Winding down

Well, once again, the weekend is upon us. It's been a hectic week for me. Still, I can't complain. There's no war nor famine here, no monk had to sacrifice his life. The cranes still fly overhead every evening, a sky of kites once in a while. There's coffee and teh tarik to soothe the nerves, malls to loiter in. Music to watch people go by, to dance with some fun guy.

May you have a great weekend, my wonderful blog-friends.

Booking Hotels is Easy with Easytobook

Planning for a holiday can be a painstaking affair for some but a breeze for others. What's the secret? With easy Internet access and the many travel websites available, making arrangements need not be a hassle anymore. Besides, online booking provides a better hotel rate in most cases and one would be spoilt for choice on the number and range of accommodations available.

Take for example a site I found has such great deals and choices for a trip to New York. New York is known to be an expensive city but with Easytobook.com, a visit to the Big Apple need not be so.

London is a dream-destination for many people. Easytobook has a comprehensive list of hotels to suit every budget, from 1-star to 5-star hotels, and you can find cheap hotels in many cities from Prague to Dublin to Rome.

Great Credit Cards from the Co-operative Bank

Looking to apply for a credit card? If you are in the UK, here are some great deals from the Co-operative Bank. There is a suitable card for every need.

Their Clear Credit Card charges a standard interest rate of only 11.9% APR typical/variable for purchases, balance transfers* AND cash withdrawals. You get up to 59 days interest free credit if balance is paid in full by the due date. On top of that if you use your card to pay for your travel tickets, you get up to £25,000 of free Travel Accident Insurance. Plus you get 24-hour medical and legal assistance overseas. And, if you are one who supports charity causes, for every £100 you spend on your credit card, 1.25p goes to a donation to good causes.

Their Advantage Card charges 0% on purchases and balance transfers, fixed for six months. This is great savings when you go shopping or for consolidating your balances for ease of managing your balances and saving on interest along the way.

You will get to enjoy exclusive Platinum Travelclub benefits with their Flat Rate Platinum Card. On this card, the interest rate remains fixed for five years at 11.9% APR. You will also enjoy up to 46 days interest free credit if balance is paid in full by the due date and free 90-day Purchase Protection Insurance, emergency cash and card replacement service on top of 24-hour medical and legal assistance overseas up to £100,000 free Travel Accident Insurance† when you use your card to pay for your travel tickets.

For more benefits on a platinum card, there is the Platinum Base Rate Tracker where you will enjoy more benefits.

Apply for an Affinity Card and you would be helping your favorite charity. Organizations that benefit from these Affinity Cards are Greenpeace, WaterAid, Amnesty International, to name a few.

A Travel Credit Card would come in very useful for a traveller. It rewards you as you spend. For a start, there is an introductory rate of 0% fixed for 6 months from the date your account is opened, on purchases and balance transfers, and thereafter an attractive standard rate of 16.9% APR typical/variable.

When you pay with your Co-operative Bank Travel credit card, you enjoy free Travel Insurance or a 5% discount on thousands of holidays booked with Travelcare. You earn travel reward points redeemable against all transactions with Travelcare.

Be sure to check out the Co-operative Bank's travel club website where there is a great range of benefits, available all year round. A Travel Card cardholder will stand to enjoy a discount booking online.

"Details accurate at date of publishing."

"Sponsored by Co-operative Bank"

You can Personalize your Invitation Cards

Some people are creative and are very good with crafts. I've seen some wonderful home-made cards made by a colleague of mine. She even helps design for the girls in the office.

The Internet is a great resource. If you are looking for invitation cards, here's a site you might want to bookmark, www.iby.com. It's got some pretty cards. Party accessories are available here too.

Friday Frolics: My Score is 44. What's Yours?

This week's quiz is a little different but interesting. The email says this is a real test given by the HR department at many of the major corporations today. It helps them get better insight concerning their employees and prospective employees. It also says Oprah took this test. She got a 38. The results are said to be pretty accurate. So, are you ready? Get pen and paper ready.

The email also said you are supposed to send it to your friends and place your socre in the subject box - probably so that your friends will know you better.

Remember not to peek at the answers. Just scroll down and answer.

Answers are for who you are now...... not who you were in the past.

