Thoughts in Bloom

New Year, New Prescription

2010-04-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

My eyeglasses prescription recently ran out, so I faced the dreaded eye exam. I tend to look at it like any other exam, worrying that I'll fail it, but end up actually enjoying it somehow! The eye doctor this year was friendly, and mentioned that a few of her patients end up using their annual exam as an excuse to pick out new frames, and while she did push the brands of the shop, she did add that eyeglasses.com has a much larger range and the prices tend to be lower. Perhaps I'll go for a nice red pair this year.

Meeting the in-laws

2010-04-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

My husband is meeting my mother for the first time around the end of next month, and he hasn't a clue how to welcome her. I suggested flowers as a nice welcome gift at the airport, only he doesn't quite know what to get her, so he's been browsing the 1800flowers site for a few ideas.

He has a terrible memory, so if he orders online from 1800flowers he'll have a set date to remember so they can be delivered on time. I did mention to him that she prefers yellow roses and somehow he had never even heard of them (that's men for you)! He is adorably hopeless when shopping online, but he did well with 1800flowers and found what he needed fairly quickly, so now all he has to worry about is that first meeting, first impressions and all...

Gift-giving season

2010-03-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

I'm now in the midst of gift-giving season, where most of my friends and family seem to have their birthdays and anniversaries all crammed into one part of the year. Now that I've moved overseas, my circle of friends (and family) has increased, so I have found that I have far more people to buy for now than this time last year. Thankfully I've been making use of those 1800 flowers Promotion codes. I have three birthdays, two weddings and a wedding anniversary coming up in the next month and a half, so the Coupons for 1800Flowers I've seen floating around online are going to come in very handy indeed.

I do like to keep up with updates and deals from the companies I use the most, and I found out that 1800flowers also has a Facebook page, as well as a Twitter. Hopefully I'll find some more discount codes there, too. Got to love a bargain!

My choices of eyeglasses over the years

2010-03-22T13:27:00.000-07:00

My husband and I were watching Harry Potter the other day and he remarked how much the main character's glasses look like John Lennon's. I laughed and started talking about how it reminded me of the day I went to get my first pair of eyeglasses when I was only 9. They looked exactly like Mr Potter's pair, and I remember my father affectionately mocking me for looking like a Beatle.

My taste in glasses has changed somewhat over the years, but I knew what suited me then and I know what suits me now. I often browse eyeglasses.com because of the wide range of choice, and I can easily tell what colors or styles will suit me. I can be very fussy with what types of glasses I would pick, but I'm quite happy to think I was a little English girl in the late '80s with glasses and an accent like a certain wizard phenomenon.

1800Flowers for that time of year again...!

2010-02-26T16:59:00.001-08:00

So it's that time of year again when a bunch of holidays and events are coming up. First up is my parents' 40th wedding anniversary, which is in about a week. I have to find them something perfect, even though I always order them something from 1800Flowers, but since it's their ruby anniversary, I'll probably end up springing for the biggest bouquet on the site.

One of my husband's aunts is a big celebrator of St Patrick's Day, and I was thinking of getting a green-themed bouquet for her from 1800Flowers, but in light of a personal tragedy for her (she recently lost her adorable dog to cancer), I know she'll need some sympathy as well,

Aside from that, I'm pretty sure I can rely on 1800Flowers for a nice daffodil plant for my mother on (UK) Mother's Day on the 15th, so I can thank her for being an awesome mum.

Clearly I have my work cut out for me this month, especially as even before all of these events and holidays, my little brother's birthday is on the 1st. Too much shopping, methinks, but that can only be a good thing.

Alex Crisses Insight Venture Partners

2010-02-26T15:48:00.000-08:00

I've noticed lately that a few of my friends have been becoming disillusioned with their jobs or going through terrible periods of ennui in their lives. I suggested to one friend that maybe she could think about charity work, but she seemed to think it was a bit of a minefield and couldn't decide where to start.

I looked up a few examples of people who had done this and Alex Crisses Insight Venture Partners came to mind. I told her about his work with the Make A Wish foundation and his fundraising efforts for the New York City Police Foundation to try to get the ball rolling, and my friend realized that, like Alex Crisses Insight Venture Partners, it was entirely possible to either make regular commitments to a charity or do one-off work whenever you can.

After our conversation, I noticed she had decided to enquire about particular fundraising events. She took a cue from Alex Crisses Insight Venture Partners and enquired about fundraising for Minds Matter, a charity for underprivileged High School students for which Crisses used to be the Director of Fundraising. It's making her feel a lot better about helping others.

