My Computer Is Home

And I am lighter by RM250!! Sigh, is there any way to avoid spending money? Isn't it incredulous that even though I haven't stepped out of the house for more than two months now? My expenses continue to increase?

One would think that hibernating at home would stop this financial bleeding but no, Snoopy's Hill's a/d prescription diet and antibiotics alone cost me RM400 a month! His monthly medical bills now with this condition at least RM600 a month! And that's RM1K already.

Anyway, even though the computer is home, I am unable to use it yet. I have it set up in the living room so that my family could use it while theirs is sent to the same repair shop. This computer has been very problematic in the past few months, giving the Blue Screen of Death way too often. I know that it's a corrupted operating system and in fact, I do know how to reformat a hard disk but I just couldn't find time to do it. Aiya, just pay RM30 for the shop to do it lah!

Losing Weight The Right Way

If you have been following my blog long enough, you will know that I have a friend whose size is like a small hippopotamus and who is struggling to lose some weight. I shall refrain from mentioning his name here, of course. I noticed one thing about him is that he cannot resist good food and would tell me all the time of his food hunting trips.

I know that the inability to control our diet is a very common problem especially for people who already have weight problem. The more they try to control their intake and struggle to lose weight, the more they end up eating. This is purely my observation, of course.

A good solution, I found out this evening, is in writing down one's planned diet and stick to it no matter what. At first it may be difficult to be so strict but it wouldn't be long to see the effectiveness of doing so and Lose Diet the "Write" Way!

Planit Diet has a very good 3-month diet and exercise journal that they are selling at US$14.98 which would make a good investment for people like my friend, who aims to lose weight the right way without depending on diet pills, but have failed so far. Although writing down everything may seem like a chore, I guess we all know that there’s no shortcut to fitness and good health!

Hard Disk Failure

Time just slips by me, I never realize that it has been a week since I updated this blog. You know, no matter how busy I am, I try not to let my blog go without an update for longer than five days. I know there was a time when my blog was left idle for three long months but that was then. This is now.

Anyway, these couple of days, I have been busy fiddling with my computer. Finally, after all the troubleshooting, it is discovered that the hard disk has died. Well, what a surprise. I didn't expect it; thought it was just a corrupted Operating System, like previous times and only managed to back up my files in the C drive.

I have two partitions on my drive and the ones in my D drive, though already backed up, are not up to date but I don't think that there are any exceptionally important files in there except for one folder. I hope the computer repair technician would be able to salvage the files for me. If it couldn't be done, well, there's nothing I could do.

Anyway, I will not have the computer to use for a few days because when that comes back, we will be sending the other family computer for repairs as well as it has been tripping with blue screen for months and meanwhile, they would be using mine. SIGH!

Two Month Mark

19th July, 2009 mark two months since Snoopy became bedridden. It has been a most challenging time for me and for Snoopy himself. I am not proud to say that I have lost my temper numerous times, cursed and swore every minute of the day. It is so tough taking care of him round the clock. I haven't stepped out of the house except to visit the vet with Snoopy.

It has been a very frustrating time, probably the kind of frustration I felt when Dino could not walk for two months due to some mysterious illness or pain but that was about three years ago and besides the fact that Dino did not walk for two months, I have forgotten the minor details like how he cried throughout the night or soiled himself with shit and urine in the middle of the night. Isn't it true that people have short memories?

Whatever... this is the here and now. This is what I am living with now. No, it's not Marley and Me. That's just a movie. This is for real. I am living it. Nobody would understand the pain that I am going through. No, not physical pain but the pain of taking care of a pet whom I brought up since he was three weeks old. Snoopy is not just a pet to me. Even with all the medical problems that he faced these two months from pissing blood to passing pus to pressure sores, I cannot bring myself to put him to sleep.

Sometimes I feel helpless. Like the pus in his stools and blood in his urine and pressure sores on his limbs, these are actually not his problem but mine. I have failed to take care of him; failed him terribly.

