Be Fit For Almost Free

Mark told me that he works out at the gym every other evening and yet he is still "fat" and wanted to lose more weight. He said, though, that he has been spending too much money on supplements which do not work.

I told him that he has to buy supplements from reputable stores and that he could actually purchase Discount Supplements so he can save some money. Why pay full price when he can be eligible for up to 75% discount off retail price from BeFit4Free.com?

Mark was surprised that I know all the places to get discounts and coupons. He thought that I only know where to find discounted clothes and shoes, but even supplements! I am a discerning shopper and I never pay full price for any of my purchases because I know where to get the best of everything!

Why Gamepal Gets WoW Accounts Banned

My friend, Neil, is a frequent player of WoW. He told me that some people have reportedly gotten their WoW account banned. To him, that is like the death of a family member! He plays so much that he thinks his WoW character is a living part of him, something which I can understand because I am a gamer as well.

So these people have apparently hired a company called Gamepal which specializes in leveling up game characters for their clients. They charge something like $49 but I believe the rate varies as it depends on the requirements of the clients.

To their horror, they found out that their WoW accounts were subsequently terminated and they were not able to reopen their account no matter how they pleaded with WoW administrators. Their characters of course died there and then too.

It seems that Gamepal uses scripts to level up the characters and that violates the Terms of Use of WoW. It is a pity that these clients were not told beforehand. Gamepal may have written something about it in their terms but not everyone reads the fine lines.

Stupid MSN Reset Password Feature

After I brought my computer home from the PC shop, I spent quite some time trying to customize my compute to the way I like it to operate. Unfortunately, for the life of my, I have totally forgotten what my password it. Well, I have so many email account and what not that you really can't blame me to forgotten.

I thought that it could easily be solved by asking for my password from MSN and reset it. Well, it's easier said than done.

For one, when I asked to reset my password, MSN would send me a new password t my MSN email account. It is just plain stupid. If I have already forgotten my password, how the hell could I access my email account to read that email and follow through the process of resetting my password?

I did ask for a new password but I could not get my hands on the email. In the end, I remembered my original password, after spending long hours recalling it.

Pluba The Leading Online Pet Classifieds

I was joking with my friend by saying that I want to sell off my two monkeys for always blackmailing me by falling ill and giving me so much heartache I am about to surrender. He thought I was serious and told me that should I decide to sell them, to do so on Pluba Pet Classifieds because it is the only pet classified boards with the highest reputation, as far as he knows, and I at least owe it to my monkeys to get them new good owners.

Hey, I was only joking but that got me curious about Pluba, no doubt. It is apparently the leading online pet classifieds.

I like the fact that on Pluba, advertisers have to buy advertising space and that eliminates all the spam postings. On Pluba, every advertiser is serious about and of high quality as they are rated by buyers, using the personal reputation system by Rapleaf.

In addition to this, staff of Pluba will go through the listings one by one to further screen for scam or fraudulent postings, just in case, you know? Scam is so rampant on the internet, it happens everywhere, even on pet classified boards.

As yo know, I am an animal lover and I could not help myself from participating in the forum. Ah.. I thought I have already retired from forumming but show me a forum on pets and there I am! I must say, it is the busiest pet forum for pet lovers and breeders that I have ever participated in!

IN addition to all the goodies on Pluba, did you know that you will be eligible for a 15% discount coupon that can be applied on your subscription or advertisement when you register at Pluba for the first time? So if you are an animal lover, I urge you to check Pluba out. There are so many cuties there!

How Many T-Shirts Do I Need?

I recently came across a shop selling Forest sports t-shirt for ladies cheaply and I bought two pieces. I came home and tried them on and I thought that since I like them and they fit me well, I'm going to buy a couple more.

Subsequently, I went to that shop a few times more, each time buying a couple only. Now I have so many t-shirts from the same company but I really like the colours.

I got them all in S now. Don't ask me why did I buy XL the previous time. That was a rare case of a slip of shopping judgment hehe! Shame, shame on me!

The problem is, I actually do not need anymore t-shirts as I do have new ones sitting in my closet and never gotten round to wearing them even before my purchase of these Forest t-shirts.

I do, however, need shoes, formal and informal. Remember, the malu-fying incident? But I really hate shopping for shoes as my feet are sized 6.5 and nobody ever made such a size, except for Jimmy Choo. *sigh*

Getting A College Degree Online

Henry, my friend, asked me when I am going to obtain my tertiary education. He has been telling me that I should get one because although I may be smart, I need the piece of certificate to show it.

I have been thinking of getting a college degree online. Capella University seems like a good online university. One of their faculty members recently co-authored a book with the title ‘Appreciative Coaching: A Positive Process for Change’.

Just so happened I just wrote an article on embracing changes so this book caught my eye. Sara Orem, PhD., Jacqueline Binkert, PhD. and Ann Clancy, PhD., the authors believe that people will flourish when they focus on human ideals and achievements. I agree with them whole-heartedly.

Anyway, I do not know when I will sign up for a course because I don't even have the time to commit myself to an online course.

This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive.
For more information, please visit Blogitive.com.

The Rapist

The other day, so damn malu. I saw a web address that says therapist.com and I thought to myself, "Yeerr what sort of website is this that promotes a rapist????"

Little did I know that my eyes were actually playing tricks on me. The website was actually called Therapist, and not The Rapist.

You see, it is very important to get a few trusted people to come up with variations before your register for a domain name. I am sure no one wants to have a website that promotes a Rapist right?

Sometimes my eyes will play tricks on me and it is especially bad when it's numbers. I really suffer when I have to prepare accounts. Bah!

15-Year Old Cars

Did you hear the news that there will be a debate to write off cars that are above 15 years as unroad worthy and they should be taken off the road? And people with such cars can redeem for a MRY5000 voucher to buy a Proton?

I think it's just plain crap that people, who are already not that well-off, if they are driving 15-year old cars, should be financially burdened such just because Proton needs to sell their cars.

To me, 15-year cars are still new and road worthy if they are well-maintained. If you tell me that 25 to 30 year old cars should be written off, then I do agree that the majority of such cars are in a deplorable and dangerous state. But 15-year old??

If this ruling is enforced, I think half the people in my street would be carless. Is that what the government wants?

Online Payday Advance

It is great to have a service like online payday advance provided by Check City. At least we know that should we have an emergency for a small sum of money, we could apply a loan from Check City. If you have ever borrowed money from friends or family before, you will know that this is a very sensitive issue and it will jeopardize your relationship with them. They will never look at you in the same way again and you may have lost their respect. Well, I have been through all these and I can tell you, it is not a nice situation to be in.

I wish that there were payday loans readily available back then when we were in dire straits so that nobody close to us would even know that we needed money. Recently, Check City has expanded their business to include California and Alaska, offering payday loans to the residents. I think this is good news for the people!

Why Got Trojan Wan?

As you know, I was forced to send my PC in for a format. I didn't want to but that was the only way to work the printer. Anyway, I told them not to install any software because through experience, most of the software that they install are not what I would use. Previously, I had to uninstall all their programmes and install my own regular programs so this time I told them that unless they want to go online, to only install firewall and anti-virus.

I also could format the PC actually but since I am so hard pressed for time, I decided to let others take care of the task while I do something else.

These people wanted to go online to search for drivers so they installed an antivirus program called AntiVir which I never heard of before.

When I came home, I uninstalled it so that I can use my regular Grisoft's AVG Free. To my horror, AVG detected that AntiVir is a trojan! Gasp! How come like that?? This really made me mad, you know? I thought that with a new format, my PC is finally clean but dammit, now I have the trojan which I am not sure if I managed to detect and catch entirely!

