Colorful Manfred Mantis Playsets

Many of my friends, today's modern parents, indulge their children too much in electronic games. The way I see them raise their kids, I know that I want something different from them for my own children when I have them. I remember the days of playing outdoors without fear since crime rate was way lower.

Today, I was introduced to manfred mantis playsets which are perfect for parents. The Manfred Mantis playset is different from other play set structures because they could be installed easy and fixed to any shape and size to suit your backyard and your child's age.

If you look at this photo, you can see how colorful the play set it and would engage your child's interest and enjoyment for long hours. No longer would your child be "trapped" in the house, playing too much computers or watching too much television!

I can bet that with a Manfred Mantis playset in your backyard, your child will suddenly be the most popular kid in the neighborhood too!

How Many Pairs Of Shoes Do You Have?

If you have been following my blog, you will know that I have been trying to find a good pair of boots. I don't own too many pairs of shoes but I am very particular about the comfort level of my shoes. Also, it is not easy to find shoes that are not boring! I lamented to my friend that I am in need of new shoes but I am not prepared to pay for something that I do not like.

My friend told me to check out the website of Bowlfish shoes and I have to admit that I never heard of them before. However, I am really impressed with their range of Bowlfish women’s shoes, particularly their boots. Look how colorful, fresh and vibrant they are! How come there aren’t such boots in Ipoh??

My father has also been looking for a good pair of working shoes and nearly ended up buying a pair that’s made in China last evening, just as an interim but afterwards, I am going to show him Blowfish men's shoes and maybe we could get a pair each!

Travel To 7 Continents

I received a tag from Molly Toh which is actually a linking scheme, but nevermind, it has been ages since I did a tag or meme. I will not be tagging anyone, though. However, if you would like to participate, just copy from BEGIN COPY to END COPY.

~Begin Copy~

Rules: 1. Start Copy from "Begin Copy" until "End Copy".2. Put your blog's name and url write in which continent you live, add the country you live in. Example : My Imaginary Travels (Netherlands)3. Leave your url post in here and I'll add you to the Master List.4. Please help spread this tag by tagging your friends as much as you can.5. Don't play unfair! If you have more than 1 blog, you can participate all your blogs for this tag. BUT you will have to post this tag to all your blogs as well. So, please. Don't cheat!6. Please come back again to copy the update of the master list, often. This process will help new participants to get the same gains as the first participants.7. Don't forget to use the banner at your post, you can save as or you can just copy the code in here.

Master List:

A. Asia : 1. Moms... Check Nyo (Philippines) 2. Aeirin's Collections (Philippines) 3. Jenny and Belle(Philippines) 4. Hailey's Beats and Bits (Philippines) 5. Appleofmyeyes(Saudi Arabia) 6. Deranged Insanity (Philippines) 7. PROJECT HEAVY TRAFFIC (Singapore) 8. Rooms of My Heart (Indonesia) 9. Blessings and Beyond (Philippines) 10. lancerlord (Singapore) 11. allinkorea (Korea) 12. kimchiland (Korea) 13. korean food (Korea) 14. idealpinkrose (Korea) 15. Pinay Mommy Online (Philippines) 16. Momhood Moments (Philippines) 17. Business Mars (Philippines) 18. Maiylah’s Snippets (Philippines) 19. Picture Clusters (Philippines) 20. My Wanderings (Philippines) 21. Hit-or-Miss (Philippines) 22. Life Quest (Philippines) 23. FunFierceFabulous (Phils) 24. and Life Goes On for... (Philippines) 25. Moments of Colours (Philippines) 26. Making sense… (somehow) (Philippines) 27. Day To Day (Philippines) 28. My Happy Place 29. Me and Mine (Japan) 30. Little Peanut (Japan) 31. Creative In Me (Japan) 32. Pea in a Pod (Japan) 33. A Slice of Life (Phils) 34. Jenny Said So (Phils) 35. Live it Up... (Philippines) 36. A Sweet Taste Of Life (Philippines) 37. Through The Rain (Philippines) 38. Sugarmagnolias (Japan) 39. ParentZine育兒好好玩 (Singapore) 40. We are Family (PH) 41. Reference Notes (Hong Kong) 42. The Sweet Life 43. A Great Pleasure (Malaysia) 44. Lalaine's World (Thailand) 45. Proud Mommy (Philippines) 46. The Real Deal (Malaysia) 47. Petty Ramblings of a Petty Queen (Malaysia) 48. Home Sweet Home (Malaysia) 49. An Anonymous Journal (Malaysia) 50. Miss Body Beautiful (Philippines) 51. My Daily Thoughts and Moods (Philippines) 52. Your turn!

B. Australia : 1. Reflexes (Australia) 2. Emcee 3. Outback-Pinay 4. Collect and Connect (Australia) 5. your turn

C. Afrika : 1. your turn

D. North Amerika : 1. Simple Life, Simply Me (USA) 2. Pinaymama's Diary (USA) 3. 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires (United States) 4.Traipsey Turvey (USA) 5. Dabawenyako (USA) 6. Icelog (USA) 6. The Misadventures of an Ordinary Housewife (USA) 7. It Is Nap Time (US) 8.A Mother's Journal (USA) 9. Journey And Journal [USA] 10. Life is good and beautiful (USA) 11. Tasteful Voyage (USA) 12. Jenny's Wandering Thoughts (USA) 13. Mom Knows Everything (Canada) 14. Filipino love stories (USA) 15. A Mom's Note (USA) 16. Life with the Two Crazy Dogs 17. BLOGSILOG (USA) 18. Juliana’s World ( New York, USA) 19. My Daily Discourse (USA) 20. My Point Of View 21. My Blog Entry (USA) 22. your turn

E. South Amerika : 1. your turn

F. Europe : 1. My Imaginary Travels (Netherlands) 2. Juliana's Site (Netherlands) 3. Picturing of Life (Netherlands) 4. SuperMae (Portugal) 5. The Callalily Space (The Netherlands) 6. Portia (UK) 7. Daily Grind (Germany) 8. Amel's Realm (Finland) 9. your turn

G. Antarctica : 1. your turn

~ End Copy ~

Stem Cell Protection For The Entire Family

When I first learnt of stem cells harvested from menstrual blood that is a C'elle Stem Cell Research Innovation, I have to admit that I felt that it was a little too repulsive. Yes, even though I am a woman myself. I cannot imagine someone collecting menstrual blood and handing it over to harvest stem cells!

However, after having read through C'elle Client Testimonial and the multiple usage of stem cells that are harvested from menstrual blood and the fact that these stem cells could be transformed into so many different types of stem cells and would possible be a good match to first degree relatives, besides the donor herself, course, I am beginning to think that this is an excellent possible solution to our future health.

To obtain more information on menstrual stem cells, it is best to read more about it from the website of C’elle. You would be amazed that a technology like this is not only good for the woman but a protection for the whole family.

What Is Wrong With My Internet Connection?

I am getting fed up, you know? Something's f@rked up with my internet connection that there are many websites that I cannot access!

I understand from a friend that if something like this happens where I could open some web pages and not some other web pages, it is because of Streamyx problem and not because of the webserver problem.

Aiyah...how lah? I tried going to these sites from my mobile device connecting via Celcom 3G but it's slow like hell.

If you tell me that my problem could be because of the lightning strike, fine, and I do notice that my connection is crappy after being hit and the signal keeps dropping but why Celcom also so slow wan??? And why am I paying so much for service like this? Makes me feel like banging my head on the wall lah!

Sharing A Love For Harleys

The other day, I wrote about my friend, Barry and his love for Harley Davidson motorcycles. He told me that Harley lovers come from all walks of life and I thought he was joking.

This morning, I got to know of this guy named Joseph Baniak, who also shares Barry's love and passion for Harley bikes and he has a more colorful background!

Joseph Baniak was with the US Air Force, a military man, just like my father. Joseph, however, achieved the rank of Major, while my dad left when he was only second lieutenant :-) After 14 years in service with the US Air Force, he's an expert in military hardware and engines.