My friend, Andy, asked me how long I can last like this. Honestly, I do not know. I pray to God not for a cure for Snoopy but for strength to see this through. It's been difficult, made even more difficult by the fact that I cannot share this grieve with anyone. Nobody wants to listen to something like this. Nobody would care because they don't know Snoopy and most of all, nobody wants his/her day spoilt by something like this. After all, this is my problem and not theirs.

Don't Ask!

I have a friend whom I don't like to talk to so much anymore. This guy loves bragging about his online income and how he has a slew of blogs and websites that he uses to backlink his own money generating blogs. This probably isn't a good practice but he doesn't care as long as he tops the search engines.

But even before I could respond, positively or negatively, he would butt in and say, "Don't ask, I'm not telling!" How does he know that I was about to ask him how he earns as much as he claims? He says that too many people have tried getting free seo services from him and so he could read my mind.

I was pretty mad, you know, and told him off that if that's the case, he should not brag to me!

The Mysterious Death Of Teo Beng Hock

There is no escape from talks of how Teo Beng Hock died, found sprawl at the bottom of the MACC building, whether online or in real life.

There is a lot of speculation on how he died, and since none of us is in the inner circle, we could only make our own conclusions. Everyone has his own theory.

Some said that he was hung out the window upside down to force a "confession" out of him and he slipped. Some thought that he was accidentally killed, and then thrown out the window to make it look like a suicide. Some said that he felt dizzy, stood too close to the window and toppled out.

However, no one believes that this young man took his own life intentionally. Here was a man, who was supposed to be married on 17th July, 2009. I also read that his fiancée is two months pregnant. Well, let's just say that he had so many things going for him, he has no reason to kill himself.

Whether there was any foul play and whatever the circumstances that led to his death, we could only guess. However, as a Buddhist, I do believe that what we do not know, God knows. We could be fooled but God would not. Whoever caused the death of Teo Beng Hock would surely have to pay for it.

Charity Begins At The School

You know how people would say that charity begins at home and if you have your home taken care of, then you can take care of other things outside of it?

My mother has this theory that the reason her children are not so well educated is because her parents and she and her husband, our father, did not do charity at schools. You know schools sometimes would want funds to buy new equipment or classroom furniture and the teachers would approach parents to donate to the upgrading of the school. Well, they never approached my parents because we were not well to do or prominent people in the city.

Next time, when I have children, I am going t make sure that I participate in and support their charity drives. No, I am not being superstitious like my mother but I think that instead of searching for a just any charitable organization to be involved in, it is better to get involved in one that we have an association with.

Granite Stone Garden

My friend, Mark, who is an architect and sharing a house with a fellow architect, showed me his new garden, which the both of them renovated. He's very proud of their work (but of course) and sent me a stack of photos to show off. LOL

As you can see from these two photos that I picked out, they have dug up the grass lawn and replaced it with crushed granite stone. He said that previously, the grass lawn was always very ugly because of the weather (no sunshine) and high humidity.

Now, the granite stone ground surely looks a whole lot neater but it would be blinding if the sun shone on it directly, don't you think so? And also, I think they can't go bear foot in the garden with those stones but then again, they wear shoes even inside the house!

Personally, I think this looks nice but if I were to do this for my own garden, I would only do up a corner of it and not entirely! I would feel weird if my garden doesn't have grass!

The Headache Of Packing, Storing & Moving

A friend, Verrene, told me that she may have to give up her house as she has to follow her husband who has taken up a post in another country. My friend is an expatriate here and they already have a house in their home country. No matter how much they like this home, they simply cannot afford to upkeep three homes at the same time.

Verrene's big headache right now, is to decide what to keep, what to discard, what to send to their new home and what to cart back to their home country. My friend has high hopes of coming back after her husband's stint overseas so she hopes to store some of her more valuable possessions here. She is a collector like me so I certainly understand her "headache".

