Ikea Coventry sale

Both my wife and I are Ikea fans and we decided to pay the Ikea Coventry store in the city centre a visit yesterday. The Ikea store here celebrates their first birthday and we were expecting some celebrations but were disappointed to find out there weren't any.

I had received a few coupons (for being a loyal Ikea customer) and one of the coupons was for a free copy of their new coffee table book 'UK at Home'. Was quite disappointed when I found out that it was not available in the store and the staff apparently did even know anything about it.

We didn't have anything in mind and had gone there to browse through and grab a bite. However, as it usually happens, we came back with a car boot full of stuff. We didn't buy any furniture but we got some great steals from their bargain corner.

They had cut prices on a number of products. I guess the credit crunch has hit them as well and like other retailers are trying to pull in their customers with bargain offers. The choice of candles was amazing - in various shapes and sizes and with different aromas. My wife grabbed a few. Our house smelt of apples and berries nice last night.

We also grabbed a bite at their restaurant.


Anyway, their winter sale starts tomorrow.

Experience of buying a phone from the 3 Store Coventry

Ever since we arrived in the UK, I have always used prepaid mobile services or 'pay-as-you-go' as it's known here in the UK. I started with O2 and then moved on to Vodafone, followed by Tesco mobile and finally 3. So far, I have been very happy with the service provided by 3.

However, of late I have discovered that I have been reloading quite often and was shocked to discover that we sometimes spent more than £30 a month. This is despite the fact that most of my calls are to my wife who was also on 3 pay-as-you-go service. My wife went ahead and bought a Sony Ericsson K660i from the 3 site. The phone was delivered within a few days and she also received a voucher worth £20 to buy accessories from their website.

I too decided to get a phone for myself and I was still undecided on the phone. One of my friends told me that the stores had some greats refurbished phone which I might be able to get at a discount. So on Monday, I drove over to Coventry city centre and went to the 3 Store there. Unfortunately, according to the salesgirl, they didn't have any refurbished phones. So I went around and had a look at the various phone they had on display. I really want the Nokia N96 but it was way beyond my budget (cheapest deal was £30 per month). I finally went for the Sony Ericsson W595 for a 18 month contract for £17 per month. 3 has this promotion going on where existing members could recommend a friend (or family and both would receive a £30 credit. However, I discovered that I couldn't put my wife as a recommender because she had been with 3 for less than a month. Plus I didn't receive any vouchers.

I was really angry when later on back home, I discovered that I couldn't use Skype with the phone even though it was advertised as Skype compatible. Anyway, I went back to the store next day and the sales people were surprised as well, when they learnt that the phone was not Skype compatible. They were not very happy when I told them that I wanted to change the phone.

I was shocked to learn that unlike buying phones from their website, you were not allowed to return phones bought from their actual stores. However, in my case they were willing to make an exception as they realised that it was their mistake. The main reason I bought the phone was because it was Skype compatible (or so they said).

Gags (the guy who served me) was quite friendly but he seemed to be poorly trained. He told me that I could choose another phone but I won't be able to reduce the amount that I paid per month. The only phone there for £17 per month was the Sony Ericsson K700i. I should have taken only a couple of minutes to complete the whole process but the managers was busy or something. There was no way I was going to come back again and decided to wait until I got mad, raised my voice a bit and told them that I wanted out. The sales guy told me I couldn't and this went on for a while until their manager finally came out.

I finally got the new phone but was dissatisfied with the whole process. It took almost an hour for me to get the phone changed and that shouldn't happen. I am still loyal to 3 but my advice for anybody who want to sign up with 3 - buy it from the online 3 Store.

1. It's fast
2. You can return the phone if you don't like it
3. You get some nice surprises - like a £20 voucher.

Choosing a web host

If you are really serious about earning money from your blogs, it goes without saying that you should get your own unique domain name. After that, you would then have to decide which blog publishing platform to use. Most of my blogs (yes, I blog on more than one blog)are hosted with Blogger. Finally, you then choose a place to host your blog.

Choosing a good web hosting company can be one of the most important choices. With all the offers out there, it can get real confusing. I have found out from experience that the costliest is not necessarily the best. The choice depends on the system requirements of the platform you choose, whether you prefer to host on a Linux or Windows based server, your bandwidth and of course how much you are willing to spend.

You may want to take a look at the "Top 10 Web Hosting Providers - Best Web Hosts 2008" on the webhosting rating site. They have some really useful articles as well. For example, check out their "Tips For Choosing A Domain". A must read before you go ahead and buy a domain name. I definitely agree with them when they say "Choosing a domain may not be as simple as perceived.." Finding a name for a new site I was planning on proved to be quite frustrating when I found out that most of the names I had in mind were taken. After reading the article, I decided that the name was too long and finally found a short varient to the name I had in mind.

3 Dongle dangled

Take a look at what came via the post yesterday.