However, what is even more surprising that Joseph is not all about arms and military weapons, but also holds and MBA and is a professional manager. Naturally, he's a "natural born leader".

And guess what? Joseph Baniak is also a blogger! He blogs on project management, naturally, and I would not be surprised if he has a secret blog on Middle East culture, his passion, or on military hardware and engines!

Really, Barry is right. Harley lovers do come from all walks of life!

Overnight Egg Yolk

One night, my friend sent me a text message saying that he bought an egg burger. The next morning, he said that he forgot to eat it and egg burger came in handy as breakfast.

I shot him a reply asking him if he dared eat overnight egg yolk! The Chinese believe that men should not eat overnight egg yolk because it will cause their balls to balloon. LOL I do not know how true this is. Maybe this is just an old wives' tale, maybe it is not but no guy would dare to challenge it. As they say, no smoke without fire.

My friend said that the egg has been scrambled and there's no way he could separate the egg yolk from the egg white. He walloped the burger WITH the scrambled egg. Haha! I wonder if he will see any effects after eating that overnight egg yolk.

Does anyone know if there is any truth in this?

Investing In Gold Through Licensed Companies

Did you read the case about the legal charges faced by two company directors who sold "gold" illegally? I am not surprised that there were so many people who bought from them. I think the problem was that these people were promised a higher return than what is given by legitimate investment or commodity companies.

I have always mentioned that if we would like to invest in gold, seeing how stable gold price is, we should always go though licensed companies only.

See, the investors in this company in Ipoh, not only will they not get any high returns, they may not even be able to get back their capital! It's a huge loss for them so let's hope that they will learn their lesson. As for the two company directors with a few hundred charges, I think that they would still be able to retain some of their wealth. Let’s see how this case goes.

Same Shoppers Day In, Day Out

I wonder how shopping complexes could survive here in Ipoh. I go out to the mall almost every night and I tell you, I see the same people almost every night! Seriously!

If I went to Kinta City last night and I go to Ipoh Parade tonight, there is a good chance that I will bump into a few people who were in Kinta City last night as well.

And the funny thing is, one or two of these people would be wearing the same clothes as well! Haha! I'm not joking! So tell me, with only so many of us here in Ipoh and so many places vying our business, it must be pretty tough, especially when our earning power is so low and most of us do not have dispensable income to spare.

Besides, a lot of us go out to window shop only lah. Yes, fuel is expensive now but Ipoh is a small city and shopping complexes are all just a short distance away.

Serious Breach Of Security

This was related to me by a friend who went to Phuket for a holiday recently. Upon checking out, he noticed that his car was scratched on the side. It was parked in the hotel car park but the security guards denied knowing anything about it.

My friend then asked to view the CCTV footage to see if it was a person who scratched his car intentionally, or if it was the car that parked beside his that scratched it while reversing.

To my friend's horror, the latest CCTV footage was one capture a WEEK ago! How could this happen in a premier resort hotel? Imagine what would happen if a case like Canny Ong happened. This time, it is "only" scratch mark, but if people with bad intentions know that there is such a security lag, they would surely take advantage of it, right?

My friend wrote in to the General Manager, a gwailow, so let’s see if he replies, and what he will do about the lack.

Enhance My Self-Esteem With Tertiary Education

My uncle, who is a premier educationist in the country, does not understand how I could be so busy that I do not have time to go back to school. I think it pains him to know that there's someone in the family with "only" a high school degree.

Well, I promised myself that I would upgrade my education level but it is not easy juggling so many things all at once. I am afraid that I would not be able to manage and either am not able to study well, or not able to work well.

I know that I could get an online university degree from an accredited online university but I have yet to commit myself because I don't even know what I want to study. I know, though, that I most probably will not be making use of the certificate to look for a job as I run my own business. But paper qualification will surely enhance my self-esteem!

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Closing In On The Gap

I am still down by about RM500. It's not good but a vast improvement from being down by RM1500 about a week ago. I still have a few more days to reduce this deficit but not by much and certainly no hope of going positive. I'm not being pessimistic, just realistic.

Last month, I remember that I was negative RM300 or so. It was because someone close asked for a loan which I absolutely could not refuse. So what could I do? Dig my piggy bank again lorrrr.

Next month, I really need to buck up. However, even before the start of a new month, I know that I most probably have to fork out RM160 to buy a new wifi-router. I sent mine in to claim warranty, just to try my luck and see if I could save this RM160 or not. SIGH.

This serves as a wake up call to me. Dino is no longer here but Snoopy still needs my care and care requires money.

Choosing Bathroom Vanities

My sister, who had her home built from the ground about a year or two ago, recently showed me photos of her home including the bathroom and kitchen.

She is extremely proud of her bathroom what with the bathroom vanities that her boyfriend indulge her with. I had to wonder why she spent that much in decorating her bathroom, including the chandelier (!) when she does not spend that much time in there.

However, once I saw her long delayed photos, I could understand why. Seriously, if you ask me to furnish my own bathroom without a budget restraint, I would not even know what to choose!

Just look at these photos that I too from Spacify.com which has a tremendously large range of bathroom vanities! Don’t you think that they are beautiful? I love the clean lines of these designs. I wish that we could get hold of them here easily too. I would surely remodel our two bathrooms!

I've Never Slept So Much In Two Years!

Actually, I haven't slept well at night for the longest time. That's because when Dino was small, he used to have fits in the middle of the night and through the years, I conditioned myself to wake up at the slightest noise.

Now he is no longer here, I don't hear any small noises anymore. In fact, three alarm clocks and two mobile devices could not even wake me up. I think that I am mentally so tired from taking care of him but because I love him, I never felt it. Also, I had to work at ungodly hours which seemed so easy to stay up when he was around.

Without him, the environment is just too quiet and it gets so tough to sit around and work when the whole household is sleeping too!

I hope that I can be back in the groove next month. I have slacked this month because I just don't have the mood to work but then life still goes on and the living keeps living. We still need the dough to survive and I wouldn't get that dough if I do not work. SIGH!

Who Else Is Interested In Modded Autos?

Did you attend the Super GT over last weekend? I tell you, living in Ipoh is not fun when I miss all these excitement! Yes, I love cars. Don't be surprised. Cars are no longer exclusively a male passion!

Well, for people like me who always are left out of the happening auto events in the city, we will have to rely on the internet, reading the latest and greatest on an Auto Blog like Modded Autos.

If you love cars but hate the smell of fuel, this is the place to go to see plenty of photos of exotic super cars!

Also, you can exchange views and socialize with people who share the same interest as you in the discussion board of Modded Autos at http://www.moddedautos.com/forums/. This would be a great place to share photos of your ride as well!

No Perfect Beauty

My friend is an amateur photographer whose current interest is in photographing real people in beauty pageants. I think these photographers need to pay a fee to obtain a media pass to be able to participate in photo taking. I never asked.

However, over the past two years, I think I have viewed more than a thousand photographs of "beauties" and I noticed that there isn’t really a single girl out of his collection of photographs who is a perfect beauty. There MUST be something not right about the girl that I could see and that could not be covered by heavy make up. And yes, they are all heavily made up, even when they are in swimsuit. Does anyone wear make up when they swim? LOL

With faces all painted up, I don't think we can see real beauty, right? Also, according to my friend, its usually someone who is not as beautiful that will win. I don't know if there's any hanky panky or not but even small beauty pageants are "dirty"!

Exciting Charity Fund Raising Ideas

My cousin, who is in high school, asked me to help contribute charity fundraising ideas. He has been asked to raise funds in aid of the devastating earthquake in China and he has no idea how to go about it. Well, honestly, I have no idea on how to best raise funds in an engaging, fun way that everyone would want to participate in. I think that an exciting fund raising campaign would urge more people to contribute willingly to the cause.

I remember reading about a charity fund raising by a major local media using rubber ducks. Well, I don't really remember what that rubber duck race was for already since it was a long time ago but I still remember how exciting everyone was participating in the rubber duck race and what a successful fundraising campaign that was!

