Photo books are a great way to organize and present your favorite photos. Basically you can have your favorite family digital photos published into a professional looking hardcover book or any other format you desire! Here’s a promo code for MyPublisher.com, a provider of such services.

MyPublisher.com promo code= HOL2550. You can get 50% off all orders over $100 and 25% over orders over $50.

You can also make calendars and greeting cards in addition to the bound digital photo books.  All the products including the photo books are very easy to create, and they provide free software with templates to customize your projects. These make a great holiday gift for loved ones that will be truly unique and treasured for a lifetime. Enjoy!

Being from Northern California, maybe Napa has spoiled me. The Santa Barbara wine scene hasn’t impressed me, except for Carr Winery. They’re a real standout from this region, and I especially like their reds. The winery is a converted half dome shaped warehouse amidst an industrial looking row. Don’t be put off, the owners are lovely and they have a friendly rottweiler.

This is a very small production winery, some varietals they only produce 100 or so cases! So get it while it lasts.

Here’s all the details:

Carr Winery Futures Tasting: 3 Barrel Samples

2007 Pinot Noir Turner Vineyard
2007 Pinot Noir Lindsay’s Vineyard

2007 Pinot Noir Yard Vineyard

Sunday June 22, 2008 4:00pm – 7:00pm
414 N. Salsipuedes Street 805.965.7985

$20 Tastings, $10 Wine Club Members
This Sunday winemaker Ryan Carr will be pouring barrel samples of his 2007 Pinot Noirs.  These wines will be available to order in both cases and six packs at a 30% discount.

Current releases will also be available for sampling at our barrel top tasting bar.  Wines will be accompanied by light appetizers from Mondial and live music by Al Vafa.

The 2007 Pinot Noirs will be available for purchase online at the 30% discount for one week only starting Sunday, June 22nd.

Shinjuku district, Tokyo Japan, (MVO ©)

I’ve recently returned from an amazing trip to Japan (which explains the short hiatus of my postings). One of my favorite things to do when I travel, is to pick up on little differences in lifestyle and cultural habits and share them with others when I return. Did you know that it is rude to hand your money to the sales clerk at the store? Or highly offensive to blow your nose in public? Respecting these little things can make your experience with the locals much more pleasant. See my list of cultural observations after the jump.

My Guide 2 Japanese Everyday Life and Culture

Keep those germs to yourself! (MVO ©)

1. Blowing your nose in public is highly offensive. Wait until you can find a bathroom.
2. Never hand your money directly to the salesperson at a store. Place the money in the little tray on the counter and they will pick it up. I made this faux pas multiple times out of habit, and they would not accept my money until I put it down on the tray!
3. Never tip at a restaurant, the service fee is already built into the price of the meal. Tips are considered insulting, maybe even be interpreted as if you pity the waiter/ess.
4. Hold on to your garbage until you get home. There are NO garbage cans anywhere in Tokyo (except maybe a few in the bathrooms of a fancy department store). This was implemented to reduce waste and litter in the city and it seems to be working because Tokyo is spotless for such a populated city.
5. The garbage rule applies to cigarettes as well. You can’t throw your butt on the ground and there are few public ashtrays but everyone smokes! People carry around these odor-proof cans made for personal cigarette disposal, and they empty it when they get home. Genius!
6. No Kleenex or Napkins in public. This was really weird to me. Kleenex is not readily available unless you buy it and carry your own stash around, so people still carry around handkerchiefs. At some restaurants, even fancy expensive ones at the top of grand department stores, do not have napkins to wipe your hands! You get a little damp towel at the beginning of the meal and that’s it. I suppose this is where the handkerchief comes into play again.
7. Sometimes, Americans make an exaggerated bowing motion with both hands outstretched to hail a person’s greatness, like if they make a great shot in a basketball game. In Japanese culture, this motion is only done to express extreme sorrow and apologies for a wrong doing.
8. Japanese women wear high heels even though they walk all day. Either they have really high pain tolerance, or the Japanese have invented a super comfortable stiletto.
9. Geishas are not prostitutes, though that idea has been highly dramatized in Hollywood. Geisha are highly respected and trained in traditional Japanese arts, they are revered as the cultural guardians who preserve the arts. It can take many years to become a Geisha and it is a great honor to become one. They still exist and you can hire a Geisha for party entertainment for price that ranges from a few hundred to thousands of dollars. Geisha may get married, but are expected to leave the practice.

   

10. An Oiran” is a prostitute originating from the Edo-period (1603-1868) that purposefully mimicked the Geisha look with similar, but less elaborate dress as the Geisha. This may have caused the notion that Geishas were high class courtesan, due to confusion with this black market copy-cat. One way to easily tell the two apart: Oirans wore their obi, or kimono sash, tied in the front, and Geshia had theirs tied in the back.

11. The diamond symbol on American highways that usually means “carpool lane” means that a stop sign is approaching on Tokyo roads.

12. Americans are fascinated with Harajuku and the district’s outlandish fashionable teens. But not everyone in Tokyo dresses this funky, as some may stereotype, nor do they think this is “cool”. Mainstream Tokyo-ites generally view these Harajuku kids are dorky teenagers that are so embarrassingly dressed. When I told my Tokyo friends that I wanted to see this phenomenon, they replied “Why!?”. Thus, the district was filled with American tourists, like myself, gawking at these wannabe style mavens

13. You can buy anything in a vending machine in this country. You can find over 15-20+ kinds of drinks (makes it hard to choose!), beer, cigarettes, steaming hot ramen and udon bowls, magazines, used underwear (so gross, I’m not even going to explain this). Vending machines are also everywhere, in the most random places, even in between dark back alleys.

