Access Your Password By Telephone

I believe when it comes to the world wide web, most of the time, users living outside of the United States will feel left out. I know I do. There will always be services that do not cater to us, shipping that does not include international destinations.

However, this morning, I had the time to check out the service by Password By Call. Actually, I have known of it for about a month but only took the trouble to go through their website today. Basically, what they do is to offer a service of calling in for a password in your native language.

So let's say you are surfing the web and you would like to purchase an item or a service or access to a members-only website. I am sure you will not be comfortable providing your credit card information to a website that you are not familiar with, right?

Now, if this said website offers you a service like Password By Call, all you need to do is call up the telephone number provided on your screen and you will be given a temporary password which you can use for thirty minutes, or whatever time frame that the vendor has set, and access the members-only website. Of course, your telephone call will be charged but then it beats having to part with your personal information, right?

I didn't know that this service is already so popular until I read how webmasters have already earned money for TWELVE years by converting casual browsers to buyers. You would be surprised that there are still millions of people who do not own a credit card. This service would be perfect for these people.

End of the May Already

It's the end of May already. I don’t know about you but I somehow will always feel that may is the longest month of the year. It just drags on... but it only has 31 days, same like March, July, August, October and December. Maybe it is because it is in the middle of the year; maybe it is because of the hot weather. Maybe it is because I am no longer in school and not enjoying the school holidays.

This May, not only did it feel like an extremely long month, it even felt slow and quiet. I know why. I am not keeping myself busy enough, I guess. I will have to pile even more work on myself so that I won't feel the clock ticking by.

Yeah, I know I'm crazy but I have already agreed to help two friends with their web projects. These are not money making concerns, at least not for me, so I am a little worried that my time will be expanded on something else, rather than focusing on making money for myself. Let's see how things will turn out. After all, it's supposed to be part time and entirely voluntary.

Cookie Money

While some people are against blogging for money, I do not see what is wrong with it if it is something that we would normally write about on our blogs, anyway. And if there is money to be made, then it's a bonus already. So why not create a buzz for a product that we enjoy using anyway?

When I was first told of Snapbomb, which is a blog advertising marketplace which creates a meeting place for bloggers and advertisers, I was not very happy with their pay rate. However, once I understood how their system works, I am fine with it now. The gist is that the more traffic and page views your blog has, the higher you get paid. That's blog marketing!

Writing for Snapbomb is a breeze in the sense that there are not too many hoops to jump but please note that payment will only be sent out after you have submitted your post and it is approved for sixty days. I have to say that 60 days in internet speak is a long time but that is how the rules are.

Right now, they are only paying via PayPal but I am sure most of us already have a PayPal account, right? So, if you were looking to earn some cookie money, you have to check out Snapbomb right now. Opportunities are there. You just have to see if they fit your blog!

If Worse Comes To Worst

My sister tells me that she is a little jittery with the economy. Although it is not critical, she said that she absolutely cannot lose her job because of her home mortgage. She said that she would only be able to meet the monthly installment as long as both she and her fiancé are earning.

I told her that is worse comes to worst, since her company has recently downsized, then she would have to look for a new job. If she can't find a job in Tennessee, then she would have to try for Atlanta jobs. After all, Georgia is her neighboring state.

Luckily we humans are very adaptable and we are very good with going with the times. Anyway, this is just a cycle and things will improve sooner or later.

Good Luck to Mark

My friend, Mark, is such a lucky guy! He told me that his boss has promised him a bonus of a vacation to the Virgin Islands if he managed to clinch a deal for the company. I am sure I have mentioned before that Mark is an architect and you know, they need to bid for projects for the company with proposals to prospective clients.

And there is one commercial project by a large company in the heart of the city that will cost millions of Ringgit.

Mark is pushing for the deal and is working extremely hard coming up with innovative architecture designs, not only because of the promised vacation and the beautiful St. John villa rentals awaiting him, but also clinching the deal would give his career a boost.

Mark said that mega projects like these are few and far between especially in this economical climate so he needs to seize the opportunity. I wish him good luck!

Ipoh So Pathetic Lah!

Last evening I was shopping in Greentown Mall. If you are from Ipoh, you will know that the place is full of stalls that sell, trade and repair mobile phones. And guess what? One of the stalls, actually, most of them are owned by only a couple of bosses and they set up all the smaller stalls to grab business. Well, one of them had a couple of iPhones on display.

Out of curiosity, I asked the sales girl, how much they are selling the iPhone and she said RM1,999. OMG, at today's currency exchange rate according to Xe.com, it is USD614.569!!! Can you believe it? So, I asked her how many GB it has and she said 8GB. Oh, OK... is it unlocked? She replied that it is already unlocked and can use with any of our local SIM cards.

HHmm 8GB iPhones are last year's model. Since then, we have the 16GB model and the 3G capable iPhone is rumoured to be announced during the week of 9th June, 2008. That's just ten days away. The price point is rumoured to be USD399. Such a vast difference from the USD614.569 8GB iPhone!

I wonder which Ah Beng will buy it to look cool. By the way, my friend, who is not from Ipoh keeps telling me that Ipoh has many Ah Bengs and Ah Lians. Where got? I never see also. Maybe I am one of the Ah Lians, that's why I don’t notice the difference between a non Ah Beng/Ah Lian from one. Hehehe!

Optimizing Websites For Better Search Engine Rankings

The other day, I wrote a post on home-business and everyone said how fulfilling it is to be able to work at home. But, I have started many websites and one problem that I believe we all face is in getting traffic to our sites, hence converting casual browsers to customers.

My friend, who runs more than a hundred blogs, told me that search engine marketing is very important to achieve that extra exposure and leverage on the search engines.

For example, if you run a real estate website, then what you need is real estate search engine optimization. I guess many people do not know how the major search engines works, so they are unable to set up their website to take advantage of the benefits that proper real estate SEO provides.

This goes the same for whatever business you are in and not only home-based or real estate business. By the way, many people have been very successful as a real estate agent working from home.

Going back to the search engines, even if you run a lawyer website, if you implement lawyer search engine optimization on your site, I am sure you will be able to see a difference on your search engine rankings.

Who Gives Two Hoots About Chad Allen?

Recently, an old school mate found me on FaceBook. Well, I am friends with her cousin, so I was not surprised that she found me. What surprised me was that she did not find me sooner.

She sent me a message asking me if I am so-and-so and if I was the girl who idolised Chad Allen. I replied and said that yes, I am so-and-so, but I did not, have never idolised Chad Allen at all.

But she kept insisting that I liked him, which I denied, of course. Who the heck is Chad Allen? Ya, I know that he's some sort of celebrity but I have no idea what movie he has acted in or what songs he sang.

So I said, maybe you have mistaken Chad Allen with Tommy Page. I admit, I was crazy about Tommy Page back then when we were in secondary school, but I was not alone, right?

And she said, ya, Tommy Page.... and CHAD ALLEN AS WELL! You say I was irritated or not?? I told her already, many times, I was not a fan of Chad Allen and don't even "know" him. But she kept on and on about me liking Chad Allen. Eh, if I liked him at all, does she think that I will forget about it?

What pissed me off was her persistence even when I pointed out that she must have mixed me up with another girl. "Was there any other Chads that you idolised?"

GGgrrrrr

Simplifying STD Testing

Many people DO know about STDs but they chose to ignore or prevent it. I don't know why, perhaps they found it difficult to get themselves tested. It is said that we should not engage in sex with new partners whom we are not aware of their sexual backgrounds. Still, people do it and not worry about the consequences until it is too late.

I learned that STD testing is no longer an embarrassing or tedious process. tSTD has simplified the process and one can get tested for seven STDs, namely Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Herpes 1/2, Syphilis, and HIV, in a single visit. The results will then be available in a couple of days which could be printed from the website of tSTD.

Like I always mention, we need to take charge of our health, including sexual health. Compared to the conventional way of getting an STD test, tSTD has made it really simple, so there’s no excuse not to get tested and as a result, expose ourselves to the risk of STD.

