View from my window

Fuel My Blog is running a View from my window photo competition, so I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring as well. I've starting taking interesting pictures only recently (at least, I think so) and while most come out boring and commonplace, some pictures stand out, not only for the quality of picture, but also for the memory they invoke.

I took this picture from the kitchen door of my uncle's house in Ridgefield, CT. I wanted to capture the moment as it was that magical time of the evening, when the sky was changing and almost glowing, contrasting with the dark, bare trees in the foreground.

Get ready for summer!

Nothing like a new pair of sunglasses to get you started off on enjoying the warm weather, right? I don't think there's ever been a time that I have had less than 2-3 pairs of sunglasses. They are just great accessories to have and keep changing on a regular basis. So if you're going to keep switching sunglasses every few months, it really doesn't make sense to spend a whole lot on them. As long as they have UVA/UVB protection and are comfortable I'm fine with them. I usually invest in one good pair with anti-glare to use for long periods and keep my other sunglasses simply as fashion accessories. Buying Wholesale Designer Sunglasses is a great way to be able to have lots of sunglasses and change them often. With prices starting at $10 per dozen, yes, per dozen, it's probably the cheapest you can ever find them, and also have lots of extra sunglasses to give as gifts.

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

What's your visual DNA?

Interesting and fun forward I got this morning that maps your visual DNA. Check it out and see what yours is.

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Spring must have: stroller rain covers

It's spring time, time to be out in the open again, time to reconnect with nature again, time for the rain to come....oops! While you might still be able to enjoy the weather with an umbrella, what about your toddler? So here's a great solution for your kids's stroller, Sasha's rain covers so your child can enjoy the great outdoors but still be protected from the elements. Sasha's rain covers are custom made for all the well-known car seat, stroller and jogging stroller such as Graco, Peg Perego, Evenflo, Baby Trend, Combi, Eddie Bauer, Bumbleride, Jeep, InStep, Schwinn, Mclaren, Bugaboo and Britax. Sasha's Kiddie Products was founded by Don Fetner 10 years ago, when he saw firsthand how difficult it was for mothers to protect their children from the sun, wind, and insects. Sasha's products have become very popular since they are all great quality and extremely practical and user friendly. Their sun, wind and insect protection line comes with UVA/UVB protection which is a really great add on.

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

Where would you live?

I came across an interesting post on 2KBloggers asking where in the world would you live? It reminded me of a post I had written almost two years ago about all the places I had lived in. I love to travel and live in new cities, to discover new haunts, to build new memories, to explore new cultures and lifestyles.

Here's my old post dated April 22, 2005.

A place to call home

Of the many cites, towns and even, villages I have lived in, what was the best one? What makes a place most desirable?

Is it the weather......Bangalore, Dagshai and Juneo would be tops;
or the life that a city offers in its:
restaurants.....Bangalore and Bristol;
theatre.....Bangalore and Providence;
art galleries........Providence;
libraries and book stores.......Bristol and Bangalore;
parks and green spaces.......Providence, Bristol, Dagshai and Juneo;
public transportation.......Boston, Providence and Bombay
daily conveniences and ease of traffic.......Kansas City and Chandigarh win here;
scenic beauty.......Bristol, Boston, Juneo, Providence and Dagshai;
shopping.....Bombay and the Maine shopping outlets
history.........Delhi, Providence and Bristol
quaint life........Bristol, Manhattan, KS and Juneo

Details:
Bangalore, Karnataka, India: IT city, cosmopolitan, relaxed and very welcoming.
Bombay, Maharashtra, India: So far more hype than reality.......time will tell. I think the style quotient got muddied with the name change to Mumbai.
Juneo, Himachal Pradesh, India: A village in Sirmour district where the peach growing area starts.
Dagshai, Himachal Pradesh, India: A British Cantonment in the Simla Hills of Himachal.
Chandigarh, UT, India: India's first planned city designed by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jenneret in the 1950's. Surprisingly, no other city has been able to replicate its success.
Delhi, India: Slowly being transformed into a great city.
Providence, Rhode Island, USA: America's gangster town turned into America's food capital by the last Mayor Buddy Cianci.
Bristol, Rhode Island, USA: America's first independence day parade took place here. The original route is maintained and promoted with a great sense of pride.
Boston, Massachusetts, USA: History everywhere you look here. A wonderful city to explore by foot.
Merriam/Kansas City, Kansas USA: Known as a City of Fountains, it is a beautiful city with a sense of joy and positiveness everywhere.
Manhattan, Kansas, USA: A university town and my first taste of American life. No matter how hard college life actually was, I will always have a soft spot for this town.

So what is the right mix of the perfect place to live in? We seem to exploring new places with great speed and regularity, so it looks like a few more place to explore before deciding.

Get your business noticed in the local community

As a small business owner, how does one get noticed? With the number of companies opening up with each day increasing, it's getting increasingly harder to be known in the market, even in the local market. It seems that all small companies have websites, but unless consumers already knows the name of the company, how do they find you online? The solution could be LocalLaunch, a company that specializes in local search and small business advertising. LocalLaunch works with small companies to help them get noticed and connect to potential customers.

I find it quite hard to locate local servicemen such as AC technicians online. I know there are available in my area, but how does one find them? LocalLaunch promises to do just that and provides Internet marketing solutions to small companies by helping companies control all of their business information in one area, distributing information on a consistent basis, driving traffic to your website and tracking results on a continuous basis. Small business owners are eligible for a free consultation to see how it works, to see the difference LocalLaunch can make.

Shoppers’ Stop to have Build-A-Bear at its stores

This is great news for the retail sector. One of the most popular concepts of the US market, the Build-A-Bear workshop for kids will be soon opening in India. Shoppers’ Stop CEO Govind Shrikhande made the announcement on the upcoming launch of the interactive children's workshop Build-A-Bear in it’s stores. Build-A-Bear will only be available at shop-in-shop Shoppers’ Stop stores initially and will be available at standalone Shoppers' Stop stores at a later time. Build-A-Bear has made a non-exclusive tie up for a duration of three years with the Murjani Group which has brought the Build-A-Bear brand to India.

Will this be the watershed in your life?

Celebrities and the constant media hype have brought a lot of prominence to rehab and addiction centers. In a way, it has almost made them more acceptable and reachable to the common person, who might hesitate in getting treatment there. The number of cases seem to be increasing with each passing day and it has become a common problem of our times but the ways to solve addiction have radically improved from earlier times.

One of the most well-known programs is the Watershed Addiction Treatment program that has been able to set a high standard in treating men and women suffering from alcoholism or drug addiction. Watershed offers medical detoxification and substance abuse treatment such as alcohol treatment from a highly trained staff of psychiatrists, medical doctors, psychologists, nurses and therapists. The name Watershed itself signifies a new beginning, a moment where you can transcend to being a new person and live a new life.

CompUSA's 15 minute pick-up program is a winner

CompUSA has been able to differentiate itself from the rest of the pack thanks to its 15 minute pick-up program. The retailer first introduced online/in-store pick-up program in 2003, offering a service that pretty much all other large retailers were offering. CompUSA decided to stand apart and fine tune its pick-up program to 15 minutes, which had been decided from customer feedback and store data. Stores were put on trial and once they were able to achieve a 95% on time record, the 15 minute guarantee was launched in November 2006. So a customer can check for products online, specifying preferred location and then come by and pick it up at the store.

Fulfilling 95% of online orders in 15 minutes requires that each store integrate its inventory management system with that of the web store. By doing so, shoppers can identify which online items are in-stock at their local store. To improve customer satisfaction, CompUSA allows customers to search the inventory of multiple stores within a 50-mile radius of a designated ZIP code to provide greater availability of products if the customer’s preferred store is out of stock. Store inventory is linked to CompUSA’s web store through an order management program that was developed in-house.

Borders looking to sell its UK business

Borders Group is thinking of selling its UK business which operates under the name of Books etc. The company has 71 stores and accounts for 70% of Borders' international business. Borders opened in the UK in 1998 when it purchased the Books etc chain, but it has been reporting losses of $500,000 due to a "challenging retail environment".

Wealthy customers look for specialized customer service

Wealthier customers conduct research and purchase online according to a recent survey by The Luxury Institute. It was found that 69% of rich American customers preferred to make hotel and resort reservations directly on the Internet. According to Milton Perdaza, CEO of The Luxury Institute, a survey and research firm, “The only remaining obstacle preventing wealthy consumers from purchasing a multitude of luxury products online appears to be the lack of customer-centricity on the part of some luxury firms.”

Opportunities galore waiting to be taken, anyone, anyone?

Retailers take note: Rich consumers look for special and customized services and if you offer this segment the kind of customer service they need and more, since these are customers who are accustomed to getting the best of everything. There clearly is a need for something more than the basic customer service that is provided at most online stores.

The Luxury Institute surveyed 1,000 consumers with average household income of $288,000 and average net worth of $2.5 million. It determined that 96% of them buy products and services online, with 55% doing so frequently; and 99% of wealthy consumers use the Internet to research before they buy. According to the survey findings, more than half of the wealthy consumers surveyed prefer to make purchases of women’s apparel online while 43% prefer to use the web when buying men`s apparel.

Reliance Retail upgrades HR policy

Reliance Retail announced that it has changed its HR policy to a comprehensive manpower management policy so that it would be able to streamline its recruitment process and retain employees. Reliance Retail president and its chief people officer, Bijay Sahoo, is taking care of this new policy. The company currently has 89 outlets and will be increasing the number to 120 in April 2007. Reliance Retail has huge requirements for retail talent and plans to have 500,000 employees working for it by 2010. Currently the company only has 6,000 employees.

Importance of POS for retailers

Retailers who have a good and reliable point of sale system have a definite advantage over others. A POS system that tracks inventory and sales is simply no match for old fashioned systems. Vison's retail pos system is a little different in the sense that not only does it provide end-to-end service for any retailer, but it is also environmentally friendly as its refurbished equipment is priced lower and is backed by quality support. The company has supplied POS systems to some of the major retailers such as Aeropostale and Regal.

As a retail analyst and someone who has worked in the field for several years, I know that you just cannot underestimate the importance of having a good point of sale system in place. There are a ton of point of sale systems available but Vision has been able to differentiate itself from the crowd and offer a distinct USP, which is likely to pay off well in the long run.


LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

Out of the World Cup

Well, India is officially out of the Cricket World Cup. We really haven't been playing too well lately and it's all just been media hype and endorsement fever that the players have been interested in rather than practicing their game or planning their strategy for the World Cup. Well, I guess this will at least save us the agony and embarrasement from a later time. C'mon people, enough already with all the cricket hoopla, our players obviously do not deserve it. Lets back some of the other sports for a change.

Captivating art by Vickor Lysakov

Art is completely subjective. I might hate what you like and vice versa. I consider art to be very personal, something that connects to me in an individual way, regardless if it is the expected reaction or not. Over the years I have become an avid collector, mostly of paintings till now, but eventually I do want to add sculptures to my collection. The interest started when I took an Art History class in college and especially when I worked at an art gallery for close to two years. I look for depth of color and texture in paintings, something that makes them stand apart even when the subject matter might have been painted a thousand times already.

I am especially fond of collecting art from across the world and was quite intrigued by the work of Russian Artist Victor Lysakov, especially his traditional motif paintings. Lysakov is a modern expressionist artist who paints using a vibrant palette and unique compositions. There is a story behind all of his paintings, which make them even more interesting as it's always so interesting to know something additional about all paintings. While all the paintings I liked were already sold, there is an option to purchase giclee prints that are digitally printed on museum quality UV-resistant canvas.

Victor Lysakov opened his first office of the Lysakov Art Company in Pacific Grove in California in early February this year and had a grand celebration of over 200 guests who enjoyed traditional Russian music, cuisine and entertainment. The new gallery can be comapred to any of the modern art galleries in the metro cities. Lysakov has been named as one of "The Best European Artists" and has participated in many important exhibitions across the world.

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

Titan plans to bring in 3 global brand

Tata Group’s Titan Industries announced that it will be launching 2-3 global brands in the next few years. It recently brought in the Tommy Hilfiger brand which has been a big success in the Indian market. According to Harsh Bhatt, Titan Industries CEO, “Tommy Hilfiger has done well in the past year and seen a growth of more than 60% year on year. We have plans to bring in two to three more licensed brands into India in the next two to three years including at least one in the next one year.” The company will be opening a new manufacturing facility in Rourkee where it will manufacture 2-3 million watches. The facility will open later this year and will see an investment of Rs. 10 crore. Titan has opened a sourcing office in Hong Kong to outsource watches from China, Korea and other countries.

