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!

photo: look up!

I've been back for a while, but I just haven't had a chance to sort out my trip photos and blog about my vacation. I was catching up quite nicely to all the work when I came back, and then I fell sick, so it all came to a grinding halt, and now I have to play catch up to lots of things that are pending and need to be taken care of by the end of the month. So in the meantime, here's a shot of my view of the sky taken while on a picnic beyond Narkanda in Himachal.

Too many pills lately....

We've both been down with the flu this past week and been feeling miserable generally. The doctors here seem to love to dole out all sorts of medication, so we've been having mountains of pills morning, noon and night, between the two of us. Probably everything but a diet pill or two, which they probably would have tried to slip in, regardless of the fact that we don't need it. It's like the new age rock salt and mint gargle tablets I was prescribed for my sore throat...they were pathetic and didn't do any good, but the plain old salt gargles worked like a charm.

My never ending camera saga!

Sometimes, taking one's time and doing the research before buying something is a smart thing, but then at others, it is a sure way to end up more confused, which is what I have become regarding what camera to buy. I seem to have asked too many people, and no two people have given me the same answer (ie. camera option), and with the unlimited choices, I think I'm going to go batty! Decide on the brand, the mega pixels, the type, the size, the cost, the micro sd and so on, and I go from being kind-of sure about what I want to be running from store to store, pointing at hundreds of cameras and trying them out. Not a pretty picture, is it! Although the pun isn't too bad ;-)

photo: home-home feet

It's become a bit of a tradition to take shots of my feet on every vacation! This time I got to take several footy-shots, since I was on quite a long vacation. I love feet shots and think this is a fun way to capture the moment. The other thing that I do on vacations, especially when we go to the hills etc, is to collect leaves to bring back. I really don't do much with the leaves after wards, but still like to bring them back. I probably should start pasting/framing them in a journal, so I can keep track of dates and places.

More than just a pet

I've never really had a pet of my own, so sometimes struggle to understand how attached pet owners are to their pets. They actually become more than just a pet, but a family member, and often provide more support and show more love than family members themselves :-) This explains the rise of the pet accessories and the pet supplements industry, which have continued to rise even during this ongoing slowdown, since for most pet owners, their pets need just as much as their family, whether it is to do with food, supplements, medical treatment and toys. It's all about good marketing for sure.

the simple pleasures of life

Summer is the time for everyone to buy new patio furniture, organize the area for barbeques and so on. But for us it is the winter that is the prime season for outdoor furniture, when the weather is fabulous, the sky full of stars and the nights a bit nippy. There is something so special about dining al fresco, isn't there? I find that it just makes even the simplest of meals into something special and memorable. I'm looking forward to the time, when we can sit outside and enjoy a meal too!

photo: the downside of living with history

I love taking street scene shots, but I find I get too flustered and embarrassed when people start staring at me, so in that way drive-by shots are a great alternative for me. I took three shots this day, and this was the first one. It was also the best one of the lot.

questions and answers

I just posted on my other blog, how people seem to single me out to ask for advice on weight loss, to find the best fat burner and diet pills. I'm not really sure why that happens. I don't go around wearing a T-shirt that says "ask me", but oh well, I suppose it gives me stuff to write about here. I think I should probably start a specific blog to deal with all the queries about all of this!

modern day watch towers

The modern day landscape is not complete without these cell towers and surprisingly they make some very interesting sights when taking shots of a city, especially if one takes them at sunrise or sunset, when the warm light seems to highlight them and almost make a showcase of them. In the old days, there were watch towers and forts, but in modern times, it is these that have taken on the role of watching over our cities. I especially like spotting them in unusual places, like in the middle of the wilderness in the mountains.

photo: layers

As much as I love taking shots of the books I'm reading along with tea or coffee, I really do love my shots of doors, walls and windows. They have a more abstract nature, so maybe that's why they appeal more to me, or maybe because they are simpler compositions, starker even.

changing the way we get married

It seems that weddings are becoming more and more practiced and matter of fact. The clothes such as the traditional tuxedo is rent-able along with most of the other furnishings, which although makes it so convenient for most people, I find it makes it somewhat matter of fact and routine. A custom made tuxedo is more to my line of thinking since it will have more meaning and remain with you, as part of the wedding memorabilia.