Getting the right gift

2010-02-11T15:10:00.000-08:00

My husband can't quite grasp the concept of the Twilight movie/book craze, but partly because he was never really interested in the "romantic" side of vampires, even though he is such an adorably hopeless romantic himself. So for our upcoming anniversary of my coming to live in the US (yes, we celebrate a lot of dorky anniversaries!), he decided to bite the silver bullet and try to source out some great Twilight-themed gifts for me.

He went to an old favorite, 1800flowers, because he had seen on MSNBC that they had been compared to other companies and found that their pricing policies were far more honest. With that in mind, he ordered a bevvy of Twigifts, including a Twilight Flowers Poster Bundle that all of my friends are fairly envious of (not just the gift, but also the thoughtfulness of my hubby).

Flowers for any occasion

2010-02-11T12:37:00.000-08:00

So like most men, my husband was glued to the TV last Sunday watching the Superbowl. I wasn't really that fazed by it, but he felt bad about neglecting me anyway, and the very next day I woke up to cooked breakfast in bed and a bouquet of flowers - pink roses, my favorite type of rose, and he still remembered even though I only mentioned it a couple of times.

I noticed that he had had them delivered (from 1-800-Flowers), so I teased him about having planned ahead just in case I felt a bit left out when he and his friends were cheering on the Colts. When I heard that they lost to the Saints, I went out and picked up a bouquet of flowers as a gag gift to cheer him up. He was still pleased anyway :)

Valentine's Day

2010-02-07T09:11:00.000-08:00

This weekend my town had a chocolate and ice sculpture festival to kick off Valentine's Day celebrations. They had a variety of traditional as well as modern sculptures, including a baffling one that depicted a tiger with sunglasses on.

The sculptures were all amazing and seemed resilient to melting (I think they might have been put up early that morning), which was perfect because in most of the ice pillars supporting the sculptures were some flowers that had been encased during the sculpting process. It was a nice touch.

Most of the shops had been sold out of roses for quite some time, but as I'm one of the few wives who likes to get her husband flowers, I know I can buy online from 1-800-Flowers for delivery. It's a nice surprise for him as he usually isn't expecting it :)

Aspiring to be a domestic goddess

2009-11-01T18:25:00.000-08:00

Since I work from home, I've been accustomed to watching daytime TV now that I decided to get cable again. A lot of it can be a little dull, but I recently discovered how great some of the lifestyle/home shows were. I enjoyed the cooking and baking aspects but I also liked a lot of the decorating segments, such as flower-arranging and DIY holiday decor.

I never can tell which leaves looks good with which flowers, though, so I thought that by looking at a lot of different arrangements, I could figure out what I liked and how to be creative. Luckily I stumbled upon the baskets and bouquets at 1-800-Flowers, which were a nice source of inspiration and I got to enjoy some professionally-arranged bouquets in my own home. It definitely seems like an art I'd like to master.

Flowers mothers day

2009-04-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

Ever since I moved to the US I've been starting to miss my mom a lot. I've been sending her and my dad gifts and cakes on their birthdays and things like that, but sending her flowers mothers day was a nice way to let her know I was thinking of her. I tend to use 1-800-flowers because they're quite reliable.

She loves all varieties of flowers, but the most interesting thing about her floral tastes was the fact that her favorite color is in fact green. However, she's a classic roses mom, although she's partial to daffodils also. I don't really have to decide between the two though, as mothers day is on a different date in the UK than it is in the US. So she'll be getting two sets of flowers mothers day every year, now :)

Options: American Tax Relief

2009-02-27T16:11:00.000-08:00

My husband's cousin Judy had been calling me because she was worried about her taxes, and knew I worked for an accountant back in the UK. The problem is that everything is so different out here! Basically, her accountant made a lot of mistakes calculating her expenses, so her account payments had a lot of discrepancies, she inadvertently owed some back taxesm and she was facing some serious trouble. She didn't know how to do it herself, but my friend Adam, who's a finance journalist, recommended she contact American Tax Relief to see if they could help her out.