I am sure my cousin would have other school fundraising ideas as well but if I was the one to decide, I would surely go for the rubber duck race! It may not be original but it sure will be a memorable event for every student involved!

If you were asked to organize a fund raising event, how would you go about it?

Which Luxury Watch?

My friend, Soo, the one who could financially sustain himself for three years without working, really knows how to live it up. Over the weekend, he sent me a text message informing me that he bought a luxury watch and asked me to guess what brand it was. OK, he must think that I have brand names of luxury watch makers floating in my head all the time.

Well, I had to depend on the internet to play his game. I went to ViaLuxe, a website of luxury timepieces and fine branded jewelry to view the luxury watches. Hmm turned out that Soo bought a bvlgari watch. I didn't bother asking him how much he spent since I could easily check and compare the price range of these luxury watches on ViaLuxe. I could get in-depth information and specification of each watch model as well!

I think that whoever is planning to purchase a luxury watch or fine jewelry should check out the latest news and trends on ViaLuxe first before swiping the credit card. You really don’t want to spend a mini fortune on something only to discover later that there’s something else more to your taste. How many of us could be like Soo buying with eyes closed?

There's a blog on ViaLuxe as well where you can read more on timepieces and fine jewelry pieces that adorn Hollywood celebrities. This is fast becoming one of my favorite gossip blogs!

The Case Of Jean & John Who Went To Korea

Did you read the Singapore case about Jean and John [fake names, of course] going to Korea and Jean claims that John molested her while she was asleep while John took her invitation to Korea and the fact that they were sharing a bed and a hotel room as an invitation to "advance"?

This is a pretty complex situation as John had invested time, energy, attention, emotions and money on Jean for a few years. Jean said that she has no feelings for him at all. Yet I wonder why she invited him to Korea and even shared a bed with him.

Any girl would know that it would be inviting trouble, let alone being in a bedroom with someone whom you know have feelings for you that you are unwilling or unable to reciprocate.

Well, I personally feel that if all of that did happen, she's lucky she didn't end up being raped and that John took her rejection well. It amazes me that there are still people who think that they can have the cake and eat it all the time. Well, they are Singaporeans where everyone is afraid to be last so what could we expect, right?

Spiky!

I took photos of these cactus plants with my iPhone at various times of the week in different shopping complexes here in Ipoh. I was lazy to get the photos out since my wi-fi router went dead being struck by lightning so I had to wait for my battery dry only connect my iPhone to the computer and then grab these photos. LOL. That's called streamlining my work!

I don’t know why I am seeing so many cactus plants lately. Also it seems that some shopping complexes are selling gardening and planting tools. It could be because it's Summer in the West and everyone has to do gardening or they will be billed? I am not sure if I told you about that before.

Anyway, I don't see a point of local stores selling gardening tools right now. It may be Summer in the west but the weather is so hot here that one would most certainly get heat stroke if they work their garden!

So You Want To Work In A Spa?

I mentioned that my sister works in retail in the United States. Her business place is in a high-end mall where you can find lots of stores to pamper yourself. Many celebrities shop there as well.

There's a spa in the mall and according to my sister, those who man the spa have professional certificates. And it is not easy to come by spa jobs there too because they only want the best. Well, I guess when you have fussy customers who are willing to pay for a good spa experience, then they have to pick only the best people to man the spa.

Anyway, for those of you who are looking for spa jobs or other jobs in the beauty industry, check out BeautyJobs.com. This is an online beauty job board connecting employers and employees on the web.

Money Flowing OUT

Even before I had the chance to break even for the month, well, if you have read my other blog, you will know that my home got struck by lightning. The telephone line went dead, the two network cards of my two computers went dead and my wi-fi router was dead too which means to say that I have to spend money replacing my network cards. These are cheap at RM25 each only but I have to replace both and that means RM50 gone just like that.

As for the wi-fi router, I sent it in to claim warranty but I am not sure if I could get it since it was killed by lightning, which may not be covered by warranty. Whatever, if they do not replace it then I would have to buy it and that will be another RM160 gone.

Lucky thing was that I did not need to pay for my phone line to be replaced!

My Cousin's Daughter Washed Her Mobile Phone

A few months ago, my cousin's daughter, Wei Wei, was screaming for a mobile phone. She's only 12 this year and at the stage where what her friends have, she also must have.

If you remember, she lives with her grandparents and two uncles, who are single. Since she lost her mother a few years ago, everyone indulges on her big time.

Anyway, I told them not to buy her such an expensive phone because she would not know how to take care of it and even if she has all the phone features in the world, she would not know how to make full use of the features.

So they settled on a RM500 phone for her. Heh... that's not the end of the story. They had to top up her prepaid credit often as well because she does not know how to control her outgoing calls and SMS messages!

The other day, she went to a relative's house for holiday and put her clothes out to be laundered, forgetting that she has her phone in the pocket. Well, the maid did not check the pockets before putting the clothes into the machine so that's the end of the story of the few months old phone.

Now that the mobile phone could not be repaired, she wants to buy a new one and not no, a basic mobile phone will not do. She wants one as good as, or even better, and more expensive, than her first mobile phone. SIGH!!! Kids these days ......

Cheaper Wedding Favors Online

My friend, Brenda, who will be getting married later this year, asked me to accompany her to shop for wedding favors. I declined and told her that it would be better to shop online.

You know how brides are. They take forever to decide on something even if it's just a simple thing like wedding favors! So no way am I going to tag along and waste time when I could better use it to work and make some money.

Brenda would thank me once she knows how convenient it is to search for and purchase cheap wedding favors online. There will more choices for her to pick and choose as well!

Also, she could get her wedding favors personalized at no additional cost. I love free added valuable services like these!

Remembering Old School Holidays

Team sports are a huge part of life for most American kids that if you are not accepted into a team, you will be looked upon as a loser. I actually pity the kids of my friends who are schooling in America who have to put up with such pressure so that they "belong".

However, if you take away the competitiveness of team sports, playing as a team is more fun that playing single or doubles, of course. That's because every team member would be sharing the same goal and the same passion.

If you ask me what is my favorite team sport, if would have to be volleyball. I used to play beach volleyball and lost BADLY because I am just now tall or athletic enough. Still, my friends let me join their game, perhaps they wanted to trash me.

Other than that, we used to play Ultimate Frisbee. It is just THE game to play on the beach. Oh, how I miss the school holidays back then! Now, nobody can seem to find the time to go away on a holiday as a group anymore!

How My Sister Lost Two Customers In One Shot

You probably have read that my sister works at a posh retail store in the United States. Most of her clients are rich people. Even celebrities shop at her store.

The other day, something terrible happened that she lost two customers at once! You would not believe it but a man who shops at her store, was killed and his body was found in a closet in his house. The wife is now a prime suspect and has been detained for questioning by the police. The wife is also my sister's customer and so, now my sister lost two customers in one "shot". Sorry for the pun!

About three weeks ago, this woman was just released from drug rehabilitation and she visited the store. The receptionist asked her how she was and she said she was not doing well and that she is in the middle of a divorce.

A few days ago, the man went to the store to pick up some stuff and there was no inkling that a few days later, he would be killed in such a gruesome manner too!

And to think that last Christmas, this man bought his wife a US$2K ring from the store! The thing that puzzles most people is how this woman could kill a man when she is only 87 pounds. Hhmm she must have shot him from behind or while he was asleep but then how could she move him body into a closet? Pity their three children to have to go through this. The youngest is only two years old. Well, life sucks.

Securing Returns For Your Investments

The other day, I read a blogger saying that there are three things to do online that would totally waste your time. One is doing online surveys, another is playing online lotto and the third is to play casino online.

Well, I beg to differ. I have not won anything [yet] in online lotto games so I will agree with him. However, I have personally earned from online surveys and I have friends who won, rather handsomely, in online gambling, particularly online slots.

My opinion is that there are risks no matter what we venture into and it is up to us to do the necessary research whether online or from friends. The same goes for online surveys or online gaming.