understanding the pros and cons

As a researcher, one often gets assignments for topics that are completely out of your realm. When I first undertook a diet pills comparison, I wasn't sure how good I would be, since I don't have a medical background, but after a good amount of research I managed to find some very qualitative information about how to compare them and how to evaluate them. I would recommend anyone who wants to use any kind of pills also do a bit of research of their own.

photo: down the escalator

Noticing the light and patterns created by the sun from the top level of Festival City. Took this from outside Fitness First, where one has a nice view towards the parking lot, the outside sitting area, and airport beyond. I find Festival City to be one of the nicest malls in terms of architectural interest...beyond just large chandeliers and grand columns. The glass roof creates wonderful patterns everywhere you look.

announcing in style

These days it seems like everything has to be so perfectly planned and organized. One of the area that has really benefited from this line of thinking is party planning and especially for things such as birth announcements and baby showers. The trends towards creating something unique has always been there, but it seems to have taken an even grander scale lately! Apart from the grandness, the attention to detail in these aspects is quite fascinating.

a little step that goes a long way

I'm always surprised at home many mom and pop stores just don't care for modern technology, even if it is going to increase their sales. For a lot of the old-fashioned retailers it's all too much of botheration to try and learn about new technologies and of course the cost involved with them as well. What most don't know is that how easy it actually is to use something like a Symbol LS2208 barcode scanner, and how this along with a proper inventory system can transform their business.

Often, it's just a case of one slightly-modern thinking retailer who switches and everyone else watches him and sees the difference and switches as well, some reluctantly and some enthusiastically. I've spoken to so many small neighborhood grocers who will make the investment only if pushed into it, but once they have done it, they are quite amazed at the difference it makes. If only they realized it earlier.

photo: looking out

Looking out into the courtyard of the Orient Cafe and Guesthouse in Bastakiya in Dubai. They have some really great tiramisu and also serve Starbucks coffees and drinks! There are just five or six tables in this tiny courtyard so it fills up pretty quickly.



More photos of the area here, and a map here.

Do you trust your car insurance agent?

It feels like if one has an Internet connection, one can find just about anything there is to be found in the world. Well, of course, one cannot find out how something smells or feels like just from the Internet, apart from reading about it second hand, but one can certainly find information like car insurance coverage recommendations and so on. Everyone knows that the most expensive automobile insurance is provided by the agent who sits at the car dealership, but we often just go ahead and take if for the simplicity of it all. In the long run, this adds up to a lot of difference, and the fine print is so important to read. When we moved from Bombay, it was a month and a half after renewing our car insurance, and the company refused to pay us back the unused amount, refused to transfer it to the new car owner and basically made us curse them. I suppose, that's how one learns!

understanding why...

Oh, I forgot to mention, the other thing that I get a ton of inquiries about is appetite suppressant, again something that I did a research assignment on and have personally never used myself. I did meet some people who used them as part of my research and it was certainly very interesting to get some first hand information from them. What I was really curious about was the though process during the time when a person takes these? Is it a sure-fire thing that it will work, or does it work like a placebo and positive thinking is what the magic trick is? Very interesting indeed!

Me, an expert? No way!

Ok, now seriously people, by the amount of inquiries and mails and spam comments I get on best diet pills is simply quite amazing. I've written about them before thanks to a research project I was assigned to do on them, but I'm certainly not an expert on them! But I suppose any information in the online world takes on some sort of importance, right? Well, I'm telling you right here and now, please do your own research, check with your doctor and so on, since I am not an expert on them, I have never used them and don't plan to either. My study on them was based on several published reports and consumer feedback and I don't claim to know any more than that.

photo: at the fairground

This winter we've made a concerted effort to get out of our comfort zones and explore Dubai and its surrounding areas, before it gets too hot. Now going to a new shopping area doesn't really seem like a worthy exploration, but in Dubai the shops and restaurant areas are created quite wonderfully and have lots of other interesting things to do as well. I'm not into shopping much or window shopping either, but it was nice to explore The Walk in Jumeirah Beach Residences, mostly for its architecture and great angles.

what to blog about?

