Not all Bloggers are teenage girls

A few years ago, when I talked to a lot of non-bloggers, they were under the impression that blogs are the online journals of teenage girls. I strongly objected to that as 1) I am not a teenager and 2) I am not a girl and 3) my blog is more than just a journal. Of course there might be some truth in this. I had posed a question in one of my early blog posts. Namely, "Are most bloggers, Girls?"

Thankfully I can see that most people have now changed their perception of blogs. In fact now, a lot of people read blogs to get the latest update on tech news and in several countries, uncensored political news. People from all demographic groups are also becoming bloggers themselves. It's not just young people but the older generation as well.

I recently got to know another blogger who started her blog "Sunflower's Thoughts" in November last year. She's a mother of 3 boys from Effingham, Illinois, United States.

Her first post was really similar to mine. The only difference is that mine was only a single sentence. She says:

Well I might as well jump on the band wagon and get a blog started. I have seen so many people with blogs, so I thought I would try it.

Like a lot of newbies, she is blogging with Blogger and is also a fellow PPP postie.

Each blogger has a different style of writing. For example, you can see her posts are quite short. On the other hand, some people complain that my posts are too long. I would love to read more about life in Illinois and see some pictures too.

What about you? Are you a blogger too and how long have you been blogging?

Funny blog

If you like funny videos, visit Funnylah.com. This site has loads of links to them on the web as well as jokes and funny pictures. It even has some links to free online games as well, like this funny maze game.

This blog first caught my attention because it's name is so similar to mine. Spent quite some time going through the blog.

Here's a joke I took from the blog:

A bear, a lion and a chicken meet.Bear says: “If I roar in the forests of North America, the entire forest is shivering with fear.”

Lion says: “And if I roar on the great plains of Africa, the entire savannah is afraid of me.”

Says the chicken: “Big deal. I only have to cough, and the entire planet shits itself.”

If you don't get it, you need to watch more the news and less of the reality shows on TV.

Fresh food from Florida

When we talk about Florida, the first thing that comes to mind are the amusement parks, in particular the Walt Disney World Resort and of course the Universal Orlando Resort. However, Florida is much more than Orlando and amusement parks.

I too was surprised to learn that agriculture in the state is a is a $87 billion industry. Fresh food produce from Florida are sent to countries around the globe. Just shows how Florida's Farmers are making their mark on the World.

Just check out the video below:

Tricked into holding a contest

Warning: This is a long post.

Some of you might recall that I had organised a Nitro T-shirt contest on my auto blog. It was not as successful as I had hoped it would and even though it received a fair bit of interest, there were no takers for it except for two bloggers who were also the winners by default.

That's when the problem started. the Dodge Nitro T-shirts were supposed to be sponsored but I totally lost contact with the sponsors (or they cut me off).

How did this saga start?

Well I was approached by a Corrie Zielinski from a company called New Media Strategies. I later found out that this online advertising and Marketing firm is based in Arlington, Virginia.

Given below is her first e-mail to me:

Hi Adam,

My name is Corrie Zielinski, and I just came across Auto Lah. I’m working with Dodge Nitro and have some t-shirts available for a contest. Would you be interested in running one? I think your site is great, and I’d love to work with you.

Thanks!

Corrie

I told her that I was interested and asked her to tell me a little bit more about the contest and what I would be required to do. This is her reply on Feb 22:

Hi Adam!

The contest process is pretty simple:

I provide you with the number of shirts I can make available to you, pictures of said shirts, and some additional picture assets you can use for the contest if you want. Then, we usually suggest a simple "enter to win" contest, where people email you and you can randomly pick a winner.
You send me the address, and I'll send the t-shirt to the winner or winners. That way, you don't have to pay for postage - we ship a LOT of stuff, so we have a pretty well honed system for getting stuff out the door quickly.

Does that sound good?

I told her what I planned to do and she wrote back on Feb 23:

Hey Adam!

That is the best idea - I love it!

