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Look no further than 120 Eye Shadow Palettes for those drop dead gorgeous looks which you have always aspired for! Rest assured, the variety of 120 Eye Shadow Palettes is simply stupendous!

Azores – Tranquillity in the midst of the ocean!

Introduction

Azores is a picturesque Portuguese archipelago of nine volcanic islands in the Atlantic Ocean, situated about 1500 km from the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, and as many as 3900 km from the eastern coast of North America.  In fact, from amongst these islands, the Flores Island, and more specifically, the Monchique Islet on it is regarded as Europe’s westernmost point. Together with the relative isolation that marks these islands, thanks to the distant location from any of the major land masses, coupled with the scenic beauty of the area as well as its development as an exotic yet vibrant tourist destination, Azores has rapidly evolved into a premier and much sought after location for those bitten by the wanderlust bug, from all around the world. If you are on the lookout for a tranquil holiday, away from all the hustle and bustle of everyday life in major cities or even in other tourist hotspots, there are few places in the world that can even come anywhere close to Azores.

Getting to Azores

By Air

Thanks to the relative isolation of the islands, coupled with the fact that there is enormous distance separating them from virtually any other location, air travel to Azores is seen to be the most viable. That said you will find flights coming in to Azores from virtually any global destination. Needless to say, flying in from Lisbon would be the most feasible as Lisbon in turn has flights coming in from all the major destinations of the world. In case you are in North America or continental Europe and fancy visiting Azores, then the most feasible and suitable option for you would be to first fly to Lisbon and then take a connecting flight to Azores. Getting to any of the Azores islands by flight from Lisbon or other destinations should not be a problem since all the 9 islands have their own individual airfields.

By Ship

Getting to Azores by ship is another feasible option, provided time is not a constraint for you, not to forget the cost factor! After all, most of the ships coming in to Azores with tourists are cruise ships, in fact luxury cruise ships. Much of the traffic comes in from Lisbon so you should actively check out the cruise liner options along with dates and timings for these ships to set sail for Azores.

Travel within Azores

With the Portuguese administration leaving no stone upturned in developing Azores as a primary tourist destination, transport within Azores, once you are actually there, should be the least of your concerns. There are varied options on offer, whereby whether you are travelling on the same island or getting from one island to another, you should not face any difficulty. In fact, if you are coming on a cruise ship, most of the trips are scheduled in such a manner that they make spaced out halts at each of the islands, whereby you can take in the exotic offerings on every island and then move to the next one, on the same cruise ship that brought you to Azores in the first place.

That said there are many other travel options available as well. Remember that a lot of tourists prefer to come to the Azores on an unscheduled vacation whereby they are not looking at things planned out at every stage. In fact, a lot of such trips are more fun when you discover things by yourself – perhaps with a guide book or an informed local inhabitant there for guidance when really needed!

At the same time, if you are part of a tour group visiting the Azores, you can choose from a wide range of jeep safari tours, car tours, as well as regular coach tours. Additionally, when you come as a tourist who is part of a package tour, it is quite likely that the package would already include a veritable range of travel options such that you would not have to be concerned about the same.

Things to see and do in Azores

Rest assured, thanks to the exotic appeal of the overall setting, there are destinations galore that you would like to see, once you are in Azores.

That said it would be useful to first understand the islands themselves which will in turn allow you to plan your trip suitably (in case you are not part of a package tour). Even if you are, it would give you a better sense of where you are headed.

As we mentioned earlier, the Azores are an archipelago of 9 different islands. These 9 islands are in turn divided into three groups:

• The Western group comprises of the islands of Corvo and Flores.
• The Central group consists of the islands of Graciosa, Terceira, Sao Jorge, Pico and Faial.
• The Eastern group comprises of the islands of Sao Miguel and Santa Maria.

Within these islands, it would be a fallacy to state that there is one particular island that has more places to see or has more picturesque locales than another. That is the reason we do not recommend any one particular island over another. Instead, we vehemently recommend that you plan your trip to Azores in such a manner that you are able to suitably cover all the islands and see all that each one of them has to offer.

That said another thing that you need to keep in mind is that the tourist potential of Azores has been recognized relatively recently and as a result the locales and types of places that would be recommended to you would also be more contemporary in nature.

That is the reason if you are out for a vacation to Azores; keep your mind open to the possibility of a modern vacation that involves indulging in activities that are more contemporary in nature than otherwise.

Thus your Azores vacation should ideally comprise of numerous golf sessions, stay at some of the most beautiful hotels in the world as well as indulge yourself on probably the finest, most reclusive and yet completely picturesque beaches that you will find in practically any part of the world.

As far as activities are concerned, let us look at them island by island. This is one more reason why it makes sense to have a good idea of the islands themselves that comprise the Azores.

If golf is what you are after, we would actively recommend the Batalha Golf Course on Sao Miguel Island that offers a pristine golf course amidst a simply breathtaking view of the ocean as well as the surrounding hills. Other golf courses of immense significance on the Azores would include the Furnas Golf Course, also on Sao Miguel Island as well as the Terceira Golf Club on Terceira Island.