Birthday Card With Scrapbooking Effect

I bought this birthday card for my friend the other day. I just found the time to scan it today. It is so cute that I am afraid that once I sent it out, I will forget how it will look like sometime in the future. The wrapper has a sticker of the birthday card designer and it says www.aeiou.com.my

Out of curiosity, I went to check them out and oh my gosh, their website is SO cute! They have so many items but I find it rather strange that they do not have “birthday cards”. Well, all the better la so that my friend would not be able to see his card on the website hehe. I bought it for RM2.90 only. Considered cheap, right?

What I especially like about this card, though they do have others, which look like they are more appropriate to give to girls, is that this has a scrapbooking effect. I wanted to start a new scrapbooking hobby but it’s kind of difficult because I do not have the time. Besides, my sister, who is a new scrapbooking hobbiest, told me that scrapbooking could be an expensive hobby! Also, one needs lots and lots of photos and I don’t have them! It’s been ages since I took any photos of myself. Bleh….

Anyway, this card will be leaving me in June. SIGH…....

Gold Is For Men Too

The other day, my friend, a guy, came to look for me and my mother commented, behind his back, "WAH, look at his gold necklace!" My mother is of the old school type who thinks that gold and other jewelry items are for ladies only. She does not realize that men have been wearing gold, especially gold chains on their necks and/or wrists for a long time now.

It's fashion for one, but solid gold necklaces ad bracelets are excellent investments. Of course, some men, who do not like to wear accessories, would rather invest in gold ingots, bullions or coins but it's already 2008 and men love stuff that glitters as well!

Personally, I dare not wear gold necklaces because of the high rate of snatch thefts. I only wear a silver necklace that I never take off. However, looking at my silver necklace, you’ll think that it’s a 92.5% silver so nobody wants that. LOL

The Task Of Cleaning My Room

If you remember, I spent a month clearing out my room but I haven't finished cleaning it up yet. I had to stop and concentrate on my work as I was falling behind already. I thought I would ask my neighbor to recommend me a cleaning lady so that I could pass the task to her, and willingly pay her the going rate, but my mom says that nobody would want to come and work for us with the two monkeys around.

I guess I would have to do the hard labor myself but only when I have the time. I wished I had listened to my friend and invested in one of those Ladybug steam cleaners that he introduced to me. He was gushing about how good they are and how well they clean without the use of chemicals. I thought that he was only thinking of his commission.

Without a Ladybug steam cleaner, I will have to depend on my mop. No wonder my hands are getting too rough!

Estee Lauder Model Search

So like I said, I was in Kinta City last evening and coincidentally, they were holding an Estee Lauder model search. I think that are accepting entries only but they set up rooms for photo taking. My father asked me to go in and have my photo taken! Geeee people doing model search la, ask me to go and get my photo for what? Summore I don't even qualify. Hahaha!

It's kind of strange, though, that I did not see any advertisement on this Estee Lauder model search besides the banners put up at the concourse area in Kinta City.

They also put up big screen TVs showing models who participated in Estee Laude model search. I didn't stay long enough to find out if the girls on TV were participants or winners of past years' Estee Laude model search, or if they are from other States and currently participating in it but they sure look pretty leh....

Zenith Luxury Watch

I was asking a friend's opinion on what to get for my friend's birthday. Well, I mentioned last week that I already got a birthday card but am still looking for a gift. Haiihh it's not easy buying something for a rich guy, you know? Besides, this will not only be a birthday gift but also a gift to mark our 17th year of friendship. That is a long time and surely deserves something special.

My friend suggested a luxury watch. You know me lah, I only ever own one watch at a time and I am still wearing a plastic watch. This may be branded but still, it's PLASTIC!

Anyway, I was in Kinta City last night and walked into a few watch boutiques and I saw a few luxury watch brands that I am unfamiliar with. Eh, I want to know, is Zenith good? I really like their designs as they exude class and elegance and will surely fit my friend SO well.

Knowing me, the longer it takes for me to decide, the more watches I will look at and that will confuse me only. I better stop going luxury watch window shopping!

Are Ipoh Girls Really Leng Lui & High Maintenance?

My friend, who works in Bangkok, told me that even his Thai colleagues know that Ipoh girls are leng lui. Really leng lui meh? Every time people ask me where I am from, and I say Ipoh, this is the comment I will hear. ALL THE TIME, I tell you. It could get pretty boring.

I tell them that it's a myth and they think so only because they are not in Ipoh long enough to see the ugly Ipoh girls. Seriously, I live here so I know. Like every other place, there are the beautiful girls, the not so beautiful girls and girls that are nightmare inducing. And I am not talking about inner beauty and all that crap, you know? I'm talking about physical beauty.

So I asked my friend if his Thai friends wanna come to Ipoh to court Ipoh girls, since there are perpetually "Thai food fairs" in Ipoh ALL THE TIME. It's supposed to be a FAIR but it looks like they are stuck here like, forever, moving from mall to mall.

However, my friend told me that the Thais dare not because Ipoh girls are high maintenance. Eh... that's new to me! He cited Datuk Yeoh as an example. Oiii that's only ONE Ipoh lady lah!

Then our conversation touched on Edison Chen, or as he calls him, EDC, and I said that Edison is not handsome at all lah. And my friend, went, 'See, see, see, so high maintenance."

Like.. DUH! What has a preference on looks got anything to do with me being high maintenance or not??? His impression of Ipoh girls is so screwed. Don’t you think so?

Planning A Home-based Business

My friend, Doris, was asking me if she should set up a home based business. She intents to sell costume jewelry online by selling up an ecommerce store. Although I do not have much experience in home business, particularly in marketing and selling costume jewelry, she consulted me because she wanted ideas on how to bring traffic to her online store. As you know, no matter what you are selling, if you do not have traffic, then there's little hope of selling ANYTHING.

Well, bringing traffic to an online store is way more difficult than bringing traffic to our blogs because an ecommerce store is a commercial entity and every thing that you do with it, especially advertising it, will cost money.

According to a friend who works in a marketing company, before starting a business, we need to have a business plan. Coming up with a product to sell is only one aspect of starting a business. The business plan must include short term, mid term and long term plans. Then only can we put our idea into practice and work towards our goal.

So I told Doris that besides wanting to sell costume jewelry, she needs to brand her product, market it and find innovative ways to get her brand name out to the public. Of course, she could hire a marketing company, or a branding company to do the ground work for her while she concentrates on SOURCING and SELLING.

WWW dot Selangor dot GOV dot My

This morning, my father told me that he wants to visit the above said URL... he got it from the newspaper and he said that there's live telecast of proceedings in the State Assembly.

So being me, I typed Selangor dot GOV dot My into my address bar and my browser returned an error. HHmm so this is one of those irritating web addresses that does not know how to redirect to an address WITH WWW.

So I went and looked for the button that says "live telecast" and I could not find it. I told my father that maybe we will have to check the schedule which I did and sure enough there was an on-going session.

Still I COULD NOT find the button to click that would lead me to the live streaming of the on-going State Assembly session. What la.. do they or don't they want us to watch? Can anyone find the "gateway"? If it's there but I don't see it, it means that their website is not user-friendly.

I thought I could be more comfortable searching in their English Language portal. In the English site, I clicked on the large banner that says “live telecast” ONLY to be led to the Bahasa Malaysia portal that I started from.

GGGrrrr waste my time only!

Caravan Holiday

When I was in primary school, my father had a dream of buying a caravan and pack the whole family on a round the world tour. Of course, that failed to happen, unfortunately but I guess, there's the travel bug in all of us and we try to travel as much as possible. The dream of travelling as a family is always there but it's not in the foreseeable future yet.

As you may already know, my cousin, Jasmine, who works in London, told me that owning a caravan is very common in the United Kingdom. In fact, a couple of her colleagues have family caravans that they use during their vacation, driving to a tranquil caravan park and staying put for a certain period of time, socialising and making friends with people who share the same interest.

Photos of Static Caravans that she sent to me reminded me of my father's dream and with such a tight work schedule, I feel the need more than ever to go away on a vacation and what better way to relax than to have family and close friends coming a long.