I can't seem to stop writing about the oddest things, such as the best diet supplements or where to buy dog food or how to create rubber stamps and so on. They're not exactly what I had in mind for this blog, but sometimes its required and so here I am writing about such things. Well, if nothing else it is variety for the blog at least. Let's hope my topic list of blogging improves!

the focus....

The focus of this blog has become quite wide lately. It was meant to be about technology, communication, the web and so on, but somehow it has spread to travel, reading, my life and so on. None of the actual topics are my field, but they are an interest, since I like to be well informed and like to write about them, but maybe it was just all too different from what I usually do to keep it up. The problem of being the "second blog" also arises here, as my first priority is always the other one, and so the quality has deteriorated. I've got to rethink it all and see what I want this blog to me. I'm leaning towards writing more about consumerism, but will take some time to dwell on it.

looking for sales jobs?

Since I write quite a bit on retail on another blog, I get a lot of inquiries about finding sales jobs. While I don't run any kind of business myself on this front, I am really getting inundated with inquiries for jobs, franchising offers and supplier queries. A lot of people are not getting the point of blogging or differentiating it from news sites or company websites. Clarifying the matter hasn't made any difference at all and the queries still continue. Oh well!

stamping

Since I just wrote a post about stamping and ordering stamps online, I thought I would post a shot of the one that I got made several years back. It's made from a sketch that I doodle all the time, just reduced on the photocopy machine to the size that I wanted the stamp in. In retrospect, I realize that I reduced it too much, as the lines all blur together.

stamping online

I love putting aside a bit of time each weekend for being creative. A couple of weekends back I did a bit of stamping, which ended up quite fun. I've always loved stamps, as it is so easy to make so many different things from them. I had carved out a little simple stamp from an eraser a few months back, but had never got around to using it, so it was nice to test it out as well. If you're keen on stamping, it is a good idea to get a custom rubber stamp made to your specification. They are relatively simple to order online and the quality is quite good. I got one made of a paisley pattern that I keep doodling and it came out nice, but next time I know how to make it even better.

photo memory space

As a freelance writer, I really rely on my laptop, for work, for communicating, for surfing and for keeping in touch. So, when things go wrong as they did at the end of last year, I was in quite a fix. I had to make sure I didn't lose any of my work and that my tech problems did not affect my client at all. I did end up losing some of my photos but getting a compact flash memory card really did help a lot and I'm really glad my tech savvy friend told me about them. Live and learn, I guess!

In Central Perk

We all love Friends don't we? I do to, and have been watching it right from when it started. Thursday nights were sacred, to be spent with friends in front of the TV, watching Friends and then ER. When I read about the real Central Perk cafes in Dubai, I knew I had to visit....for nostalgia's sake. Well, we finally did and it was nice. Here's a photo from our visit of the Central Perk in Uptown Mirdiff in Dubai.

It's all in the eyes!

So, this is something that every girl could probably use, at some time or the other. Having a good eye cream can be quite a lifesaver when you're not sleeping well or are unwell, but need to look professional and with-it. I'm not much of an experimenter when it comes to make-up, lotion and potions, I just like to find a good one, usually one that is recommended, buy it, use it and forget all about the fine details! Including the fine lines under the eyes :-)

Award yourself

OK, admit it, aren't there some days when you want to give yourself an award or one of those grand trophies, a day when you really need to feel on top of the world? Well, if you really want to you actually can, you can even get yourself a set of softball trophies if you'd like for the company sponsored game or just for yourself. The only cup that I've ever won was for a marathon when I was in school and I'm incredibly proud of it. It makes an ordinary race seem like a great achievement and that's quite something.

Some quotes on technology

Technology: No Place for Wimps!
-Scott Adams, "Dilbert"

As industrial technology advances and enlarges, and in the process assumes greater social, economic, and political force, it carries people away from where they belong by history, culture, deeds, association and affection.
-Wendell Berry

Engrave this Quote We've been slaves to our tools since the first caveman made the first knife to help him get his supper. After that there was no going back, and we built till our machines were ten million times more powerful than ourselves.
We gave ourselves cars when we might have learned to run; we made airplanes when we might have grown wings; and then the inevitable. We made a machine our God.
-John Brunner, Judas [1967]

in a tree house

What is it about tree houses that endear them to us so well? I've always loved them. not only for their vantage point and views but for their sense of adventure. You have to be adventurous to go up into one, you have to a bit kiddish to love them, and you have to love them for the feeling of joy that they give.

self-storage anyone?

