Dagnez by Ewa Dunikowska

When I was asked to review the website and dresses at Splendid Gowns, I was very happy because this is the site of the very famous Polish label Dagnez by Ewa Dunikowska. I have heard of her before from my Polish friend, Roland, and already know that Dagnez dresses are worn by Polish beauty queens.

I checked out the site as a potential buyer. The first thing that caught my eye are the prices. They are expensive. I even spotted one in four-digit US Dollars. However, I believe that the demand, creative designs, quality and limited quantities are factors that drive up prices and the people who can afford them are people who appreciate the uniqueness of Dagnez.

As someone who missed my own high school prom, I was especially interested in the prom dresses. I like the prom dress called Beauty as the beige part can be dyed to match our skin tone and the flower petals can be hand-sewn to any position that we want them to be. This is a very dramatic dress that I think will steal the thunder of the night and it takes a very bold girl to carry it out perfectly.

Dagnez also has a wonderful line of evening dresses. Some come with very simple yet classy cut and design. These formal dresses are like the name of the website, Splendid Gowns. I do wonder though, how many times can a lady wear the same gown to different formal events since beautiful evening dress is not cheap.

A word of advice I would give to the webmaster of Dagnez is to do away with the AdSense. You see, AdSense is made in such a way that they serve targeted advertisements to your website. Since Splendid Gowns is a designer site, all the advertisements served on the site will be on dresses and gowns. Simply put, they are the competitors of Dagnez.

Sure, you will earn a little money from the clicks of your visitors but that only serve to take these very visitors, your potential customers, AWAY from your store instead of browsing your dresses and BUYING them.

As a webmaster myself too, I hope that my little word of advice will be taken into consideration.

Spoke Too Soon

The other day, I wrote that it is very quiet in the KLSE front thinking that so late into the month of September, there won't be any new IPO listing. Well, it surprised me to see that we do have a new IPO opening this month but unlike other companies, the offer for VOIR Holdings Bhd. shares will only close on 11th November, 2007 and will be quoted on the KLSE on 24th November, 2007. That is a loooooong way off, isn't it?

Well, at RM1.91 per share for a Second Board apparel company, I think it is not worth to try applying. Market conditions have changed. I think that even if the price rises on opening bell, it will not be able to go too high or sustainable. Do you think that the ultra long offer period will give it an advantage?

Will you be applying? I most probably will not because it is not low enough for me. I hope that October will be see more new IPO offerings with better offer prices.

The Good And Bad Of Payday Loans

A couple of days ago, I wrote about payday loans. While some people are deadly against payday loans, also known as cash advance, I think that the borrower should know his or her own financial condition the most.

Payday loans, like the name of the loan, means that it is a short term loan that ties us through from now until our next payday. It is a tough life for people who do not earn enough and they just have enough to put food on the table for the family and when an emergency comes up and they do not have insurance, that is the time when their finances turn topsy turvy.

Payday loans, like I said, are for emergencies after we have exhausted all other avenues. If you think that you have friends and family to borrow from, then good for you. But to tell you frankly, once they know that you are in need of financial assistance, you won't even see their shadow.

Cash advance as a last resort is a perfect solution but always read the terms and conditions of such loans. Shop, compare then only decide on which company to go with. And make sure that you repay your payday loan at the first instance that you can manage. Snowballing interest can get out of control so always make sure that you fully understand what you are getting yourself in to.

Life As A Single Woman

You know, sometimes I feel like guys keep wanting to get into my pants only. I wonder, if I were married or at least attached, would I still have so many guy friends or will they stop contacting me because they think that they no longer have a chance? This is the thing that scares me, to know the truth that they are not my friends for me but for something else other than friendship. Sometimes, I hate to see the ugly side of people.

Sometimes they tell me things that I don't know how to react and it makes the whole situation damn awkward. It certainly is not easy as the year goes by because they think that well, now you are this age and still single, THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU!

Yes, there IS something wrong with me because I will not settle for just about any guy just because I am single and everyone of my friends are going to be married or are already parents.

There are guys that make perfect friends because they support you through thick and thin and hear your grouses out, but this does not mean that they are husband material. *sigh* Being single is not easy. They think you are fair game.

Good Time To Shop For Furniture Online

As you know, for the past few months, I have been looking for home furniture. I know it is time to upgrade but I haven't found something that I like and yet fit my budget.

My top priority is an executive desk. I have set aside a space in my room for my little office and it needs a proper desk. I don't even have a table for my printer all-in-one.

Also, my mom wants new dining room furniture but I told her, let me get my office ready first, and then replace the living room furniture. To me, dining room furniture will have to wait.

I have been to many local stores to check on furniture and decided to opt for online shopping instead because the fashion trend here is too slow. Although I have been to many online furniture stores since then, one that keeps me coming back in Furniture From Home. It just stands apart from its competitor in terms of web design, user-friendliness and of course, the quality products and competitive prices are unmatched.

I love it that I could easily look for what I want by selecting the option to shop by room, style or color. This saves me a lot of time because I would not have to go through all the products in the store but only view what are relevant in my wish list. Using the Advanced Search option, I could even narrow down my search further but sometimes the search does not yield a result so the best is still to shop by the three main options.

If you have not tried shopping online before now is a good time to start because Furniture From Home has a full page of furniture on sale, saving you up to 30%!

USD Continues To Fall

My goodness! Last night I checked it was at 3.404 but now, it went lower to 3.39 only! Take a look at the screenshot! Two weeks ago, it stood at a good rate of 3.50. Of course, the days of 3.80 are over. Ah... how i miss those days.

This past week, it looked like the USD has been on a free fall. Just check the graph that I published in a previous post. Is it getting weaker or is the Ringgit getting stronger? Can't be the Ringgit is stronger gua?

This means that from two weeks ago and at today's rate, with every US$1000 we cash out, we are losing MYR100. Can you imagine the things that we can do with that MYR100? I certainly can! I don't think I even spend that much on myself per month not taking food and transportation into consideration lah!

For most of us, we are not even getting the full exchange rate because we will have to pay service charges to PayPal and to our Banker. This is understandable but it hurts the pocket. For every withdrawal that we make, we lose a total of 10% off the amount, both sides. No fun lah, like this!

I only pray that the rate won't go any lower!

Solutions For Debt Relief and Credit Card Consolidation

When I see my friends in debt and yet not do anything about it, I am really pissed off when they come and borrow money from me. If you have been reading my blog, you will know that there is a guy, my friend who borrowed money from me and yet he earns so much more than me. He makes me so angry.

I told him time and again, this is not the way to manage his finances, borrowing from friends and family. I know his family is already fed up with him and frankly, I am too.

I showed him so pamphlet to read about Debt Relief but he does not admit that he is bad in financial management. Well, I think he is not alone and there is nothing wrong in seeking professional help if it is necessary.

However, he thinks that his superior officers may find out that he has busted his credit cards on unnecessary purchases and may black list him since he is in charge of the finances f his company. I told him, all the more he should seek Credit Card Consolidation as soon as possible and not let the situation deteriorate further. Isn’t that the correct way to get things back I order?

Well, I already told him that I would not be his ATM any longer so it is up to him to shape up.

High Time!

It's high time I get a long awaited break from blogging. I have achieved my target for the month finally and with two nights left for the month of September, I would be able to get some much needed rest to make up for the loss of sleep for the past month.

Yes, I think that for these two nights, my computer will be shut off early too. If you see me online, please kick me! The opps, tasks, campaigns and whatever will always be around, just that the payout will be different but once our health is gone, it is gone. There is no way we can get to be 100% again.

As it stands, I am already "charn" from all the late nights. There is always a price to pay. I am not complaining, though, I would have to know when to apply some brakes. So now that I have exceeded my target and have completed all my pending tasks, I hope that I would be able to use this time to beef up my drafts once again.

You see, though I said that I would be taking a blog break, it does not mean that I am going to stop blogging altogether. It just means that I would not be pressuring myself, staying up at ungodly hours and chasing those dang opps!

Used Cars vs. New Cars

Just now, I was telling my dad that I am thinking of buying a used car. You know, there are currently only three things that I am aiming to buy: A laptop, a digital camera and a car. My dad told me to look for Used Cars. He told me of a particular model that he says is very good but I don't know, I think that car is even older than I am!

