Inexpensive ways to wrap gifts without gift wrap

Wrapping gifts with alternatives to the pricey gift wrap is inexpensive but it does not by any means have to come across as “cheap”! Instead you could be the artistic one who’s skill and craftiness everyone admires. There are many ways to gift wrap without actually buying the pricey stuff. A lot of times you can re- use the wrapping material (no not the wrinkled ripped up wrapping paper with tape still stuck to it!) you already have or create wrap from non conventional methods.

I love using pages from the magazines to wrap gifts. We all have random magazines and papers lying around the house that are most likely collecting dust. Leaf through them, chances are they have random cool looking pages, some are ads, some photo shoots, it doesn’t matter. Test try wrapping a book up in one of them, it comes out quite nice. Make sure the wrap is appropriate for a recipient, you don’t want to wrap your guys video game with something that has pretty butterflies on it, or that little girls hair set wrapped up with a cool biker dude on it.

Here are a few quick samples which I made for this article (apologies for the bad picture quality however):

- This One was actually filled with chocolates as a small Valentines day gift for my husband (yay for going cheap huh?)

- It was made with a square of scrap booking paper found amongst my other crafts stuff, piece of old rope, lip sticker from few Valentines ago, scrap heart bead and a random tag I found and painted.

- This is a page from a “photo shoot I believe, the golden part is pants and the rest might be a couch! Add some ribbon if you can find and voila!

- The “IT LIST, I like this one it always passed with my girl friends since early teens, especially if the gift is beauty or fashion oriented.

- Another very cute one.

All of these were made by just using magazine pages instead of gift wrap, and all I had was one magazine to work with too! News paper could look really cool as gift wrap but it is better to stick to magazines as their ink wont smudge and smear all over the place. Another great idea is getting printer paper (this works for bigger gifts too as you can tape the pieces together) and painting it yourself. Paper bags and plain manila rope do well for those who like the whole “green thing”. Wrap the gift up into the paper bag, use the string to tie it instead of the bow and stick an interesting looking branch or flower under it on the top.

There are a lot of cool shaped candy boxes out there, I have emptied and cleaned them before then painted and they come out amazing as gift boxes. If you are more crafty or if you know how to sew and have some fabric (be it store bought meant for crafts or a top that you don’t wear anymore) you can also sow gift wrap. This works especially good with bottled gifts, or smaller ones for which you can sow gift baggies.

However you decide to wrap your gift without using any gift wrap make sure that it compliments either the present or the recipient of it in some way and the economic crisis that everyone talks about will be the furthest thing from anyones mind when looking at your work of art!

Travel destinations: Hundred Islands National Park, Philippines

A trip to Hundred Islands National Park and its home, Alaminos City in Pangasinan (Philippines), is a great diversion from the hustle and bustle of the busy, urban life. Breathe in the refreshing views – rice paddies, azure sea – and the rustic and peaceful lifestyle as you make your way to Alaminos City. And upon arrival, savor the city’s unique and dynamic spirit, friendly atmosphere and especially, the beauty and adventure that lies in the hundred wonders that is Hundred Islands.

Public bus lines have scheduled rides from Manila, Baguio, Dagupan, Subic, Tarlac, and Zambales bound straight to Alaminos City and vice versa. From the bus terminal, either by private vehicle or tricycle, the Lucap Wharf (Hundred Islands National Park mainland) is only a 10 to 15-minute ride away. You can find boats bound for the islands docked near the Wharf, with the Hundred Islands National Park Center staff eager to assist you with information and other things you’ll need for your island adventure. The nearest islands from the Lucap Wharf are Sulpot Island, Monkey Island, Abad Santos Island and Hernandez Island, which are all 15 to 20 minutes away. The major islands, Children’s, Governor’s and Quezon can be reached after a 25 to 45-minute boat ride. Specifically, Governor’s Island is a 20 minute boat ride, Children’s Island is a 25 minute ride and the Quezon Island is a 30 minute ride.

This Hundred Islands National Park in the Philippines covers a land area of 1,884 hectares with 123 islands. However, only 3 islands have been developed for tourists namely : Governor, Quezon and Children’s Islands

Of the 3 islands, the Governor’s Island keeps a Guesthouse which is ideal for family use. It has 2 bedrooms, living room, dining room, comfort room/bath and kitchen. Linens, water (1 drum), light, electric fans, dining and cooking utensils/equipment are provided for. Gen-set provides electric power.

The bahay kubos and mini pavilion at Children’s Island are for budget travelers as it consists only of screened bedrooms with fresh water and linens. Kerosene lighting is provided for. Common areas are provided for dining and cooking as well as for toilet and bath.

At Lucap Point, the main building houses a conference room, restaurant and accommodation facilities. A tower-type building near the Lucap Park houses an office at the ground floor which monitors the flow of tourists to the said islands.

In the park, you may lose yourself among a hundred and twenty three islands, scattered like emeralds in the deep blue waters off Pangasinan. Unexplored coves and islets await seekers of solitude. Each one in its own pristine beauty basks in the sun, lapped by the waters of the Lingayen Gulf.

