colas and weight loss supplements to a high? Well, actually, the latter's sales shoot up after Christmas as well, after everyone has been gorging on food at parties and disguising the added weight under layers of clothes. Sales of seasonal products show annual trends that help manufacturers and marketers in their planning for product launches and debuts. I've always been quite fascinated by understanding and spotting these sorts of trends, something along the lines of The Undercover Economist and Freakonomics, which were both awesome books.

photo: | |

I love the symbolism of doorways. Ever since I started going on my early morning walks, I have enjoyed taking shots of doors, walls and windows. Sometimes I think I will get into trouble by taking photographs of other people's home, even though I never went inside anyone gates or zoomed in to their windows. Here's a shot of a doorway in a building near Fujairah Fort in Fujairah, UAE.

celebs as fonts of truth....I think not!

OK, so if you're a celebrity watcher, like so many people seem to be these days, you will know that each one of them espouses their own version of the best diet pills, which leads to the spiking of sales every time they say it or refer to it. I'm not for pills of any kind actually, don't need to be since I'm already slim, but for those who rely on these to look good, I would recommend to meet a doctor before starting on any kind of dose. They really make weight loss look altogether too simple, which can be rather misleading to many young and impressionable girls.

photo: people watching

At Dubai Mall....just passing time and watching people. This was taken when the mall had just opened and there were lots of people coming in to see the new mall and especially the humongous aquarium. Malls are good people watching spots in Dubai, especially since there are cafe's spread out all across the malls and one can always find nice places to sit for a good view.

on RV vacations

Summer is the time that everyone wants to take a break, and despite the downturn of the economy, consumers are still taking vacations. The difference is that now more and more travelers are looking to travel within the US and in more cost-effective ways. One such popular trend is for traveling in RV's, which is a great way to see the country or state but also cut back on costs of hotels and restaurants. If you're planning a RV vacation, then don't forget to take the number along of a rv towing company so that if you face any problem, you have someone to help you out.

on specific searches

The other day, I came across a very interesting thing online, as is the case usually when I happen to spend some time surfing without any goal to find anything specific. Did you know that you can find a San Jose motorcycle accident attorney from the comfort of your hospital bed, if you ever find yourself in such a situation? I thought it to be quite radical, in the sense that we seem to be becoming more and more specific when it comes to our searching needs. It's not a new phenomenon I know, but I just hadn't come across something so specific before. Or maybe it was just my day to be amazed at something or the other!

photo: viewing the viewers

One thing I really love about the hill stations of India, is that people love to walk and people love to sit and watch other people walking. We do it too :) There's almost something kind of soothing about it, to just be, to take in the surroundings, to observe and to absorb.

interesting referrals

The Internet is a great leveler. One can be anyone, anywhere and one will end up with similar results on the search engines. That makes me wonder how some people come to my blog. I really don't check the stats very often, since it's kind of boring and obsessive, but when I see a spurt of comments, I am usually intrigued enough to go check out why and how. So along with the usual referrals, I see the funny ones, like orange nj cosmetic dentist`, which I really cannot remember writing about earlier, although searches for 'orange paper flowers' do end up in the right place. I find it all very interesting how people do their searches, and where they eventually end up, usually by mistake.

rational Vs irrational fears

There are some things that one is afraid of that can be overcome with time and practice, but then there are others that are just irrational and refuse to be sorted out. I've always had a public speaking fear and although I always put it into the second category, I now realise that it is possible to overcome it bit by bit. My mind seems to just go blank when any such situation arises, but then I have noticed that at other times, when I don't perceive it as public speaking it doesn't bother me at all. So, then it actually is all just in my mind, right! Seems so simple to sort out, right!