My friend also advised me to look for Used Cars instead of new ones. He said that since I do not go out much or need to travel far, a new car would be a waste of money. He said that once we take over ownership of a car, the value starts to depreciate. That is scary, isn't it?

I saw a website called Auto Guide which lets me search for used cars online. As you know, I do many things online and I think I am already an old hand at researching, comparing and BUYING just about anything. Auto Guide lets me do that as well for used cars. You may wonder why I like to search for a car via Auto Guide. It is because I can easily narrow down my search to my preferred manufacturer, model, year and most important of all, my budget.

I know I have been harping on “car, car, car!” so hopefully, I get to buy it once and for all with the help of Auto Guide.

Eight Questions I Don't Want To Hear

I was blog hopping when I came upon this post, "Eight Things I Don't Want To Hear" on Helen's blog and made my own set of eight questions that I don't want to hear. I shall not be giving a reason why I don't want to hear them but these are irksome questions that obviously irks me lah, no need to say why ma, right?

Here goes, in random order:

1. Are you still living with your parents?
2. Why don't you put your monkey to sleep?
3. What are you working as now?
4. STILL in (cow town) ah?
5. Want to buy facial wash or shampoo?
6. Just woke up ah?
7. What are you busy with wor?
8. So free to online meh?

A Call From Sharon

Yeah, right, just when I thought that today is rest and relaxation time, I received a long distance call from my cousin, Sharon, who told me excitedly about her new boobs. OOPPS did I just say that aloud, in public?!?

Well, Sharon is so proud of it that she is flaunting it any chance she has left and right. She said that in the US, everyone she knows has had breast augmentation some of them even had it A FEW TIMES! I pengsan!!! Ya, I guess I should not be surprise because plastic surgery is so common in the States, in Europe and even in Thailand! I remember there was once when I was in Thailand and I met a Singaporean guy who made a trip to Thailand SPECIFICALLY to have his eyes enlarged and eyelids deepened haha!

Sharon said, next on her list would be a Beverly Hills liposuction generously paid for by her husband. She said that since her husband has been complaining about her fat hanging around her waist, she has no qualms charging his credit cards for the procedure. If it were me, I definitely would also charge my husband's card la... see if he dares to complain anymore or not! Hahahah

Come Chinese New Year, I can’t wait to see the new body of Sharon!!!

The Last Thing (Before Bed)

I read in an Eseries blog sometime ago where Eseries owners play a day called "The Last Thing". They are supposed to list out the "last things" the do with their mobile device in bed before going to dreamland.

For me, I would:

1. Log into Instango
2. Check Gmail
3. Read MSN.com news
4. Read Reuters
5. Check WorldMate Weather & Currency Exchange

And I usually fall asleep doing one of these since it would be very late into the night already. I am just thankful that I am subscribed to the unlimited plan and that I don't have to pay extra even though my connection is running when I wake up in the morning!

Gift of Designer Inspired Jewelry

My sister told me that she is looking for designer inspired jewelry for her boss. It seems that the slave driver's birthday is just round the corner. Well, my sister said that she and her colleagues would be pulling funds to buy the boss just a single gift. Hah... poor lady! I guess this is what she can expect when she drives them to work to the maximum and don't pay them well enough!

My sister said, though, that hopefully she likes her gift of a designer inspired jewelry well enough to remember about them at the end of the year when she gives out employee bonuses!

Well, after hearing from my sister all the horror stories about her work place and environment, I would not depend on that! I told my sister that she is better off using her share of the gift money to pamper herself to a spa treatment but then sometimes there are social obligations that we cannot avoid!

Sold

Last week, I met a realtor who handles the house opposite of ours. It has been empty for some time and finally it got sold. When it was empty, it was put up for rent but there were no takers. According to the guy, the asking rental was MYR750 inclusive of air-conditioning.

Whoa, let me tell you, that is not a rate that many people could afford! At that price only expatriates could afford it, and that also it is because it is billed under the company. In fact, the previous tenant was a Japanese Group Managing Director.. When he was here, he did not even bring his family along. Can you imagine, he lived at the large home by himself for three years? How lonely!

Now that the house is sold I hope that a large family will occupy it. A large house like that needs a large family to give it some lively energy!

Leaking Taps

I remember that I wrote that my aunt want me to help her with her leaking taps. I told her that I don't have time but she insisted that I help her to find a pair of Delta faucets. You know how hard it is to find branded faucets in my cow town! And she says that she only wants Delta and not any other brands! She said that these few faucets that she has been using did not last long and she had to change and that's a waste of money.

I am so lazy to search the town foe her so I just called up a couple of shops. They told me that they don't carry Delta. I told them to forget it. I am going to shop online! Who has the time to go all over town or wait for them to order the faucets when we could easily get what we want by clicking the mouse and charging our cards, right?

Effective Search Engine Marketing

If you remember, I have a girlfriend who just started an online business selling replica goods. She has not been doing too well and I told her that she has to get her keywords up in the search engines. It would be best if she could land on the first page of the major search engines. She doesn't understand any of these, so I explained to her about search engine marketing. Of course, I do not profess to be an expert but I have also read about search engine optimization when I was trying to bring my blogs up to speed.

I told her about USWeb, a leading search engine marketing companies around. I have heard that it does not cost much to get the results that we want but the most important factor is that they are effective!

"Tai Chi"

You know, the other day, I was chatting with my friend and I told him that there are people earning five figures through blogging and I don't even dare to dream. He told me to "work harder" and I said, "Eh, you are supposed to ask me to work smarter mah!"

And he said that in blogging, he can't say that and I asked why? Is it because I am stupid? And he said, no, it's because you can't "Tai Chi" the task to others.

Hahaha I really have to give it to him! Since he is in top management, I figured that he has mastered the art of "Tai Chi".

One thing though, since he is not a blogger, he does not understand that there are passive and active income streams from blogging. So although bloggers (those who are not cheating) cannot "Tai Chi" the task to subordinates, we can strive to increase our passive income streams and not depend too much on active blogging. There are only so many that we can write, you know? And I don't see myself writing as enthusiastically ten or twenty years down the line. Besides, I would be losing out to the younger bloggers in terms of speed just like the older bloggers are losing out to the younger ones right now.

Besides priorities change as time goes on and we may not have the time to write as many posts, so creating a sustainable passive income is very important.

Co-operative Home Insurance

Now that I am the one taking care of the home insurance of our house, I am beginning to look for better and cheaper alternatives. For years, my mother has been the one deciding on household issues like these but I think that she has been paying higher than normal rates.

Today, I was introduced to home insurance by a co-operative. Members who buy home insurance through this co-operative, CIS, will get to earn loyalty or bonus points on the products and services bought and this credit will be converted to dividend twice a year in June and December.

CIS also provides further savings to its members by offering a 10% discount when buying home insurance online through their website. This insurance policy by CIS is different from others because this is a mix-and-match policy where policy holders can select their cover options based on their personal requirements.

I really like the concept of receiving points for our purchases of services and products from CIS. At least we get some rebate for the money spent!

*** Details are correct at the time of publishing

What IS Wrong????

It is bad enough that Streamyx has been broken for the past week over here. If it is any consolation, I am not the only one affected. Now, to add to this problem, I don't know what the hell is wrong with my computer.

You see, it connects to the internet and there is no problem with the internet line since all my messengers could be connected. Normally, if it is line problem, they are the first things that cannot connect at all.

However, although the line is OK and the messengers do connect, I cannot access any webpage from my IE. It does try to connect and does not show me any error message at all but the whole window is totally white.

I have already cleared my cache, deleted all my temporary files and cookies, scanned for virus and spywares but the problem persists. The only thing I have not done is a format.

Sometimes it works like it has never been down after several restarts and shut downs but I know this is not a solution. Any ideas??

Fuss-free Kid Bedroom Furniture Shopping

If you remember, my late cousin's daughter moved in to her grandparents' home about a year ago and until now, does not have a proper bedroom. Last year she was still young but I think it's time for her to have her own bedroom.