Epson Good Or Not Wor?

I bought the Epson Stylus Printer AIO and was pretty satisfied with it, apart from the fact that I had problems installing the driver that caused my operating system to be corrupted, giving me the blue screen of death and forcing me to reformat my computer.

The scans are great, the printers are vibrant and at MYR280, it was a steal. The ink will be expensive but it is expected because this is the ink that does not smudge even right after print out.

Anyway, Samm has an Epson which she bought during the last PC Fair and to my horror, she said that her scanned images have a white line now! My God, the previous PC Fair was in November or December and that's not even six months ago!

Eeekkk already two people said that Epson is not good! Bahhhhh *cry* Thank god my unit is "only" MRY280, but it's still expensive for me!!

Science Kits Make Great Gifts

A niece of mine has always been interested in science. She is not like an ordinary kid because her ambition is to be the country's first astronomer and she always asks questions that are even too difficult for her parents to answer without first checking the internet.

Her birthday is coming up next month and I thought that I will buy her a couple of science kits. I would definitely suddenly be her favorite aunt!

I came across some astronomy kits that I know she would be interested in, especially the Space Theater Planetarium but I would also like to get her interested in some other aspects of science.

Magic science seems like an interesting kit and I think I would like her to have it as well. This new line of science kits, are designed to introduce science concepts through magic. These are presented by Bob Friedhoffer, "The Madman of Magic".

I am very happy to note that ScienceKits.com provides discounts for online orders and this well help me to save some money. I always do not believe in paying full retail price and any discount is always welcomed.

I think that Science kits are great educational toys to have and they make great gifts. These are not only fun to play with but we get to learn as well.

Paul's New Golf Hobby

Paul told me that he is now learning to play golf to expand his social circle and business contacts. He said that since he doesn't have that much time to devote to his new hobby, he will not be spending too much on his irons and accessories. Besides, he is only a novice and he doesn't see the point of spendiing too much on golf equipment.

So I told him about great golf deals that I found on the internet. By buying though SaveOnGreen, he will save money without compromisng on quality or brand name.

Paul was so happy with my recommendation. He thought that with his budget, he would have to buy second hand equipment and he wasn't so keen on that!

Dove Shower Cream At A Bargain

Last week, I messaged my friend telling him that I have finished the Dove shower cream that he gave me during Chinese New Year which made me smell like cucumber. He told me to buy a larger bottle as it is cheaper. No, I told him that I am going to go back to soap.

Last night, though, I saw a bottle of this Dove shower cream (550ml) selling at MYR13.88 only and it comes with a bottle of 200ml free. This is the size that my friend gave me.

The bargain doesn't end there. Buy a second pack and get 50% off for the second pack. The second pack has a free bottle of 200ml as well.

And being the wise shopper that I am, I of course walloped two packs.

..... OMG I'm starting to pamper myself. What happened to my word about going back to soap?

Dial 1-800-NO-DRUGS For Drug Rehab Information

I have written quite extensively on the problems my neighbor faced with two of his sons being addicted to drugs. A reader has kindly informed me that one could receive information on drug rehab for free from a non-profit drug rehab referral service.

When one is addicted to drugs or alcohol, the world is bleak and it seems like there is not out of the vortex. It is the same when we see a loved one afflicted such.

There is a way if we just spend some time looking for a solution. Check out 1800nodrugs.com to see what options are available to you or your loved one. You can also dial 1-800-NO-DRUGS to seek advice from experienced drug rehab counselors.

Let's help each other beat these social diseases!

Wrestling On TV

This morning, Paul messaged me that he was watching wrestling on TV. I was like, "Oh my, that was my favourite past time!"

Seriously, many people did not believe me that liked watching wrestling. I remember watching it when I was about seven years old only and falling asleep on the couch while watching because they are always shown on TV late in the night. Well, 11pm is mighty late for a seven year old!

As if those that were shown on TV were not enough, we rented videos, especially prime time matches like Survivor series and Wrestlemania and what not. We chased the matches like how people chased after TVB serials.

Yaya, I know wrestling matches are scripted, they do look fake sometimes, but let's forget about match fixing and all, and just watch for the fun of it. Wrestling is a form of sports, you know?

It is sad that with so many things going on in life, I don't even have time to watch wrestling like I used to. From the little weekly matches that are shown on free TV nowadays, I think wrestling has lost a little of its entertainment value.

Emailing Specific Audience

My friend told me that she is in a dead end. There seems to be no more buyers that she could approach. I suggested that she try sending out mass email to a mailing list of people, but she said that most people would just trash an unsolicited mail.

I surfed around the internet and came across Martin Worldwide, a company that specializes in mailing lists for all businesses. Mailing lists from Martin Worldwide ensures positive business sales leads because their list has a targeted audience and these are the people who would be interested in our product or service.

My friend was happy that she could choose her mailing list because it would mean that her percentage of clinching a sale through her email promotion is higher than a non-specific mailing list.

I think anyone who is into email marketing should try this out too. And why not when the chances of success are so much higher now?

Do Guys Like Shopping?

I wonder if guys like shopping. When we ask them to go along, they pull a long face but when they go and buy their things, they happily report their purchases.

I know one guy who bought so many electrical and electronic gadgets over the past couple of months, totaling my annual income!

And another guy was telling me that he bought so many clothes last weekend from all the branded stores. Oh my, I thought most guys don't care what clothes are on their back!

And Paul is a shoes guy. He's always mentioning his new pair of shoes. Kenneth Cole woh. US$400 per pair only mah!

I pengsan!

OnlyWire.com

I am not really a huge fan of social bookmarking although I already have a list of bookmarks to keep tab on daily. I don't know why but I rather check the sites one by one through my list of favourites on my browser.

Anyway, today I discovered this ultimate social bookmarking site called OnlyWire.com. I actually came across it thanks to an incoming link from a reader who uses OnlyWire.com

Yes, apparently, OnlyWire.com is the ultimate social bookmarklet judging from the full list of social bookmarkers that could be used in place of, practically EVERY social bookmaker there is since it will bookmark your page to all the fifteen major services out there.

I was thinking how great this blogging tool is and thought I would like to try it out until I read that the company is being sued, one of the issues is that OnlyWire.com records members' information.

So if you are into social bookmarking, do you want to give this a spin?

At The PC Fair

The other weekend, I was at the PC Fair and there were so many booths set up by vendors, all trying to sell something or other. There were the latest in personal computers, laptops, printers, digital cameras, speakers and many other accessories.

There were so many products that I got confused just looking at them. There are many things that I would not have bought. Like computer, I would only want to buy a brand name system like Hewlett-Packard because I am assured of quality and that is very important to me. A computer is like a car and I am sure no one wants to use something that gives trouble all the time.

In the end, I picked up a printer and a DVD-RW but a personal computer is definitely next on my shopping list.

Beefing Up Home Security System With uControl

My sister's neighborhood was in shock when one of the houses were broken into despite its tight home security system. Everyone felt violated and my sister started to get worried about the security of her home and family. She told me of their new vulnerability and asked if I know of a solution for her.

I asked my friends and found that she can fortify her home by installing uControl Link, which is compatible with her existing home security system. It is very simple to install and she could do it herself.

She then can access the website of uControl to customize her personal settings and preferences and in no time at all, her system will be activated and she will be connected, virtually.