Verrene is in the process of looking for a company that offers moving and art storage services so that she could leave the logistics of packing, storing and moving to a company. She has a sizable art collection, some of which are her own creative product, which she will never part with so that definitely needs storing until her husband's tenure is over! Well, she better return or I’m going to miss her!

Streamyx Is Back

The weather has been so bad lately that last Wednesday's thunderstorm struck the telephone exchange near my house and rendered my phone line useless. Well, not exactly useless. I could still make and receive calls despite the crackle but then it was not good enough for Streamyx.

Normally, I would have lodged a report with TM pronto but because of Snoopy's condition, I couldn't waste time waiting for the technicians to come without arranging for someone to be at home to sit with Snoopy while I go and check on the technicians working on my line at home. Luckily, meanwhile, I could still get online with my Celcom 3G, but only one system at a time. SIGH!

Anyway, I managed to make a report at about 10.30pm on Sunday and the guys came to my house on Monday morning and got everything settled for me. Absolutely efficient, if you ask me!

Vision

My family caught up with an old friend a week ago and was shocked when he told us that his eyesight has deteriorated so much that he could hardly see. We knew that he has been suffering from poor vision for years already but I guess with age factoring in, his condition has worsened.

I wouldn't know if Boston Laser Eye Surgery would help him right now but I think that if he had listened to our advice of going for laser surgery earlier, I am pretty sure that he could at least preserve a good percentage of his vision.

There's really not much that this guy could do now at this stage. He was afraid of undergoing laser surgery last time so now he has to live with his decision. He says that he’s as blind as a bat, especially at night. He may have exaggerated but you know, technology is so advanced now there are certain things that science and technology could help make life easier for us.

Personally, even for me who is afraid of surgeries, I know that if I need laser surgery to correct my eyesight, I would do it. Sometimes it is more than vanity or convenience, like in the case of this friend. I think that if his eyesight gets poorer, he may have to stay at home most of the time.

Dumb People

If you have been reading my blog lately, you will know that I have done nothing but play games on Facebook. Some people may say that Facebook games aren't really games but for the sake of blogging, I will refer to them as "games".

Well, I have played many of these games and there are some like Mafia Wars, Sorority Life and Glamour Age, where we have to bring out our most powerful "weapons" and fight with each other and our clans.

It amazes me that there are so many no life sore losers who, after losing to us, would fight us again. That's fine if they win but there was a woman last night who hit me and lost a total of EIGHT times, can you believe that??

Usually, normal people would just fight twice and if they lose both times, they move on to a new target. Well, not this woman. And then there was another woman who after losing to me, placed me on the Mafia Wars hitlist THREE times. Of course, with people multiple levels above me trying for the bounty, which was only $8000 each time, I lost all three times. But what made me laugh was that between these three times, this woman would come and fight with me and tried to rob me too. Of course, she failed every time. I guess that was what irked her.

Anyway, I think female players are really revengeful. They keep picking on the people whom they have LOST to, and get others to fight their battles where they are incapable of winning. It makes me laugh. Why would anyone want to lose over and over again? I am imagining these players like crazed women who know not how to move the cursor away from clicking the button to attack me.

Haggard

I've been viewing photos of my old school friends on Facebook and you know what? I think that although we are the same age, I look so much older! The ladies are so well-preserved compared to me. Not only do I look old, I also FEEL old. Blame Snoopy!

After this episode is over, I am going to need the best wrinkle cream before I dare to take new photos of myself. I wouldn't want photos of myself now seeing how I look. There's no need for reminder!

Anyway, my wrinkles are not only a part of the aging process but more towards the stressful lifestyle that I am leading. All this would change if I would only do ONE thing!

Joint Pain

With all the bending up and down and squatting to Snoopy's level on the floor, I am suffering from joint pain already and it's only 1.5 months into his illness! I wonder how long I can last.

Although I don't remember anymore how much I also suffered during Dino's bout of illness which also rendered him unable to walk for two months, I probably did not suffer as much physical pain since I was younger by three years.