Last weekend, I took her to shop for kid bedroom furniture but she is quite a fussy little girl. We went to almost all the traditional furniture stores in town but she did not like anything, or should I say, anything cheaper!

Wei Wei has been getting her ways all these while and we try our best to accommodate her due to her circumstances but I wonder if it is doing her any good. See, even shopping for child bedroom furniture is taking her so long to decide. I remember when I was a kid, I had no say at all what sort of bedroom furniture I were to have and most of mine were hand-me-downs.

Anyway, I think I am going to shop Wei Wei Furniture From Home and ask her to select her furniture from the store. Boy, I am tired from walking! Furniture From Home has an excellent range of child bedroom furniture sets. Looking through the website, I am reminded of the bedroom settings of TV sitcoms that I used to watch. Everything was matched perfectly and has a theme too.

For Wei Wei, it would be great if she chooses a bedroom set that comes with side tables, a dresser and also a matching table for her to study though I am not going to suggest anything but let the fussy pot decide for herself.

UUrrgghh Grounded

I have been facing the computer non-stop every evening after work, working, blogging, working and blogging, and I did not have the chance to go anywhere at all for the past week except to celebrate and play with lanterns on the night of Lantern Festival. That was family obligation *sigh*

This is really a no life kind of life and I don't know how the others could do this EVERY SINGLE DAY. I can't, man, it's too boring but I have yet to hit my target for September so I am slogging on. Huff Puff!

And besides, I am running out of ideas. The only thing that comes to mind is the French lady tourist who got her socks, shoes and pants stolen by Delima, the orangutan.

The other day, my friend went to a monkey sanctuary and I was telling him, "You better jaga your bag oh! These monkeys like to steal and snatch anything they can get their hands on!" I have seen how aggressive monkeys can be especially when they think that you are hiding food from them and the case at the Taiping Zoo where I was a witness to a monkey biting a zoo visitor left a deep impression on me. I was only in primary school and I still remember it till today.

That's why I don't go to these places at all. See what had happened to the French tourist?

Baseball Rampage

I am always amazed at the enthusiasm that Americans have towards sports and especially baseball. This is HUGE in America, I tell you, and I don't understand why :-)

I came to an online store called Baseball Rampage with carries baseball gear, equipment and accessories for adult and junior players and coaches. The site is very striking in its design and the colors match. I have been to literally hundreds of online stores before and I must say the layout of this store is very user-friendly with links on the left sidebar which we can easily access to deeper pages.

I was amazed with the range of products the store carries and they have just about all the major brand names and suitable equipment for the different positions, including baseball batting gloves, bags, helmets, clothing and even sunglasses!

Frankly, I tried to find a missing feature from the store but I cannot fault it at all. The designers really thought of everything that would make shopping at Baseball Rampage as pleasant as possible. I could sort the products by brand name, by price and popularity which are actually minor things that would make shopping a whole lot easier and they have all these.

What I like is the tips that appear in the right side bar for the corresponding positions. Not only are they trying to sell their products, they are giving out tips on game improvement too. Excellent!

Blog Streamlined

Today, I took the time to streamline my blog. Do you notice a difference? I have taken off the banners from the body of my blog and some other stuff from the sidebar. I don't think they will be missed though.

I hope that now my blog will load faster and that it will present a better user-experience and will not look as cluttered.

Also, one thing I changed is the number of days to post on the front page. It used to be for a week, full seven days' worth of posts but at my rate of publishing, I thought that it was making my page "heavy" and also created more outgoing links from my front page.

I have no adjusted it to five days only. I hope that the blog loads faster, reduced outgoing links from my homepage and that the blog is easier to read. What do you think or my slight enhancements?

NFL Uniforms As Halloween Costumes

Halloween is just around the corner. With kids in the family, it is a time where we have to crack our heads on what costumes to get for them. You know, kids nowadays will never settle for second best and certainly, NOT LAST YEAR'S COSTUMES! Since the boys are football mad, I thought it would be a good idea to get them Halloween Costumes that has a football-cum-Halloween theme.

I was told to check out the NFL apparel and merchandise online store called Fan Shop Inc. at http://www.fanshopinc.com/. At first glance, I think that they are carrying the full range of NFL and Collegiate Team Uniform Sets for kids and youths. There are just SO MANY sets!

Will these make great surprise Halloween costumes? I hope they will because I am planning to take advantage of their offer of $5 ground shipping on any size order within the United States. I have to admit, I can't resist savings like these!

Since these are uniforms that are also Halloween costumes for kids, they come in Sizes Small and Medium only. What I like is that the price for the uniform is for a full set which includes the jersey and matching pants, helmet, face mask, chin strap and foam padding. The shoulder pads are a separate purchase, though.

This Halloween we can fulfill any football mad child's dreams of being part of his favorite NFL team by letting him select the colors and number of his NFL uniform.

Hassle-Free Move To An Apartment

When my cousin, Sharon, told me that she plans to move to an apartment, I told her that I recently got to know of a very useful site where she could look for apartments that are available for rent throughout America. I have tried it out and it is a breeze to use.

ApartmentFinder.com is actually a very intuitive map-based apartment search engine which could help us search for our desired apartment by just inputting an address. Can you imagine the amount of time it saves us because we do not have to sieve through the listings on the site one by one? Besides, when search results come with photos of the property and virtual tours you know that you will never settle for another search engine with lesser features.

But that's not all! ApartmentFinder strives to make your move to an apartment as hassle-free as possible by linking you to a list of companies that you can rely on to help you move your personal effects or other services. Sometimes these companies run promotions and you may just be able to save more money. Isn't that good news?

Will I Miss Home?

Sometimes I wonder, if I were to go away, after my monkeys are no longer around, will I miss home? I don't think I have any love lost here and the faster I get away, the better it is for me. I want to go somewhere where I can be happy.

My sister has been away from home for 6.5 years now and she has not been home even once. Her friends and colleagues ask her, doesn't she miss home? They think that she is heartless because she can be away for so many years without coming back or get the parents over for a visit. Well, they don't know that she has been disowned.

I wish that I can be disowned too. Although family is important to me, sometimes I wonder how important I am to them, besides being their cash cow. Where else can one find a daughter who would expand MYR4000 per month on the family? Sometimes I feel like the dumbest person on earth.

I have been asked, why support the family when they treat me like shit? And why did my sister support the family even though she has been disowned? She no longer does now since she bought her own house there but that is beside the point. I think it is our sense of responsibility through our upbringing that makes us feel beholden to the family to the point of putting the family above everything else and depriving ourselves.

If I have the chance to get away, I don't think I will ever come back, but I will still send money to them.

SafeSax, Safe Sex

Have you heard of SafeSax? It is an ultra unconventional fashion brand name that took me by surprise. You would be surprised too if you saw how popular their tote bags are! Their range of bags is actually clear vinyl bags with small pockets on both sides of the bags with a colorful condom in each pocket displayed for the world to see. They also have one similar bag but do not come with condoms but you are supposed to fill it up with whatever you like in each small pocket. You could even buy your own condoms and stuff them in!

Right now, I have not seen anyone carrying such a bag over here but since these bags carry a strong message to practise safe sex and part of the proceeds from sale of SafeSax bags go towards charitable or non-profit organizations that champion AIDS education and prevention, I believe that soon, the SafeSax bag will land on our shores too!

I think that SafeSax has taken a bold step with their fashionable bags to force us to face our sexuality and to be proactive in keeping the world informed that AIDS is a very deadly disease that has to be curbed right here and now.

Faced with bags like these in the streets, it is hard for us not to link condoms with sex and safe sex.

Bon Jovi Site Updated

If you are as big a Bon Jovi fan as I am, you would probably want to know that Bon Jovi has their official site revamped recently and they included their latest music video "Lost Highway".

To be frank, as a Bon Jovi fan since their early big hairdo days, I still prefer their old albums. I don't know why. My friend, also a Bon Jovi fan, told me to listen to the newer songs more times to them a chance to grow on me which I did but I don't feel the kind of emotion I do listening to Bad Medicine, You Give Love A Bad Name, Blaze of Glory and Living On A Prayer (my all time favourite).