According to the uControl website, the system allows her to access the status of her home security in real time, via any internet enabled device like the cell phone, PDA or computer. The uControl Difference video demo virtually self explains the whole system and the benefits of having the uControl over conventional home security system.

My sister was happy that I found uControl for her. At least that calmed her nerves!

Playing With My Printer FINALLY!

My computer is finally home and it is working the printer like it should, yep, after all the hassle, FINALLY it is working! Yay!

I had wanted to ask the shop to take it back if it can't work after all the troubleshooting and upgrade to a laser printer all-in-one but there is no such need anymore.

Now I can finally try and see if Epson is really as sucky as my friend claimed it is. He told me that his Epson, a high end model rosak after a few prints only wohhh Eeekkk so scary!

But now, I can scan, copy and also print. If printer rosak, at least I can still scan Keeping my fingers crossed.

Related post:
Sending PC In For "Repairs"

Glen Glasgow The Artist

I recently discovered the poet and artist by the name of Glenn Glasgow through the International Society of Poets where I am also a member. Glen has been recognized by this society for outstanding achievement in poetry and he has two books under his name; Our Mother and Phzed.

I was curious about the poet so I went online to search for more information on him. I am amazed that not only is he an outstanding poet but also an artist.

On the surface, artwork by Glen Glasgow looks childish but I soon realized that each art piece carries a deeper meaning, if only I could look further than the shapes and colors.

Glen Glasgow has many artwork for sale on his official website and out of the many, my favorite is titled "Nothing to Fear - There really is nothing to be afraid of". How true this is. I wish that I could stop fearing fear, you know? I wish to have this art piece hung above my workstation so that I can stop living in fear, no thanks to all the negativity that has been going on in my life lately.

My other favorite, if I may have one more, is "Procrastination". It says, "I never put off until tomorrow what I can put off until the day after tomorrow." If you know me at all, you will know that I am the queen of procrastination. This art sums up myself, I think I just have to have it!

Glen Glasgow is really an interesting man. Check him out, you will be in awe.

FireFox - Open New Tabs In Background

I have been a tabbed browsing lover since years ago even before FireFox became popular. I use Maxthon, which runs on Internet Explorer's core. I think I have tried all the browsers with tabs but Maxthon still remains my favourite.

My friend keeps telling me how good FireFox is. I have used it before but did not like it but I decided to give it another try. Perhaps FireFox may be more secure than IE, and Maxthon, but security holes are not something that I can see and what I can't see, I do not worry about.

Anyway, I have gotten the hang of FireFox but one thing still irks me. Is it possible to open new tabs from Bookmark links and can new tabs be opened in the background? Right now, clicking on a link on the Bookmark will hijack my current tab and to have a link open in a new tab, I would have to left click and then right click.

Does anyone have a solution for these issues?

Keeping Track of Boston Condos

Paul tells me that he is spending way more time in Boston than in New York City. He is thinking of buying a condo in Boston so that he doesn't have to put up at hotels anymore. Moreover, this seems like the right time to invest into Boston Condos and from the listings of Boston condos for sale on Boston Condo Group, there are some pretty interesting property in the market at attractive prices.

Paul said that he has done some research and he found that Boston Condo Group has the most comprehensive listings of condos in Boston. He said that he is going keep tab on the condo property scene in Boston and has already signed up for the newsletter so that he will always be one of the first to know of any new property for sale.

Investing Through Analytical Data Via PowerOptions

Paul read my blog about my investments in stock options and he was afraid that I will lose money. He said I should make use of all the available tools to help me make a better decision in my investments. He said that I need analytical data and sound knowledge in the various options and not to invest by word of mouth which is very risky.

Paul said that he has been using the suite of tools by PowerOptions and the results have been more than satisfactory. He has seen a vast improvement on his return on investment, that's why he is recommending it to me.

He has used quite a few similar tools but none has been as user-friendly or as accurate in rendering essential data as PowerOptions.

Beware Of The Copycat

It really pissed me off when I discovered from my traffic tracker that a blogger copied my sponsored post and published it onto his/her own blog and submitted it as if it was originally written by him/herself. How low can one get? It is just a short 100-word post, can't he/she write it herself?

I have at times come across people who copied my IDEA by writing on my topic after I published my post and never gave me credit for it. My blog may have lower traffic or less popular, hence there aren't many comments but these people took my idea, write a new post and publish on their own blog, and yet they can garner a slew of comments, as if the idea came from their very own brains.

Well, I was OK with that. But to copy my sponsored post wholesale, with only ONE miserable sentence changed to accommodate a differently assigned keyword is too much.

I have clocked over a thousand sponsored posts and this is the first time I have encountered this. I wonder how many more of my posts have been copied without me knowing.

Of course I have lodged a complaint. If both our posts were reviewed by the same person, I am sure the reviewer will experience a sense of déjà vu but it is going to be difficult to pinpoint where that post came from. I think bloggers like this should be booted out of the marketplace. They give Bloggers a bad name. Take pride in your writing whether it is sponsored or not.

It's Only MYR100 lah!

After much debate with a couple of veterinarians from the pet food company that provides free urolith service saying that I am not prepared to pay a few hundred Ringgit for it now that I know it is a free service, I finally picked up the phone to call up my vet to ask once and for all, how much is it?

My dad told me that it's MYR400 but I just had to get it from the horse's mouth.

So I called up and was told that it is MYR100. Eh, did my dad hear wrongly or did he revise his rates?

I think that MYR100 is reasonable for his administrative and professional fee. I feel so bad for telling those two vets that I will not go through my vet because of his exorbitant fees. Aiikkss

So I am going to go through my vet after all. MYR100 only, OK lah.

Related post:
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Where Are The Cheap Moving Companies?

Just last night, Jim was asking if I know of a good yet cheap moving company. He is transferred yet again and has to report for work in the middle of May. Although his company provides relocation expenses, the strain of uprooting as frequently as Jim's family is, isn't easy to cope with.

Jim has had many horror stories to share from his experiences with less than reliable moving companies in the past and he said that now he only wants companies that come highly recommended in terms of services and rates.

I don't know much about movers, actually, but I have friends who were satisfied with the companies that they have been matched with through Service Network. I told Jim about it and hope that he will find the service up to his expectations. Moreover, I feel that the discount of up to 65% that he may be eligible for is bonus enough.

Jewish Dating For The Jewish Single

I have a friend who is a Jew and he is finding it increasingly difficult to get a partner. He has his career here and there aren't that many Jews around, you know?

I told him to try out online jewish dating. Who knows? He might find his match on Jaters.com. He was apprehensive at first because he has not tried online dating before, but I am an old hand at the game and told him how easy it is to sign up, build his profile and start making contact with other members.

I even helped him to think up an interesting description of himself and picked out his best mug shot for his profile. I hope he will be able to find a girlfriend. It will boost his confidence.

I do not know what he was afraid of! He is so shy even online! There was nothing to be afraid of since everyone is just like him, trying to make contact with like-minded people, people who share the same interests and people who are looking for a partner.

He was very thankful for my help and after the initial doubt, he began contacting other members. I hope that he will be successful in his first try!

I'm Soooo Bad

My friend from England told me that he will be in my hometown in early April and will leave at the end of the month. He told me that he will be putting up at his usual hotel, where he has a regular suite. He knows the General Manager of the hotel and is able to obtain a very attractive rate hence he is able to take out the same suite each time.

This friend used to live near my house but he moved away years ago. His family has also left their hometown but his in-laws are still staying out at a small town near my city that's why he comes back for long periods annually, to visit the in-laws.