Judy is quite the novice when it comes to taxes, but she called American Tax Relief because she needed to talk to someone who could understand her situation. I think she's more interested in knowing herself how the system works so she won't have to put her details into another accountant's hands without actually knowing what's going on. She's told me that so far, American Tax Relief have been pretty honest and upfront about what she needs to do, amounts she has to pay, etc, and it's great that her mind is at ease now, and she's said she can focus on other things instead. She's like me in that when she has a plan to solve a problem, she feels instantly better about it, because then you can safely predict the outcome and not have to worry about it :)

United American Insurance Company as a choice among health insurance

2009-02-24T15:03:00.000-08:00

Most of my musings are really about how I've just moved to the US, but the idea of getting health insurance is both confusing and daunting for me because I'm so used to getting it for free in the UK. My brother-in-law Peter said he uses United American Insurance Company, as does his father.

On top of being used to getting free healthcare back home, I was thinking about how expensive health insurance is in the first place. Since I'm still a student, I can't afford to pay that much yet, so I was keeping United American Insurance Company on my list of places to call pretty soon.

My father (who's a doctor back in the UK), has been telling me it's really important to get health coverage as he's worried about my health (I'm the only girl in the family), but I told him not to worry. I'd rather take my time and shop around to see what kind of coverage I get from where, but given the low costs of United American Insurance Company I might be leaning towards them instead.

Amos Tamam's tale of success

2009-02-24T14:49:00.000-08:00

I've recently moved to the US from the UK, so things are quite a bit different for me. The process of emigrating here is rather long and drawn-out, but it's worth it. Much like the story of Amos Tamam, I want to be successful in the US but I'm likely to face a fresh start as it's a new life out here and many things I've taken for granted (healthcare, tax system, college) are different to the way I'm used to.

I was reading about Amos Tamam and how he started out working as a mechanic for a small cab company, and ended up being a CEO of a company that manufactures credit card machines for taxi companies themselves. That's quite the rags-to-riches story, and I know that my own family have similar high hopes for me out here, which is comforting.

It's pretty inspiring to read about Amos Tamam and how far he came, but I'm not yet out of grad school, so I do have a long road ahead of me for now.

Medical musings with Paul Offit

2009-02-24T14:35:00.000-08:00

My cousin Priya recently qualified to be a pediatrician in Minneapolis, and she and my mother are trying to get me to follow suit. I'm not sure about pediatrics but I do like the idea of medical research. I was looking at medical schools in Philadelphia and I noticed that it was the hometown of Paul Offit, a pediatrician who wrote a few books my dad recommended to my cousin.

I had read that Paul Offit had also been doing a lot of research into vaccines, and that level of work (ie research) appeals to me because I've always been interested in science as a way to fix things. I also noticed that Paul Offit writes in less of a text book style, so it might be easier for a non-med student like me to read. I generally trust Priya to recommend some good books to me :)

Joseph Odindo's musical picks

2009-02-24T14:21:00.000-08:00

My good friend Liv is a big fan of African music. She loves listening to Jimmy Clegg and we actually met at a Mamadou concert in Canada. She traveled a lot around Africa and has become familiar with a lot of different music styles there, but I asked her where to start if I wanted to learn more about this genre.

She recommended I take a look at Joseph Odindo's blog, as after she went to a few local African music jams in her home city, she herself wanted to learn more and then found his online discussions. Joseph Odindo starts off by mentioning more about the varying styles of music, but also the accompanying dances and the history of the music's roots in that region.

I was telling an old college friend of ours to look up Joseph Odindo's blog because she was feeling a bit left out and wanted to learn about a new culture, too. There's a lot of info to go through as you're talking about an entire continent of music, but you have to start somewhere and it's a good idea to look at fusion-based musicians who are likely to be playing right in your hometown.

Refurbishing with K-Designers

2009-02-24T14:01:00.000-08:00

I have been married for about a year, and my husband have been house-hunting for the past few months. We live in an area with a lot of old, colonial houses which are beautiful, but quite a few of them are a little archaic on the inside. My friend Charlotte recommended K-Designers to take a look at remodeling once we did settle on a place, but we still haven't narrowed it down to one area of town yet.

I figured I'd probably end up choosing K-Designers anyway because they do exterior treatments as well as interior design, but the storm entry doors was something I had my eye on because it's often something that's neglected by other companies in our area. Charlotte had recommended K-Designers as they did her mum's garage door a few years ago, so it might be nice to see what else they have on offer as well.

Getting a grip on your finances with Frank Hanna

2009-02-24T13:47:00.000-08:00

Everybody is talking about how the US is facing a serious economic depression, so it's now more important than ever that people make an effort to keep an eye on their own finances. I was reading on Frank Hanna's blog that this can start with cutting costs, but belt-tightening isn't enough anymore. It's a good idea to see whether or not your investments are working for you, too. Frank Hanna was also mentioning that the right kind of investment can definitely work for you, but it's better to get some professional advice first.