This is one wonderful beach getaway you shouldn’t miss if you visit the Philippines!

No place like home: Tips for dealing with homesickness

Tears at the NAIA

I am finally checking in for my return flight to Los Angeles. It is Sunday, December 2nd and the NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) in Manila, looks deceptively crowded from the outside. Mainly as families and friends seeing their loved ones off to another world insist on staying till the very last minute prior to departure to drink the last dregs of a fare thee well.

Perhaps this is what perpetuates the myth of needing to be there four hours prior to your international flight, which I frankly never felt was credible or necessary. But my Dad used to insist, and when I was much younger, this was simply part of the ritualistic excitement of getting ready to go somewhere overseas.

This visit to home is a broken one. Broken because I am. I have not lived here in 14 years and in those 14, I have returned only 4 times. I am not so cold-hearted to distance myself from my origins instead I had been fortunate enough that family had always been able to travel to see me instead of the other way around.

When I came in for this trip I was overwhelmed by home-sickness. I had recently parted with a man I consider my beloved the pain of course is acute and blinding. As the plane approached Manila, all I could wonder was, where is home?

This was home, but not completely. Home, as they say, is where the heart is.

And my heart in this situation had been moved away, both by distance and circumstance. There was nothing I could do but go somewhere to lick my wounds while in the care of a loving sister. Such was and is my fate.

Now, after 10 days, I was leaving again. This time, the goodbyes were more emotional, fragile and strong at the same time. Poignant because not so long ago, this was a ritual I shared with my beloved, saying be safe, take care, and watching, smiling as either one of us went on our way and knowing each would be there upon the others return. The no longer is haunting.

I waited in line to check in and watched all the overseas workers milling about, getting themselves and their documents ready. Gold on many fingers, cell phones ringing obnoxiously, a lot of nervousness for their return to many other countries were they would serve or perform.

I recalled my sister mentioning a somewhat sarcastically written article by a local writer deriding some of the aspects of travel while in the company of the OSWs (overseas workers). I never read it. But apparently, it mentioned some of the

The Development of Maritime Activities in Isle De France

THE DEVELOPMENT OF MARITIME ACTIVITIES OF ISLE DE FRANCE: ISLE DE FRANCE AS AN ENTREPOT OF ASIA

To understand the global perspective of maritime activities in isle de France as well as the development of the island as an ‘Entrepot’ of the Indian ocean. We are going to see firstly, what were the factors that led Isle De France to be made the Chef Lieu of France in this part of the world and to be named the star and key of the Indian Ocean as well as the development of Port Louis as a port. In this perspective we will also make a little incursion in the historical development of the port. Secondly, we will see the three axes of developments namely agricultural, commercial and military under the Royal administration. How and why were these axes given importance through the policies of the Royal administration? Thirdly, we will see how slave trade along with spice and other trades have helped to extend maritime activities. Finally, we will see how war affects the island’s economy and how they encourage corsair activities.

In 1764 King Louis xv decided to buy the Mascarenes and in 1767 the Royal administration started in the island. The French East Indian Company, which had ruled the island since 1725, was bound to failure due to its monopoly policies under the ‘Exclusive’ system. If for the Dutch and the French East India Company the only reason of interest in the island was to use it as a port of Call, the Royal government will be more interested in its strategic position in the Indian seas as a naval and military base.

Even in the time of the Dutch the fact that the Bay of Tortoise (which will later be named Port Louis) which had the potential to accommodate up to 50 ships seemed interesting to them but the fact that the ship of Pieter Both, who was the first Dutch Governor General, in the Indian Ocean wrecked at Tamarin made them lost interest in the port. It is only in 1735, under the French Governor Mahe De Labourdonnais that the port will know the first developments. He dredged away mud and marked out navigable channel with two lines of buoys and as for ships arriving at night, he posted men with navigation light at the top of Morne de la Decouverte. He built warehouses, quarters for officers, office buildings and administrative buildings. He also built powder magazine at the mouth of Caudan Basin. One of the most marvelous things he did, however, was the Naval Ship Yard.

“ Before my arrival it never occurred to anyone that boat building might be possible in the harbor” he said. In building at first small boats then one decked and later bigger ships was sheer ingenuity and far seeing for this would be the starting point for the naval and military base destiny of the island in the future. The Subtile, The Creole, The Necessaire, The Thetis, The Hirondelle all would extensively be used either in the slave trade or in Corsair activities. It is under Labourdonnais that the first commerce “d’Inde en Inde’ started. He also encouraged slave trades from India, Madagascar and the oriental coast of Africa.

However, the French East India Company which ruled the island at that time did not show much interest in his great vision and after his departure, his successors only administered the island as much as they could with the population most of the time on the verge of famine.

Future events, however, would give Mahe De Labourdonnais credit in his vision of the strategic location of the island in the Indian Ocean. The Austrian succession wars (1740-1748) and the Seven Years (1756 –1763) wars would deplete the island of its resources. The Company wanted the French Navy to be repaired, victualled and armed by the island though it has itself done so little to encourage agricultural development.