Gambling Forum is a comprehensive website with the latest news on online gaming, plus in depth reviews of most major online casino sites. I know that when one is looking for a reputable and reliable online casino to invest time and money in, the most important things that they want to know is the bonuses and payout rate. Well, you get to read all about these on Gambling Forum plus professional opinion on why one casino is better than another.

Like I said, the key to making your investments worthwhile is to read as much as possible and Gambling Forum has provided you as much information as possible, all in one convenient portal. They did mention that online gaming is illegal in some countries you need to be careful of that!

The Oprah Winfrey Cameltoe Experiment

A long time ago, my friend told me to write a post on Oprah Winfrey Cameltoe. Well, it does not need to be "I have seen Oprah Winfrey cameltoe" or "photos of Oprah Winfrey camel toe", but just a post that mention these few keywords.

According to her, she mentioned about Oprah Winfrey in a post and the word "cameltoe" in a separate post, but somehow, the search engine placed her blog high on the search engine when people are searching for "Oprah Winfrey cameltoe" and she gets plenty of traffic daily just from all these people, I am assuming GUYS, looking for Oprah Winfrey cameltoe.

Well, I wrote just such a post as a experiment but I don't get any such traffic! Well, not to say totally zero but only about ONE miserable unique visitor in months. Maybe now people don't want to see Oprah Winfrey's camel toe anymore?? In conclusion, this experiment has failed!

If you are a blogger, what keywords do you see people coming to your blog, even though you did not specifically mention the words in a single post?

Around The World For Free

The other day, I wrote about how I would like tot ravel around the world and I asked if I could do that with limited budget. My friend told me that it is possible to do it for free, and even get paid to do it, if only I were a flight attendant. Ugh!!! Does he need to remind me of that?

Seriously, I wished that after leaving school, I had known of a flight attendant school that does not charge an exorbitant fee. I would have enrolled in a heartbeat and how my career, my life would have changed with a successful flight attendant career instead.

This opportunity came too late for me already but now when my young nieces tell me that they wish to be flight attendants, I let them know about The International Air and Hospitality Academy which has a website at http://aha.edu/

Reading the flight attendant blog, I could only imagine what fun I would have if I were a flight attendant! If you are planning a career in the airlines, check out The International Air and Hospitality Academy now.

How Long Can You Sustain Financially Without Working?

Before the recent fuel price hike on 6th June, 2008, my friend told me that he could stop working and still sustain his current lifestyle for three years. Of course, he did not take into account inflation or the income derived from his future investments within these three years. What he did calculate are his savings and current revenue from whatever investments that he is holding.

Of course, this question is not applicable to people who are not earning a paycheck like homemakers but for people who have dependants to support, or those who support themselves fully, without financial assistance from parents or husband.

This friend is an exceptional case because he is the son of a factory owner here in Ipoh and their business dealings are all with foreign companies. While everyone is feeling the financial pinch since the fuel price hike of 40%, this is the only person who is unfazed by it all. I wanted to tease him that prior to the fuel price hike, he could live for three years without changing his lifestyle, now he only could sustain for two years but I can't because he is too solid financially. Bleh....

So have you thought about how long you could sustain your current lifestyle and at the same time supporting your dependants like you are going right now without going into debt, if your monthly pay cheque suddenly stops and you do not seek new employment?

C’elle Stem Cell Services Promotion

If you have been following my blog, you would have read about C'elle and its innovation of harvesting stem cells from menstrual fluid, processing and storing the stem cells.

Please go to the website of C'elle and read all about C'elle and learn of their revolutionary stem cell services and how that could be the answer to so many of the diseases that plaque us to day and in the future.

Also, for people who welcome the extra income, now that the cost of living have gone up by at least 50%, there is an opportunity to become C'elle Distributor and earn some commission by selling the innovative stem cell services of C'elle.

If you would like to become C'elle Distributor or know of anyone who would relish this opportunity, do let them know that they can read about becoming C'elle Distributor from the official website of C'elle.

For people who would like to purchase one of C'elle's stem cell services, C'elle is currently having a promotion if you order online, for US$499 for the first year only. Hurry as this is a limited time offer!

Marital Problems

Not mine! But I have been seeing how some of my friends are facing so much problems in their marriage, some brought on by money, some by other things like infidelity, that I wonder why they even bothered to get married in the first place.

And I cringe each time I hear about one of my friends, or relatives filing for a divorce, I wonder if there is anything known as the sanctity of marriage.

The losers in each broken family are always the children. Some of my cousins are from broken families too and although some handled the situation well, some did not turn out so well, especially those who were younger when a divorce occurred.

At the rate that people are separating and divorcing, you would think that it’s as easy as eating kacang puteh. *shivers*

Cryo-Cell Innovative Stem Cell Solutions

I have read much about stem cells even though I am not having a baby anytime soon but most of my friends are mothers already, or going to be so they share their research with me.

A friend told me that the process and preservation of stem cells used to be very expensive but it is no longer the case as it is becomiong more common with the advancement of stem cell research and therapies.

Today, I was told of this stem cell solutions by C'elle called Cryo-Cell Innovative Stem Cell Solutions, an innovative solution to protect both mother and new born.

This is so important to our future health because it is said that there is a great chance that a baby's stem cell could match that of his siblings and the mother's could match her first degree relatives.

Instead if protecting a woman by processing her menstrual blood or to only harvest stem cells of a newborn, Cryo-Cell's "Protect Baby, Protect Mom" is a package deal.

The good news is with "Protect Baby, Protect Mom" Special Limited-Time Introductory Offer, this has been made more affordable to most of us.

I Bombed My Friend's Wireless Router

When I got myself an iPhone I had to buy a wireless router to tap Streamyx since it does not support 3G. But I was so cheap that I did not want to waste anymore money so my friend said he will loan me his wireless router, which was a D-Link DI 624 XtremeG, which he no longer uses, but he wants it back when I have bought my own. Unfortunately, that day he forgot to pack the adapter and I was thinking, did he or did he not want to loan it to me? I didn't say anything since he came all the way from Kuala Lumpur! LOL

He did advise me to get an adapter for it from second hand electronic shops. Well, I searched all over and could not find one so I ended up buying a compatible adapter instead. Then for my own home, I bought a Belkin wireless router. Hmph! I didn't want to spend money but had no choice since my friend's did not work with the adapter that I bought.

Subsequently I returned the wireless router to him and now he is telling me that it no longer work with his adapter! Oh no! I think I bombed it when I was searching for an adapter for it and all the testing must have short it.

I hope my friend would not ask me to reply it. SOB SOB!

Around The World

I've been yearning to go on a vacation for a long while now. I'm a Sagittarius and we cherish our freedom so dearly. I didn't go anywhere for years because I have Dino to care. As you know, he was epileptic and I would not forgive myself if anything happened to him while I was away. Yes, this may sound irrational to most people but Dino is not “just a pet". Now I still have Snoopy to care for, he is frail because of his age and I am trying to cherish every moment that I could spend with him.

Anyway, I was telling my sister that I need a vacation. And then I thought, since I could never decide where to go, why not go AROUND THE WORLD? I have no one to go with me and off hand, I could only think of ONE person who would be able to up and go. The rest need to work.

I was telling my friend the other night that if I could manage to support my family financially with RM2500 - RM3000 per month, then I surely would go on an extended holiday, like this crazy round the world trip. It would have to be on a shoestring budget, of course. Still, on top of that monthly commitment to my family and my own expenses, I would need at least RM6000 per month, most of this would have to be residual income since I would be travelling and would not be able to work and earn.

My friend told me that he has RM500K in cash and assets yet he still dare not think of doing what I want to do. So is it really impossible to go on a round the world trip without having too much cash on hand?

If only I do not have to support my family, I could live a pretty comfortable life myself. SIGH!!! It sucks!

Faking Death

A friend of mine was telling me that because of the economic downturn, he has been receiving more and more enquiries for insurance!