We've been moving so often in the past seven years, that I sometimes feel like I could open my own business! Well, if not a packing and moving business, then at least a self storage business, since I'm pretty good and organizing and packing as well. Or, maybe not! The thing is that I've always been rather fascinated by all these storage facilities for some reason. Maybe, it's the thought of traveling or moving to new places, and collecting too many things along the way as well, that endears them to me. What ever it is, the fact is that I am fascinated by them!

on topics far and wide

As a writer, one can't control the kind of assignments one gets. Sometimes it's all about traveling to Turkey, other times about the best acne treatments available in the market and at other times about supply chain networks. In a way, I suppose the work never quite gets boring at least, but it can test one's patience for sure. Well, in the sense that, you work hard and do a lot of research on some complicated topic and write a fantastic piece, and then you get a completely inane subject! There is always a option to refuse, but I usually find it too intriguing to refuse. I'm one of those people who needs to be busy, I love doing a couple of things at a time and so on!

a cup of tea!

Will you have a cup of tea with me?

I never, ever thought the day would come when I would enjoy drinking a cup of tea, or even two cups a day. Well, it has come and I am really relishing the cold weather for the opportunity to enjoy my cup of cha!

searching for...

I can not really believe just how many research articles I get for anything related to diets, the diet pill, losing weight and so on. There is a vast amount of research on all of these topics and sometimes it can get really confusing as to what is real and what is someone's opinion. I think the best way to deal with that is to stick to known and reputable sources, that are backed or recommended by a hospital or a doctor. Get a second opinion as well, it will do you no harm.

Being calm...is a state of mind

A vacation is always good for the soul. Often we relegate it to the lowest of our priorities, sometimes due to lack of time, at other due to lack of money or interest, but it really is very important to get out of one's daily routine and do something different. Sometimes a day is all it takes to get refreshed and often one need not go very far from home either. It's just a state of mind, kind of like leaving one's watch behind, turning off one's phone and not letting any problems intrude.

The right first impression

These days, it is absolutely essential to have an Internet site, a place where you can build your brand, your image and connect to a new category of buyers. Having the right kind of digital signage is very important, as that is a viewer's first impression and is the deciding factor, whether they stay or move on. There are some really great places to get all your work done, so you actually don't need to understand any of it, but only the importance behind it.

Become environmentally aware

All through our travels we found that all the places we stayed at had installed these new and quite impressive tankless water heaters. It certainly what I had been expecting of the region, but it is a great use of the resources at hand, and limited waste to a bare minimum. I think everyone must make a concerted effort to be aware of the problems around us and try to help the environment at each step. Something as simple as installing an efficient water heater can make all the difference!

back to my warm home

Back home to lovely warm sights like this one. I love seeing the sunshine wander through my home, changing its course in the seasons. It's been a wonderful start to the new year. Hope to see it continue in the same vein. Having a beautiful, specifically a warm and inviting home is very important to me, and everyone who visits my home or sees its pictures conveys the same to me. Thank you all so much.

hotel pampering

What is the first thing you check when you enter a hotel room? For me, it's the bathroom. If the bathroom is good, then you can be assured that the room will be great as well, which is not always the case the other way around. I find that I must have good bathroom light fixtures as well, since that really makes a huge difference to the feel of a room. One is there only for a short time, but if that time is enjoyable, then it's certainly worth it. Many hotels I have found are going all out in putting in the most luxurious of settings in the baths, since they have found that guests really do like to feel pampered when they come to a hotel, even if it is just a business trip or in transit.

using barcode scanners

Retailers worldwide have adapted to the use of barcode scanners as part of their retail requirements, but many of the small retail stores have still not invested in this very basic implement of a retail store. For many, it is the price which is an impediment, but for others it is the new technology that is the main hindrance to getting pos scanners. One has to remember that a lot of small retailers are simply mom-and-pop stores, which have been conducting their business in the same manner for generations, and are not exactly willing to change.r

meter reading

One of the popular games going around on flickr is being tagged to post the fifth photo from the fifth folder from your computer. I recently got tagged and looked up what the photo in question was. Well, I was happy to find it was a decent shot, one that I was planning to retake and so never got around to posting. Here it is!

