Valentines Flowers For Men - Local stores serve up sweet Valentine’s Day offerings

Saint Valentine’s Day, commonly shortened to Valentine’s Day, is an annual commemoration held on Feb. 14 celebrating love and affection. It is traditionally a day on which people express their love for each other by presenting valentines flowers for men, offers of confectionery, and sending greeting cards. Thankfully, these offerings are found in abundance in Fairfield, as many stores gear up for one of their busiest sales days of the year.

Isabelle et Vincent, a Traditional French Bakery, located on 1903 Post Road promises nothing less than confectionery perfection. Husband and wife owners, Isabelle and Vincent, operated a bakery in France for fifteen years before relocating to Fairfield. This specialty bakery offers the very best in traditional French pastries, chocolates, cakes, seasonal specialties, rolls, breads and more. Using only the highest quality, freshest, all natural ingredients, each and every product is made each morning, by hand and from scratch. “Valentine’s Day is a big day for us, aside from Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter, its probably our fourth biggest day of the year,” said Isabelle. “All of our chocolates sold out last year, so this year we plan to make more candies.”

Heart shaped milk chocolates with caramel inside and dark chocolates with ganache (with terms of endearment on top) will be offered along with a wide array of different flavored chocolate truffles, lip shaped chocolates, fraisier in heart shapes with vanilla mousse and fresh strawberries, a three chocolate mousse (dark, white, milk), and millefeuille opera Paris Brest with macaroons (pistachio, vanilla, raspberry).

Fresh breads include baguettes, boule and rolls in plain, multigrain, semolina, and olive. “Everything is home made on the premises, fresh daily. You cannot find these products anywhere else. We prefer to have the highest quality products, and use only the best quality ingredients with no preservatives, very pure and natural,” said Vincent. “We want to be the best we can be for our customers.”

Custom orders are welcomed anytime and for any occasion (holidays, graduations, communions, baptisms, birthdays and more). “This is a family business. We have wonderful customers; they give us back more than we give them. They are really, really wonderful and we say thank you,” enthused the couple. Vincent also promises an exciting animated Easter display not to be missed. Isabelle et Vincent, usually closed on Mondays, will be open Monday, Feb. 13. For more information please call (203) 292-8022

Sweet Rexies, ‘so much more than a candy store’, located at 1552 Post Road is also looking forward to a busy Valentine’s Day. “Valentine’s Day is one of my biggest sales weeks,” said Nancy Lewis, Owner. “We are offering one stop shopping this year and are offering our customers convenience. We will be selling roses for the first time, along with all of our other products.” Sweet Rexies will be offering custom orders, custom gift baskets to fit every budget (including college gift baskets), Godiva red quilted heart shaped gift boxes, artisan chocolates, cake balls and assorted truffles in varying flavors including dark chocolate coconut, butter pecan, dark cherry cordials and dark champagne. Hand painted hearts will also be offered in a red velvet flavor, a dark chocolate with port inside, and a dark chocolate champagne with almond and strawberry filling. Customers can also fill bags with a multitude of varieties of candies sold by the pound. In addition, Sweet Rexies offers custom white chocolate Oreo cookies that can be customized with your digital photos, name or monograms — making great wedding and party favors. Sweet Rexies slogan ‘so much more than a candy store’ comes into play because they also sell gifts, toys, accessories, their own chocolate candy recipe called ‘ skinny bark’, probiotic frozen yogurt, American Girl Doll products, and an array of clothing lines including Butter, So Nikki and Pink along with a line of organic baby gifts by Angel Dear. Sweet Rexies finishes their products with hand done custom packaging/ wrapping, delivery in Fairfield County and nationwide shipping. For more information please call (203)254-3254

The Pink Cupcake Shack, located at 1215 Post Road in the Brick Walk Promenade offers ‘whimsical cakes and cupcakes to brighten your day.’ “Last Valentine’s Day we were only open for about a week and Valentine’s Day was crazy busy, so I think this year will be even busier. Next to Easter / Passover, this is our biggest sales time of the year. We already have orders,” said owner Diane. “We always put hearts on our cupcakes, but this Valentine’s Day we’ll be doing even more of them. Last year everybody wanted Red Velvet – it was the ultimate seller, so we’ll have lots of that.” With over thirty years of experience, the Pink cupcake Shack offers custom cakes, cupcakes, cake bites and decorative cookies, in every theme, size, shape and color. “Each baked item is made from scratch for you and every sprinkle comes with love.” The Pink cupcake Shack is family owned and operated and is currently celebrating their one year anniversary.

