the paradise pack.

I follow a number of travel bloggers and subscribe to many of their newsletters. It's partly because I like their writing and their pictures, but it's mostly because I am always dreaming of being somewhere other than where I am - no matter where I am - and this is a free and easy way to travel the world from my own computer. Currently the bloggers I follow are in central Asia, Greece, Sikkim, Goa, Ghana, Ireland, and Colombia, and others are just returned to the States from Prague, Canada, and Italy. If I can't get there myself, at least I can live vicariously through others.

Another bonus to following these travelers and bloggers is they often have tie-ins with companies for discounts on airfare, accommodation, books, and other great products. And if they don't have codes for discounts, then they have advice on how to get good deals, where to stay, places to visit, things to do, etc. in locales all over the world. I may not get to all those places - or even most of them - but if I do, I have great information on all of them right at my fingertips.

Today one of those follows paid off big-time. I received a newsletter update from Lauren at Never Ending Footsteps this afternoon with information on where she has recently been and where she is heading to next. And at the end of her update was information about The Paradise Pack -- I was intrigued, so I clicked on the link she provided.

And wow. The Paradise Pack is a downloadable collection of travel resources worth over $800, all available for purchase for $97 for the next 72 hours [slightly less by the time I post this]. There are books on nearly every possible travel topic you can think of -- flying cheap, living for free, maintaining relationships, keeping your data safe on public wifi networks, setting up an online business, etc. You name it, there's a book about it. They are all books written by people who have been traveling and working from the road for years, and it's all their best information and advice collected into one giant package.

I went back-and-forth for about 5 minutes on whether or not I really needed to purchase this. And the answer is simple: I don't need any of it. But is it all information that could come in handy in the next few years as I figure out what it is I'm doing with my life? Absolutely. And with a few of the books retailing over $40, I realized I needed to bite the bullet and do it; even if I use only 2 of the books, it'll still be worth it.

So I did it. I made the purchase and downloaded the books. I don't need them immediately, that's for sure, but they'll be great resources to keep coming back to whenever I need them. And as an added bonus, you can download the items up to 5 times, meaning that you could even split the cost between you and up to 4 friends and each download it once. That sounds like a pretty good deal right there.

And did I mention that along with providing you with resources to help you plan your travels, The Paradise Pack is also giving back? That's right, $10 from every purchase will be donated to Pencils of Promise to build a school in Guatemala. You may remember that I got to meet Adam Braun, founder of PoP, when I was in New York a few months ago, so I was excited about the opportunity to also be able to support his organization in the process.

So if any of you out there are planning trips now or in the distant future, or if any of you - like me - are itching to hit the road but don't know how you can sustain yourself along the way, purchasing The Paradise Pack could be a great investment for you. But remember, the sale is only on until Thursday night, so act fast before it's too late.

Happy and safe travels, to all of us.

xx

loving lately: lily allen's sheezus.

When I was visiting Lindsay and Steve - and Evelyn! - in Nashville last week, I was watching The Today Show after Lindso left for work. I've not watched the show in ages, but I happened to catch it just as they were preparing for a musical performance by Lily Allen, so I thought I would listen in.

I've not really listened to Lily Allen before, but that's more because I just have not really heard many of her songs. I've always heard people say that they were good, but I somehow don't remember ever hearing any of them. It's a well-known fact that I sometimes live under a rock, so we'll chalk it up to that and move on.

So back to last Wednesday. She was on to promote her new album Sheezus [yes, inspired by that Kanye album of a similar name] and sang one of the singles, "Our Time". I really liked the song, both in lyrics and in sound, and filed it away to come back to. The beats were really good, and since I'm always on the lookout for new running music, I wrote myself a note to check out the rest of the album once I was back in Memphis [yes, I still write myself handwritten notes. you don't?].

And in a nutshell, it's great. The songs are catchy, the beats are lively, and some of the lyrics are pretty thought-provoking, particularly my current favourite song, "Hard Out Here" [the video is a bit graphic, so I'll just link to it rather than including it in the post].

I've listened to the album a few times while running this week, and I have to say, I kind of love it. And I would definitely recommend purchasing / downloading the Explicit version. You'll miss out on the meaning of a lot of the songs if you get the "clean" one. That's not to say that it's overly graphic or anything; I'm generally a fan of purchasing songs / albums the way the artists intended them to be heard.

And now I'm going to go work on my face so I don't end up on my own.
xx

retail review: rock/creek outfitters.

Rock/Creek Outfitters is a bit of a Chattanooga institution. I discovered it during my days at Baylor, and it soon became my go-to for any outdoors needs that I had. When I was in college I continued to make any purchases I needed from their website, and I was always in awe of their efficiency, their reasonable prices, and their outstanding customer service.