The anything and everything!

What is the one place that you can find anything and everything? The one place where you can combine your searches from across the world all in one place? Well, it's really not a tough question, it's the Internet. Whether you're searching for Zyporex or for garden gnomes, it's the one stop shop for you and millions of others around the world. I don't even bother looking for information in encyclopedia's anymore, it's just much faster and more efficient on the Internet. And I'm not even adding the fact that it's all interactive. So, continue your searches and find that things that you want quicker and easier.

The power of the Internet

Have you ever wondered how you start searching for one thing on the Internet, but end up with a completely different agenda after a bit! With the endless choices, it is quite easy to get distracted. I started off looking for something else and then 15 minutes later was looking at a site for pain pump and assorted issues. How interesting, I thought! I hadn't planned to be here, but a little learning on a new subject never harmed me. In the end, I stayed on the site for a while and forgot about what my original search had been! That's the power of the Internet!

who is watching whom?

The new Dubai Mall is finally open. We visited it last week and like everyone else were drawn to the huge aquarium, which has over 33,000 fish behind the largest single pane of glass and the largest aquarium in the world. Is there anything that is not "the largest" in this city? It's getting old now....we need to have something different besides crowing about the tallest tower, the largest mall, and so on.

Looking for information on diet pills

I managed to get some pretty good feedback on the research I have been doing on diet pills, but am still looking out for anyone who has used Fentraphen to lose weight. I would love to hear from you and document your experience, so please do contact me if you have tried this. While the mainstream media is generally quite skeptical about any kind of diet pills, the research I have done shows that they do work, although it's really not the quick fix that a lot of people are looking for. They do need to be taken with caution and with a careful study of what your body is experiencing. If you are able to do that, then it will probably work quite well for you.

does one forget pain?

It's absolutely amazing just how lovely the weather has become here. Considering how hot it gets in the summer and how one just wilts, it is such a reprieve to be able to actually spend some time outdoors, instead of doing a fast sprint to the car from the house etc. That's the thing about bad things or pain, that one is able to forget it once it's past. Feels weird to be so philosophical about the weather, but it's a likely analogy!

Is this the best way to lose weight?

I been talking to some people about how popular pills are becoming in a lot of people's weight loss plans. Everyone seems to have the best diet pills that work for them, usually found after a few trials, but with the holiday season coming up, everyone seems to be stocking up on them and using them to get to look their best. With the way our diet has changed over the years, it's often just not possible to change our weight with the older techniques of losing weight, as in exercising and eating less and better balanced meals. For a lot of people, using medication is the only way to trick their body and mind into losing weight. And since it has worked well for so many people, more and more are sighing up!

rain shelter

Here's another pic from my trip to the hills. I took over 300 photographs...don't worry I'm not going to post them all here! I really loved the walks and these charming rain shelters that can be found every so often. Not only is the idea such a great one, but the design and upkeep of these rain shelters is really quite good too.

time to ride

Since the weather has turned beautiful here, there are tons of riding classes available, mostly using english saddles like this. The racing season will be starting here soon too, which is again going to increase the interest in riding, especially for kids, as it does each year. I must say, that I've never ridden a horse, but am quite tempted to learn this year, since I seem to be in the right time and place for it. I will definitely be letting you know once I start on my new adventure.

Fall colors

Fall is a wonderful time of the year. The weather is just so perfect, with just a hint of cold in the air, the colors are so amazing, everything from the trees to the flowers and leaves seem to burst into wonderful golden shades. While we don't have much of a fall here, I did manage to find some nice leaves while on my trip to the hills of Mussoorie. I loved the warm yellow color of these leaves.