I was telling Jasmine that I am envious of her to have easy access to caravan parks unlike here where we do not even have a caravan park as far as I know. Perhaps one day, when I visit her, we can all go on a caravan tour of the country. That would be most awesome.

Home Depot First Quarter 2008 Profit Dropped By 66%

Did you read the business news on Home Depot which reports that their first quarter profit has dropped by 66%? My, that's a pretty steep fall. I think many people do not yet realize the effects that an economy downturn could cause the people.

For businesses like Home Depot, where people will only spend excess money on their homes and remodeling projects, they are the ones who will feel the effects on their sales and profits first.

I read somewhere, forgotten where, that this economic downturn will last just a few short months but some people said that this downturn had already started back in November / December 2007 and not in 2008.

While it is hoped that the Economic Stimulus checks that were sent out to 1.3 million qualifying households across America, I wonder how well this money will help the economy at large.

Any sane, responsible person would have used the money on paying off a little bit more on their home mortgage or car loan. Do you think they will start a little home DIY remodeling project? Nah.. I don't think so.

Everyone Can Fly .....

I am sure you have heard of this tag line time and again and truly, flying is so affordable now, there are some of my friends who are flying so regularly it is as if they are taking the bus.

Summer is here soon enough and most of my friends are already making holiday plans. My cousin, who lives and works in London, told me that her girlfriends have plans to fly to the Scilly Islands and have invited her, though she has yet to accept it.

And why would she NOT accept such a great holiday with fun company. I checked the website of Skybus UK and gee.... the airfares are so low and they even include airport charges! I wish I could take time off work and fly to the Isles of Scilly for an amazing, unforgettable summer vacation too!

Library Sale

If you have read one of my posts, you will know that my sister received her Economic Stimulus Check last week for US$600. That's a hefty bonus, I tell you, just for being "POOR" hehe!

Anyway, I read on a blog or somewhere, I have forgotten, someone asking how people who received their Economic Stimulus checks are spending them.

Well, yesterday, my sister told me that there was a library sale in her neighbourhood and the books, all in good condition, were selling at only US$0.50! Of course, there were some that were priced higher, but still only US$2 or so.

Hey... these are the prices that we could also get books here in Malaysia, if you convert the currency but then the condition of those books are not that good and if you're unlucky, you may get a book with missing pages.

Gee.. I wish I have the time to read. I used to scour second hand book stores and bring home BOXES of books each time. I miss the good times!

Lifelock Promo Code: GOOD

Identity theft is a very serious crime in the United States. Although America is a very advanced country, I was told that quite a few people get their identity stolen by just a little slip on their side. Maybe they lost their credit card or driver's license and especially their Social Security number and that's it. And the scary part is that victims would not even know that their identity had been stolen and misused until it is too late.

I am not sure if you have heard of or know of Lifelock but it provides protection against ID theft. I don't know how but they have an advance technology and a guarantee service of up to US$1 million for a subscription fee of US$10 per month only.

But , the GOOD news is that by using this Lifelock promo code GOOD, you will receive FREE one month of service. That means a US$10 savings, just by using GOOD Lifelock promo code when you enroll with Lifelock.

If you are opting for the Annual payment scheme, you will receive an even more attractive price. Check it out for yourself how much you save just by using GOOD!

Totally BLURRRRRRR

This morning was too funny. SO I went to bed at about 3.30am and I set my alarms on my Nokia E61i and iPhone for 5.30am. Yeah, I know, only two bloody hours, why bother, right? But I thought I was not that sleepy and I needed to put in the extra hours this month.

Anyway, come 5.30am, my mobile device rang and I shut it off, half asleep. Soon after, my iPhone rang.... and I thought in my mind that I have already shut off the Nokia, why was the sound still emitting, so irritating?

Well, when the iPhone rings for long time, there would not be a light. It only flashes when it first rings.

So anyway, there I was half asleep and I thought that the noise was coming from my Nokia and I turned it here and there, in bed, looking for the sound! It was only after about five minutes that I realised that the alarm was coming from my iPhone and not my Nokia. You can be sure that after that, I was totally awake already. LOL Geeeee I need more sleep!

Let's Dance!

If you have been reading my blog, you will know that my neighbor is a dance instructor. Well, it is too bad that I never got to learn dancing from him because we don't really like him but there was a time when I was so surprised when I found out that he was the manager of my cousin's break dancing group because as far as we know, he was a ballroom dancing instructor and not a break dance instructor. But he was good as my cousin's group won a break dancing championship while under him.

When I was told of Move Dancewear earlier today, I was reminded the difficulties that my cousin brother faced with outfitting his team with the correct attire.

Well, I guess, as a break dancing team, they can't simply wear any DanceWear shoes and attire. I remember back then in the 1980s, and without the convenience of the internet, they were not able to shop online like how we can now so they had to make do with what they had.

Come to think of it, is there any dance wear for break dancing? After browsing though the website of Move Dancewear, I think that Nike Hip Hop dance pant and Nike Hip Hop tee would be the kind of dance wear most suitable for break dancers. My cousin is in his 40s now and it would be so funny if he could still break dance!

Triko Bears

Last evening, I went to Jusco and I saw these Triko bears all in a row. So cute. So I took a shot of them with my Nokia E61i. You know how since I got an iPhone that I prefer to use the iPhone to shoot photos already. Yea, my Nokia E61i kinda feels neglected.

I'm quite happy with this shot. I think it turned out quite all right despite the incapability of the camera and luckily so since I only took one shot! Well, this Nokia E61i camera is only good enough for web publishing. If you enlarge the image, you will find that the color is rather washed out. SIGH!!!

Celebrity Fashion Trends and Hot Gossips

Some of you may know already that I write two celebrity gossip blogs. Yeah, and I mean TWO! It is one of the toughest topics to write about because these celebrities have so many things happening to them not daily, but hourly that you really have to be on the ball. I do admit that sometimes I am a little behind time due to my work load yet I still will write the not-so-latest post but with my own personal slant.

Just now, I was told of With Fashion so I decided to check it out. Although I have read many gossip and fashion blogs, this is an article that I never read before: Over 65 fight: Harrison Ford vs Sean Connery - who is the sexiest? How funny....because both Harrison Ford and Sean Connery are not from my era so I wonder if there's still someone who finds either one of them sexy!

Oh, and by the way, if you check my gossip blogs, you probably notice that I have not written even an article on Amy Winehouse. I don’t know, I just don’t feel comfortable about it. She looks freakish and what is this I read on withFashion that she has been invited to model at the London Fashion Week? That’s going to give some people nightmares, I tell you!

Anyway, stay tuned for more celebrity gossip news. I know we can never get enough of those!

Family Day

My friend sent me this picture and asked me to spread the word about a Family Day activity organised by the Full Gospel Tabernacle [FGT] with the following details:

Date: June 7th, 2008 [Saturday]
Time: 8.00 am
Venue: Taman Jaya
Organizer: Full Gospel Tabernacle
Aim: A community project to instill good & healthy family values

Well, I was not sure if anyone I know would be interested to participate in a family activity so I thought that I would post it on my blog so that I don't risk spamming my contacts.

Oh, by the way, families could also bring alone nephews and nieces too. And although my friend did not mention, I guess that since this activity is organised by the Full Gospel Tabernacle, this is only open to non-Muslims.

What's Your Most Unique Corporate Gift?

Do you know what I miss most about working for myself instead of working in a company? It's those corporate dinners, gifts and lucky draws! I was reminded of this when my friend showed me a company branded gift that she received in a recent company event.

I think that companies are very innovative now with their client and employee gifts too. Back in the day during my parents' time, corporate souvenirs were usually key chains, letter opener, pens and pen holders. Sometimes there were gifts made from pewter but now, we have so many different client and employee corporate gifts.

I think one of the most popular this past year is the gourmet gift basket. Of course, there are many varieties in gourmet gift baskets. Some are made up of gourmet cookies, gourmet food and even wine.

Can you share with me the most unique client or employee gift that you have received recently? Like I said, I work for myself so I never received an employee gift before but the best client gift that I have received before was a cute miniature tea set which was for display purposes only.