It's only 10 simple questions. Let's do it!
============================================

1. When do you feel your best?

a) in the morning b) during the afternoon & and early evening c) late at night



2. You usually walk...

a) fairly fast, with long steps b) fairly fast, with little steps c) less fast head up, looking the world in the face d) less fast, head down e) very slowly



3. When talking to people you...

a) stand with your arms folded b) have your hands clasped c) have one or both your hands on your hips d) touch or push the person to whom you are talking e) play with your ear, touch your chin, or smooth your hair



4. When relaxing, you sit with...

a) your knees bent with your legs neatly side by side b) your legs crossed c) your legs stretched out or straight d) one leg curled under you



5. When something really amuses you, you react with...

a) a big, appreciative laugh b) a laugh, but not a loud one c) a quiet chuckle d) a sheepish smile



6. When you go to a party or social gathering you...

a) make a loud entrance so everyone notices you b) make a quiet entrance, looking around for someone you know c) make the quietest entrance, trying to stay unnoticed



7. You're working very hard, concentrating hard, and you're interrupted, do you...

a) welcome the break b) feel extremely irritated c) vary between these two extremes



8. Which of the following colours do you like most?

a) Red or orange b) black c) yellow or light blue d) green

e) dark blue or purple f) white g) brown or gray

9. When you are in bed at night, in those last few moments before going to sleep, you lie...

a) stretched out on your back b) stretched out face down on your stomach

c) on your side, slightly curled d) with your head on one arm e) with your head under the covers

10. You often dream that you are...

a) falling b) fighting or struggling c) searching for something or somebody

d) flying or floating e) you usually have dreamless sleep f) your dreams are always pleasant

POINTS:

1. (a) 2 (b) 4 (c) 6

2. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 7 (d) 2 (e) 1

3. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 5 (d) 7 (e) 6

4. (a) 4 (b) 6 (c) 2 (d) 1

5. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 2

6. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 2

7. (a) 6 (b) 2 (c) 4

8. (a) 6 (b) 7 (c) 5 (d) 4 (e) 3 (f) 2 (g) 1

9. (a) 7 (b) 6 (c) 4 (d) 2 (e) 1

10. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 6 (f) 1

Now add up the total number of points.

OVER 60 POINTS:

Others see you as someone they should "handle with care". You're seen as vain, self-centered, and who is extremely dominant. Others may admire you, wishing they could be more like you, but don't always trust you, hesitating to become too deeply involved with you.

51 TO 60 POINTS:

Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile,rather impulsive personality; a natural leader, who's quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.

41 TO 50 POINTS :

Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out.

31 TO 40 POINTS :

Others see you as sensible, cautious, careful & practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who's extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over it if that trust is ever broken.

21 TO 30 POINTS :

Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It would really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment, expecting you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then,usually decide against it. They think this reaction is caused partly by your careful nature.

UNDER 21 POINTS :

People think you are shy, nervous, and indecisive, someone who needs looking after, who always wants someone else to make the decisions & who doesn't want to get involved with anyone or anything. They see you as a worrier who always sees problems that don't exist. Some people think you're boring. Only those who know you well know that you aren't.

Now forward this to others, and put your score in subject box.


More Friday Frolics Quizzes

Dating for Seniors

A colleague, John, is due for retirement and he is looking forward to spending quality time with his wife and family. A sudden twist of fate made his dream impossible as his wife suddenly passed away. Being an outgoing person and very much involved with Church activities, he is taking his loss very well.

His children, not wanting him to be all alone, encourage him to find a companion. He, being a devoted and loving husband, is still mourning his loss but promises his children that he will think about it. In the meantime, he found a senior dating site which convinced him that there are lots of seniors out there looking for friends and companionship.

John is surprised to find thousands of senior personals with accompanying photos He was excited to find that he was able to search for people in his area. He found that signing up is an easy process and best of all, it is free.

John, if you are reading this, I hope you find someone to share your life, your hopes, your dreams and happiness one day.

Can You Sleep While the Wind Blows?

There is a Chinese saying that goes something like, any day we are alive, there would be new things to discover, to learn. How true that is, as life is a never-ending process of learning. We learn different things at different stages of our life.

We learn things in different ways, through our own actions, through our observations, our reflections, even from our own mistakes, and which reminds me of some sound advice that suggests that we should learn from others mistakes because we don't live long enough to make all of them. How wise.

We also learn from stories and the morals behind all those insightful tales and analogies. Let me share with you one more. It's titled Can You Sleep While the Wind Blows? May you be prepared spiritually, mentally and physically for life's challenges.

