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.

Bushnell binoculars

If you are looking for binoculars, one brand that you can't afford to ignore is Busnell. Busnell Optical is the leading producer of binoculars in the United States. My favourite model has to be the Bushnell H20 10x42 Porro Prism Binoculars. It has been described as the "the ideal binoculars for the outdoor enthusiast!" by the Western Outdoors Magazine.It is water proof and has one particular feature that appeals to me - Fold-down winged eyecups. This means that I can see the whole field of view even for people who wear eyeglasses, like me.

If you are looking for a place to buy bushnell binoculars, I would recommend Eagle Optics. The company has an amazing range of quality optics including Bushnell products. They have been selling optical products, both in their store in Central Wisconsin and by mail order since 1986. Now they have their own online store. It is a great place to buy binoculars simply because of the range of products they have on offer. They also have among the best lowest prices on the web. Right now, they have the new convenient Google Checkout Payment Option in place as well as outstanding customer service.

They also offer free financing for order above US $200.

Optical illusion

Look at the images above. As you can see, Mr.Angry is on the left, and Mrs.Calm is on the right.

Get up from your seat and move back slowly.

PRESTO!! They switch places!!

This illusion was created by Phillippe G.Schyns and Aude Oliva of the University of Glasgow (according to the mail that was forwarded to me).

Just shows that what we may not be seeing what's actually there, all the time!

Zip your files securely

I am sure that all of you have one software or the other for zipping files, on your computer. However, do you have one that provides data security as well. If you don't then take a look at SecureZIP - The next generation of ZIP. This program has set a standard for desktop data security - from email messages and attachments, as well as data stored on hard-drives, laptops, and portable storage media.

The importance of ensuring security of your data cannot be over emphasized. If you think you are not going to be the target of Internet fraud or identity theft, think again. Of course, all data on your computer is important. However, there are certain files that should be kept absolutely confidential. This includes your financial data - including tax records, credit card and banking information.

You can use this program to exchange sensitive files through email using SecureZIP integrated with Microsoft Outlook®. It will automatically encrypt, digitally sign, and zip email messages and attachments.

Only minimal changes to current processes and existing security infrastructure is necessary for the deployment of this application.

If you are unsure, take the opportunity to download the program for FREE from the site - www.securezip.com. They are having a limited time free download promotion (the full version). All you need to do is to provide your full e-mail address to download the free software. It's that easy.