Mums and computers.

What most mums know about computers and the internet can be written on the back of a postage stamp, yet the over 55's are the largest growing market in the social media world!
With this in mind I am producing a series of short self help videos for my friend's mum for Xmas about computers and the internet. How to upload photos from her digital camera , how to create a file of important recipes etc etc.What do your mums / grandmas typically want help with that these videos might be useful for them too?  Would be great to get your feedback. Please take the time to click the link below to  fill in your answer and as a special thank you I will send you a copy of the videos once they are live!

http://www.askdatabase.com/campaigns/?af=55204

Thank you!

I love blogging!

Someone once said that that everybody has a book within them. Not so sure about that but I certainly love blogging.
I started blogging in early June and now 3 months along the line I think about bogging practically every day. Its something I have even thought about giving my day job up for which is totally irrational. What started off as an exercise to see if I have the patience to write anything at all has rapidly turned into an obsession. My first month I went a little over board and published a blog every other day. Since then I have tried to temper my zealousness and get into a rhythm of writing around 10 a month which is I feel is sustainable.
Conservative estimates say that there are around 200 million blogs in existence. Some are just word blogs, some are just pictures and some are video blogs or vlogs as they are known. Everybody has their own motivation for writing a blog, some people want to earn money from their blogs by hosting adverts and some people just do it for pleasure. Some people like to write about one particular topic whilst others, like me, tend to ramble on about whatever takes their fancy. There are no hard and fast rules. Readership is another subjective topic. How many people read my blog is an irrelevance to me, yet I do know others who see it as a sign of their popularity. For me it is purely therapeutic and a form of relaxation that maybe one day I will be able to make some money from. Think I have a long way to go on that front!

I would urge any of you with a hobby to start writing a blog. If you love cooking why not write down all your favourite recipes and take a picture of the final result? If you like gardening write about the new flowers and weeds that have popped up in the last week. The possibilities are endless but more importantly it is a great way to catalogue a part of your life. Think what a marvelous legacy this would be for your Grandkids to look at when you are gone! Its really easy to get started and you do not have to be a computer genius. Just go to www.blogger.com and follow the instructions.
My mum wrote her first book in her 60's and it was something that kept her occupied the rest of her life and by the time she died she had written and published 4 books. I would love to know if she would have taken to blogging in the same way as I have.

Fresh produce rules!

I have just discovered the farmers market in Ricany and am loving it! If I wanted to be churlish I could say that it is just a few stalls in the local market place but in this case its definitely the thought that counts. If there is anyone amongst you that has never been to one of these markets then I can thoroughly recommend it but be warned , you will never be able to buy produce in the local supermarket ever again. Don't be fooled into buying the produce from the BIO section, this is all just marketing BS designed to get you to spend more money . It is not the same as buying from the farmers market.

Todays pick.