Retail broking on the rise

Interesting times for retail broking. Brokerage houses are getting into retail in a big way. Traditionally brokerage firms have dealt with large institutional players but are entering the retail sector due to the huge potential in retail broking. Institutional players are also turning to global broking houses for requirements and smaller broking houses are using retail broking to grow rapidly which has been getting noticed by the stock markets and large investors.

Ecotourism is the way to go

I grew up in the mountains and never thought I would love anything more but am a beach girl now. My love of the mountains did teach me how to take care of the environment. Our boarding school was located in the lower Himalayas where we always had a risk of forest fires in late May and early June, before the arrival of the monsoons. Pines are the most common trees in the area, which shed in the hot summer months, making for a dangerous combination. The fate of the Earth is dependent on our generation and on how we treat the environment. It is no longer alright just to be neutral, we have to make choices that reflect the urgent need to protect and preserve the environment.

This concept has led to a number of new resorts who are actively involved in such endeavors and are such a lovely relief from the boring, cookie-cutter vacations that travel companies have. Look at Kauai for instance, it is full of resorts, but can you really distinguish one from another. They all offer the same services, have similar rooms and pretty much blur into one another. Kauai Ecotourism Vacation Rentals on the other hand provides a great blend of luxury and eco-friendliness and I would much rather take a vacation such as this, since it would be completely unique. Don't expect mediocre service or style here, HawaiianBeachRentals have some pretty incredible properties and offer world class service but still remain focused on preserving the environment.

Taking pictures

Time to change the pic of the day today....It's been an interesting journey for me to take pictures like this, of just the scenery or nature or the world around us. It really started with blogging, and since I've never been to keen to put up pics of my own or my family here, I started to take pictures of non-personal things. Some of the results are good and of course tons of others not so good, but then that's the greatest thing about a digital camera, you can delete them right away and they simply won't be there to remind to you of your amateurishness.

Temp workers getting their due

Temp workers have been around a long while but have traditionally been underpaid and undervalued. Well, not so anymore, as temp workers are receiving salary packages that are equal to if not more than regular starting salaries for entry level jobs. The biggest markets for temp jobs are Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi. The change has come as earlier jobs were seen as a relationship between employer and employee, but now it is fast becoming a transaction based system, giving rise to temping.

Damas & Flemingo to set up duty-free stores

Dubai's Damas Jewelry and Flemingo International’s Indian division announced that the two comapanies will jointly set up duty-free shops in the country. Products such as jewlerly and watches will be sold at these duty free outlets. At present, they have been given permission to set up shops at Chennai, Trivandrum and Jaipur international airports, where operations will begin in a month. Damas is a well-known brand of India where it operates D’Damas.

Searchandising: the new way to convert customers

Online merchants who combine search and merchandising are able to get better results with customer satisfaction, what is now being called 'searchandising'. In a new study by Aberdeen Group, on "Web Site Search: Revenue in the Results" showed that 70% of retailers felt that visitors who searched using tools were likely to convert to buyers from browsers. Conversion rates for online merchants ranged from 5% or more while e-commerce sites saw 2-5% conversion rates.

Among merchants achieving the highest profits, conversions and returns from their online offerings -- termed "Best-in-Class," 54 percent utilize search as a merchandising tool.

Additionally, 62 percent continually fine tune search for desired results based on user actions, current promotions and collective behavior. Further, 38 percent of Best-in-Class retailers segment search query results using faceted search tools.

These metrics clearly show that leading companies are thinking about their search tools as a way to serve up products and inextricably link their merchandising processes to their product discovery tools.

Nissan's lost key campaign

Nissan has launched a unique campaign to promote its new push button ignition for the Altima, where it is deliberately "losing" keys in public spots such bars, sports arenas, shopping centers etc. True Agency of Los Angeles created the campaign, which is estimated to have cost less than $100,000 for the 60,000 keys and 40,000 tags and the sweepstakes prizes, a rather modest cost compared to traditional advertising campaigns.

One tag declares, “If found, please do not return,” because the Altima “has Intelligent Key with push-button ignition, and I no longer need these,” a reference to the technology that allows an Altima owner to start the car by pressing a button on the dash rather than inserting a key.

The same tag invites the finder to learn more about the ignition system by visiting a section of the Nissan Web site (nissanusa.com/altima).

The other tag, labeled “Gas Card,” resembles the plastic keychain devices for electronic payment sponsored by service stations like Exxon and Mobil. The tag offers the finder of the key ring a chance to enter a sweepstakes, either by sending text messages or visiting another Web site (altimakeys.com), which is to be available this week.

Swap cars and save on rentals

Springwise reports on an interesting way to organize vacations: swapping cars. A London based company called GoGo Britain is offering a simple and cheap alternative to rental cars, most of which are outrageously priced in the high season. How it works is that customers reserve cars at their website, selecting from the list of cars available at the destination. Confirmations are required within 48 hours of travel and that's it.

With no mileage restrictions, customers don't have to worry about driving too much. GoGo Britain currently has eight locations where customers can swap cars. Requirements include customers being at least 25 years of age, having a valid drivers licence and a five year clean driving record. All consumers must also purchase all-inclusive insurance. GPS receivers are located on all vehicles but are only activated in emergencies when a car need to be located.

GoGo Britain was developed by VisitBritain, the British Tourist Board, with the aim of attracting European tourists to Britain. And therefore will likely remain limited to locations in Great Britain. Catering to travellers who’d rather not swap houses but are willing to exchange cars, this is an idea that could be expanded to most other countries.

Suggestive selling on the web

How do you decide what movie you are going to see? Or which book to buy? Is your search engine helping you make your selections? While I'm not a member of Netflix or Blockbuster, I usually search for movies on their sites to decide which movie to see and then order one from my local DVD shop. Most times I end us selecting a movie title from the "If you like this, also see this" list, which is a great way to find similar types of movies. Companies are counting on this to happen. Using something called preference engines to make suggestions of similar items to consumers is one of their tricks that usually works quite well.

Michael Rappa, a professor of technology management at North Carolina State University, says preference engines "are a very advanced form of automation. They take advantage of what they can learn about you and your preferences. They can be incredibly useful and can be a big part of the business market."

"They want to put movies in front of you that you may not have watched," Rappa said. "Their whole success is predicated on feeding you a whole set of movies you're going to like."

Are you participating in Shutdown Day?

Tomorrow is Shutdown Day.

Are you participating?

I am still undecided in the sense I want to keep my laptop turned off for the day but will end up working extra on Sunday to make up for it, so it'll come to the same result....time spend working on the machine. So far, over 52,000 people have signed up to shut down their computers for a day and over 8,000 have declared that they will not be able to.

Need to decide fast.....

If you need help deciding too, read up on the Shutdown Day Blog to see who else is participating.

Whole Foods not just about food anymore

Whole Foods is not just about food anymore. Although the company has been selling select items such as socks for seven years now, the company has added a range of clothing at Whole Food stores which has been received with great success. Marketing research firm NPD Group estimates that there has been a 76% increase in clothing sales from January 2006 to January 2007, although the entire growth does not come from Whole Foods, a substantial rise can be attributed to the company.

Other grocers are glomming on to the trend. Safeway's Dominick's chain now carries a small selection of women's and babies' clothing made by Maggie's Organics, a line Whole Foods also carries. The clothing is currently carried in two of its Dominick's Lifestyle stores, at 345 S. Rand Rd. in Lake Zurich and 6300 S. Robert Kingery Highway in Willowbrook, according to company spokeswoman JeNyce Boolton.

Moving to Dubai

We've lived in lots of cities across the world, but our next move to Dubai is going to be an extremely exciting one. We plan to move in the next couple of months and I just can't wait to live in this exciting city that is said to be the fastest growing city in the world. Dubai is the most forward thinking and modern of the seven states that are part of the United Arab Emirates. The city has become a mecca of sorts for people from all over the world, a factor that is extremely important to us since we like expanding our horizons. The city is fast making a name for itself in the financial world and is well known as being the sports capital of the Middle East, with some of the best international events taking place there in golf, tennis, horse racing and sailing.

We are on the search for Dubai Property, specifically a nice apartment in Dubai these days, although searching via remote control has not been an easy task. Ideally we would love to find an apartment in the Marina area of town and that's where our main search focus has been so far, although I believe the apartments in Deira are also quite good. Since I am not altogether too familiar with the city, I have a lot of research to do, on living there, on eating out (which I believe is simply fantastic), on getting utilities set up, buying a car, getting a drivers licence etc. While the questions are endless, so is the excitement. Dubai is definitely the future for us.

Godrej plans to open boutique stores

The Godrej Group plans to launch specialty stores in four categories: home appliances, home furniture, office furniture and non-apparel lifestyle products. These new speciality stores will be operated under its flagship brand Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co. The first 20 of the new stores are to be opened by 2010 in major cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. Godrej plans to keep the identity and branding of it’s Godrej Lifespace stores which incidentally is also run by Godrej & Boyce as separate from these stores.

Kerala government might impose curbs

Not very encouraging news this. It seems we barely take a few steps forward in freeing up FDI restrictions in retail, and someone (usually the communists) impose new restrictions. Now it is the turn of the state government of Kerala that is seriously considering imposing limitations on the entry of international and national monopolies of retailers. This announcement was made by the Finance Minister of the state, TM Thomas Isaac.

Quote: on new ideas

The people who oppose your ideas are inevitably those who represent the established order that your ideas will upset.

--Anthony D'Angelo

Source: Quoteland

Lake Annecy France

Ever since my hubby lived in Switzerland as a student he has wanted to go back and live in France or Switzerland, or other areas where he traveled. It's hard to decide where to go since there are so many beautiful places. Take Lake Annecy, for example, which is supposed to be France's most beautiful lake and is an enchanting 12th century town with serene canals, quaint marketplaces and breathtaking scenery in every direction. Annecy is often called the Venice of the Alps and its unique mix of mountains and water provides for a wide range of sporting activities in all seasons.

India will win the Cricket World Cup

Just received a very interesting forward from my mom-in-law on India's chances of winning the Cricket World Cup.

And the answer is, Yes, India Will WIN the World Cup.

And here's how.....

Year 1981
1. Prince Charles got married
2. Liverpool crowned Champions of Europe
3. Australia lost the Ashes
4. Pope Died
2 years later India won the World Cup!!!

Year 2005
1. Prince Charles got married
2. Liverpool crowned Champions of Europe
3. Australia lost the Ashes
4. Pope Died
2 years later will India win the World Cup ?????

Trivia -2

1982 Football World Cup won by Italy
1983 Cricket World Cup won by India

2006 Football World Cup won by Italy
2007 Cricket World Cup: INDIA ???

Working from home

I've been working from home for almost two years and simply love it. I cannot imagine going to work for a 9-5 job, just the thought gives me claustrophobia. I took 72 days off for personal travel last year since I work flexitimes and on a project basis, and there's no way any regular company would be OK with that. There's a great article on working at home, making adjustments, getting organized etc in Forbes, with tips and tools on dealing with the ups and downs of working at home. I definitely took some time to organize myself into being productive (and yes, there's plenty of room for improvement as yet) and now that I have got into the groove, my work has become satisfying and really a lot of fun. The ironic part is that I work much, much longer hours now since I enjoy what I do, which is where I need to disciple myself.

I now have a contact form

As part of The Blogged Out Project, I took Darren's advice on the importance of contact forms and added a contact form on my site. When I first started this blog, it was essentially a personal blog and I wanted to keep my identity and personal details confidential, but in the past year and a half, this blog has become more of a retail, news and media blog and barely anything of my personal life, so it was about time I got a contact form. I signed up at myContactForm and set it up in half an hour. So, if you need to contact me, that's where you need to go!

EDIT: 24th March: I switched to Response-O-Matic for a contact form, since the old one didn't give me to remove the 'subject' field. This one took me barely five minutes to get it set up and better still, it does not have a limit on entries per month, like myContactForm did.

Contact Me

Use this form to contact me for anything and everything. For comments on specific posts I would prefer you to comment on them directly. Please do not bother leaving spammy invites to Orkut and other such sites. I will not reply to these and you'll just be wasting you time.

There's a large gap below....scroll down further to fill in the form.