What could have led the King to take so much interest in Isle De France so as to make it the Chef Lieu of France on the East of Good Hope? What are the historical factors in the fight for power? Why was there such a fuss in the control of the Indian sea? The Portuguese, who were the first European to trade in the Indian waters knew such a decline in power so as to be reduced to be able just to retain only Goa as their colony. As for the Dutch they were more interested in the East Indian Archipelagos, so that India the object of ‘convoities’ was a subject of great competition between the French and the English, the two great powers of the time. They fought over the one who would reign over India for the Moghul Empire had decline with the death of its last Emperor. The Seven years war proved decisive for France against the British for the one who commanded the Bay of Bengal would command India as it commands the approaches to the Ganges Delta.

The French sent an expedition under Lally Tollendale who greatly depended on Port Louis as a naval base. But because the population was, itself, facing severe lack of everything, the island could help only little and in consequence the French lost the battle.

The King had understood the strategic importance of the island so after buying it from the company, he took interest in developing the island on three axes agriculturally, commercially and militarily.

When Pierre Poivre came, as the intendant of the island, he was mainly interested in firstly developing agriculture, secondly in improving the capital by giving the guarantee of free trade to the inhabitants thus preventing monopolies in sheer contrast with the policies of the French East India Company and thirdly in the development of the harbor of the island, where again the French East India Company has lamentably failed except under Labourdonnais.

He established a “Tribunal Terrier” which advised administrators about land grants but also controlled the sale of concessions. Under the company concessions were made without any control it resulted in 1788 that out of 210,880 acres of land given only 72,845 acres only were used. A real boost was given to agriculture. Emphasis were put on the production of rice, sugar and vegetables. Plants like breadfruit, apple, peach, coconut, avocado, mango, tea, sago, manioc, pepper, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and many medicinal herbs including Ayapana were introduced. Large number of cows, oxen, sheep goats and pigs were brought from the Cape, Madagascar and India. Under Desroche several improvements were made, he built three water mills producing 6000 pounds of flour per day. The bakery could make enough bread for the garrisons and the provision of ships.

New warehouses containing reserve stock of wheat, flour and rice were built. All these measures would encourage the coming of ships and set the base in making Port Louis a victualling port of excellence. There was revival of plantation agriculture. Even local merchants invested in country estate and acted as agents for absentee planters. They looked for profitable outlets for exportable commodities.

As for commerce, tariffs were introduced to control prices. The king even guaranteed two flutes for the transportation of cattle from Madagascar. The liberal administration and the uplift of the restrictions on commercial activities transformed the island into a trading center of international trade. Richard Morris wrote a letter to La Fayette asking for a Freeport to be established. In 1785 the minister for the Navy Des Castries proclaimed free trade and as from May 27, 1787 all foreign ships were welcome in Port Louis.

Though merchants were not allowed to export Indian goods to L’orient or sell French goods to India, they circumvent this with connivance of the French administration. Indian goods shipped from Isle De France were found in L’Orient. Between 1786 to 1788 by special permission and in 1790 free trade beyond the Cape Of Good Hope was extended to all French. The commerce consisted of long and short distance trades for imports. Ships from France would bring wine, bedsheet and other consumables. American ships brought salted meat and items related to navigation and shipping. Food supplies would come from Madagascar. Traders in arms on the African coast like Commarmond, for example were also present in the island as far as 1768 and in between 1781 to 1786. He had 8 ships. Thus a powerful and influential group of merchants would emerge in the colonial society. 183 merchants were reputed to be living ‘opulently’. Out of 58 new arrivals between 1803 and 1810, 46 were merchants and 12 traders. After 1783 there were further increase in Mauritian Traffic – In 1788 an average of 200 ships was entering Port Louis and it became the end stop for many ships. In 1785 ‘Derby’ the first American ship from Salem came to Ile de France. American was engaged in slave trading from Madagascar and was interested in the trade with China all these ships were thus encourage to come to the port. American as neutral came in large numbers to buy goods, for which, they would, otherwise, have to go all the way to Calcutta or Canton and pay higher price. In 1794 the first consul to Isle De France was John Mc Carthy, he encouraged American ships to come to Isle De France. 87 American ships arrived in Port Louis. There was a growing importance of the strategic role of Isle De France. Denmark and American ships travelled to Sumatra, to Coetivity isles , Manila, Muscat, Traquebar, Batana, Canton, Madras and Calcutta. From Boston and Baltimore, Salem and New York they provisions, spares oil and candles. They traded their items tin, pepper, and saltpeter, from Sumatra. Ginseng from Canton, Sugar from Calcutta. Coffee, cotton and drugs from Muscat. American goods were exchanged in Isle De France for other products, which were in turn exchange for other goods. Exchanged oil and candles from Boston were sold in Isle De France for Ebony and spices from the Spice Islands could be bought and sold. This saved the ships the trouble of going to canton or Malacca. Later under Decaen governorship Port Napoleon would know intense commercial activities. The Prairal an XI (22 May 1803) regulated the operations bring steady flow of cargo to Port Napoleon. It went on until the British tightened their blokade activities with the South East Asia became too dangerous.

