Sports and fashion have an integral link. Young sports fans are equally fashion conscious, and event organizers well know this. In fact, for most popular sports teams globally, the mark-up for high-end memorabilia is well justified by the brand value. It usually works when a team or its star players tend to achieve cult status (just as, say, Liverpool or Manchester United charge hefty premiums for an official embossed T-shirt.

The ongoing IPL cricket tournament is another example of this. The cost price of an IPL T-shirt manufactured in the factories of Tiruppur, Bangalore and Chennai is between 15-20 per cent of the final cost, according to an estimate. Brands such as Puma and Adidas have a fixed cost sharing ratio with the teams. Though the marketers are unwilling to divulge the revenue-sharing arrangement with the cricket or football teams, teams roughly get up to 20 per cent by way of royalty.

Last year, KKR had launched actor and KKR owner Shahrukh ‘Khan’ special jersey with Reebok. It was priced at Rs 1,999, with King Khan’s name on the back. This time - for the second edition of IPL - franchisees have increased the scope of their portfolios to introduce more categories to gain from the IPL fever. The products range from Rs 50 to 2,000 plus.

Most of the IPL teams retail caps, mugs, badges, key chains and flip flops, all of which bear the insignia of all the participating IPL teams. IPL merchandise is slowly becoming a rage as fans are not averse to paying premiums.

The team owners know there are enthusiasts who consider all these items a prized possession than mere another piece of clothing or accessory. As you would read in one of our upcoming posts, sports memorabilia is becoming popular for gifting purpose. Of course, you should be able to get the choice right as each sports fan has different favorite teams or players.

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 “Can’t spend so much for an anniversary gift…”

Jumpy asked his wife, “Mary, darling, what would you want to celebrate 20th wedding anniversary with?

“Would you like a set of pearls?” he asked.

“Not really,” she said.

“Well how about a new sports car?” said Jumpy.

“No,” she responded with a grin.

“What about a new lovely vacation home in the countryside?” he suggested.

She again rejected the offer with a big “No thanks.”

“Well then what would you like for our anniversary?” John asked in an irritated voice.

“Jumpy, I would like a divorce,” answered Mary coldly.

“Sorry, I was not planning to spend that much,” said John nonchalantly.

Get the Message?

Two young kids were with their grandfather in the night. At bedtime, the two knelt beside their beds to say the prayers. The youngest one started praying at the top of his voice, “I PRAY FOR A NEW BICYCLE. I PRAY FOR A NEW MUSIC SYSTEM. I PRAY FOR A NEW NINTENDO…”

His older sibling leaned over and nudged the younger one and said, “But why are you shouting your prayers? God is not deaf.” To which the smart fella replied, “No, but grandfather is, don’t you know!”

A gift mother liked the most

Three sons decided to leave the home, and settle on their own. Luckily, they prospered. Getting back together after a long time, the three started showing the gifts they had got for their mother.

The first son said, “I have built a big house for her.” The second one said,” I have got our mother a Mercedes with a driver.”

The third said with a smile on his face, “You know mom really cherishes the Bhagvad Gita, But her eyesight has become poor. I have got her a parrot who can recite the entire Gita for her. It took 20 sages to teach him.”

Soon thereafter, Mom sent out a letter of thanks, saying: “You were the only one to have the good sense to realize what your mother likes. That bird was really delicious.”

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Please, ‘weigh’ the consequences of your gift!

A husband was in trouble. Guess why; it was because he had forgotten his wife’s birthday. She was willing to let it go by if the husband made up for the mistake in the ‘right’ way.

She told him, “Tomorrow there better be something nice in the driveway for me, which goes zero to 100 in 10 seconds”.

The wife found a small package next morning in the driveway. She curiously opened it and found a brand new weighing scale.

‘Cheap’ husband’s gift

After being away on a business trip, Manjit thought it would be great to get a nice little gift for his wife so as to make her happy.