Name:
Email Address:
Website:
Your comments:

mailform

Raise the standard of your blog

I think all bloggers have a blog improvement agenda. I certainly do and I am always on the lookout for new ideas, tips and tricks to improve my blog on all fronts; content, look, quality of writing, focus etc. I've been following Darren's Blogged Out Profect which he started to give share with readers the techniques he has used to promote his blog. Once a week, Darren will share his traffic stats and the income generated during the project with his readers. The point is that all of us readers should also try out these techniques to see how it works or not for them. The Blogged Out Project will continue for three months and Darren will donate 40% of his gross income generated during this time to a charity that his readers will vote for.

Future Group and Planet Retail likely to separate

The future looks bleak for the joint venture between the Future Group and Planet Retail Holdings. It is likely that Future Group will offload its 49% stake in Planet Retail Holdings and exit the joint venture completely. While neither company wanted to comment on the situation, sources close to the matter felt that neither company was being able to take full advantage of the joint venture.

At the time of the joint venture, Future Group was looking to tie up with an international partner so that it could bring in some International brands while Future would take care of the real estate and administrative issues. The Future Group is well established now and in bringing in brands such as Lee Cooper, Alpha Airports, Etam of France, and is in the process of launching Starbucks. Planet Retail has so far been focusing mostly on European brands and has brought in Marks and Spencer, Guess, Next, Body Shop, Speedo, Converse, Debenham, Callaway etc and has built up its own network of real estate, thus relying less on Future.

Contractors network

I have written earlier about how some products and services do very well when offered via a network. This is another great example of niche services being offered on a network format. OnCallContractors is a network that matches consumers to the right Home Improvement Contractors based on a consumer's requirements and a contractors experience. While the concept is very simple has been replicated across the Internet, this is a segment where it works very well. Niche segments such as construction often end up getting lost but by creating a network, contractors who belong to this network will get offers and consumers will find it easy to find them. OnCallContractors selects only the best contractors to be part of their network, putting them through a rigorous review and application process. Their contractors are also fully insured and licenced.

Café Coffee Day's expansion plans

Amalgamated Bean Coffee’s café chain Café Coffee Day announced its expansion plans for the domestic and international front. According to Café Coffee Day’s director Naresh Malhotra, the company will use a variety of formats and locations to expand on the domestic front including cafés on the highways, malls, college campuses and in gardens. Cafés will also be targeting vegetarian customers and be on offer on airlines such as Air Deccan and GoAir.

at present there are 400 Café Coffee Day outlets in India and the company plans to expand this figure to 650 by March 2008. It also has 535 Coffee Day Xpress kiosks which will be increased to 800. It has 3,700 coffee vending machines which will be increased to 10,700 during the same period. On the international front, the company currently has 2 outlets in Karachi, Pakistan and three in Vienna, Austria with new stores being planned for Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan and also for Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Germany and Austria.

Reaching high-end customers

Some interesting research for advertising and marketing professionals on eMarketer on how high end consumers are not interested in banner and pop-up ads. According to research by JupiterReseach, affluent Internet users spend an average of 17 hours a week online and visit more business and research based sites than other Internet users. The high end consumers are usually specifically looking for information. Marketers need to focus on providing this information by creating search advertising and helping consumers find information instead of banner ads and pop-up ads. Affluent consumers are also more likely to use Instant Messaging and read and write blogs.

Gift basket presents

OK, it's official, I am a gift basket addict. I have been saved on several occasions where I have sent unique gift baskets as presents. I spend a lot of time on the Internet, for work and for personal stuff, and have been able to find some hidden treasures in gift basket sites that are totally unique and different from the run of the mill presents. The Woven Basket is one of these hidden treasures where you can find some superb stuff that has a personal touch to it as compared to a lot of gift baskets that seem to have been put together on an assembly line. I was really impressed with their prices too, especially for the Honey Vanilla Bath Set that was for only $23.67. With the rise of branded goods and chain stores, I often find products at name brand stores just too cookie cutter for my liking and I'd rather buy something unique and interesting from a store that is a one-of-a-kind like The Woven Basket.

Pantaloon Retail exits Gini & Jony

Pantaloon Retail India Ltd (PRIL) has officially pulled out of the operations of Gini & Jony, a children’s wear brand that was one of the first brands that Kishore Biyani, MD of Pantaloon had invested in. According to industry sources, although the financial arrangement with Gini & Jony will carry one it will break off all operational ties.

Pantaloon had invested in the company thinking it would “drive business on its own” but it has not been able to work in a cohesive manner with Pantaloon and had become dependant on it. Reportedly Pantaloon had to even depute top management, including the CFO to take care of it’s functioning.

Linking up

The competition is heating up now with millions of sites jostling for a spot on the first page of search results and directory listings. While most directory listings use popularity, page rank or alphabetical listings, the Big Web Links Directory lists sites according to contribution amount. So if you want your site listed on the first page, just increase your bid amount and your site will appear on the top 10 list on the homepage as well as on the top 20 list on the top of the links page. So instead of contributing your site to directories where you might get buried deep in the lists, sign up at Big Web Links and be seen. Although the site is relatively new, it has been receiving quite a lot of hits since the concept is very different from all others.

Increase your productivity

Switching to working from home is one of the best things I ever did. A lot of people think that if you work from home, it doesn't really count, which is completely untrue. Initially it took me a while to organize everything so that I would not be disturbed at home during working hours, not an easy feat with our doorbell ringing more than 15 times a day on average. Over time I have learnt to organize my staff and others to not disturb me during working hours. The key factors when one works at home is being productive. One almost has to be more productive than workers in a regular office, just to prove that work is being done, deadlines are being met, profit is being made and so on.

Productivity501 has been a great resource of tips and information on working productively and effectively from home. Written by Mark W Shead, a consultant who uses "technology to solve business problems", the Productivity501 blog is chockablock full of tips and tricks to being productive. One of his recent posts discusses ways to convince your boss on working from home, which has lots of details on how to handle broaching the topic and making it a successful transition. While a lot of sites write on similar subjects, what I like about Productivity501 is that Mark goes deeper than the banal and oft repeated suggestions.

In another intuitive post on time management, Mark makes a superb analogy by comparing a disorganized office to a patchwork quilt that manages to hide everything from view but while still being there, just like errant files and business cards. Using time effectively is one of the cornerstones of being able to work from home, but it's not always easy to manage since it's easy to get sidetracked and disoriented. At present, there's a contest going on where you can hope to win an iPod Shuffle for reviewing the site, so if you need an added incentive to visit Productivity501, then this is it.

Why I blog

Why do I blog?

A million dollar question, to say the least.

I started blogging in August 2004 out of curiosity. I told no one about my blog, since I was writing for myself and didn't need an audience. Blogging soon became part of my subconscious, and I was constantly thinking, I could blog about this, I should go there just so I could write about it on my blog and so on. I started carrying my camera with me at all times, so I could take a pic for my blog, struck up conversations with unlikely people just so I could write about them. It was addictive and rejuvenating at the same time.

Elaine on 2k Bloggers asked bloggers to list the top five reasons for blogging and I couldn't resist adding my views. I don't have any goals, other than to write well and to write interesting things. Although having a large number of readers is always great, it isn't my primary intention, since I write what fits me best and not the hot topic of the blogosphere.

My top five reasons for blogging are:

1. To write. Yes, simply to write.
   
2. To share my knowledge and experiences
   
3. To be part of the consumer generated phenomenon and a generation that places more importance on the right to give personal opinions and views than ever before.
   
4. To interact with other bloggers
5. To widen my horizons

Club Mahindra, Varca Beach, Goa

Have you visited Helium lately? I signed up as a member last year and wrote just one article for them at the time. When I went back yesterday to see what was happening there, I found lots of new stuff, contests and tons of ideas for writing articles. Helium is all about writing what you know, reading others articles, rating them and the icing on the cake, earning some money from them. The website has a new look and has become very streamlined on how it works. There are strict guidelines on articles you submit and even stricter penalties if you fail to play by the rules. Here's my article about the resort we stayed at in Goa from our trip last week and some pics of the resort.

Virginia is for everyone

Virginia attracts a large number of international students with its diverse range of universities. One of the universities that is high on the list of most engineering students is Virginia Tech, which is reputed to be one of the best institutions of higher learning in the area. Located in Blacksburg, Virgina, the university is one of the most elegant campuses in the state and is sure to provide inspiration and drive to study further. Getting a post graduate degree from Virginia Tech would be a major addition to any resume.

In general, the state of Virginia is a great place to be, providing a good mix of outdoor adventures at the Shenandoah Mountain Park or along the coast and also has some of the best restaurants and museums. One could say that history is the forte of Virginia, with beautifully preserved areas such as Colonial Williamsburg that promote heritage tourism. The state of Virginia is often called the Mother of Presidents as it had eight Presidents of the United States belong to it, a feat that is sure to inspire lots of politicians in the making.

Virginia is known to have the best of the winter and the summer seasons, being neither too cold nor too hot. Its mild climate ensures that you will be able to spend a lot of time outdoors in nature, and the state of Virginia certainly has some of the most beautiful areas of the US. The state does however get its fair share of tornadoes and hurricanes, generally around two per year. Working in Virgina has been described by Forbes magazine in 2006 as being one of the most conducive ambiance, governmental support and potential for growth are some of the factors that make Virginia an ideal place to work in. The state's tag line is "Virginia is for Lovers", but I think the state of Virginia is for everyone.

Pantaloon Retail makes some major HR changes

Pantaloon Retail made several major HR changes within its organization, and has created five verticals to segregate its internal functioning. The five verticals will be retail, incubation and innovation, products, JV and partnerships and zonal strategy.

In the retail vertical:
Rakesh Biyani as Retail CEO and will take care of Big Bazaar, Food Bazaar, Central Malls and Pantaloon

Rajan Malhotra will be the new Big Bazaar CEO. He was formerly the category head for Big Bazaar

Vishnu Prasad will be the new CEO of Central. He was formerly the South Zone head

Sadashiv Nayak will be the new CEO Food Bazaar. He was the former Western Zone head

Sanjeev Aggarwal will be the CEO of Pantaloon. He was the former president of marketing for Pantaloon

In the incubation and innovation vertical:
Damodar Mall will be the new CEO of the incubations and innovations vertical.

Real estate in Savannah

Ah Savannah! Just the name conjures up so many images, of gentle pursuits, of old world charm, of grand plantations and so much more. If you're looking for a house or real estate in Savannah, then have a look as the newly launched site of Savannah RealEstate Marketplace.com which is a great place to start your search for your dream home. They have a full MLS search of over 4,000 homes that are for sale on the site, which you can also see on Google Maps.

The service that I was most impressed with was Housetracks, where you can enter your personal search criteria for your dream home and properties that match your criteria will be emailed to you, along with changes in their prices. If you're looking for a Savannah Realtor, then this is the place to go to. With the rise of online real estate purchases, Savannah RealEstate Marketplace has put in place a team of real estate agents who are not only familiar with the local areas such as Rincon, Pooler, Richmand Hill, Tybee Island but are also know all about using the Internet to power sales, with their Online Team to stay ahead of everyone else.

Online shoe sales surge ahead

Online shoe retailing was as expected one of the last fashion items to become a popular shopping item, but not so anymore. Online shoe retailing is fast catching up with other online purchases. Gap opened its online shoe stores called Piperlime.com in November 2006 and in January this year, Amazon.com launched Endless.com, its own shoe site. Online shoe sales only added up to US$954 million in 2002 as compared to the total online apparel business of US$4.4 billion, while last year online shoe sales accounted for US$2.9 billion, about one third of the total online apparel business of US $9.6 billion, a pretty significant jump. The future is looking very bright indeed for online shoe retailers, with sales predicted to grow by 22% this year, ahead of the 18% growth rate predicted for online apparel.

"Apparel was the big behemoth," said Catherine Beaudoin, senior vice president and general manager of Piperlime. "It's falling like dominoes. Shoes are probably one of the last bastions because the feeling has been you have to try on shoes to feel comfortable."

Health insurance no matter where you go

The company that our car is insured with has been calling for the past couple of days asking if we were interested in signing up for health insurance with them. They are quite well known for automobile insurance, but have just recently entered the health segment. While we have been thinking quite seriously to sign up, it actually makes more sense to get health insurance with a company who is already a specialist in it and has created a tie ups across the world.