If birds of the feathered kind are what you would like to watch, head straight to Sao Miguel Island which offers views of some truly exotic birds, many of which you are unlikely to see in any part of the world as they are endemic to this region. Pico Island also offers vibrant bird watching avenues, thanks to the equally exotic species of birds that you will find on the island.

Another activity that you simply must indulge yourself in, while at the Azores, is fishing. Remember that when it comes to fishing for a wide variety of game, there is simply no locale in the world as exciting as Azores. Within the Azores Islands, you could particularly concentrate on fishing either on Sao Miguel Island or on Faial Island. On Sao Miguel Island, you could easily expect to catch game such as bluefish, bonito, mackerel, tuna, barracuda and even shark! Imagine a day spent in catching this game and then the ensuing evening amidst a barbecue of the same game that you caught, amidst your friends and family – did anyone say Nirvana? This just has to be it! On Sao Miguel Island, you could go on board the specialized Shanghai Hatteras boat which is renowned for various deep sea fishing records that it has established in the Azores. On the Faial Island, you could indulge yourself in coastline as well as big game fishing, including trolling for coastal fish as well as the traditional approach of hook and line fishing. Imagine the excitement when you are able to get hold of a truly exotic fish on your hook!!

For a geographical tour of the islands and its exotic composition, a tour of the Sao Miguel Island would perhaps be the best bet. On the other hand, if you are game for some hiking, then consider the Pico Island that offers both walking programs as well as climbing the Pico Mountain which is in fact Portugal’s highest point. Of course, being a volcano, you would not want to be anywhere near the peak when it is in a state of eruption!

As for Jeep Safaris, again you would probably like to go in for the same on Sao Miguel Island which offers jeep safaris on both the eastern as well as the western side of the island.

With an abundant ocean surrounding the Azores on all sides, it is no wonder that activities pertaining to the seas take on centre stage on Azores. Thus, while you are there, you should definitely indulge yourself in sailing which again takes place in a big way on Sao Miguel Island. Other than sailing, you would definitely also like to take a look at the whales that come by the Azores island seas; practically all the islands, in particular Sao Miguel, Faial, and Pico islands offer tours of the sea on fibreglass boats whereby you can easily steal furtive glances of whales in the high seas. For a less threatening and in fact immensely thrilling experience, you must also consider the option of swimming with dolphins on the Sao Miguel Island.

Having described most of the diverse things that you can do while at the Azores, it would probably be amply clear to you that from amongst all the various islands, the Sao Miguel Island definitely holds centre stage; therefore, if you are planning a trip to the Azores, you must ensure that a trip to the Sao Miguel Island is definitely on the itinerary else your trip will most definitely be rendered incomplete!

Food and Stay

With a variety of tourists coming in to the Azores, the local administration has made sure that cuisine from around the world is available here. At the same time, given the profile of tourists which tends to be European in nature predominantly, coupled with the fact that these are Portuguese islands, there is no surprise that Portuguese and Mediterranean cuisine forms an integral part of the food on offer. Further, given the relative isolation of the islands from other land masses, coupled with the fact that these are islands surrounded by the seas, it is but natural that sea food is a staple offering here. Thus you can easily expect a wide variety of sea food here, be it different types of fish, crabs, lobsters of unimaginably big dimensions and so on.

Talking about stay, you can be assured that you will in fact be spoilt for choice, with a plethora of hotels on offer. Not only that, there is a wide range, from 4 star to 2 star hotels across each of the 9 islands such that you will not find anything too bothersome on the pocket, while not compromising in any way in terms of the service quality as well as the amenities offered. On Sao Miguel Island, Antillia Apart-hotel, Hotel Bahia Palace, as well as Hotel Avenida are just some of the more renowned 4 star properties. You will find similar hotels of varying costs across all the 9 islands, with no compromise on the service and amenities.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a truly exotic holiday, virtually in the midst of nowhere else but the high seas, then do consider the Azores for your vacation. Remember that everyday life in urban hotspots does take a toll on our overall wellbeing, even if we do not always realize the same; a holiday to places such as the Azores, ensures that we have ample opportunity to retune our mental and physical frequencies! 

Amsterdam – Venice of the North!

Introduction

Located in the western part of the country of Netherlands, Amsterdam is renowned the world over for its historic canals, the Van Gogh museum, the (in)famous red light district as well as hundreds of cannabis coffee shops dotting the city which together draw as many as 3.66 million visitors to it, each year. Besides having a long history spanning well over six hundred years, Amsterdam has a vibrant existence in the present, not only from a cultural perspective but also from a business one, with seven of the Top 500 companies as listed on the Forbes Global 2000, being based in the city. Overall, if you are looking to have a truly exhilarating time, whether all by yourself or in the company of your friends and family, you can be assured you won’t be disappointed!

I amsterdam!