I can give you one Dodge Red Long Sleeve T-Shirts and One Short Sleeve
Black "Can" T-Shirts. (If you look at the "Can" picture you'll totally
get why I call it that. I still can't figure out how they do it.)

I'd really appreciate it if you could include a link to official Dodge
site at (http://www.dodge.com/en/nitro/index.html). I'm also sending you
a link of a bunch of assets that we've collected from Dodge - pictures,
logos, magazine articles, etc. You're free to use whatever you want! The
asset links are available here: http://www.media-file.net/dodge/nitro/

Thank you so much, and let me know when the contest is live - I can't
wait to see it AND read the stories (have been personally drooling over
the Nitro since we get this project).

Thanks!
Corrie

The contest ended and on March 26 I informed Corrie about the results and that I had two winners.

I received the reply dated Mar 26 :

Corrie Zielinski

Hey adam - go ahead and get their addresses o we can get those sent. No worries on the parcipitation, it happens. I have no internet right now - thank god for blackberry!

Thanks, corrie
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

That was the last time I ever heard from her.

I obtained the addresses of the winners and sent them to her ... No acknowledgement! I had a bad feeling about that.

Then early this month, I learned that the winners hadn't received the t-shirts till date.

Sent Corrie another e-mail from an alternative e-mail address as I was afraid that the one sent from my Gmail might have landed in her spam filter ... No reply!

I then contacted the company through their website ... No reply! Sent email directly to them ... Still no reply!

Finally I realised that something was definitely wrong.

Searching on the net, I found out that a similar contest had ran on Kineda.com. On contacting Terry, the webmaster of the site,he informed me that he had had no problems with Corrie and

She delivered everything as promised.

I am not sure what happened. One thing is sure. I am never going to have a sponsored contest on my blogs again unless I have full control.

In the end, I had to send the winners Don and Doris a T-shirt each from my own online store.

Let this be a warning to all bloggers out there.

UPDATE:
I am really happy to announce that everything turned out great in the end. The whole fiasco was due to e-mail problems.

Tags: Contest Corrie Zielinski Dodge Nitro New Media Strategies Scam

Happy Birthday Son

My son turned one yesterday.

We had planned a small party for him but unfortunately he was down with flu and cough. Took him to our GP and he was prescribed antibiotics - first time in his life.

He refuses to sleep in his cot and wants to sleep with us. Was worried that he might tumble off the bed and so we came up with a solution. I have been sleeping with him on a thick duvet on the floor for the past two nights. First night was terrible but he slept through the night yesterday. I woke up early in the morning today to find him kissing my face (with saliva all over).

He's much better today, even though he is still coughing a bit.


New born baby, exactly a year ago....

Hidden executables in Microsoft software

If you don't believe me, try this:

1) Open a blank Microsoft Word document.
2) type the following: =rand(200,99)
3) Press 'Enter' and wait 5 seconds...

ZZZZZZ

ZZZZZZ

ZZZZZZ

ZZZZZZ

ZZZZZZ

Don't worry, it is not a virus. Wonder whether there is anything else hidden in MS Word?

For a detailed explanation, read this article here.

Help yourself through subliminal suggestions

During my MBA in University Malaya, I took the Consumer behaviour course and once we were discussing about subliminal advertising. The lecturer was telling us about an researcher who claimed that he had been able to influence people to purchase more Coca Cola and popcorn by quickly flashing messages on a movie screen.

Of course as a consumer myself, I am not really favourable with the idea that companies are messing around with my head in order to get me to buy more of their products and services.

Anyway, I learnt that subliminal messages may actually be used for beneficial purposes. Got to about this website called Subliminal-cds.com (http://www.subliminal-cds.com/) that sells subliminal CDs. With over 120 different titles, the retailer claims to help you with everything from loosing weight to getting over phobias.

The subliminal CDs utilizes the 5-Part Encoding System™ developed by self-development guru, Bradley Thompson.