Since we've been traveling and moving every few years, a trend that will be continuing for the next decade or so, we want a company whose coverage will travel with us no matter where we go. GlobalSurance seems just the company to fit the bill for us with its Global Health Insurance. It was founded in Hong Kong and has offices and coverage in Asia, UK, US and the Middle East, which is going to be our next move in a couple of months. Even better, they have free quotations and offer independent advice on the telephone and the Internet. GlobalSurance does not charge its clients and only takes a commission from the insurance companies, so you can be assured that they have your best interests in mind.

Learn how to be a profitable blogger at GatherSuccess

I read a lot (really, a lot) of blog posts everyday and very few make enough of an impression on me to bookmark them or add them to my bloglines feed account. This was one of the few that stood apart from the crowd of blogs and made me want to return to check for updates. Alvin Phang's GatherSuccess blog is a free online resource on Internet Marketing and on how to be a profitable blogger. I have been able to pick up on quite a few tips on improving the marketing of this blog as well as being a better blogger from him, in terms of attracting more readers and improving my income from my blog.

I started my blog in 2004 quite casually and never really bothered about search engine optimization, keywords, page ranks or any such thing, but on reading Alvin's article on how to use Google keywords, I have begun to be more conscious of writing my posts and on using the right link phrases. At present, Alvin is running a contest of sorts where he is asking bloggers to review his blog, in return for a link back from his blog and a chance to win a Digital Video Creator from him. Seems like a winning idea to me!

Head over to Yepic to read about the Best Business Books

I was recently asked to collaborate on an article by newspapergrl (aka Janet) on the best business books on Yepic, an online marketplace to buy and sell articles. My contribution was three of the books that have made an impact on me, Winning at Retail: Developing a Sustained Model for Retail Success by Willard N. Jr Adner & Neil Z Stern, Built to Last by James C. Collins & Jerry I. Porras and Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan. Read the full article on The Best Business Books here on Yepic.

Reading business books has been a recently acquired taste, since I always tilted more towards fiction reading. Lately, some the best books I have read belong to the business or economics categories.

Examples:
The World is Flat--Thomas Friedman
Freakonomics--Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
The Undercover Economist--Tim Harford
The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid--CK Prahalad

Perception and reality

Perceptions and reality are entirely based on where you are located. I read a very interesting example of this in the book I am currently reading, Wild Swans by Jung Chang, a story of three generations of women in China. When the author was growing up in China, during the heydays of Mao, she and everyone else in the country, were fed on stories of how great communism is and how bad capitalism is. Predictable, right? But here is where it gets interesting, people in the tightly controlled China of those days, actually believed that people in the capitalist west fared much worse than themselves. They didn't have any other source of information, expect the government's mouthpiece and so for them that was the truth.

Excerpts from the book, pg 307-308:

(On seeing a feature film based in the west)
I was baffled by the way the Western workers were dressed-in neat suits that were not even patched, a far cry from my idea of what the oppressed masses in a capitalist country ought to be wearing.

As a child, my idea of the West was that it was a miasma of poverty and misery, like that of the homeless "Little Match Girl" in the Hans Christian Andersen story. When I was in the boarding nursery and did not want to finish my food, the teacher would say: "Think of all the starving children in the capitalist world!" In school, when they were trying to make us work harder, the teachers often said: "You are lucky to have a school to go to and books to read. In the capitalist countries children have to work to support their hungry families."

No-poaching pact signed between Bharti and Reliance

After several brutal rounds of poaching, Bharti Enterprises and Reliance Retail have reportedly signed a no-poaching agreement with a one year validity that will ensure that retail professionals do not switch jobs and pass on vital information. Reliance who had hired several of Bharti’s executives from its FieldFresh agri-business venture is supposed to have started the poaching. There is a severe shortage of senior professionals in the retail industry, which is likely to continue for the next 5-7 years.

Kmart keen on coming to India

This is interesting and exciting news, since I used to work for Kmart as a manager in the Kansas City area. I did their three month management training program, which is known to be the most intensive and useful training in the industry. Kmart Corporation is reportedly gearing up to enter India’s organized retail market in the form of cash-and-carry stores. The company is also planning to tie up with an Indian retail partner for franchise-based stores. Executives from Kmart reportedly met officials from the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion to discuss plans for entry to the Indian market.

Insights from senior executives

I was invited to participate inse a survey in an exclusive community of senior executives, since I am a director of our company.The Executive Platform membership is by invitation only and is limited to senior executives. The company is looking for information about companies in an effort to benchmark firms from across the world, in the same industry or of the same size. Each survey that is completed earns a firm certain number of points which can be redeemed against gifts or tools to help in running a business.

I think it's a great idea to get opinions of people who have created or contributed to successful businesses and use the information to help others reach there. Being an international company, Executive Platform has access to a wide audience of decision makers who are eligible to participate and share their knowledge. Online survey's are distributed to members based on relevancy of their business. Rewards earned from these surveys include business gifts from the Executive Gift Centre. Since this was my first survey, I still have a way to go before redeeming any gifts, but I am looking forward to it and on sharing my experience and picking up some new tips.

India and China on top of global retailers agenda

International retailing companies are keen on investing in India and China, more so than in other locations, according to a new retail study done by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu called the 2007 Global Powers of Retailing. According to the report, “Slow growth in many mature markets and not-to-be-missed opportunities in emerging markets - particularly China, India and Russia - are powerful driving forces.”

According to the study, even though the global retail market has more risks, the robust economic growth in countries such as India, China and Russia is attractive enough for retailers to make investments there. Market-oriented governments has also made these markets more attractive, which has led to significant increases in spending power of consumers.

Gifting right

OK, so your cousin studying in California has a birthday coming up and you want to send her a present, but how do you send something in the mail without it getting lost or stolen? Here is the perfect solution: Send an online gift basket. I was stuck in these situations quite often, since we have cousins and friends living all across the world, and this turned out to be the best and most popular solution. Gourmet Gift Baskets has sure made life a lot simpler with its exciting range of products that can be sent from just about anywhere. Now there are lots of gift basket companies out there, but none with gift baskets such as these. One of the most popular gift baskets are the Italian Gift Baskets which have a lot of variety and options on selections. There is also a Same Day gift basket that is for last minute and urgent deliveries.

Tesco to try out a new format for its US stores

Tesco is planning to change the way its stores will look and operate in the US. The UK retailer will be opening stores later this year and industry observers say that the company is likley to get the right mix. According to Toronto based consultant at McMillan/Doolittle Ted Zittell, "Tesco has been doing an excellent job of throwing a bit of confusion into what people expect."

It's stores in the US will be called Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets and will be located in cities such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix and San Diego. Tesco will be investing $484 million this year for its expansion to the US. Tesco's US stores will be a much need breath of fresh air in the cookie cutter chain stores of the US.

Industry experts have speculated the stores will closely model Tesco's popular Express stores and woo time-pressed shoppers looking for good food and a quick meal. Unlike U.S. convenience stores, Express emphasizes fresh foods and prepared meals. Industry observers expect the stores will be anywhere from 15,000 to 30,000 square feet.

The return of Layaway?

When Wal-Mart closed its Layaway department, customers were hit hard especially in the run up to the holiday season. Kmart was one of the few retailers who understood the problem faced by consumers and retained its Layaway department. Now there is a new service called eLayaway where consumers can create a schedule of payments and pay online. The eLayaway service is also on offer with several small merchants such as shopperschoice.com, BSP Rewards, BBQGuys, DCS Ranges, Electric Grill Depot and even some plastic surgeons and laser eye operation outfits.

Consumers select eLayaway as their choice of payment when they check out online and pay a 1.9% fee for service, and create a no-interest payment schedule that they will be able to adhere to. Once the full payment is completed, the product is shipped to the customer. This new service is likely to bring back Layaway into favor with retailers again.

The company claims a number of benefits for the retailers in its program, as well. According to the company's website, almost half of all Americans spend more than they earn each year and eLayaway gives them the opportunity to attract shoppers that are overextended financially with high credit card debt, etc. This feature alone, eLayaway claims, gives merchants access to new groups of consumers who would never consider making a purchase for many items and services, especially those with high ticket prices.

Reliance interested in acquiring stake in Carrefour?

According to news sources, RIL is reportedly interested in taking its retail venture to the international scale and is wanting to acquire stake in French retailer Carrefour. RIL has earmarked $14 billion to create an international business leveraging on its farm-to-fork supply chain project and wants to create a world class retail venture on a global scale. Other companies that Reliance has been talking to are Sainsbury and Marks & Spencer in the UK and Kmart and Target in the US. The Haley family who has 13% stake in Carrefour, have reportedly asked two banks to find buyers for its share of the company. The French public owns 84% of the company and employees own 2.2% of the remaining shares of Carrefour.

Buying art online

So what do you do when you have to buy someone an interesting but unique present? Here's an option that will ensure that your gift will stand out, creative art and jewelry from the Artisans Market. With a wide range of products, the Artisans Market is a great place to find a one of a kind artwork for that housewarming gift or a special coming of age bracelet. Artisans Market has been selling art online and although it is not the easiest thing to buy on the Internet, their quality of products is extremely high and will not leave you disappointed.

I have been collecting art for over 10 years now and built up a good collection from when I worked at an art gallery, and looking at some of the paintings at Artisans Market made me want to renew it again with a vigor. Some of the works I really was impressed with were by an artist called Les Lull, who mostly paints subjects of the southwest.

My favorite of his works is an acrylic on board, a study of a tree against the night sky. I have seen a lot of art and studied art history in college, so when I saw this painting, I knew what Les does is something special and extraordinary. He has been able to make it different, from its viewed angle, its colors and depth. He is definitely an artist that I would want to own a painting from.

Blogspot has English to Hindi translation for blogs

There's a new button for translating words to Hindi on Blogspot. I don't think I'll be using it much but it definitely is an interesting addition, since the majority of blogs in India are on blogspot. Of my five blogs, I have two on blogspot, one on wordpress (free hosting), one on blogsome and one paid hosting blog using WP scripts.

With this new translation, all you have to do is to press a button before you start typing and it automatically converts the English script to Hindi. So if I wanted to say, "close the door" in Hindi, all I would have to do is to type the Hindi words in an English script, such as दरवाजा बंद करो, and voila it comes out written in Hindi. Impressive and fun! Maybe I will use it more than I think!

Are you one of the 100 most prolific bloggers?

I started off as a weekly blogger, posting 2-3 times a week when I started this blog in August 2004. Since then, not only have I added 4 more blogs, I now usually write 6-8 posts each a day on my two main blogs and a 1-2 between my other three blogs. That's quite a jump, right? Well, that's exactly what blogging is about. This magnetic pull to write and instantly publish, to share your thoughts with the world and have your say no matter who is listening or reading or not.

Today, I came across this list of the 100 most prolific bloggers, and I thought, well I would love to be on it, but surely I wouldn't qualify. I actually did and became the 75th blogger to be included in this list with my 1150 (including this one) posts on this blog. This is what is so great about blogging, being able to connect with new and unknown bloggers. Actually, I already know one blogger on the list and have heard of several of the others. Check out the latest version of the list here on The Top 100 Prolific Bloggers. Not only is it a great way to read blogs of people who have been blogging for a long time, its also a great way to be inspired by them.

Varca Beach, Goa

Back from a really great vacation to Goa. We stayed at Club Mahindra in Varca which was a really incredible place, with beautiful and interesting landscaping, lots of swimming pools and other water features and best of all, a minute away from the beach. Here are a few pics of the beach.

Social networks going niche

Social networking is becoming niche now. While networks like MySpace and Friendster have hundreds of thousands of users, newer networks like Vox and itLinks are focusing on specific segments of consumers, giving options of stricter privacy controls to creators of blogs and personal pages. Vox launched in end of October 2006 and has already tripled in size, while itLinks which has 13 targeted networking sites, has already had more than 500 health professionals visiting its NurseLinkup.com site.

There are several reasons for the more targeted approach to social networking. One is the sheer popularity of sites such as MySpace and Friendster. As those sites have expanded and become among the Internet's most trafficked, some users and potential users have grown wary about exposing themselves to so many people. Some users would rather connect with people with whom they share common interests, such as hobbies or professional associations, other than knowing somebody who knows somebody who is listed as a MySpace friend.

Interesting in selling your home?

The real estate business is one of the most interesting segments, I've always felt. It offers something different all the time, in terms of people and products and one has to rely on creativity and individuality along with your persuasive skills of course. The number of real estate sites has been increasing rapidly and it seems like every agent has their own site. So, how do you find the right place to buy the home of your dreams from the flood of real estate agencies and sites? Trust in only the best, that is trust in Obares.com, which has is in the business to provide the best resources to both buyers and sellers.