I hope that even if this condition prolongs, I won't suffer too much wear and tear. A study shows that people who perform care giving duties will lead a shorter life because of the stress. I don't doubt it at all!

Bali Food

My friend just returned from his one week vacation to Bali and I think he has put on some weight. He told me that the food there was different and obviously, once again, he could not resist the temptation of good food.

This friend, whom I shall not name, may deny that he has weight issues but I think he does need help managing his weight. I am not exceptionally close to him so I dare not approach him about his weight problems but I am thinking of mailing him some avesil anonymously. Perhaps he would get the hint.

I remember that a classmate used this trick on another classmate who suffered from body odor. She didn't realize it but got the hint after finding a bottle of deodorant on her desk one day!

Touching Michael Jackson Memorial Service

A few friends asked if I would be catching Michael Jackson memorial service live on TV and I said no. I am not a huge fan but I did grow up listening to Michael Jackson and am quite familiar with his hit songs. I remember my sister and I trying to learn to sing Beat It and sing it as fast as Michael Jackson did.

Anyway, I ended up watching it since Snoopy wouldn't allow me to sleep. I watched it online from 1.30am to 4.30am. With Snoopy restless, I would say I caught about 80% of the programme only.

Even though I may not be a huge Michael Jackson fan, it is still very touching to watch the memorial service. Again, this is a loss of someone dear to some people. Michael Jackson may be "just" an entertainer to us but he was also someone's son, brother, uncle, nephew and most of all, he was someone's father, as driven home by the short sentence by Paris Jackson at the closing of the memorial service.

And like I said before, the death of Michael Jackson could be avoided if someone close to him had intervened to what his handlers were putting him through, pushing him to the maximum since he was their golden goose, though it just had not laid a golden egg for a long time.

Now that he has left us physically, Michael Jackson, like every dearly departed person, will continue to live in the hearts of those who knew him personally and he will continue to live for the fans through his music.

Quality Discount Jewelry

My mother told me that she used to have a colleague who would spend the better part of her pay check in jewelry. While I think it's a waste, my mother says that if this lady does not deck herself with jewelry accessories, she would be looked down upon by people in her community. My mother says that she is not alone and it's their "culture".

Well, I don't know about that and I think it's pretty silly to waste good money when we could just as well buy and wear discount jewelry and nobody would be any wiser!

Holsted Jewelers carry exquisite designer inspired pieces that are of excellent quality and truly, can you even tell that you can buy these at only a fraction of the cost of real jewelry pieces? I, for one, am not able to!

Cats

A couple of my friends keep cats and when I first knew them, I told them that I do not like cats. AT ALL. I told them that cat shit stinks but they asked me what did I expect. It's shit lah!

Recently, I have been viewing quite a few pictures of cats. Actually, these are photos of a pet website, so most of the photos contributed by members are of cats and dogs. These are common domestic animals.

Anyway, after viewing so many of them, I am beginning to think that cats are quite cute lah. I think that I could easily fall in love with cats too, if given the chance to get close to them, provided they don't stink up my place!

But seriously, whether dog or cat, I am no longer keen to keep any of them!

Learning To Cope

A friend mentioned that I haven't spoken to him for a loooong time since Snoopy fell ill. Actually, I haven't spoken to anyone for a long time and the reason is I simply do not feel like talking.

I am having such a bad time at home that I don't want to sound negative and spoil other people's day. I am not happy and will never be happy as long as I am in this situation.

I know that Snoopy is my own problem and I have to learn to cope with his disability but his problem doesn't just lie in his disability but also his own frustrations in not being able to walk.

My friend, Andy, wonders how I could cope. Frankly, I can't but I am learning to. I have no choice but to see through this myself.

Great Baby News

My friend gave me the good news that she is expecting a baby and the due date is in early 2010. My friend is very excited because this time, she doesn't plan to scan to see the gender of her baby. She wants it to be a surprise. My friend's secret wish is to have a baby girl since she already has a boy.