To be honest, I haven't tried it out myself but the website has a impressive list of corporate customers including AT&T, IBM, FedEx, the BBC, British Telecom, Microsoft and even the US Army among others.

Fresh milk in Malaysia

The one with the blue cap is Whole milk whereas the other one with the green cap is semi-skimmed milk.
Our small family of four consumes one of each - that's 3 litres of milk, every week.

One of our friends just returned to Coventry from Malaysia for his doctoral viva. It seems that his kids are having a tough time readjusting to life in Malaysia. It can be a culture shock sometimes considering that the some of the kids were born and raised up here in the UK. However, I am sure it will be a matter of time before they settle in.

One of the complaints was that it was so hard to obtain fresh milk back home. Not impossible but hard. I guess it's true. Most of the milk in Malaysia comes from Australia and New Zealand and it's either in the canned condensed/ sweetened or powder form.

I may be wrong but there is not a single diary company of note in Malaysia today. I posed this question to one of my friends who is involved in goat rearing and import of cattle. According to him, most people who rear cattle in Malaysia do so for their meat. Many are actually mere importers, who bring in cattle from Thailand and then resell them in Malaysia.

He added that even though Malaysians consume a lot of milk products, especially in their favorite drink (maybe the National drink) - teh tarik, it is mostly in the form of sweetened condensed milk. Not many Malaysians drink fresh milk now-a-days anyway. The Chinese also traditionally prefer soya rather than cow milk.

However, talking to the older generation including my in-laws, I learned that they used to drink fresh milk in their childhood.

So what happened? Does that mean that the food habits changed in a single generation.

My friend was reluctant to try the diary business despite my suggestion that once eaten, a cow is gone forever but can give milk for a long time if kept alive. According to him, it was a high risk venture. However, I am sure there is a market for fresh milk.

So any takers for diary farming in Malaysia?

iPod video converter

If you ask any teenager, what's the coolest gadget around, I am sure that 9 out of 10 are going to name the iPod. It has got to be the most innovative and popular gadget of the decade. Yeah! I am an iPod enthusiast and my fav model has to be the iPod Video. Why? Because not only can I listen to music on the go. I can also play games, view photos and watch movies. Now, some people may argue that the screen is too small, sound quality is not good, blah! blah! Well! many iPod user have a hifi at home too.

Anyway, talking about watching movies on the iPod, have you ever wanted to convert your favourite DVDs and family videos for watching on the iPod. Well, now you can make iPod movies using the iPod Video Converter software from PQDVD.

Use it to convert a dvd or video files into the iPod format. Move the converted file into your iTune library and sync with your iPod. Right now they are offering a free trial of the software. However, you have to pay US$39.95 to unlimited conversions.

Long days

It's quarter past nine in the evening is I write this. However, outside, there is still light. I thought it was only about 7 but got a shock when I saw the clock.

I still can't get used to the long daylight hours here in the UK. When we first arrived, it was dark by 6.

Anyway, yesterday we had a clear night sky and the stars were finally out after nearly a week of non-stop rains.


My daughter was singing 'Twinkle twinkle little star' when she looked up into the sky and saw this bright star (might be a planet).

Visit to Kenilworth Castle

I don't know why but I have always been fascinated by forts and castles. Finally had the chance to visit the historic Kenilworth Castle near here when my in-laws visited.


Panorama shot of countryside from top of Kenilworth castle. Most of what you see in this picture was once under water - the mere.

It is an ancient castle which was first established by Geoffrey de Clinton (Lord Chamberlain of Henry I) around 1120. However, it became famous only after the novel Kenilworth, by Sir Walter Scott came out. This story was based on the romance between Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester. You might have seen the 1998 movie Elizabethstarring Cate Blanchett as the Queen, which earned her an Oscar nomination. Joseph Fiennes played the part of Robert Dudley.