Obares will take you through the complete process of buying or selling your home, so you don't have to worry about the details yourself. They will also give you a ffee FSBO listing to help you sell your old home. Besides being experts in buying and selling homes, Obares agents are also adept at providing information on mortgage loans, community information such as local schools, libraries and churches, all important factors in the decision making process. And, yes all this information is provided for free by Obares, so have a look at some homes for sale by owner at Obares.

By connecting property buyers and sellers on the Internet, by letting FSBO and real estate agents list sites for free in their database, and has become the premier property listing service in the US. The wider exposure at Obares ensures that houses sell faster and for better prices. Once you have the information, then it all seems so easy right? Well, that's how Obares is simply the best place to buy or sell a home, since they have the widest audience and the most resources to ensure that a property sells well.

Gitanjali Gems expanding to lifestyle segment

The Gitanjali Group, one of the country's leading diamond and jewelry manufacturer and retailer, said that it will be entering the lifestyle segment. The company will be setting up malls that focus on the luxury aspect. The company’s fpremier brand Gitanjali Gems, is one of the leading retailers of DTC diamonds and has several brands including Nakshatra, Asmi, Gili, D’Damas, Collection g, Gold Expression and Vivaha Gold in its kitty.

Internet marketing tactics

Starting a blog is the simplest thing in the world, but reaching a qualitative audience is a completely different thing all together. Therein comes the world of Search Engine Optimization and other Internet marketing tactics that can boost a site to being noticed by some important people and organizations. It's no easy task, but it can be done. And yes, it's a never ending task, unless you plan to topple Yahoo and Google and take over their position.

I do research on improving my personal site's publicity, but take that on a business level, is what SEO consultants like Shimon Sandler do. Using their knowledge of how search engines work, a SEO Consultant can improve the market value of a company based solely on hits and referrals from the company website. Shimon Sandler develops a strategy for a winning SEO campaign based on his clients business and marketing goals. These are the essence of what the company is trying to achieve and work as the starting point for developing a successful SEO campaign. Having developed online marketing solutions for major companies using SEO, Paid Search, email marketing, affiliate marketing and Web and banner designs, Shimon Sandler is one of the premier SEO consultants there is today.

Goa tomorrow

Tomorrow we go to Goa for our long anticipated vacation. It's going to be wonderful to completely switch off from work and everything else, to disconnect from daily life and live the Goan beach bum life for a while. We've been to Goa several times before, so don't need to do any of the tourist routines and can concentrate just on planning what to eat, where to eat and finding a shady spot to laze on the beach. Ah, Goa, there's nothing quite like it to get a dose of the Goa life!

A diamond is forever

Buying diamonds is not something one takes lightly. A diamond is forever, they say and so are the memories associated with it, as when you buy a diamond, you're actually buying a lot more than just a piece of jewelry. A diamond comes with many expectations, dreams and hopes for the future and it's essential to be sure of where one is buying a diamond. A great new source to buy Diamonds Online is BrilliantDiamonds.com, where all stones have been selected by an expert gemologist, so you can be confident that all diamonds will be of the highest quality. If you're still searching for the right type of diamond and have not decided what type you'd like, the resource section of BrilliantDiamonds.com has some good information on buying diamonds. No matter what the occasion, BrilliantDiamonds.com has a huge selection of quality diamonds at great prices.

Customizing sites to your preferences

Another great user friendly idea created by technology. The concept that customers can personalize websites they frequent so they can take up from where they left off is picking up again. DueMaternity.com, a San Francisco based store is testing the system out as yet, gathering data, page registrations, asking online customers to register with their details that can be tailored to offer them specific offers etc at present. Using this tool, customers will be able to return to a page with their preferences and shopping cart items, so they don't have to start their search again.

“At the end of the day, it’s very rudimentary,” says Lauren Freedman, president of the research and consulting firm. “E-commerce is all about prioritization. E-retailers have a lot to do and site personalization has not risen to the top,” she says.

Search and win

So, who doesn't love free stuff? And playing online games? No one right? Ok, then check out this site where you can search the Internet, play some online games for free, and win some pretty great prizes. The site in question is Winzy and if you want to win some stuff, you'd better get over there and start playing some games and do some searches, because all you have to do is Search and Win. Yes, its as simple as that. Prizes range from iPod Shuffles, iPod Nanos, Xboxes, Amazon gift certificates, iTunes gift certificates and even cold hard cash. There's a special game called "Deal or No Deal" going on at Winzy that you must see. So go ahead and surf a bit and make some money.

Spencers' looking for international partner for consumer electronics

Spencers’ Retail, part of the RPG Group, is reportedly searching for international retail partners that it can form alliance with in the luxury retail and consumer electronics sectors. According to a source in the company, RPG is keen on being part of the rapidly growing consumer electronics and luxury retail markets.

“Consumer electronics is a rapidly growing market and our presence in this category is almost negligible. We are talking to global retailers for licensing their brands in India,” a source close to the development said.

“With global players keen on entering the nascent Indian market, RPG’s strategy is to not appear too eager. But yes, talks are on for consumer electronics as well as luxury brands,” another source added.

Reliance Retail to focus on large format stores

M. Balachandran, Chief Mentor for Reliance Retail, emphasized that Reliance Retail would put local fruit and vegetable vendors out of business, stating that their Reliance Fresh stores only have a turnover of Rs 120,000 per day, while the total retail market for fruits and vegetables for Chennai was estimated to be Rs 18 crore a day. He also emphasized that the Reliance Fresh stores are only a test project to understand the market and the main focus of the company will be large format stores.

Honoring the law

I get a lot of traffic on my site from the New York City, so this is for all readers in that area. A lot has been written about law firms, good, bad and ugly, they seem to have become the target of a lot of books and movies but I still consider the law to be an honorable profession. While some firms do all sorts of semi-legal stuff themselves, firms such as Simmons, Jannace & Stagg stand out from the crowd for their high level of legal ability and ethical standards.

The law firm of simmons, jannace & stagg LLP practices in the tri-state area of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey and is one of the highest rated firms as per a peer rating by Martindale-Hubbell. The firm is relatively young and started out only 10 years back doing commercial and general liability litigation, and have now added areas such as labor and employment, abitrations and litigation, securities law, banking and consumer litigation, bankruptcy and creditors insights and much more. With some of the world's best known names on their client list, including Home Depot USA, Best Buy, Bank of America, JP Morgan, Kmart and Coca Cola, the firm is a veritable who's who as their clients. The firm is known for its "outside the box" thinking, which has brought it lots of recognition.

Retailers to challenge service tax

Some of the leading retail firms of the country are planning to challenge the government’s recent decision to charge service tax on rentals. According to the new Union Budget that was released last week, a service tax of 12% has been imposed on all commercial rentals. There has also been an increase on the cess on education and services from 2% to 3%, adding up to a total of 12.4%. Service tax on rentals is technically meant to be paid by owners of the properties, although many lease agreements have clauses that state that service tax will be paid by the lessee.

On internet connections

My main Internet line Tata Indicom, has been down for the past three days, so I've been using our other connection on MTNL, which has turned out to be quite a boon. It is essential to have a second connection since any little problem can take quite long to fix. This time, it is apparently a re-cabling problem, although they have taken 3 days just to figure that out for them. I do hope it fixed soon so my work can get back to normal.

Thinking of lasik

I've been wearing lenses for 10 years and usually have a hard time finding the solution that suits my lenses, to the extent that I still order mine from my hometown Chandigarh, even when I was living in Bangalore and now Bombay. The kind of problems that there have been with contact lens solution, like the Bausch & Lomb ReNu Contact Lens Solution Recall, seem to be increasing. I am now seriously considering getting lasik surgery done, to finish off with the entire contact lens thing altogether. The problems and uncertainty with solutions are just propelling me towards getting Lasik surgery done.

Google Desktop released

Have you seen the newly released Google Desktop application? It's just been released and it's a great way to use the information on your desktop via some really cool gadgets and sidebar tools which now blend in better with the desktop. So now, you can search for files straight from the desktop and see the results in a preview window. Security has also been improved in this new release, so its definitely worth installing. Read up on this and more on the one and only source for such information: The Official Google Blog.

Encouraging a sense of community

Social networking sites have never been more popular but now sites offering localized social content are also becoming very popular. These are sites that focus on a specific area or community and raise a sense of belonging between users. My friend Kim who lives in Phoenix told me about a site like this that had all the information one needed to know what was happening or going to happen in the city, in regards to events, restaurants, clubs, movies, music performances, arts and even dating. It's social networking at a different level, getting people to be more socially active in a sense.

I personally think its a great idea as younger and working people can probably relate to a website giving this information much more than a newspaper, which people of a generation earlier will prefer. Azcentral.com is the top-ranked newspaper-affiliated site for the Phoenix DMA and has recently expanded its calender desk and freelance budget so that it could increase coverage of Phoenix events and entertainment in the Phoenix area. Azcentral.com now has 6 full time staffers to cover all the major events that are taking place and have a updated event search engine.

Biyani increases stake in Pantaloon

There's always some interesting news or the other about Pantaloon, since the company still is the country's largest retail firm, at least until Reliance or Bharti-Wal-Mart cross it. The latest news is that the founder and owner of Pantaloon Industries has consolidated his share in the company to 6%, after acquiring 360,000 equity shares of Pantaloon Industries.

Bharti-Wal-Mart stores to have 3 brands

Some interesting news on the much discussed name issue. Bharti and Wal-Mart will be using three different brands for their different store formats. The cash-and-carry wholesale format is likely to carry both companies names, while the retail and franchise stores will have different names and identities. Bharti has still not finalized the details and will announce the names only once complete.

Delta Hotels

When in Canada, be unique Canadian, is what they say. So why not try out a uniquely Canadian chain of hotels to stay in on your next trip. Delta Hotels is one of the major hotel chains of Canada and has over 40 locations. The chain has a wide variety of hotels in locations such as ski resorts, bed and breakfasts, golf resorts and urban areas. It's hotel in Toronto, the Delta Chelsea is located in downtown and is a great option for both families and business persons. It's located near all the major tourist attractions such as the Sky Dome and CN Tower. Have a look at their amazing hotel on their site.

Costco keen to open stores in India as well

The world's fifth largest retailer, Costco Wholesale Corp. is interested in opening stores here and could be entering the market. The Washington based company currently has 504 warehouses from where it sells both national and regional brands at heavily discounted prices. Wal-Mart wholesale brand Sam's Club is its number one competitor. Industry sources report that Kishore Biyani's Pantaloon could be one of the possible companies that Costo could possibly tie up with.

Ecommerce solutions

The two most popular uses of the Internet are email (or other forms of networking) and shopping. Ecommerce is a booming sector and if you are a small retailer, there's never been a better time to get involved in this part of the industry. The crucial factor in setting up an online store is to get is professionally built as consumers are a very savvy lot and will disregard even superior products if the site is not up to the mark.

Marketing and promotion are only of use if you already have an efficient and professional shopping cart system set up. Online security is also extremely high up in the list of consumers requirements and that's something that you simply cannot play around with. Ashop Commerce is a really good place to have you ecommerce software system set up, as it is one of the easiest and intuitive web based systems to use and has received several awards. With Ashop you will be able to create the best kind of system that your store needs. For more information, I'd suggest you try the demo store online at their site.

Making polls

Did you know that you could create polls for your site? I simply love making questionnaire's for my blog and have been using Poll Code, which I think is one of the best such services available. It's all free and all you have to do is to write the question, fill in the options for answers, change the look, color, font of the poll and generate your poll code. Copy and paste it into your blog and you're done. How simple is that?

Reliance Retail expands in Andhra

Reliance Retail announced that it will adding stores with in the state of Andhra Pradesh, with four new stores making the total number of stores in the city 25. There are stores in several tier II cities such as Vijaywada, Vishakapatnam and Guntur last month. With these new stores, Reliance Retail will have a total of 63 outlets in the country, with 35 stores in Andhra Pradesh, 9 in the NCR area, 7 in Jaipur and 12 in Chennai. The company has also been busy creating backward supply chains and had tied up with farmers in various parts of the country for supply of produce.