Shop Online For Your Car Radiator

Just now, I was talking to my friend and telling him that the web is so advanced already that you can now buy whatever you want online, at your convenience. My friend is a typical guy who walks into the first shop that he chances upon and pick up whatever he NEEDS and never compare prices even though it is so easy to do it online now.

I was telling him that even if he wants to get a Integra Radiator, he could do it at home online and it will be delivered to his door in a timely manner.

If and when I do own a car, I too would be more than happy to purchase my car parts online, even if it's something like a radiator which I have no knowledge of.

If you check out the website of Radiator.com, you can see that even if you know nothing about radiators, if you are looking for one for your car, there are mechanics on standby who will willingly assist you.

Unique Birthday Gift

I mentioned in an earlier post that July is my good friend's birthday. Well, last evening, I bought a birthday card but I haven't got a gift yet.

What do people buy for a guy who is rich enough to buy whatever he wants? I feel really bad luck to know rich guys because it seems that no matter what you get, it could hardly measure up. And I know two guys who never have to work if they don't want to because of their inheritance.

So, this friend lives in Europe and I could get him a gift online and have the gift shop deliver it directly to him. Better, right??? But then Euro is the bomb...USD also lose to it.

Every year I bang my head coming up with a unique birthday gift. SIGH!

Behind Schedule

I am so behind schedule in my work that if I look at my task list, I really feel dizzy. Sometimes I wonder how I keep up. Even though I only get about 4 - 5 hours of sleep every day and not necessarily in the night, I still cannot finish doing my work as fast as I hope.

Compared to my friends, I feel like a loser. I mean, I have friends who accomplish so many things within the same time period of 24 hours, and they have kids to take care of, husband, job, business, household and in laws.

Me.. I only take care of the monkeys, housework and the bills. I don't even have time to take care of myself and I am feeling breathless already.

Now, don't take it wrongly and think that I am complaining of too much work. I am not afraid of hard work. I am afraid of NO WORK. I am just questioning how some people can work so fast while I feel like I am working at a fast pace already and yet it is not as fast as others.

Hhmm maybe I am too much of a perfectionist and I always try to produce something of quality. Chewah!

The Magazines I Collect

It's kind of funny the magazines I collect. My friend asked my why and how I could keep my things in perfect condition for years and years when I recently passed her some of my old magazines. Well, I guess that once I keep them away, I forget about them.

Anyway, as you know, I cleared out my room because the clutter got too much to bear. Among other things that I found was a stack of foreign magazines that my uncle gave me. He bought these magazines during his travels. He was a visiting professor, you see, and invited to many universities to lecture all over the world.

The magazines in my collection included comic magazines, pop magazines, college magazines, lifestyle magazines, local issues like Denver magazine from Colorado and many other US cities, airline magazines, credit card magazines and even magazines from shopping malls.

I don't even know I kept them but I recently recycled some, especially duplicate copies, and passed some over to my friend. I hope that I will not start to accumulate magazines again!

Father's Day Is Coming AGAIN! Scared!!!!!!!!

Alamak...... It's a month to Father's Day.. I tell you, I hate all these special days because they make me POKAI!

April was my mother's birthday, May was Mother's Day, June is Father's Day, July is my very good friend's birthday and August is my father's birthday. See... from April until August, FIVE consecutive months, I don't get a breather at all and have to fork out more money, on top of the household expenses that I shoulder every month. Gah.. no wonder I am sprouting pimples at my age and my hair is turning grey. Seriously, I can do without all the stress.


And while we're talking about Father's Day, any idea what to get for my father? I don't want any fancy dinner la.. can’t afford the time to waste waiting for the eatery to fill our order.

A gift would be great but what gift? Gourmet gift baskets? He does not drink, he does not smoke so wine, alcohol and cigars are out already. Headache .....

Couple Spa

My friend, Fatty, told me that in couple spas, the couple need to get TOTALLY naked. really meh? I thought that the massage shop will provide disposable underwear or we could wear our own bikini or something. Cannot meh???

Not only that, he was so amused that I did not know that we have to go nude in couple spas. MUST know meh? And he said that I should not argue with him because he did before and I did not do before. Summore he challenged me and said that I have to find out for myself and he will take me.

Yerrrr can anyone tell me, COUPLE SPA MUST GO NAKED OR NOT????

Private businesses like massage parlours cannot be so strict gua... isn't it the choice of the client. If he & she want to go naked then go la, but if they want a little modesty then is that a crime?

It's like private car park, you know? How ever you park is OK wan.. they won't tow your car away LOL

What Happens In Vegas

There's a new movie called What Happens In Vegas which I am dying to watch. As you probably remember, I was invited to Vegas once which I was not able to make it and this year, I am invited to Vegas again for a poetry convention. And unfortunately, it looks like I will not be able to make it once again. With two monkeys around, it would be close to impossible to make such a long trip.

However, I believe that one day, I would be able to make my way there. I am sure you remember me talking about the Las Vegas vacations that my sister took and the money she won at the casinos that covered the cost of her trips. Trips to Las Vegas aren’t all that expensive to start with, especially if you have done your homework properly and know where to get the best of Las Vegas.

1875W Hair Dryer

I was supposed to buy a new hair dryer but I can't seem to find one with 1875W that my sister recommended. The hair dryer that I am currently using belong to my mother which she bought ages ago,

The other day, I asked her when she bought it and she said, "1968." OMG... that's 40 long years ago! And it's still functioning! Although the power has dropped, the motor still works and can you imagine that it was never repaired before? Whoa... National brand really terror!

My mother told me to buy National brand again but 2008 National is not the same as 1968 National lah. I remember when I was a kid, the rice cooker, also National, only rosak after twenty years. The new one, though, rosak so fast. In fact, it wasn't that good even when it was new.

Anyway, I can't find a 1875W hair dryer here. My sister says that she could get Vidal Sassoon hair dryers for less than US$20. Yeerrrr so cheap!

In The Face Of Natural Disasters

If you have read reports or watched the news on China's earthquake, you will realise how gruesome the whole incident is. At times like these, we are reminded that we are all mere mortals in the world clocking time. One second we could be here, and the next, gone from the face of the Earth.

We are again, reminded that we should not place too much emphasis on material possessions yet at the same time, we need to enjoy life to the fullest.

Don't do tomorrow what you can do today because you never know what "tomorrow" holds for you, for us, for the world.

Let us all join hands and say a prayer for the earthquake victims in China, whether they survived or perished, and hope that the rescue workers will have strength and will to continue with their mission of rescue and recover.

Apogee Condo Took My Breath Away

The other day, I was telling my mother that I have three good friends whoa re architects with different levels of experience and I have seen their work before and had been impressed. So I was telling her that should I have the ability to build my own house from scratch, I would have no problems finding a good architect who would, hopefully, not charge me too exorbitantly.

However, now that I have been introduced to the luxurious Apogee Condo Miami Beach in Florida, I am not sure if any of my architect friends could measure up to Apogee Condo.

I have a very critical eye for beauty and if I am not impressed with something, I am sure you will know that I will voice out and Apogee Condo in Miami Beach has certainly taken my breath away. Although I am not able to afford one, it's still great to check them out to give me ideas for my own future home.

Happy Wesak Day!!!!

Yup, I know that it is almost the end of the day for us, and the end of a holiday for most of you but on this personal blog, I like to mark the year's events with a blog post even if I only get to publish it at the last minute.

What sort of greeting do people use on Wesak Day? Is it, "May you be enlightened"? I may be a Buddhist but I don't know too many auspicious sayings or greetings.

Well, today may be a public holiday in the country but I have been working hard since this morning. I woke up at 4.30am, worked till about 6.30am, went to bed for a short nap and woke up just before 8am..... and I have been working since then.

So, yeah, it has been a long and tiring day but I still have not completed my work. And I got to know that I'll be starting a new commission based job in two weeks' time. My time is totally tied up but I love the kind of work I do.

Your Source of Independent Financial Advice

Some of you may know that I work for myself and I did wonder if I should contribute to EPF (Employees' Provident Fund). I read that for a person who is self-employed, we can contribute as little as MYR50 per month. This sum may not be large but it could act like a retirement fund.