Since receiving his email, I haven't even given him a call yet. What with my monkey and his surgery and work, I haven't even found time to keep in touch. I feel so bad and I know that he will be thinking I am no longer his friend, or that I have a boyfriend already, that's what he always thinks, anyway.

I hope that before he leaves I will REMEMBER to call him, even if I can't go out for a cuppa with him and his family *sigh*

An Ideal Specialty Boarding School

Friends of mine has been struggling with their son who seem intelligent enough but due to some reason or other, lack interest in his studies and not doing as well as expected. I have advised them time and again to try a new environment for him. Maybe he is limited by his current school or influenced by his peers but in any case, we all know that he is smarter than this and can do better. I was afraid that if this situation is prolonged, his future may be marred if he is unable to get good grades in his upcoming examinations.

I have heard of children of other friends who have done well after going through specialty boarding schools. The education system is more structured and each student gets more personalized attention and they are given more room to grow and freedom to express themselves.

One of the children was sent to Carolina Springs Academy Specialty Boarding School. She graduated with flying colors and came home with lots of praise for her school.

She said that should she continue with her former school, she would not have achieved what she did and become the person that she is now. She was able to develop her character and personality with a changed outlook, all thanks to the support received from her teachers, mentors and fellow students.

I told my friends about her success story and hope that they will make the right decision for their son.

Weird Dream

Today, I had a very weird dream. I dreamt that a friend of mine came to my house. Anyone who knows me know that I do not really welcome visitors because of my monkeys. I don't like to put the stress on them with strangers around.

Anyway, I don't know why, this friend and myself were in the back room. I was on the phone while he was reading. Another friend called me up to tell me that someone is missing and I offered my fat monkey to help in the search and rescue, saying that my fatty monkey in very good in looking for missing people, which is really funny because my monkey can't do such a thing at all.

Then suddenly my mom woke up from her afternoon nap and was walking to the back of the house, and I told my friend to quickly hide in another room but he refused to budge, dammit! I had to push and pull and shove him into the other room and tried to lock the door with him inside but he kept deflecting my hand away.

I don't know anymore subsequently what happened because I woke up :-)

I guess I must be feeling very guilty with my friendship with him because my dad doesn't like it *sigh*

Finest Quality Remember Maui Bath Products

My friend was surprised that in this age, I am still using cheap soap! He said I need to take care of my skin better since I am not young anymore! Bah! He bought me a handmade soap presented beautifully in a Hawaiian gift basket that came with a handwritten gift card. I was really touched by his gesture.

He told me that he has used Remember Maui handmade soaps before and really loved the variety of fragrances available and he felt refreshed the whole day!

He said that if I do like my gift basket, I should continue to use Remember Maui bath products as they are of the finest quality and importantly, they are affordable, yes, even for me!

I am afraid that my friend has spoilt me and that I will continue to pamper myself even after my supplies from him runs out.

The Celcom Network

Within two weeks or so, Celcom has taken their entire network offline TWICE. I am only a Celcom mobile user, thankfully, but it was darn inconvenient without a phone line during the long six and seven hours of downtime from midnight to 6 and 7am respectively. These are exactly the hours that I use my phone the most! I am a night owl, you see?

I wonder why Celcom has to take the entire network down from phone to data lines. Don't they have a back up system where they can reroute the traffic to another line temporarily?

I know they are upgrading the system so that we, the consumers, have better facilities. However, do they know that when their system is completely offline that they are losing mush revenue from the downtime? Even though it is planned, they could have planned better, you know what I mean?

I hope there will not be a third time. Otherwise, we should be compensated!

I Pity You Lah!

My friend told me that he pities me because I bought the Epson printer more than a week already and still can't use it. He's damn right. I am already fed up with it. If not for the MYR280, I would have thrown it down the river already.

Where in the world are there people who bought something and can't use it? I wanted to ask the shop to buy it back from me but they won't because they have installed it on another computer and the damn printer worked!

But the USB ports of my computer are proven to be working too! Why should I be penalised for something that is not my fault? Why am I so bad luck wan???

I’m so pissed off, man!

Personalized Baby Gifts For Friend's Baby

I feel so silly to have cracked my head over an appropriate gift for my friend's baby shower. How could I have forgotten about Baby Nest, a site that I came across before that has a wide range of personalized baby gifts from apparel to accessories?

What I like about Baby Nest is that I am able to get the gifts personalized for free and that will save me a lot of money. Thankfully too, since I am almost out of budget for the month.

Other online stores would have charged me an exorbitant amount of money, ON TOP of the gift. Well, luckily I did not fall into that trap, or my reputation as a smart shopper would have fallen apart! Haha!

** An Anonymous Journal ** Translated

I never really thought about it until I saw this in my stats tracker. Ya, I am a no-lifer who get a kick out of analysing my stats tracker :-)

Anyway, there's this reader from Italy who came to my blog and he has translated my blog into Italian. Here is the result which I, the no-lifer, have found it amusing.

If you have your blog in my blogroll, you will be able to see your blog title in Italian. Isn’t it fun? Imagine if I really did write every post in Italian! Maybe one day I will translate everything into German or Korean!

Click HERE for the Italian version. Woohoo!

Thunderstorm Everyday!

Bad weather every single day! I did mention that every time it rains my monkey gets frighten of the thunderstorm and lightning that his heart starts to palpitate and he gets into seizures.

Well, when if rains like this everyday, I'm sure you get the picture. As for me, I do not have any respite at all. Want to rest also cannot. Want to work also cannot.

The other day my fatty monkey nearly went into fits three times. Every time it happens, I think my life is blasted a few days. If this goes on, I will be the one who will go into fits, seriously.

I told my friend want to move away with my monkeys to somewhere without rain but he told me that it is the same from Kedah to Penang to Perak to Selangor to Malacca right down to Singapore and even the East Coast.

Isn't it sickening? I surrender lah!

Shopping For Health Insurance

Simon advised that I should get myself health insurance coverage and I agree. It is scary that medical costs in the country have skyrocketed. It is said that we can cure almost any illness but what is the use when we are not able to afford the medical treatment or medicine?

I told Simon that I do not have knowledge on health insurance and to please help me find affordable health insurance since I am on a tight budget and may not be able to afford it if the premium is too high.

Simon told me not to worry and to take my time to shop around for a health insurance plan that suits my budget the most. He said there is no hurry and advised me to check the background of the insurance companies first before committing myself to a policy.

I think I should read up more the various health insurance plans to get a clearer picture of what I will be getting into!

Credit Cards For Everyone

I was searching for a good credit card and do not know which is the best for me. I asked around and even searched on the internet when a friend told me about an Online Credit Card website where I can compare credit cards where I can find out what are the benefits and differences that are offered by each card and then only decide which is the best for me.

Actually this site is very useful because it lists out all the available credit cards in various categories so one can easily obtain specific information by going to the desired category only.

There are cards that are suitable for business people or for students and there are cards that can earn us rewards, either in the form of bonus points or frequent flier miles. I was looking for credit cards that earn us cash back on purchases and I am glad that these cards are covered on Credit Card Search Engine as well.

And then there are cards for people with any range of credit rating. Those with a good credit rating will be eligible for credit cards with low interest rate while those with a bad credit rating can still apply for credit cards. These credit cards are meant to help them to rebuild their credit history.

I think there is a suitable credit card for just about anyone.

Securing All Phone Conversations

I was chatting with my friend about a radio scanner that has the ability to eavesdrop on landline and mobile phone conversations. He said that now that cellular companies are using digital signals, it is not possible to do so. He then went online to check and admitted that I am right! You see, even though I am a girl, I do know about such things!