Two important activities emerged with various degrees of fluctuations alongside with the development of the harbor and free port. Slave trade and Corsair activities emerged alongside other commercial and trading activities. The former started from the very beginning with the arrival of the French in the island, its commerce was in the time of peace, it was a lucrative activity and the later in times of wars were means of quick and easy fortunes.

Agriculture and slave trade went together. In the eighteenth century it was the French who dominated slave trade in the western Indian Ocean. The Mascarenes islands served as base to encourage the trade. Slaves were taken from Madagascar and the Eastern Africa to the Mascarenes isles, from South Africa and the Carribean. Slaves also arrived from India. With the royal policy of free trade, ships arrival from Madagascar tripled. Ships carried extensive cattle trade parallel to slave trade and at the beginning of the 19th Century 20,000 live cattle were brought per year from Foulpointe alone. Foulpointe, Fenerive, Mohambo, Tintingue, Ste Marie, Mananara and Antogil bay were French slave trading post dealing with the Mascarenes according to Toussaint. Slave trade has set the base for commercial and trading activities within the Indian Ocean and the world. It was a lucrative business as slaves provided both a cheap mean of production and could be sold as assets at higher price with consequent profit after one year. It continued till 1822 when the Alglo-Merina treaty was signed.

In time of wars between the British and the French, corsair activities became each time the main source of income for the island and with the policies of the royal government a new boost would be given to this activity. The king wanted to develop the port into a sophisticated naval base for the French in the Indian Empire to shelter warships and squadrons. Chevalier De Tromelin a naval engineer arrived in 1768 and by 1770 submitted a development scheme. It must be noted that not much work had been done in the harbor since the time of Labourdonnais. The harbor was full of carcasses of ships from shipwreck. It was blocked by fourteen shipwrecks. Dredging of the harbor from mud and diversion of streams were again necessary. It took 10 years to complete the task. The harbor could now accommodate up to ten ships and several frigates. Furthermore, camps for African seamen were built near Trou Fanfaron. So as to encourage ships to come, dues which were paid, on the entry of the port were abolished. Workshop of carpenters, ‘cordiers’, blacksmith, of ‘tonnelier’ and ‘armuriers’ were built along the length of the port. The royal administration put order in the port and around the port area. An Iron foundry was established and supplies of gunpowder cons and other materials for the army were produced. With the arrival of such people as The Duc De Berry, The Duc D’Acruitaine and Acaille as well as others a ‘bourgeoisie de la marine’ would emerge.

The peace of Amiens would provide fresh stimulus from inflow of prizes taken by the corsairs. In 1807 ‘La Semillante’ took part in five battles and her last prize was a merchant ship filled with sugar worth between 6000 to 7000 piastre. The American War of Independence broke out on February 1778, the American colonists were fighting against the British for Independence and the French saw in it the possibility to take revenge on what happened in India. Five ships under admiral Trojoly form the naval force to fight against the British in the Indian seas. During that period 116 ships left for India. Three more ships left for Batavia, Madagascar and Mozambique. All went with replenished stores. The ordinance of the first August 1768 proclaimed that all male residents aged between 15 and 55 years must serve in the militia. There were 111 raiding cruises – corsair activity was estimated by Milburn to some €2’500,000 the market was saturated with goods seized from British ships. The merchants often turned their ships into privateering. The most famous corsairs were Captain Deschien, De Kerulay, Dubignon and Chandeuil. We have the example of David a trader who owned powerful trading houses and this also proved that privateering and corsair activities gave a boost to commercial activities in the island making Isle De France the warehouse of the Indian Ocean. He armed two Corsair ships. The Salomon and the ‘Sainte Marie’ which attacked British ships. The ‘Merchant of Bombay’ in 1780 and captured a prize worth €1,500,000.

The Prefet Colonial was in charge of selling the goods and distributing the profits. Soldiers and sailors working for the government deserted to go for privateering activities. Those who carried attacks were given “letters De Marques” and were called ‘Corsair’ and were given the status of heroes. From 1803 to 1810 there were 82 expeditions. Famous names like Lemem, Lenouvel and Robert Surcouf emerged. Robert Surcouf captured 47 ships, he was known as the ‘king of Corsairs”. He suggested to Napoleon to attack the trading ship of British to annihilate British commerce. There was great inflow of goods with prices lower than in Europe. Warehouses were piled with colonial produce and cargoes of captured ships. To obtain supply or get rid of accumulated products and cargoes of captured British ship, goods were sent to France. By 1808 most corsairs were captured or kill, after the capture of the Cape of Good Hope in 1806. This was the end of Isle De France as a Naval base.

It was the ports of the island which were the pole of attraction among the different nations wishing to control the Indian Ocean. The Dutch as well as the French early East India Company wanted a port of call for passing ships. However, the Royal government saw much more that a simple victualling station. Port Louis was to become a Naval base for France in the Indian Ocean and a powerful pole of attraction of commercial ships. In time of peace slave and spice trades would occupy the scene and in time of wars, the island was converted into a nest of corsairs. Corsair activities become a lucrative activity serving the political design of France. In so doing the island as a whole knew unprecedented development in terms of infrastructures and standard of living.