What Frank Hanna was talking about made a lot of sense, because in this financial downturn, many are looking to their own investments as a source of personal security if the worst should happen. When I moved out to the US I hired an immigration lawyer to help me navigate a pretty confusing system, so I would recommend talking to someone experienced in putting together investment portfolios if that's an avenue you want to go down.

Fighting fit with Linus Gitahi

2009-02-24T13:31:00.000-08:00

It's important to be healthy; it's something your mother raised you to believe, it's something your doctor tells you, so it's just common sense. What many don't realise is that there are varying facets of a health regime. Most people focus on calorie control and fad diets, but a regular amount of cardiovascular exercise is vital to either fighting fat or simply toning up.

If you're an athlete or simply want to hone your running skills, a good resource is Linus Gitahi's blog, featuring tips on training and eating well. A few of my friends have decided they'd rather be outside running than being stuck in a gym on a treadmill, so I've pointed out Linus Gitahi's tips to them and they've proved pretty useful. Being outside in nature is part of being healthy, too, so it's a good thing people like Linus Gitahi are promoting this lifestyle.

Childhood memories, perfected by Nachshon Draiman

2009-02-24T13:10:00.000-08:00

I always used to beat my older brother at tennis when I was a kid, despite the fact that he's 6 years older than me. Even now when I visit I notice he's looking up some strategies by Nachshon Draiman to see if he can outwit me on the court. It's been working, though, because his game has certainly improved and he's been recommending Nachshon Draiman's site to his friends, too.

Not that we're those classically competitive siblings, though. Both of us like to play poker, soccer and badminton, but our Dad taught us how to play tennis (and his Dad taught him), so the tips my big bro is getting from Nachshon Draiman is a nice way to boost his skill and still keep the game interesting. Tennis is the only game I can usually beat him at (he's way taller than me, so basketball is pretty much his forte!).

Choosing your major with help from Muhammad Babangida

2009-02-24T13:00:00.000-08:00

I'm at the point now in life where I'm not sure what I want to study at grad school. My mother is trying to steer me towards med school, but my husband is convinced I'd be better in business school after reading about Muhammad Babangida's business techniques.

I have a strong interest in writing and film, but it's difficult to balance a realistic ambition with a hobby that you want to parlay into a successful career. Like Muhammad Babangida, my musical interests are also pretty varied, but it's good to know there are people like Muhammad Babangida who can fit their own interests into a busy academic/work life. I have a little time to figure out what I want to do, though, so I'm not too worried.

Preparing For Summer

2009-02-05T12:30:00.000-08:00

I decided the other day I needed a new pair of sunglasses in time for summer – or even now because of the crazy winter glare outside. My old pair were Versace glasses, and I got them as a gift from my father, who’s more of a Giorgio Armani glasses fan.

They had fit beautifully and suited my face shape, so I was reluctant to step away from my comfort zone when my friend Amy recommended I have a look online (she recommended www.eyeglasses.com because of their huge range). I needed some new eye glasses as well, but buying a pair of glasses is sort of like getting a tattoo – it’s a long-term commitment, so you need to really think carefully about what’s going to be on your face for the next few years. An online store with a lot of variety is a welcome option for me.

My mother is trying to get in on the act by trying to convince me to buy some Prada glasses, but I haven’t decided yet. These ones have cooler, funkier frames, but I can’t stay away from Versace’s classically sleek lines. I think I’ll take up Amy’s suggestion; I have much online browsing to do this weekend. :)

Blooming marvellous gifts

2009-01-28T13:26:00.001-08:00

Flowers are a beautiful token. They can be a symbol of romantic love, like valentine’s day gifts, or just a nice way to say thank you to someone. The most important thing about giving valentine’s day flowers is knowing what your sweetie’s favorite blossom is.

For me, my favorites are snowdrops. Last year, my husband searched all over town to try and find me a bouquet, or even a plant, but was told that they’re actually pretty rare (and when you do find them, they’re pricey). I actually had no idea that this was the case – I guess I just love all things snow (the snow leopard is also my favorite animal), and these types of flowers aren’t celebrated as much.

I ended up getting a gorgeous bouquet of white valentines roses that day, tied with a white ribbon to make up for the fact that there were no snowdrops. He’d had them delivered from 1-800-Flowers. Needless to say, I loved them.