He then said that he better have his company protected by a secure phone system so that nobody can try to bug his phone lines. He said that all company issues are confidential and should remain within the walls of the office. It is very scary to imagine what would happen if private information is leaked out and it will cause his company huge losses.

He said that it is better to be safe than sorry to get the protection now before anything untoward happens.

Buying Electrical Appliances / Electronic Products

Sometime back, my friend told me that a high percentage of people who buy electrical appliances or electronic products would have to return to the shop due to some problems or defect with the problem. People tell me that it all depends on luck. But since the percentage is so high, does it mean that generally these products lack quality or does it mean that all these people are having bad luck?

While I was at the computer shop trying to make my computer work my printer, there were so many people who bought something or other during PC Fair and they came back to say that their purchase is already out of order (!!) or there is some error or other with their gadget.

The scary part is that when I was there, PC Fair was only a couple of days ago, and the item is already out of order!

When there are so many people facing the same problems, don't tell me that it's all luck? I do feel that these products are generally low in quality no matter if it is made in Malaysia or China. Only those that are manufactured in certain countries have managed to uphold their quality.

I am not sure about you, but at least they do not meet *my* standards.

Wilderness Programs For Troubled Teens

My friend Cindy, and her husband recently had to make a very difficult decision but they finally took the step to send their son to one of the Wilderness Programs For Troubled Teens.

They know they will miss their son for making his stay away from home to attend the program, which is just like a camp, but their son was getting too hard to handle.

They believe that by making their soon involved in a wilderness program, he will receive a therapeutic experience where he will better cope with problems, develops his character and social skills and more importantly, removes him from negative influences at home.

Before deciding on a program, they were able to search for the various programs on WildernessProgramsEtc.com where there is a comprehensive directory of programs across America.

They then made their decision based on the type of wilderness program that best suits the needs of their son and also the budget, since different programs have different cost.

Cindy told me that she hope her son will come home a changed man since he does understand that this is for his own sake.

Sending PC In For "Repairs"

I still can't get the stupid PC to work the stupid printer so have decided to send it in for "repairs". I don't know why the hell but it's gonna be damn inconvenient without a PC. You know, my PC is switched on at least twenty hours a day. I'm gonna miss the whirring sound of the fans.

I don't know how long it will take, but they damn well make my computer co-operate with the printer before I am gonna take delivery of them.

If it fails, they better take back the stupid printer. I don't want it poke eyes poke nose right here. AND they better pay me back my full price.

Stupid stupid stupid!
Hateful hateful hateful!

Poker for Macs

Regular blog readers would know that I have been fascinated with poker since watching the drama, All In. I have bugged my friend, Jim, to teach me how to play so that I can play it online but I dare not play for real money.

Jim says he can teach me the basics provided I let him know how he can play poker online as well, for real money. Jim said he had spent a long time searching for sites that is compatible with his Mac but in vain. Hah... didn't I tell him to use Windows instead? Jim said he will have to stick with Mac because he needs it for his designing work. Well, OK!

So I went online and searched for what he wants and came across a website that has Poker für Mac exclusively. I was ecstatic to say the least. After going through so many similar sites, I would say that Mac Poker is the ultimate information provider on online casino games and all things poker for Mac users. No longer will Mac Poker players feel sidelined.

I told Jim about my discovery and he was delighted to read the recommended poker sites and reviews. He said I have found a mine of poker information for him. He was happy that the number one recommendation, Pacific Poker, does not require any software download or installation to be able to play. That saves him a lot of trouble since his Mac is company assigned!!

I have found a very extensive, well written poker for Mac site for Jim, but I am still waiting for him to satisfy his end of the bargain. Jim is busy absorbing all the Poker information on the website and deciding which online casino bonuses will bring him the most value *sigh*

Top Ten Things To Do In Los Angeles

My cousin, Sharon, who just returned from an Australia Round Trip holiday will be leaving for California at the end of the month. How I envy her taking planes as if they were taxis, although it is a work trip out to California, but still, she has been there at least five times already.

I asked her what are the top ten things to do in Los Angeles and she said the main attraction is of course Hollywood, followed closely by Hollywood Bowl and Griffith Park. And then there's the LA Zoo, Chinatown to visit, movie studio tours, amusement parks, The Getty Center, Olvera Street and not forgetting Beverly Center.

Sharon told me that these are the ten things that a tourist MUST do and see, especially on a first trip. She told me that if I have the chance, I simply must visit the City of Angels. It is very convenient as there are direct flights. She even said that even the Los Angeles airport is so much more advanced than ours.

I sure would love to experience California one day!

Placing Web Form On My Site

As you know, I am building my own website. Needless to say, it is a long and arduous journey for a person like me who knows next to nothing about HTML. I only know the very basis and I am ashamed to admit that I had to ask for my friend's assistance every step of the way. I have to be thick-skinned because I am determined to get it done and unfortunately, I am not prepared to pay professional fees for it.

I asked my friend how to place a web form on my site and he told me that this is the easiest question I ever asked! He said that Forms4Free.com has just the thing for me and I can get it for free.

If I were to pay $9.95, though, I will be able to get expert advice to set up my form plus be able to process all incoming forms from my website itself, without going to another site. I think it is better for a non-technical person like me to pay for it, so that I do not further irritate my friend!

Stone Analysis

So my monkey had his bladder stones out finally and my vet asked me if I would like to have them analysed. My vet told my father that it would cost us at least MYR400 to send the stones to the US and the report will only be back in a month's time.

It's not really the cost factor, but rather, I am taking into account my monkey's age. It I was not threatened that the stones may reform in six months' time, I wouldn't even bother putting him on prescription diet exclusively. Six months is such a short time that his fur won't even be fully grown back yet.

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I wrote to the prescription diet company and found out that it is actually FREE to get a lab analysis in the US. They will even come and pick up the samples. WTF the vet charged us MYR400. Dammit, didn't I say that professionals are mercenary??


Related post:
Looking For Food

The World of Charles Dickens

My cousin who works in London excitedly emailed me that she has finally experienced the unique world of Dickens which is in Chatham, Kent, England.

She was in awe when she first stepped into Dickens world. It was the ultimate expectation! Not only was she able to experience the unique sights but the sound effects too all within the themed complex celebrating the life, literary works and times of Charles Dickens.

Attractions include themes according to scenes in Dickens' books. Finally, people who have enjoyed books by Charles Dickens can finally live in the books, after reading them. This is only for people who really are into Charles Dickens!

Looking For Food

After my monkey underwent a bladder stone surgery, my vet told me that the special diet that I have placed him on is unsuitable, based on the shape of the stones, since I did not opt for a laboratory stone analysis.

So he is selling the new pet food, but they come in cans only but I would rather buy kibbles because the cans are large and I can't feed my monkey the whole can but I do not have a fridge, so only dry food for me, unless the can is smaller.

I called up a few veterinarians but they do not sell this particular brand. These are only sold at veterinarians as they are prescriptive diet and only vets can sell them.

So I didn't want to waste time calling every vet in town. I thought I would write in to the headquarters overseas and ask them which vet is selling the dry food. This information can be obtained from the local distributor since they do know where their food is going, right?

But these people are not making it easy for me to get that information. Do they want to sell their food or not?? The gwailow and the local distributor kept asking to speak to my vet. What is there to talk about when the stones are already with me and my vet has already recommended the type of food to feed based on image comparison, and not scientific analysis?