This guy is an insurance agent and he advertises his services on the web. One day, he even received a call from a foreigner who wanted a life insurance quote and he would even be willing to travel to Malaysia to discuss his policy.

My friend was rather suspicious but then it is company policy not to sell insurance to foreigners in the first place. Anyway, he asked the guy why he could not buy insurance in his own country. Apparently, this guy wanted to fake his own death so that his family could claim his insurance money!

Barry & His Harley

My friend, Barry, is a huge fan of motorbikes. He cultivated this passion when he was studying in the United States and the crazy thing, to me, is that his wife supports his hobby! It is not cheap, you know, especially Harley Davidson accessories, but she told me that it is better than wasting time and money in karaoke lounges!

Barry and his wife once visited me when they participated in an expedition which crossed my city. I had the chance to ride his Harley, as a pillion rider only, of course, but the thrill of being on a huge machine like the Harley is unforgettable.

Barry is an engineer by so he is able to tweak or repair his bike by himself. He said that he does not need a lot of money to fund his passion since he makes it a point of buy only discount Harley parts and then fix them himself

I asked Barry if he could buy Harley parts cheaply here but he told me that he only buys them online from reputable online retailers of Harley Davidson parts and accessories. Sometimes, his friends who travel from the United States will help him to buy HD parts so that he saves on shipping charges.

Too bad I do not have a picture of Barry’s Harley. Remember I said that I lost a lot of photos when my hard disk crashed? The next time Barry comes on his Harley, I must remember to take more photos!

Seriously Outta Budget

This month, I will have to dig my piggy bank which I loathe to do. At this point, I am already down by RM1500. The biggest contributing factors are Snoopy's food and supplements at RM422, Snoopy's medical bill at RM77 and Dino's final medical bill which was RM182. These three came up to RM681 already.

Since Dino left me, I have not been taking work seriously. In fact, since last month, some shit happened at work that made me lost enthusiasm and opportunities. Then Dino left, which was the final blow. I was depressed and when I am depress, I sleep a lot. In my mind, I would be able to sleep away the depression but in reality, it does not change anything. That's why four alarm clocks were not able to wake me up.

Anyway, sleeping away is better than eating away. Some people I know eat when they are depressed or stressed out. That's bad. At least sleep is free.

So yeah, I'm down by RM1500 which I hope to close the gap a little by the end of the month. There's still nine and a half days more to go. Hopefully I can go below RM1000. A three figure deficit will make me feel better than a four figure one!

At the end of the month, I will have to decide if I should reduce the household expenses and allowance for my mother. RM2500 is not easy to shoulder alone!

Highest Paying Keywords

My friend advised me not to blog blindly. She said that I should write on topics that would bring in organic traffic, and that these are the people who would most likely click on the targeted ads that I have implemented on my blog.

She said that since she learned this technique, she has been pulling in $20 - $50 per click or more! Of course she did not tell me what niche topic she writes on because that is her secret so I did my own research.

Apparently, mesothelioma and other long tail variations of this keyword is one of the highest paying keyword! However, I don't know how accurate the list is, or how up-to-date. Also, how would people know the rates that keywords are paying? I thought that rates are supposed to be confidential?

My Friend’s Dog Died

My friend called me up a couple of evenings ago to inform that his dog just died. I felt very bad because I know how it could be but he was fine with it. In fact, he said that he was kind of relieved that it ended because for the past year, the dog had been suffering from a sickness that humans know as lupus. It’s like cancer of the blood and her immune system broke down and sort of attacks her own good cells.

It was quite painful for the dog, though she did not show it, and my friend’s family and my friend had to decide if she would be better off being put to sleep. That is every pet owner’s nightmare. My friend decided not to put her to sleep so the sickness just dragged on.

In a way, I am glad that he called up to talk to me and showed that he is concerned about me coping with the loss of Dino and allowed me the opportunity to compare the death of Dino and his dog. Really, there’s no escape from such things is we want to keep a pet. My friend still has two dogs, but those are his mother’s responsibility, not his. He has also sworn off keeping pets. SIGH!

Play & Learn

I took my cousin's young daughter, Wei Wei, to the bookstore over the weekend as I wanted to pick up some cards for my craft work. Since she goes there every weekend, I thought I would take over the responsibility from my aunt, who is her grandmother.

If you remember, this girl lost her mother a few years ago and since then, has moved in with her grandparents who live near my home.

My aunt told me that she goes to the bookstore every weekend and always asks to buy stuff that are not really useful like glitter pens, fancy paper and cards, cartoon ring binders and things like that.

So while I was there, I picked up a couple of boxes of jigsaw puzzles for her. These are fun to play with yet education. I remember how I enjoyed playing them when I was a kid but my parents were not able to afford extras like these so I only had a few boxes of puzzles that I received as Christmas gifts.

I picked up a box of Math puzzles for Wei Wei because coming from a Chinese school, I know that she would enjoy something puzzles like that, unlike myself who try to stay as far away from Math as possible!

Hopefully, these puzzle games will help cultivate her love for education games and toys where she could play and learn at the same time.

Maybe I Should Have Used Kava Kava

Those of you who have been following my blog since a year ago, would have remembered that my Dino had fits that were mostly brought on by anxiety. It was not anxiety for a day or two but an accumulation of days of anxiety that continued to build until it exploded in a series of fits.

A friend had suggested that I add kava kava in his diet. I was reluctant to introduce something new to his diet for fear that it would induce his seizures.

In retrospect, I should have tried it and perhaps, he would have been less stressed out each time there was thunderstorm in my area. My friend had mentioned that Kava Kava helps keep us relaxed but I was not sure if the same could be expected on animals. Oh well, it is too late now that my poor Dino is no longer with us.

Lifestyle Changes

Is anyone going through drastic lifestyle changes to be able to absorb the ridiculously high fuel prices? Two weeks since the increase in petrol and diesel prices, I have not adopted a change. This is not because I earn so much that I do not mind the increase in expenditure or that I am unperturbed by the escalating household expenses since I am the sole financial supporter of my family.

However, we are already only using the bare necessities and if I were to reduce my bills further, it would mean having to disconnect my Astro, Streamyx, 3G and mobile subscription and home phone line but I absolutely need these to cari makan.

So, are people cutting down on anything at all? Is there anything to cut down on? It is very disturbing indeed and to think that fuel price will go as high as RM4 per litre?!?

In Vitro Diagnostic Tests for Cancer Slated To Hit US$8 billion by 2012

The other day, when I wrote on the newly released results of a sex survey, everyone was so interested. Today, I got to know of a new report that says that the global market for in vitro diagnostic tests that is used to test for cancer will grow by more than 10% a year until it hits US$8 billion by 2012. I feel that this report is way more important than the sex survey results to go download the report and read what it is all about.

Cancer is a threat to humankind and I read an old report in 2005 that says that every year, one in four Europeans dies from a form of cancer or another and I believe that now we are in 2008 already, with changes in lifestyle, diet and the environment, death from cancer is way higher. European countries and the United States are very scientifically, technologically and medically advanced country and yet they have such a high percentage of mortality rate from cancer.

The key to fighting combat is actually early detection. With the advancement of medicine and science, people should be educated on the ways to test for cancer and these should be made easily available and more affordable to the masses. In fact, some kinds of cancer testing should be made compulsory and offered free to the community as well.

Does it not scare you that here we are, already half the year into 2008, and there is still not a cure for any form of cancer? In 1988, cancer claimed my maternal grandmother and yet again cancer claimed a dear friend in 2006. Will there ever be a breakthrough miracle cure before 2012? Let's hope so, let's pray so.

While most of us are of no help at all when it comes to actually searching for a cure for cancer, I think all of us can contribute towards this cause by creating awareness and participating in cancer awareness campaigns or something similar.

Global Market for In Vitro Diagnostic Tests for Cancer to hit $8 billion by 2012, says New Report

Report Buyer, the online destination for business intelligence for major industry sectors, has added a new report showing that the world market for in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests for cancer is growing at nearly 11% annually and could reach nearly $8 billion by the end of 2012.