To me, this is great news but I guess as a true friend, I have to buy baby gifts for her starting from now. The problem is that I do not know if I should buy gifts for a baby girl or baby boy.

I guess nowadays, baby gifts are designed such that they are unisex and suitable for both baby boys and girls and I should do fine if I do not stick to traditional colors!

Accuracy of Psychic Reading

With Snoopy lying in my room, I cannot help but recall the psychic reading I had in December of last year. I told my friend about it recently, and he said that the psychic was just bull shitting but then how could she bull shit when it has yet to happen?

The psychic asked if I was being a caregiver and I said no, but back then, I already felt like Snoopy's caregiver already even though he was not yet infirmed. He is now, so what else am I?

There is no denying that this particular psychic is accurate and I really would like to go back and ask her for a fresh reading and this time I would like to know how long would I be trapped in this care giving situation. I don’t know, it’s kind of difficult to get hold of her due to our time differences. Moreover, the previous time, I paid US$50 for the reading.

In any case, I get very frustrated waking up to a new day and knowing already what a dreary day it will be.

All Hail The Best Tennis Champion Of Our Time

I used to follow tennis diligently during the days of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi but have stopped watching these past few years. No, I did not lose interest but just could not afford the time to sit in front of the TV for a few hours watching two men hitting the tennis ball.

Anyway, being a tennis fan, I cannot not mention that Roger Federer is now the best tennis player of our times, upping Pete Sampras' record of 14th Grand Slam titles with a record breaking Grand Slam win at the just concluded Wimbledon. Man, that must be some kind of feeling he's going through, to be the best at the game.

Image: Getty Images

In addition, Roger Federer is an all-rounder, having won all the Grand Slam titles on different courts and he won his fifteen titles in half the time it took for Pete Sampras to bag his 14 titles.

Of course, one could say that there is no Andre Agassi now to block him but then Roger Federer is undisputedly the hero of our day.

Coin Collecting

My friend bought two coin boxes for her two sons to teach them to collect coins and save money. This reminded me of the time when I was a kid and my parents taught my siblings and I the same.

Until today, all of us still love collecting coins but of course, we have upgraded our coin collections. We still collect "spare change" but my mother and brother have their own small gold and silver coin collections.

These may not be worth much now but over time, I believe they would turn out to be a good investment since gold and silver prices are very consistent and demand for them has not wavered for the past three decades.

I too would love to start my own coin collection but I am not as dedicated.

Jack Russell Terrier

A friend, Andy, told me that he wants to give away his Jack Russell terrier puppy. I have seen photos of the puppy and think he's really cute. Andy says that since I love dogs so much, I could provide him with a good home. Andy's not going to simply give away his beloved puppy since he bought him for RM1200.

The problem is that since Andy already has a Jack Russell at home, he found that keeping two dogs at the same time is too much that he could handle. Both are healthy and yet he found that he could not spare the time for the poor dogs. Moreover, Andy felt that this puppy is neglected and does not have enough time to train him.

Honestly, if I could, I would adopt him. I have always wanted a Jack Russell terrier when I was young but it turned out that all I ever kept were mixed breeds. I guess I was not prepared to pay a four figure sum for a dog! But I guess at this point, I have sworn off keeping dogs what with my bad experience with Dino's seizures and Snoopy being bedridden!

Off Focused

Sigh... With my kind of erratic lifestyle, I actually have lost focus and have no worked properly and productively for 1.5 months already. Take yesterday for example. It was Monday, the start of the week where all normal adults would be working. Me, I spent the whole day on Facebook, hopping for one game to another.

Well, someone said that those aren't games. Call them what you like but yesterday, I played Mafia Wars, Sorority Life, Barn Buddy, Happy Farm, Fantasy Farm, FarmVille, Happy Harvest, Restaurant City, Pet Society, Vampire Wars, Hatchlings, and some that I couldn't even remember the address anymore unless I visit the History of my browser.