Anyway, they think that vets here are going to keep remembering their patients. For all I know, the second I walk out that consultation room, he would not even remember me anymore. Yes, sad to say, professionals are very mercenary. Remember the new printer sitting prettily at his office? Cheh!

And so until today, I can't even get that ff****ing information! Buy food also need to be so difficult meh? Make me damn mad only!

Dating In Arizona

Daniel sent me a desperate message saying that he has run out of things to do with his girlfriend. Enough of dining at fancy restaurants and watching movies. They need something exciting or he is afraid that the relationship will go stale.

Really, if he has done his homework, he wouldn't even need to bother me. Since he lives in Arizona, just hop over to Azcentral.com and there is a whole page dedicated to Arizona Dating Online and a list of more than sixty suggestions on what to do on a night out with your date.

However, ultimately, it depends on what his girlfriend wants to do on a date. Since I do not know her, it is difficult for me to make suggestions but I am sure Daniel would get some fresh ideas going though the Arizona Dating page.

DVD-RW IN, Network Card OUT

Computers are stupid!!! Just when I finally found time to go to the computer shop to install my spanking new DVD-RW, which has been delayed for a week, my network card went down. What the heck?

If you recall, I did not attempt to install the DVD-RW as my friend, who fixed my computer for me a few years back, told me not to meddle with it as he had everything screwed on really tightly and I would not be able to get the old drive out.

So suddenly there was no internet connection at all and I suspected it is the network card that dunno why suddenly died. Just so happens that I have a spare card plugged into another computer but that would mean I have to open up my computer and I SO hate opening it up!! Bah!

Anyway, all is well now, except for the stupid printer that is refusing to work with my PC.

*bang head*

The Wedding Planning Website

My colleague is about to get married. She would really love to have a wedding planner but she doesn't have a budget for it. All of us then decided that we will plan it for her.

For starters, we do not really know much about planning for a wedding, let alone Wedding Etiquette, customs and traditions but we know that somehow the required information is on the internet.

We found a very informative wedding planning website that has a well-written blog with articles on wedding related issues, tips and advice on how to hold the perfect wedding. A wedding comes but once a lifetime, we hope, so we have to do a good job out of it.

There are also great articles on the nitty gritty stuff like best man and maid of honor issues, things that we tend to overlook like changing the name after getting married, how to deal with wedding nerves and how to plan a honeymoon as a follow up to the wedding.

Hitweddings.com is a really comprehensive website with so many articles that covers the preparation of a wedding until the honeymoon. I must commend that each piece was well-thought out and well-written by people in the wedding industry, I presume.

I like the layout of the site as each article is neatly categorized which makes it easy to find related articles and read according to topic. A website like this that is easy to navigate and user-friendly is such a joy to browse through.

To be frank, all of us who are helping out colleague plan her wedding ended up learning so much from the process even though many of us are still single.

If you are also a bride to be, I recommend that you read through all the articles on Hitweddings.com. It is a gold mine of information that you should not miss.

I Want Canon Now :-(

I so regret buying that Epson printer all-in-one. After I bought it, I SMS-ed my friend, telling him how happy I was that I managed to get a good deal from the vendor and my friend replied my SMS with, "Who asked you to buy Epson?"

Yikessss now only he tells me.

I was still happy with my purchase UNTIL I went home and spent the entire day trying to install the F***king printer driver, failing each time and then giving me the blue screen time and again until now I have to waste time to reformat my PC and force me to go PC-less for an entire day or two.

I want to change to Canon but the shop won't let me. They say that I have already opened my box, but how the hell would I know that it is not working if I don't open the box? Dammit!

The problem is that the printer is recognised in another PC but it just won't work in mine. Let's hope it works when I have formatted my hard disc. Yeeerr one day no PC how to survive?

Preserving Wealth With Gold

Just last night, my friend posed me a question, asking what would happen to our money if the country is at war. That is a problem many wouldn't want to even imagine but I told him that if that happens, gold will be the only legal tender and dollar notes would be worthless.

My friend asked me where to buy gold or other precious metals and if there is even anyone buying these currently? People who have cash to spare and know the importance of investment and having the money work for us will know that investing in gold and silver is a sure bet.

It has been recognized for centuries that precious metals, particularly gold, is the only way to preserve wealth due to its steady price in the world market. Should the country be torn in war, people with gold coins and bullion will be the richest people.

The Runner's Blog

Like I mentioned in a previous post, I have a friend who is a running, representing the country in running meets. Just so happens I came across this blog called The Runner's Blog written by John Hopple this morning and I am going to show it to him so that he can get some Advanced Running Techniques from a professional long distance runner.

Although I am not really a sports person, I loved to read this blog not really to get running tips but it is like reading an open diary going through the trials and tribulations faced by John Hopple as he trains for the 2007 US Club Cross Country Championships.

I really cannot imagine myself running tens of miles week in and week out. I figure it takes a lot of discipline and determination and it is difficult to try to stay motivated and to out do the body and environmental factors like the weather. That's why I find the blog so interesting!

Thankfully, each article is well-thought out and well-written in simple smooth flowing language. If John Hopple could get me interested in his blog, even though I am not interested in running per se, I am sure my friend, a runner, would be a thousand times more eager to learn and absorb all the techniques that John Hopple has generously shared with us.

I can't wait to hear what my friend says about my discovery!

KLSE Down By 30+ Points No Thanks To China

For the whole day yesterday, KLSE was down by more than thirty points off its Composite Index and I wondered what had happened. The whole Board was red. Thankfully, my share was quoted the day before when market sentiment was a little better and I managed to sell my stocks with a premium. Thankfully I decided to sell them and not hold or I would have gotten caught.

This morning, I read in the papers that the downtrend was no thanks to China's new policy to curb its economy from overheating. These are the crazy buggers who went all over the world buying minerals and ores at double and triple the normal market price, pushing the prices sky high. These are the crazy buggers who bought company shares by the millions just so that they could sit on the Board and take control of the companies and their mineral prospects.

And now they tell us that their economy is overheating? Who did it in the first place?

I just thank god that my timing was right in this instance. Damn China nearly killed my golden goose.

Customizing Kauai Vacation Rental

My parents told me that their friends from the senior club have booked a holiday package through Hawaiian Beach Rentals. I am getting the hint that my parents would love me to book one of the beautiful Kauai vacation rentals for them for their next vacation.

Hawaii indeed has very scenic islands and it is no wonder that their beauty is being preserved and since tourism is the leading industry for Hawaii, it makes sense to capitalize on this advantage to lure more tourists who are nature lovers.

My parents are already telling me what type of beach vacation they are looking forward to and I am feeling the pressure. So I went to check out the website of Hawaiian Beach Rentals and find that I could actually customize a holiday package. That is good news.

Don't get me wrong, though. I do want them to have a great holiday but I do not want to live in debt. Holiday Beach Rentals seems to be a good bet for me. We shall see.

North Cyprus - Last Gem of the Mediterranean

My friend, Markus, told me that North Cyprus Property is one of the hottest in the global property market because North Cyprus is very idyllic and the weather is great throughout the year.

Moreover, it is value for money as one could get a beautiful home in North Cyprus for less than half of what one could only dream of in the United Kingdom or elsewhere in Europe.

Can you imagine owning a detached villa with a pool for less than £100,000? People with a smaller budget can buy an apartment for only £30,000 and up.

I think that if you looking to invest, North Cyprus is the place to put your money in. It is a very hospitable country and is said to be the last gem of the Mediterranean. It pays to go in early before demand drives property prices higher.

