Lampwork Beads - Handcrafted Glass Beads

After I visited Lavender’s blog I decided to write some things about the art of lampworking. Lavender is a Glass BeadMaker and her creations are just adorable. The beautifully coloured glass beads really caught my eyes!

Now, I’ll let you to know some things about lampworking:

Lampworking is glassworking using a torch to melt and shape the glass. It is also known as flameworking or torchworking, as the modern practice no longer uses oil-fueled lamps.

Lampwork Beads

Lampwork beads are type of bead made from glass, and it's no surprise, because glass is an artisan's dream. It can be poured into molds. It can be cut and polished into faux gemstones. It can be stretched and pulled into any shape imaginable. It's no wonder that creative people throughout the world choose to express their artistic talents with glass.

Lampworked beads (with the exception of Asian and African beadmaking) have generally been the provenance of Italian, and, later, Bohemian lampworkers for the last four hundred years or so who kept the techniques secret. Thirty or so years ago, some American artists started experimenting with the form. Their early efforts, by today's standards, were crude, as there was almost no documentation, and none of the modern tools. However, they shared their information, and some of them started small businesses developing tools, torches and other equipment.

What Lampwork Beads Look Like

Hand crafted glass beads can be as plain or as decorative as the artist likes. Multiple layers of glass are often used, switching colors to create the desired look. Small dots of color can be left as bumps on the bead's surface or plunged into the center where they form floral-like designs.

While surfing the Internet I came across a beautiful place from where you can purchase lovely beads jewelry: Art of Venice

The perfect weekend destination

“Close you eyes” he softly whispered in my ear…and I did so, not being aware of the fact that everything was going to turn into a fantasy. Then, I felt his tender touch putting a lovely silvery shoe on my foot and after that, a few moments of sweet silence and then I opened my eyes in astonishment and I was wearing glamorous shoes, with flower like jewelry attached to them… and I was Cinderella! My Prince was there, next to me, inviting me to dance. I couldn’t believe I was a princess…his princess…and I happily entered the lovely fairytale, being a part of it…

The music, the dress, the marvelous shoes I was wearing, the Prince, everything made me fly so high in the sky and taste the sweet fairytale so happily…

That was the destination where the Prince wanted to take me to: Cinderella Fairytale…a magical beautiful world and making me feel like a princess is the best thing he can do…

This magical moment happened this weekend, and it was delightful! I decided to write about it, after reading an article on the internet about weekends and the fact that couples should always go out, to new places, in order to maintain the passion alive and not to lose interest in one another… And I wanted to say something about it, because I don’t usually go out for the weekends. I just wanted to emphasize the fact that you can go anywhere you want to go, to any destination, be whatever you want to be, as long as the right person is next to you.

What matters is not the destination, the places we go to, but the person who can take us anywhere, to any destination, when we actually remain in the same place!

Can you think of a better place to go for the weekend? Because I just can’t!

Do Follow

I want to let you know that I joined the Do Follow Movement.

Now if you leave a comment on my blog you'll be rewarded with a backlink.
You'll find more information on search engine journal.

If you need images to show that you're a Do Follow member as well, you can find them here.

Sex and the City movie is on the way!

Are Carrie and Mr. Big together? What about Charlotte? Did she adopt the baby from China? And Samantha is she still keeping things…interesting? Is Miranda comfortable with being a mom and living in Brooklyn?

I bet all SATC fans have been occupied with these thoughts, but ladies, I have to announce you that Sex and The City is on the way! Oh yes, the four gals are all ready to resurrect their deliciously sexy “Sex and the City” characters for the big screen.

New Line Cinema is close to inking a deal to finance and distribute the film in association with HBO, John Smith, a representative at New Line, confirmed Thursday.

The Sex And The City movie will start shooting in New York in September with the show's leading ladies, Kim Cattrall, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis reprising their roles.