I sought the advice of a good friend who is a risk manager with a financial institution and he told me that if he thinks that I would be able to get good returns from keeping my money with the EFP then go ahead. However, he says that he could yield a better profit than the EPF. Well, what he said made me think of what I should do to invest my money. The EFP is a safe bet but it is slow, AND LOW.

Just now I was recommended this website, Source Independent Financial Advisors, which dispenses independent financial advice. The site is pretty comprehensive with financial information which is directed at residents of the United Kingdom but when it comes to personal finances and financial management, the information could be applied to people from all countries as well.

As someone who works for herself, I have to be very prudent in financial matters and disciplined. I need to make it a habit to keep a certain percentage of my monthly earnings as savings and a certain percentage as capital for investment to make the money work for me instead of the other way around. So far, I have only tried investing in stocks which I have luckily found a little success.

I, of course, continue to look for ways to create income sources and channel some money into various investment portfolios. What about you? Are you taking any steps to secure your future financially?

Woman Indicted In MySpace Cyber Bully Suicide Case

OMG, did you read about the woman who has been indicted in a MySpace cyber-bully teen suicide case? I think that girls and boys who are still too young should not go online to social networking sites without proper parental or adult supervision. I tell you, I am registered with almost all social sites although I am not active in these sites but I can't for the life of me think what the big attraction is.

And although American kids develop so fast that they know how to use the computer even before they are ten years old does not mean that they know how to reason or think what is right or wrong. In this MySpace cyber bullying case where this 13 year old girl committed suicide, she did it because she was led to believe that her 16-year old “friend”, a boy whom she met via MySpace, rejected her. Well, this woman led her to believe that.

Even if it was true that a “friend” whom you got to know online, rejected you, do you need to kill yourself? No, right? Even if rejected by REAL life friends also no need to kill yourself ma, right?? So, that’s why I said, 13 years old can use the computer, can connect to the internet but have no logical reasoning… that’s why things like these happen.

I showed my sister a photo of my old classmate, whom she also knows. She asked me where I obtained that photo and I told her FaceBook. My friend uploaded it to her FaceBook album. And my sister exclaimed, “There are lots of criminals there!” Well, I think she had mistaken FaceBook for MySpace LOL but then it’s not a matter of what’ in there or not there, it’s how we use it that matters most. We control whom we want to make friends with and how we interact with people we get to know on the web, same as in real life.

The Health & Beauty Connection

People who know me seem to think that I don't care much about beauty or health. Well, it's not true! I care except that working long hours on the computer, I can't seem to find the time to keep up with the latest trends or products.

I was just introduced to HB Connection, a Health and Beauty search engine. At first glace, it looks like a really simple website but it actually is like an online directory of companies in the health and beauty industry in the United States.

Like I mentioned, it is like a directory but the way you search this database is like a search engine style or filter the database according to keyword, zip code, state or distance. This site is still rather new and the information available is not complete yet but I trust that as time goes by, more and more companies will be included in its database.

A site like this is great for people like me who spend long hours on the internet. No longer do you have to waste time flipping through Yellow Pages!

So Free......

LOL That is what I am today. I've been searching the internet on the latest news of Kira and EDC since last month and this past week I have been busy reading on the web, articles on Mariah Carey engagement ring and the story behind it, Jenna Bush wedding and her beautiful organza Oscar de la Renta wedding gown.

And yea, I should blog about these but my blogs are down at the moment and I have decided to end this "down once a day" server problem by moving servers. I was told that it would be completed in 24-48 hours so meanwhile cannot blog lah, otherwise the latest posts would go missing.

If you are looking for eye candy, go check out Emily's latest blog post. See if you can recognise these girls. They are Ipoh mali!

Anyway, hope my blogs will be completely moved as early as possible so that I can start updating them again. No blog for two days will get withdrawal symptoms loh!

A Home Business Idea

Cindy, a friend I got to know though online trading, told me that a lady has been doing brisk business selling custom rubber stamps online. It is a great idea to sell these because they are lightweight and easy to ship.

I was surprised to know that there is a demand for something like custom rubber stamps and that people paid up to GBP10 for her limited edition custom rubber stamp. That's more than RM60 just for a rubber stamp! And it does not come with the wooden handle either!

This lady is very smart because she designs her own stamps and orders her designs through a rubber stamp maker. Sometimes she even just sells the designs only but she also offers self inking stamp for people who would like to buy their rubber stamps and use them immediately.

I could do this kind of business too, if only I could draw my own designs! Since I am not creative, I will only end up copying the designs of other people and that is not ethical. But then this is certainly a home business worth exploring. After all, there is already a success story that inspires. We just need to put on our thinking caps to see how best we can expand this idea. We already KNOW there is a market.

How Many FaceBook Profiles Do You Have?

The other day, I was chatting with my friend who told me that he wants to set up twenty profiles on FaceBook and I was like, "Whatever for? I asked him where got people with so many FaceBook profiles wan???

He said got wor. He knows of people with more than fifty profiles, all because they want to play games, earn game money or gold and resell them for real cash. Gosh, I have heard of people making money via FaceBook but certainly not like that playing games whole day controlling the bots. I suspect these could be the same people doing it on WoW.....

Anyway, I told this guy that members risk getting their accounts banned with multiple accounts on FaceBook and that the administrators could check their IP address. However, my friend says that sharing the same IP does not proof a thing and that it could be a dormitory or hostel, etc.

Although my friend is not playing for the money, he is rich enough working his real job, I wonder why he wants to create multiple accounts in ALL the games that we play together. Even for forums, he will be creating different accounts and adopting different personalities. *slap forehead*

I Should Get Insured .....

My friend, Trent, told me that he bought insurance for himself. I did not ask specifically if it was life insurance but he said that it covers hospitalization and clinical laboratory service charges. He said that besides the fact that insurance is very important especially for us who are not covered under an employee scheme, we can claim tax relief on our personal insurance up to a certain amount.

The other day a friend of mine fell ill and had to be hospitalized. Luckily she had insurance, which covered her hospital bill. It came to up to quite a lot even though it was just an overnight stay!

This got me worried too. I know I should get insurance for myself and my parents, especially my father, but, boy, my monthly commitments are already so high, I am not sure how much more I could pile up on myself.

"Daddy & I" Lookalike Contest

I just received this leaflet. Ipoh Parade will be holding a "Daddy & I" Look-alike contest in conjunction with Father's Day and it will be held on 22nd June, 2008, which is Father's Day. I am unsure if this is a yearly affair or if Ipoh Parade holds something different yearly, but this is the first time I read about it.

Interested participants will have to get hold of an entry form at the information counter in the concourse area and submit it. I heard that these forms go quickly so if you want to participate, you have to get it as soon as possible.

I wonder, though, if there is really a father and son that lookalike. I mean, it can't be right, due to the age difference, unless the son is an adult la. Anyway, when you dress up two people in the same clothes, they will look like each other AT A GLANCE. What do you think?

Ordering Self-Inking Rubber Stamps Online

The other day, I talked about placing an order for a rubber ink stamp and I decided to order it online because it's more convenient for me. I am still waiting for it, though as it will be shipped from overseas. But I'm fine with the wait time since this is not urgent. Another reason I prefer to purchase my rubber stamp online is that I could create an account with the rubber stamping company and save my design for future use.

While selecting my I was asked if I prefer self inking stamps, which I did. It is cleaner to use, don't you think so? Since that batch of old rubber stamps that I discarded, which I also mentioned here on my blog, I am only going to get self-inking stamps moving forward.

Anyway, there are so many different kinds of ink stamps that I luckily could thwart the temptation of ordering more than I need. However, if I like the service and the quality of the rubber stamp, I may buy more. Well, there's the address stamp, the name stamp, date stamp or even a bank account number stamp [my friend has this!]. There are so many uses of the rubber stamp, actually, but my main concern will be the price and quality.

Mom On Parade 2008

Did you see the papers on Mom On Parade 2008, a beauty contest that is held in Ipoh Parade yearly? Hhmm the grandmother, at 60 years old, is really an inspiration. She bagged the third prize.