Valentines Flowers For Men - This Applies Also To Have A Platonic Relationship With Men

Best valentines  flowers for men are what he loves. I mean the person you love deeply. It is possible that more men than the love of his life, which means they can be family, friends and even a boyfriend. It is vital that you know how to separate the men in the necessities of life. This is because they need different things when it comes to Valentine's Day flowers, are found to be different. Let's start with your family, for example, his father. Your father must feel special on this day of love and decide to find the most beautiful flowers for him. First let me say that men love flowers, such as women, men are inspired by the beautiful flowers, which are able to engage all the senses, in this regard. Your father has something different, as what he refers to flowers. For example, could be a fan of flowers and love could also only a certain type. He takes care to find favorite flowers and Valentine's Day for him as a part of it.

Valentine flowers for him to not be very elaborate. Keep it simple and it will do. This applies also to have a platonic relationship with men. When it comes to that special person in your life, there are several things you should consider. To provide the best Valentine's Day flowers for him, is to be able to communicate massage right. On this day, the message is the theme of love. Keep the flowers personally, but with an advantage to generate some curiosity. For example, if you like lilies and daisies, do not forget to add that all important red rose, which is able to set the mood for love. It is very interesting and thoughtful to send flowers the better. For women who expect the man to do the job always send flowers to their favorites in their jobs is also a good time to do something special and different. The flowers are actually a great way to show and express love.

valentines  flowers for men not only be bold, but it must have soft cloth. You should not worry because the flowers are able to bring out the sensitive side of a man. This is important because when people are susceptible, will communicate with a woman at a deeper level. There is nothing more exciting than trying to right all the flowers to impress anyone. You do not have to go the entire nothing too elaborate. Stay at the forefront and ensure that all the flowers delivered by him. How this field of flowers, too. Many people like surprises when they hide the flowers in a good place to find it, make sure that the work in this regard. Keep a little mystery when it comes to flowers and help you understand all this.

valentines flowers for men - It's Time for Philip Stein's Valentine's Day Special

valentines  flowers for men
Ladies, it’s never too early to start dropping subtle hints (or an actual catalogue) so your man knows what you want for Valentine’s Day. Even if you’re single, the day’s a chance to pamper yourself with some stylish treats. This year, look out for Philip Stein’s classy Signature collection created especially for the season of love.
Personally, we’ve got our eye on the new Valentine’s Day watch from the luxury wellbeing watch brand, which has a distinct red strap (we love the colour, pretty much any given day) and the uniquely embedded Natural Frequency Technology. It’ll keep you fashionably on time, all the time!                              
Also on our to-buy radar is Philip Stein’s Sleep Bracelet. No more nights of broken shuteye as the trendy bracelet’s Natural Frequency Technology calms your body and helps you rest better.
Get shopping already!
valentines  flowers for men

valentines flowers for men - His perfect Valentine gift – the gift of you!