As far as I know there were rumors that the delay was due to Kim Cattrall (who played Samantha Jones) asking for a higher salary and creative input.

I read a lot of articles regarding the movie and everybody is wondering whether it is a good idea or not to continue the well-loved show. Some are afraid that if the movie is done badly, the memory of the fabulous show will be tainted, but on the other hand, the idea of resurrecting a beloved program seems very appealing.

As I am a huge fan of SATC, I’m just looking forward to see Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha raising their Cosmopolitans and toasting the long-awaited "Sex and the City" movie.

Success and Failure - The Very Slight Difference

As I was visiting other people's blogs I realized there are so many bloggers talking about success and its different forms and I got to thinking about it too...

I think success and failure are fairly recent notions depending as much on us as on numberless circumstances up to the point where they become the head and obverse of the same coin.

A certain amount of courage, talent and hard work is contained in success as well as in failure - in order to lose something, to risk something, you must have something, you must be someone or at least have a fair chance of becoming someone. In other words every loser is a former winner or at least the heir of a winner.

I think success is necessary in anybody's life, not in the competitional sense, not as a victory against others( though this is quite enjoyable,too! ), but as a sense of fulfillment, of being reasonably satisfied with ourselves and our friends, our job and our family. Happiness is a form of success so is a well cut dress that suits us or a nice chocolate cake.

Of course, some of us prefer the grandeur of failure to trivial types of success because it frees us from anxiety, allowing us to plunge into idleness - sometimes the temptation is so great that we fail on purpose!

It's important to remember that if success is relative, temporary and shallow, failure is not permanent or serious either - unless we want it to be so. What matters is not success, but our restless search for it during which we may come across other things far more valuable and important. Success makes our life dynamic but not necessarily meaningful.

Project Gutenberg collection

These days I've been reading Sapho, by Alphonse Daudet and I must admit that the novel really got me and I love the way the writer relates the couple's relationship. As my book version is in Romanian, I searched the Internet for the French version, because it's more pleasant to read the 'original' novel and I came across The Project Gutenberg collection, which has lots of books for free! I downloaded Sapho from there and now I'm glad that I'm reading the French version which I find more expressive than my Romanian one :)

You can also find there The Project Gutenberg Wiki. If you love literature you should visit this site!

Donate Car to Charity

As I was searching the Internet, I found some useful sites for those who want to donate their car but who need further information on charity programs.

As far as I could see, http://www.donateacar.com/ is one of the largest and most trusted car donation center in America. There's a big list containing hundreds of respected charities from where you can choose whatever you like. After you decided upon the charity center, you have to complete a simple donation form and that's it!

I also found a FAQ's about used vehicles donations at thins link: http://www.motherwaddles.com/faq.htm

I came across some other sites that are intended to facilitate not only car donations, but also boat donations: http://www.boatangel.com/.

Reading the reviews on this topic, I realized how much we can help people in need by donating our cars/boats etc.. For instance, I found out that due to Boat Angel donations, orphans and children in third world were provided with better education in schools, with learning&training materials, computers etc. Boat Angel seems to have sustained a literature campaign, as well. It's no use to enumerate the good points of donations, but it is important to realize that we can help the others.

Here's a short list of other sites I visited:
http://www.donateyourcar.com/
http://www.kars4kids.org/
http://www.caritasforchildren.org/donateacar.htm

Best flash site

I remembered today about the coolest flash site I've ever seen: http://www.a-to-s.co.uk/home.php The effects are great!

If you know some other sites better than this, let me know! Thx!

Here's another site, not as good as the other one, but it's quite funny: http://www.neostream.com/

Words 4 ever ...

"The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for." ( Allan K. Chalmers)

"There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved." ( George Sand )


"When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace." ( Dalai Lama )

"Love—is anterior to Life—
Posterior—to Death—
Initial of Creation, and
The Exponent of Earth—"
( Emily Dickinson )

Downshifting: Quitting the rat race

Lily Tomlin said: "The trouble with the rat race is, even if you win, you are still a rat."