Yes, haven't I been really "productive"? But only in games, mind you. I'm rich but only with virtual coins! What to do? I really can't concentrate on anything and playing these games, I could keep them running on my browsers and just click the mouse occasionally to level up.

Prostate Gland Enlargement

I met my uncle last evening and am happy to note that he is in the pink of health. Just a couple of years ago, he was suffering from prostate gland enlargement and could not ease himself. He was like Snoopy but then Snoopy had stones in his bladder.

My uncle was in a good mood and told me that the days of being cooped up at home is over. Back then, he had to attach a catheter all the time and that killed his social life. He couldn't even work, let alone party!

My uncle is a proud man and he wouldn't ask for help from his family members. He would rather shop for what he needs, especially personal care items, online. He told me that since that bout of illness, he is now a savvy online shopper!

Motorola Hand Phones

It's high time my father changes his hand phone. Yesterday, he asked me to help him send out a text message and gosh, I typed out the message ten times and yet couldn't get it sent as every time I wanted to delete a single letter, the whole message gets deleted! I was so frustrated I could vomit!

Anyway, the problem with my dad is that he only wants Motorola hand phones. Back when I was able to go shopping almost every evening of the week, I noticed that there aren't that many hand phone stalls and shops selling Motorola already.

I asked them why, they said that it's because of the lack of demand for Motorola and besides, because of the closure of Motorola factory in Malaysia, claiming warranty or buying original Motorola replacement parts, accessories and batteries would be difficult. Hence they decided not to carry Motorola at all.

I don't know if this is the real scenario. In any case, I guess I should convert my dad to a Nokia user. My brother and I both use Nokia and have no complaints.

2 Girls In My Dreams

I had a really weird dream a couple of nights ago. The fact that I dreamt was weird enough since I hardly have sleep longer than one or two hours!

Anyway, I dreamt of two girls who are supposedly sisters, and the older girl was so beautiful, I asked her to be my model! These girls are not my daughters and there was a couple in my dream as well who were supposed to be the girls' parents.

The parents objected and told me that they want the girls to focus on their studies and not be distracted by all these unnecessary things like photo shooting.

Anyway, I then told the parents that the older girl is so captivating that she will be a star and there's no stopping her, even if they do give up the opportunity that I offered her now.

Isn’t this dream strange?? LOL I didn't know I was a photographer already! Like the saying goes, “If only in my dreams!”

Lunch Money

A friend told me that he finds his "lunch money" by trading options. he told me he took this up just recently and have found a little success with it. Perhaps it's just beginner's luck? LOL

Actually, I do know that options trading could be quite lucrative as long as we know what we are doing. I told my friend that since he is new, he should read up on it on the web.

Also, there are many tools that one could use to help us make a better investment decision, whether for long or short term. Even though he may say that he is only looking for lunch money, I wouldn't want him to lose lunch money from his pocket!

Michael Jackson Memorial Service

If you are not able to watch the 2-hour Michael Jackson Memorial Service live on 8TV at 1am early tomorrow morning, do note that there is a delayed telecast at 10.15pm tomorrow night.

I hope that when Michael Jackson's memorial service is over, the world could start moving again and Michael Jackson could rest in peace. The guy deserves that, having been in the limelight even before he started wearing underwear!

Still, Michael Jackson could well be like Elvis Presley, an icon who will always be on the lips and minds of people the world over. I believe Neverland will one day be restored and will achieve the status of Graceland.

Fly Away

My friend told me the other day, that he wished he could stick a rocket up his butt and shoot himself up to space. I guess many of us would like to get away for awhile, except not in just such an unconventional way!

Boy, you wouldn't believe how hard I wish I could get away from this situation that I am caught in right now but it looks like there's no escaping it until God does something about it and Snoopy leaves me. Of course I wouldn't want that to happen but truly, I have to admit that living like this is not living but then I am not someone who could bring myself to kill, especially killing something that I raised since he was 3 weeks old!

I can’t help but wonder how long this will last and how long more I have to suffer so. Friends wonder how I cope. Frankly, I don’t know!