Viewsonic Monitors

My last trip to Low Yat Plaza was educational among others. If you remember, Low Yat Plaza is THE place for electronics stuff for locals as well as tourists alike. People who go there are seriously looking for something to buy and they often come away with bags and boxes, which reminds me that I need to find a replacement for my PC monitor which is showing signs of wear. Shall I get a viewsonic monitor? Two of my colleagues just bought one each and they seem pretty happy with their acquisition.

Ingersoll Rand Air Tools

An office department staff threw a retirement party for a colleague last Friday. He loves pottering around the home, making and fixing things around the house. He even helps his neighbours with small jobs in their homes. He once installed a bird bath in a neighbour's garden and made a kennel for another neighbour.

One of the gifts that he received during the party is something close to his heart, Ingersoll Rand air tools. Needless to say, he was thrilled.

Please Mr. Postman

Despite the high-tech era of Internet, email and such, snail-mail is still part of our lives. I know I'd still get a thrill from receiving a handwritten letter or a postcard through the postal service. That would be such a treat, don't you think? Looks like mailboxes are here to stay.

In the West, residential mailboxes are so pretty, most of them. Over here, we have the standard red mailboxes - nothing to feel excited about except for the contents the postman puts in.

As for commercial mailboxes, I think the ones here are more or less the same as the ones overseas. No, wait! I believe the ones overseas are a lot prettier too and they come in many designs. We lost again.

eCommerce Shopping Cart Software

Thinking about getting onboard ecommerce but worried about how to go about it especially the shopping cart feature of it? I found a complete ecommerce solution which might work for you.

Ashop Commerce provides a revolutionary online store building software which is touted as one of the world's most easy-to-use web-based administrations. Their award-winning features allow you to build your complete online store for just a low monthly fee.

This shopping cart software includes the ability to accept credit cards in real-time, customize the design, update content quickly and easily. Their tech support and customer service is excellent having helped thousands of merchants get onboard and running successfuly. Their shopping cart software is so easy to install, anyone can do it. The program is reliable and affordable and their design is customizable to suit your need. Best of all, it is securely hosted with free emails, 128 bit SSL checkout security, design services, full fraud alerts and web promotion services.

Don't just believe what I say, feel free to test drive their demo store to see the advanced functionality for yourself.

Mid-Autumn Festival

It's not a beautiful day today. Just as I'm writing this, it's raining cats and dogs outside. Good thing, the weather was fine yesterday because yesterday was what's known in the Chinese community as the Mid-Autumn Festival or sometimes referred to as Mooncake Festival, Lantern Festival or simply "Fifteen day of the Eighth Month".

For Taoist Chinese, food offerings are placed on an altar set up in the courtyard. Various fruits are being offered especially pomeloes. Other offerings include mooncakes, cooked taro, and water caltrope, a type of water chestnut resembling black buffalo horns. This is a fascinating item and tasty too.

Mooncakes are synonymous with the Mid-Autumn festival. The normal size of mooncakes is about three inches in diameter and one and a half inches in thickness. The filling of these cakes is usually made of melon seeds, lotus seeds, almonds, minced meats, bean paste, orange peels and lard. A golden yolk (sometimes two, three or four yolks) from a salted duck egg is placed at the center of each cake, and the golden brown crust is decorated with symbols of the festival. However, these days, they come in various shapes and sizes like the ones in the picture.

Lanterns play a part in this festival thus this festival is also known as the Lantern Festival. I remember having a dragon lantern those days among others. Strange that I only remember this lantern. Probably because it was big and unusual and pretty too.

For the family, it is a time for relaxation - adults gather and chat over drinks and mooncakes watching children playing with lanterns all under the round silvery moon.

Hope your Mid-Autumn Festival was enjoyable.

Ever heard of Muscle Milk?

A colleague, Jack, packs his own lunch daily instead of eating food from the cafeteria. He's closely watching his weight, and health. I think he's wise because the cafeteria food is not all that healthful if one just eat whatever's on offer. Jack has sandwiches mostly and lots of fruits and salad. Something else interesting he brings is muscle milk. I hear muscle milk is great for weight watchers and is a perfect nutritional boost for those on the go being a formula promoting efficient fat burning, lean muscle growth plus fast recovery from exercise.

Are You a Drama Queen (or King)?

I've been told that I'm cool. I hope he didn't mean cold. lol
Nothing ruffles me, he said. People around me see me as calm, never losing my cool - maybe they think I'm a nut case - devoid of fire. Interesting observation, though I must say, I can be bad, really really bad, but drama queen I certainly am not. Are you? Take the quiz.

