Friday Frolics - What Halloween Character Are You?

Did you all have fun last night, being Halloween and all?  Here's a spillover Halloween quiz for you this week.  Now you'll get to find out what Halloween character are you.  Enjoy!

Me, quirky? Hmm..

Your turn..

You Are a Skeleton

You are totally goofy and entertaining. You are simply charming. You know how to have fun, and you're happy to be part of a group or crowd. You can be a bit dark in your thinking sometimes, though other people don't see it. You tend to develop strange obsessions and offbeat interests. You are delightfully quirky.

What Halloween Character Are You?

Friday Frolics: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes and 3 Stupid Ones

Last Week's Quiz: What Personality Disorder Are You?

Happy Halloween 2013

Here in Malaysia, Halloween is not celebrated like in some countries in the West. However, there is still a demand for Halloween-related paraphernalia. People buy them for fun. This curio shop in a shopping complex was seen with this dressy Halloween shopfront as far back as a month ago. If you are looking for Halloween products, a wider choice could be found at Toys r Us.

"Happy Halloween" to you if you are celebrating this yearly festival which according to many scholars, is a Christianized feast initially influenced by Celtic harvest festivals, with possible pagan roots, particularly the Gaelic Samhain. Other academics maintain that it originated independently of Samhain and has solely Christian roots. (Wikipedia)

Like all celebrations, a greeting card is in order. Here's a pretty card for Halloween from 123Greetings..

I hope you'll have the best Halloween ever!

Check out Google's interactive doodle for Halloween this year. Here is last year's Google doodle.

Have fun!

How Credit Cards Can Be Used for Financial Independence

Credit cards can be used as a tool for financial independence if used properly. However, if used improperly, a credit card can lead to financial burden especially if the credit card debt is not settled on time, so it’s good to pick the best credit card based on your ability to pay your obligations.

Having financial independence means not having to worry about the ability to pay bills or having the means to pay for new experiences. One of the first steps to attaining financial independence is realizing that the luxury of a large income does not always mean that you will be financially independent. Indeed, you could take home a huge pay check every month but if your spending exceeds your pay check, you’re not financially independent. In fact, you’re already in debt if that’s the case. A credit card will not do you any good in this situation then, and you need to find a way to cut your expenses or earn more income. You just learned the lesson of the maxim “live within your means” the hard way.

But if you earn enough money from your job and your expenses are well below your income, then you might want to consider diversifying your source of income. Yes, your job is one source of income but that’s just one of them, and there’s always the risk of losing that job or being disabled and that doesn’t make you financially independent.

If you have extra funds then you could consider investing that in the stock market or in starting your own business. This is one situation where having a credit card could come in handy. Having a credit card is one of your options for funding your own business. Many suppliers accept credit cards so you could use your card to pay the supplies that your new business needs. It can also help you take care of some of the costs related to starting a business like getting the permits for the business and some of the equipment that you’ll need for operating your venture.

We’ve already mentioned that being wealthy means having more income than expenses. How could a credit card cut expenses? Well, if you plan to get a house in the future or another big ticket item like a car for example, you could save a lot if you have a good credit history. This shows your lender that you have a good record of paying your debts so that they could give you a lower interest rate on your loan. Having a credit card helps you build a credit history so your task is to diligently pay for your credit card bills every month in order to build a good credit history. You also get to save on penalties if you pay your credit card bills on time so that’s another expense that you don’t have to worry about.

There are other ways to achieve financial independence but the key is to having more income than expenses. A credit card can be used to increase income (by helping fund your startup) or for avoiding expenses (like higher loan interests by helping you build a credit history that will unlock lower interest rates for big ticket items like home loans and car loans).

About the author:
This is a guest blog contribution by Michael Vincent in behalf of Compare Hero, Malaysia’s leading credit card comparison website. Compare a broad range of financial products – from credit cards to broadband plans for free, right in your browser.

MGM Grand Hotel and Casino on The Strip in Las Vegas

If you are planning a vacation to somewhere you have never been to, chances are if you are not joining a guided tour, you would have to check out for yourself hotels available there and for good measure read up on some reviews. Thanks to the Internet, all needed information is now just a mouse-click away.  

When it comes to selecting a holiday destination in the United States, Las Vegas still tops the list for the west coast though most guided tours would include Los Angeles in the itinerary and sometimes San Francisco.  If you are going it on your own, finding a hotel is certainly not a problem as there are lots available to meet any budget and preference.  You may agree that you would be spoilt for choice.  Needless to say, making a booking is easy and convenient online.

Planning that much-deserved trip to Las Vegas?  The MGM Grand in Las Vegas   is among the finest in all of Las Vegas.  The Internet says this hotel is the ultimate Las Vegas experience as it comes with upscale rooms and suites.

MGM Grand Hotel and Casino is located on The Strip and offers star-studded events at the Grand Garden Arena. You can also expect world-class dining and nightlife at a variety of restaurants and lounges and do remember to check out their new nightclub, Hakkasan.