A few years ago, when I was purchasing a new rucksack and wanted to see it in person to get a feel for it, I had to go to a local retailer here in Memphis. After that I've bought one or two other things from the same retailer, but I was never really happy with their choices or especially with the service in their store. I often found their selections lacking, and I was never overly pleased with the friendliness or approachability of their employees.

So earlier this winter, when I needed to purchase some new gloves for my mother and a new fleece for myself, I decided to return to my old standby and took a peek at Rock/Creek's website. I began with just the gloves and placed my order. While I was waiting for them to ship, I received a coupon in my email for 15% off my next purchase from them, which always goes a long way to ensuring my continued loyalty. I decided to hold on to that and use it for when I was ready to purchase my fleece.

A few days after I placed my order, however, I received an email apologizing for being unable to complete my order. It seems there was a discrepancy in the inventory, and the gloves were not available from the manufacturer in the size and colour I had chosen. The silver lining: in the email they said I could call and change the order, and they would give me free two-day shipping.

I gave the number a call, and within 7 minutes I had reordered the gloves in a different colour and size, added on my fleece, and gotten free two-day shipping on both. When I asked about using that 15% coupon I'd been sent, the very nice guy on the other end of the phone took off 15% off my order and told me to keep my coupon for my next purchase. I'd say that's pretty great customer service. And sure enough, both arrived the following week [they shipped from the manufacturer, not the store, so it took an extra day to process it through them. but I'm not complaining]. My mother loves her gloves, which means I got to reclaim my old pair from her, and I love my fleece, so we are both sitting pretty [and warm].

Rock/Creek, I'm sorry that I strayed for those few years, and I pledge here and now that you will have my undying loyalty and affection forever and for always.
xx

[note: I meant to post this 2 months ago and just completely flaked. oops]

retail review: amazon.

Yes, I'm new to the Amazon bandwagon. But better late than never, yeah?

For years, I was emphatically opposed to buying anything off Amazon. I don't necessarily know why I was so opposed to it, but I was, and after a few years it almost felt like it was a principle of mine: don't buy things off Amazon.

I know for books it was because I was morally opposed to purchasing books from any outlet other than Barnes & Noble. First it was just because I loved the store, and then it was because I worked there, so I felt a loyalty and also an obligation to buy all of my books from the store. When my brother gave me his hand-me-down iPad, I downloaded the Nook app and purchased any digital books through the B&N website.

I knew Amazon offered other products as well, but I just always believed I could find them for just as cheap somewhere else. Once I get something stuck in my head, it's there to stay, and that was the case with Amazon. Nothing and no one could change my mind.

And then, one day in mid-2013, it just kind of suddenly changed all on its own.

I was looking to purchase and download a book, and I was really put off by how much it was on the B&N website. I can't remember which book right now, but I remember being astonished that it was nearly $13 for the Nook version. For me, half the point of e-books - the first half being the ease of traveling without the weight of lots of books - is that they are supposed to be cheaper than the print version of books. I still love the print version when it's an option, but there is definitely something to be said for e-books every now and then. And suddenly I found myself let down by Barnes & Noble.

On a whim, I decided to see how much it was on Amazon's website, and to my amazement, the Kindle version was nearly half the price. I still wasn't ready to take the plunge, but it definitely piqued my interest, so I did a little more digging.

Eventually I discovered Amazon Prime. I know, I know, I'm only about 3 million years late to the game, but that's just how I roll. Anyway, during the course of my explorations, I learned that as a Prime member, you get a lot of really great deals on Kindle books, including being able to borrow books for free from the Kindle Owner's Lending Library. We all know I'm a sucker for free things, and free books are at the top of that list. I was hooked.

Upon further exploration, Britney mentioned in passing that Prime members get free two-day shipping on most items as well as free access to Amazon Prime Instant Video, their online streaming service for television shows and movies. Also, as a student [this was maybe a week before Graduation, so I was still technically a student], the normal $80 annual fee for Prime membership was slashed to $40.

Here's a little equation for you:
cheaper e-books + free books to borrow + free two-day shipping + free online streaming, all for half the normal price, = sign Veena up.

So sign up, Veena did.

And I have to say, in the 8ish months that I've had the membership, it's been some of the best $40 I've ever spent. It's so nice to order something on a Monday evening and have it at my front door by Thursday afternoon. And with the free shipping, I don't have to save things in my cart until I get to a certain total in order to qualify, which has been great. My brother uses it as well, so it's gotten pretty good use in our household for everything from books [primarily] to DVDs to bulk office supplies to a handbag for me to everything in between.

I sometimes find myself getting lost in the website, just searching for hours and finding plenty of things I don't need but that look appealing simply because they are Prime-eligible. It's become my latest way to waste time. Clothing. Movies. Accessories. The options are endless.

It's also been a great way to compare similar products by different brands. The user reviews are generally pretty helpful if I'm on the fence about something, and it's great to have everything in one place.