valentines  flowers for men
Give him the gift that only you can give. He can get a new tie, golf club or stereo anytime but only you can give him tastefully enticing photographs of you. Women’s photography exclusively since 1984.
Put personality in your pictures!
Apple Studio opened in 1984 as a professional portrait studio specializing in women’s photography exclusively. Our work captures women’s personality in a good portrait that enhances her self esteem.
Much of our business comes from word of mouth referrals. Women who have seen their (friend’s portraits call us when they need a gift for a special occsion such as his wedding gift, a special anniversary of birthday
.
Why women choose Apple Studio for their photography.
Based on conversations with our clients, we feel that two major reasons for selecting Apple Studio’s photography for his gift usually mentioned are the surprise factor – they say he would never expect them to ose for our style of photography – and the number one reason we hear most often) – they want to see his reaction when he opens his gift!
Reactions to the Apple Studio experience.
Our clients tell us that they like the way our portraits do not show their flaws but also capture their personality.
They say their guys like our work so much that they carry their pictures with them for months so that they can show off to their friends and anyone else they meet.
They also say that their experience in our studio and seeing their proofs is a great boost in their self- confidence. They also say that seeing themselves from his viewpoint is a wonderful improvement in their ego.
We feel our success is based on the fact that our portraiture is created from the viewpoint of someone who loves you. The one who loves you does not see what you see when you look in the mirror. They see none of the ‘flaws’ and imperfections that you tend to see in the mirror.
Reasons Apple Studio’s photography worked for our clients.
Women who come to Apple Studio are in a good relationship. They want to get something nice for the one who they know will appreciate what they have done. A gift of our images is their way of rewarding their guy for the way he treats them.
Apple Studio’s clients’ opinions of their experience here.
When leaving our studio, our clients invariably comment on how they felt comfortable during their session, that our professional manner was relaxing and how much fun they had posing.
We hear that their images from Apple Studio are greatly valued and treasured by the men who receive them.
valentines  flowers for men

valentines flowers for men - Games to look out for: Q1 2012

valentines  flowers for men

It’s 2012 already, the holiday season has passed and now it’s time to look forward to a fantastic new year of gaming. If all goes to plan we should be seeing the release of at least two new consoles this year: the Western launch of the PlayStation Vita is right around the corner on February 22 and the Wii U is scheduled for some time in the second half of the year.

While we should be seeing these consoles come to the market with a slew of new games, there are still a huge amount of games coming out for the current generation of consoles. Below you can check out some of our highly anticipated games for the first quarter of 2012.

For those of you who love the Final Fantasy series you’re probably waiting for the next console iteration. Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a direct sequel to 2009’s Final Fantasy XIII and continues the story 3 years after the events of the previous game and features a similar but supposedly improved combat system.

After the Japanese release late last month it has already scored good reviews from Japanese critics, so for Final Fantasy fans you should watch out for when it drops on January 31 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

I’m personally not much of a fan of the fighting genre, but I’ve heard that the Soul series is one of the better ones. Anyway, Soucalibur V is the next installment in the series and takes place 17 years after the events of Soulcalibur IV. It features a bunch of returning and new characters, including a guest appearance of Ezio Auditore from the Assassin’s Creed series.

If you like fighting games then Soulcalibur V will be out on January 31 in North America and February 3 in Europe; it will be available for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.


Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is an original IP from 38 Studios and Big Huge Games which features Ken Rolston on the development team, best known for his work on The Elder Scrolls series. As you might have guessed Kingdoms of Amalur will be a single-player role-playing game. Apparently there will be four playable characters, three ability trees and five distinct regions in the game, along with a combat system that requires both the timing of buttons and strategy. The style is said to be similar to both God of War and Oblivion.

From what is known about the game it sounds like a pretty average RPG, but with a solid development team and intriguing promotion (how will it be like GoW and Oblivion?) it could be a game to look out for after the reviews come in. It comes out for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows PCs on February 7 (NA) / February 10 (EU).


Despite most of the Nintendo 3DS’ game line-up catering for the younger audiences, Capcom is pushing ahead with a mature Resident Evil game for the handheld console. Resident Evil: Revelations is set between Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5 and follows the story of BSAA co-founders Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield shortly after the BSAA was founded. The game will be the usual survival-horror style, with an emphasis on exploration and puzzle solving; you will also have the option to switch between first-person and third-person viewpoints while aiming a weapon.

Resident Evil: Revelations was first revealed at E3 2010 and since then it looked like it was going to be one of the better titles for Nintendo’s new portable console. If you are a more mature gamer (it’s rated M by the ESRB) who bought a 3DS, this looks like a good buy when it drops on February 7 in North America; if you’re in Europe you can pick it up earlier on January 27.



Syndicate is a reboot of the Syndicate tactical shooter series that fizzled away in the late 90s, however this time it’s back as a first-person shooter. It’s set in a futuristic world where the world is divided into regions by “syndicate” mega-corporations, with each syndicate battling for market dominance. You are EuroCorp’s prototype agent embedded with a DART 6 bio-chip who must go on a bio-engineered and brutal adventure. Using said chip you can do a variety of cool things such as slowing down time and hacking into your foes.