Getting to Amsterdam

By Air

Amsterdam is served by Schiphol airport, one of the busiest airports in the world. Flights connect Amsterdam to nearly all the major cities of the world, so getting to Amsterdam by air should not be a problem for anyone.  

Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport

By Train

If you are traveling from destinations from within Europe, you may very well consider the option of traveling by train. In this regard, you might want to keep the city’s main train station, Amsterdam Centraal in mind, as that station functions as an international one, with connections to all major European destinations including faraway Poland or even Russia.

Amsterdam Centraal Train Station 

By Bus

Companies such as Eurolines connect Amsterdam to virtually all the major European cities so getting to Amsterdam from there, by bus, should not be a problem either. Most coaches run from the Amsterdam Amstel railway station, to destinations across Europe.

A Eurolines bus to Sarajevo at Amsterdam Amstel railway station

Driving into Amsterdam

Amsterdam is very well connected by road, with all major European destinations, especially neighboring Germany and Belgium. Driving into the city from any other European destination would ideally not be a problem at all, though you would perhaps be advised to forego your private vehicle once inside the city and use its plethora of public transport options. Further, with bicycles being the preferred mode of travel within Amsterdam, you would in fact be best advised to use them to the maxim.

Plush highways make driving into Amsterdam an absolute breeze

Transport within Amsterdam

Once inside Amsterdam, there is a whole host of public transport options to choose from, which virtually negate the need for private transport vehicles, especially cars which the city administration seems to particularly disdain. Taking a car to the city center is something that would be particularly taxing for you, with parking being a major issue, besides the heavy fee that you will have to pay for the same.

It is in the light of these factors that other transport options such as trams and buses come across as much more feasible options for transport within Amsterdam. That said bicycles are perhaps the best way of traveling around the city. In fact, bicycle culture, as witnessed around the world, is best exemplified in Amsterdam which had as many as 465,000 bicycles back in 2006.

Where else but in Amsterdam would you see so many bicycles together in one place?

Besides bicycles, the four metro lines of the city, with a fifth under construction, should amply serve your purpose, while traversing through the city. 

Amsterdam Metro

Ferries are also an equally feasible option, for traveling to nearby places in and around Amsterdam, along the city’s waterways.

A "Flying Ferry" in Amsterdam

Things to do

While in some other cities, you might face the problem of deciding what to do while you are there, since the options at hand would be relatively few, you will face the same situation in Amsterdam as well, but for completely different reasons – Amsterdam offers simply too many options in terms of things to do, that it becomes a difficult choice as to what activities to pursue and what to forego!!

That said there are a few things that Amsterdam is particularly known for; one of these certainly is museums. In fact, Amsterdam is well known as the museum capital of the world, with numerous museums dotting the landscape of the city. Some museums in particular, which you would certainly not want to miss, are mentioned below.

Van Gogh Museum

Located in the Museumplein part of the city, Van Gogh Museum houses the world’s largest collection of paintings and drawings made by Vincent Van Gogh. Apart from the obvious draw of the museum, viz. Van Gogh’s creations, you are quite likely to be enamored by the attractive design of the museum building itself, which was conceived by renowned Dutch designer, Gerrit Rietveld.

Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

Also located in Museumplein, the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ national museum, housing a whole host of arts and crafts from around the world. Amongst its formidable collection, paintings from the Dutch Golden Age sure occupy center stage. Dutch artists whose works you will find displayed in the museum include Rembrandt, Jan Steen, Frans Hals as well as Johannes Vermeer. Further, the museum also contains the Rijksmuseum Research Library, which is in fact the Netherlands’ largest art history research library, for the common public.

Rijksmuseum Amsterdam

Anne Frank House

Anne Frank House is a building first built in 1635 and subsequently restored as a museum in 1960, which housed Anne Frank, a Jewish wartime diarist, who escaped Nazi persecution by hiding in the rear of the building. The museum is worth a visit, not only because it served as a hiding place for Anne Frank, but also because, today it symbolizes and is representative of apathy towards any kind of discrimination or persecution, especially along racial or religious lines.    

Anne Frank House in Amsterdam

Besides the above mentioned museums, there are many others which should also form a part of your itinerary, depending on the time and opportunity that you have. Take for instance, the Nemo museum, right next to the Amsterdam central station. Besides being the country’s largest science center, which makes it an attractive destination by itself, it is the shape of the building, in the form of a sinking ship, which in turn draws tourists to it, by the droves. 

Nemo Museum in Amsterdam

Similarly, the Joods Historisch Museum or Jewish Historical Museum is certainly worth a visit, to gain a firsthand perspective on Judaism in the Netherlands, which had been prevalent since the sixteenth century till the Second World War, wherein Nazi persecution led to a virtual annihilation of the majority of the Jewish population of the country. Today, the museum has over 11,000 varied objects in its collection, each of which is representative of Jewish culture and tradition.