I'm not saying that the new songs are crap and in fact, I rather enjoy their "I Love This Town" in a fun way but they don't do to me what the old ones do. And they looked good even with their big hair :-)

Bon Jovi's official website is at: BonJovi.com (what else???)

Cash Advance a.k.a. Payday Loan

This morning while surfing the internet, I found a cash advance site. Some people call this Payday loan because borrowers are supposed to take a short term loan and then repay the loan once they receive their paycheck.

But cash advance is very popular because there is no background checks, no collateral and cash is almost instantly deposited into the bank account of the borrower. I know about this not because I have taken out a cash advance before but I have seen a friend apply for it and it was VERY FAST. This is great for people in need of fast cash in EMERGENCIES.

This website that I came to this morning, CashAdvance1500.com has a list of cash advance sites that apparently are low cost, hassle-free and has their own unique benefits. Most people who are legally employed with a pay check to show will qualify for payday loans but I once again caution that you should only apply for one in emergencies. It is important to read the terms first before committing yourself.

What The Hell Is Wrong With Streamyx???

It's been a long time since I ranted on Streamyx and although connection has never been excellent, for the past week, it suffers from lag for a period of time every single day. Dang….. I've had it up to HERE! My Celcom 3G isn't that good as well since signal is never at its strongest in my room.

I think I need to get a laptop soon so that I could go and do my work somewhere where my 3G signal is strong. Can you imagine working with an internet connection that keeps breaking every other minute? It is damn frustrating!

Talking about laptops, I still don't even have an idea what to get. My friend suggested that I get the one by Sony at about MYR7K. Whoa. I pengsan lor. Think I am so rich meh??? But I love its size and weight. I dare not go to the store to view in case I fall in love with it hehehe

There's Hope Or Not?

You know, my father told me that once someone becomes addicted to drugs, he is pretty useless because he says that nobody can came clean totally. I don't know if what he says is true.

I believe that I have written about my neighbours before. There are two families around here with two sons each who are or were drug addicts. All four underwent drug rehabilitation programmes before. A couple of them are clean and a couple of them are not. I think it's all due to the person's mentality and discipline, or else why do people respond differently towards the same drug rehab programme, right?

Anyway, I always believe that we must never start trying something like drugs or alcohol if we have no self-control. What do you think?

Surfing By Proxy

This morning, I did a few sponsored post and I don't know why I can't even access the sites of the sponsors. Someone must have blocked our IPs. Is it TM? Or the hosts/servers of the sponsors?? I don't know, I have problems understanding these kinds of things!

If it is TM, why? Why is it that we cannot go to some legitimate sites that are perfectly harmless but we can surf to porn sites that contain explicit images?? Hah! Now, don't read more to this than necessary, ok? This does not mean that *I* surf to porn sites. I just KNOW :D :D :D

Normally, I never use Proxy to surf and if there are sites that act strangely and do not let me access it, I just close my window and don't even bother with it but since these are sponsor sites that I need to browse through in order to put up a decent post, then I have to use the proxy sites that are filled with advertisements. *sigh*

I guess we can't get away from commercials wherever we go, eh?

Tattoo Dating For Tattoo Lovers

With so many dating sites around, I am feeling like there is no excuse for me to be single. The latest dating site that I visited this morning is tattoo singles seeking their soul mate. It's kind of funny that members declare the tattoos they have in their profile. I wonder if it is compulsory.

I remember watching a documentary program of a man who has his whole body tattooed like a leopard and I mean HIS WHOLE BODY. I think he is still single and if he participates in tattoo dating nobody would bate an eye since almost everyone here has at least one! :-)

Registration is free at TattooLovers.com and once your membership is confirmed, set up a profile and make sure that you include your latest photos (this is very important!!!) and then start searching for that Mr. or Ms. Right.

This doesn't sound too tough, does it?

Happy Belated Mid-Autumn Festival!!!

Yes, I am I am late in my greeting but hey, I was out playing with lanterns last night with my late cousin's daughter. She is the only young person in the family, not that young anymore, Standard 5 or 6 this year already.

Anyway, did you have your share of mooncakes yet??? I did but we never have to buy any because our relatives run a very famous restaurant and they do make mooncakes so why buy when you can get them free, right? By the way, nutty moonocakes seem to be the most popular among my friends but I think they are too sweet! Quite geli also :-)

I remember write a post on lanterns this time last year. Whoa, has it been a year already? What a year it has been hectic, but then it keeps me so busy I don't have time for anything else, which is good.

This year, I saw many kids playing with Batman, Spiderman, Powerpuff Girls, Doraemon and many more currently popular cartoon characters. But I still think that they never look as good as those lanterns made from coloured cellophane hamper wrappers even though they are easily burnt!

I would have included photos in this post but at night in low light, my camera phone failed me *sigh*

So how was last night for you?

Seeking The Last Real Love

As a single person, not only do I have to listen to all sorts of analysis from well-intentioned people on WHY I am still single like I wrote a couple of posts back, I am usually sent links to online dating sites from friends and family with the single message: JOIN!!! I do check them out but I did not join. I have nothing against online dating but it's not my style (yet).

However, I have heard of people who have found true love online and stories like that just melt my heart. You know, I came to know of an online senior dating site recently, and it made me realize that love can come early or late in life and that is perfectly normal.

I checked the senior personals that are on this site and I think it is a good idea for seniors who are single to look for love like this. I appreciate that these members take the trouble to look good even late in life. Just because we are older doesn't mean we have to let our looks go.

Dating For Seniors is a very good avenue for people who are older to find real love. I believe that they are more experienced in seeking their life partner now than when they were younger. Being a free dating site, it is open to a whole lot more people.

I think that thirty or forty years down the line if I am still single, I would be choosing this route in looking for a partner too.

Movies, Movies, Movies!

It's been how long since I watched a movie? A year now! I remember that I had the luxury of watching episode after episode of Korean dramas and then I would even have plenty of time to blog about them but now, watch also no time. Just now, just to refresh my memory, I went to my D Drive to check what movies I have that are still unwatched, and you know what? There are TWENTY FIVE (25!!!) movies and dramas waiting... oh dear, will I ever have the chance to watch them all??

When I first obtained them they were box offices. Now, after one year and with so many new movies coming out every month, these are considered old. Who else remembers movies like Curious George, Click or Thank You For Smoking?

I fear that by the time I have the chance to hit "Play" they would be classics by then *sigh*... work or entertainment now???

Singlehood Is Not A Disease

I read this article called 'What's so bad about being single?' on MSN.com's personal and dating site and it cracked me up. i have heard those same lines over and over again and I'm not over 35 but I am still single.

'You don't have a boyfriend? Why don't want?'
'You are so choosy. What kinda guy are you looking for? No more oredi lor. Extinct!'
'Don't you want children? You biological clock is ticking!'
'But she is younger than you and her son is already in nursery loh.'

Gawd this is the kind of shit I listen to all the time. Frankly, I don't have time or space to allow another person into my life or the energy and emotions to deal with all those problems that come with a man-woman relationship.

It would be great if all singles are able to find a soul mate. If not, life still goes on. Don't let these people get you down.

Brochure Printing For The Company

When you are the low man woman on the totem pole at work, you get kicked a lot of small tasks that are not really part of your job scope but since it needs to be done, people will "kindly" push it to you. And you can’t do anything but to accept them all.

The other day, I was told to look for a printer who would be able to provide Cheap Brochure Printing. I don't know much about this at all and have to ask around and search on the internet.

I was told to check out Wholesale Printing Direct, an online printer which provides quality wholesale printing at an ultra reasonable price. These two are very important deciding factors, I have been told. Comparing it with other printing companies that I have found online, the prices here are highly competitive and attractive.

I selected the size required in our Brochure Printing and then I have to choose the format and quantity, paper type, folding options and my desired shipping (low cost but secure) and I received a quote. From what I see, it is a fuss-free procedure to get our cheap brochure printing. I think I have found what my company wants so I will let them know about it and hope that they will accept my findings! I don’t want to waste time looking for another cheap printing brochure company because I don’t think there is any!

