a musical weekend

Where did the weekend go? It's already Tuesday and I still haven't figured out how the weekend went by so fast. It was a good and hectic weekend, the best ones always go by so fast don't they! We met with friends and family and the best part of it was the musical performance we went to by a local group. Playing just the simplest of instruments, like one of the best fender t bucket guitars, the music shone, simply shone out into the night. Now this isn't just any normal guitar, it's one of the best with its single cutaway dreadnought design and laminated maple top and mahogany sides. With its authentic motif, it's definitely a beauty. With die cast machine heads, and solid rosewood bridge, the guitar has Fishman electronics, so you can just pick it up and plug it in to make some memorable music.

guitars guitars guitars

Guitars are the flavor of the month here. The little one loves playing with them so much that I'm seriously considering getting her a guitar cake for her birthday! On a more serious note, there is a new musicians supply store opening up nearby, the final touches seem to be getting put, and I'm so excited about it. I hope they will offer lessons and maybe start something fun like a musical evening for the neighborhood. I would like to know how one can find used guitars, good ones that will tune up and sound deep and beautiful. With their popularity, not many good used guitars seem to be easily available, so it's really important to buy from a trusted source. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be strumming away soon!

Organizing groups

I simply love anything and everything that helps me organize and improve my life. One such product is GroupLoop, a web based tool where you can organize and share your files, hold discussions, add a calendar to manage meetings etc. GroupLoop.com is the essential tool for anyone who needs to manage a group of any sort. Since its as simple or as complicated as you need it to be, anyone from tech savvy geeks to knitting groups can use it effectively.

ready set print!

It's almost the weekend and boy am I ready for it. The daily schedule sometimes just gets to me, the sameness of it, the way it feels endless and of course the early morning wakeup for school drop off! So now that it's time for the weekend, I'm just going to be, to do nothing, apart from catch up with friends and family and with a few printing jobs that are still pending. But quite frankly, the way one can do so much work online, it almost feels like a fun thing to do some flyer printing at printingamerica.com to help a friend print some flyers to promote her jewelry business stand at the farmers market. Things like this make life simple and fun!

for the love of books

I love finding little independent stores that manage to survive despite all the big branded stores with backing. During college days, there were a few of these bookstores and I would love to go there, to browse, to buy, to listed to the reading sessions. It was just a lot more interesting that the cut and paste big stores. So, when I came across www.becksbooks.com I was reminded of the stores I used to go to during college days. Now if only they had a branch near me!

drumming away

There was a time that making music was a simple process. Well, simple if you count an orchestra of 300 musicians waiting for the conductors baton! Now days simple is a different concept. It's all about technology now days and the range is absolutely fabulous. Or confusing if you don't exactly know what you want. Take the line of Toontrack at musicians friend which have the complete range of drummer systems, a complete overhaul of the old dfh system which have been created to go with e-drums for a more effective use of layers. While the interface might seem similar to the EZDrummer system, it's super simple handling and layout makes it one better than it.

Looking for diamonds?

Buying things on the Internet has never been better. With the wide variety of products now available at more competitive prices than brick and mortar stores, it really makes much more sense to shop in the online world. eBay is the leader of online shopping sales of course, and the company has recently tied up with Diamond House Arizona to showcase it's products. Diamond House Arizona sells loose diamonds that are 30-50 percent cheaper than at other places, while still maintaining their impeccable standard of selling only quality diamonds.

I think one of the hardest things when one buys some thing online, is dealing with the customer service people. Most times, there just aren't any and when they are there, they are usually of not much assistance. Diamond House Arizona is not one of those places. They pride themselves in providing superior customer service, with people such as Adam, the online sales director of Diamond House Arizona and Robert, the customer support director, who make it their personal business to ensure that each customer is treated in the absolute best manner possible. Diamond House Arizona provides 24 hr customer service support, an extremely valuable service in the online world.

to liven up that party

How sad is it when a great party or event is let down by a bad PA system. We've all been there, haven't we, covering our ears to shrieky sounds coming from the speakers, or running away from too loud bass effects and so on. It's one of the simplest things to install, if one knows where to go. The pa systems that we have these days are made for ease of use, with tons of features that were not there before like the kind of sound they can produce despite their small size. You also have choices such as using the speakers as floor monitors or mains, with a capacities like 80 watts program or 160 watts peak. The range of course varies from set to set, but even with the most basic of pa systems, it's clear to see how much they have evolved.

for a special occasion

In my mind there's never a wrong time to buy gold or silver coins. They make great gifts especially when you want to mark a special occasion, like a birth of a child or a landmark birthday or graduation. It's a lovely memento of sorts, to remind the recipient of the occasion so remember, if you get a silver american eagle as a gift, it's not just to be forgotten and put away. It's a keepsake to remind you of when you got it and who gave it to you. Sometimes, one seems to go overboard with gifts and all that, but it's really important to be true to who you are and also to keep it simple.