Joods Historisch Museum

Apart from museums, Amsterdam has a lot of other draws for tourists as well. Religious monuments and buildings certainly are foremost among them. For instance, one of the most significant churches in the country – the Oude Kerk or the old church is located in Amsterdam, in the De Wallen part of the city, which also happens to house its infamous red light district. The roof of the Oude Kerk is said to be the largest medieval wooden vault, across the whole of Europe. Today, the Oude Kerk is also a venue for various religious and cultural activities of national and international significance, including the World Press Photo awards.

Oude Kerk in Amsterdam

Considering the Netherlands’ relatively large Islamic population, estimated at about 5 percent of the total population of the country, mosques dot the landscape with as many as 400 of them, across Netherlands. Among them, the El Tawheed Mosque in Amsterdam is one of the most significant.

El Tawheed Mosque in Amsterdam

From a Jewish perspective, the expansive Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam is one of the most significant Jewish buildings in the country. Built more than 300 years ago, in 1675, the building maintains its opulent façade from the exterior, even today.

Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam

Other structures and buildings you wouldn’t want to miss seeing, while in Amsterdam: 


The Royal Palace, built in 1648; 

The Royal Palace in Amsterdam

The Concertgebouw which is in fact home to the Concertgebouworkest, a world renowned symphony orchestra; 

Concertgebouw in Amsterdam

The Magere Brug, which is Amsterdam’s best known draw bridge; 

Magere Brug in Amsterdam

The Rembrandt Tower; 

The iconic Rembrandt Tower in Amsterdam

The Millennium Tower; 

The Millenium Tower in Amsterdam - this is the North West side view of the building

The Olympisch Stadion which was the main stadium of the 1928 Summer Olympics, as well as, 

The Olympisch Stadion, as it looked back in 1928

The Homomonument which is a memorial located right in the centre of the city, dedicated towards all homosexuals who have been subject to persecution, simply because of their differential sexual orientation and preference.

The Homomonument

De Wallen – Amsterdam’s largest and most well-known Red Light District

No mention of Amsterdam as a tourist destination can be truly complete without mentioning the infamous red light districts of the city. Among them, De Wallen holds center stage as not only the largest but also the most frequently visited of all red light districts in the city. Located in the centre of the oldest part of Amsterdam, De Wallen is located just south of the Oude Kerk church and comprises of hundreds of small cabins that prostitutes rent out to offer their sexual services. Typically, the prostitutes solicit customers from behind glass doors or windows, which are in turn lit up with red light, quite literally reminiscent of a red light district!

De Wallen, the Red Light District of Amsterdam

Eating out in Amsterdam

When it comes to foodie options in the city, you sure will be spoilt for choice, as there are just too many pickings, including more than a thousand restaurants! Further, you would be surprised in case you are expecting only Dutch cuisine, as food from around the world is very easily available in Amsterdam. From Spanish to Italian to French to Indonesian to Indian and even to Japanese, no cuisine should be hard for you to find. Additionally, even as a vegetarian, you really should not have a problem in the city, as there are numerous restaurants that serve only vegetarian fare, besides the fact that all the other restaurants also happen to have ample vegetarian dishes on offer.

Inside 'Memories of India' Indian restaurant in Amsterdam,
often considered one of the finest Indian restaurants in Europe

Most places commonly serve alcohol, so finding the same should not be a problem for you, irrespective of where you go. One interesting aspect with regard to eating out in Amsterdam is that you pay the same, whether you eat on the terrace or outside or anywhere else within the confines of the restaurant.

Nightlife

Amsterdam has a vibrant nightlife which again will leave you spoilt for choice. Areas like the Rembrandtplein as well as the Leidseplein are rampant with discotheques of varying shapes and sizes, playing a varied assortment of dance music. 

Have the time of your life in areas of Amsterdam such as Leidseplein,
showcased above

In case you are looking for something specific to the lesbian and gay community, then you might want to head towards the Reguliersdwarsstraat which is a street loaded with activities pertaining to the above mentioned community.

A Musical Event at Reguliersdwarsstraat

Shopping

Amsterdam offers a wide array of shopping options, from those akin to street bazaars as well as departmental stores, housing some of the world’s finest brands. The main shopping areas that you would definitely not want to miss, while in the city, include Leidsestraat and Kalverstraat.

Leidsestraat

 You will also find major departmental stores near the Munt Tower as well as at the Dam. For knickknack and curio shopping, you would be advised to look around the Jordaan while for more chic shopping of hi-profile items or brands, you would perhaps be better off looking at the PC Hooftstraat.

High Street Shopping comes alive on PC Hoofstraat 

Events

Considering the large number of events that take place in the city, you might want to consider the option of timing your trip in such a manner as to attend any of these diverse events. For instance, a trip in June would assure you an opportunity to attend the Holland Festival, which entails a full four weeks of diverse cultural activities. 

Signage for the Holland Festival in Amsterdam

Similarly, Amsterdam’s Gay Pride parade takes place early August, each year. Queen’s Day which takes place on the 30^th of April each year is a day you would definitely not want to miss, while in Amsterdam. In fact, if you already happen to be in the city at this time, it is impossible you will miss it as the whole city gets into a mood of complete revelry.