“The Worldwide Market for Cancer Diagnostics: 3rd Edition”, which is available at http://www.reportbuyer.com/go/KAL00058 reports that in addition to demographic and epidemiologic shifts, the cancer testing market is being driven by a number of advances in traditional technologies, biomarker development, and new clinical priorities.

According to the authors, the increased level of cancer screening, a public health priority as well as a healthcare cost priority, continues to drive some basic testing techniques such as fecal occult blood testing. Advances in pharmacodiagnostic technologies, aimed at refining treatment options and genetic and molecular tests to determine tumour growth pathways in the evaluation of patients at risk, are creating exciting opportunities for research development and offer the potential to open new market niches.

In addition to technology, the report notes that the emergence of the new paradigm that views cancer as a chronic disease has also been a boon for IVD developers. With advances in early screening and improved therapeutics, there is more need for cancer management and monitoring tests.

The report includes market size and growth forecasts to 2012; market segmentations by cancer type, IVD discipline, and geography; extensive discussions of technology development and penetration; and profiles of over 150 companies active in the segment.

“The Worldwide Market for Cancer Diagnostics: 3rd Edition” is available from Report Buyer. For more information go to:http://www.reportbuyer.com/pharma_healthcare/diseases/cancer/worldwide_market_cancer_diagnostics.html

Report Buyer product ID: KAL00058

About Report Buyer

Report Buyer is a UK-based independent online store supplying business information. The website now carries over 70,000 business information products, including market reports, studies, books and events. Subscribers receive a free monthly newsletter and email alerts on new titles in their areas of interest. A regularly updated blog provides information on the latest market trends.

Do ALL Men Snore?

I know that most do, but is there a man who does not?? A newly married friend told me that his wife told him that he snores at night. He never knew realised it, of course, so he was pretty surprised.

Last night, another friend told me that during a group vacation last week, he hardly managed to sleep because all the men who shared his service apartment SNORED so much so that he had to forego most group activities to catch up on sleep during the day while the rest of the guys left.

For all I know, he is a snorer as well, just that he does not know it! Since his is single, nobody will tell him unless he places a recorder by his bedside. LOL

I think that even if a woman's husband does not snore, she cannot be too happy to early because I think the older a man gets, the more likely he will snore. Correct or not?

Making Full Use of Mobile Devices

I find that many people buy the latest mobile devices because they want to keep up with trends. Many of these people hardly know how to make the fullest use of their mobile devices. That's why I told my dad to buy only what he needs and not because they are the best when it comes to PDA and smart phones.

My friend, Paul, swears by his Blackberry although he also has a Sidekick. Paul told me that in the Blackberry owners club in New York, there are quite a quite a handful of doctors.

I wonder if they know about the free drug reference for blackberry by Epocrates and how convenient it would be to be able to refer to any drug at all right from their Blackberry.

Of course, this free drug reference is not only for doctors but whoever who has a need to refer to drug information in their line of work. Also, this free information is not only available for Blackberry owners but also owners of other compatible mobile devices!

*** This announcement was paid for by Epocrates. ***

Reducing Credit Card Debt

Last evening, a fellow blogger confided in me that she has a huge credit card debt. I thought to myself that this is NOT GOOD at all but she is not alone.

She said that she would need at least another six months to clear her debt, with both her husband and herself working extra hard to settle her outstanding credit card balances every month end.

Yes, BALANCES because they have more than one credit card debt! I was shocked because she always tells me how much she earns from her various ventures yet she is still feeling the financial pinch now that gas prices have risen so drastically overnight.

I asked if she had checked out the various balance transfer cards which could perhaps help her reduce her debt. By getting a 0% balance transfer credit card, she could move her credit card balances to it, saving on interests and at the same time enjoy better rates on new purchases. That would certainly make her debt more manageable.

She said that is a good idea and was surprised that she did not think of it first. She will be discussing it with her husband so let's hope that they would be able to look for a suitable 0% balance transfer credit card and successfully apply for it!

Long Social Letter

I am in the process of writing a really long letter to send to my old friend via airmail. Gosh, it seems like YEARS since I wrote a real LETTER and to think that I will be sending it by AIRMAIL. Hahaha that's so yesterday but it's what I used to do. I remember writing 8 - 10 pages each time I reply a letter via airmail and I was thinking that since a letter will take about two weeks to reach its destination, why not make the most out of the time and stamps?

The problem in penning a letter is not so much the content since I always have so many things to share but it is in the actual process of holding a pen and writing letter by letter onto paper with as few mistakes as possible so that I do not have to use "liquid paper" and then write the correct word ON the liquid paper. I always, ALWAYS spoil my letter that way.

Well, I am only onto the second page and there's still so many more things to say, though sometimes when it comes to writing that particular issue down, suddenly the issue is not so "hot" anymore to be shared, if you know what I mean.

In any case, I need to get the letter sent out by next week so there's not much time to write.

Information and Misinformation on Autism

My sister told me that her colleague, a Vietnamese lady, has a child who is already forty months old and he is still not talking like a child his age would. He is not born dumb but his development is excruciatingly slow. She fears that he may be autistic.

I read on the web that Dr. Paul Offit wrote a book called "Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure" where he writes about autism in-depth, an illness that has baffled the parents of affected children even in today's modern medical sciences.

Dr. Paul Offit is actually a pediatrician who specializes in infectious disease and vaccinations and his perspective in the book is on the relation between autism and vaccinations.

I hope that the child of the Vietnamese lady is not autistic! But if he is, I hope that this book will help her understand autism better! Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Keeping The Mind Occupied

My friend, Warren, told me to not think about Dino at all. Is that possible? I have raised him since he and Snoopy were three weeks old only and Dino lived till he was 13.5 years old. That's such a long time together and we never separated even for one night.

Warren says that it was not good that I think so much of him till I even dreamt of him. I thought that dreaming of him was a sign of him telling me that he is fine now. He may be free from his physical body, free from pain and suffering; still he is fine.

But one thing is that sometimes I would still think that Dino is with me. I would look out for him, look behind me where he usually slept while I work, or hear his breathing to see if he is well.

HHmmm all of that are no longer happening yet I still do it. It could be out of sheer habit but I miss him so much.

I need as much work as possible to keep me on my toes and so occupied that I don't even have time to shit. SIGH!

Menstrual Stem Cells

A couple of days ago, I was at a shopping mall and approached by a saleslady who wanted to sell her company's cord blood stem cell service. I am not having a baby anytime soon and do not know of pregnant friends.

However, I did wonder what about us adults where such a service was not available at the time of birth to preserve our cord blood stem cells so that we could perhaps have a shot at treating life -threatening diseases.

Just awhile ago, I had the opportunity to learn of the revolutionary C'elle stem cell service that harvests stem cells from menstrual fluid. I know. This sounds utterly yucky, especially at this hour in the morning.

BUT I further read all about C'elle and am amazed that a woman's monthly cycle may actually hold the miracle key to whatever future diseases that she may suffer from.

I also read that for people who are business minded, they could also become C'elle Distributor. I think this would be a very well received stem cell service. Also, on the website of Celle Order Now and receive an introductory annual plan at US$499 only.

Me, No Fun?

The other day, I asked if I should let my other friend know that the person that he added to his FaceBook account is my friend who is a man but created number accounts to play games on FaceBook.

Guess what I subsequently found out? That this friend who now spots multiple personalities is being courted by some of MY friends! I was told that there were FIVE of them but I have no idea who in particular.

What could I do since I do not know who? I threatened to expose my friend but he told me not to. he says that he just wants to play and that I am "no fun" because I refused to play along with him.

Err... am I really "no fun"? This is way too rampant than I have originally thought. I think I better stay out of this. "Her" profile picture must have been too enticing. SIGH!

Offset Emission of Carbon Through Searches

I don't know about you but I believe that I make a lot of search queries everyday when I am online. I do that to seek knowledge, to look for interesting topics to blog about and even to reconnect with old friends who may have a web presence. I am not sure though, how much carbon emissions my searches have generated but I can now offset that with the Carbon Neutral Search Engine.