You Are As Cool As They Come

Rational and relaxed, no one could accuse you of being dramatic. You roll with the punches, and nothing ever gets you too worked up. You are able to maintain perspective and see the big picture. And even if you're emotional inside, you don't let it show. You're great at keeping it together, and you're rewarded for that. People see you as an ideal friend, employee, and partner.

Are You a Drama Queen (or King)?

More quizzes from Friday Frolics

Home improvements

After living in their home for more than ten years, a colleague decided to make some home improvements. The main enhancements involve the kitchen and the driveway. A driveway is an important area of the home as it provides a visitor a first impression of the home. Being outdoors, weather conditions quickly bring on wear and tear on a driveway.

My colleague and his wife have been checking out various types of driveway materials and styles and found that an Anglian driveway is stylish and comes in 40 combinations of style and colour making it easy to customise the driveway for the desired effect. Their driveways use 60mm blocks which make them more durable, retaining strength far longer. For more than thirty six years Anglian has been renowned amongst UK homeowners as the place to go for high quality home improvements.

For a housewife, the kitchen is an important part of the home. The new kitchen provides more workspace and old cabinets are being replaced with new state-of-the-art cabinets and designs that would make any home-owner proud and happy. Cooking will never be the same again for the Mrs.

The value of engaging a professional real estate agent

Have you ever bought a second-hand property or put up your property for sale and wondered whether you paid too much or under-valued your property? Being at either end of the scale is undesirable especially if you own a piece of beautiful Tampa real estate. Engaging a knowledgeable and reliable real estate agent goes a long way. He'd be able to address professionally, all the issues and help you overcome the hurdles usually associated with a sale or a purchase.

Dell Memory

I went to Low Yat Plaza the other day. For those of you living in Kuala Lumpur, you'd probably know that Low Yat Plaza is THE place for electronics items. True enough, there are floors and floors of shops selling from phone cards to printers, to scanners, to laptops and PCs, to IPods to Dell Memory to gadgets beyond my comprehension. This electronics haven is a must-visit for anyone looking for anything electronics. You'd be spoilt for choice. No wonder, even my visiting overseas friends asked for directions to this one-stop shop.

A Snake

The following must have been lovingly put together by a disgruntled employee. Reminds me of other analogies, such as the jab about the higher one goes up the management ladder, the smaller one's balls become (oops!). You didn't know this one? It's hard being in management, isn't it? In fact, it's hard being anywhere. Anyway, enjoy this one.

Once upon a time, in a nice little forest, there lived an orphaned bunny and an orphaned snake. By coincidence both were blind from birth.

One day, the bunny was hopping through the forest and tripped over the snake and fell down.
"Oh, my," said the bunny, "I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I've been blind since birth and can't see where I'm going. In fact, since I'm also an orphan, I don't even know what I am."

"That's ok," replied the snake. "Actually, I too, have been blind since birth, and also never knew my mother. Tell you what, maybe I could slither all over you, and figure out what you are so you'll know."

"That would be wonderful" replied the bunny.

So the snake slithered all over the bunny, and said, "Well, you're covered with soft fur, you have really long ears, your nose twitches, and you have a soft cottony tail. I'd say that you must be a bunny rabbit."
"Oh, thank you, thank you," cried the bunny, in obvious excitement. The bunny suggested to the snake, "Maybe I could feel you all over with my paw, and help you the same way that you've helped me."

So the bunny felt the snake all over, and remarked, "Well, you're smooth and slippery, and you have a forked tongue, no backbone and no balls.

.
.
.

I'd say you must be a team leader, a supervisor or possibly someone in senior management ! !

You Were Born For A Reason

Are you a blog-reader who totally ignores all adverts? Or are you one who never fails to click on an interesting ad? Me? I'm the latter and look what I found the other day.

It's an item on the English version of the runaway best-selling book on Buddhism, You Were Born For A Reason. The book has already sold more than half a million copies in its publication in Japanese as Naze ikiru, and is still going strong. It promises that "You will not be the same after reading this book". So, if you are one who constantly wonders why you are here, this could be the book for you.

While we are on this subject, here's a meaningful quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson about the Purpose of Life.

The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.

A Camel Fit

Nothing like a good laugh to start off the week. Hope you'll have a wonderful week ahead.