The game’s description reminds me of Deus Ex: Human Revolution which I recently completed, but unfortunately for me I won’t be able to play it as it was refused classification (and effectively banned) here in Australia. If you live elsewhere Syndicate looks like an interesting game to try out in when it drops on February 21 (NA) / 24 (EU) for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows PCs.
valentines  flowers for men

valentines flowers for men - Blglife Ritu Wears: Wooing with Family, Fashion, Fun

valentines  flowers for men
Biglife Ritu Wears, the retail chain stocking in-house as well as other apparel and accessories brands for the entire family is now planning to venture into eastern and western India. The retailer which began its journey with a mere 200 sq. ft. area, today holds 2 lakh sq. ft. of retail space throughout India. Commenting on the successful retail venture and bullish expansion plans, Samir Sahni, Director, JDS Apparels says, “Year-on-year, we have been growing at 25 to 30 per cent. For financial year 2010-11 we closed at Rs 210 crores, and for the fiscal 2011-12, we have set a target of Rs 250 crores. By 2012, we are planning to open our stores in eastern and western parts of the country. We are also in talks with small retail chains for mergers and acquisitions.” Ritu Wears is also in discussion with financial institutions and planning an IPO soon. But the ongoing slowdown in western markets has delayed their plans.

“The average size of our stores is 20,000 sq. ft. We are also opening stores in Tier II, III cities. Our biggest store is 40,000 sq. ft. in North Delhi. Right now we have 10 big department stores across Punjab, Delhi, NCR, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh,” he adds. Biglife Ritu Wears stocks 20 per cent private labels, 30 to 40 per cent national and international level premium and super premium category brands and 40 to 50 per cent regional and semi regional mid and economy category brands. “In terms of market share, we are among the major players in organized retailing. We are also in talks with international brands like US Polo, Tommy Hilfiger. The space devoted to international brands will depend on their product portfolio,” Sahni explains.

Biglife Ritu Wear is a departmental store, so through its ‘Family, Fashion, Fun’ campaign, it targets the entire family with offerings of pleasure, fashion, better ambience and elements of fun with various promotions and games. The campaign also celebrates special days like Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Children’s Day etc. Last year, the company roped in Bollywood celebrity Malaika Arora Khan to endorse Biglife Ritu Wears and this year, they are planning to get another celebrity as the brand ambassador.

“We have also tied up with a private firm to explore e-retailing and are witnessing decent online sales. Now, we are working on starting our own e-retailing portal, since online retailing is going to become the next big platform for retailing in India,” Sahni opines.

India is emerging as one of the big opportunities for retailing in the world. With people from smaller towns becoming aware about quality and fashion, many brands are penetrating these areas to explore the potential. Expressing his views on the boom in these towns, Sahni says, “Our manufacturers are doing good business in the rural part of the country and Tier II, Tier III cities. In the coming four to five years, many Tier II and Tier III cities will become a major driver for the retailing sector in the country. We are also planning to open stores in Tier II, III cities.”

Biglife Ritu Wears has different private labels catering to men, women and kids. For example, in men’s formal and casual category, it has brands called K P Lon, Engine, Night, which are doing well. For women, they have brands called Veena and Cutley and in kidswear there are brands called 826 and Take More.

Summing up, Sahni says, “Moves like FDI in retail, will be very good, there will be a very clear demarcation between organized and un-organized retail. Overall, it will create a better retail scenario for the consumer.”
valentines  flowers for men

valentines flowers for men - The Year in Asian Film

valentines  flowers for men
Bigger is better.

That’s been this year’s theme for Asian movies as budgets soared to new levels. Leading the pack was “The Flowers of War,” which, at nearly $100 million, can claim the crown as the most expensive movie ever produced in China. Director Zhang Yimou’s drama about Japan’s war-time occupation of Nanjing starring Christian Bale sets a new high mark for mainland Chinese films, but it remains to be seen whether the movie’s box office will match the price tag.

