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.