If not mistaken, there was one year where the oldest contestant won the top prize. I think it was two years ago already. I wonder what sort of talents these participants are judged on.

Living in Ipoh, I have to admit that I have never been to one event before at all. it does not help that they usually hold this in the afternoon. Arghh I hate going out in the afternoons. It's so hot!

And you know la, we don't have anything exciting going on so when there's something like this, boy, sure traffic jam wan. LOL The heat, on top of not being able to find a place to park will certainly drive me crazy!

Fine Jewelry Timepieces and Watches On ViaLuxe

My friend, Warren, is a lover of the finer things in life. If you remember, he told me that I should get him a Vacheron-Constantin watch for his birthday, which I stupidly agreed without finding out the selling price first. Well, that was about 1.5 years ago already and I still could not afford it. Hehe

This morning, when I was introduced to ViaLuxe, the first person that came to mind was Warren. This site exudes passion for fine watches and jewelry timepieces, class, elegance and luxury; everything that Warren represents. And I also thought of him because it reminded me of the watch I "owe" him.

I checked the site out of curiosity and am surprised that the site is very user-friendly and the links are very accessible. If you are looking for chopard watches, for example, you just need to click on the brand name, and then browse through its collections or styles, or you can even view all, if that is what you fancy.

Now, I have visited quite a number of luxury watch websites, thanks to Warren, but what makes ViaLuxe stand out from the rest, in my opinion, is the use of golden text and I am not only saying so because gold is my favorite color!

Anyway, if you are doing a research on which luxury watch to buy, Vialuxe is a great place to seek knowledge on the many different timepiece makers and their luxurious collections of watches for gents and ladies.

Gawd, I'm So Tired

That's because I have been up since 4.30am and that is like so freaking EARLY! And I have been working ever since then. I've clocked 6 - 7 hours of work already and I still have so much to do.

My friends ask me why I get up so early wan? Why I need three alarm clocks and two mobile devices? Actually, I can't really sleep. Don't know why. Maybe it is just that I prefer to get short snatches of sleep now and then instead of a long stretch of sleep like 7 - 8 hours, talking of which... it has been years since I had the luxury of seven hours of sleep in a stretch.

On top of that, I get quite a bit of nightmares which disrupts my sleep and sometimes I just feel like there's some spiritual element nearby, sometimes disturbing me while I sleep and I get up after that and don't get back to sleep anymore. HHmm that's bad. Maybe I'm spiritually weak.

What To Look For In A Car DVD Player

The other day, my cousin travelled to Semenyih for a scholarship interview. He told me that his father drove him and he was so bored sitting in the car. He said that he should have equipped the car with a car DVD player. Well, I thought that it would be pretty distracting for the driver but according to my cousin there are many types of car DVD players. He tells me that the best is a portable DVD player since it is not fixed to the car.

I checked the different types of car DVD players and my personal favorite is the Ceiling Mount DVD Player because it is perfect for backseat viewing. I don't drive anyway, so it would be great for me to enjoy a short movie as I travel. That's the ultimate relaxation, if you ask me! Unfortunately, these are higher end models and a luxury which I could ill afford!

Anyway, I am so new in car DVD players that I have a lot more research to do on what to look for in a car DVD player. There are many factors to consider when you choose a car DVD player to buy, you know!

It's The Microphone!

The other day, I was trying to set up my microphone to use with Skype on my laptop and after a few days meddling with it and the other party still could not hear me, and my Sound Recorder could not pick up my voice either, I thought, I can't be this dumb, right? After all, I set up the microphone with Skype, MSN and Yahoo! Messenger on the computer, though that one runs on Windows XP.

So, after more frustrations and fiddling, I decided to switch my headset from the computer over to the laptop... and guess what? My settings work perfectly and the culprit was the microphone itself! Arghhh wasted so much of my time, you know?

The strange thing was that this headset was new but I bought it almost a year or so ago during a PC Fair last year and I tested the earphones when I came home but did not test the microphone. I kept it in my drawer after that because the existing one that I thought was rosak was still working. The jack came off halfway, somehow. No wonder no sound la, that's why I thought that it was rosak. Heh

I think I really am dumb to always not check the simplest solutions first!

Which Wine Refrigerator To Buy?

My friend, Philip, who has a wine bar at home which he inherited from his father, told me that he needs to renovate the bar. It was built by his father in the 1960s and is of an old design that should be left back in 1960s.

Although the bar is still functioning well, Philip says that he needs a modern bar to blend in with the rest of the house. One thing that he really desires to buy is a wine refrigerator. The problem is that there are so many designs for wine refrigerators that he does not know which is more suitable!

Hey, don't ask me for my opinion because I am not the one using it and I don't know which is better than the other. Besides, I don't even drink!

My Rubber Stamp Collection

Some of you may know what I do in real life, I mean besides blogging! In my other job, I do a lot of packing and shipping and lately, I have been thinking that I want to look more professional. I used to hand write envelops then I used address labels. Since I am going to finish my roll of address labels soon, I thought I might as well make an address stamp instead. I am not sure if it's always the case but making a rubber stamp instead of printing address labels is even cheaper in my case.

When I was young, I used to collect all sorts of rubber stamps, mostly of cartoon characters, date stamps, document stamps, rubber stamps with all sorts of signs like a dollar sign, a pointing finger and a “thumbs up”. I wonder why I did not have an address stamp! If I did, I won't have to make one now since I lived here all my life! LOL

Luckily, getting a rubber stamp is so convenient now. You can go to any stationery shop to place your order and not necessarily a shop that specializes in rubber stamps. For lazy people like me, we could get it done online as well. Online shopping is the ultimate convenience, I tell you!

My Three Alarm Clocks

I showed my friend a picture of my room and he asked me why I needed three alarm clocks. HORRR That just shows that he never read my blog :( SIGH, so bad!

I told him that I need them to wake me up in the dead of the night. Not only do I use these three alarms, I also set the alarm of my iPhone and Nokia E61i. My iPhone, which I rarely have the chance to use fully because it is not 3G enabled, is more like a camera and an alarm clock to me.

Anyway, if you would like to see where and how I work, do head over to my photo blog. If you don't know where then never mind lah! :D So far, with three alarm clocks and two mobile devices, I have been able to wake up. If still cannot, then I would need to buy one large alarm clock hehehe!

Yummy Loud Truck Energy Gummi

I am sure there are times when you feel like you need an energy boost and you take an energy drink to perk yourself up. Many of my friends do that but, I never really took to that because I don't like carrying a bottle around.

However, just now, I was told of the new {at least, it is new to me} Loud Truck Energy Gummi that we could bring along anywhere without hassle and get that energy boost wherever we like. I definitely prefer gummi over a drink.

Loud Truck Energy Gummi, you can check out their homepage at http:///www.loudtruckgummi.com comes with natural caffeine and vitamins and the kicker is in the citrus taste. Boy, just talking about it makes me salivate!

What A Sicko!

Did you read the news about an Austrian man, who is now 73 years old, and an engineer too, who caged up his own daughter in the basement of his house and imprisoned her like that for 24 years? And not only that, he raped her repeatedly and fathered seven children with her.

If you think the horror ends there, it does not. Apparently, one of the babies died as an infant and he got rid of the body by burning it in an oven in the basement. Can you even begin to say YUCKS?

I know this news is not new, it is not that old either and I keep forgetting to blog about it, but the horror of this true life story will never leave me. Just reading it sense shivers down my spine. I don't even dare to imagine the horrors that the victims of this utterly evil man have gone through and will continue to go through!

Having An Edge In Job Promotions

My friend, Melissa, who is a flight attendant with a leading airlines in a neighboring country and whom I reestablished friendship after so many years, via Facebook, told me that she has recently received a promotion and in a flight attendant career, a promotion would mean that she gets to fly on more international routes now, which means higher pay and more allowances.

I would not say that she is a luckier over her colleagues but I would say that she has an edge over the other girls because she graduated with flying colors from a leading flight attendant school and that makes her a more desirous candidate when it comes to a job promotion. I can just imagine the other girls wishing they had enrolled in a flight attendant school!

