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.