Ultra Quiet On The IPO Front

Did you notice something? It's already the end of September and there is not even one IPO. How can? I think this is a first in a loooong while! KLSE is so dry it needs some lube :) I know a bunch of retirees who spend their days just checking for IPOs and applying for them. It takes quite a lot of their time to apply for IPOs because they are still using the conventional way of buying copies of newspapers, filling out the form, buying bank drafts and posting them. Me, I do everything online!

And they are doing this full time and can earn quite a bit of pocket money too since they are using their gratuity (retirees, remember?) as capital so they can afford to do this full time since they apply so many lots and it is worth their time as long as their application get picked.

September has been so quite I am just lucky that I am not depending on it for pocket money or I would be ultra stressed out and pimples will pop up everywhere on my face :-(

RAS Reaches Out To Maternity Ladies

The other day, my sister told me that she fell ill and went to a doctor who is not covered by her insurance. Her bill came up to $300 and I nearly fainted. She said that for all the advanced medical facilities in the United States, these all come with a price. My sister told me that the worse group of people are women who got pregnant no insurance coverage and not provided for by their employer. She said that I would be surprised that there are many such people.

Some time back, I was shown a website that I remember till today which helps ladies in this situation find suitable fertility and reproductive health benefits and financial assistance. The program is called Reproductive Access Solutions (RAS). It is great that there is an extensive network like the RAS to help women when they are most in need of help, taking care of the health of mother and child. Women in this scenario just need to be let known that there is help available to them and they need to seek the assistance of RAS should they need it.

I find that it is our responsibility to let as many women know as possible that RAS is here to help them.

Beastly Parents

I thought I have the worst parents who suck every cent from me, and then I read that a mother locked her own daughter in a steel cage. Although I was never physically tortured, I would say that sometimes I have wondered if I am their blood daughter or was I picked up from the streets. My life, compared to my friends, is vastly different.

However, I also know of two cases where the mothers just HATE the daughters totally. I don't know why. There were times that these women mistreated the girls so badly and inflicted mental torture on the poor daughters that we wondered what they did to deserve such treatment. And the answer would be, it is a crime just to be born to these women.

Now, you may think that these women are incapable of being mothers but you are wrong. These women that I personally know have other children as well but those were not mistreated at all. In fact, they turned out normal while these two girls are now a little cuckoo in the head and cannot function by themselves.

Sometimes I think that they only love sons and not daughters, I don't know. All I know is that these women are mentally sick and should not be allowed to procreate if they cannot control their emotions.

As for myself, the things that my parents do sometimes just drives me up the wall but no, I am in no way on the verge of going insane. Be strong. Let's wait it out.

Just Grab It!

This afternoon which I was surfing the internet looking at Dell website because that have a very colorful range of laptops, I accidentally clicked on their French site. Wow, Dell is global, I tell you! Anyway, I saw this word called bureau PC and I think that's what the French called the desktop PC. Isn't that cute?

I called up my friend, Lawrence, who works with a French firm, and asked him if I am right and yeah, he said that bureau is indeed desktop in this context. See, I am not so dumb after all!

Well, all the surfing of Dell sites is sure tempting me to just close my eyes and grab that laptop! GGGrrr I may even get that bureau PC as well!

Read That F***ing Manual!

I don't know how many people are like me. I am someone who upon buying a new gadget, just open it and USE without reading the manual. And then when I come across something that I do not know how it works and what it is for, I ask friends hahaha!

On rare occasions do I read my manual and that also after going through the index and diving straight to that particular page. So yeah, it ticks of some people though, from the forums that I frequent and where people ask questions which are already in the manual and these are this group of freaks who read the whole manual from the front cover to the back before even touching the gadget lol I am definitely not that kind of person.

Luckily my friends have always been patient with me and will explain to me what is what without screaming, "Read the F***ing Manual!!!!" Or RTFM in short lol That's so rude, right?

Annual Vacation Plans To Orlando

This coming year end holidays, some friends of mine are planning a trip to Disney World. I really envy them that they would wait the whole year for the end of the year bonus and leave from work to go on a vacation. My friend says this is the chance to take the kids for a holiday and he too needs a break from work. *I* also need a break from work but I can't just go away like that.

My friend has already compared cheap hotels in orlando. It has got to be cheap, coming from so far and with a whole family to boot! My friend is so meticulous; he has plans made on what to do there, their itinerary and which theme park to visit. He told me that these details may seem minor but are just as important as flight and accommodation so as not to mar their Orlando experience.

He is so sweet. Why can’t I have a father like him?

Fill In The Blanks Senselessly For $50

Here's a little linky love contest that Lori, the cowboy's wife, has put up. For $50, we will do anything :P

Just about a month ago in a dream in Las Vegas. I was sleepwalking, (yes, sleepwalking in a dream. Have you had that kind of dream before?) when I realized my boobs could be seen. You have probably had that experience before. I felt cold there and that was how I came to realize it, and I knew that soon I would have to go to the little girl’s room.

I was a little worried about looking for one in an unfamiliar place. But then, all of the sudden, I saw a mobile toilet coming right towards me!! I remembered what a cowboy’s wife had told me. It was very important to pretend that I never seen that dang thing and pretend I don’t even know what it was.

Before I knew it, I was given the tools and tips to ultimate survival. So you see, I really was grateful, and I decided I just had to do it there and then!

Ashop Commerce - Leader In Shopping Cart Solutions

If you remember, not too long ago, a friend of mine proposes to joint venture with me to set up an online store selling replica sunglasses. She needed a reliable ecommerce software so that she can upgrade her website to a full-fledged ecommerce site that is allows shoppers to automatically pay for their purchases using credit card or PayPal. I told her to try out Ashop Commerce shopping cart software solution because it is very popular among online merchants and everyone that I spoke to told me that it is very simple to use with great technical support too.

According to the website, Ashop Commerce is currently offering a ten day no-obligation trial where we can integrate to our online store and accept payments from major payment gateways and processors. As an online store, it is very important to provide as many payment avenues to our buyers as possible so that we do not miss out on a transaction due to a small set back. If we have the complete works, we are not allowing any excuse for a buyer to change his mind.

Ashop Commerce has just the right shopping card solution for online businesses no matter if we are small timers or major players in online sales.

Mistakes Here, Errors There

I find myself blogging half asleep lately and to my horror, find that I have been typing incoherently. There were times when I think of something in my head but end up typing out something else. I hope that although I may do this, I catch myself before publishing my piece, or worse, submitting it. Am I living dangerously or what?

But even normally, when I am not 100%, I would be having spelling mistakes and grammatical errors all over the place and I would not be able to spot them even after reading them for umpteen times. Spell checker does not always help because some words are legitimate words in their word right.

And I never will know about my mistakes unless someone leaves me a comment and I have to reread my post to respond intelligently. Come to think of it, it has been such a crazy week that I haven't even time to respond to comments! Bah... my bad.

Bad! Bad! Bad! SIT!!!!

Showing Off At A Formal Dinner

If you remember, my mother proposes to replace our living room and dining room furniture. She thinks her daughter is rich now :-) Anyway, the thing about my house is that we have two living rooms and two dining rooms. Perhaps this is the old kind of architecture that was popular back then.

Since we have two dining rooms, one is formal and one is private, near the kitchen. My mother says she wants new formal dining room furniture and the dining furniture at our private dining room can be replaced later.

My mother showed me a set of counter height table and chairs called the Double Pedestal Dining Room Furniture Set in Dark Oak Finish. I can't deny that this is an elegant dining room set that every family would be proud to display in their dining hall.

Horn, Horny, Horniest

Paul sent me a message in the morning before his bed time so I asked him how has his day been. Living in opposite sides of the world can be pretty confusing. Anyway, he said that he has been very busy. What is new, eh?

So I said that it is good to be busy and there is no time to be horny. And he replied that it is healthy to be horny and in fact must be horny once a month. My goodness, he thinks horniness is like period meh, once a month? lol

And you know what he said? He said that period time is the horniest. Yeah, right, as if he knows! Haha

That reminds me of the movie, Meet The Parents, where the bus has a banner outside which read "Horn When Horny". This conversation also reminds me of a phone call a long time ago.

My friend called me up in the middle of the night from the street and at that ungodly hour, there were lots of cars honking and I don't know why. If it was Merdeka, I would understand la, but it wasn't. I asked my friend why all the horning (honking) and my friend replied me, "Horny Horn lah" with the simple logic, "Sleepy, sleep. Horny, horn!"