Anyway, I read on a flight attendant blog that if you are really serious in being a flight attendant then that is the school that you would have to attend! I can’t agree more!

Stigma of Being Drug Addicts

I am sure, if you have been reading my blog for a long time, that you know that I live next door to a family who has two drug addicts. These two guys actually were enrolled in a drug rehab program years ago and they have been certified clean but I still hear people calling them "drug addict".

I know that the stigma will forever be there but I think that it's awfully bad mannered to keep calling them like that in front of them too! I feel sorry for the mother. She is already in her 90s – very old, yet still going strong. But then, I won’t go purposely go out of my way and make friends with her because she has two “drug addict” sons.

Facebook Friends

Just now, I received an email notification that some FaceBook member added me as a Friend. I checked his profile and see that he is not someone I know. I don't know about you. With FaceBook, I am rather critical of who I add as a Friend.

While I may add total strangers to my Friendster, MySpace and Hi5 profiles, with Facebook, it is as if I have a different level of standards and expectations.

And when I first registered with Facebook, I did try to keep it within people I really know in real life. it then extended to include people whom I knew through blogging, though never met YET.

But in this recent case, this guy is a total stranger. Geee why would people want to expand their list of friends when they don't even know them?

BloggerWave Is Here To Stay

I was chatting with an associate the other day and he was curious if I do make money from blogging and I told him that I can survive from the income I derived from blogging.

Well, there are many blog advertising marketplaces to to register your blog with and one of them is BloggerWave. If you have been in this long enough, I am sure you would have heard of this European company.

As far as I know, there are only two paid to blog advertising company in Europe and one of them is BloggerWave. Right now, they do not have that many advertisers, as far as I could see. And sometimes I do not qualify because of my geographical location BUT I know that if we help to spread the word around, BloggerWave will be here to stay.

There's No Escaping Home Loans!

I was talking to a friend about buying a house. Well, I am not the one who will be buying; he is. It seems that even if we are able to pay for the house in cash, we can't. We would still need to apply for a home loan and then "slowly" pay up the monthly installments as if we do not have enough money to buy the house. This is to avoid alerting the IRS. Hehe!

When my sister was shopping for home loans, she told me that it is not an easy decision to make, whether to chose one with flexible interest rate or one with fixed interest rate because no matter how you look at it, when it comes to home loans, you, the home buyer, will end up losing money in interests.

Having said this, if you want to own a house [who does not?], you will have to take out a home loan, or maybe two. My sister took out two. The major one lasts thirty long years and that is certainly a very heavy responsibility!

Even so, no matter how difficult it is to meet that monthly commitment for thirty long years, my sister tells me that at the end of the tiring work day, driving up her house and seeing that she OWNS it, the feeling is thoroughly fulfilling. I wonder if I will ever have the discipline to commit myself to a debt that huge!

Was There A Candle Light Vigil For RPK Last Evening?

I was told that supporters of RPK planned a candle light vigil in Dataran Merdeka last evening. Did it go as planned or not? It seems that nobody I know went and I don't even have the time to read online alternative news websites.

HHmm I think that it's very big of him to stand up to justice like this but I can't help feeling sorry for his family. It must not be easy for them to have the head of the family as stubborn as this.

I hope that this will end well for all those who are involved.

Fresh Flowers For Mother's Day?

My friend just sent me an SMS text message suggesting that I buy fresh flowers for my mother on Mother's Day. She read my blog post that I wrote a few hours ago and know how stressed out I am just thinking of the most appropriate gift for my Mother on this special occasion.

While at first I thought that it would be best to give her cash, the question that came up was, "How much?" So we're back to square one again!

Fresh flowers seem like a perfect gift. I could even buy them online because all online florists would deliver flowers to door.

I was also told that some of these online florists would offer international flower deliveries. Of course, we would have to pay for shipping! What is so impressive is that they are able to keep the flowers fresh.

So, fresh flowers will be what I will be giving, unless a better idea comes alone. This gives me a chance to shop online. I certainly like it that they will deliver flowers to my address and I do not have to pick them up from the shop. Online shopping is so convenient!

Oh oh! What a minute. What type of flowers should I get? Roses? Do people give roses to their Mothers?

Invert Mini Package Specials

My friend, Ong, is a good paintball player. His team even won tournaments! Once he was picked to represent the country but he was unable to go. It was funny that he had to pay for his own trip to REPRESENT the country in paintball. It was a pity that he was unable to do so. He's still a student!

I think that the players should be given free air tickets, board and lodging. After all, they are the country's pride, even if it's just paintball, you know?

Just now, I came across the invert mini package specials from Zephyr Paintball. I emailed the link to him so that he could check out the price. He told me that he is looking for budget paintball equipment. Well, maybe with this special package, he does not need to buy used equipment anymore.

How To Set Up My Mic?

OK, I know this is yet another stupid question from me but I really have no idea. Do you know I spent the past TWO days fiddling with the microphone and ear phones trying to get it to work with Skype?

I don't usually use Skype because I hate the lag but I need it now to make international calls and Skype offers a good deal to call landlines at a flat rate. I absolutely need to get it working since I'd be using somebody's credit which means that I get to call out for free.

The strange thing is that I managed to set up Skype on my computer but the audio is soft. On the other hand, I can't get the mic to work on my laptop, which is running on Vista Business and the audio in the test call I made was so damn clear. I'd probably have to waste a few more days fiddling with it. Hope I won't get high blood pressure.

Vincent's Cat In Toronto

My friend, Vincent, read about my pet problems on my blog. He said that in Toronto, where he has migrated to, pet owners willingly spend a good amount of money on pet care, pet food, grooming and veterinary services. He told me that Toronto vets are highly qualified and most of them are able to meet the high standards that pet owners demand.

Vincent goes to a Toronto veterinarian to give his cat regular health check ups and his cat has gotten so used to the vet that he no longer is afraid of the car trips. Vincent's cat is an angel compared to my monkeys! The two of them love car rides but when you turn the corner into the street where the vet is located, they will go berserk IN THE CAR! What a handful!

Vincent told me that unlike his home country, Hong Kong, there are many Toronto veterinary clinics and these clinics place service above commercialism! Really, it is not easy to find that where I live too. I believe you have read about my problems with the vet!

Nokia E61i Warranty Expires 11th May, 2008

At first, I planned to send my Nokia E61i to Nokia Care to upgrade my software before mu warranty expires. I called them up at the end of April to ask when my warranty will expire and was told that it would expire on 11th May, 2008.

I said that I would bring my phone over before then so that I could get free service. But one day led to another, there was the Labour Day holiday, and the weekends, and there were days that I did not have transport or the weather was too bad to go and now it is already 7th May.

This leaves me just 8th and 9th May which are Thursday and Friday because Nokia Care will be closed over the weekend. See, I lost two days of my warranty there. Even with 8th & 9th, I would not be able to make it because I won't have transport.

I guess I will have to format the Nokia E 61i by myself. SIGH! What if I f@rk up?

Good Way To Invest

I was talking to a friend the other day about setting aside some money for investment and I asked him which is a good investment plan. He said I should go with options. Ummm OK, I am not familiar with that!

My friend told me that I could try to trade in options with the option screener tools that are being provided by PowerOptions for free for 14 days.

According to him, there are some people who are so successful in trading options that they could do it at home online. I asked him if he is at that level of expertise but he denied. Maybe he is afraid that I will ask him for a loan or something. Heh!

Happy 2nd Blog Anniversary!!!

Yay... I meant to write this sooner but it keeps slipping from my mind! Anyway, it was just like yesterday when I started this blog on 2nd May, 2006.

And I diligently published a post a day. Imagine, that was like so difficult to do back then but it was only ONE post a day. I forced myself to do it. Now, this blog has almost 2480 posts and I am posting multiple posts a day, on good days. And this is only for one blog :-) One day, I may put my Blogspot blogs on semi-retirement and concentrate on building blogs that are on own domain. We shall see how things go.

So what did I do to celebrate the 2nd year of my blog? Absolutely nothing. HAHAHA! Did you expect me to cut a cake or something? LOL

My Exercise Regime. What Regime?