Elizabeth I paid a visit to Kenilworth in July 1575 and the extravagant festivities in her honor, lasted 19 days. According to what we learnt at the castle, this was seen as a marriage proposal from Robert to her Queen. It never happened, probably because the Earl was her subject and mainly because he was already married (though his wife died suspiciously of an accident later). The Queen died a spinster and is called the 'Virgin Queen' for this reason.


Ruins of the Keep and the Great hall

The castle is now looked after by English Heritage since 1984. It's open from 10am to 5pm. So the four of us - me, my father-in-law, brother-in-law and my daughter set off on a very wet day to visit the castle. We had about 2 hours to roam around the castle grounds. Both my father-in-law and brother were able to get Concessions (£3.70 each), while my ticket was £4.95. It was free for Rahil.

Though we were wet and cold, it was an exciting visit. The castle is in ruins now. I can only imagine how grand it must have been in ancient times.

Introducing Azwanhadzree.com

I am sure you have heard of Superman or Spiderman but have you heard of "MerapuMan". Well go on over to the Wierd World of MerapuMan. He has loads of humorous and interesting posts.

Got to know Azwan through the net and even though we haven't met in person, have exchanged a couple of e-mails. Was quite impressed when his relatively new blog azwanhadzree.com jumped from nothing to a Google Page Rank of 3 in almost 3 months.

His latest post explains Alexa Traffic Rankings and ways to improve it. Another post on the latest Spiderman movie (still haven't seen it) and his comic collection also gave me an idea for a post of my own. Always was a bit shy to reveal that I am a father of two kids but still collect and read comics. Yeah! Now I am coming out of the closet....

I READ COMICS!

do you?

Crazy ad campaign

Advertising companies are coming out with innovative and memorable ad campaigns for their clients and the latest battlefield or medium to attract consumers is the blogosphere. The crazier the ads, the better - especially humorous videos as they generate more attention and word-of-mouth promotion.

The rest of this post was deleted on request of advertiser.
Fight for the flavor

4 generations of ladies

My in-laws left for Malaysia by Emirates from Birmingham International Airport, along with my brother-in-law and Grandmother yesterday. As we didn't have enough room in the car, my wife and the kids saw them off at the house. My daughter, Rahil was really sad and she cried several times yesterday. She kept saying, "I miss Tok Ma (grandma)!" over and over again. All of us were a bit down and the house suddenly seemed so quiet.

It was really nice to have them here in Coventry, even if it was only for a short duration of 2 weeks.

You might be surprised to learn that there were 4 generations of ladies (all from mother's side) - Tok (my wife's grandmother), my mother-in-law, my wife and Rahil and all of them happen to be first born. Certainly unique.


Rahil with great-Grandma.

Grab cool audio and video equipment

Have a confession to make - I do make money from my blog. I am sure that regular visitors have noticed that some of my posts are sponsored reviews.

Since October last year, I have joined a few customer generated advertising companies, my favourite being PayPerPost.com. The company is a pioneer and it has led to a paradigm shift - from advertising by companies in the mass media to consumer generated advertising. Companies were initially reluctant to advertise in this new medium - many still are but more and more companies have joined in as they see the advantage of this new advertising medium.

Members which are known as Posties take up suitable opportunities (PPP Opps) and get paid after a period of time. You might be amazed to learn that Posties have won up to $1000 for a single opp. Unfortunately I am not one of them.

I was really excited to learn about the latest announcement. Not only do we stand a chance of making money from the oops but we might earn great products too. Every Tuesday this month PayPerPost is holding something they call the "HDTV Tuesday". We stand a chance of winning all sorts of cool audio and video equipment for specially marked opportunities. Some of the lucky guys have already won TVs and a PS3. However, the prize that everyone is looking out for is a new HDTV at the end of this month. All of this is due to Bid4Prizes who are sponsoring the prizes.

The prizes today are a Slingbox, Nintendo Wii, Yamaha Surround Sound System and a Logitech universal remote. Unfortunately, only U.S. residents can take the opps.

