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