Amy Broghamer - Cincinnati Realtor

As an internet user for ten years now, I have been to many websites and especially to the websites of property agents this past year. Today, I came to the website of Amy Broghamer, a Cincinnati Realtor and if I could only use one word to describe her site, I would use "Professional". Check out Amy' site at http://www.amybsells.com/ and let me know if I am spot on.

What I like about Amy's site is the automatic rotation of testimonials. This is a great attraction and provides an insight into Amy's track record as a Cincinnati real estate agent at first glance. All the positives only make me want to explore the site further.

Amy's website is very well-thought out and has a complete feel. I mean, if you are a planning to buy a home in Cincinnati, you most probably will have most of your questions answered and concerns addressed here by Amy. The site also has a dedicated page of Amy's active listings of Cincinnati homes which makes it a great starting point to look for your dream Cincinnati home.

Amy keeps a well-written blog as well to further reach out to Cincinnati home buyers and sellers touching on topics that are of interest to people who are trying to sell their Cincinnati property and potential buyers of Cincinnati homes.

Even though I have no plans to buy a house in Cincinnati, I still had an interesting time surfing through Amy's site and reading her blog.

Feeling Empty

I don't know why, with so many things going on in life, keeping me extremely busy, I still feel that there's something missing in life. I am not even thinking about a man or sex or whatever. It's just that I feel that there is more to life than work. Why work so when I don't get to spend my own money?

I really want to get away from here and I don't mean go away on a trip but to really pack my bags and leave. For good. I feel that my sanity is threatened the longer I stick around and I hate the feeling of helplessness.

Right now, all I can do is to bust my butt trying to earn as much as I can, hence the three jobs, and save whatever money I can spare. Financial security is very important to me and the money will certainly come in handy when the time is right to take action. It just kills me to be around here.

I Was Consulted

As I continue to search for furniture for my home and small office, I showed the website of Furniture From Home to a friend of mime. Coincidentally, he is in the midst of redecorating his home and he wanted my opinion on the leather club chairs.

He said that I have good taste in color matching *ahem* and that I should help him pick up something that matches his color scheme to create warm atmosphere. Based on his room, I suggested that he get brown leather chairs. They look very classy and yet offers the comfort he would want.

I also told him that it would be great if he could get one of the recliner leather chairs. These are great to relax in after a busy day at the office.

My friend saw the range of modern bar stools on Furniture From Home and mentioned that he should change the bar stools he currently has. The bar at home which was set up by his late father has really old stools that don't fit into the whole scheme of the house anymore so it is time to change them.

I agree and hope that Philip would see through it and not waste my "expertise"!

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

It's so funny that when people know that you are a blogger, especially a power blogger, the get scared. This is because bloggers would write just about anything on their blogs. So those who are out to have a jolly time at night, you better don't let a blogger see you!

The 8-ness is especially true for people who blog for pay and need an interim post ever so often so that's where ideas come from but I'm not saying that bloggers will go to the extent of cooking up a story about somebody.

Anyway, it just amuses me to see people's reaction when they realise that there's a blogger in their midst. Eh, I'm not pahwer enough for anyone to be afraid of me lah and even if I do name names, people will think nothing of it.

Headhunting

A couple of years ago, I got to know a lady who works in an executive and top management recruitment firm, whom we call headhunters. She told me due to the nature of her job, they have very strict guidelines to follow so that both clients and candidates will get the most out of their partnership.

Recruiters with headhunting companies like A.E. Feldman Associates, Inc. even are specialists in their own fields who have wide contacts with industry leaders, hence the know what are required for candidates to fill the position and what candidates look for in a top post like that. This insight is very valuable to both parties as it eliminates unsuitable candidates and save time in filling up those top posts for clients with the perfect candidate.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean For Your Love Life?

I went to BlogThings and saw this quiz and could not resist myself from doing it. You know what I think of these quizzes from BlogThings. They are so accurate it is creepy! So I keyed in my date and month of birth and receive the following results.

Your Birthdate: - deleted -

You love being in love... so much so that it's very hard for you to be single. Unfortunately, it's difficult for you to stay in love over time. Too many people intrigue you! Only your true love will be able to keep you interested over time. Number of True Loves You'll Have: 2 Number of Times You'll Have Your Heart Broken: 4 You are most compatible with people born on the 8th, 17th, and 26th of the month.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean For Your Love Life?

Aiyoh... accurate or not wor? I hope this time BlogThings fouled up lah! Who wants to have her heart broken FOUR times? That's insane.

Online Casino Bluebook Great Review Site

A friend of mine read my previous post about looking for an online casino to test my skills. You may know that I have spent a considerable amount of time playing practice games with no money involved. Although I am a gambler, I prefer online gambling over going to a real casino. In fact, I have never been to Genting Highlands before. This is because I find that I can concentrate better playing online.

Anyway, this friend told me about Online Casino Bluebook which is a review site of all major online casinos and a list of top ten casinos in terms of welcome bonus size, member specials, payout rate, game features and graphics, number of games, customer service and most importantly, user-friendliness. These are the factors that were taken into account when reviewing the online casinos.

I read through the reviews and find that they are well written in simple and easy to understand language. These reviews give us a low down on what to expect playing at one of the top ten online casinos in the world. I think that anyone who is thinking of playing online blackjack or poker, for example, should read up on these reviews first so as not to get caught by surprise.

Overall, this is a very informative site, yet, if you are still not satisfied with the casinos that have been reviewed and think that they do not meet your requirements, you are invited to send in an email informing them of what you are looking for in an online casino and they will assist you in finding one that best meets your needs. What a great service this is!

Warren's Birthday

Tomorrow is Warren's birthday. He requested for a Vacheron Constantin Malte Skeleton Watch. Fake (replica) one also never mind wor. And I did not get for him. Why would I get something fake for him? Genuine one I cannot afford pulak! Five to six figures USD wor, how to afford? Better buy a house, right? This guy really has fine taste *sigh* but he is my personal cheer leader, at least must give him something. Besides, I still owe him a birthday cake. Must come here to collect wan because I don't courier them :D

Dave’s Deli in my cow town also closed shop already lor… Let’s go to MacD. I still haven’t tried leh. Waiting for somebody to go with me lol

I am really stumped on what to get. Maybe virtual card will do lah. Yea, I am cheapo haha!

Dell Personal Computer For Wei Wei

My late cousin's little daughter has been asking for a computer. She does not know that buying a computer is not like buying a toy and that computer comes with responsibility especially if it is internet connected. Moreover, she doesn't understand that her father, a widower, has to take care of the four of them single-handedly and may not be able to afford a computer for her.

I suggested that I would look for cheap computers for her and I proposed to get Dell because buying Dell online would entitle us to a hefty rebate. Besides, we can get great technical support and service in case the girl needs it and being a first time computer owner, she most certainly will.

I have heard of many positive things about Dell from my friends although I am not a Dell user yet. Let me get one for the girl and share my experience with you!

Draft Count: ZERO

My Gawd! I started the week with ten draft posts each on all my blogs and now I am down to zero. can you believe the pace that I have been blogging that I do not even have time to top up my drafts? Boy, am I getting jittery without some drafts safely and securely tucked away.

Worse is that I just got news that my friend will be making a trip here and I will be away from the computer and not being able to blog. I know I welcome the break but eh, I need to type out those dang drafts too. So how?

I really feel bad that I have been neglecting everyone but I have a target to meet every month to cover all my family's expenses and I haven't reached that comfort zone yet so I have to continue to slog on. It's tiring, it's mind numbing and I suspect, I will have to suffer from pinch nerve in my wrist but I will be doing it while I still can.

Jura What???

I am not a coffee lover and I would rather drink tea, especially green tea, but I think my mom is addicted to coffee because she just needs her daily cuppaS --> See the S? I don’t even know how many cups of coffee she takes daily. Lost count already!

Last night, she told me that her friend bought a jura capresso coffee maker and she was invited to try the coffee. Now my mom says she wants one too. I went online to check the price and the cheapest is $999. Normal capresso machine only can or not? Your daughter no money lah :-( Besides, she is the only person using it.