In addition, my brother got me a Kindle for my birthday to allow me to take advantage of the Lending Library. I've found myself actually enjoying reading on the Kindle, and just last month Amazon introduced another new feature - each month, I get early access to download 1 of 4 upcoming releases. In layman's terms: Amazon sends me an email with 4 books that are releasing in hardcover the following month - 1 fiction, 1 thriller, 1 romance, and 1 young adult book - and I can choose one to download for free. Yes, for free. That's pretty amazing.

Not to mention that you can get some really good deals on Kindle books in general. I downloaded The Book Thief when it was only $2, and I found another book for $.10. Yes, that's right, I said 10 cents! For a book! That's unheard of. And there are plenty of others that are available for extremely reasonable prices. And new releases and other popular books, not just older, more obscure titles. And for me, if the print version is only a dollar or two more, I can just order it, get free shipping, and have it in two days. If that's not a win-win, I'm not sure what is.

Even though I discovered the wonders of Amazon later than most other people in the universe, my love and admiration for it is no less than anyone else. It sometimes takes every ounce of willpower that I have to not just purchase everything I have "Saved for Later" in my cart all at once.

Things might get out of control if I ever get a job that pays real money. Old Navy has some stiff competition for my favourite website these days...
xx

retail review: printstagram.

I've been on a huge "I want to print pictures" kick for the last few weeks. I've always loved taking pictures, and I'm pretty sure I single-handedly kept the photo department at the Walgreen's on the corner of McLean and Union in business during my undergrad years. Depending on the time of year, I sometimes printed two or three rolls of film a week. That's right, you heard me correctly.

But then everything went digital. I got a digital camera for Christmas one year, and although I continued printing pictures through my graduation from uni, I slowly tapered off after that. I printed photos when I returned from my initial stint in Bangalore and put those into albums, and then I printed a few after Jagan and Maeve's wedding, but I'm pretty sure that was the last time. Their wedding was in December 2006.

So for the last 7 years I have been accumulating thousands upon thousands of pictures on various hard drives, but I've not printed any. Not even thought about it, really. It never crossed my mind while I was living in India, and I was only ever in the States for a short period of time, so it wasn't high on my priority list.

But in the last 7 months, I've been noticing more and more that all the pictures I have up in my room - and I have a lot - date from 2004 and before, with the single exception being a photograph of Lindsay, Miriam, Ashley, and myself taken at Lindsay's wedding in 2009. And if I'm being honest, I think someone else printed it - my guess is Ashley - and sent it to me, and I put it in a frame. Otherwise everything is from undergrad or before.

Don't get me wrong, I love all those pictures. I love looking at them and remembering the occasions on which they were taken, be it orientations or trips to Jamaica or proms or date parties or weddings or random nights where fun adventures happened. My photographs are the road maps of my life, and if you travel through them you'll meet all the wonderful people who have populated my life.

In order for that road map to be complete, I have been feeling the need for more recent pictures. I knew it would take me a while to sort through all the pictures on my hard drive to choose ones for printing [it's taken me a week so far, and I still have 1,300 potential pictures. eeks], so in the meantime I thought I would print some of the pictures from my phone.

I've been using Instagram [@vrangaswami, if you want to follow me] for the last few years, and I've really liked how some of my pictures have turned out. It's been a great way to grab some quick shots while I've been out-and-about, so I decided to print some of those pictures to tide me over for a while.

I had heard about Printstagram a few months ago and really liked the idea of a tear-off calendar using your Instagram pictures, but I didn't have enough to print a calendar for next year. Instead, I opted for the 4x4 square prints that they offer. It's $12 for 24 prints, and I chose 72 pictures to print. Perhaps a little excessive, but shipping is a flat $7 no matter what you order, so I figured I'd get my money's worth.

The site automatically accesses your Instagram account online, so you can choose which pictures you want to print directly from your browser. I had an idea of most of the ones I wanted to print, so it didn't take me too long. Once I placed the order, it took about a week for them to be delivered via FedEx. My only complaint about the delivery was that it required a signature or a note on the door with instructions to leave the package. It wasn't necessarily a hindrance but more of an irritant. I've been ordering stuff online for years, and I've never once had to sign for a delivery. It was just weird.

But the product itself was great. The quality of both the prints and the paper are really good, and I love how compact they are. I'm really happy with how they turned out, and it's so nice to have new pictures for the first time in so many years. I got so excited that I decided I wanted to hang them in my room, so I bought a 16x20 poster frame, chose 20 prints, and arranged them chronologically [that's my OCD rearing it's pretty head], and pasted them onto the insert using double-sided scrapbooking tape; now I just have to figure out where I want to hang it.

Below are some pictures showing how they turned out. The first 5 are just them piled on my bed, and the last one is a shot of how the collage turned out.

Thank you, Printstagram, for my awesome new pictures.
xx

[this is not a sponsored post; I don't do that sort of thing, but I do like sharing any products that I really like]