“Flowers” opened around the same time as “Flying Swords of Dragon Gate,” China’s most expensive 3-D movie. Earlier this year, the tribal epic “Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale” claimed the title as Taiwan’s costliest movie ever with a budget of $25 million, while South Korea’s “My Way,” a World War II drama about a Korean man forced to serve in the Japanese military, set a record at 28 billion won ($24 million).

But the movies that made the deepest impression on me were marked by more than just outsize budgets — some, like “A Simple Life,” were small in scale but big in impact, while others, like “You Are the Apple of My Eye,” touched a nerve with moviegoers and became too massive to be ignored. Here are the 10 I consider the year’s most notable:

Busong: This mythical story, about a young man in search of a cure for his ailing sister, opens a window to the spiritual world of the indigenous people on the Philippine island of Palawan. Wandering through a jungle, the man encounters a grief-stricken woman looking for her husband, a fisherman who’s lost his boat, and a city dweller returning to his home after a long absence. Director Auraeus Solito merges the mystical and the familiar in this culmination of a life-long exploration of his family’s tribal origins.


Distribution Workshop
‘Flying Swords of Dragon Gate’
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate: Jet Li leaps into his first 3-D martial-arts spectacle, playing a general battling an evil eunuch and his henchmen at a burned-down desert outpost called Dragon Gate. Director Tsui Hark uses lavish set pieces — including a dilapidated inn booby-trapped with trip-wires, and the core of a desert tornado for the climactic sword fight — and pushes the martial-arts genre to new heights.

Inseparable: Kevin Spacey and Daniel Wu team up for one of the most offbeat movies in recent memory to emerge from China, about an overstressed Chinese man whose life is spiraling out of control — his marriage is shaky, he’s late on mortgage payments and his boss pressures him to lie to government officials during a company investigation — and his nosy American neighbor. Together they become an unlikely duo, complete with ragtag costumes, fighting injustice on the streets of Guangzhou. Director Dayyan Eng’s black comedy won’t suit everyone’s taste, but the two actors shine as the odd couple.


La Biennale di Venezi
‘Life Without Principle’
Life Without Principle: Over the backdrop of today’s volatile global markets, this film weaves together three stories about money-hungry Hong Kong people: a wife pressuring her policeman husband to buy an expensive home, a bank officer being forced to sell high-risk investments to unsuspecting customers, and a triad underling looking to raise quick cash to spring a fellow gangster from jail. Hong Kong director Johnnie To deserves credit for attempting to say something meaningful about how today’s economic insecurity is hitting society and the moral choices people face in an uncertain financial landscape.

A Reason to Live: This South Korean film combines a pair of stories about a young woman whose boyfriend is killed by a hit-and-run driver and a teenage girl who is battered by her father, and how the two struggle to forgive the men who have devastated their lives. In her decision to take on the heavy subjects of capital punishment and South Korea’s male-dominated culture, director Lee Jeong-hyang doesn’t so much as judge the status quo, as she looks for a path out.


Getty Images
Ann Hui, Deanie Ip and Andy Lau on the set of ‘A Simple Life.’
A Simple Life: Hong Kong director Ann Hui reflects on old age in this story about an elderly amah, or servant, who’s spent her entire life working for one household, and the master who cares for her after she suffers a stroke. The understated performances from Deanie Ip and Andy Lau lend realism to this story, where not much in the way of conventional movie-drama happens. It is rich in detail when it comes to the master-servant relationship, and the poignant conclusion builds slowly.

Unbowed: This courtroom drama from South Korea is based on a recent real-life case, known as the “crossbow terror incident,” about a professor put on trial for allegedly using the weapon to assault a judge who he believed treated him unfairly in an earlier case. As the defiant professor (played by Ahn Sung-ki) battles judicial indifference, director Chung Ji-young makes a sharp critique of the country’s legal system.


Fortissimo Films
‘Seediq Bale’
Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale: Director Wei Te-sheng’s two-part, 4-1/2-hour epic is based on the true story of Taiwan’s Seediq tribes, who launched a bloody uprising in 1930 against Japanese colonial rule in order to preserve their traditional way of life in the island’s mountainous forests. But this isn’t “Avatar,” and history reminds us that the foreign occupiers will eventually crush the rebels, who are no match with their primitive weapons. This ambitious undertaking — nonprofessional actors were cast in major roles, speaking an obscure native dialect — represents a milestone in Taiwan cinema.