It might sound obvious but all the produce at the farmers market is very obviously seasonal so don't go expecting to buy berries in February. You don't have to be an agricultural expert to realise that we don't have the hot weather to produce them at this time of year. Duh! Having said that I would urge everybody to experiment a little with what is on offer. I can't cook and quite frankly some of the vegetables I see I have no idea what to do with but I can tell that if its fresh and its a root vegetable then I can throw it into a veggie soup and odds on I will be pleasantly surprised. Roasting is another good option to get familiar with these vegetables as the roasting process takes the bitterness away but leaves you with the whole taste of the vegetable. Again nobody dies if you don't like that particular veg but at least you will know for future reference. It is only this year that I have realised that whilst I love green peppers in salads I hate them roasted.How many of us stick to the same old tried and tested vegetables for our Sunday roast? Wouldn't life be boring if we did everything the same year in year out- well the same with food!
Fruit is another fabulous thing to experiment with at the markets. It has to be said though that if you are expecting them to look as nice and shiny as they do in the supermarkets then I will say just one word to you. Chemicals! Yes the reason fruit looks shiny in shops is because they spray the hell out of it to make it look fresher and last longer on the shelves. Real fruit has bumps and bruises people!
For me though the real piece de resistance of the farmers market has to be the fresh farm eggs. For me the thought of buying eggs that have come from battery farmed hens is enough to make me cry. Am not saying that the nutritional value of the egg is any different but for me its a matter of animal rights. If that aspect does not have you racing to the market though then just crack open a fresh egg and the visual difference is astounding. The golden yolk is enough to tell you that this has to be better for you than the pale insipid yellow yolk of your shop bought option . Thought for the day - what do humans look like when they do not go outdoors? Yep, pale and unhealthy. Get it?!
Farmers markets are now a big thing in Prague and it seems that practically every district has them these days, usually on a Saturday morning. Again, some will be bigger than others and some will have better produce so shop around. If price is an issue ( although I would not say that they are any more expensive) then skip over the fruits that you can peel such as oranges and bananas as once you discard the peel you've also discarded any chemicals that might have been used . Stick to the real Macoy that you can see has come from the original source. Yes, am talking stalks on the carrots, dirt on the potatoes, fluff on the eggs. Go back each week and get to know the stall holders, they will happily tell you what to do with each product and when it should be eaten.
Get involved, your body will thank you!

P.S Just in case you needed some more persuasion - they always sell home made wine and spirits at these markets. Go along just for this!

On the eve of September 11th.

Is it really the 9th anniversary of the 9/11 atrocity? Time flies so fast yet for many this day remains engrained in their memories as if it was just yesterday.
Whilst I am not known for being a sentimental or religious type I always pause for a moment of reflection and thanks that I have never experienced this type of horror at first hand.
I also like to be thankful for the amazing job the emergency services continue to do around the world each and every day. In a world that is filled with so many selfish , self centered people its nice to know that there is still a small slice of humanity prepared to sacrifice everything for the good of others.
Many thanks to all these brave people .

Outlet malls - bogus bargains or the real deal?

Luxury items are a way of life today but how many of us are prepared to pay full price? The good news is that you do not have to. Welcome the era of the outlet mall!
Is there anybody in the world today that has never visited one of the all singing all dancing outlet malls ? From Woodbury Commons near New York city http://www.premiumoutlets.com/, Bichester Village in Oxfordshire bicestervillage.com, La Vallee within the Disneyland Resort in Paris http://www.outlet-malls.eu/ each and every one of these offer fantastic bargains for all the big name brands. They are not, however for the faint hearted and if you think you can just pop by and pick something up then you are a fool because :

a) You can never predict what they will have on sale. How this is determined is a complete mystery to me but I guess it has to do with the last seasons stock, lack of demand,seasonal nature or just the time of the month. Seriously if anybody knows drop me a line!
b) Size. Some of these places are so huge that you can get seriously lost just looking for the car park.

Precision planning is required for a trip to these places and thank God for the internet. Go to any of the sites above and they all will have a map of the stores. Get a big marker pen and plot all the stores you want to visit. Don't even think of trying to work it like a supermarket and go down the aisles because by the time you are at the store you really want you will be tired and grumpy, not to say possibly penniless!

So, are you really getting a bargain at these places or is it all hype? Sometimes you have to hold your scepticism but I think in the large part the answer has to be yes. I know from my own experience that the Dior handbag that I picked up for 600 USD was definitely discounted by around 50% because I had checked out the prices in Europe. The jury is still out for me  though on fashion items . Yes a 50% discount on a jacket is nice but if you are only buying it because it is discounted and not because you love it and had already earmarked it at the normal retail price then there is an issue. The one thing I do know for sure though is that with a bit of smart shopping you can get even bigger discounts than displayed. How many of you know that if you pop into the information centre before you start shopping they will give you a discount booklet that can give you anything from an extra 10 - 20% off in certain shops? Make sure you pick this up!
These days though you do not  have to even venture from your settee to grab an outlet bargain. The amount of internet sites promoting these discounted brands is phenomenal. It seems like almost every day I end up on some mailing list that promotes designer gear on a limited basis ( usually a 3 day offer or until sold out). Fashion Days in Prague is one such site www.fashion-days.cz and again I can testify that the system works but the offers on these sites are definitely hit and miss and you have to get up pretty early to read your mail as otherwise all the good stuff is gone before your first cup of coffee!
In short there is nothing stopping you these days from buying that  it bag seen on the arm of Alexa Chung or the latest season designer trench coats from Burberry but with a bit of planning and a strong constitution you can buy the shoes and scarf to match and still have change for that Gucci watch.
Happy Shopping!