BP and Shell

Did you know that the petroleum companies, BP and Shell, were once a single company?

BP and Shell-Mex Ltd had merged in 1931, to create Shell-Mex and BP Ltd until they separated again in 1975.

I only got to know when I visited the Coventry Transport Museum. It was not mentioned anywhere in the museum but my father-in-law, who's in the oil and gas business noticed this classic petrol truck.


Read about our trip to the museum with loads of pics here.

Not related, but the BP fuel station here on Lockhurst Lane, happens to be my favourite, along with Tesco's at Ricoh Arena - because they are the cheapest.

Tags: bp coventry shell coventry transport museum

Belisi Fashions press release

PALM BEACH, Fla., May 2 /PRNewswire/ - Fashion, it's not just a New York game anymore. South Florida has become a top contender of those "in the know." Palm Beach-based Belisi Fashions, a driving force behind this new fashion movement, combines luxury, innovative style and distinctive creations, setting it a part from the rest of the fashion industry. Fashion-forward designer Peter Belisi of Belisi Fashions is unveiling his new and improved online destination http://www.Belisi.com, which is more than a shopping website-it's a community where discriminating consumers can find valuable fashion advice, keep up with trends and so much more.


Belisi Fashions is synonymous with luxury, a brand that represents a growing collection of fine Italian silk ties, pocket squares, and scarves. Peter Belisi inspires and surprises with characteristic versatility and responsiveness to an ever-changing market. The very essence of his collections reflects his emotional and artistic view of life's experiences; thereby, creating a personal style inspiring men and women to dress and accessorize according to their own personality.

Belisi was built on the philosophy that a necktie or a scarf is more than an article of clothing-it completes your look. "There are plenty of Web sites where you can buy accessories but few where you feel like you're a part of a fashion community," affirms Belisi.

"A tie is a focal point that makes a bold statement. When we design and create a tie, pocket square or scarf, we first think about the person who will wear it. We want our products to enhance customers' lives through quality, using the most aucourant in fabrics and signature detailing," confirms Belisi. "These accessories add flare to any outfit with an accent of color that creates a whole new look."

The Belisi brand is flourishing, and anticipates the release of its new luxury handbag collection in Fall '07. As with all Belisi products, the handbag collection will feature extraordinary detailing including real gold hardware, soft treated Italian leather and brushed fabrics, plus many other exclusive features only available through Belisi.com.

About Belisi.com
Belisi.com is an online community where customers are "Insiders" instead of order numbers. Being an "Insider" means access to special privileges including free shipping, gift wrap on all orders and a designated place on the Belisi Insider's Advisory Board. Belisi Insiders' opinions are more than thoughts expressed in cyber space. Peter Belisi embraces each comment, suggestion or question and responds to his clients personally. Belisi's fashion blogs offer up-to-the-minute insight from fashion, beauty and lifestyle experts. Find out more by visiting:
http://www.TheDivasDreams.com for women and http://www.SharpByDesignblog.com for men.
Belisi also has a beauty blog, http://www.BeautifulMeblog.com, which keeps customers "in the know" about all things related to beauty-inside and out.

About Belisi Fashions
The Belisi brand is the brainchild of Peter Belisi, whose lifelong aspirations were to fuse the luxury and prestige of Palm Beach with Italian sophistication. Belisi embodies the spirit of true entrepreneurship with a passion for the best of everything, which is evident in the quality products produced. Each dramatic detail in a Belisi tie, pocket square and scarf represents Belisi's unwavering commitment to creating fashion products that embody timeless sophistication and enduring beauty.
Peter Belisi is loyal to his community and remains steadfast in giving back to those in need, never forgetting his roots and the journey that led him to where he is today. Through the "Belisi Luxury with Meaning" program, a minimum of 10 percent of the company's pre-tax profits are donated to those in need. Thus keeping in-line with Belisi's mission to create a community within a community, customers decide which charity to make their contribution. Some of the charities include: Susan G. Koman Breast Cancer Foundation, American Heart Association, and 1-800-Save-A-Pet.com.