WE Pictures
Wai Ying-hung in ‘Wu Xia.’
Wu Xia: Donnie Yen plays a repentant killer from a ruthless clan who’s changed his identity and found sanctuary with an unsuspecting wife (Tang Wei) in an early-20th-century Chinese village. But his past catches up with him as a detective (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and the gang’s leader track him down. Director Peter Chan assembled an all-star cast, including Shaw Brothers legends Jimmy Wang Yu and Wai Ying-hung, for his stylish interpretation of the kung-fu genre, vividly exploring the physics and technique of the martial art.

You Are the Apple of My Eye: In his directorial debut, Taiwanese writer Giddens Ko adapted his best-selling autobiographical novel about a puckish teenage boy and his slacker buddies as they conspire to avoid schoolwork, relish in sexual fantasies about their teacher and stumble through their romantic infatuation with a studious, no-nonsense classmate. This coming-of-age comedy — an often exaggerated look at the follies of adolescence — is set in Taiwan in the mid-1990s, but the theme of the march from juvenile indiscretion toward the responsibilities of adulthood is timeless.
valentines  flowers for men

Valentines Flowers For Men - Cultivate A Passion, Learn To Live

valentines  flowers for men

I know of three men who lived in the manner of their choosing. First was Socrates, who spent his days on the streets of Athens ambushing passers-by with seemingly simple questions. Like Ghalib, he loved argument. This was not to score a victory over another, it wasn’t a debate in that sense, but to try and bring understanding, to learn. Importantly, he also wanted to spread his spirit of inquiry. The aristocrats and upper-class youth loved him (it was a middle-class Athenian jury that put him to death). Socrates wrote nothing, but his disciple Plato gave us his teaching.

The second man was Michel de Montaigne, who lived near Bordeaux. On 28 February 1571, his 38th birthday, Montaigne retired from work. He spent the day at home with his library of Greek and Latin classics. He wrote. He invented the modern essay, a short sketch on an arbitrary subject, such as the one you’re reading. He wrote 107 of them on cannibals, on cuckolds, and on smells.

The third man is Shashikant Sawant, who lives in Vashi with his dog, a stray named Mozart.

Man of words: Shashikant Sawant lives with his dog, Mozart, in a room crammed with books and watched over by a Mona Lisa print. (Photo Hemant Mishra/Mint)

He sells second-hand books to a group of people, perhaps 25 or so. He comes to their home or office with a bagful of books he’s selected for them. It is how he makes his living. The bag is an open thaila, such as women use to shop for vegetables (“So I can easily pull one out to read on the train”). His selection is based on knowledge of the person over time. Often, as is the case with me, he has sold to them for over a decade.

He is self-taught, what is called an autodidact. Because he is curious and has an open mind, Sawant is interesting company.

He can speak informatively, often penetratingly, on the importance of Warhol, the relationship between Russell and Wittgenstein, the aesthetics of the Taj Mahal, the cinema of Bertolucci and of Sanjay Chhel, J. Krishnamurti’s conversation with David Bohm, living on a diet of zunka-bhakar, the Sicilian Defence in chess and the background to the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

I have spent many interesting evenings with him, and in another culture, he would be treasured. He paints abstracts and listens to symphonic music and Kishori Amonkar on his cassette recorder.

These three men have something in common and it is that they did what they liked doing, and little else. We can catch glimpses of their freedom by doing the things that we might like, but don’t because we haven’t set our minds to it.

And so here are 11 things you must consider doing in 2012.

Know: Every morning and evening in Monticello, his home in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson measured the temperature and atmospheric pressure. He owned hundreds of slaves but this Jefferson did himself, to be aware of what was around him. We are an indoors culture and that is one reason we invent so little. Pradip Krishen wrote a book on the trees of Delhi, but few of us can identify the trees around us or the birds of India.

Just cook with seasonal produce

Cook: For the most part, India still has seasonal vegetables. Learning how they are cooked in season will give you great joy.The other realization cooking and shopping for vegetables will bring is how drastically modern farming is changing the produce available in the market. The fruit sections in particular are frightening. Where are the local fruits of our youth? Why is so much foreign? To know this, we must work with the ingredients.

