One thing I have slowly noticed walking round the streets of Astana is the increase in Western style funny t shirts, normally with English phrases. (To be honest, I could be seeing Russian ones, but I’d not be able to read and translate them in time, unless someone is stood opposite me for a while. [...]

As most real life (as opposed to online) friends will know, I tend to prefer silver over gold when it comes to chains or ear rings. My wedding ring is gold, but other than that I’ve not worn anything gold since my first few piercings. Although some people see a gold chain as an indicator [...]

A little over a year ago an online jewellery store sent me an e-mail, asking if I would be interested in placing a permanent text link on my site for them. I had a look through their range, and saw some nice designer jewelry. Given that their items obviously cost them less than they were [...]

Irina went visited Masha today, but her mobile phone ran out of battery whilst at work. Although a little inconvenient by itself, the fact that Ira’s friend lives in an apartment block that has two locked doors and a lift that requires a card to get upstairs meant that just visiting her was a PITA. [...]

As you may remember, it was recently Losha’s birthday, his 18th in fact. Ira and I walked around a local shopping mall, looking for something to get him as a present. In the end, we went for a pair of Pierre Cardin cufflinks. We think they look quite classy, without being too showy off. (Is [...]

One of the presents I look forward to opening most years are funny t-shirts from Mum. She normally finds a good design, with funny jokes or quotes on them. I have found that here in Kazakhstan I can wear pretty much any slogan I like, whereas in Britain I would sometimes need to consider potential [...]

Having been asked to include the term groomsmen gift in a post, I decided to Wiki the term, and see what it actually meant. Apparently, (especially in ‘white weddings’), the bridegroom often buys a gift for the best man (and any other groomsmen) to commemorate the special day. Cuff links appear to be a popular [...]

I hope that Dad enjoyed his birthday present this year. I didn’t blog about it at the time, as I wanted him to see it in real life before reading about it here Anyway, we got him a heart rate monitor watch, in the hope he could use it with his time at the [...]

The mild weather has now stuck around Kazakhstan for a while, meaning a lot of the snow (and thankfully ice) has melted. This then leaves the conundrum of what sort of footwear to don before going out. Tomorrow (assuming my student is back from his trip) I will be walking to work again, and whilst [...]

So I need to think what to get my wife. For our anniversary we got her a new mobile phone, so that isn’t a good choice, and although I do have a couple of ideas, they require this blog’s income to improve over the next two weeks. For those schemes that pay within a fortnight [...]

Many fashion accessories are either gold, gold plated, or can sometimes be gold plated after purchase, to add a certain je ne sais quoi (feel free to replace that term with bling if your age and social status preclude admitting to knowing what that means) to the item. However, I doubt that even in Almaty, [...]

Ever wondered what you might look like with a completely different hairstyle, but been too afraid to take the plunge and actually have your hair chopped and/or coloured? If so, check the preceding link for a site that offers you the opportunity to experiment with your look, without the expense or potential tears if things [...]

Just under a day ago, Ira and I went to pick up her parents from the airport, as they were returning from their holiday in Turkey. She called the airport before we left, to check the flight had left on time; it hadn’t, and was in fact delayed by almost an hour. Unfortunately we have [...]

With Christmas fast approaching (just a couple of months to go now!), we need to start thinking of what to get for my in-laws. Although Ira’s father likes watches, he already has a quite a selection, so I’m not sure if he would actually appreciate a D&G watch, for example. So with that sector discounted, [...]

(USA Relevant)
One of the attractions for visitors to Amsterdam is the opportunity to see many diamonds on display. Sadly not everyone can make it to the Netherlands. Although I will be there shortly, I am not sure if Alex, ChrisD and myself will be able to make it to any of the shops there. With [...]

Are you looking for any golf apparel ladies who read this blog? If so, did you ever read my post on the competition entry I submitted to design a pair of golf shoes? The competition is now over, and I sadly did not win. At least I am assuming not. The last time I was [...]

Each person has their own tastes, of course, but I personally prefer silver when it comes to Contemporary Jewellery. The Element Jewellery site (it is good to see the correct UK English spelling online for once ) has a lot to offer, even for men. Although Alex prefers gold, I think that rings (other [...]

Whether you are organizing a hen night, running a tour for your local soccer team, or simply want a truly unique item of clothing, CustomInk has you covered. The premise is quite simple, you provide the graphics, text or simple logo, and they can produce t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, corporate gifts (such as the usual pens, [...]

It is not that to go now before All Hallows Eve will be with us again. If your children enjoy dressing up, and your neighbourhood is safe enough for trick or treating, then you may well have experienced a last minute rush to make a Halloween Costume. Put simply, throwing an old sheet over their [...]

Around 8 years ago, I still had a lot of piercings left. I still have holes for five rings in my left ear, two on my right, with another at the top where the ear meets the skull; however I used to have an eyebrow bar, three more in my left ear, one more in [...]