I am a satisfied 3 Skypephone user and had been thinking about signing up for their mobile broadband service after reading about it. Just imagine my delight when I was offered the opportunity to try it out for FREE for 3 months with absolutely no data restrictions.

The free gifts that came with the "dongle" was completely unexpected. I don't mind - I love free stuff.

Anyway, the dongle is actually a Huawei E169G USB Modem and looks like a bit like a normal USB flash drive.





Before using it, you have to take out the USIM card holder and insert the USIM card. Stick the dongle into one of your laptop's USB ports.



The modem software installs automatically. Once installed, all I have to do is click "Connect" on the pop-up screen and I am done - mobile broadband Internet access.

Over the next three months, I will be testing out the modem from various locations in the UK. Look out for more reviews and technical details on my tech blog Adamok dot net.

Thanks to Sam and the other guys at 3mobilebuzz for giving me the opportunity to try out the modem and of course, the other freebies.

Katy has always something to write about

It's been quite sometime since I last visited 'I’m Blogging That' blog. It was on my old blogs "to review" list but ..... (excuses, excuses). Anyway, blogger Katy Castro is a work at home Mom who currently resides in Las Vegas. She blogs on a number of topics but mostly related to the blogosphere and on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), something that I am keen on as well.

One of her latest posts gives tips on ways to "make your free theme unique". It's a post that all new bloggers should read. I totally agree with her. Come to think of it, I know of several long time bloggers who are still using the generic Blogger templates. Talking about themes, I really like the new blog design. It's a bit "girly " with the pink colours but why not.

One new rumour I just learnt from her blog is that Google might start offering sponsored reviews in the near future. That's great news and I am really looking forward to signing up if it does go ahead.

There are loads of interesting posts on her blog. I am really looking forward to her series on ways to improving your page rank. As the tag line of Katy's blog goes "Because there is always something to write about."

Vote for Katy on the 2008 Blogger Choice Awards.

A Battle of Faith and Love reviewed

It's been quite sometime since I wrote a post here. It's not that I have been too busy as I have been updating my other blogs, it's just one (or a few) of those days when you just don't feel like updating.

Finally got around to visiting one of the blogs on my long long overdue "to review" list. I only a few more to go now. I also realise that most of them have removed the link to my blog but I am still going ahead.

'A battle of faith and love' is one of the few blogs that made me think. The author who calls herself Chickpea, who was raised as a Muslim, shares her thoughts on religion and spirituality. Most of the content is quite serious. Quite interesting as I ask/ have asked the same questions but came to quite different conclusions, though some views on some issues were quite similar.

The blog has a simple and neat Wordpress layout with no ads - makes it stand out from the ad splattered blogs that litter the blogosphere now.

The Freemium model

The 'Freemium model' is the latest concept from Chris Armstrong, Editor-in-chief of Wired and best known for his 'Long Tail' theory.

I read the exclusive interview with the author on the 123-reg blog, where Chris discusses his latest concept and clarifies some misconceptions about the Long Tail theory. He also shares his thoughts on social networking as well.

In the interview, Chris mentions how online companies "experiment with giving away one thing to sell something else." I guess commercial blogs work with the same principle but in a slightly different way. That is why you see ads and sponsored posts on a number of popular blogs.

I specially found the interview with Chris really interesting because it is quite relevant to my doctoral research topic. It was also the first time I heard about the social networking site Ning (www.ning.com). That doesn't sound good for someone who's doing research on the Internet and show how no one can claim to be a "Net Guru" as the Internet is evolving so quickly with new applications and sites emerging every day. Looking forward to his new book.

Place to shop for cheap printer inks

If you are like me and print out a lot of stuff, the printer seems to run out of ink so fast. A replacement cartridge doesn't come cheap especially if it's for your colour inkjet. In my case, it's worse because I am using a laser printer.

Well if you are looking for the Lowest prices for inkjet cartridges go on over to Ink and Stuff. The online stores has a great range of inkjet and laser printer cartridges as well other stuff.

All customers get 10% off on their first order. Remember to use the voucher code BZZ11Z at checkout.

Self help hypnosis sessions

As a kid, one of my comic heroes was Mandrake the magician, who like other super heroes, went around doing doing good deeds and fighting villains of all shape and sizes including aliens. He's actually been accepted as the first comic superhero.

When anyone mentions hypnosis, the first thing that comes to mind is Mandrake the Magician. I guess the mere mention of the word can conjure up various images in different people including the funny character in British TV's Little Britain.

The reason I brought up my childhood comic character is because I just came across the Instant-Hypnosis.com (http://www.instant-hypnosis.com). The site is possibly the "World's largest hypnosis site". They offer around 300 hypnosis sessions that can be downloaded instantly. These hypnosis downloads range from self improvement sessions to ones that are designed to help people with addictions and bad habits. I read in the newspapers recently that hypnosis has been successfully used by a lot of people to cure them of their smoking addiction.