Slugs away

I have planted a few flowers, herbs and vegetables in my garden. However, apart from the lavender and rosemary which were untouched, all my other plants had their leaves eaten away in a few days.

The culprit - Slugs.

I had initially wanted my garden t be fully organic - no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. However, at the rate the slugs were eating the plants, I would be left with no plants in my garden if I didn't do anything soon.


Finally decided to go for a slug killer. I just scattered the pellets on the soil near the plants. Next day, there were dead slugs all over the place.

Take a look at a few. Aren't they ugly?

The bugs are coming

I am looking forward to a new horror movie from Lionsgate Films, the same people who brought you "The Exorcist". Starring Ashley Judd, Harry Connick Jr and Michael Shannon, the film is directed by William Friedkin. It will be released on 25th of May this year.

Check out the two promotional posters for the bug movie. I really like the way two images are superimposed on each other. Gives a sense of mystery.




The tag line says: " First they send in their drone.....Then they find their queen"

Am really excited to see this movie due to the fact that it has received great reviews when it premiered in France at the Cannes Film Festival in May last year. It won the FIPRESCI Prize there.

Another indication that this is a great movie is the fact that reviewers have given the movie an average score of 7.6 out of 10 on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com) when I last checked.

One critic calls it

one of most disturbing horror movies imaginable

All of this has made me really curious. Hope it lives up to my expectations. Is it about a girl who turns to bugs or bugs after a girl? Maybe it has simply nothing to do with bugs at all. So what do you think this bug movie is about?

Check out the movie trailer below and tell me what you think.


Guess we will have to wait and see in order to find out.

Shakespere's birthplace - Stratford-upon-Avon

This has been a wet week and the rain shows no sign of letting up except for some short sunny intervals. Last Monday, it rained the whole morning. However, the sun came out in the afternoon. So we set off for Stratford-upon-Avon.

The Jester.

It is a quaint town by the bank of the river Avon. The reason that it is so famous is because the greatest English playwright and poet William Shakespeare was born and died here.

Parked at the multi-storey car park on Windsor street. It is a pay & display car park and we paid £2.50 for a 3 hours stay. I choose this parking spot because it was the nearest to Shakespeare's birthplace. However, we decided not to go inside the Shakespeare's centre and birthplace located on Henley street.

We left after exploring only a bit of the place for around 2 hours as it started raining again.

Shakespeare was born here.

View of the canal.

A lot of ducks.

On the merry-go-round after so many years.

Tags: avon shakespeare stratford

Favorite software package.

I just found a place to buy my favourite PC Software online.

As someone who first learnt how to design websites on Microsoft FrontPage, I was really looking forward to trying out their new web design software - Microsoft Expression Web Professional Design Tool. It is now available at Buypcsoft.com for $258.95. That's $40.05 cheaper than on the Microsoft site.

Had the opportunity to try it out on a friend's place and it was great.
First thing I noticed about it was the similarity of it's interface with Macromedia Dreamweaver. Unlike FrontPage, which is the first choice of many web design amateurs (and sneered at by professionals), this WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) web design software package is targeted at the professional web designers. It promises to help you create standards-based sites with full CSS and XML support. Thus your sites are automatically optimized for accessibility and cross-browser compatibility.

One of the most attractive features of this software from Microsoft are the sophisticated CSS design features. You can browse through various CSS styles and actually see what each style looks like before applying it.

The XML features allow you to build interactive websites by using the XML data source for page elements. It allows you to view quickly each feature using the drag-and-drop tools.

This software requires PCs running on Windows Vista / XP / 2003.

Visit to Warwick Castle

Interior of Warwick castle
There are so many castles scattered throughout the midlands and the most famous of them all is Warwick castle. If you are visiting Coventry, this is a "must see" tourist attraction.