An all-round destination

Suspense is good, right? Well, I am not about to reveal our next vacation destination, but will instead right about another place, a place that is world famous for fun, for crazy-ness and for amazing-ness. It's las vegas nv, fun central! The really great thing about Las Vegas is that it is different for different people. For those who want to gamble, it's superb. For those who want to shop, it's a great place. And for those who want to relax and rejuvenate in a spa, it's one of the best places to head to. Or if you'd like you can go in for a combination of everything above! I'd love to go to Las Vegas for the spa treatments, which are said to be some of the best in the world. So, there really is a lot more to the city than just gambling and strip clubs!

Making travel plans

Traveling has always been something I have loved and looked forward to from the time I was a child. The past few years, we have been able to travel a lot and I am looking forward to new sights to see and places to visit. We've already planned and booked our next vacation and I'm getting so excited about it, since it's a completely different place from where I've been so far, a place that I haven't even gone close to, a place that I have heard so much about, and a place that I've been wanting to go to for absolutely ages. More on this later....

The right way

Losing weight is big business, for both who want to lose weight and for those who want to help you lose weight. The thing is that there is no easy way, but only a slightly easier way, but one that you have to approach with caution, since it requires you to pay close attention to your body, the signs that it sends out. The thing with diet pills is that people often take them as an easy way out, a shortcut, but they have to be followed with the proper discipline and only then it is worthwhile. Some have known side effects, others don't, but as with any kind of weight loss plan, even the old-fashioned way of eating less and working out more, one needs to have a plan and meet a dietitian and doctor to ensure that you're doing it correctly.

SLV

Taking photos has become such a wonderful pastime for me and it has made me so much more aware of the things around me, especially the simple things. One always sees the large and the grand, but often misses the little things of beauty, the unobtrusive, the hidden, and that is what has been a really fun thing to explore. When I take pictures in public, I get odd looks..."what is she taking pictures of? there is nothing worth photographing there?" and so on, but the end result can be worth it most times. Here's one of the times when I got those looks!

Getting rid of them forever!

Everyone goes through it, or at least a lot of people go through it, but it doesn't make it any easier. Having any kind of acne, is painful, physically and emotionally. There are many kinds of acne treatments available these days, but one has to remember that there is a lot more than just medicine that eventually rids one of these pesky things. A good diet, a good lifestyle and being healthy is a major factor to getting rid of acne and combined with the right kind of treatments, they can be gone forever. Sounds good right?

Buying art online

Have you looked through the Etsy site lately? There are a lot of new things there and as always I am constantly amazed at the the variety of the works. I admit, not everything there is in my taste, but I applaud it for its creativity, for its ingenuity, for its energy and for its unabridged imagery. I bought something from Etsy several months back and really found the interaction of the whole process to be quick and straightforward. The artist that I purchased from, is a well known Canadian artist Mandy Budan and I was really happy to be able to get some of her works. Even better, she sent a free print of one of her works, which is the kind of generosity that personifies Etsy and its artists.

A hole-in-one!

Our home course has been holding night golf several times a week and last night my mother got a hole-in-one! She didn't even realize it until they couldn't find the ball on the green and then eventually looked in the hole....and there it was! She has always been a very disciplined golfer, right from the beginning, focusing on getting her technique right, using the right golf clubs in the right and lucky golf bags. Being a golfer myself, I can understand the incredible feeling, the euphoria and disbelief and the hope to repeat it again. I must add that I myself have never achieved quite a feat, but feel good about the good golfing genes I have!

back!

I'm back from my trip! Well, actually I got back at the beginning of the month, but have been busy catching up with stuff...work-wise and house guest-wise, so it's been a pretty hectic time. The trip was superb...I will post a few photos here later on. The bast part was of course being in the hills in Mussoorie for a few days, which was a really nice place to chill for a few days.

a different setting

I know this is not your usual coffee drinking spot, but then nothing in Dubai is usual and normal. Everything is larger than life, exaggerated, grander, and more fantastical. This is in the Ibn Batutta Mall in Dubai, in the Persia Court where there is also a Hediard Cafe behind the Starbucks. It's certainly a great place, although so very incongruous, for a cup of coffee. I find it very interesting to see modern signs in such an old setting, but then everything is new in this city, things are just made to look old that's all.

