The Power of Retail

The Bastakiya arts quarter in Dubai has been a wonderful place to explore and we’ve gone back several times. What I really like about the place is that it’s not too crowded, since not too many people know about it and that really adds to the charm. The area’s narrow lanes will really be awful when crowded, claustrophobic even. I also like the fact that there are lots of galleries and museums there, all free of charge, where one can read up on the area’s history at leisure. The main museum of the city is a short 5 minute walk from this area and has a great display of what life in the area was like.

OK, I have to admit, I’ve never been fond of being recorded on home videos! Most people love seeing them self on camera, but I have always become uncomfortable and conscious about it. Recently, a friend bought a camcorder and I have got to use it a bit and I must admit that I have become a little bit intrigued by it, enough to even consider buying one myself for family trips and get-togethers. So now, it’s time to do a bit of research on it. I quite like the one she bought and since I’ve used it a bit, I’m quite comfortable with it already! Let’s see how it goes!

Nothing like the springtime to make plans to sit outside in the nice weather, isn’t it! The summer is a great time to be outside at night, after dinner, when the city is cooling off and one often gets sudden rain showers, like the one we are having right now! The rain came with such force that we had to move the outdoor furniture a bit! I think it would be nice to just sit there and take it all in, the wind, the coolness, the sudden freshness, the sense of a reprieve, albeit a short one, but a good one nevertheless. If you’re going to be using outdoor furniture, it is essential that it has some sort of water and weather proof qualities, so that it lasts a decent amount of time.

Don’t forget to look up!

Spring time is wonderful across the world and Delhi is no exception. Everywhere you look, trees are flowering, bougainvillea cascading, lighting up the sky and delighting commuters. The plumeria, also known as frangipani or champa, is still flowering and will continue to do so during the summer as well.

Here’s a shot of a laburnum, or Indian amaltas, tree with it’s gorgeous shower of yellow flowers at Bikaner House in New Delhi.

It seems that the emphasis on looks is back in the forefront once again! For a while when the waif phenomenon was on going, it seemed like one could not be thin enough, but then a more healthy look returned thankfully. Now, it seems that many celebrities are again ending up looking rather slender. One of the popular ways to lose weight amongst celebrities has been Decaslim, which has also been endorsed by several of them. The difference however, is that celebrities have a host of support systems in place to help them achieve their goals in a more all round manner, such as dietary counselors, nutritional experts and fitness trainers. Regular people on the other hand have to make all the effort for themselves, which makes the success of the treatment a lot harder.

When it comes to home renovation, often people make the mistake of spending on the wrong areas of the house. Traditionally, the two rooms that require the most investment are the kitchen and the bath, and this is really where all the money you put in comes back as an investment of sorts in the long term. Having the right kind of faucets, could make all the difference in both plumbing bills as well as saleability in the future. So, instead of spending too much money on other areas that can easily be replaced and refurnished at a later time, it is better to invest in high quality and long lasting plumbing equipment.

Spending time at a cafe is always a nice way to pass a morning of leisure. I have become addicted to the chocolate twists at Costa Coffee, where I took this photo. They are actually not fully chocolate, but twisted bread stuffed with dark chocolate chips and sprinkled with powdered sugar! What’s not to like! Add a cup of latte and it’s a great morning.

There’s been so much written about the kind of treatment one can expect at some of the premier drug rehab places, but when it comes to detailed information that patients can really use, there is often a sense of confusion and indecision. This is often because there are so many treatment centers that have information available on the Internet as well as in the local newspapers and magazines, which can cause some confusion in those wanting treatment. I think it’s a great idea to find out from a neutral source on what the best treatment course available is and a treatment facility locator that will be invaluable to find the right kind of center. Using such a system, ensures that the patient is aware and has the option of using the best possible center that is possible.

I’ve been putting it off for a while now, but it’s time to get a new memory card, since my current one is only a 512mb, and it runs out of space really quickly when I’m out on a trip. In the usual course, it does not matter, but when I’m out on a trip and don’t carry my laptop with me, it becomes a serious problem. On our last trip, I had to reduce the size and quality of the photos, so that I could squeeze more of them onto the card. I also ended up deleting some photos right from the camera itself to make more space, and some of them were pretty good ones.