Having a bla.st

Yesterday night I added my card on the bla.st directory. In case you haven't heard, Bla.st is an experimental visual card directory.

What makes this directory different from Fuelmyblog and other similar advertising sites is that it is not limited to blogs or websites. You can also promote your products and services, events and even make announcements.


This site is the brainchild of Tim Bromhead who also has a blog here.

bla.st cards can be online from 1 day to 10 years and can be placed into any category. Best of all, payment is optional. However, you can go higher up in the listings if you decide to pay. I guess that's only fair.

My listings for the ah ok lah blog is here and for the auto lah blog is here.

I learnt about the site from Larry.

Tags: bla.st Advertising

Buying swarovski binoculars online

When we hear the name Swarovski, images of crystal figurines and jewelery come to mind. However, over here I am referring to the swarovski binoculars. These binoculars are built by Swarovski Optik, an Austrian, family-owned company, which has been producing high-quality binoculars and telescopes for over 50 years.

Eagle Optics is one of the best places to buy this particular brand of binoculars. The site has some of the lowest prices, excellent customer service and one of the best selections of binoculars and telescopes on the net. The prices of the Swarovski binoculars range from $629 (the lowest) to $1,999 (the highest) when I last checked.


Check out the site for bargains on other branded binoculars.

Tags: Binoculars Swarovski Optik

Contest announcement

I am organizing a contest on my auto lah blog. I recently got my hands on two Dodge Nitro t-shirts and I have decided to give them away.

So if you would like to get your hands on a cool Dodge Nitro T-shirt, click this link here for more details.



Tags: Auto lah Contest Dodge Nitro

What's the Ultimate Gift

Life is how you live it ...
not how you spend it.

That is the message behind the new movie, "The Ultimate Gift" which will be released on March 9.

Starring Academy Award nominee and “Little Miss Sunshine” star Abigail Breslin, James Garner, Ali Hillis, Drew Fuller and Brian Dennehy, this movie is based on the book of the same name by Jim Stovall, which has so far sold 4 million copies.

This is not your typical popcorn movie but rather a values-oriented, heartfelt one with a social message. It is based on the message that "The only way you can truly get more out of life for yourself is to give part of yourself away.”


I was amazed to learn that the movie has made such an impact even before it's official release, with over $5 million in donations to charity. Schools are already incorporating the message into their curriculum and has even resulted in a unique teen charity initiative called “Show Of Hands".

I have already read the book and I can truly tell you that it really made quite an impact on me. Just can't wait to see the movie version. You can view a short teaser clip of the movie on youTube here.

This is the official site of the movie "The Ultimate Gift" and the grass-roots movement its starting to help charities and give to others.
Tags: Ultimate Gift Movies Abigail Breslin Jim Stovall

Offical opening of Ricoh Arena

Today is the official opening of the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.

Dame Kelly Holmes (Britain’s double gold medallist at the 2004 Athens Olympics) and Minister for Sport Richard Caborn officially opened the Ricoh Arena.

Highlights include:
- UK debut of the Jaguar C-XF concept. More of the car here.
- Soul queen Beverley Knight will end the day with a concert in the Jaguar Exhibition Hall.
- Examples of innovative engineering and design from Coventry University, Jaguar and Modec.

Opt in email marketing

Almost everybody I know, hate unsolicited email. Better known as spam, these e-mails can really spoil your mood, when you find that you have hit your e-mail storage limit because of these junk mail.

I don't hate all unsolicited e-mails. I love to hear from other bloggers, sponsors and of course my fans. However, the opposite is true when I get those e-mails trying to sell you something, especially those offering dubious products and services, claiming that they can make a particular organ larger and so on.

If you are a company selling a great product and want to promote it - I implore you, please do not spam potential customers. You may end up alienating the very customers who might have bought the product or service, otherwise.

On the other hand, it is a very good idea if you allow people to opt in - that is, allow interested customers to subscribe to your newsletter. In other words, you are not spamming people. They want you to send them e-mails about your products or services. This is what "opt in" email marketing is all about - what it should be.

However, selecting a software to help you do this can be such a headache and there are several solutions out there.

What do I look for in such a software?

- First of all it must be cost-effective.
- There should be no limit to the newsletters that you can have in your account.
- You can publish also your newsletter as often as you like.
- Past issues of your newsletter are stored in a archive.
- All emails are individually addressed and sent to each subscriber.

I would recommend MyNewsletter Builder is the perfect email marketing tool because it fulfills all the criteria. It enables you to build and manage email lists, create beautiful newsletters, and send interactive newsletters via email.

Visitors to your web page subscribe to your newsletter by filling up a few details on sign up form. For those who prefer RSS feeds instead of emails, MyNewsletter Builder has that option too.

In case you want to give it a test run, you are in luck because they are offering 60 days free trial.

Tags: Email marketing Opt in Spam

Getting the gardening itch

It's warmer now-a-days and you can feel that Spring is on the way. Seeing the barren backyard really spoils my mood every morning and I am thinking of doing something about it.

To tell the truth, it's 100 times better now as compared to when we got here. There were thorny brambles everywhere with all short of junk underneath it. To say that the backyard had been neglected would be an understatement. It was like a junk yard. We were so turned off by the sight of a jungle in the backyard that we were thinking of moving out after a few days. However, our landlord cleared up most of the mess along with his father.

You would be surprised to learn what turned up under the vegetation. Several empty bottles of beer, furniture, dustbins, carpets, bricks, tiles, toys and loads of other junk, even a traffic cone. My landlord had to make several trips to the tip and even after that I loads of junk turned up which I got rid along with our household rubbish.

I was able to salvage a composting bin which was in good condition.

We burnt off the dried brambles and grasses on Guy Fawkes day.

Anyway see the transformation of the backyard:

When we first arrived


Nov, 2006


Jan, 2007

Today I planted some roses.

Tesco is having this gardening promotion and today I bought a 6 pieces gardening set for £5. My first project would be to prepare a herbal garden. I prefer to grow something I can eat.