“How about a good perfume?” he asked at the cosmetics shop. The salesgirl showed him a bottle worth Rs 1000.

“That’s a bit too much,” said Manjit. She returned with another bottle for Rs 500. “That’s still quite costly for me,” Manjit complained again. Getting annoyed, the girl brought out a tiny bottle.

“What I mean?” said Manjit angrily, “It costs Rs 150. I would like to buy something that is really cheap.”

The girl handed him a shampoo pouch. It’s for you, baldie,” she shouted.

A precious gift, but is it for the real?

A guy got his wife a lovely diamond ring for Diwali. After coming to know about this rather extravagant gift, a friend of his remarked, “But I thought she was looking for one of those sporty four-wheel-drive vehicles.”"Yes, she did,” he replied. “But how and where was I going to find a fake Jeep, tell me?”

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It’s vacation time; it’s fun time, so Giftex blog is here to make you smile. We present jokes and interesting anecdotes about gifting.

A gift with a DIAMOND in it

John: It was my wife’s birthday, yesterday.

Peter: what was your special gift to her?

John: I just asked her what was it that she wanted?

Peter: And what did she say?

John: anything, she said, as long as there is a DIAMOND in it!

Peter: So, what did you give her?

John: Simple, playing cards!

“Didn’t use the gift, so won’t gift another”

One year, a harried man decided to get his mother-in-law a prime cemetery plot as a Christmas gift, thinking it would send across the message to her. The mother-in-law did not seem to have got the hint.

The frustrated son-in-law did not buy her any gift next year. When the mother-in-law asked him why he din not get her any gift this Christmas, he replied with a frown on his face, “Well, you still have not used the gift that I bought you last year!”

What makes the perfect gift?”

Thanks for that pretty electric guitar that you gave me on my birthday,” little Manjit said to his auntie the first time he saw her after the holidays. “It is the best present that I ahd ever got.”"That’s great, my boy, “said his auntie.  “But do you know how to play it?”

“Oh, I do not play it,” the little boy said. “But my mom gives me a rupee every day not to play it during the day and my dad gives me another rupee not to play it at night. It’s because of you, auntie!”

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It’s vacation time; it’s fun time, so Giftex blog is here to make you smile. We present jokes and interesting anecdotes about gifting.

A surprise gift for the teacher

“It was the last day of Bittu’s school. All his fellow students were thinking of a present for their class teacher. Bittu, a florist’s son, stood up and gave his teacher a big box.

The teacher said to him, I shall bet these are flowers!” The boy asked, “How did you know?”

“Just a lucky guess, my child,” he stated. Next, came Sittu whose family ran a candy store. He also stood up and gave the class teacher a box. He immediately said he knew it was candy. When the amazed boy asked her how the teacher knew it, he again quipped, “Just a lucky guess, my child.”

Finally, came Mittu, a girl whose father owned a liquor shop. She came up and gave her teacher another box. But one of its corners had become damp from a leak. The class teacher asked the girl if it was wine. The girl said, “No.”

The teacher touched the leaking liquid and put it to his tongue and asked if it was a bottle of champagne. The girl again said no. Finally, the teacher gave up and asked her what was there in the box.

Mittu said with a big smile on her face, “It’s a surprise gift for you, teacher; it’s a puppy!”

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In the previous blog, we introduced you to Microsoft coffee-table-sized computer ‘Surface’. As we pointed out in the last posting, there are several gorgeous options for gifting gizmos to your tech-savvy buddies or relatives.

Touch-screen is the technology that all tech-savvy people will be reaching out for. You can spot the trend for gifting a nice gizmo if you are willing to spend a bit more for someone special. It is the mobile device market that is set to witness a flood of touch phones this year. They are affordable too.