65 Posts On Homepage

I am feeling obsessed with the number of posts I have on my homepage now. And right now, at the time of writing this, I have a total of 65 (65 you know!) posts on my homepage that I wrote and published within the past seven days. I set my blog to display posts for one week but at this point I am wondering if one week is too lengthy.

I don't know how many posts I publish here but it could be easily nine or ten every day and it is made worse with all the original interims between all sponsored content which I am trying to keep to.

Do you think I should cut down on the number of posts to display on my front page before they are archived? I wonder if it's because of the number of posts that is causing my homepage to load a tad slower. I have already resized my header image and it helped somewhat and it is not something that I can change anymore unless I change themes and I am not going to mess up my theme for the time being.

So how many days’ worth of posts should I allow to publish on my homepage?

Shop Online For Dell

I've been searching for the "perfect" notebook computer for sometime now and have talked to a few friends who have used laptops for years. One friend told me to get a Notebook 17" for ease of using one told me to get 11.1" for mobility. Another friend told me to get a "colored" notebook. All these conflicting feedback and suggestions confuse me even more.

However, they all agree that Dell notebooks suit my budget the most and Dell has the best service. They said that I would need this service and technical support since I am such a noob when it comes to technology and I think that they don't want to help me should I encounter any problems if there is not support provided!

I asked my friends if Dell has any notebooks selling from shops but they told me that Dell only sells through their website. Then that means I would have to shop online again. I prefer shopping online, anyway :-) What a perfect excuse!

May Nurin Rest In Peace

It is indeed a sad day for the nation to mourn the loss of a young girl. This is not about a young girl being kidnapped, sexually assaulted, tortured and finally murdered but it is about losing the innocence that the country is all rosy. This is very sick person we have in our midst to be able to inflict such things on a young girl. With her death, we are all shaken because this unfortunate incident could happen to any other family. And of course we would not wish such grief on even our worst enemies.

Although I am not a parent, I think that to be a parent is more than procreation and giving life. Parents need to take full responsibility of the well-being and education of the child until he is an adult himself.

You know, it is so easy to just give birth that even mentally handicapped people who cannot take care of themselves can give birth. It is just a physical act. To be a parent is more than physical presence or financial support. It's a very complex process that binds the adult and the child. One misstep could lead to the death of the child.

Oregon Mortgage Refinance A Wise Move

An ex-colleague of my sister’s, who moved to Oregon when her husband was transferred to the branch office there, bought a house at the same time as my sister. Recently, she sent an email to my sister informing her that she took out an Oregon mortgage refinance for her home because the interest rate dropped quite a lot and she is taking advantage of it.

According to this lady, taking such a move will save her husband and her a considerable amount of money since the interest rate at the time she purchased her home was quite high but she still went ahead to sign for her home because she figured that if she does not commit herself to the home, she will never get around to it because the interest rate will always "seem" high to her.

Taking out an Oregon mortgage refinance may be the best step they have taken because not only can they save money, they are saving time as well. This lady figured that since they are still going to set aside the same amount of money, the repayment will go towards the principle and not the interest.

Although they have planned to repay the home loan in thirty years, they could now shave a few years off the loan period. My sister wonders if the interest rate in Tennessee went down as well.

Orrr See Also NO Time

At the pace I am going, I wonder how long I will last. A few years ago, I was already screaming "Shit also no time!" and my friend, Warren, would laugh at me and say, "One day, I am going to live with you to see what you are so busy about and how does it look like to "shit also no time!"." haha... He should see me now. The past few years were mild. This one is severe constipation!

My Uncle, who was the dean of studies in one of the leading local universities used to tell us that he is so busy, he doesn't even have time to shit and we went like, "Like this also can meh???"

But I was young and ignorant. Now, I know that yes, it is possible to be THAT busy. Luckily, I am not someone who needs to shit daily. I told a friend of mine that I could go on a 4X4 expedition and come home without even shitting. Hahaha it's not possible, of course, but it's the metaphor of it!

Email From Markus

My German pen pal, Markus, wrote an email to me recently. He said, he is sneaking me a note from the office although it is not allowed. He said he is doing it because it has been too long that he did not write to me but his personal computer is out of order

The good news is that he has placed an order with Dell and it will be arriving soon. he assured me that he has not forgotten me and that once the desktop is set up, he will be writing a real air mail letter to me. Hhmm with the convenience of email, I sure miss receiving airmail letters!

Markus told me that he faces the computer at work the whole day that he just wants time away from the computer after work. I know what he means. My eyes get so tired just looking at my screen, I think I better buy a Dell LCD. I am afraid I will be spoiling my eyesight if I don't change it!

Mole On My Back

Do you know of the Chinese belief that if you have a mole on your back, you will have to carry some virtual burden? When we were young, my sister had a mole on her back. And as circumstances would have it, she migrated to the United States when she was quite young and she had to remit money home to support the family. It may be a coincidence and she is not the only migrant who support their family in their home country.

Last year, my sister bought a house in the United States and she said that she is not able to send as much money home as she used to, which is understandable. I didn't really want her to send as much money home either in the first place because she is alone there and should anything happen, she only has herself to depend on.

Anyway, my parents wanted her money but that is another story.

Since she bought her house, I have taken over the financial commitment and responsibility of the household entirely. And guess what? I discovered that I have grown a tiny mole on my back! Is this a coincidence? If you have read my blog, you would know that it is not easy juggle the finances for the household, myself, the monkeys and meeting debts every month. I have nightmares just thinking how long this burden will last for me.

But the point is, I have a mole on my back now!!!

Online Shopping Made Easy

I think one of my vices is shopping online. Although I do not normally buy things when I go to the mall, browsing though online stores is a greater temptation. I make up for my expenses by using coupon codes and try my best to only buy during promotions.

If you think that online shopping is easy, well, if you are always on the lookout for special deals then it is hard work. You would have to go to coupon sites, go to different online stores, check out eBay, Lelong, Amazon and what not to see if they are selling the same item at a cheaper price even after you have applied the code, check if the item is new or used, genuine or not.... phew, the list goes on!

Today, I just discovered a shopping comparison and review site called Mpire. This is a site that is a blessing to all of us shopaholics! It is like a product search engine, comparing the price of our item from major online retailers and auction sites. With each product, we will be able to view the average price in the past month, see the estimate price trend to understand if it is going up or down and to compare the price that is it currently being retailed at and the price it is in an auction on eBay, for example.

I gave it a run with the keyword "Clinique" and would say that it is time-saving and hassle-free. No longer do I need to open up ten browser windows just to search for an item and compare the price and condition. Mpire is going to help me and fellow shopaholics make more informed purchase decisions. And I like it!

What Did She Expect?

The other day, I had the chance to talk to my friend, I mean, really talk. She was rather unhappy because her boyfriend refused to leave the wife to marry her. Aiyoh... I wonder what was wrong with her. If she is prepared to be his mistress, then why complain? When she met him, she already knows that he is married.

To me, if a man is an adult, I would ASSUME that he is already married or at least have a girlfriend.

So, this friend of mine, I think she expected him to leave the wife. I guess the man must have made such empty promises as well.

However, personally, if a man is leaving his wife and kids for me, I DON'T WANT HIM! Not because I think I am not as good as the wife but it tells a lot about the man's character to be able to leave his wife, a woman he once loved and perhaps still does. If he could do this to her, he could do this to me or any other woman for that matter.

Do you want a man who may one day leave you for a third woman? I guess nobody does. However, as the saying goes, love in blind but from what I understand most man will not leave his wife because men want the best of both worlds; to have a wife at home and to have a mistress outside.

And in the end, if men are being dumped by the mistress, after she has cleared his bank accounts, they will return to the first family, penniless with tail between his legs.

I am not being judgmental and I am not condemning my friend, but I believe that when she enters into such a relationship, she KNOWS what is in store for her already, so why be disappointed, right?

Living Room Sofa Sets

I wrote before that my mom has been bugging me to get a new sofa set. This one has to be written off because it has been claimed by my monkeys. Chinese New Year is just around the corner *shudder*

I went to Furniture From Home this morning to check out sofas. Right now, I do not have an idea what I want but it is important not to go over budget.