Gifts for babies

My college friend Kim recently had a baby girl and since I was not able to meet and give her a gift myself, I found some really great items on a site called The Nest Baby Shop, which I had delivered to her in Phoenix. Several of my college friends had got together to arrange a baby shower for her and I had been feeling quite left out, so when I found that I could send her a gift even if I could not go myself, I was thrilled. The Nest Baby Store has everything from blankets to toys to pacifiers, including personalized baby gifts that always give a special touch.

On Baltimore

I visited Baltimore for the first time last year and was simply bowled over by it. There were just so many things that were so "right" about the city, its location, its access to major metros within a few hours, opportunities and renewal everywhere, beautiful old houses and history and lots of vacation spots nearby. It's definitely a place high up on our list of cities we would love to live in.

Carrefour plans to come to India almost final

Carrefour announced that it had been holding talks with several potential partners in its effort to open retail stores in India and is likely to sign a deal in a few months time. One of the most prominent potential partners that the company has met is the Bombay Dyeing Group.

Will Wal-Mart's name be a negative?

The Bharti Group is researching the benefits and negatives of using the Wal-Mart brand name for its retail store chain. Bharti Enterprises and Wal-Mart are currently finalizing a joint venture deal where Bharti will look after the front end of the stores and Wal-Mart will take care of its supply chain and logistics support. With the negative press that the Wal-Mart name attracts, Bharti might opt for a less controversial name. On the other hand, Wal-Mart is synonymous with low prices, which will be a huge crowd puller, especially for first time buyers who will base their subsequent visits on their first impressions.

Weighing and measuring

I love buying stuff for the kitchen and have collected quite a bit of stuff to help me concoct delicacies! One of the things that I really like is having a kitchen scale, since I use a lot of British recipe books that all call for ingredients by weight, as opposed to US recipes that measure ingredients by volume. Now baking has become so much easier, no more second guessing, no more approximating, only great results. One usually wouldn't think of Kitchen scales as good gift items but mine was a gift and it has turned out to be one of the best gifts for utility purposes. It has been so reliable that I'm thinking of ordering a bathroom scale from them too. I believe they have a good selection of those too.

Reliance Retail and Office Depot holding talks

Reliance Retail and Office Depot are reportedly holding talks to launch around 250 standalone stationary stores. If the agreement goes through, the retail chains will open the stores by 2010. Rival firm Future Group has already formed a joint venture between its subsidiary, Future Office and Stapes for a B2B and cash-and-carry operations.

Summertime in March

It looks like summer has come to this part of the country. The past couple of months have been just amazing and I was hoping the heat would hold off till we came back from our Goa trip next week. The daytime temps have suddenly shot up from 30-31C to 37C which is really awfully hot for the beginning of March. Do hope Goa will be slightly cooler when we are there, sea breezes and all.

Sending flowers online

Doesn't just everyone love getting flowers or gift baskets for special occasions? There's a very special day coming up in May and flowers are the best way to make it even more so. Dot Flowers are a great way to send flowers, especially if you cannot deliver them personally. They are sure to make very special mothers day gifts. Dot Flowers delivers flowers either from your local florist or directly from its growers' farms. For more long lasting gifts, there is a wide variety of gift baskets, gourmet food etc. Ordering from them is really quick and simple, with their award winning customer service department.

Bombay to Goa on 99 paise

Bombay to Goa for 99 paise!!

Yes, that's how much we are paying for flying to Goa next week. Simply amazing right? The taxes are of course extra, but the fare is 99 paise. We travel on Spicejet and I got these tickets online. I couldn't believe it when the results came up, I almost refreshed the page thinking it must be an error. Luckily I didn't and here we are with an almost free ticket.

Café Coffee Day likely to become a separate identity

Cafe Coffee Day is the most popular cafe brand currently and with its current growth pace, it looks like it will be ready to compete with global cafe chains, in terms of quantity if not quality. Amalgamated Bean Coffee announced that it was planning to spin off its café division, Café Coffee Day, to become a separate entity altogether. According to reports, the company is being segregated to set it up from becoming a listed company in three years time, by when it is expected to reach more than Rs 800 crore.

Are we running out of silver?

Usually silver gets second billing to gold, in terms of value for investments and branding, while actually silver has been a pretty good investment in recent times. Its value has risen faster than even gold in the past one year. But where does one buy silver, besides buying silver jewelry or decorative items for the house. Monex Deposit Company is one choice, for not only buying silver but having it stored at an independent storage facility. Silver can be purchased in coin or ingot form. The demand for silver is rising and actually even exceeds current production capabilities, which are making the prices increase at a faster rate than expected.

On learning

When does the process of learning ever end? When I was a kid I thought the second I got out off school I will be a free bird no studying no body to tick me off. But I realized that my troubles had just begun. Now I was educated and hence responsible.

Back to AT&T again

My current research project revolves around the telecommunication industry, trends and events that have shaped the nature of technology and especially customer adaptations to new technologies. The US market has always had just a handful of players who control the entire market, with AT&T being at the top. The company has long been the customers top choice for local and long distance telephony, so when it became Cingular, it wasn't a very good idea in customers eyes.

Cingular was a new brand name, a name that not all customers were even familiar with, while AT&T had been around for ages and everyone knew about it. AT&T has always been my first choice of phone, no matter where I lived, since they had really great coverage. In fact, selecting AT&T wasn't even a choice, it simply was the best and that was it. Cingular connected only with a very niche audience and to be a nationally known carrier, it is essential to have a wide reach, which it wasn't able to to and thus the name is being switched back to being AT&T again.

I think its a great move and will result in an increase in sales for the company as well as more brand awareness. The new AT&T's first phone is likely to be the Apple iPhone, even though most people think of it as a Cingular exclusive. It actually might have been better to launch the new AT&T with an entirely new phone or brand to raise the level of excitement for it. The Apple iPhone is pretty amazing though, and might manage to draw in customer anyway. What remains to be seen is the lasting power of this new re-branding of Cingular / AT&T. Hopefully it will last longer than the last one, since any more changes will only end in confusing and eventually driving away customers.

Food Bazaar head resigns; joins AVB Group

More changes in the HR departments. Shiv Murthy, merchandising head of Food Bazaar's food and grocery division has put in his papers and will be joining Aditya Birla Retail as COO of its supermarket venture. The AVB Group had earlier hired Russell Berman to head its hypermarket division, and thus with heads for its supermarket and hypermarket divisions complete, the company can now focus on mid level recruitment and opening stores.

Comparing credit cards

We recently found a couple of charges on our credit cards that we did not make. Interestingly, they were on two different cards in a store we have not gone to for over a year. Since then credit card security has been on the top of our list of features to have in the new credit card that we will be getting. CardFusion.com has just introduced its new and even more secure credit card portal where you can find the right credit card and even take a quick tutorial on credit. The company keeps track of credit card markets and offers only the best credit cards. Consumers can also compare credit cards to find the one that suits you best.

Instant homes: stackable pods

Another really great trend reported on my all time favorite reading material, Springwise.com. This trend comes from Australia from a company called Perrine, which is makes self-contained, stackable housing units or pods that can be used in any configuration and installed within a month once you place an order. It's great for a home office space or music room or what ever else you might like it to be. The structures are made of polished concrete, aluminum and glass, look like ultra modern pods, enhanced by the fact that there are no sharp corners or joins. They come ready with all internal wiring, plumbing and utilities already hooked up.

Architect Jean-mic Perrine's philosophy is that the houses should be nothing more or less than its inhabitants need, and that simple design and beautiful material should be able to stand the test of time: "Living spaces have become as transient and irrelevant as fashion. It's no longer a look for a generation that people strive for, its the look of 'now' and it only lasts for a three to four year period. That approach is not sustainable and people are putting themselves and the environment under a lot of unnecessary pressure trying to keep up."

Carrefour and HDFC?

Will Carrefour be tying up with HDFC? That's the question everyone seems to be asking. After conducting talks with a long list of major Indian business houses, the French retailer has reportedly found a partner in HDFC Group's private equity arm. No details have been given by either of the companies as yet.

HDFC could float a separate holding company, may be a PE fund, which would, in turn, tie up with a third entity for getting Carrefour’s franchising rights for India, a source said.

Meanwhile, it is understood that Carrefour will completely retain the back-end wholesale operations, as 100% FDI is allowed in cash-and-carry segment. Even though Carrefour cannot invest in the equity of the retailing business, it will get its own people to spearhead the venture.

On Writing

Writing does not come easy to all. It is an art, which requires lots off practice. Even if you have the knowledge of a topic to translate it into words, which will make interesting reading is not that easy. That’s where blogs can be a big help as the feedback you get is the best. It can boost your ego or spur you on to write better.

Orlando homes

Orlando might be famous for its theme parks but it has a lot of history beyond its parks. The city dates back to over 150 years and was part of the country that benefited due to the construction of the railroad in 1880, due to which it's citrus industry received a significant boost. Citrus was its first claim to fame and it soon became a center for business and commerce. The real estate boom in Florida started in the mid 1920s and changed the look of the town completely. Today, tourism is the state's largest industry, receiving more than 43.3 million visitors each year (and mind you this statistic is from the year 2000, so the numbers are sure to have increased by now). Orlando is the number one destination in the world, in terms of number of visitors.

Besides tourism there is also a retirement rush to the state, both industries that put pressure on real estate, which is of course one of the major economies of the state. Orlando is one of the fastest growing cities in Florida and the US. Central Florida is a great place for families, whether you are visiting or for living. The variety of options for housing is simply great, since you can have a totally urban area or live in the suburbs with plenty of green space. The best way to find a house is to use a Orlando Realtor who can guide you and help you through the process of purchasing a property. Be part of this incredibly fast growing economy in Orlando.

Mobile marketing: just hype?

So, is mobile marketing worth the hype that it's made out to be? According to reports, it's not really worth all the hype. Research firm IDC brought out a report where it states, that mobile marketing "actually underestimates the full potential of the market opportunity." There still is a lot of potential of growth in this format although the hype is generally still focused on additional ways to connect to other people.

According to Scott Ellison, IDC vice president,

"We think the real potential of mobile advertising is the ability to create a very new type of advertising experience," he continued, "one that is, in some cases, on-demand, that delivers information to you when it is directly relevant, and one increasingly based on your individual needs, interests, aspirations and behavior."

Yamaha keyboards

I took up piano classes in college for the first time, although we had the option of taking piano in school, I somehow never did. Unfortunately, it seemed that my left hand just did not want to follow along with the right. The piano's we used were pretty outdated and I think a lot depends on what kind of equipment you use. Musical equipment has really come into the forefront with specialization of technologies. Yamaha Keyboards for example are the best in the business and have built a name for themselves with its superior tonal qualities and its progressive hammer key action responses. The Piano Keyboard Review site is a great place to find all the information you need on Yamaha and other piano equipment.

Bloglines feed reader

How many blogs do you read in a day? I subscribed to Bloglines almost 2 years back and have kept all my feeds there. It really is the best feed reader there is. My feeds vary from 40-70 most times, since I keep adding new sites and deleting stuff I don't enjoy reading almost on a daily basis. Also not everyone updates on a daily basis, so usually I have 35 or so feeds to read or at least mark as read, if I'd rather not read them. I started out with a lot of personal blogs on my list and now I have only two or three left, most of my feeds now are business and opinion based, which I find a lot more interesting.

Tracking sales and inventory

Why is it that small retailers often overlook the importance of having a good point of sale and inventory management system? Most small scale operations that are owner operated feel the need to save on costs and don't bother investing in a point of sale software system that will track sales and inventory. Any good business manager will tell you that it's just not long term thinking, to be a successful retailer, you have to invest towards the future. The only reason you forgo installing such as system is if you never want to grow.

The MerchantOS software is a web based point of sale and inventory management system that is perfect for small retailers. The system organizes your sales and inventory and is guaranteed to save you time and money. Since the system is web based, all you need is a computer and an Internet connection. All technical details are taken care of by MerchantOS, so you don't need to worry about backing up data, updating software etc. Best of all it can be accessed from any location, even your home, since it is web based.

Networking in frequent flyer clubs

Here's a new social network that you might already be a part of: frequent flyer programs. Springwise.com reports that KLM is taking this to the next level by creating a customer-centric online community where you can connect with people while doing business in China and Africa. The airline has created a club for KLM Club China and KLM Club Africa which is an invite only club to promote business. Clients can use the clubs as a way of making like minded contacts. There are perks such as access to business and information services such as dedicated phone services, translations services, legal work, hotels, conference locations etc.