Bibliography

1- Ile De France 1747 – 1767

Hugette Ly Thio Fane-Pineo

2- Port-Louis a Tropical City

Auguste Toussaint

3- A New History of Mauritius

Hazareesing and John Addison

4- Mauritian History

Vijaya Teeluck

5- HistoireDe La Colonie 1721 – 1968

Amedee Nagapen

6- A Concise History of the Dutch in Mauritius

P.J. Moree

7- The Making Of Mauritius

Nath Varma

Can India Retain The Reign Of Offshore Outsourcing King

Hardly one week, without an announcement from MNCs or other global big organizations has passed in recent times that they are Offshore Outsourcing Software development from India and investing for building their own Software Development center in India.

For instance just Yesterday, company based at France, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, fifth largest IT services firm thought out world, had open a new Software Development center in Mumbai suburban area and that will accommodate 250 IT-professionals. The organizations chief said that “We are really looking forward for stepping stone and building a much bigger presence in nation like India”.

With that main Offshore Outsourcing announcements by India have come furious and fast recently like this; International Business Machine is going to open a Linux research laboratory and give way to employment to 510 professionals; With 1350 IT-developers, Nortel Networks in India, will spend 350 million dollar in the next four years and increase employment by 500 additional R&D scientists; Cisco Systems spend 200 million dollar in future for Software Development center.

So one can see that India is currently on a roll but question is that how long can it hold this crown? With the prediction by NASSCOM, that 6 billion dollar for software exports by this year and it will go 50 billion dollar by year 2008, but some have started questioning that whether India can maintain competitive edge or not. Cheaper cost IT Outsourcing in China, with that Philippines, Russia and Pakistan are also sprouting up and competing for Outsourcing projects, so it indicates that unlikely India will reach the lofty goal.

The U.S. IT Association estimated that around 845,000 Information Technology jobs in America will go to be un-fill this year. For a 1st year graduate student, it will start out with salaries of 45,000-50,000 dollar and it will rapidly escalate. So with that no doubt the Offshore Software Outsourcing industry will continue its hyper expansion in the next six to seven years with Western companies look for cheaper and cheaper overseas talent to fill those gaps, but it is doubtful that India could hold its crown or not.

If India will slip from the Offshore Outsourcing leader, there are so many low wage nations that might be happy to pick up the show. Like Pakistan, has also soughed to emulate neighbor’s success with offer of similar tax benefits for MNC-s. At the same time China is look like the biggest threat to India, with more than 400,100 Software Development engineer, but only 35,100 out of it is qualified to do high level kind of work, that systems integration software projects coveted in India. For the work of software applications maintenance and migration projects, the Chinese employees are well qualified with high technical skills and can come at a significantly cheaper salary as compared to Indian counterparts.

It appears to be changing of the Chinese environment that traditionally had been grounded for manufacturing and hardware, but now it is appearing to be change, and the government has recently placed great emphasis on education with English for the gradates of IT profession., that is considering as extremely important skill by American companies while selecting the Offshore Outsourcing vendors.

India already educated in the critical skill of English, as a former British colony, but as compared to Philippines, a former American colony, they are not efficient, where U.S. language and culture is widely known. For U.S. Organizations the cultural and communications skills might prove to be appealing that they would give importance higher than other nations.

As far as concerning of Russia, with fall of the Soviet Union, there were almost one million registered engineers, but many of them have retired since, it’s been out of job for long-long periods or they do not posses the necessary skill sets. Nevertheless, Russia’s university programs in physics and mathematics praised that the nations has tremendous Offshore Outsourcing potential as compared to India.

Software Projects previously that went to Bangalore, India’s hi technology center might go to China, Manila or Guangzhou next year. Those nations, along with other host like Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and even Malaysia will collectively challenge India’s IT Outsourcing in future years.

Law Offices, Professional Image, And Marketing

Face it. Financial bottom lines are affected by the fact we live in a world that judges a book by its cover. Pretty singers sell more records, court cases rank higher in the news if the person is attractive, and politicians are elected based on their image as much any other factor.

Looking at your own industry, don’t you have to fight the public’s perceptions? We see it on TV and in movies every day. More often than not, young lawyers, paralegals, and others just starting out in the profession are portrayed as cheap, petty, low-rent, and usually called “ambulance chasers.”

It’s not right, but this issue of image is one that you have to live with and learn to work with.

Let’s cut to the bottom line which is this: In today’s business climate, everyone should realize that a professional image is crucial to reputation and everyone could stand to improve theirs to some degree or other. It’s what you need to do to keep your individual firms alive. Therefore, let’s cover some opportunities for improvement using the acronym A.L.I.V.E.:

Appearance – Your physical persona and the way present yourself.

Letterhead – The level of professionalism demonstrated in your printed marketing materials.

Information – Accuracy and honesty; the keys to presenting the data gathered during a case.

Voice – How you communicate to everyone you’re associated with.

Education – The continual improvement to your professional knowledge base.