Lack of career advice in International schools.

My 15 year old daughter goes to a very good school in Prague and unusually for a school taught in English they have a selection policy so only the brightest get in www.englishcollege.cz. Despite this I am amazed and upset that there seems to be no time allocated within the curricululm for further education or career advice. Not only this but there is nothing mentioned even about how the choice of subjects at A level or IB level will impact the eventual choice of University. Is this right? I know from living in the Czech Republic a long time that the whole educational system is woefully behind the times but things have to change. Bright Czech kids have always gone to University but due to the lack of language skills and financial restraints the majority still go to Czech universities. Very few have been educated abroad. Today this is not the case though and the world is their oyster but if nobody is educating them on their opportunities how can they make informed choices? Its maybe every parents wish to keep their child within arms reach for as long as possible but going away to University is a rite of passage and not just about getting a  degree. Without sending our kids off to fend for themselves in a controlled-ish environment how can we hope to turn out well rounded functioning individuals. What we get and what is still prevalent in the Czech Republic is a group of mummies boys and girls

Whilst I was in New York I deliberately looked in Barnes +Noble to see what sort of literature there was for sale about schooling and career choices and there were shelf loads to chose from. Everything from the more pragmatic list of Universities to how to write your admission essay! www.barnesandnoble.com Still, despite all these resources I still feel the schools should be providing this info in house. Last week in the UK the A level results were published. Finally all the students will now know their fate and what they need to do if they have not got into their first choice of University. A stressful time I am sure but at least they know what their options are. Even BBC Radio 1 had a slot for careers guidance during the day to advise students. I want the same opportunity for my child and her friends and I will be making it my mission this year to get this rectified. I have come up with a list of 10 basic questions about the whole University process which I shall be sending to every University graduate under 30 that I know in my immediate circle  of friends and beyond. Hopefully from the responses I will get a basic idea of the trials and tribulations and will publish all these survey results in a book for my child and her friends to use. If you know of anybody that has graduated from Uni in the last 8 years please contact me at kkah1967@gmail.com  so that I may enlist their help.
From the leaders of the future I would like to thank you for your cooperation.

We all need goals.

Every year in January Jason Cahill, shopintheknow.blogspot.com and I write down 10 goals that we aim to achieve that year. We started writing goals as a result of seeing the American motivational speaker BRIAN TRACEY at a seminar in Poland.www.briantracey.com He said that if you want to be successful in life it is not enough just to wish it but you actually have to do something about it.Without goals you have no focus! Obvious when you think about it . By writing these goals down they become more real to you but even that isn't enough. You need to figure out how to go about achieving that goal and then work on it every day for at least 10 minutes. By dedicating this time you are more sure of achieving what you really want. Again this sounds logical because if we say that we want to lose 5kgs the chances of us achieving this are virtually zero if we do not diet or exercise. How many of us make New Year resolutions only to have broken them by the end of January?
Only 3% of people have clear,written, specific, measurable,time bounded goals and these people accomplish 10 x more than people who do not write goals! Bill Gates and Richard Branson both write goals like this and there is no disputing how successful they are.
If you want to become more successful in your life I recommend you do what the smart people do and learn this valuable life skill. Take the time out today to invest in your future. Who knows where it may lead you.