Finally, a little respite...

As the weather is turning better once again, it is time to think about getting some new outdoor furniture covers so that one can fully enjoy the nice weather. The barbecue area needs a bit of an update as well and hopefully we will be able to find some nice extras to add there as well. One of the best things about the fall and winter here is that the evenings become pleasant and it is wonderful to be able to enjoy that time of the day, after so many months of long hot days.

sorting out the photos

Since I now have so many photographs taken over the past 8 months, I have begun to go through them and start deleting some of the repeats, similar ones, or simply bad ones. As I was going through them, I found this shot, which I had completely forgotten about. I really liked this series of shots that I took, since they are so simple and minimal, in the color or non-color rather, the composition etc. It is quite different from what I thought I would photograph, so am happy with the result.

getting trendy

Lately I have been noticing a very strong trend towards all sorts of embellishments that teenagers and young adults are going in for. Everything from body jewelry, tattoos, airbrushing and so on is very popular these days it seems. Fashion is extremely cyclical and lately the cycles have been getting shorter and shorter, quite similar even though they are are still variations of the original trend. Open any popular fashion magazine and you will understand what I mean. Younger people today are greatly influenced by what they see around them and on the television and are creating their won style of clothing and jewelry to define them.

The downsizing trend

US consumers are changing the way they shop and live. In a recent survey done by DisplaySearch, it was found that US consumers are switching to smaller size televisions, along with smaller cars. While the number of LCD TVs shipped last year increased by 52%, the bulk of this increase was made up of smaller size TVs of the 19, 21 and 32 inch sizes. Samsung still remains the number one flat screen TV manufacturer, followed by Sony. It will be interesting to see the effect of these changes in the long term, not only on the economy but also on the environment as every small change will definitely have an impact of that aspect as well.

freeing up memory

I've been running dangerously low in memory in my laptop lately and have had to delete some of the programs that I no longer use to free up some space. I spent some time researching add on memory, micro sd and so on, and have come to the conclusion that I actually need a new laptop. I've had this one for 3 years, which in the life of a laptop is quite a bit. The way I work and use the laptop has changed quite a bit too in the past few years and so I need to re-figure what all I use it for and buy one with the correct specifications. I do hope it's not going to mess up my settings for connections that I have here and when I travel, since that will be a major hassle.

Driving by

Here's a picture that I took last month, but only recently uploaded to my Flickr page. I've been taking lots of shots while in the car and a decent number of them are pretty good and interesting. It's been so hot lately, that I've been avoiding going out into the heat too much and taking a shot from the comfort of one's car is so, so easy. Not every shot is worth keeping of course, but one does get lucky...as I have found!

Enjoy!

summer woes

Summer time is the worst time of the year for the skin. Besides battling sunburn, its acne that is on everyone's minds thanks to the high humidity levels. A certain amount of humidity is really great for the skin, but too much can wreck havoc on ones skin if one is not careful enough. One has to have a good skin care regimen to tackle acne, and one has to catch it as it starts. Only then one can have a nice peaceful summer! There are so many options available for acne treatments, but one must try them out for oneself and see what suits ones skin, instead of just relying on what the magazine's say. Good luck!

this past month

The past month has been unbelievably busy and I can't imagine just how fast it has gone by. It was just the start of July the other day and now August is here. Work wise the time has been really great, as I've had lots of assignments, and have been kept really busy. It's also been a good time for reading and I finished four books this past month. I had set myself the task of reading at least 2 books every month and so I am really happy that I managed to read double that amount. Two of the books were very serious stuff, about the Bush administration and the other two were more lighthearted, one about the wives of Henry VIII and another about a British writer's year in France. Great stuff, all of them.

The marketing behind the product

I constantly am amazed at how much difference there is in the way the different products are marketed by companies. Since electronics are deemed to be a masculine area, these ads are always edgy and manly, while for things like bedroom sets, the format is usually more feminine. That is how the marketing and consumer worlds function, but what I find interesting is that they almost have a sort of sociology undercurrent going on. Interestingly, more and more companies are realizing this bias and changing the way they make their ads, and focusing some of their ads more towards women.