The Power of Retail

Since I’ve been spending a lot of time jazzing up my laptop, I’ve also got a new usb flash drive for any additional work that I need to do. The best part of having a laptop is the flexibility that comes with it, and since my work is also one that requires working on and off, regardless of where I am, it’s the perfect way for me to work. It has really changed the way I think of work and the way I take on assignments, and is probably responsible for making me more efficient since I have to work from different places at different times. Hoping I will be able to continue doing so in the future as well.

My beloved laptop has been undergoing a major overhaul for the past few weeks. There were several small irritants and problems that I had been facing for the past few months, which were not fixed the last time I had some time off from work. This time, I have lots of time, since I am on complete chutti and am only enjoying myself with a bit of surfing and blogging while I am here. The only thing that remains is a battery, that has been ordered and will be arriving shortly.

Ever since the first time I went to Branson, Missouri, I have had a soft spot for it. It was for work that I first went there, but it soon became one of my favorite weekend spots when I lived in Kansas City. Branson Missouri is a wonderful gem of a place that offers a lot of variety to visitors. There’s everything from great country music shows to incredible restaurants and breathtakingly beautiful views in and around Branson.

On my first trip there, we did the usual touristy routine, visited the museum, saw a couple of shows, ate at the famous spots and so on. On each subsequent visit, I have tried to discover an unknown and unseen part of town and the surrounding areas, which is something very easy to do in Branson. There are a variety of packages to chose from when you visit Branson, depending on what shows you would like to see and what kind of food you would like to eat. It can get quite confusing, since there is a lot of options to select from.

There are also some pretty great outlet shops there, so if you are interested in shopping, you’ll have lots of choices there as well. The theme park has also been attracting lots of people and is a great place to spend some time there. My favorite part of Branson is its natural beauty and simple charm, something that I just can’t get enough of.

Since I’m currently on a short break, am thoroughly enjoying myself being at home and getting a bit of pampering. Everyday seems like a sunday and not having a daily agenda or to-do list is really, really great. It’s been ages since I got to relax like this, since each time I come home there is lots of stuff to do and catch up with, but not this time. Here’s a sneak peak at what my mornings are like!

Enjoy!

There has been just so much confusion in the past few years as to which kind of TV and computer screens will be the frontrunners, LCD or Plasma. There are lots of very ardent fans of LCDs, and many on the other side as well. By and large, those with a lcd monitor are the ones that are doing better and it looks like they will continue to do so for a while now. The picture quality and clarity are the most important factors to look out for when buying them and LCDs offer extremely high qualities of both.

It’s just over a year since I started this blog. I can’t believe just how fast the time has flown. I have close to 600 posts now and and catching up with my posts on my other blogs, since I’m posting a bit moreregularly here. My first and oldest blog is also quite active, since I write about travel and fun stuff there, all of which I seem to have lots of stuff to write about. When blogging first started, it was just associated with a few tech-savvy people, but the trend has really caught on and become quite mainstream now, to the extent that many are getting tired of it and abandoning their blogs. I don’t post as often as I used to, but still enjoy the concept of writing things and sharing them here.

The past few months have been pretty tough on me since I’ve not been feeling all that great, almost needing some energy pills at times, to keep me going. While I am quite new to this area, lots of people really deeply depend on something or the other to keep them going. More and more people are going in for pills and their easy availability has made it even simpler. Search on the Internet for them and you’ll see just how easy it is to find them. As usual, one has to go with something that is suitable to oneself.

It’s great being home for a while…as usual, my trips are quite unexpected and sudden and while they cause a bit of chaos for a while, they do make life a lot more interesting as well. The last time I had 4-5 days to plan a trip, buy a ticket and fly back. This time it was quite similar and I have under a week again to book a ticket and come back home. So, I have become a expert packer and leave all my basics in both my parents and in-laws homes, so I don’t need to carry much. That’s really the only way one can pick up and leave at a moment’s notice.

Its been a long time since I went to Branson, but I remember the town very well. It was a rainy weekend that I was there, but there was something just so charming about the place that I found myself reminded of the hills where I had grown up. From an investment point of view, Branson is quite a good option, since tourists are always looking for Branson rentals, especially during the summer months. In the winter too, the city gets quite a few visitors and becomes a rather charming little place to escape to. Since I grew up in the hills, I love going for vacations there and would love to have a permanent place to stay there as well. Let’s see what the future brings us!

The retail scenario in many countries in South East Asia is developing at a rapid pace. Where at one time it was just a home grown marketplace, now more and more there are chains of stores who are replacing them, although not entirely. Wherever modern retail has made inroads there have been protests and fear about how it will impact the local mom-and-pop stores, but in most places these have not been affected adversely, although they have had to make changes in the way they operate so as to become more competitive with these new formats.

In India there are 12 million mom-and-pop stores which employ millions of workers, most of whom are not educated and not capable of working elsewhere, so the worry has been quite intense. There has to be changes made in the way these businesses operate but many stores are scared of making any changes to the way they operate. Change is good, change is required, change is what makes business grow, so we should not resist change.