Tasting freedom: Take up carpentry—set your mind to the things you would really like to do

Make: In the period of their intellectual maturity, Tolstoy began making shoes and Gandhi began to make fabric. These two very great men decided that the most noble thing a man could do was to work with his hands. Consider making small things, useful things, like a bench or a stool. Such work is uncommon in our culture, but Indians were once great craftsmen, so it lurks in your blood.

Fix: One thing that separates Indians from Europeans is our helplessness before breakdowns. Our absolute reliance on plumber, mechanic, chaiwallah and IT man means that we understand little about the way things work, their mechanics. Merely disassembling the basic parts of something and putting it together again will bring knowledge. America’s high schools have something called “shop class” where all students learn how to work with wood and metal. We don’t and must teach ourselves.

Draw:Drawing is a different thing from painting. It is more modest. Drawing is recording, while painting is art. But all great artists from da Vinci and Michelangelo to Picasso have also drawn. The artist David Hockney separates drawing from painting because of its immediacy. This means we can draw what is before us, on what we have.

Sing: Music is expression. Expression of what? Emotion. The melodic instrument—guitar, flute—evokes emotion by imitating the voice. The percussive instrument—the drum—imitates the rhythms of life’s movements: breathing, sex, threshing. In the hierarchy of musical instruments, the human voice is ranked No. 1. The Hindu-Muslim vocal tradition of north India is the single most expressive form of music in the world (this superlative isn’t true of Indian dance). Learning it will enrich your life as few things can.

Go: Of the civilized nations, India has the poorest listings pages. We have few cultural events, and almost none where the audience pays. We have great culture but no patronage of it at the individual or collective level. This will change only when we attend events and pay for tickets. If you live in Mumbai, become a member of the Symphony Orchestra of India. In 2011, the audience is dominated by Parsis and the Indian musicians are mostly Catholic. This is because that has been the tradition. We can change that with our participation.

Grow: Few things are as rewarding to man as being able to grow food, or flowers. Coetzee writes beautifully of this in his Life and Times of Michael K. Even if it is just one pot or a little patch, to plant, nurture and harvest a living organism is something all of us should experience.

Read:Learning a new language is the best way of increasing what you know, because a culture opens itself to you. Make a list of the books that you will read next year. Include the classic texts of your faith, the Bhagvat Puran if you’re Hindu. Being familiar with the texts of other faiths makes us more open-minded, true, but fully knowing our own is an even better way. Writer Jerry Pinto once said his rule was to never buy a book he hadn’t already read. This is wise counsel for those who buy acquisitively, as I do. But I disregard Pinto’s rule because I want the book to be at hand when I eventually need it. Once you make your list of 20 books, go and get them.

Write:We do not really think until we write. All other thinking is superficial. This is something only writers know, and Bryan Magee mentions this in his book Confessions of a Philosopher. Few of us can use language with the sort of skill Rohit Brijnath does on these pages, but we can all observe and record. That is the important aspect of writing. What should you write about? One: The history of your neighbourhood. Its temples, churches, mosques, and their stories. Its schools, and who built them, who passed out from them. Two: The history and memories of your family. Its origins and professions, its ambitions and achievements. Its characters and its recipes. You will have a captive, interested audience for both subjects, and the material is waiting.

Mark: Today is the last day of the Gujarati month of Magsar (what other Indians call Margshirsha), and it is the dark night of the new moon. U.R. Ananthamurthy once said “educated Indians have lost contact with their almanac”. What a devastating observation. We live by the solar calendar, but our grandparents marked their days on a lunar year. They needed to because the amount of moonlight available was important to know. The smaller festival was celebrated, the anniversaries observed. We know Valentine’s Day but not Sharad Purnima. Fortunately, since we are vaguely familiar with the major festivals and where they fall, we only need to consult the almanac regularly to understand the rhythm of India.

The new year will bring things both happy and sad. I wish you give yourself a productive and fulfilling 2012.

Aakar Patel is a director with Hill Road Media.

valentines  flowers for men