Last Sunday, we drove over to the castle in Warwick, which lies on the banks of the river Avon, just half an hour away from my house. We found out that my in-laws were eligible for the senior (age above 60) prices, which was £11.95. Normal prices for adults are £15.95. Entry was free for Rahil.

I am pilloried

The castle is a fascinating place with a lot of things to see and do. When we entered, they were just announcing the culprit of the 'Castle CSI' - an interactive detective game/ play.

Who did it?

One of the interesting exhibits was the 'Kingmaker - a preparation for battle', which shows how life was like in a mediaeval castle. The statues were so real life. I later found out that the castle is now owned by the Tussauds group.



Stained glass at the Castle chapel

Another amazing part of the castle is the Great Hall. It is the largest room in the castle and has been it's heart throughout history.



We were also lucky to be able to see the peacocks doing their dance in front of the conservatory.



One thing I really wanted to see was the firing of the Warwick Trebuchet. Unfortunately all firing has been cancelled until further notice due to a technical fault.

Enjoyable trip. Definitely have to visit it again as we missed out on a lot including the climb up Guy's tower, the rose gardens, the river and the island and much more.

Tags: castle peacock warwick warwick castle trebuchet

Visit to Coombe country park

Went to Coombe country park yesterday. We had initially planned to have a picnic there and had even packed a nice "nasi lemak" lunch but canceled it because of the cold weather. We started a bit late from the house, as the sun only came out in the afternoon.

Look closely and you will see a monk in the picture.

Coombe country park is in Binley about 5 miles east of Coventry city centre, and set in rural Warwickshire countryside. The post code is CV3 2AB in case you are using a sat nav to get there. Had to make two trips as there was not enough space in my car. It was ok as it took only about 30 minutes to get there and about 20 minutes back home.

We only got to see a bit of the entire 500 acres of beautiful gardens and woodland. We rushed a bit as we had to get back to their office before 5 pm to return the wheelchair we had borrowed for my wife's grandmother. Yes! You can get a wheelchair for a deposit of £5.

I later learnt that the Coombe Hotel was originally a 12th Century Cistercian Abbey. The abbey and the grounds were bought over by the Coventry City Council in 1964 and opened to the public.

For your information, entry is free but you have to pay for the parking - £2 for cars.

The art of bonsai

Was introduced to the art (and some say, science) of bonsai as a kid when I discovered a book on it, in my father's bookcase. It really fascinated me and I finally understood why my uncle kept pruning that small plant of his.

Bonsai comes from the Japanese words "Bon" meaning "tray" and "Sai", "growing" or "planting". It literally means potted plant and refers to plants grown in containers and miniaturized aesthetically.

You may ask what makes it different from other potted plants. One of my friends actually thought that they were genetically dwarfed plants when he found out that a small tree growing in a pot was more than 20 years old. They are NOT genetically dwarfed.

The Bonsaigardener.org, is a great site if you are interested in learning more about bonsai. Erik Olsen, the webmaster of the site, has written more than 200 articles about the hobby. I really liked one titled "Geeks Turning to Bonsai to Combat Stress".

He's the author of Bonsai Gardening Secrets, which you can download from the site. You can also sign up for a free bonsai email course.

Tags: bonsai gardening

At The Thai Twig

Went out for dinner with my Wife and her friends to Leamington Spa. Picked up her friend and set off from the University at around 7pm.

This was my first time driving to Leamington Spa and I think we made an excellent decision to buy the TomTom One Sat Nav. Read my previous post here. Our destination was The Thai Twig - a Thai restaurant on Augusta Place and we got there without any mishaps.

Nice ambiance and great food. The prices are quite reasonable too. I was quite buys eating to take pictures of the food. I only got to snap the one below before we dug in.
Chicken in Pandan leaves.
I ordered popiahs for starters. Quite good. Mushrooms and fried vegetable rice for the main dish. Tasty.