Appearance: People base a large percentage of their first impression on your appearance. When a client meets you for the first time, they’re sizing up your credibility, your ability as a legal professional, and deciding just how well you might conduct yourself in public. As the saying goes, you only get one chance to make a good first impression, so let’s look at a few pointers.

- Always dress in a professional manner. For men and women both, the attire should be “business professional,” which for men means suit and tie whenever possible, and for the ladies, business suits, nice skirt and blouse, or dresses. If you look unkempt or “second rate” the client will wonder how you’ll represent them while working their case.

- A close cousin to dress is personal grooming. Simply put, make sure your hair, facial hair, hands, nails, and teeth are all clean and well kept. By the way, how’s your breath? Always keep some mints handy.

- Keep jewelry at a minimum. Jewelry should follow the rule on colognes. It’s best to smell of nothing than to overpower with the wrong thing. A general jewelry guideline is no more than 2 rings per hand, no more than 2 thin necklaces, and either post or small-ring earrings. And… you guessed it, visible exotic piercings or tattoos are out if you’re going to be taken seriously by the legal community. The “Professional Image Dress” website at http://www.professionalimagedress.com has some good articles and checklists. Also, you’ll find some good books and magazines on business and professional image at your local library.

Letterhead: In some cases, the first contact someone may have with you might be one of your business cards. For our purposes though, “letterhead” refers to any printed material (paper or electronic) anyone outside your office might see.

- Business cards are a must. Make them distinctive, but with minimal content. Let your website or brochure carry the heavy content.

- On business cards, stationery, and your website stay away from trite, cliché, or negative icons such as someone running after an ambulance. In your web address, phone numbers, or email addresses, stay away from negative phrases like “makethempay@mylaw.com.” These might seem cute, but to many potential clients, they’re a turnoff.

- For stationery, choose quality paper and have your letterhead and envelopes, as well as your contracts, professionally produced by the same people who do your business cards. Make sure their color themes match. Your local print shop or office supply store should have everything you need. If there’s any one place you want to spend a little money, this is near the top of the list.

- If your stationery has a particular logo or color scheme, it should be reflected on your website, or vice versa. As with business cards, your website should be an exercise in minimalism after it’s done its job of relaying all the necessary information about your firm. Avoid animation, sound files, heavy graphics, flash, or anything else that makes your site slow to load. Slow loading or “busy looking” sites are more an annoyance than an attraction. Relatedly, though they might provide a tiny bit of pocket change per year, try to stay away from banner ads and other outside links on your home page. If you have outside links, put them all on your links page. You don’t want your client clicking off into cyberspace before they’ve read what a good job you can do for them.

- Stay away from blank notepads and manila folders. They’ll both get too messy too soon and not only will that make you look unprofessional and disorganized, but blank notepads make you look unprepared, and lost or disorganized notes lead to inaccurate reports and invoices. Invest a little time and/or money into buying or developing a comprehensive set of forms or an organizer system to use while assembling your case.

Information: In the legal business, the glass is neither half full nor half empty. It’s 50%. And, unless you know what’s in it, don’t speculate. “Just the facts Ma’am.” One of the biggest opportunities for a good impression, and naturally the most important, is the timely delivery of honest, accurate, information. Nothing will kill your image, reputation, and livelihood, like incomplete, inaccurate, biased, or late case work. Likewise, an inaccurate invoice can cost you by being either too low or too high.

- Rule one is, always has been, and always will be, “Use a good case management system.” Make sure everyone working for you uses the same system, and that your standards of accuracy start at the beginning, and continues through the whole case and through any follow-up you may ever have with that client. Then treat all of your other clients the same way.

- Use nice presentation folders for all your reports; even the “small dollar” ones. Each client is important to you from a marketing standpoint and therefore deserves to be treated with respect. Putting your work product on better stationery, in a well-organized format, and in an attractive presentation folder will provide a greater perceived value to your client. These people have probably paid a hefty sum for your service and a more professional report will help assure them that it was money well spent.

- With any kind of information transfer, the key word in today’s legal climate is “PRIVACY!” Reassure your clients in your contract, and in your final report that your relationship with them is as private as the law allows, and everything you do in connection with their case, before, during, or after the fact, will remain confidential. Loose lips not only sink ships, they destroy good client relationships.

Voice: Voice is a general term used to describe not only the actual verbal communication you have with your clients and others, but the “tone” your business has with those it deals with.

- When you answer the phone, do so cheerfully and actually smile. You can tell when someone’s not happy to be on the phone and so can others. This phone call might be your first contact with the next big client, so make it count.

- If you can’t personally answer every call, the next best thing is to have a receptionist or answering service. A person is always better than voice mail. Go with what you can afford, but since the phone call is one of your opportunities for a first impression, anyone answering the phone should be trained to be courteous, cheerful, informative, and as professional as possible.

- If voice mail is your only option, make the best of it. First, be smiling and cheerful when you record the message. Second, have the message convey your high standards. Say something like “As we’re extremely devoted to all our clients, we’re probably working a case on their behalf right now. However, YOU are just as important to us so please leave us your name and number and we’ll get back to you within the hour.” Then, if you say you’ll be back to them within the hour, actually do it. Prompt personal attention is a major plus in any business.