There are some people who would not put on an ounce of fat no matter how much she eats and there are some people who can't even enjoy a bite more without it landing on her hips. I guess I am the majority of the people who can't eat more than I should without suffering the consequences.

Months ago, I mentioned that I have grown fat and guess what? It is now, to my horror, MAY, and I have done absolutely NOTHING about it.

I know that I should go get some exercise. I know that I should not sleep so much and I know that I should do away with brunch, tea and supper. But my lifestyle continues to be the same even though I realized that my clothes are not going to fit me anymore soon if this continues.

Even so, I am not up to the point of taking pills to reduce my weight. I know some people have no qualms about taking Phentermine or Orovo but me, I prefer to go natural. If my exercise regime fails, I think I will just take the drastic way and SUCK OUT ALL MY FAT!

Mother's Day Photo Frame Contest @ Kinta City

Wow, it has been ages since I went to Kinta City. Since the day I met the clown, I think. And just now went I went there just to get a little breather; I saw these photo frames on display.

It looks like Kinta City held a competition for children to create photo frames in conjunction with Mother's Day.

Not only do they have to make their own photo frames, they have to frame up a family photo, or at least a photo of the child and mother. It is, after all, in conjunction with Mother's Day. I really pity the kids who do not have a mother!

Take a look at this photo which I shot with the iPhone. I really am still amazed with the sharpness of the iPhone camera. It's just 2MP, you know? Although sometimes it is unable to capture photos of outstanding quality, at least it is perfect for web publishing.

Anyway, I love the photo frame of the 1st prize winner. He really deserved to win. If I were in the same competition as him, I would have been made to feel small with my own creation. And I'd probably be a sore loser too!

Using Second Hand Car Engines & Transmissions

I have a friend who owns a car that is not in such a good condition. Well, it's money to maintain a car, you know? I asked him why he does not buy used car parts to upkeep it and he said that he would rather change to a newer car. But he is not earning much and it would not be practical. it may put him into credit card debt or something.

I think that if he knows that there are companies like midwest auto recycling, he would not hesitate in buying used car engines and transmissions. This company really ensures that the car engines and transmissions that they sell are of good working condition and they provide warranty for that, just in case.

Sometimes, I think that it is better to be practical and do what we can instead of waiting for something that is almost out of financial reach. Don't you think so?

Dough People

I went to a shopping mall recently and I saw a man from China displaying his dough people and I could not help but take pictures of his craft. Do you think that they are nice? He actually did dough lookalikes of himself, his girlfriend [or wife] and his other friends. I found that thoroughly amusing. I did not manage to take photos of those and of the real person as they were many people who crowded around his work table, so too bad.

I did, however, take a few shots of Kuan Ti, the God of War, and of Jackie Chan. The other "bust" is his friend, I think.

Cute of not? If I had the time, I would have asked him to do a dough sculpture of me but I am no vain pot and I would not know where to keep my dough mini me. I forgot to find out how much he charges for each dough character he did. But they are so cute!

Can You Spell "Mental Diarrhea"?

God, I have been blogging non stop since 7am this morning. you would not believe it! Sure, I stopped for a little while for breakfast, lunch and dinner and I managed to catch 40 winks today. Oh lucky me. But you get the picture!

Well, this morning I was pretty pissed off with someone who is trying to play mental games with me. The less I talk to him, the better it is for me. I hate people who try to bait me into talking more and more while he himself talk in circles, which always NEVER helps the conversation at all.

I prefer someone who could contribute to the conversation, to contribute to the friendship and to contribute to the relationship. I am not a giver and I am not a taker, I just want equal participation. You know what I mean?

The way I write, you’d think that he is someone special but he’s absolutely not. I demand the same in even normal friendships LOL

I Lost All My Edison Chen Sex Scandal Photos

As you are aware, if you have been reading my this blog since last couple of weeks ago, I lost a lot of data when my hard disk needed a fresh copy of Windows to run and the junior technician installed it without backing up my data.

I told my friend that I don't really know what data I lost UNTIL I want to use my files and then realise that they are no longer in my computer. OOPS! Well, this afternoon, I came across a blog post on Edison Chen and the new sex photos that Kira released starring Jolin Tsai and it just popped in my head that the old Edison Chen photos that my friend passed to me and I saved in the C Drive of my hard disk have been totally wiped out.

I know, it's no big deal. But I also remember that photos of my father, which I took with my iPhone, are totally lost as well. SIGH What to do now? photos of Edison Chen I could always search on the web but those of my father's taken at various places of interest, we can't get those back anymore!

Gosh, Mother's Day Again!

What to do, what to get??? I am stumped again like I always am every year during Mother's Day, Father's Day and my parents' birthdays! I wish that there is ONE single day that we can celebrate all these in a shot so that I don't have to get stressed a few times a year.

I already gave my mother cash last month for her birthday and I know that although she keeps saying that I should keep the money, she wants it too. My mother is quite money-eyed, if I may say so myself. But what to do?

While other mothers take their children’s money and save them up for the children's future, mine is different. Well, how can I compare?

I think this Mother's Day, she will be really, really happy if I give her even more money but I don't know lah... I already paid RM820 for half year road tax. And I need to give her RM2500 for household bills and maintenance at the end of the month.

No wonder I am always broke!

Where Would You Like To Go?

If you have the chance to go on a romantic holiday for two, where would you go? I know some people will say they want to go to Las Vegas, some will say they prefer Hawaii but I think that I no longer want to go to Monaco but to the Riviera Maya!

The Riviera Maya Resort is actually a part of Karisma Hotels and Resorts and that place is absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful!

Do you know that Karisma has many all inclusive holiday packages that we could just buy and fly? We won't even need to arrange anything at all except to have ourselves there! The thing now is, who do I go with? And of course, who would pay for it? LOL

I Can Be A Food Blogger Too!

An associate asked me, I have so many blogs, do I have a food blog? He is a chef and runs a very successful food blog too. I told him that I have many blogs but I do not have a food blog. I thought of starting a food blog but I don't eat out that much, at least not to fancy restaurants ad eateries.

Green tea

I also don't cook as much as I like to because I don't have the time but I do own a great stack of recipes books and recipe cards that I would like to share, and at the same time, keep for my own future reference.

Spaghetti

But, I CAN be a food blogger as well, See, I took these photos not too long ago at the Black Canyon in Kinta City. They are not clear because we were at a dim corner and these were all taken with the Apple iPhone. That's why these dishes do not look that appealing. Hah... but I can blog about food too, I SWEAR!

Sandwiches

When It Rains

It absolutely pours! The past couple of days have been absolutely crazy! I thought that May would be so slow that I could cry. I could even feel cobwebs growing between my fingers, could you believe it? I was so bored that I started a new blog hehehe blig blog blig blog blig blogging, I like it! Can you hear it? I wonder if I can devote so much time to it. Don't care la, blog first, do the rest later.

So, I have been so busy, I wonder when I will have the time to shit. But I like being busy. I relish the adrenaline rush and I love to push myself to the maximum.

HHmm there's this opportunity available that I hope to clinch and then I would have more things to do! Yay.. it keeps my mind and my time fully occupied. That's why I told my friend, I am so busy that I don't have time to be horny LOL

Checking Out New Sunscreen

I can't help myself from mention that I have ALMOST finished clearing out my room. I told my mom that I wanted to weigh my rubbish to see how much I have accumulated over the past year. Did you know what I dug out from my dresser the other day? Two bottles of sunscreen that I bought yonks ago and never used. Bah... I didn't like how it felt on my skin. It was sticky, greasy when I went out in the sun and smelt funny too. After taking it off, I felt an invisible "film" on my skin. And there went my money.

After that, I never bought another bottle of sunscreen at all and as you know, the sun here could be so strong and it really is bad for my skin when I go and do some yard work.

Now, I read that there's a new sunscreen by Screen, Inc. that does what sunscreen does effectively without the above effects that I mentioned. This range of sunscreen products have even received the thumbs up from the Skin Cancer Foundation.

I think it’s time to check out new sun screen!