Who hasn’t wanted to step off the ever-accelerating treadmill of work, and gain some balance in life? Most of us, at one time or another, have wanted to move from the fast track of life to a more satisfying, healthier, less work-focused lifestyle.

What is a downshifter?

Downshifters are people who adopt long-term voluntary simplicity in their life. They accept less money through fewer hours worked in order to have time for the important things in life. Downshifters also place emphasis on consuming less in order to reduce their ecological footprint.

Why do we downshift?

There are two primary aspects to downshifting. One is about connection – connection to life, family, food, place – and the other is about maintaining a healthy balance – balance in the personal, work, family, spiritual, physical, and social aspects of their life.

Basically downshifters seek a life filled with more passion and purpose, meaning, fulfilment and happiness. A life to look back on with no regrets.

Downshifters want to slow down at work in order to ‘upshift’ in others areas of their lives. For most people the change to a slow life through downshifting comes after a long quest for true happiness and fulfilment. For others it may come after a significant life event such as severe illness, relationship breakup, bankruptcy, or the death of someone close.

What does a downshifter look like?

What is the profile of a downshifter? Well as we saw they have either been questioning life for some time or they have suffered a life event. In terms of demographics, there are no specific features that identify downshifters or possible downshifters. They are blue-collar workers and white-collar workers. They are most likely in their thirties, forties or fifties, although they may be younger or older.

How do we downshift?

We can downshift by working fewer hours in our present job, or by accepting a job with less responsibility in the company, or we can quit our job and find another one that we find more rewarding. Or we can start our own part or full-time business, perhaps working from home.

Although we can stay where we are to downshift even if that is in the surburbs, many people do move to other locations eg to the coast – seachange; or to the rural country areas – treechange.

Sometimes downshifters find they make more money, but are happier and more fulfilled – usually because they have found something that fires their passion, and work is no longer work.

If you are thinking of downshifting the first practical step is figuring out how to work less, freeing up time for valued activities. When you cut back on expenses (which you will do living simply), you will find you can live on less income and consequently work fewer hours.

Why not become a downshifter and slow down a little bit?

How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

If you wanna see how addicted to blogging you are, take this test: http://mingle2.com/blog-addiction

Enjoy :)

Tuba Tuba

The Tuba-tuba Plant (Jatropha curcas)

Also known as Tubang Bakod in Tagalog, Physic Nut in English or interchangeably tuba-tuba or Jatropha. The latest craze to hit the agri-business in the Philippines. Primarily for its oil to produce biodiesel. The Tuba-tuba has been planted in the Philippines for quite some time but it was used mainly as fencing since it animals do not eat the leaves -even the insatiable goat would not eat the leaves. The ever increasing price of petroleum prices has triggered interest on the Tuba-tuba or Jatropha.

Jatropha is a drought resistant perennial shrub or small tree that produces seeds up to 35 years but can live up to 50 years. Jatropha grows fast with little or no maintenance and reaches the average height of about 3 meters but it can grow up to 8 meters.

Tuba-tuba is one of the most promising sources of bio-fuel today. About 30% of the Tuba-tuba nut is composed of oil. 3 kilos of Jatropha seeds can produce about 1 liter of crude Jatropha oil that can then be processed into biodiesel fuel. This oil can be easily be processed into fuel that can replace or mixed with petroleum based diesel to save on imported oil and most importantly increase local employment and help the economy to grow.

Since the Jatropha plant's average height is about three meters, harvesting is easy and the plant can be grown practically anywhere (ordinary soil, sandy, gravely or rocky soil) and adapts easily to different climates. Jatropha is resistant to droughts -it can stand up to two years without rainfall. The tree also has a short gestation period, it will bear a several fruits starting at about 6 months old and be fully fruit bearing between one to two years.
Other Benefits of Planting Tuba-tuba/Jatropha:

- Aside from using the seed oil as biodiesel, the extracted oil can also be used in making soap.