I Bought A Printer and DVD-RW BUT

So I went to PC Fair and managed to pick up a LiteOn DVD-RW and an Epson Stylus CX3900. I know these are not high end products BUT the price was right.

Since that weekend, I have yet to even install these two products on my computer. The DVD-RW was supposed to go into another PC while the Epson is for another system.

And I have been facing problems with both products. The DVD-RW is a pretty simple problem, though. I told the salesman that I would like to have it installed for me and he said no problem BUT he did not tell me that the shop will be closed for a few days after PC Fair. What with their own holiday and public holiday, until today I did not manage to have it installed yet.

I know I could try to do it myself but my friend told me not to because he was the one who helped me with transferring all the hardware to a new casing and he said that he had screwed everything real tight and I may not be able to handle it. So, well, I'm going to the shop. It's free anyway, and it's called After Sales Service.

The problem with my printer is more complex, though. Plugging to my USB port, I received an error bubble saying that USB device is not recognised. I don't know why, for a simple procedure like installing a printer driver, I can't even do it.

I took everything to the shop and they too can't make it work. They took a few hours to troubleshoot and finally, they suggested that I should get a clean format. So, OK, I'm going to have to back up everything and send my stuff to them soon. I'm not going to do it myself. It's better to pay someone to do it and spend the day sleeping at home. I don't need the headache, you know?

So well, after one week, I still can't bloody use my purchases! Bah! So anti-climax, you know?

Running Shoes From Running Center

My friend represented our country in a sports meet in the United States last week. He took the opportunity to get a pair of running shoes as he needed an extra pair. He was told that he could get a really good pair from Running Center. To his surprise, the store was staffed by runners.

He said that with runners as sales people, they really understood the kind of running shoes that he needs. Not only do they have to be comfortable and good fitting, they need to be made for running to avoid injury to the feet.

As a professional athlete, his feet are very important and it is important that the pair of shoes is able to provide him the support he needs. He told me that he was glad to be able to find the perfect pair from Running Center.

Mortgage Lowdown

My sister is always on the look out for mortgage news and currently it seems there is problems with the mortgage banking industry where financial backers have stopped financing mortgage lenders due to a stagnant property market and rise in mortgage rates.

It is scary to think what will happen to home owners with a mortgage, should lenders not able to find new financial backers.

My sister told me that she is able to get the latest updates on mortgages and industry news from Mortgage Lowdown, a mortgage resource blog with news and tips. She said that she found the article on tips on how to avoid mortgage loan problems and to pay off the mortgage loan faster very useful since she is bogged down with a thirty year mortgage loan.

I find the articles informative and insightful. They are well thought out and well written and most importantly, written in simple, easy to understand language for laymen who are not in the industry and know nothing about industry terms and jargon.

I think that people who have a mortage loan or are thinking of getting one should do well in reading this blog first. It is a wealth of information on all things mortgage.

Seven Copies of Me

Yesterday, my friend SMS-ed me saying that he finally saw the girlfriend of a mutual friend and according to him, this girlfriend looks like me. Actually, this is not the first that someone told me that so-and-so looks like me, but when I finally get to see that person with my own eyes, no, I don't think she looks like me at all.

I have read that there are actually seven people in the world who look alike. So that means for every person, there are six others with the same looks walking around in other parts of the world.

How true this is I do not know. I know this is scientifically unproven but I am not a scientist and so I like to believe in magic.

I would like to imagine that one day, will get to meet someone who looks exactly like me. No, not my twin but my copy, one of the six others that purportedly are around somewhere out there.

Am I crazy? Yes, sometimes. Tip me off if you do see "me"!

Going To Mechanic School

I mentioned before that my friend Soo is really into fast cars and is always tweaking his car. He told me that he would love to get a certification for his skills. He told me that he found a mechanic school directory which has a comprehensive list of mechanic schools in the United States and he is very interested to have more information on certain schools and their programs.

Soo wanted to gain more knowledge in theory and mechanic training not so much to make a career out of it but just to get accreditation for his skills that he acquired through his own research and through trial and error.

I told Soo that it is a lovely idea if he goes back to school. He could afford the fees and it certainly will open up his horizons. Being a certified mechanic will certainly open more doors of opportunities for him.

Free Home Improvement Quotes

My sister is always doing little home improvement projects especially in the spring and summer. She said, nothing beats a new coat of paint to spruce up the home. This time, my sister wants something done to the deck and porch. It would be great to get it done in time for summer, so that everyone can have a great time outdoors.

She doesn't know of any General Contractors who is reliable so her colleague told her about Home Help Quotes where she is able to get free quotes for home improvement services from certified contractors.

My sister filled out a short questionnaire about her project and she was contacted within the same day with various quotes all for free. My sister was impressed. From there, she was able to select the contractor that meets her requirements and budget, knowing full well that the contractor comes with the recommendation of Home Help Quotes.

Can't Get Enough Of Vladstudios

If you like the image header of this blog, you will notice that it was created b the guy from VladStudio. I really like it a lot that's why I am reluctant to change the layout of my blog. People told me that my blog is slow in loading and I do agree. The only thing I did was to resize it, though.

I like VladStudio artwork so much even my desktop wallpapers are from him! Today, I've gotten a new one again. I have my computer switched on for such long hours that I can be mighty bored by the same ol' wallpaper and it's just as well that I can find so many cute ones from VladStudio.

If you are unfamiliar with VladStudio, check his website out. There are so many cute and colourful wallpapers that you can download for free. I change my wallpaper like once a week or sooner if I have some free time on my hands!

The Font Community

Recently, I have been trying to build my website but I am lot in codes and have to ask my friend to help. My task, though, is not in the building but in designing. What I have to do is just to let my friend know what I want, including selection of images, colors and fonts and my friend will try to build the website for me.

In my search for beautiful rare fonts, I came across UrbanFonts where I can download for free for non-commercial use. My site, is after all, a personal homepage built for fun.

There are so many free fonts to choose from but selection is really easy because there is a large preview panel and I could see at once if the font is available for Windows or Mac, or both operating systems. Having all these vital information upfront is good because I won't have to click so much.

UrbanFonts is more than just a download site. It is actually a whole community with a forum, blog and many interesting articles on how best to use fonts to create a good website and other uses.

It is a great place to hang out with other font lovers!

Refinancing For Peace Of Mind

My sister has a thirty-year mortgage to pay off and just the thought of it scares me. One doesn't know what will happen ten or twenty years from now. She told me that there are signs that interest rates will be rising in the coming year or the next. She said that if that happens, it will definitely throw her off budget.

She is now thinking to refinance her home, since she has an adjustable rate mortgage. By refinancing, she would be able to get a better mortgage deal and lock in to a fixed rate mortgage without worrying on the rising interest rate, or live with the threat of it.

I think it is a good idea too. At least she will have peace of mind in the many more years to come!

Prevalence of Domestic Violence

No matter how much you love this man, no matter how much he may love you, if ever he lifts a hand and hits you, he's not worth it.

I received a forwarded email from a friend recently on the prevalence of domestic violence in the United States.

An aunt of mine was a victim of domestic violence and I tell you, we could hardly do anything to help her. No matter how many times she reported to the police, they did NOTHING but tell her to "go home". Go home to an abusive husband who will apologise and then RAISES HIS HAND again and again whenever he felt like it?

Even though he was my uncle, I had no respect for him. In the end, my aunt manged to seek a separation and then a divorce. My ex-uncle moved to the United States where he co-habitated with a woman.