Gay Pride Parade in Amsterdam

Conclusion

Amsterdam has a lot to offer to people from all walks of life. Irrespective of where you come from, just leave your inhibitions behind and go ahead and make the most of your time in the Venice of the North; life could never have seemed any better!

Welcome to World of Vikram!

Hello and Welcome to World of Vikram!
My name is Vikram Malik and it gives me great pleasure in welcoming you to my own little corner in cyberspace!

Yes, that's me!

Here you can gain reasonable insights into the professional side of my personality, in terms of the work that I do as a freelance custom content developer.
I have tried to make this web-log as comprehensive as possible whereby you obtain all the necessary information pertinent to my credentials, which can in turn help you make an informed decision towards hiring me for your next content creation and development project.
Please feel free to explore the links above which will give you a very good idea of the kind of work that I offer, the charges for the same, and indeed the various ways in which we can together add value to our lives...mutually!
Cheerio,
Vikram!

Choosing the best Auto Insurance Coverage for yourself

While you are out in the market for auto insurance coverage, you definitely need to keep in mind the fact that there are various kinds of policies on offer. And by obtaining knowledge about all these different kinds of policies, you can be reasonably certain of making the most suitable choice of auto insurance coverage for yourself – one that suits your requirements the best.

The ways of doing so can be varied; to get started, your best bet would definitely be the Internet; apart from the websites of all the various auto insurance companies, third party websites are likely to provide you a lot of objective information that will help you make a well-informed decision in your choice of a particular auto insurance coverage policy.

Insurance brokers are also an excellent source of quality information on all the various auto insurance coverage policies. Being in the business themselves, often with varying degrees of experience, they know all the nuances in and out, and can definitely recommend the most suitable policy for you, as per your needs and requirements.

Making the best choice also mandates keeping the costs in check; remember that a lot of very similar auto insurance coverage policies are offered at significantly varied prices and therefore, you definitely need to have the cost aspect in mind so that you get the best deal for yourself. While shopping for auto insurance coverage, you also need to check for any discounts that may be on offer; quite often, auto insurance companies do offer promotional, time-bound discounts on their offerings, in addition to other discounts that can possibly be availed only by select individuals based on their overall profile, as per various pre-defined criteria.

While looking at the costs of all the various policies, you should also look at your own requirements; perhaps you already have a Comprehensive insurance policy which covers you as well as your children, on your own vehicle, while the same is actually driven only by you! In such a scenario it makes sense to remove your children’s coverage on that vehicle, and thus save yourself some of your hard earned money!

The corollary is just as important and you should never lose sight of that fact; there is always the possibility that you have installed additional functionalities or even an expensive music system that is hitherto not covered by your existing auto insurance coverage; you must make sure that you suitably upgrade it, so that it is covered now.

Whatever be the case, and whatever the choice that you make, remember that not opting for insurance coverage on your vehicle is NOT a choice that you have; auto insurance coverage is a must by default, made legally binding in virtually all parts of the country, as indeed most of the rest of the world. So, effectively, you will never have a situation of actually having to consider whether to have an insurance policy or not; you just have to have it!

Scratch-proof your expensive electronic devices

ScratchGard launches revolutionary range of screen protectors that keep your phones, cameras and MP3 players looking like new

September 2009. You have just spent a fortune on your new mobile phone, camera or MP3 player. Now, ScratchGard has launched an innovative range of screen protection films that will keep your expensive gadgets looking like new, for years to come. What’s more, ScratchGard will also protect your device’s screen from harmful UV Rays, further extending it’s life. Usable on a wide range of electronic devices, including mobile phones, digital cameras, video cameras, iPods and other MP3 players, PDAs, as well as PSPs and gaming devices, these unique screen-protection films come as ‘exact-fits’, custom-designed for the screens of each of your devices as well as their model variants. Very reasonably priced within a range of Rs. 75/- to Rs. 350/-, ScratchGard’s screen-protection films serve as absolute value-for-money, particularly for your high-end electronic devices. ScratchGard is available at over 1000 mobile phone retail outlets across Delhi. You can also securely purchase ScratchGard, online, at www.scratchgard.in.

ScratchGard is virtually invisible when installed. It has even been tested in hot, cold and humid conditions with equally great results. ScratchGard’s 99% UV resistant screen-protection films use a unique adhesion technology that can be repeatedly removed, washed and reapplied without leaving any marks on the original screen.

Each ScratchGard package includes the ScratchGard screen protector, a Micro Fibre cleaning cloth and instructions on how to apply the screen protector.

ScratchGard comes custom-designed for practically the entire range of mobile phones available in India including those offered by Nokia, Sony Ericsson, O2, Samsung, LG, Panasonic and Motorola. The digital camera range includes those for Sony, Canon, HP, Kodak, Nikon, Olympus as well as Panasonic. The range for video cameras includes those offered by Sony, Canon, Panasonic and HP. MP3 devices include Apple’s IPod as well as Sony’s range of MP3 players. The wide range of PDAs and Smart Phones that ScratchGard scratch-proofs, include those of Blackberry, O2, Palm, Krome Spy, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Casio, HP and Imate. Both Game Boy and Sony Play Station are covered in the PSPs and gaming devices category.