Lifelong Learning

My uncle believes in lifelong education and truly, even at 70, he continues to explore new things, teaching himself computing, then web designing. He runs an online education portal, you see, and although he has employees, he does not believe in depending on others 100%.

The other day, he asked me when I am ready to go back to school again. Actually, I am ashamed that I am never able to set the time for this. I can go for an online university degree, I know, and it would be more convenient that commuting to a college but I guess at this point in my life, my priorities are not on books. I wonder if there ever will come a time when I could focus on getting a degree at my age.

Even as I am bogged down by other work and family commitments I do know the importance of a solid education and if given the chance to turn back the clock, I would rather complete my education first before starting work where all sorts of distractions come in!

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

Drawing A Line

Recently, there's someone I know who tried to sell me something for the second time. I was not amused because I had already turned him down giving my reasons. I said that if he could not offer me a better deal than what I have now, I see no reason to change to his service even if I am a tad unhappy with the service I am currently using.

I guess some people never give up. I treat him as a friend but with his hard selling, I wonder if I am a friend to him or just a sales target. I know times are tough and everyone is trying to make an extra buck here and there but does that mean that he has to continue with his sales talk every chance he has?

I really don't mind giving him the business IF he could give me a better deal, like I said, and I am talking about better in terms of price AND service. At this point, I really see NO reason whatsoever how I could change my provider when his price is almost 200% higher than I am getting now. PLUS, judging from complaints of his own product, I don't think his service is any better than what I have now.

Old Jeans

I am not sure how much weight I loss since Snoopy fell ill because we do not have a weighing scale at home but I know that it is considerable. My father lost 3kg in a month and I put in a whole lot more time and energy taking care of Snoopy than him.

Those who are unaware of what is happening at home may think that I have finally found a diet pill that works! I am not going on a diet but just lost weight due to stress and lack of sleep.

I have an old pair of jeans that I could no longer fit but if this drags on, I will be bringing it out to see if I could wear it again. Then I can be sure that I have lost weight! If nothing good comes out of Snoopy’s health condition in the end, at least I have regained a svelte body!

TVB Mega Live Concert Show

Too bad I couldn't get away due to commitments on the home front. I really would love to attend TVB Mega Live Concert Show which will be held at the Arena of Stars in Genting Highlands on 11th July, 2009.

This concert is a joint effort by TVB, Astro and Magnum and will feature TVB and Astro stars like Bosco Wong, Myolie Wu, Ron Ng, King Kong, Vivian Yeo, Yen Wan Chean, Andrew Tan and Tate Chan Kok Fai.

Although I am not familiar with the local stars since I am not subscribed to Wah Lai Toi on Astro, I definitely would love to see Ron Ng perform even though I am not a great fan. He looked great in Emergency Unit (E.U.) nonetheless!

Magnum is giving away free tickets. I am not sure if Astro is as well. So, we just need to pay for our transport up to Genting Highlands. Sigh... if only I could go!

Home Furnishing Packages

I am thinking of changing new furniture at home and while searching, came across a furniture store that offers home furnishing packages at a very reasonable price. I think they are smart in the sense that they have grouped together pieces of furniture in these packages and homeowners would get sets of furniture for each room in the house.

The packages, that come in different prices, would include tv stands and display racks for the living room, bedroom sets for the master bedroom and second bedroom and dining set for the dining room.

See, if you have a house that needs new furniture, buying a package will already have most of your house furnished! I plan to get one of these packages later, probably when I have my own house.

Bag Of Bones

I read in the news that at the time of Michael Jackson's death, he only weighed a mere 112 pounds. That's actually a good weight, but only for women! Really, isn't it surprising? When he was all dressed up and in make up in public, we could hardly tell. But I also read that those who were close to him, who hugged him, could feel like he was only a bag of bones.