- Education and intelligence are just as necessary as a cheerful hello. You want people to know that you are every bit as qualified and capable as they could hope for. Therefore, when speaking with people, speak clearly, and choose your words carefully. They don’t have to be big words, but they do have to make sense, and grammar is important.

- The written word should follow the same rule. Make sure your business cards, letterhead, brochures, reports, invoices, and all other written documents use correct spelling and proper grammar. Though your client may be enamoured enough with your abilities as a legal professional to overlook a minor grammatical error, you never know who else of importance might see your report or correspondence.

Education: Here we continue where your writing skills leave off and cover the actual knowledge or skill base upon which your legal expertise is founded. Experience is the best teacher, but classroom education can certainly help keep you informed and up to date. Also, the fact that you are continually updating your expertise is impressive to most potential clients.

- Many states require continuing education. If your state does, you should publish this fact in your firm’s literature. If your state does not require CEU, you should still take it upon yourself to keep your own training updated and make that fact a prominent component of your marketing materials.

- Join professional organizations where possible. Many of them will offer various classes and training programs and the benefits of networking are considerable.

- Many online communication forums are professionally dedicated and will provide educational information and opportunities through either on-site or on-line courses, or through the hints, tips, and suggestions offered by members. One good online communication forum is found through “Yahoo Groups” at http://www.yahoogroups.com. The free registration is easy to complete, and all you’ll need to do is search through the groups using the phrase “private investigator” or other keywords associated with your specialty.

- Keep your library stocked. Many people learn as much from books and videos as they do in a classroom setting.

As you attend some of these educational functions, take the opportunity to look around you and either further your own education on this issue of appearance by studying your colleagues, or help improve the way they represent you by helping educate them as to the benefits of a more professional image.

Travel destinations: The Philippines – Part 16

I am proud to live in the Philippines. This is my first and last love. Philippines is a very rich archipelago where you can enjoy the different sceneries and experience different cultures my country has to offer.

Philippines has a wide Array of coastal towns where you can visit the beaches. There are beautiful beaches here that are very relaxing and still not so commercialized like boracay. You can visit from Babuyan islands down to Tawi-tawi and still you won’t get enough of.

If you want to visit the cooler places to unwind, you can visit my hometown Baguio, the city of pines. We have a lot of vacation spots here like Tam-awan village where you can see the replicas of the huts from Kalinga province, mines view, burnham park, wright park, camp john hay among others. And you can taste our delicacies such as lengua de gato, peanut brittle, strawberry jams and the like and eat fresh vegetables that our townspeople cultivate.

Or you can visit my birthplace just a few kilometers from Baguio, where you can see the strawberry farm and pick fresh strawberries, you can taste our fruit wines and just enjoy strolling around.

I can only say, see, and experience it yourself! Perhaps, once you step afoot on our place, you would not want to leave anymore.

Ways to Celebrate Your Anniversary in Boracay

The importance of celebrating your anniversary cannot be overstated. Every year you spend together is worth celebrating, a milestone of keeping the love alive, for better or for worse. One of the best ways to celebrate your anniversary is to have a romantic getaway, and Boracay is the perfect setting for such an intimate trip. Whether it’s for a short stay or a full vacation, Boracay can easily make this event doubly special.

Just married (again)

If you plan to renew your wedding vows then Boracay can be the magical setting for you. This tropical island is conducive for rekindling your feelings. Your repeat “I dos” will resonate deeper with the waves of the island in the background. Everything will be wonderfully tactile with the powdery sands beneath your bare feet. And with the rosy streaks of the setting sun as your backdrop, you could have a truly meaningful anniversary.

The best thing about it is you need not concern yourself with the nitty-gritty of your wedding ceremony. There are wedding packages that would handle everything from airline to church reservation, accommodation, and even fireworks display.

Cuddle like the first time

Of course, a second honeymoon is a requisite. Finding a secluded place to stay in Boracay is possible despite the seeming invasion of local and foreign tourists. The entire 10.32 square kilometers of the island is dotted with hotels, inns, apartments, and lodges that could cater to any client’s romantic whims.

There are other romantic treats for the two of you. Find intimacy in simple things like walking barefoot on the shoreline. Visit a spa and relax together with your partner. A candlelit dinner at the beachfront, under the starry skies can make you fall for each other once again.

Fun activities together

Who says laughing is not romantic? Try the banana boat ride; even adults like you would find the ride exhilarating and fun. Be carefree. Frolic together in Boracay’s world-famous crystal clear waters.

If you miss the nightlife of your courtship days, Boracay can offer you the chance to relive them. Bars and party places are numerous, catering to different crowds. If you prefer throbbing dance music and the hyperactive crowd, go to those located near boat stations 1 and 2. Hey Jude Bar is famous for its hip hop and R&B music with live DJ.

If you want a memorabilia of your anniversary, try Cocomangas where you can win a t-shirt and a plaque for your partner if you surpass the bar’s Still Standing After 15 drinking challenge. It’s always a nice way to impress a lady. For a more relaxed ambiance, explore the bars and other establishments at station 3.