There was once talk that a white background of a search engine would generate more carbon that a black or darker background but I guess that is not true since Carbon Neutral Search engine also has a white background.

To date, 25,000 searches have been served and I think more and more internet users should adopt a new way of searching the web since it will indirectly contribute to the betterment of the environment.

Father's Day 2008

Father's Day was yesterday and I did not even wish my father "Happy Father's Day". If you have been reading my older posts, perhaps posts on past years' Father's Day you will know that it is not easy, it never is easy. And this year, we lost one of our dear members, Dino, and there really is no cause to be happy at all.

I feel sorry for my father. He hardly gets any Father's Day special treatment. It is as if there is only Mother's Day and not Father's Day; not that he remembers the exact date, except that it falls in June.

With my mother's birthday in April, Mother's Day in May, June comes along and I am always out of budget. Well, what could I do? I am not earning as much as I used to. If some people are not so mercenary and some others do not keep asking me for a "loan", I would do all right. But these are things that I can’t avoid at all.

So, NOT HAPPY!

Summer Holiday Plans

I had the opportunity to chat with my sister last night. With 13 - 14 hour difference, such an opportunity is rare.

My sister told me that her employer is planning a summer retreat for the staff to the French countryside. Of course, everyone is very excited. My sister has always told me that her employer is a slave driver but she knows to reward everyone in the form of dinners, holidays, cash vouchers, retirement fund and jewelry.

My sister has been given the task to arrange this group holiday. She has a free hand to plan as long as it is within budget. My sister is slightly intimated by the heavy responsibility. If things do not work out as planned, she would not know how to face her colleagues! I certainly do not envy her position right now!

She is a little confused with where to go. She has no contact in France and has to depend heavily on the internet. Some of her colleagues told her to check out luxurious farmhouses in Morbihan but she is afraid that it would suck her budget. They did say "luxurious"!

I told her that perhaps she could rent one of those large holiday villas in Orne. I have read glowing reviews from holiday-makers and thought that it would provide them with an authentic experience in the French countryside.

However, my sister says that if there is a private chateaux to rent in Perigord Pourpre, it would be the perfect French holiday. How much more French can a holiday be living in a private chateaux?

I Dreamt of Dino This Morning

I don't know if he came into my dream, or if I think of him too much that he appeared in my sub-conscious mind. But, it has been a week since his passing and from what I understand, the spirit of the deceased will visit the family on the 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, 35th, 42nd and 49th day after his death. And then his spirit will no longer be allowed to loiter around the house.

So I dreamt of him fleetingly. It was fleeting as once I dreamt of it, I was startled awake. But he seems well, like my usual Dino, like he's alive. I miss him so much.

My friend told me to take a break and to follow him and his friends for a holiday in Sabah. Errrr Sabah, I am not keen la. If it's somewhere exotic like what I have see of North Padre Island rentals or Hawaii rentals or even Langkawi rentals, that would sound more appealing.

Who Is Having The Most Sex?

I came across this chart which is the result of a recently concluded sex survey by Durex, the condom maker.

Out of a total of 26 countries Malaysia ranks at number seven with 74% of respondents having sex weekly. Singapore, on the other hand, ranks at a lowly twenty with 62% of total respondents having sex weekly.

I am amazed that in Asia, Malaysia, at 74%, ranks second in the most number of people who have sex weekly, just behind China whose respondents lead at 78%. I think they have nothing better to do than have sex lah!

What I found so totally amusing is that at the bottom of the chart, it says: Weighted base: All non-virgins (22,040), all respondents (26,028).

Of course non-virgins lah. If virgin how to have sex? If there's someone who can have sex weekly and still be a virgin, that's a miracle already. haha!

Also, surveys like this cannot be trusted wan. I remember a friend of mine filled up a sex survey by a local condom maker (not Durex) on my behalf and he simply hentam the responses so that I could get a novelty gift from the condom maker. LOL

Brand New & Unlocked

We were dismayed to watch the announcement of the 3G iPhone that once again, not only required a 3G data plan with AT&T, but also not going to be released in Malaysia legally.

A friend plans to "smuggle" one for personal use but I am not that agreeable since we would have to unlock it ourself and risk bricking it.

Coincidentally, I was told of Tiga Dua Cellular, an Indonesian online store that sells brand new and unlocked mobile devices over the internet so I decided to check it out to see what they have to offer since I am in the midst of looking for a smart phone to replace my Nokia E61i.

Tiga Dua Cellular has a range of new and unlocked mobile devices from major brand names like Apple, HTC, O2, Blackberry, Samsung and a few others. I shall not comment on their price range as I myself am not an authority but I can say that their website is very simple and easy to navigate. There is no unnecessary flash to load or extra thumbnails images that slow down your surfing experience.

I Miss Dino’s Everything Terribly

My poor Dino left me a week already and the silence at home is so obvious now that he is not around. I used to continually hear his breathing in the background as I work at the computer since he would be sleeping just a foot away. He would sometimes snore as well.

And even though he and Snoopy use the same shampoo, he would have his own distinct smell. I miss all of these, let alone his awfully cute antics that sometimes drove me up the wall but I love him all the same.

Living beings are all the same. It's "now you see, now you don't". No matter how much I have done for him in the past 13.5 years, I still felt that I have not done enough. And even when there was not one night that we were separated or only once did I not feed him because I was at the vet when Snoopy was seriously ill, I still felt like I have failed him somehow.

I told my friend, if Dino was a child, he would already be in Form One or Two... can you imagine losing a son at that age? I know I can't compare like that but it sure feels that way.

In Search Of Affordable Health Insurance

One thing I like about the internet is its accessibility wherever we are. The other day, my sister asked me to help her check out better health insurance plans as her internet connection is slow. Can you believe that she is still using dial-up?

I remember about a friend who told me about Blindcntr.org some months back so I decided to get my sister's health insurance quotes from them.

It is so convenient to receive the information we want by just keying in the required information starting from our zip code. Going to the next page, you will be asked questions pertaining to your current health insurance if you have it. Select your options and continue from there.

I have been to many websites and one thing that sets Blindcntr.org apart from other insurance quotes website is its neat layout and user-friendliness. I believe that even people who are not web savvy would find no problems navigating this website. Getting affordable health insurance is possible when you can compare plans and policies from websites like Blindcntr.org.

How Lucky

My friend, Soo, has got to be one of the luckiest guys around. Whilst most of us are cracking our heads thinking of ways to reduce our expenses and tightening our belt in any way we can, Soo says that the rise in fuel prices has no impact on him at all. Yeah, I know he is rich but then perhaps he has forgotten of the domino effect on the prices of daily essentials.

Meanwhile, Soo is still driving his 3000cc guzzler, checking out homes to buy and comparing mortgage lenders. I questioned if this is the right time to buy and while he told me that he could live on his savings for three years even without working, I think he could only live for two years on his savings now that everything has more than doubled in price!

To Tell Or Not To Tell

I’ve got a friend who has created over thirty FaceBook profiles so that he could level himself up in games. He asked me to add him all and each time I join him in games, he would get additional points. So I did, since he is my good friend.

I recently discovered that another good friend of mine has added this friend’s fake profile as a buddy. Hhmmm Of course, my friend’s fake profiles are made up of men and women.

The problem is that this second friend added a fake female profile of my first friend. I know it sounds a little complicated, but the gist of it is that my second friend is now trying to be friend his new buddy, who is actually my friend’s fake female profile.

Should I let him know? My first friend, the one with multiple accounts, told me not to let the cat out of the bag but loyalty to my second friend dictates otherwise.

What should I do since both are good friends?

Biotrend Horoscope Facebook App

If you have been reading my blog, I am sure you know that I joined Facebook reluctantly; only after I could no longer tolerate the number of email requests and reminders to join my friends' buddy lists.

I did eventually register with Facebook and now make it a point to log in daily poking friends and installing applications. I am having fun with so many Facebook apps that I am even thinking of creating one myself.