The natural way

Any debate that has anything to do with weight loss, automatically becomes headlines it seems. This one might have some standing though. We've all heard about the wondrous Hoodia, as the best way to lose weight, right? Well, there's been lots of comparisons between Hoodia and Alli, but there are several reasons why Hoodia might be the better option at losing weight. For one, since it is a natural product, Hoodia doesn't have any known side effects. Hoodia is also the only diet pill that has been featured on some of the most prominent shows on TV, such as MSNBC, Oprah, 60 Minutes etc. It seems that Alli loses out to Hoodia on all fronts. I personally don't know of anyone who has used either of these weight loss options, so am not recommending one or the other, just stating my opinion and what I have read.

Not my usual Monday

Well, today has been a helluva day for writing posts, probably the most I've ever written in a day. It couldn't have had better timings, since Monday's are really slow days anyways and I had lots of free time. Since I work most Sundays, its usually nice to have a laid back Monday, but although today has been hectic, it has been worthwhile.

AXN back on air

AXN is finally back on air from March 1st after being banned/blocked by the government for over a month. It's pretty crazy that the government doesn't have enough things to do that they feel they have to censor TV shows too. What will they ban next? Blogspot and wordpress was banned last summer. It's sometimes hard to believe we live in a democracy.

Damas Jewelry expanding

Damas Jewelry a UAE company that has more than 285 stores in 16 countries, said it would be focusing on India in an aggressive manner and would open 100 stores by the end of next year. The company will open 21 of these stores by the end of this financial year. The total cost of the expansion will cost Rs. 1 billion. Damas currently has 10 stores in India.

On renting cars

We usually rent a car when we go on vacations since we like to be able to travel on our own. Before our trip to the east coast last summer, I did quite a bit of research to find the best deal for a car rental from Washington DC for 21 days. Since it was peak summer season, besides being the week before the Fourth of July, we paid quite a high price. Well, at that time I thought it was a decent price, but I realized just how high it was when I heard about the deals one could get through Ebates. If I had done the booking via Ebates, I could have saved close to $400 I found. All you need to shop at Ebates is an email id, and you're set to access over 800 stores where you can get great deals. Once you decide what you want to buy, you have to come back to the Ebates site to get the discounts. It's that simple. Ebates earns commission from its partners and consumers get part of the savings as discounts.

The rise of brands

The rise of sports related retail companies has been phenomenal. Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Puma are all known 'brand names' with kids around the world, even in segments of consumers who cannot afford to by these products. How? Due to rampant copying of these brands by homegrown local companies, who will probably change the spelling of a brand, but keep its look and logo to confuse people. Many consumers know the product is a fake, but don't care since it's the closest they might get to having a 'branded' product.

Kirana stores know the value of brands too

Kirana store owners are a savvy lot. They really understand their consumers, since most are locals and have established long ties with them. Kirana stores know the power of branding and brand names and are likely to club together to form a single brand of stores with unified packaging, look and logo. It's a good way to compete against the larger retail stores and has been successfully implemented in South Africa.

Do you drive a Mercedes?

A car that everyone aspires to is the Mercedes. It's not just a car, its what it represents. It's a brand and by associating with it, your worth rises too. But what happens when your Mercedes springs a leak? Highly unexpected, but it does happen, especially in radiators, where its hard to pinpoint them. A radiator is supposed to dissipate heat, so if your car springs a leak there, it will end up overheating and maybe even blowing a gasket. If you get stuck with a radiator leak, it's best to get a replacement at Radiator.com, which has only the best new and used Mercedes Radiator replacement parts at very economical prices. Radiator.com stocks parts at its warehouses across the nation, so it'll never take too long to get to you. The company also offers lifetime replacement warranty on wear and tear. Invest in the best and you'll not have any problems later on.

How we decide to buy

The retail scenario is certainly very exciting these days. Almost everyday there is some news or the other about an international brand showing interest in opening stores here. Consumers here are earning more and want to spend more, plain and simple. Price still remains a crucial factor in determining purchasing a product but value or longevity is also extremely important. The other factor that consumer here are very attuned to is, Branding. This represents where we have reached in the social order of things and thus is very important in the decision making of a purchase.

Home Retail from UK to develop Argos brand for India

UK’s Home Retail Group has signed an agreement to develop the Argos brand in India via a franchising arrangement with Shoppers' Stop and HyperCITY Retail. In a separate deal, the company will be buying stake in Home Store + More, a retailer in Ireland. For its India expansion, the company has tied up with Shoppers’ Stop and HyperCITY Retail India Pvt, to set up a brand called HyperCITY-Argos, for home and housewares. The first store will be opened in Mumbai by the end of the year. Argos is one of the leading Internet retailers in the UK

Plan your vacation to the Caribbean

The Internet is a great place to plan vacations, find great resorts, compare prices and get an idea of where one will really fit in an enjoy a vacation. One of the leaders in this field, Vacations.net has recently relaunched its site and is offering upto 50% discounts on bookings. There is a completely new booking system that you can customize to how you want it to work. The new website has been brought out after the company conducted extensive research on how consumers want to find vacations, so you can book that all inclusive caribbean vacation that you've always wanted to go on. This is the perfect time too, with the World Cup starting in just over a week.

Additions to the site include information on customs, culture, history and activities of an area, all great things to know, especially when you are traveling with your family. The new booking system has the ability to price dynamically, offering dollar and percentage off promotions, save with free nights program and other package deals. There is also lots of information on the amenities and recreational activities of an area, along with room options and preferences.

The Future

How much does one really know about where one is headed? Are making plans for the future really worth it? I find that the more plans I make, the harder it is for them to come to fruition. It's better just to have a general sense of where one is going and let the rest happen as it happens. That way you're better adjusted and not comparing your current scenario to what it should have been according to your plans. That's no way to spend a life.

Vacation time

Last year was a great year for traveling for us, especially me. I was away for 72 days last year, traveling away from home for pleasure. It's definitely the most vacations I have ever taken, the interestingly both my international vacations happened all of a sudden and were not planned on from very much before. I wonder what is a decent amount of vacations in a year? Surely not just the two week allowance? That is really not enough. See, this is why I love working on my own terms, time and speed. It's one of the great perks of freelancing, being able to decide when to work and when to vacation.

Personalizing cards

Have you seen the new personalized cards that you can print out? MyCardMaker.com has brought out a unique way to personalize cards. You can upload your own photos, email them and print them at home and even order professionally printed cards if you like. So, you no longer have to rely on someone else's pictures and words, create your own card that cannot be found anywhere else. You can make your own cards printable birthday greeting cardsfrom your photographs or from art cards that are available on the site. The process is very easy and simple, the entire process taking only a few minutes.

MyCardMaker has cards for all occasions, birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, graduations and even party invitations. There are several options for membership, including a daily membership for $3.99 where you can make as many cards as you like in a 24 hr period, or an annual member ship for $19.99 where you can use the service to send as many cards as you like for an entire year. The savings as compared to real cards is significant, as an average card in a store cost $4-5. If you're one to forget special days, you can use the reminder service so you don't miss special occasions. What I really like about MyCardMaker.com is that you can send large quantities out for professional printing, which will also be delivered to you door.

Recent reading

Read any good books lately? Unfortunately, I have been reading the same book for two months now. The book is called The Art of the Steal and is by Christopher Mason, is very interesting but I just haven't any time away from the computer to do any reading. When I used to work outside the home, my 2 hour daily commute was my reading time. But now that I work from home, I end up working extra and have no time for reading at all. Think I need to reconfigure my schedule a bit.

Retail boom increases werehouse prices

The country's retail boom is not just pushing up prices of luxury malls and high street retail spaces, but also for warehouses, which are now being seen as a lucrative business opportunity, since all international retail firms that are planning to come to India are interested in doing both retail as well as wholesale trade. Several realty firms such as DLF, Unitech, Ansals, TDI, Omaxe etc have already started talking to retail chains for this purpose.

Freelancing with Elance

The last couple of years could be described as the rise of the freelancers. It's amazing how much work can be done from someone across the world, working from home. One of the largest online marketplaces for services is Elance, which specializes in programming, design, websites, writing and business consulting. The company is then years old has the maximum number of freelancers, me included. I joined Elance just last year and have yet to take a project, but have heard nothing but good stuff from my colleague who told me about them.

Elance uses a reverse bidding system where thousands of freelance professionals are perfectly matched with companies and categories. At Elance, there are additional options like private messaging and package offerings to enhance the experience of finding the right company or person. There are a variety or opportunities available in web designing, graphic designing, business plan writing, legal representation, data entry and much more. Elance is a great way for a small business to use its limited budget to get large amounts of work done in a professional manner.

Blog productivity

I've been wondering how many blog posts other bloggers write in a day. I usually write 6-8 everyday, with some exceptions of course. I often don't post on Sundays, although it sometimes is hard to keep myself away from blogging. What is it that is so addictive about blogging? Is it just the freedom of saying what we want? Or is it something more? What if no one is reading or 'listening' to our voice? Does that matter at all? Or is the point of blogging, just based on our expressing ourselves, regardless if someone is reading?

Puma launches a denim line

German sport shoes and sportswear brand Puma and its Indian division Puma Sports India, has launched a line of jeanswear. The Puma-Evisu line is in collaboration with the Evisu designer denim brand and will offer a denim wear for both men and women. Puma has been expanding its product offerings to include several lifestyle and apparel items such as trousers, cargos and tshirts. Being one of the newer entrants to the Indian market, the company aims to become a desirable sports-lifestyle brand in the Indian market. There are 8 exclusive Puma stores at present, in Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai, and will be setting up stores in Kolkata and other cities in the North-east by the end of 2007.

Working from home

I've been working at home for close to two years and I simply love it. I enjoy being able to decide when to work, can work extra hours on certain days and take other completely off. There's just no better way to work I think. A lot of people think, working at home, means not working at all, which is really very untrue. I end up working a lot more hours sometimes, simply because I am not in a rush to get back home and start the laundry or some such thing. I also work longer hours, simply because I love what I am doing and there's no better reason to work than that, right?

Finding work at home can be hard in the beginning, since you have to have some experience. Sometimes, one might find work but it could be shady or just another scam. One site which is a great resource for people working at home is WhyDoWork.com, where you can find lots of information on finding a good reliable job. There's no fee to join, so have a look at the site and read some articles and tips on working at home.

Brand Factory to increase number of stores

The Future Group announced that it’s discount apparel division, Brand Factory will be opening 6 additional stores in the next 3-4 months. At present, the company has stores in Bangalore and Hyderabad at present and will be opening in Ahmedabad, Pune, Kolkata and a second outlet in Bangalore. The company specializes in selling branded products such as Reebok, Levi’s Pepe, Wrangler, Provogue, Van Heusen, Esprit, Arrow and more at factory discounted rates. The value retail segment is one of the upcoming secotrs and is estimated to be worth between Rs 35,000-40,000 crore.

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ICRIER to study impact of large retailers on mom-and-pop stores

The Prime Minister’s Office has requested that the impact of large retail chains be studied, for which the commerce and industry ministry has appointed ICRIER to make a report on the effect of large retailers on the domestic retail industry. The study will focus on how large domestic retailers and international firms like Wal-Mart and Tesco will affect the market. The study will be conducted in relation to how it affects farmers, employment, dislocation, prices as well as the small-scale industry. Kamal Nath, the commerce and industry minister stressed that this study was for understanding and differentiating the impact of large vs small retailers and not foreign vs domestic retailers.

Personalize your cellphone with a ringtone

One of the great features to personalize a cell phone is to put a ringtone that is uniquely you. There's just no other way that pretty much changes the persona of the phone and gives it somewhat of an attitude or standard so to speak. The variety of cell phone ringtones that are now available in the market are simply amazing, there's everything from classical to electronic to animal to karaoke ringtones to choose from. It can get pretty confusing even, but just remember you can keep changing your ringtone as often as you want, so you can try out lots of different tones.

I would love to have something really unusual for my cell phone, like Beethoven's 9th symphony, for its grandiosity and style. It's got to be one of the more inventive themes for a ringtone, right? MyRingTonesHub is a great source for all things related to ringtones, from the newest ringtone to the most popular tones, they have it all. You can also find free ringtones from thousands of artists for you phone on the site, and you can even download them directly to your phone. So have you decided which ringtone you are going to get? You're sure to find something great and different here.

Do parents make better managers?