Best of all is their " 100% Satisfaction Guarantee". If you are not satisfied with any of their products, you can ask for a complete refund up to 90 days after purchasing your product. They also have multi-purchase discounts and a affiliate program in place as well. Check out the site for more information.

Health insurance from BUPA

Like a new comers to the UK, we had the misconception that health care is totally free in the UK. It isn't. Sometimes you may find that you want to go to private specialists and the costs can be prohibitive. I am not saying that the service provided by the NHS is bad, it's just that you may want more exclusive treatment rather that those offered by your GP and if you have problem, do not want to be in queue and wait for months to get an appointment in the local hospital.

That's one of the main reasons that you may want to take out Health insurance here in the UK. BUPA is a global health and care organisation that has been operating for over half a century. They are one of UK's leading provider of private health care insurance and health care services. There are many other companies out there offering cheap health insurance but most of these are "one size fits all" deals that may not be a very good idea as different people have different needs and requirements. Obtain a free health insurance quote by contacting them today. You can choose from five different levels of health insurance cover.

Do check out their Health factsheet which has info on almost every medical condition.

Two 3 Skypephones

Look what arrived through the post yesterday:

Not one ...


but two 3 Skypephones.


One is white while the other one is black. These are among the first 3 Skpyephones to be issued and I will be trying them out for a month.

The phone comes with Skype built in. That means that I can make (and receive) Skype calls to (and from) anyone in the World for free. This 3G phone has a 2 megapixel camera, bluetooth and came with a 256MB micro SD memory card. It was quite easy to use but I haven't tried all the functions as yet.

I will write an in-depth review of the phone later in my SEO Expert blog.




In the dark.

The phone was designed by UK mobile operator 3 and Chinese mobile manufacturer Amoi and built by the later.

You can get the phone for free with a monthly contract (minimum £12/ month plan) or for £59.99 £49.99 on "Pay as you go" (or £59.99 with £10 starter top-up).

Thanks to Matt from 3mobilebuzz.com.

Update: Matt writes that the phone retails at £49.99. Sorry about that.
Actually, I got the info from the 3 Store site. Seems that they have updated the info now.

Mommy blogger

Here's a long long overdue review. Sometime back, I had promised to review blogs for free but along the way I somehow forgot all about the list of blogs to review, until today.

Saw that on top of the list is "My Little Tribe", a personal blog of another mommy blogger. It has a really neat and clean template and the font used for the title is quite unique. Carla, the "matriarch" of the tribe blogs about her life as a mother and a wife. I like the pics she posts up - quite artistic. The fact that her blog does not carry any noticeable ads will definitely appeal to a lot of people who are sick of blogs plastered all over by ads (including my own).

A global child

The next blog on my review list is Preyanka's 'Dreaming of Hanoi'. Preya is a true global child. She was born in Calcutta, India to an American mother and Indian father. She spent her childhood moving between Colorado, India, and Thailand before moving to Hanoi, Vietnam in 1992. She finally went back to the US in 2000 and right now teaches English literature to high school students in Boulder, Colorado.

Used to visit her Blogspot blog before she finally moved to her new website. The blog has a neat and tidy template uncluttered by ads.

She asked me to give her some "brutally honest advice" and well all I can say is, keep doing what you have done so far. I love her pictures and really original and thought provoking posts. I can identify with some of her posts as an expat child myself - but slightly different, as an Asian in the West.

One really touching post was that on the evacuation of thousands of orphans after the fall of Saigon. It's a description of the hope amidst the chaos, as told by her mother, Cherie Clark.

Really nice blog.

Mei's wire jewelry addiction

Mei is a mother of two boys, from Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. She blogs at "Wire Bliss: Handcrafted Wire Wrapped Jewelry".

I remember when she used to have a generic Blogger template but has now changed to a 3 column template. It definitely looks more unique. However the ads that come just before the posts were a bit too distracting. There are ads inside the post as well and having too many ads may turn off some visitors.

Her handcrafted wire jewelry are amazing. Mei calls it her addiction and they really are works of art.



Besides the end products, short tutorials showing how she made the jewelery would definitely attract more visitors to her site.

If you love jewelery, you will love Mei's blog.

A random review

Was just going through a blog called Random Encounters of We. It has two contributors: RandomEncounters and Random2 (the lady and the gentleman in the picture?), though I didn't come across a single posts written by Random2. I know a lot of bloggers prefer to remain anonymous but a "about us" or "about this blog" page would be nice.

It has some really interesting posts. Like mine, the blog has no specific niche and covers a number of topics. As RandomEncounters mentions, "Random is my Niche". She does have another blog with a specific niche called Random Games. It lists loads of interesting games.