About ScratchGard Overseas Private Limited

ScratchGard Overseas Private Limited is a fully owned subsidiary of ScratchGard UK Ltd. ScratchGard Screen Protector kits represent the leading quality of screen protectors available globally that are designed and manufactured using propriety technology, laser cut process and design innovation by a dedicated team of specialists.

The company has operations in the UK and India for distribution in Europe, Asia, UAE and American markets.

___________________________________________________

For product samples; more scratch-less information on this revolutionary product, as well as to speak to the visionaries who have brought in this revolution to India, feel free to get in touch with:

Vikram Malik,
Accord PR,
+91-9810434837,
vikram@london.com

Stuart Broad

Son of legendary English cricketer, Chris Broad, right-arm fast bowler Stuart Broad has had one too many forgettable experiences during his T20 career. The biggest of them would of course be the day Yuvraj Singh of India smashed six sixes in one over of his, in the last edition of the T20 World Cup, in South Africa. On another occasion, Broad was in the thick of things in the recent T20 match against the Netherlands, which England lost most unexpectedly. With the Dutchmen requiring 2 runs off the last ball, even after managing to capture the ball hit at him, Broady failed to hit the stumps and the batsmen scampered to a victory on which bookies had put odds of 500-1! These unremarkable happenstances aside, Broad has had a reasonably successful stance in the national English cricket team, in both ODIs and test matches, where he has performed not just as an effective fast bowler, but also as a quality batsman. It remains to be seen if his T20 prospects will brighten any further, in case domestic teams such as those of the IPL take him on board.

Ravi Bopara

Puppy Ravi Bopara or “Paapey” as he may better be referred to, considering that he is of Indian Sikh origin, has reposed the faith placed in him by the English selectors, very well. Apart from displaying his batting prowess, with some glorious innings right at the start of his international career, Bopara has come good as a medium pace bowler as well. With three test centuries to his credit, in only six appearances in the national test team, Bopara has made an indelible impression for himself as a quality test batsman, inside out. In the T20 format too, Bopara has displayed pugnacious tenacity. Although he has played only 5 matches for the English T20 side till date, he shone in the recently concluded IPL tournament held in South Africa, as a member of the Kings XI Punjab squad, fully justifying his USD 450,000 price tag. In the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore held at Kingsmead, Durban, on April 24, 2009, Bopara singlehandedly led his team from a difficult position to that of victory, with a swashbuckling 84, off just 59 deliveries. His efforts rightfully earned him the Man of the Match award. Bopara is continuing from where he left, in the T20 World Cup, with a well made 46 off just 34 balls in the inaugural match against Holland. Looks like Bopara has a glorious T20 career ahead of him!

Golden Tips for Buying the Perfect French door curtains for Yourself

French doors have this wonderful aspect about themselves of adding aesthetic beauty to your office or home or wherever else you decide to have them put up. But at the same time, French doors end up allowing significant amount of light to enter into the house – sometimes more than as much as you may wish to. That is where French door curtains come truly very handy.

French door curtains not only control the amount of light that comes inside through the French doors, they actually in turn add immense aesthetic appeal and beauty to your property as well. Having said that, there are various factors that you should keep in mind while purchasing French door curtains for yourself. Otherwise, you might just end up making a wrong and fruitless investment. The tips enlisted below will guide you immensely while making your acquisition.

Before we even get into these factors or tips, be aware that French door curtains are themselves of various kinds. Some of these varieties include solid color fabric panel doors, white sheer fabric door panels, soft stripe leno panel doors and unique sheer fabric door panels. You even have special themed curtains which are generally meant for a particular occasion. Last but not the least; you have French door curtains meant for specific parts of your premises, for instance the kitchen or the bathroom. Before you make your purchase, please do keep this fact in mind. The schematic designs that you choose should complement the design of your French doors as well as the blueprint of the room and premises where you intend to have them. That is where the overall appeal of your premises will truly come forth.

The first and probably the most crucial tip is to have your own French doors known to you very well, in terms of their dimensions – both their exact vertical length as well as horizontal width. This way, you will get just the right dimension of French door curtains, lest you get an inappropriate size, and the investment goes waste. Additionally, knowing the dimensions, you can pick up just the right pattern you want, as per your taste and preference.

The second important aspect to keep in mind is the overall getup and décor of your room. Remember that the French doors and French door curtains must gel well and blend in, with the overall décor of your room. This includes the existing furniture as well as the upholstery that has been used. Keep in mind the fact that French door curtains are almost always white in color so that they reflect heat while allowing light to enter the premises. So make sure that the colors and overall look and feel of your house is such that these curtains would easily blend in.