    

That’s all I could think of for now. If you have anything else to contribute to the list, feel free to comment or shoot me an email!

Gotta love Costco and their discounts! I was happily surprised about their sale on 4 Gig Compact Flash memory card for DSLR’s, which are $15 off this week. No coupon needed! That brings the total to just $27.99 pre-tax for a 4 Gig Sandisk CF card- crazy discount! The offer is only available in stores, not online. Here’s a tip: many Costco’s in the LA area are not putting the 4 Gig card out on display, so you have to go ask Merchandise Pickup if they have it in stock. Not sure why this is, maybe the Compact Flash deal is too good to share!

Click here for a 20% any one item coupon. Don’t forget to print it out!

Enjoy!

Photo from www.lululemon.com

Guide 2 the Good Life has another great, free deal for you! Lululemon Athletica clothing store in El Segundo is offering free yoga classes during March! The free yoga workshops welcome all levels of yoga experience, as a promotion for the YogaWorks studio that will be opening in the same plaza. Here are the details and dates…

The free yoga classes begin at 9:30 AM inside the Lululemon store, be sure to get there a little bit earlier to get settled in. Yoga may be something you have always wanted to try, but never got around to. Now here’s your chance!

The Free Yoga Works Class Dates

March 9 -YogaWorks instructor Tulsi will lead an all levels yoga class

March 16 -YogaWorks instructor Melanie Lori will lead an all levels yoga class

March 23 – YogaWorks instructor Al Tavera will lead an all levels yoga class

March 30 – -YogaWorks instructor TEmily Maupin will lead an all levels yoga class

Lululemon Athletica, Plaze El Segundo, 2008A East Park Place @ Sepulveda and Rosecrans

310-640-9476

Yes, it is true! And even better, the money spent goes towards charity. Philanthro Productions brings a novel concept to the club scene, encouraging patrons to “party for a good cause”. I interviewed Molly Chen, Co-Vice President Non-Profit Chair at Philanthro to find out more.

Here’s Molly, about to get her tax deductible groove on for a good cause!

[G2GL] So Molly, What is Philanthro all about?

[Molly] Philanthro is a non-profit organization whose mission is to engage young adults in philanthropy and different charities by throwing first rate events that are fun and committed to a great cause at the same time.

[G2GL] Are bar tabs and entrance fees associate with your organization really tax deductible?

[Molly] Yes. Because we are a 501 c 3 organization, any donations [which include any money spent at our events] are tax deductible.

[G2GL] How was Philanthro started?

[Molly] Philanthro was founded in February 2007 by two young consultants in Los Angeles. They quickly assembled a team of dedicated Gen Y volunteers that represent some of the most talented individuals in their respective professions and communities.

[G2GL] How did you get involved with Philanthro, and what do you do for them?

[Molly] I attended their last event at Cabana Club whose nonprofit partnership was Camp Heartland, a great organization committed to helping kids with AIDS, and was extremely impressed at the professionalism and distinction of their event from a regular Hollywood club night. I was recruited through a few college friends who were in Philanthro who I’d met through other charity organizations during college to be a Co-VP Non-Profit Chair. I recruit and foster the partnerships with non-profits who reach out to us and I help to facilitate the relationship between the two groups.

[G2GL] What are your parties like, in terms of the usual type of venues, mood, demographic, number of attendees, formality?

[Molly] We book our events at top-notch clubs in Hollywood, although we are looking to branch out to different areas of Los Angeles, and even different types of venues, for future events. We draw between 500-700 young professionals, students, and socially conscious clubbers to each event — most are in their mid-20’s. We aim for a different theme at each event, which impacts the mood, but generally, we just try to throw the best party possible, and provide a great social networking opportunity in an upscale environment.

[G2GL] How much money has your organization been able to raise or donate?

[Molly] Since its founding less than a year ago, Philanthro has raised over $17,000 for its partner charities.

[G2GL] How do you choose charities to work with?

[Molly] Philanthro partners with leading charities based on a variety of factors including alignment with Philanthro’s mission and demographic.

[G2GL] Do you have any celebrities working with your cause?

[Molly] Even though it is still a young organization, Philanthro has generated significant buzz in Hollywood. We’ve been proud to feature several special guests including: Jonathan Bennett (Mean Girls), DJ Qualls (Hustle & Flow, Road Trip), Jason Ritter (Days of Our Lives, Swimfan), Marianna Palka (named one of CNN’s “Young People Who Rock” in 2008), DJ Tony Collage (Power 106 FM), Yesi Ortiz (Power 106 FM), Ray Ray Babul (preeminent fashion designer)… We have also partnered with hip Los Angeles companies who have also signed onto our cause, including Pinkberry, Anheuser-Busch, and DirecTV.

[G2GL] Aside from financial donations, how else do your events affect the charities you support?

[Molly] Not only do we raise significant funds for our partner charities, but we also raise awareness and foster affiliation between our patrons and our charities. Additionally, we provide access to opportunities to extend commitment to the cause beyond the one-night event.

[G2GL] What upcoming events or projects do you have planned?

[Molly] Following our next event, PINK: PARTY FOR THE CURE, we are hosting a team for the 12th Annual Los Angeles Race for the Cure on Saturday, March 15 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Come network with other socially-conscious young people from Los Angeles. Visit our website to join our Race team: www.philanthroproductions.org

[G2GL] How can others get involved?

[Molly] Visit our website, www.philanthroproductions.org, or email us at join@philanthroproductions.org

So there you have it! The next time you have a night out on the town, do it with a good cause in mind (and don’t forget the tax deduction fringe benefit!)

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