Go for a customised t-shirt this summer

Now that summer's truly here, it's T-shirt time again. I am one of those guys who hoard stuff and I have some t-shirts which are more than 10 years old. I sill have a Stonehenge t-shirt that my then wife-to-be had brought back from the UK. Another one of my favourites is the old Firefox t-shirt which always seems to attract a lot of attention.

However, I guess it's time to get some new t-shirts and I have decided that this time there will be no famous brand t-shirts for me. I would like to go for something unique, something that's not available in the stores, a t-shirt that stand out and says that "I am unique".

What can be more unique than to have your own picture or design on your t-shirt. Now there are a number of sites online where you can have them printed out on a t-shirt. And if you are the entrepreneurial type, you can even set up a store. Just take a look at some of the customized tshirts on Cafepress. As a long time user, I am quite satisfied with their services. You do not have to worry about payment or delivery. All you have to do is upload your designs and select the apparel you want your designs on.

I just came across a page that lists all the fan created Eclipse apparel and I am thinking of getting her a t-shirt before the movie comes out. As a Twilight fan who's eagerly looking forward to the movie, I am sure she will appreciate it. One of the designs I found quite interesting are the Edward/ Jacob loves Bella t-shirts. You can personalise the design by cutting out Bella's name and putting up your own name.

You can also check out the fabulous designs on the T-Critic blog as well. Some of the designs are really amazing - would be like wearing a work of art. I won't be seen wearing some of the others but I am sure you will find one you like.

Read 'The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner' for free online

Looks like Stephanie Meyer's latest book in the Twilight series "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" is going to be another best seller. She's literally milking the cow while she can.

Anyway, as a gift to her fans, you can read the story for free online till midnight EST on July 5th. Thanks Stephanie.

I told my wife but she plans to buy the novella anyway.

Buy "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" on Amazon.com $7.54

Speak up for the oppressed people

You might have read one version of this poem by Pastor Martin Niemoller. Various versions that exist around the world have added or substituted one oppressed group of people or the other. I really like this poem because it reminds us to speak up against oppression, even when you are not the target.

While discussing about recent developments in Europe, a friend who sees a rise in anti-Islamic rhetoric everywhere, commented that we should probably have one version with "Muslims" as well.

"First they came for the Jews.
But I didn't speak up because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the communists.
But I didn't speak up because I was not a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists.
But I didn't speak up because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics.
But I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me.
And by that time no one was left to speak up."

Free books

Quite recently I received an unexpected gift, or should I say gifts - four great books for free. These were books we had reviewed as part of the initial judging panels of the Inaugural 2009 Warwick Prize for Writing. Of the four, three were actually in the long list, namely, Glister (fiction) by John Burnside, Planet of Slums by Mike Davies and Brasyl (Sci-fi/ fiction) by Ian McDonald. I particularly liked Brasyl.

The one that didn't make it is 'Dry Store Room No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum' by Richard Fortey which is kind of interesting in a way.

Naomi Klein ultimately took the prize for her book 'The Shock Doctrine' (I have her signed book as well).

These books should keep me occupied for a while.  Looking forward to the books they have short-listed for next year's prize.

Get professionals to review your CV for free

Right now I am in the process of writing up my PhD thesis and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have also started applying for jobs at different Universities. I have no idea why but ads for most academic jobs in the UK come out around this time with successful candidates starting work around the end of September- early October. You miss the boat this year and you have to wait for the next round next year.

So far, I haven't had even one interview, meaning that I had not been able to get through the first round of screenings. I had been expecting it as I still haven't got my PhD and due to the fact that I am from outside the EU. Getting a job here in the UK for non-EU people has become really hard, almost impossible.

Recently I attended this seminar for those interested in an academic career and I showed my CV to one of the experts. The lady who had a look at it made some suggestion but overall she was quite impressed with it. If it had not I would have been very disappointed.

Even though my English language skills are quite good, if I may say so myself, I feel that I need professionals who have experience in evaluating CVs to have a look at mine. This is because often, it is the CV that decides whether you get to the interview sessions.

I actually paid to get my CV and reference letter checked at this site called the CV Centre. They really did a good job and when I was not entirely happy with the first draft, they actually incorporated my comments and sent the revised version to me the same day itself.

Right now they are currently offering completely free CV reviews to potential new customers. Do take advantage of this offer as it is for a limited time only.

Fundraising Made Easy

I am a member of a student society at my University and a couple of months back we organised an event whereby we invited some consultants to come over and talk to the students. At our first committee meeting, the members came up with a number of great ideas. Unfortunately most were shot down due to one main factor - the lack of funds. The funds allocated to us seemed quite a lot but when we broke down the expenses involved including the refreshments (very important), the funds suddenly seemed like pocket change. This made me realise the importance of having a fundraiser before we organise any event to make sure that we are not limited by funds.

In the end, we did organise the event successfully but I was not really satisfied with the student turnout and the way the event was managed. It could have been much better had we started working on the event much earlier and more importantly, had we had more funding. This made me think of various ways to raise funds for the next event.

It seems so easy but from experience I know it's easier said than done. How do you convince people to part with their hard earned money?

The Fast Track Fundraising site has so many ideas and tips to make your fundraiser easy. One of the ways I use to evaluate a service is by looking at the customer testimonials and reviews. Frankly I am quite impressed by their track record. Quite recently one guy actually raised $4,030.40 with a Lollipops fundraiser while another raised $3,000.00 with a dinner and movie card fundraiser. There are so many other fundraising products listed on the site. They have been featured in Forbes, CNBC, and SmartMoney. What I found quite surprising was the fact that they don't take any money upfront and provides 100% free shipping for their products. The company uses the MacAfee secure system and gurantees 100% safe fundraising. Another great feature was the fundraising thermometer which allows you to track and display your fundraising goal online. All you have to do is note your fundraising goal and the money you have raised so far. Just clicking a button will generate a code which you can then put on your site.
So if you are thinking of doing your own fundraising for an event, or for some charity or it may even be for a school trip, do drop by the Fast Track Fundraising site.

Visit to Ash End House Childrens Farm

Sometime back, my son had a school trip to Ash End House Childrens Farm in Tamworth and I accompanied him. We both had a few firsts. Here are some pics:


Feeding ducks for the first time in my life


Giving milk to a calf .... for the first time in my life again




Both of us feeding the goats
My son was initially quite scared but in the end he was really into it.


The Boy Who Stare at Goats