The key word above is blend in – not necessarily match. There have been many customers of French door curtains who end up doing their entire place in white, just to match with their French door curtains. Remember, that color balance is about blending in or gelling well, and not necessarily matching completely. Therefore, as long as the color combination that you choose blends in and gels well with the décor of your room, it should be fine.

One other very important aspect to consider while getting your French door curtains is their fabric. Ideally, while making your choice, consider practicality as your guiding light, as you do not want fabric that would be expensive to wash as well as cumbersome to take off or put back on. Therefore, choose a fabric that can be easily washed at home. Fabrics that compulsorily require to be dry cleaned would not only prove to be expensive, they will also take up that much extra time of yours, in terms of trips to the dry cleaners.

A very important tip that I can offer you on French door curtains, pertains to their purchase. While buying them online could save you a great deal of time, effort and money, remember that without an actual touch and feel, you might just end up buying something inappropriate or simply unsuitable for the place you intend to have them. So, if you have the option, and a suitable store lies within your reach, consider making a physical trip at least one, to be sure of exactly what you are getting. Having said that, there are online stores that actually send samples of their fabric, before you actually buy the same. If buying offline simply does not seem possible, at least request to have a sample fabric sent across to you. Lastly, irrespective of whether you purchase online or offline, make sure that the retailer offers you a money back guarantee.

As far as styling of French door curtains goes, consider tying them from the middle. This will give them an hourglass shape, which will in turn make them look both contemporary as well as stylish. Additionally, also consider having your French doors installed in your inner rooms. This will surely give a perfect and complete French look to your property. With this, if you can combine real or even replica wrought iron curtain rods and put them together with the curtains, you can very well say Au Revoir to any other look that you may have contemplated and Bienvenue to the perfect French look!

At the same time, if you are looking forward to an extremely elegant and stylish look for your room, consider sheer French door curtains. These, when put together with smaller and thinner curtain rods, certainly make your premises look extremely stylish, contemporary and elegant, giving it an edge of finesse which you would certainly be very proud of.

Summing up, you can clearly see that French door curtains make a world of difference to your premises. Simply keep the above mentioned golden tips in mind while making your French door curtains acquisition, and you will be assured of a truly blissful and magical experience, all the way!

French door blinds – the magical remedy to home privacy and light screening

French doors are one of the most beautiful and aesthetic kind of doors that one can use to beautify a house. For some they might already be a part of their beautiful interiors while for others, this can be an additional feature they can look up on while renovating their house or when moving in to a new one. The best part is that for each different kind, there can be various treatments to give a different look to the same door. Depending on your taste and style you can have many options like French door blinds, shades or curtains. The best ones certainly are the French door blinds. With different shades and styles, these can bring a complete change over for the door itself and for the surroundings at large. French door blinds are not only a good means to beauty but are also very utilitarian by nature.

Before we start with the actual treatment, let us get a sense of what really a French door is (for those who don’t know), the different kinds, their utility and finally what kind of blinds can be used to beautify them.

A French door as defined as “a door that has multiple windows ("lights") set into it for the full length of the door”. For a lay man though, these are doors with a full length (may be assembled or one piece) of glass spread across them. Traditionally, these doors were set to open in the centre but with years of change they now come in various moulds. Today sliding and folding French doors are getting increasingly popular due to more utilitarian purposes.

French doors bear their origin to the 17th century and were used to allow maximum light in to the room (imagine, there was no electricity then!). But today their purpose is more of beautification than anything else. In the past they were used more towards the exterior to enable light in to the building but in the present times, they are used everywhere, right from a bathroom to a patio to a bedroom. So depending on where you intend to put them up, the doors can be different kinds like sliding, hinged, double-door, multi-panel or folding type.

Now some people do question the usage of French doors because of the lack of privacy they offer. But for those who really want to beautify their homes, there is no better way. With a good cover up like French door blinds, one can use them even while having an open look at your beautiful lawn in the front, or the blue sky ahead or to bring a cheerful look to your room and even as an alternate to a wall!

Even as we learn the beauty of French doors we also ought to know how to adorn them further. Some people are wary of putting up curtains on these doors, quite rightly so because what then is the purpose of having a French door if you are going to cover it up. So a more interesting and useful way would be to use blinds. French door blinds are a fashion statement for your home in the present times. They add glamour and a few hundred extra dollars to your asking price for a house if you plan to sell it. These can be of many kinds including micro blinds, mini blinds, vertical blinds, and wooden blinds. But what you need to remember essentially is that with blinds you can control the amount of light coming in and creating the ambience, so a proper assessment must be made in that regard.

Micro blinds seem to be best suited for French doors as their small slant size makes them look attractive. Some may even prefer Mini blinds. While mini blinds are horizontal blinds made with 1" wide aluminum blind slants, Micro blinds are made with ½ " wide aluminum slants. There is another option in the form of Vinyl mini blinds. These are a good practical solution for high-humidity places like a bathroom or a kitchen. While aluminum ones blend well with modern interiors, vinyl blinds may seem a little out of place. So make sure you read the surrounding first before mounting any of these.