New research shows that parents make better managers, especially those parents who are focused on creating a good family lifestyle. This new research comes from Clark University and the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, N.C., who interviewed about 350 managers and executives from large sized public corporations. The research team also spoke to respondents colleagues, subordinates and seniors about how they perform at work. It was found that respondents who were committed to family life had received better reviews as they are better at handling stress, negotiating and multitasking.

BBC and YouTube tie up

YouTube and BBC have signed an agreement to add three BBC centric channels to the user generated site. With this deal, YouTube users will be able to see video clips and news from BBC's stock of TV series and documentaries. Both companies stated that the deal is likely to "build over time". YouTube viewers will be able to see video dairies from some of the most popular series such as "Doctor Who" and "Life on Mars".

Unique license plates

Since I got my first car in college, I had a KSU license plate on my car. I simply loved displaying my college mascot and letters and felt incredibly proud to do so. Driving in the US is always quite interesting just for the inventive license plates that people get, some unique and some totally wacky. I still have my old college license plate stashed away somewhere, but today I found an even more unique idea on the web, Vanity License Plates that have images from artists from across the world. These images vary from animals such as dolphins, horses, deer etc to flags and golf. I couldn't resist and looked up the golf license plates, since I used to play quite regularly at one time. I think having such a license plate would inspire me to get serious about golf again, especially this "Bridges of Augusta" license plate.

Shutdown Day: Can you turn off your computer for a day?

Can you do without your computer for a day?

March 24th is Shutdown Day, a test of our times, a day to see how we can manage without computers. Have we come to depend on them so much that we can not even think of not working on them for a day? The computer has brought about the concept of 'being connected' no matter where one is (along with phones now). The project was thought of by Denis Bystrov who thought of the idea and Michael Taylor who is running this social experiment with him.

All you have to do is to go to the Shutdown Day site and vote yes or no, on whether you can do without your computer for a day. I personally think it's a great idea and will definitely be participating. I know its going to be pretty hard to stay away from checking mail and assignments, but it's a great way to explore life without being stuck to a computer. It's just a day after all.....any longer than that gives me shivers!

Creative arts at the Artisans Market

Being an avid collecter of art and craft items, I was very happy to see the Artisans Market site, which was inspired by beading artist Virginia Curry in her efforts to help discover talented artists. Artisans Market comprises of a group of artists and supporters who are dedicated to the cause of promoting their craft by getting consumers to their site. Artists can display or sell their products on the site and make money from home. So, if you are an artist looking for a place to be noticed, why not sell your art online at The Artisans Market? It's also a great place to find gifts for your creative and artistic friends. The list of products is wide and varied from art, jewelry, baskets, ceramics, clothing and products for the home.

Goa and Portugal tie up to develop 'home-stay' concept

I'd written earlier today about finding a unique and personalized vacation rental in Goa, something that is not cookie cutter type of place. I just read an article in Business Standard about that Goa will be tying up with Portugal to revive the state's original flavor, with the main focus on developing a 'home-stay' concept which has been very successful in Portugal. While this segment of the tourist industry was very popular in the 1970s and 1980s, now there is virtually nothing in this area. I think its a super move and hopefully it will check the growing urbanization and erratic development of hotels in the state.

More designers opting for second lines

High fashion or fast fashion is the question many designers are asking themselves these days. Marc Jacobs who brought out a second tier line called Marc by Marc Jacobs, is now going to be bringing a third line. Giorgio Armani pioneered the second line concept when he launched Emporio Armani in 1981, and is now changing the Armani Exchange label, which is aimed at the US market focusing mostly on jeans and price conscious consumers.

Michael Fink, women's fashion director for Saks Fifth Avenue, is one of the rare retailers who believes that designers might be able to work to the power of three. "The whole H&M thing has proved you can take a designer house and mass it," Fink says. "Although of course, that is a limited edition in a specific time frame, which creates a feeding frenzy."

Fink says that Saks does big business in second lines, citing Armani Collezioni, Akris Punto, Dolce & Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli and Valentino Roma. "Second lines are an entry point," says Fink. "Aspirational customers who spend a large proportion on shoes and handbags."

Getting insurance coverage

What is it about insurance policies that confuse and confound even the most educated and logical of people? While the concept of insurance is simple enough, often the manner than coverage is described, requirements, regulations and lots of the little details get so cumbersome that it puts people off. Insurance coverage is something that all consumers should get once they start getting a regular paycheck, since its never too early to start putting money aside for an emergency.

A friend who works at an insurance firm, recommended that consumers need to improve their knowledge of basic insurance issues and one of the best ways to do that is to do some research on your own. One of the best sites for this is the Insurance Portal Online, a company that provides life, home and automobile insurance by studying your needs and matching them with the best suited insurance provider. A great thing about this company is that since they are a small company, one can actually get to speak to the same person again, instead of being routed to a new agent each time. The personal touch is extremely important in this kind of work as it makes it so much easier to focus on the insurance.

Nike's new line of price and fashion conscious shoes

Nike will soon be conquering new markets with its ambitious plans of bringing out a new line of footwear that will be aimed at fashion and price conscious consumers. The new brand called Tailwind will be launched in Payless stores in Manhattan and Brooklyn next week. The new line will be available only at 400 stores initially but will be stocked in all stores by December. The highest priced sneaker in the Tailwind line will cost only $34.99, a price that is sure to attract lots of customers.

Tailwind gives Nike the opportunity to attract an entirely new audience at the lower end of the market, one previously alienated by the high prices and athletic focus of Nike's core brand offerings. "What this does is afford a big-name brand the ability to enter an even bigger market without diluting the core essence of its dominant brand," says NPD Group chief analyst Marshal Cohen. "Nike really has nothing to lose and a lot of volume to gain…. Consumers like the idea that Nike is behind [the new brand]—it seems like a good bargain."

Inspired by the beach

As the time in nearing, I am getting really excited about our upcoming trip to Goa. The one essential you can't do without in Goa are some cool sandals. I've been to lots of beach vacation spots, but there is something unique about Goa, something that pulls you in, something that makes you switch off from the rest of the world, and I seriously think it has to do with everyone wearing sandals all the time. OK, that might sound a bit crazy but it's actually not. Wearing sandals represents a relaxed, stress free vacation and that's really what Goa is all about. The locals are the most chilled out people I have ever met, never rushing, never stressing, but always wearing sandals!

HR upheaval at top level retailers

Another round of HR shuffling has been taking place at some of the most prominent retail firms as executives are leaving and getting poached from new companies, before even their retail store operations have got off the ground। Some of the high profile retail executives who have left include COO of Pantaloon Ved Prakash Arya, HR Head of AVB Retail Vijay Kashyap, who will be moving to Australia, senior VP at Subhiksha Abhijit Sanyal and V Nagaprasad, both of whom will be joining rival firm Reliance Retail. Wal-Mart has not been spared either with Randy Guttery, the company's cash-and-carry operations head and Lance Retig, a senior executive having put in their papers last week. Other high profile resignations include Rajeev Karwal who left Reliance Retail several months ago and G Shankar, CEO of Lifestyle International who left the company late last year.

Update 18th March 2007:
Bharti and Reliance have signed a no-poaching pact.
Read the full post here: No-poaching pact signed between Bharti and Reliance

A cottage by the sea

We're off to Goa for a week's vacation on the 11th of March and we're really looking forward to it. Goa is one of our favorite destinations and we try to spend at least a week there every year. We have rented a 1 bedroom cottage, a couple of minutes walk from Varca beach, which is one of the most beautiful and unspoilt beaches in Goa. We try to explore a new area of Goa each time we visit, and usually the best source of information are people who have visited new and off the beaten resorts. It would be great to have a comprehensive listing of vacation rentals like VLBO has in the US. While staying in a hotel is nice, I often find it much more personal to stay in a more personalized setting, but finding these places can be quite hard since they don't advertise at all. I had used the VLBO to look for places to stay in the Finger Lakes area of New York State last November and found the site to be reliable, resourceful and full of really interesting places to stay.

IBM ties up with Google Gadgets for WebSphere

IBM has tied up with Google to provide the latest news and Google Gadgets in its commercial portal software, WebSphere. According to Larry Bowden, IBM Lotus vice president, the incorporation of Google Gadgets will change the business environment and how people work. Users on WebSphere Portal and WebSpere Portal Express v. 6.0 will be able to access approximately 4,000 add-ons for free, where they can create and customize to suit their needs.

Domestic retailers differentiate themselves from Wal-Mart, Tesco

With the recent media attention as well as the Prime Minister's Office asking for a study on the impact of larger retailers, regardless of their country of origin is making some of the larger Indian retail chains to differentiate themselves from global chains such as Wal-Mart or Tesco. Kishore Biyani, MD of the Future Group, emphasized that domestic retailers cannot be compared to international retail chains just yet and that the comparison was not apt. He added that, “The implication needs to be understood in the long term. In terms of size, Wal-Mart is bigger than the total consumption in India. Operating at this scale, puts the company in such a commanding position, that it can even manipulate consumption patterns, something which is obviously not in the best interest of India.”

Safety products for the road

I remember getting my US driving licence very clearly. I had borrowed my friend Lili's VW and went for the test before work one morning. While the written and driving test was very easy for me since, I'd already been driving for several years back home, I saw that there were others who were not doing as well. Marketers in the US have always been great at spotting out profitable areas and this was one such area. Safety products for student drivers is a niche segment that has been created from studying the need in the market, and has been quite successful since it meets the needs of consumers very precisely. I found a unique Park N Place garage parking system that would be a great item for a student driver. Safety products such as a tire gauge, emergency kits are things that we all should have in our vehicles, but often disregard. These products and many more specifically for student drivers such as the student driver magnets and lots of other safety products can be found at site VAT 19 site.

Louis Vuitton will be opening a corporate office in India

Luxury goods firm Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) announced that it will most likely be establish a corporate office in India so that it can monitor its existing operations. The office will also explore new options in the Indian retail sector. The company currently has offices set up in Mumbai and Delhi. The company announced last week that its makeup brand Sephora will be coming to India.

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WebpageFX moves to Murata Business Center

Web designing firm WebpageFX was created by William Craig, while he was still a student at Shippensburg University in 2001. Although he started it just to do freelance web development, the business grew to become a full fledged web development, design and online marketing firm. The company is now one of the leading custom web design, web development and search engine marketing companies and has won several awards for its work. The company now plans to become the leading provider of web development services in the Central Pennsylvania area and Philadelphia, eventually expanding to the entire state and surrounding states.

WebpageFX Web Design works to create high quality products that usually only high end design firms are known for but charges lower prices for the work. Service is a high priority for the company and the individual attention they focus with on each client, ensures a much higher level of service than larger and impersonal firms. WebpageFX also works on creating strategic relationships with its vendors, so that it can become an all encompassing web design firm.

To help the company grow to the next level, WebpageFX has moved to the Murata Business Center, a new business incubator center. At the centre it will have access to a host of support services along with ten other start-up companies. The Murata Business Center will provide access to services and resources to help WebpageFX grow, an advisory board with leaders in a variety of fields such as education, business, and finance, to give guidance and mentorship, introductions to the financial community, and office premises in a state-of-the-art facility with subsidized rent and data access. The Murata Business Center is located in a Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ), where it can get some tax credits and is conveniently located with access to all the major east coast cities.

Pop-up store phenomenon moves to consumer sectors

The phenomenon of pop-up stores that started mostly with niche retail products is spreading to newer consumer sectors now. Kraft Foods will be setting up its first retail store in what was earlier the Terra Museum of American Art on North Michigan Avenue in Chicago for three days this month. Kraft Foods will turn to space into a pizzeria to create buzz for its new frozen pizza. Opening a pop-up store in a high profile area for a few days or weeks is a great and relatively inexpensive way to get attention from consumers as well as the media.

"How do you reach consumers when there are hundreds of TV channels and magazines, and people are editing out commercials? This is a chance for [marketers] to go directly to the consumer," said Mary Brett Whitfield, senior vice president at Retail Forward, a Columbus, Ohio-based retail market research firm.

Kraft follows on the heels of Lexus, which turned the same space at 666 N. Michigan Ave. into an art gallery in January for a month to show off its newest sedan. Before that, Motorola Inc. put a cell phone store there for six months. It was the first foray into traditional storefront retail for both manufacturers.

Trendsetting store Target was the first to come up with a pop-up store, when it set up shop in a boat off Chelsea Piers in 2002, after it was unable to get permanent real estate in Manhattan. After its amazing success, the company followed it the next year with its Isaac Mizrahi collection in a pop-up store at the Rockefeller Center in New York.