Living room furniture is very important as it is the first thing that guests see when they enter our home so it has to be more impressive. The set of leather sofa with curved sectional will actually look very good in my home, I imagine, because the color tone is warm but not too deep like black. I can feel its comfort even without touching it and I think that I will go all lazy if I were to sit on that!

My home has two sections actually; the living room and the entertainment room. Recliner sofa sets would be better for my entertainment room.

At the moment, I am not sure if I should get leather sofas. They are warm and inviting but I don't want guests to over stay their welcome too!

Living With It

You know how I have been complaining about my Nokia mobile device for not living up to my expectations and for what I think is a crappy camera? Well, after more than three months of owning it, I think that I am going to live with it and not complain anymore. I mean, I should feel so lucky to even own a smart phone, coming from my background.

Normally, I would not even spend over MYR500 MYR400 on a mobile phone. Heck, I did not even spend a cent on my first and second phones! This is my third and I splashed on it haha!

I surfed to a lot of Eseries sites and everyone is so happy with their device. Yes, there is always one bug or another that faces different users but I guess these are the quirks of electronic products.

So yea, I am going to try to love it. At MYR1799, I definitely am not going to throw it against the wall no matter what I think of the camera quality!

A Blessing To International Students

I came across a company that offers professional essay writing services including editing and proofreading of student assignments worldwide.

English is such that although we may think that we can write well, we need clarity in our writing and it is always good to have a third party go through our work. Also, I still find it funny that although English is a universal language, England and America are still divided by English.

There was a lot of criticism on Malaysian English recently and I can certainly understand it because we are not professional writers and our work does not come across polished. It certainly is not easy being an international student and services like this is a blessing for many of us! What I like about this service is that it is custom written and not copy and paste work so there is never the fear of being accused or plagiarism which is a serious crime.

Voice Recognition Software

Last night, Paul gave me call and as usual, I "complain" that my hands are tired with too much typing. He asked me to get a voice recognition software. Eh, it's a good idea also except that I type faster. By the time I process my thoughts and say them a loud, cat also asleep lor. Besides, it won't work well.

I have Voice Aid in my mobile device and it is supposedly for people who have problems with their eyesight so they use this voice aid feature. I get a great laugh out of the wrong reading of names of my contacts.

For example, "Careline" which is spoken as Care-Line will end up being Ca-re-lyn. Suann ends up being Slut. And my name became Armadillo the anteater.

I wonder what will happen if I really dictate a whole blog post and the computer program writes it out. It must be real funny!

Leads That Convert

I have written about the company called Martin Worldwide, a leader in the direct marketing industry, providing targeted mailing lists to clients that have a high percentage of conversion. It looks like their business is getting bigger with their latest update of their mailing list database with a new product called ResponseCom™.

When I see the statistics of Martin Worldwide's database of mailing lists compiled over ten years and categorized according to demographics and psychographics, I am quite scared because they may even have my information with them!

Clients could even order customized mailing lists from Martin Worldwide. Let's say a client wants mortgage lists, Martin Worldwide will search its database of targets that match the client’s requirements the most. Companies buy such lists so that their marketing efforts are more effective when more leads convert and they convert because these are the products that they are interested in and are looking for.

7Ps of My Life

Amy or better known as Shopping Mum tagged me on the 7Ps of my life. Hmm, at first glance, I thought it was about the triple P company. Looks like I'm obsessed already :D

Passion - Reading, Writing, Sleeping, Radio
Purpose - To clear all the debts
Pursuit - To travel round the world
Position - Horizontal
Pummeling - My sand bag
Progress - Middle of the ocean
Personality - Always smiling but that doesn't mean that I'm happy!

I'm supposed to tag three people with this but I'm throwing it open to anyone who is interested!

iPod Earphone/Headphone Trade-In Program

I've been meaning to buy an iPod as a treat to myself so that I could take along music where ever I go. I could, of course, transfer the music files to my mobile device but I don't want to because it drains my battery. Anyway, I was checking for iPod news and reviews when I saw this iPod Earphone/Headphone Trade In Program. It seems that I am not the only one who does not like those factory earphones.

If you take advantage of this trade in program, you will receive a $20 voucher which you can use for a future purchase at Your Electronic Warehouse or Discount Golf World. My friend Paul was looking for discount golfing equipment so I'm going to ask him if he has any iPod earphones to participate in the program and spend his voucher at Discount Golf World!

So now when I buy my iPod finally, I will know what to do with the earphone! And with the voucher, I would most probably buy a better, more advanced earphone!

Scratch & Win Scam

Last evening, I went to town to do some banking. All along, I have only gone there during the day but lately, I haven't been able to find time to go anywhere except in the evenings. When I reached there, it was already past 8pm and my God, there were so many people loitering around there. These people are trying to cheat people with those “Scratch and Win” cards. The police should just go and round them up for questioning.

I walked past one Indian lady and she was being congratulated by one of the chaps about winning something and going somewhere to claim her "prize" and the Indian lady, I think she really believed that she won a prize and was asking, "Pergi mana?" [translated: Where to go (to claim the prize)?]

In my mind, I was thinking, "Oh, oh! She's gonna get it!" Doesn't she read the papers??

Of course, I could not alert her because I was alone while they have so many people there and I don't want to be set up upon. I went to the bank to withdraw money and I don't want to be robbed. When I came out from the ATM lobby, though, the gang has dispersed. Perhaps they have already caught the water fish. I don't know.

I wonder why people are so gullible and even though I do not read the papers too often, I still know a scam when I see one. Another thing that I wonder is that how come these young men and women would do this sort of "work"? I know, they are only out to cari makan but surely there are better things to do than to be involved in a scam ring?

When this guy was congratulating the Indian lady, where I managed to catch a few words from him, my goodness, he could not even speak coherently. I don't know if he was born with a stutter, if he was pretending to be excited for the victim or he was so scared in carrying out his scam job.

One thing I know is that all these young men and women are not locals but are "imported" from towns from the North. They could not even speak Cantonese, how do their bosses expect them to carry out a good scam job, I do not know.

I have been approached many times before as well and I won't even touch those damn cards! Anyway, the whole Scratch & Win scam baffles me.

Look At This Car Lift!

Have you ever thought of stacking your cars in your garage or compound? To be honest, the idea never crossed my mind before because I live in a house with a compound large enough for ten cars. In fact, the problem is not lack of space but lack of cars to fill that space!

So, it amused me when I saw this car lift on the website of CarGuyGarage.com. I can't imagine people over here using this, can you? That looks rather dangerous and flimsy to me, but going through the specification of the car lift, its maximum lifting capacity is 9000 pounds! Read that??? I was surprised too!

Tell me, do you dare to lift your precious car like that?? Haha!

Yerrrrr Who Did It???

We have been reading the news papers about all the missing children recently and this time, the news has gotten grimmer and grimmer. Who the hell has been committing such horrendous act? What are the police doing and can they even do anything without any proper leads?

Do you feel that you cannot even walk the streets safely anymore, even if you are a strong and healthy man? Can women and children feel safe in the streets anymore?

Although I live in a relatively quite city, I certainly dare not walk out unnecessarily even in broad day light. The other day, the papers reported that a young lady was abducted from a 24-hour clinic, taken on a joyride and raped. Gosh that is hard to imagine happening over here but happen it did and it shook us up.

Life is certainly not the same anymore. Heck, I feel insecure even in my own home after three attempted break-in in the past couple of years! Sure, we have the police doing their rounds in the wee hours of the morning but then they are always not doing it at the right time, if you know what I mean!

Buying Discount Golf Balls & Irons

Paul told me that he has again picked up golfing, and I went, "What? Where can you find the time? You're out at the job site the whole day!" But Paul reasoned that if he wishes to expand his business, he would have to network and socialize even if it take up all his free time, whatever that is left. Paul said that since he is just a social golfer, he will not be spending too much on golfing equipment because it would be a waste of money.

He said that what he did was buy discount golf balls and irons from a store that deals with these, which are especially for golf learners. Paul said that he is not a learner, but doesn't mind being deemed as one to save some money!

HHmmm they don’t call him smart for nothing!