One thing I didn't like about the blog was the design. I guess it is a matter of taste and everyone is different but I wish they would change the background colour from Green to something less harsh to the eye.

Having said that, I was quite impressed by the fact that they have a Google page rank of 4. That's really excellent for a blog that was only started in November last year. Would love to know their secret.

A Global Nomad in Thailand

Next on my "to review" blog list is Lillian's "My Thailand Diary". Lillian is another Third Culture Adult, or Global Nomad. Her background is quite interesting: she's Swiss but was born and grew up in Papua New Guinea. Now she resides in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand along with her husband and three children. Her blog records her interesting adventures as well as normal everyday life as an expat living in Thailand.

I have seen her go through a number of blog template changes before she finally settled on the one she has now. I prefer this to the colourful template she had before this - maybe because I have a weakness for simple and neat looking site template. What I would love to see is a list of her most popular posts. I am sure that there's a WP plugin for that.

Apart from one Google adsense unit at the top, you won't find other ads on the entire blog and I find it quite refreshing. I know it sounds strange coming from someone who has ads plastered all around his blog. I guess she not really into making money from her blog.

Go over and say "hi!" to Lillian.

Swimming with the Dolphins

Would you like to swim with dolphins? That's one of my dreams that remains unfulfilled. Talking about dolphins, there is one movie I am looking forward to - "Eye Of The Dolphin", which opens in cinemas today. This family movie is written by three time Emmy winner, Wendell Morris from a story by the film's director Michael Sellers.



Filmed in beautiful locations in the Bahamas, Carly Schroeder plays 15 year old Alyssa, who has just lost her mother and is forced to live with her dad (played by Adrian Dunbar), after being expelled from her school. Her life suddenly changes after she forms an unexpected friendship with an orphaned wild dolphin.

You can also win free movie tickets by entering the contest on their site (before August 26).

Check out the trailer of the movie:

Designer clothing for children at ZaraBella

We do buy a lot of designer clothing for our two children, not because we are rich or want to show off but because we don't have to worry about the quality of branded clothing. Some of the stuff we bought a year ago are as good as new. I am not saying that cheaper brands are not good and we do buy a lot of stuff from Tesco and other places as well. However when we buy branded clothes, you can sure they won't shrink after washing nor will the colours run.

Talking about designer clothes for children, do visit ZaraBella.com, an online retailer of designer clothing and accessories for children and babies. They have quite an impressive selection with brands like Mimi & Maggie, Wes & Willy, Spring Street Designs, Jade Jeans, Twelve Timbers and lots more. They are a Click and mortar company with their store located in Solvang, CA (35 miles north of Santa Barbara) and was launched in 2005. ZaraBella.com, is an extension of their store.

Find the right roommate

If you are a single guy or girl and moving to a new place, finding a place to stay can be a tough process, especially if it's in a big city. Unless money is of no concern, you would most probably prefer to stay with someone who has a free room. However, you don't want to end up staying with someone who, you are not compatible with. I am sure you have heard of several horror stories.

One lady friend was telling us about her flatmate whose boyfriend started coming over almost everyday and in the end, literally moved in to their house. In another case, one of my friends who doesn't smoke had to endure several months of living with a guy who was a chain smoker and used to smoke everywhere in the house. In the end he couldn't stand it anymore and moved out, even though he was the one who go the flat first. Differences of preference in music, food and even decor can cause clashes among people residing in a house.

One way to avoid such problems is to find someone with similar preferences. Of course there is no guarantee that personality clashes will not occur but the chances are reduced. Roomster.net, an advanced housing rental site serving all the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom has obviously thought about this. The company was founded in 2003 by John S. Shriber (CEO of Roomster) and Roman Zaks in New York. They expanded to include UK listings early this year.

If you are searching for a roommate, you can of course check by location and type of residence, but Roomster allows you to check by gender, age and even zodiac. Other features that can further help you select the right roommates are their instant messenger service, interest, hot lists and profile flagging services. I found it interesting to learn that they have integrated Google maps into their search results. that is something that I feel would be really useful in house/ apartment hunting.

Considering the features, it is no wonder they have become so popular in such a short duration. They are now said to be the leading online apartment and roommate matching site in the US. When I last checked they had 943,697 available listings.

The queer blog

Ryan is a blogger from Melbourne, Australia and his blog is titled simply "R*yan". It is a personal blog and he has a nice writing style. Mind you it's a PR 5 blog with over 100 subscribers.

I like the way he has personalized his blog. It's amazing what a nice background can do to the over look of your blog. Certainly makes it slightly different from all the other Blogspot blogs with generic templates.

I also like the fact that he has pictures to go with almost all his posts. Something I have been trying to do as well. There are a lot of nice pictures and a lot of them are pictures of men. What do you expect? After all this is a blog with a queer bent.

Unfortunately Ryan has taken an "indefinite break" from blogging. You can still and read his old posts though.