This evening, I had the opportunity to check out Biotrend - Facebook Horoscope. I am someone who likes reading my Chinese and Western zodiacs daily so this app was perfect for me.

If you would like to use Biotrend, you would need to provide your full date of birth to enable it to calculate your daily biorhythm. Based on the readings, you will be shown your best and worst matches against your friends.

This daily compatibility of biorhythm between you and your friends is great if you are planning to work on a project together or something like that but I would not worry too much if I were found to be totally incompatible with a good friend!

Remember, we may be born with a Chinese and Western zodiac sign that we cannot change but biorhythm state changes daily so while you may be incompatible with someone intellectually on one day, you may find that he is your best match the following month!

Something Is Wrong With My Nokia E61i

I have been experiencing the problem of not being able to end my calls for a few times these past couple of days. I wonder why. Could it be that it is high time for me to reformat my Nokia E61i?

If you recall, I really wanted to send my Nokia E61i to Nokia Care before my one year warranty was up but then one day rolled into another and before I knew it, the warranty has expired and I no longer could enjoy the free software upgrade.

Now I have to do it myself and although it looked simple enough using Nokia Suite, I am not sure I would want to be in the position to mess up my mobile device. Yes, I have a knack for that!

So I guess it will be deferred until the day I could no longer tolerate the lag or the hanging.

Changing With Times

With the rising cost of daily essentials from the domino effect of escalating fuel prices that is seemlingly unstoppable, and in fact, we have been told that the fuel price that we are paying now is still NOT the true market price, many people are tightening their belts.

My sister tells me that whilst she and her fiancé used to go to Las Vegas to try their luck every couple of months, since the fiancé always has pretty good hand and will win more than enough to cover their trip, he is now turning his luck to online gambling.

Granted, it is not the same as playing in a real casino, especially one in Las Vegas but the main point is to WIN and if he could do that just as well sitting at home playing online roulette, then they are happy enough.

My sister tells me that she, on the other hand, only knows how to play online slots. However, she never has the luck to win and her fiancé will always be the one who have to cover her losses. I told her that she had better stop playing for money at a real online casino and just go play mock slot games at one of those jackpot game websites!

Aren't You Sick Of Euro2008 Already?

I know it started not too long ago but with 2.5 weeks more to go and I don't even care how many matches, I am already sick of it and I am not even watching and neither is anyone in the family.

There are times when I would like to meet up with a friend or another or to chat on the phone at night and guess what? These people were SLEEPING when they usually were not.

And I said, "Oi.... are you in primary school ar? 9pm already sleeping?!?"

And they tell me that they sleep earlier so that they could get up in the middle of the night to watch football and still get to work in the morning, albeit with a hangover.

Geeeee seriously, what's so good about watching football? Read the papers tomorrow for the results la. I can understand if these people are betting on the games but they are not. They topsy-turvy-kan their lifestyle and sleeping pattern for the sake of football.

If they were paid millions of Euros just to kick a ball around then it's fine but they get nothing expect high blood pressure. Sigh!

Poker Tables On Sale

The other day, I was surprised when a friend told me that she needs to head home as she has a date with her children to play poker. I was surprised because her children are very young! Here I am trying to learn to play poker better and I think that since they started so young, I may even lose to them in a year or two!

I laughed at my friend and told her that if she keeps up with this hobby of playing casino style poker at home with her children, sooner than later she would have to equip her home with poker tables!

American Gaming Supply is a company that specializes in supplying poker tables, furniture, chips and accessories to homes that play poker as a hobby like my friend’s, or to people who want to throw poker parties and even to full-fledge casinos. When you have the need for anything poker you know that American Gaming Supply would be able to meet your needs. Most importantly, you are assured of quality products that would not break your budget.

The good news is that American Gaming Supply is running a sale right now and you can save at least US$1000 per poker table, including free domestic shipping! My friend would love this piece of information!

What Do You Do When Depressed?

I just want to sleep and don't want to do anything. I think I have slept for the longest hours in one stretch that I did not do for the past 2 - 3 years! And I am still sleepy! It is as if all the sleep that I had taken is never enough. But I know that I am actually not "sleeping". I just want to lie in bed and not do anything.

Which is exactly what I have been doing these few days: NOT DO A THING.

I know some people, when they are depressive, they tend to just eat and eat and eat. Luckily, I am the opposite, I can’t eat anything at all! Well, isn't that a good way for me to shed some fat off?

My poor Dino baby, I can’t help but think that we could have done more for him. My poor Dino..... did the vet hasten your demise? :(

Would You Spend US$86 million On Art?

I don't know about you but I can never understand how someone could splurge millions of dollars on just a piece of art. If you remember, last month, Francis Bacon’s Triptych was successfully auctioned for US$86 million; US$77 million was the net sale price while the balance of US$9 million was commission for the auction house. I am still reeling from these figures!

Perhaps I do not have the mentality of the filthy rich or the opportunist mindset of an investor but anyone who is crazy enough to spend millions on a “just an art piece” would be crazy not to give it the best fine art storage possible!

I am not sure if the new owner is going to display his art but IF I were to be in possession of such an invaluable piece of art, I would rather store it in a safe place and wait for its value to rise. Hehe!

Mind's Eye is actually a subsidiary company of Humboldt storage and moving company but Mind's Eye specializes in all things fine art from storing to crating to transporting. Of course, when you have spent US$86 million on a piece of art, it would be like placing your life on the hands of a company so you would want one that has the expertise and dedication of its staff!

Totally Blank

I haven't been blogging for the past few days because my mind is totally blank. I don't know what to write, and even if I do write, it will not be a happy piece.

I am sure you know that my beloved Dino left me on the 6th. I am totally depressed and miss him so much. On one hand, I am grateful that he did not suffer long but on the other hand, his departure had been tragic and sudden.

That's why I have not been blogging at all. I don't want every post that I write to be depressive. Of course, not working will mean that my income is seriously affected but then I really have no mood to do anything at all.

The New Abisham Softwares' RFID Course

If you have been following my blog, you will know that I advocate online education. It is so convenient and there are so many different E-learning courses to enroll in.

Just now, I got to know of the newly launched course on Radio Frequency Identification Technology. I may not know much about RFID training course but I am sure there will be someone reading this who may be interested. Did you know that the technology of RFID is used in many things ion our daily life? There are times where we don’t even realize that!

You can Now learn all about RFID with the new course by Abisham Software at the comfort of your home. Also, by paying a nominal fee of US$100 only, you can download the course to your local computer. This means that you can study at your own convenience!

Also, for US$69 only, you can gain access to the course online for one week. If you would rather learn about RFID, Abisham Software doe provide a course on the basics of RFID for free. Well, what are you waiting for? If interested, just head over to the website of Abisham Software.

PlayStation 3

My friend was surprise that I do not own a PlayStation 3. He said that it is so common nowadays! Besides, I am supposed to be a gadget girl! I told him that I do not have time to play but actually, if there is an opportunity, I would like to own a PSP 3 as well! Who doesn't, right?

I did a little reading on the PlayStation, and was surprised that the PlayStation 3 40 Gb game console comes with Blu-Ray player. Told you that I am out of touch, didn't I? Talking about the Blu-Ray player, a friend was very happy that it came out tops in the format war. Perhaps he owns a Sony PlayStation 3!

After doing my product comparison online between the Sony Playstation 3, Xbox and Wii , I am pretty impressed with the wireless sixaxis controller. It definitely comes with pretty nifty features. Suddenly, I feel as if I am living in the stone ages for not owning the Playstation 3!

FAREWELL DINO

6th June, 2008

My Dino passed away today as a result of complications from fits. I was caught by surprise by his fits this time as the weather was excellent though I understand all too well his accumulation of anxiety.

As a pet owner, it is always difficult to swallow when our pet dies. Doubts start to creep in if we had made the right decisions at that point in time.

We start to question if the vet had administered the right kind of treatment but these are all self-defeating.

I will write more when I am in a better frame of mind.