- The Jatropha/Tuba-tuba leaves can be used for fumigating houses to expel bugs.

- The root extract of Jatropha plant can be used as yellow die while the bark extract as blue dye. While the seeds when pounded can be used for tanning.

- The roots, flowers and latex of the Jatropha plant are said to have medicinal properties.

- Planting Jatropha reduces soil degradation, erosion and deforestation of the countryside.

In the Philippines, planting of Jatropha or Tuba-tuba is on high gear, more so in Visayas & Mindanao but it can be planted anywhere. The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) is actively promoting its planting to coconut farmers.

With the ever increasing interest in biodiesel fuels, we may one day get used to the idea that fuel for our vehicles was harvested from local plantations instead of using imported oil from the Middle East.

For more information, contact:

Philippine Coconut Authority
Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
Tel: (0632) 928-8741 to 45
Email: pca_cpo@yahoo.com.ph
Web: www.pca.da.gov.ph

Excelling in Excel with Java

Whether you have balance sheets, account information downloads, tax calculations, or pay slips, they all tend to come in Microsoft Excel. Non-IT professionals feel comfortable using Microsoft Excel as a data exchange technology. The Jakarta POI (Poor Obfuscation Implementation) API is a fantastic way for Java programmers to access Microsoft document formats. The most mature API from Jakarta POI is the HSSF (Horrible Spreadsheet Format) API, which accesses Microsoft Excel documents.

In this article, I walk you through the steps for creating and reading Excel documents, and for using fonts and cell styling—all using Java.

POI terminology

The key terms associated with Jakarta POI are as follows:

* POIFS (Poor Obfuscation Implementation File System): Java APIs for reading and writing OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) 2 compound document formats
* HSSF (Horrible Spreadsheet Format): Java API to read Microsoft Excel
* HDF (Horrible Document Format): Java API to read and write Microsoft Word 97
* HPSF (Horrible Property Set Format): Java API for reading property sets using (only) Java

Create an Excel document

The Jakarta POI API can be used to create an Excel document programmatically. The important steps involved are:

* Create a workbook: HSSFWorkbook workbook = new HSSFWorkbook();
* Create a new worksheet in the workbook and name the worksheet "Java Excels": HSSFSheet sheet = workbook.createSheet("Java Excels");
* Create a new row in the sheet: HSSFRow row = sheet.createRow((short)0);
* Create a cell in the row: HSSFCell cell = row.createCell((short) 0);
* Put some content in the cell: cell.setCellValue("Have a Cup of XL");
* Write the workbook into the filesystem: workbook.write(fileOutputStream);

Read data from the Excel document

In this example, you'll see how to read values from an Excel document.

Let's assume this is our Excel sheet:

Employee Name Specialization Designation
Anbu Programming Senior Programmer
Jason Banking Industry Business Analyst
Ramesh Databases DBA
MackyB Accounting Delivery Head


The key steps in reading the Excel sheet are as follows:

* Create a new Excel document reference: HSFWorkbook workbook = new HSSFWorkbook(new FileInputStream(fileToBeRead));.

* Refer to the sheet: By default, the first sheet in the Excel document is at reference 0: HSSFSheet sheet = workbook.getSheetAt(0);. A sheet can also be referred to by name. Let's assume that the Excel sheet has the default name "Sheet1". It can be referred to as follows: HSSFSheet sheet = workbook.getSheet("Sheet1");.

* Refer to a row: HSSFRow row = sheet.getRow(0);.

* Refer to a cell in the row: HSSFCell cell = row.getCell((short)0);.

* Get the values in that cell: cell.getStringCellValue();.

As demonstrated in this article, Java developers no longer need to wince at data in Excel sheets. We can programmatically access Excel documents. Have a cup of Java, and excel in Excel!