However, my wife was complaining later about the 'Tom Yam' she ordered. Not about the taste as it was delicious (according to her) but rather the amount. The portion was a quarter of what is normally served in Malaysia or Thailand.

It was nice finally meeting my wife's friends. Chatting with intellectual people is always interesting. You always learn a lot of new things.

Update: Some more pics.

Search engine friendly web directory

There are so many directories on the web that I have lost count. You can submit your site but I am not really sure whether anyone would ever see your site (or blog). In most case, the link value from submitting to these directories are virtually nil if your site is new. However, Big Web Links Directory is a search engine friendly web directory with a different concept for directory listings. Here, you have to bid for placement on their listings. In fact, it was among the first using this concept, which has been copied by several other directories.

Instead of sorting listings by popularity, Page Rank, or alphabetically, the listings with Big Web Links are sorted by the bid amount. Thus, webmasters can control the position of listings in the directory. I like the fact that a listing contribution increases take immediate effect.

The top 10 listings are shown on the homepage, while the top 20 listings are shown on the top links page. So if you want to get on the top listings of a directory as soon as possible, you should submit your site to bigweblinks.com.

The directory has a strong link value due to the fact that it has a Google PageRank of 7.

In-laws in town

My in-laws are here in Coventry along with my brother-in-law and my wife's grandmother (mother's side).

Have made a list of places to see in and around Coventry. The only problem is that we won't be able to fit all of us in my car. Looks like we need to hire an MPV so that we can all travel together.

Rahil was delighted to be with her grand parents and her beloved Pak Su (Uncle). Both she and Imaan received loads of presents.

Bushnell binoculars

If you are looking for binoculars, one brand that you can't afford to ignore is Busnell. Busnell Optical is the leading producer of binoculars in the United States. My favourite model has to be the Bushnell H20 10x42 Porro Prism Binoculars. It has been described as the "the ideal binoculars for the outdoor enthusiast!" by the Western Outdoors Magazine.It is water proof and has one particular feature that appeals to me - Fold-down winged eyecups. This means that I can see the whole field of view even for people who wear eyeglasses, like me.

If you are looking for a place to buy bushnell binoculars, I would recommend Eagle Optics. The company has an amazing range of quality optics including Bushnell products. They have been selling optical products, both in their store in Central Wisconsin and by mail order since 1986. Now they have their own online store. It is a great place to buy binoculars simply because of the range of products they have on offer. They also have among the best lowest prices on the web. Right now, they have the new convenient Google Checkout Payment Option in place as well as outstanding customer service.

They also offer free financing for order above US $200.

Optical illusion

Look at the images above. As you can see, Mr.Angry is on the left, and Mrs.Calm is on the right.

Get up from your seat and move back slowly.

PRESTO!! They switch places!!

This illusion was created by Phillippe G.Schyns and Aude Oliva of the University of Glasgow (according to the mail that was forwarded to me).

Just shows that what we may not be seeing what's actually there, all the time!

Zip your files securely

I am sure that all of you have one software or the other for zipping files, on your computer. However, do you have one that provides data security as well. If you don't then take a look at SecureZIP - The next generation of ZIP. This program has set a standard for desktop data security - from email messages and attachments, as well as data stored on hard-drives, laptops, and portable storage media.

The importance of ensuring security of your data cannot be over emphasized. If you think you are not going to be the target of Internet fraud or identity theft, think again. Of course, all data on your computer is important. However, there are certain files that should be kept absolutely confidential. This includes your financial data - including tax records, credit card and banking information.

You can use this program to exchange sensitive files through email using SecureZIP integrated with Microsoft Outlook®. It will automatically encrypt, digitally sign, and zip email messages and attachments.

Only minimal changes to current processes and existing security infrastructure is necessary for the deployment of this application.

If you are unsure, take the opportunity to download the program for FREE from the site - www.securezip.com. They are having a limited time free download promotion (the full version). All you need to do is to provide your full e-mail address to download the free software. It's that easy.