According to an ABI research report, Samsung and Motorola will dominate the market in 2009. LG products such as LG Cookie, KS20 and Viewty are also appealing. LG has been aggressively launching entry-level handsets with amazing touch-screen features, whereas Samsung has on offer premium products. Samsung Pixon (8 mega-pixel camera phone, priced at Rs 28,750; Samsung Omnia (GB)priced at Rs 35,999, and TouchWiz priced at Rs 20,899 are the three hot picks that you cam go for. Nokia’s entry-level 5800 Xpressmusic, HTC Touch series and RIM Blackberry Storm are all worth considering.

When it comes to computers, there is Asus as well. The winner of the prestigious Red Dot design award has Eee Top PC. It’s an all-in-one, catchy touch-screen device, to make computing interactive. The firm has opted for an Opera browser to allow easy-touch navigation sans mouse or keyboard.

The Eee Top costs Rs 44,000, and brings immense glitz to one’s desk. Eee Keyboard PC is another touch-based innovation. It’s not yet commercially available, though! The PC is expected to incorporate the functionality of a desktop with a flashy keyboard, weighing just under a kg.

The gizmo can ably turn a LCD monitor into a full-fledged PC & multimedia entertainment centre thanks to its amazing ultra-wide band wireless connectivity. Eee PC T91 tablet PC with a touch screen (8.9-inch) incorporates features like the one of handwritten notes jotted down and ‘stuck’ on it or dispatched to other Eee computers. It lets users flip through, organize, edit as well as upload photos quicklys. 

Tags: Gifting occasions, gifting to clients, Popular corporate gifts, Best business gifts, business gift baskets, promotional products, Worst gifts, gifting etiquette, Business etiquette, Gifting events

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It’s again that time of the year for the top hotel’s pastry chef to get into action. JW Marriott’s Savio Fernandes, like always, is looking forward to an enchanting tradition in the family – that of making Easter eggs with his parents.

A DNA news report quotes him: “There hasn’t been a single Easter ever without an Easter egg. We give them to our family friends and relatives. No one will ever leave our home without an egg on Easter.”

Savio, since becoming the Marriott chef started preparing new goodies along with the Easter eggs for his hotel guests. These include a rich fruit cake with luscious layers of marzipan, a traditional simmel cake - decorated with small marzipan balls – 11 of them to represent the of Jesus Christ’s 11 apostles (minus Judas who betrayed Christ).

A 7th Century Benedictine monk, Bede Venerabilis, wrote about how the occasion was celebrated during the serene Spring equinox, while coinciding with the celebration of the Resurrection by Christians. Pope Gregory the Great’s instructions given to missionaries to co-opt ‘Heathen’ places and Christianity’s festivals, gave rise to the term, Easter.

Different regions tend to have different patterns. In Germany, cute gifts are given with Easter eggs, to children as well as adults. It’s a tradition here to paint eggs green and have them on Maundy Thursday. In certain places, the yolk is taken out; the egg is painted attractively. Easter eggs are hollowed out to be filled with yummy chocolate gold coins in Dubai. Eggs are painted red as in Slavic cultures a symbol of the blood of Christ.

Besides chocolate, eggs are made of marzipan in India, and chocolate bunnies, chicks and hens find their way into gorgeous Easter baskets. Families usually exchange these Easter goodies on Easter Sunday.

Tags: Best corporate gifts, Best business gifts, low cost gifts, Cheap corporate gifts, Gifting events, Corporate gifting, Corporate gifting India, gifting to clients, Business Gifting
Corporate gifting, business gifting

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In the previous posting, we explained to you how gifting can be extremely helpful in tax planning. We now understand the finer aspects of this. People are worried that, the income from the source that contributed to the gifts would get ultimately clubbed in their hands. Some are even concerned about attracting a gift tax.

One should know that gift tax has been terminated since October 1, 1998. There are no worries over attracting any gift tax. Clubbing provisions will come into play in case of gifts to minor children and spouse. Major (above 18) family members (barring spouse) can be gifted any amount of money freely without the donor falling into the clubbing net.