After a few years, early one morning, my aunt received a telephone call from his new woman who asked my aunt what kind of man is this? It seems that he hit her also.

It is a myth that a man with a seemingly good background and one who is educated will not hit his partner. It is not true at all. My ex-uncle is an educated man who earned a good salary and held a high post in his company.

When my aunt confirmed that this is an abusive man, the new woman plotted her escape and one day just packed her bags and left him without leaving any trace of herself. We do not know where she went or what happened to her, but looking at the way she left, she was really afraid that she would die in his hands.

I remind myself with the quote at the beginning of my post, but if I were really a victim of domestic abuse, I am not sure if I will have the strength to walk away.

If you are a victim to domestic abuse, please seek help.
If you know of someone who is suffering from domestic abuse, please do all you can to help her.

Life Insurance Policies Explained

My friend sells insurance and she asked me to get my family covered. Of course I would love to, but I know nothing about insurance and have heard of bad stories from friends who said that they did not get what they bought. I don't know, perhaps they did not read the finer print?

I am not going to depend on my friend alone. She is a sales person, after all, and will claim her product is the best. So I went online and came across Life Insurance Low Down. I managed to pack in the articles that are published on the blog which I find interesting and useful for a person without any insurance knowledge at all like me.

Also, I love it that I am able to get a instant life insurance quote. At least I have an idea what is the cost of a life insurance and can budget for that.

I read with interest about cancer patients not being able to get insurance. It also happened to my friend who was diagnosed with cancer and then died from it. It is a shame but these things happen!

I find the tips generously shared on how to get cheap term life insurance very useful and will surely take the advice given out to get my own cheap life insurance.

The Homeless

This morning, I was chatting with Paul and he told me that winter where he is very cold and could be negative twelve degrees. My, that is very cold. He said that many homeless people die from the cold.

What I do not understand is that America is supposed to be a rich land with plenty to go around and everybody is chasing the American Dream. How come there are more homeless people in America than in Malaysia? Does this show the uneven distribution of wealth? Or are homeless people not working as hard?

Paul said that these homeless people are mostly drug addicts. People like this can be found in any society which I agree but I feel that how the government handles people like this is what will make the difference.

But Paul says it is up to the individual's initiative to break away from the addiction. Is it as simple as that? I know of drug addicts who are addicts their whole life but not all of them are homeless though.

Paul said that the rich are addicted to prescription or designer drugs. But these are still DRUGS. Anyway, what ever the case, people who abuse themselves with drugs, alcohol or tobacco do not value their lives. Don't you think so?

Saving With United Vacation Network

Every time my parents wanted to go on a vacation, I am the one who arranges everything for them. I find that it actually takes up a lot of time and resources to arrange a perfect holiday for them.

My cousin told me I should get my packages through United Vacation Network where I can have the whole trip taken care of while saving time, money and energy.

I was told that we can have the whole vacation package customized to our needs and they will try to accommodate our special request, if we have any. This is indeed great as my parents are already elderly going on regular tours are not that suitable anymore.

Moreover, the vast network and good working relationship of United Vacation Network and other companies in the industry can easily save us, the vacationers, huge sums of money. That is a relief to my siblings and I!

The Art of Seduction

My friend, Sally, chided me that I am still single because I never learned the art of seduction. She said that she has a book full of tips how to seduce men and it really worked for her.

She told me that one of the things to do is to visualize the kind of man I want and how I want the evening to be and work from there.

A long time ago, I read that the difference in winning or losing is in the way we visualize the moment. I think there is some truth in the power of dreams.

Sally told me that if I play the seduction game right, I will eventually have what I have always dreamed of, a loving, considerate and successful partner.

If this is so, then it really is worth my money to get my hands on a copy of the ebook that is a wealth of information on successfully seducing the right kind of man. I will also be receiving an online audio version where I can listen to at leisure and bonuses worth a few hundred dollars in total.

I really can't wait to finish reading the book and implement the tips!

My Old Classmate

I met an old classmate a couple of nights ago. I have known her since we were 14 years old. She was with her husband and 5-year old son. She recognised me as soon as she saw me. I sometimes wonder, do I still look the same as during our school days? I think I surely look older than before! And although we never kept in touch, she still remembers my name and vice versa.

It is strange that although we are still living in the same town, we never bumped into each other before, except for once many years ago. That time, she was out on a date with her boyfriend and if I remember correctly, that guy was not this man who is now her husband. Yea, I know, nothing special, right?

Anyway, I did not have time to hideaway before she came over to chat with me. I do not really like to meet up with my old school friends. Maybe because I have low self esteem. They are all making good out of life, career and family, while I am here being bogged down with debts and two monkeys with no property to call my own.

I feel stupid that most of them are already married and raising children of their own while I am taking care of two sick monkeys instead. Our interests have branched off so much we have nothing in common anymore. Yes, we exchanged email addresses and telephone numbers but they will soon be misplaced or something sooner or later. Pity.

Beautiful Landscape Gift

When my sister has successfully built her house, her boss gave her a landscape design package as a house warming gift. It was one of the best gift for a new house owner. My sister was, of course, delighted.

The landscape artiste had a lot of questions for my sister to answer, as well as other occupants of the house. According to them, landscaping is not only something that beautifies the garden but also must serve the people well. They also needed to know things like if there are pets around, or which door they use more often. All these small issues will be factored in the design of the landscape.

The end result was wonderful but the landscaping company told my sister that if she has any special preferences as the landscape matures, she could forward her new requests to them. That is pretty impressive service, don't you think so.

From VHS To DVD Format

One thing I regret is that I did not convert my late grandmother's video of her trip to China from VHS to DVD. Now the VHS tapes have fungus in them and can't be played at all. So we lost a lot of sweet memories of my grandmother.

If I had known about the service offered by companies like APM Studio Inc., I would have gotten all my VHS videos converted to DVD format where my videos can be preserved for a very long time.

I think I have been living in a cave as APM Studios Inc. has been serving happy customers since 2002 and I only found out about it a couple of months back. Oh My! But I feel it is not too late to know about its service now so that I can try to salvage whatever old videos that I have and convert them to DVD.

With videos converted to DVD format, I need never lose any precious memories anymore!

Room Redecoration

It has been years since I wanted to buy a new bookshelf. I have stuffed so many books into my current bookshelf that it fell apart and I had wanted to replace it but I did not because nobody wanted to help me carry it and the darn thing is too heavy for myself.

Anyway, I have decided that this year, I am GOING TO DO IT! No more delays. And not only will I buy a bookshelf but also an office table. I need this for my room to clear up the mess. I am a very tidy person but the lack of proper table and shelf has made me keep all my personal effects in boxes and I can't even find my own stuff when I wanted to.

My budget? MYR500 for both. Enough or not? I don't know. All I know is that I want something sturdy and not flimsy DIY chipboard furniture that can be found in Makro or Tesco. Those are lousy that will not last long.

Consolidating Student Debt

Marc, my friend, have just recently graduated from college and haven't found a job yet. He is stressed out because he has his college debt to meet and is unable to do so without a job.

Despite being a college graduate, he still has to depend on his parents and that is bruising his ego, in addition to being a continued burden to them.

I told him to consider bad credit debt consolidation, and there are many that cater to people like him, students or fresh graduates still looking for a job.

I directed him to CircleDebt where he could obtain further information on how to go about it and managing his debts better especially now that he does not yet have an income. I have found the information provided on CircleDebt useful and I am sure Marc would as well.