If you need your daily swim, MGM Grand Hotel and Casino features a 7-acre pool complex with 5 pools, 3 whirlpools, and a lazy river. There are 26 spacious cabanas with personalized bottle and food service. The Grand Spa offers soothing and indulgent treatments including the Dream Ritual.

MGM Grand has recently redesigned their rooms which now feature warm color palettes, high-end furnishings, open floor plans, and modern amenities. Guestrooms and suites at this Las Vegas hotel include pay movies, minibars, and wireless and wired Internet access.

If you are driving, the hotel provides Free parking, Free self parking, Free valet parking, Parking garage.

You may want to note however, that the minimum check-in age is 21.

Shopping at the CIMB Fiesta

I wanted to get a replacement unit for a cooler that quit on me last month, so I went to the CIMB Fiesta which was held last weekend at Midvalley Megamall. Was surprised to see a queue already forming that early in the morning.  Very carnival-like the atmosphere was as you can tell from the decor. 

We joined the queue and were each given a catalogue so we could have an idea of what were available.  Upon registration, we received a  red eco-bag each.  Early birds were also able to get tokens for certain items at a further discount. I only knew about that much later and therefore was too late by the time I knew about it.  Oh well..

Bet you'd want to know what I bought, or rather used my credit card points to redeem, huh? Went with a girlfriend, so she was able to help me handle the three items that I came home with.

I got myself a (Khind brand) table-fan because I felt a cooler is not as durable as a good old-fashioned fan.  The cooler that quit on me was just a year old which I bought at last year's fiesta.  Tsk!  I hope to get better mileage from this fan which is not the conventional design that we normally see. This one is rather cute and not as big so it doesn't take up too much space.  I like. Plus, it comes with a two-year warranty. Here's a picture from the box.

I also came away with a 20" light grey suitcase from House of Leather so I was practically walking the bag around the carnival. The third item was an impromptu decision. It's a cushioned square stool that was going for RM159 but sold for an earlybird price of RM39. I missed the earlybird offer but the lady was kind enough to let me have it for that discounted price. So, yay!

This is the new member, the recycle bag, that is living happily now with others in the heap of other eco-bags in my collection. You read right, collection, because inadvertently over time, the bags have become a collection of many different green bags and we are rather short of occasions to use them. However, they come in handy as giftbags so no complaints there.  Still, I would have preferred a better bag, something like those burlap gift bags or canvas bags that are both nicer and washable.

I bet you have your own grand collection of recycle bags. How do you make use of the bags or how do you store them? Come share, so that we can all learn of the creative ways you use your bags.

Friday Frolics - What Personality Disorder Are You?

You think you don't have a personality disorder? Well, surprise yourself. Take this quiz to find out.

Happy Friday, everyone!

You May Be a Bit Obsessive Compulsive...

Meticulous and detailed oriented, you have some irrational obsessions. Maybe it's your super neat closet or washing your hands a gazillion times. You probably know it's weird, but you just can't stop thinking about it. In fact, the more you think about your quirks, the more you have to do them.

What Personality Disorder Are You?

Friday Frolics: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes and 3 Stupid Ones

Last Week's Quiz: The Adventure Test

Flock of cranes in Kuala Lumpur

Stumbled upon this beautiful picture on Yahoo! of a flock of cranes flying past the rising moon in Nauen near Berlin, Germany - Friday, October 18, 2013. The caption says the cranes rest in the wetlands west of Berlin on their way from breeding places in the north to their wintering grounds in the south.

If you commute to work using the North-South Expressway in Kuala Lumpur, you may have noticed a flock of cranes flying overhead.  They do so twice a day, once in the morning, the other time in the evening. There used to be just a handful many years ago but currently, there are as many as 15 or 20 of them.

Catch them at around 7o'clock in the morning gliding above along the river in Ulu Kelang (best viewed near Bukit Antarabangsa) heading towards the direction of Ampang/Cheras from the National Zoo - that is where they rest at night. In the evening, the cranes can be seen flying back to the zoo at around 6 or 7pm. It's a sight to behold, so look out for them the next time you are in the Ulu Kelang area.

I have no idea where they go to or where they are in the day but sometimes they can be spotted perched on telephone wires along the North-South Expressway in the evenings. Happy looking out for these big birds as they glide by on their way to hunt or to roost.

Malaysia school holidays/calendar for 2014

The Malaysia school calendar for 2014 is out..

From The Star:

PETALING JAYA: Parents who want to book holidays with their children next year should bear in mind that there will be more school days.

There will be 209 school days – four days more than this year.

Students will also get a shorter break with 81 holidays next year compared with 84 this year.

The 2014 school calendar, as shown on the Education Ministry’s website, showed that school begins on Jan 2 in all states except Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, where classes start a day earlier.

School heads can apply for four days of “cuti peristiwa” (occasional holiday), which need not be replaced.

They can also apply for “cuti ganti” (replacement holiday), which is subject to approval by the respective state education departments.

The first mid-term break will be from March 22 to 30, the mid-year break will be from May 28 to June 15. The second mid-term break will be from Sept 13 to 31.

The year-end break will start on Nov 22 next year, except in Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu where the holidays start a day earlier.


Related article:
2014 Malaysia Public Holidays