Meanwhile Vertical blinds are also a popular option among French door blinds. These essentially are simpler and cheaper choices available to you. These collect less dust and in fact can be cleaned even while left hanging. These are easily available everywhere and in fact you can find one in your neighborhood home-improvement store also. But one major negative with these is that they can be pretty noisy because they have a lot of movement. So take that into consideration while installing these.

Also if you want a classic, royal look you can go for wooden blinds. These can come in many shades and hues depending on the type you select. Most popular come in Basswood while bamboo is also gaining popularity increasingly. While many may go for bamboo blinds owing to their cheap price, yet most will contend that there is nothing as versatile as a bamboo product. Also with growing demand for eco-friendly home products, bamboo takes the top slot. It is closer to nature than any other product available in the same category.

Now before you decide on the kind of French door blinds you want to use, keep some other factors in mind. First of all remember that horizontal blinds need good space when open completely. Choose an appropriate size. If the standard ones don’t suit your purpose, some manufacturers provide you the option of custom made blinds called ‘cut-outs.’ These can take in to consideration the blind size and also space for the door knob.

Also make sure that you have enough mechanisms in place to control the flapping of vertical blinds in case the door is left open. Wood Venetian blinds though can work well in this situation due to their weight. Also if a door knob is causing a problem, go for the low profile head rail and a device that keeps the blinds to remain closer to the door.

Go ahead and set your blind date with French door blinds today!

You Can Make Money Online, Without Spending Anything!

You don’t necessarily need to have a website or products to sell, to make money online

The days of yore meant having products to sell or at least a website of your won, in order to make money online. But those days are easily behind us. Today, simply with the help of the things that we know, or even the people that we know, good amount of cash could be made online.

Of course, it is important to sift the wheat from the chaff. Searching online, using terms such as “make money online” or “making money online”, reveals that a lot of the supposed “golden” opportunities are simply words of hype from Internet Marketers. More than anybody else, it seems to be these people who are actually making substantial amounts of money, online.

Having said that, there are legitimate companies out there, giving out real money to real people. Moreover, they do not require any major hard-selling or require you to have your own domain or even your own service. Listed below are some of these companies.

Job Referral Sites

Sites like Bohire, Who Do You Know For Dough, and Zyoin connect prospective employers and employees together. A lot of these employees already have jobs, because of which they are not active on full-fledged job sites such as Monster. The aforementioned sites help in bringing employees and employers together, using the power of networking. As and when you refer such employees, the referral amount you stand to earn for yourself could range from a paltry $50 to many thousands of dollars.

Getting Suppliers and Buyers Together

Not there in the past, now there is a way of tracking referrals on online merchant sites. For every sale that is generated by you, a certain pre-determined referral amount is credited to your account. Sites which specialize in these kind of referrals include uRefer, InnerSell, and Salesconx. Sites like uRefer let merchants to pay even for introductions or meetings that you may have set up for them, and not necessarily for sales.

The written word gets you cash!

Unknown to many, you can actually write your way online to cash, that too, loads of it. Sites like Helium and Associated Content pay you a reasonable amount for just about any topic that you may choose to write on. In case you write on a topic assigned by them, the payout is even higher, sometimes as much as $200. Many blogs are also on the lookout for freelance writers to fill in the content for them. The initial payout may not be much, but with time, the payouts increase.

How about your own blog?

If you are already into writing, why not write for yourself, that too on your own blog? If you think that making your own blog requires you to know complex web designing, think again. Sites like Blogger can set you up in minutes, without knowing any element of web designing. Moreover, they can set up Google AdSense on your blog whereby ads would be displayed on it, and money would be credited to your account whenever people clicked on them. In order to maximize revenues, you could consider adding affiliate links on to your blog from merchants such as Amazon.

Create Resource Hubs

If you are an expert at compiling pertinent information from diverse sources and putting it all together, you could do so on sites such as Google Knol, Squidoo and HubPages which pay you through a combination of revenues from advertising and affiliate fees. The pay-out rate may be lower than if you did it on your own, but the traffic that these sites manage to bring in is much higher, thus squaring things up eventually.

Advertise other’s products

In case you already have an existing web site or blog, you could look towards monetizing it by advertising products or services offered by others. These could be related to the products or services that you have on offer on your own website, yet may not necessarily compete with the same. You could do this by placing textual or graphical content which serves as advertisements, or you could put them up as hyperlinks within your textual content. You could even append links to discussion forums.

Photography

You don’t need to be a proficient and professional photographer to have your images sold online. Moreover, do not write off any image that you might have taken – you would never know who in this world would require just the image that you have. Sites that you could look up for this include iStockphoto, ShutterStock, Dreamstime and Fotolia.

Listed above are only representative samples of the possibilities that lie in front of you for making money online, without having a specialized presence there, or having any specific skill sets. If you dig deeper, you will find that there are many more opportunities waiting to be tapped for making money online.