holiday time

Home for the holidays. A much awaited break for all of us. Looking forward to some relaxing. Actually, lots of relaxing, catching up with friends and family, eating out, sleeping in, doing nothing at all, doing lots of things, shopping, and so on.

almost like a rite of passage

Who hasn't loved heavy metal music at some point of their lives or another! It's like a rite of passage, part of becoming your own person, making choices, and discovering who you are. And really, nothing is quite as expressive as heavy metal music, isn't it! It's a celebration of music, of life. Yeah sure, it's loud, but when you're in college, loud is good! It's a good idea to have a compilation of cd's that are a celebration of heavy metal that celebrates every single note of music, highlights by the incredible guitars that really make the music so memorable.

photo-taking-shaking

My journey with photography has been so full of fun and discovery. I didn't know I would ever have this much fun, just by taking photos. Never in a million years. I started off on taking photos of my daily life in 2008 and since then I've not got bored with it at all. So whether its just a cup of tea or something grander than that, I've enjoyed every moment of it.

oh dear, time for those gifts again!

We're heading down that road again....towards Christmas! Already, you say! Yes, already. The year has gone by so fast and the rest of it is going to go by in a second or two as well! So it's time for planning presents for the friends and family and for us it's even earlier than normal, since we're heading out early, so that means gift shopping earlier than usual. I really don't think that's a bad thing, since I'd like to get it done with before it's maddening, like it always becomes. I'm also going to do many gifts online, since you can get anything from macanudo cigars to original artwork online on the internet. So, that's quite a painless way to go about it isn't it!

and suddenly I have time!!

With E spending time at school, I suddenly find that I have some very precious time to myself. Although I don't always get to sit back and relax, I do get some time to do it while she is away and don't have to be "on" alert all the time. That I find is key to my relaxation. Just to be and not worry about what she's doing, or have to suddenly run to see what she's up to. It's nice to just be.

learning the value of money

Since E started school, I've been thinking so much more about the finances of raising a child, of schooling costs, which are exorbitant in my part of the world, but also of educating her about the value of money and how not to take it for granted. I came across an article that spoke about getting a debit cards for minors, and even though I'm many, many years away from that scenario, I still wonder if it would be right. So much of who they are is picked up subconsciously by our behavior, so I suppose the education has already started. I just hope she's learning the right stuff.

a little garden craving

Isn't there absolutely something charming about having a little fountain in your garden at home! I'd love to have something like a small wall fountain, the kind one sees in Italy. I think it gives a really nice touch to a garden, especially if you have a small space but want to make an impact. The idea of having outdoor garden fountains is nothing new, it's been done down the ages, but now I find that the smaller pieces are becoming so much more interesting and do-able for people living in cities, people with tiny slivers of "gardens", which may be nothing more than the path leading to the door!

On working from home

I've been working from home since July 2005 and simply love everything about it. While to some it might almost seem as not working at all, working at home requires more discipline than most people think. It's not all about sitting at the computer in your pajamas, which I make it a point never to do. I started freelance writing for a Bangalore based company quite by accident, which grew to doing more formal business writing for them and then research and analysis for a local Bombay based company that I worked as a consultant. I make sure to organize my day just as I would if I were in office and although it's hard to avoid interruptions from neighbors, couriers, etc, it only means one has to be more efficient in doing one's work. While there are tons of work at home business opportunities these days, one has to work hard at being successful from home, just as one works from the office.

a concert a day!

We recently upgraded our cable connection to a better package and to the dvr system and since then have been able to watch all our favorite shows instead of watching whatever was on, usually something that one didn't want to see all that much. So, lately, I have caught up with many of my old favorites new seasons and movies, with several still waiting for us to see. Interestingly, one of the things that I enjoyed most of all was the different concert series of live performances of artists from around the world performing right here in our city. I loved watching how these bands are able to set up their systems where ever they are and make it look so effortless. Yes, they have great teams who put it all together, but it's also thanks to equipment such as on stage stands musicians friend that make all the difference. Everything from single brace stands to tripod mike stands to heavy duty keyboard stands travel with these bands a cross the globe making them look really professional, even if they're a new and unknown band. Next time you go to a concert, notice how detailed and specific they are to each instrument!

a uniform year!

And here starts another school session, and this time it feels so close to me, since E will probably join next year this time around. It seems so soon, too soon, although sometimes not soon enough! Now that I have a child, I notice things like kids wearing school uniforms much more than I did earlier. Most of the schools here have great uniforms, and actually even nurse uniforms in hospitals are nicer than other places. Ever since the tv show scrubs started, there have become so much more recognizable and used in even the smaller clinics etc instead of the usual coats.

Webcity funds tree plantation drive

One of Australia's biggest web hosting and domain name registration companies, Webcity is leading the way for companies to be environmentally friendly. The company is funding a movement to plant trees to offset carbon emissions, a move that is sure to be followed by other environment-aware firms. Webcity Web Hosting Australia was founded in 1997 and has served over 20,000 customers since then.