However, there has to be clarity regarding the procedure and whether it is required to make a gift deed on a valid stamp paper. Generally, it is better to make a gift deed and have it registered (with due stamp duty). Such a step is only necessary for making high-value gifts like real estate.

For other ‘tax-free’ gifting transactions, all a donor needs to do is make a gift and the acceptance of the same by the recipient. In simple terms, the donor can make the gift and the recipient should accept it in writing (even a thank you note will do). Once this is done, it be would considered a gift. Preferably, mention the relationship between the recipient and the donor. Both sides concerned should retain this formal document for ready reference if and when needed.

Some people are worried over the fact that making a gift to parents may make it mandatory of the latter to file a return. Well, the purpose of this exercise is that the income from the gift should not lead to any taxable income.

Hence, care should be taken to make sure that the income made from the gifted amount does not take your parents’ income above the taxable level. Ideally, consult an expert to avoid any confusion!

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The KEM Hospital has listed some interesting excuses that people give, adding they should not make such excuses and the reasons for doing so:

Excuse 1: “I am not of the right age to donate blood
Fact:  If you are in the age group of 18 to 60 years and in good health, you can donate blood.

Excuse 2: I am too thin or too small.
Fact:  Not so if you weigh 45 kg or more.

Excuse 3: Blood donation will make me weak.
Fact:  After a short rest and a healthy snack, you can resume your normal duties. The body quickly replaces the blood donated thus it is not ‘lost’ as the donor might think.

Excuse 4: It is unsafe to give blood.
Fact: Blood banks assure that it is completely safe. All the blood collection sets and the lancets used for testing blood are sterile, used just once and later discarded.

Excuse 5: A blood bank would not want my blood since I am common ‘O’ group.
Fact: Blood banks constantly need donors of every blood group.

Excuse 6: I have recently been unwell. And I am anemic.
Fact: Just wait till you are fit again. If in doubt, contact a blood bank’s Medical Officers. They check for anemia before every blood donation.

Excuse 7: I am too busy and it is too inconvenient.
Fact: It only takes 10-15 minutes (every three months) to be a regular blood donor.

Each blood unit can be employed to save lives of up to six to eight patients. Blood collected is separated into different components like Red cell concentrate, Plasma, Platelet concentrate, and Cryoprecipitate each of which has a specific use and is given to different patients according to their individual needs. Donate blood, gift life to someone!

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Mickey Mehta is among India’s renowned Holistic Health and Fitness trainers for more two decades. He has revolutionized the very concept of Wellness and has redefined Holistic Health by implementing innovative ideas and subtle changes in lifestyle.

He uses Vedic philosophies effectively coupled with the therapies of Tao, Zen, etc. for complete transformation. Some of his top tips as listed on the website are:

• Have vedic diets completely vegetarian with fruits and vegetable juices, sprouts & hot water with ginger and honey. Eat natural, fresh, unprocessed foods.
• Herbs like tulsi, aloe vera, ginseng, wheat grass bolster immunity. They suppress infections.
• Instead of eating 3 meals daily, go for 4-5 small, light meals. Eat every 3-4 hours so as to regularize your blood sugar levels. Never skip meals, especially your breakfast.
• Bananas are recommended for those who are hypertensive in nature as they are low in sodium and high in potassium. They are rich in fibre and provide instant energy.
• Cut down on alcohol as well as aerated waters. Switch to vegetable juices, herbal teas, unsweetened fruit juices and coconut water. • Physical activity helps you immensely. People tend to overeat to overcome feelings of depression and anxiety. Exercise will release endorphins (feel-good hormones).

The fitness guru has listed on his website many such valuable tips to keep your mind and body in shape. In these highly stressed times, making someone close to you to an alternative lifestyle can be the most precious gift you can give. You can contact Mickey Mehta for a switchover to ensure the well-being of your near and dear ones, which is worthier than any expensive gift object under the circumstances.

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