The death of Michael Jackson is a pity and certainly could have been avoided. Here was a man, and I am not saying that Kings of Pop don't die, who had lost control of his own life, who may have been addicted to substances that if given proper attention, he could be free from. But no, people treated him like a cash cow puppet, pushing him to his limits and as we could see, drove him to his death.

Not Comfortable In His Skin

My friend, S, who is like a small hippopotamus due to his ever increasing size may swear that he is comfortable in his skin but if so, how come I caught him reading lipofuze reviews online?

You know, I certainly think he needs help and I guess he knows as well, yet he refuses to admit it, at least he is not looking for help openly. I think it's a pity as many of us have probably experienced something similar like what he is facing now and we could share information with him and support his endeavors in slimming down.

Since he doesn't admit openly to his friends that he would like to have a slimmer body, it certainly has become a sensitive issue when it comes to talking about weight!

Breaking Tradition

This year, for my penpal Mark's birthday on 4th of July, for the first time since 1991, I will not be able to write him a “real” letter, and send it along with a birthday card and gift like I have been doing all these years.

I feel very bad, of course, though I would still email him and perhaps send him a free virtual birthday ecard but this isn't the same and lack personal touch.

I know that even though I did not step out of the house since Snoopy fell ill on 19th May, 2009, hence am not able to shop for a birthday gift, I could still send a self-made birthday gift but I don't even have time to sleep, to work, to shit, basically I can't come up with any ideas!

Besides, I really don't like to impose on other people to send out my personal letter.

Mr. Unromantic

My sister told me that her husband is really Mr. Unromantic! According to her, every year, on her birthday, Valentine's Day, Christmas and other gift giving occasions, he would be giving her gift certificates from one store or another. EVERY TIME.

While at first my sister was very happy to receive gift vouchers from stores that she frequents, it's rather boring because he is too predictable. Why can't he have the idea to purchase something romantic like heart jewelry? It doesn't even have to be designer jewelry, just designer INSPIRED will do!

I think I'll have to leave him hints so that he will get the right kind of gifts when the next occasion comes around. He could give me the gift cards, though! I certainly wouldn't mind sponsored shopping!

Born To Suffer

I just received bad news that one of my relatives is suffering from cancer. This is really a sensitive subject so I did not dig further, like what stage it is at or even what cancer it is.

You know, sometimes I wonder if people are born to suffer. I know there are many people who live till a ripe old age and never encounter any health problems but cases like these are really rare.

My own maternal grandmother died of cancer back in the late 1980s and I saw how she suffered, how she screamed in pain, and till today, I shudder just thinking about it.

I think that even if the patient remains optimistic, the chances of being totally free from cancer are really slim unless it is caught really early. My aunt had a cancer scare a couple of years ago. She found out early and got it arrested. Still, it must be quite frightening to live knowing that the chopper will fall anytime!

New Plumbing

My house is in need of new plumbing. The last time we changed our plumbing was twenty years ago and after so many years, some faucets don't work anymore, or even if it does work, water doesn't gush out anymore but instead trickles, like the one in my room.

And then there are places where the pipes leak, especially in the kitchen. I hate the mess and would like to have everything repaired all at once. I think it's going to cost a fortune but we have yet to get quotations from plumbers. Also, we have to make sure to look for one who is honest, besides skillful.

This time, if budget permits, we would like to have Delta faucets. These are better than what we are using at the moment!

Afternoon Naps

People who know me personally know that I would take an afternoon nap. It could be just 15 minutes or if I were lucky, longer than that. Some friends would tease me and call me a "pig" for sleeping so much. Well, it's not that much. It's just because I don't get a good night's rest! Have not gotten one for a long time now already! Yes, yes, I know it's bad for my health but I really couldn't help it.

Anyway, since Snoopy fell ill, I have not taken an afternoon nap. That's a record of 1+ month! See, I am not addicted to afternoon naps, I could do without afternoon naps if it's necessary and I definitely is not a pig!

I have often wondered if it's possible for me to lead a normal working life where I would be at the office working when I normally take naps in the afternoon. Guess I have my answer now!