The world around us

After such a hectic week like this one, all I really want for the weekend is some home theater popcorn machines and I’ll be set for a nice relaxing time. Even though I don’t work full time, some weeks things get so hectic that I seem to be working way too many hours. Before I started working online, I used to enjoy reading in my spare time, but now after such a long work week, I’d rather just chill with a nice movie, some chips and popcorn. Unfortunately, my reading has really drastically reduced and I’m barely reading 2-3 books a year, down from at least 2-3 books a month.

Nike and Foot Locker opened their first House of Hoops store in New York city’s Harlem neighborhood. The basketball focused store is the first tie up for the companies for a retail project. The House of Hoops store will sell Nike, Jordan and Converse products. A chain of 50 stores is planned for the US and is to be set up in the next three years in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas and many more. Besides these stores, Nike will also open around 100 of its own stores across the US in the next three years as well.

The House of Hoops stores have been build to cater to basketball players and will stock the best of products in footwear and apparel. The stores will also have VIP Lounges in the stores, where shoppers can read magazines and watch TV. For Foot Locker, it is a great opportunity as the chain has been struggling in its mall business, due to lower traffic as well as changing tastes of consumers.

When it comes to jewelry, no girl seems to have enough and one can always do with one some more diamond rings, right? Well, I think it’s nice to have a range of rings that one can alternate and not have to wear the same rings all the time. For most women, jewelry is an expression of their individuality and its nice to be able to be expressive about it. I love to wear jewelry all the time, whether it is real or costume, I have to have some basics on all the time, else I fee incomplete.

I’ve always loved pearls and as someone born in June, it is my birth stone as well. As a frequent traveler, the one piece of jewelry I always carry are my pearl drop earrings, that go with everything I wear and make me feel special. I am considering getting a pearl necklace to go with it as well, but I’m not too sure as yet. Pearls are always a good investment and the best part about them is that to retain their luster, they must be worn often as the warmth of the skin is essential for their sheen. So, it’s one item of jewelry you should not let sit in your safe and must wear it often.

I signed up with a social networking site called Multiply a couple of days back. It is free to join the network and seems to be quite a nice set up. I have yet to really fill in my profile page and investigate how Multiply works, so not really sure of what happens next and how people contact me or how I find people. I joined the network to find people some very specific type of people to fill jobs in the UAE. I posted my requirements in a couple of group pages, but have not seen a single response till now. While a lot of social networks are for purely social reasons, Multiply is more attuned to business people, which is why it appealed more to me. I do hope to find some people here in the future.

I’ve always been a creative person, not in the sense that I can draw or paint, but in the sense that I love making stuff, arty crafty stuff, using anything and everything that I find in the house. I found a link to some interesting pinecone decorations that deserved another glance to see if I could do something creative with them as well. I have decorated with pine cones for a Christmas wreath several years ago and I have made a wreath with mistletoe leaves as well. Unfortunately, I do not have pictures of either project. Let’s see that I come up with this time.

Been browsing through some of my old photos on Flickr and found one that I really liked and brought back some great memories. Some of my favorite pictures are from our trips to Goa. Our most recent trip was in March this year and this time we really relaxed and chilled out, since we’ve done all the sightseeing and shopping there is to be done and just wanted a nice relaxing vacation. We stayed at Varca Beach, which is in South Goa and is one of the nicest beaches in Goa that I have gone to. Here’s a shot that I took on our last evening there.

In all our decorating shopping, we are yet to buy some lamps for the house. We have bought only one lamp so far, besides the study lamp on the desk. We have pretty good lighting in the house, so didn’t feel the need to buy anything in a rush, especially before we bought our furniture. We have also been looking at the Hinkley Lighting selections, but haven’t been able to decide on which one would be right for our home. I like a house that is well lit, and a house that has lights for all occasions, whether you want to read or just want some nice soft mood lighting. Lighting is one of the most important factors in a house, something that can easily convert a house to a home in just a flick of a switch.