Boracay is about 315 kilometers south of Manila and is part of the province of Aklan. This dog-bone shaped island has become popular for its tropical attractions during the 1970s. Now, Boracay receives a monthly average of 41,000 tourists and boasts of facilities for water sports and activities for rest and recreation.

Musical reviews: Oklahoma!

I first remember “Oklahoma!” from seeing it performed on a makeshift stage in the bombed-out Rizal Stadium in Manila. The musical had been a huge hit when it debuted on Broadway in 1943. Just before the end of the war in the Pacific in July 1945, a USO troupe of actors and singers took the play to perform for GIs in various Pacific locales, including the capital city of the Philippines.

The stadium, which had been the scene of bloody fighting between American and Japanese forces just weeks before, was the only large venue in the damaged city that could be repaired in time to stage the lavish musical. Army engineers and Navy SeaBees worked for weeks to make it ready to seat the 50,000 expected attendees.

In addition to at least two divisions of GIs, several hundred sailors from the Navy fleet landing just a few miles away made our way into the makeshift theater. We were delighted to see everything was set up just like a Stateside theater, including the stage, a curtain and a big orchestra out front. It was a touch of home most of us hadn’t seen for several years.

Of course, even if the musical had been lousy, we would have appreciated every moment of it. It was perfect way beyond our expectations. The original star, Alfred Drake, was still on Broadway, and the part of Curley was sung and acted by an unknown named John Raitt. I think he was an Army pfc at the time. Most people today only remember Raitt as Bonnie’s dad, but he went on to star in many Broadway and Hollywood musicals.

The story line is familiar to everyone who has ever seen the play performed in places from Broadway to high school auditoriums. Curley, the cowboy, loves Laurie, the farm girl. Jud, the bad dude who works for Laurie’s aunt Eller, is also in love with Laurie. They run around, do some Agnes DeMille choreography and sing a bunch of songs. Curley fights Jud, Jud gets killed, Curley marries Laurie and the story ends with the rousing title number.

That bunch of songs include true American classics: “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’”, “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top”, Everything’s Up To Date In Kansas City”, “I’m Just A Girl Who Cain’t Say No”, “People Will Say We’re in Love”, “The Farmer and the Cowman”, and of course, the exciting “Oklahoma!”

The movie debuted in 1955, starring Gordon MacRae as Curley, and the 19-year-old Shirley Jones as Laurie. The wide-screen format was meant to showcase the beauty of the great state of Oklahoma. However, Hollywood moguls decided that southern Arizona made a much better movie Oklahoma.

Best horseback riding experiences

For some strange reason, I fell in love with him even if he wasn’t mine. It seemed so long ago and far away when I first met Hershey. He belonged to a neighbor who was hilariously named Ramil, a fat beady eyed handler they were called “cutseros”-and they would daily ride the poor horse of a what looked like an old carriage to ferry people in the streets of Old Manila.

Hershey looked weary and sad . When he’d come home after the day’s heavy toil, I’d sneak out and bring him some a big plastic bowl of cornflakes and or sometimes, even rice. His favorite seemed to be sugar cubes, but initially, I was scared to let him get near my hand. Ramil put him in a ramshackle damp which was typical of a barn in Manila then. His barn, wasn’t really even a barn, I realized later but an old huge wooden garage.

Whenever I fed Hershey, he would seem to want for more. It was like an ever day ritual. One day, I put some sugar cubes on my hand and though I was a little scared, I didn’t withdraw when he pushed his head hard. I almost fell though. There was also a time when he would seem to want to eat my clothes but by that time, I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. That was when I started to touch his back and try and smoothen what looked like little waves of skin on his back. He seemed to love it. After a few weeks, I knew we were the best of friends because he’d “nose” me a lot every time I would touch him.

There were even times when it seemed that he was inspecting my pocket for sugar cubes and candies. This was one horse who loved both.

Hershey was my best friend. He had his own language like, he would make a certain kind of noise that made me merry because I knew that he was saying he was happy to see me. I always promised him that one day he’d no longer have to work each day and that he’d be mine. I loved knight stories then and I decided that I would be a female knight with a magic horse and sword. One day, I brought I sneaked a bench into the barn and said : ” I’m going up you’re going to be a knight’s horse”. I put the bench near him and climbed to reach his back and sat and touched his head and mane and he stood still. I kept blabbering at him until he took a step and then another and another. There was no fear, but I held on to his mane with one small hand and that was how we got started. We were about five steps when my grandfather arrived looked surprised but he was encouraging. Or perhaps, he didn’t want to scold me there because it would upset the horse. Next, Ramil came rushing in and roped his horse and with me on top of it and allowed my grandfather to walk the horse. I would think that was one of the happiest moments in my life.

After that, I knew he was mine. The next Christmas Eve, we had come home from the midnight mass when I received my first horse. My grandfather bought Hershey and his barn for me. He was finally free from daily toil (and the whip) because he was finally mine and he knew it. My parents spent for the barn and I would ride him sometimes or simply come and stay with him for hours to talk.

Today – 25 years later and thousands of miles away – I still recall the warmth of laying on his back while hugging his neck.

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