Jane and Arlene are outside their nursing home, having a drink and a smoke, when it starts to rain. Jane pulls out a condom, cuts off the end, puts i t over her cigarette, and continues smoking.



















Arlene: What in the hell is that?

Jane: A condom. This way my cigarette doesn't get wet.

Arlene: Where did you get it?

Jane: You can get them at any drugstore.

The next day, Arlene hobbles herself into the local drugstore and announces to the pharmacist that she wants a box of condoms.

The pharmacist, obviously embarrassed, looks at her kind of strangely (she is after all, over 80 years of age), but very delicately asks what brand of condom she prefers.

"Doesn't matter Sonny, as long as it fits on a Camel."


Source unknown

Bush furniture

Online-shopping in Malaysia has some catching up to do but in the West, it is common. A friend in the US cites online-shopping one of the best things that's ever happened. She recently bought some Bush furniture and was raving about the lovely pieces she bought. Not only that, she got them at great discounts and all arrived in good order and in a timely manner.

Friday Frolics: Famous Misquotes Quiz

How much do you know about famous personalities? Here's a quiz that's quite different from the usual ones. Take the Famous Misquotes Quiz and see how you fare.






Click here for other Friday Frolics Quizzes

Timberland Warehouse Sale

For Timberland product fans in KL/PJ...

Relax in a Recliner Leather Chair after a hard day

How time flies, the month of Ramadhan is upon us and Muslims started their month of fasting yesterday. This means that preparations are underway to celebrate the new year in less than a month. During this time, families would be busy making cakes and cookies and sprucing up their homes, replacing old furniture and stuff.

Looking for a Recliner Leather Chair? Recliner Leather Chairs from furniturefromhome are handsome and completely functional crafted piece of work. A quality plush leather piece for a powerful man to sink himself into after a hard day of work. The built-in recliner allows for putting up your feet and laying back.

Leather furniture is popular due to its durability and choice of colours. A brown leather chair would be easier to upkeep than a fabric chair, for instance.

Leather Club Chairs would add a charismatic touch to every home. The antiqued and polished nail heads give a classic accent. Standing strong on solid wood feet that balance the entire chair. Makes a stunning gift too.

A Reason to Celebrate

Sometimes, we are so engrossed with our own issues and problems, that we tend to think ours must be the worst until you come across others having worse issues and problems. This story from the Chicken Soup series, A Reason to Celebrate, gave me some chills and reminded me how fortunate I am. My heart goes out to the lady in the story. I have so much to be thankful for which reminds me of this site I found the same time I came across the story. Visit the Gratefulness site.

Sexy Lingerie

Gift-buying though interesting, can be rather challenging at times. A friend would not present her boss with a tie because according to her, it's too personal. A tie is for his spouse to get for him. Do you agree? She's entitled to her opinion though I don't subscribe to that. Something personal would have to be briefs or a sexy lingerie. What do you think?

September 11

Yesterday, September 11, is a day Americans and many others around the world will never forget.

CNN pays tribute in it's special, America Remembers. The sections on 'The Day,' 'The Faces,' 'The Cleanup, 'Fighting Terror,' and 'A Changed World' all have individual timelines as well as special reports and photo galleries.

Bike Racks

A garage is great to add space to a home. A neighbour recently renovated his garage because he needed more space for his newly-bought bicycles. The bicycles are just parked on the floor, nothing fanciful. I think if he has each bike on a proper bike rack, he could have more space for other stuff. There are a few types of racks available. There's the ceiling mount, wall mount and floor mount, all of which serves it's individual purpose.

Big Dogs

When I was about six or seven, a dog used to come to our house every afternoon for a week or so. It wasn't any ordinary dog. What caught my attention was its size. It was really a huge dog, almost reaching up to my chin. Up to this day, I have not seen any dog like that. These pictures brought back memories of that huge dog.

RC Helicopters

I was at Berjaya Times Square the other day and was attracted by a huge crowd at the foyer. They were crowding around a racing circuit, a remote control (RC) racing car circuit, that is. It was fun to watch and what surprised me was that the people taking part were all adults. Remote control toys have been around for sometime now and the interest has not waned. I remember watching a film about RC helicopters. These beautiful flying machines kinda remind me of dragonflies.

Outdoor lighting is helpful

Sometime last month, my girlfriend and her husband, were awakened in the middle of the night by their car's alarm. When they looked out from their bedroom window, they saw a figure running out to a waiting car which sped off. They were able to see him because their porch was lit by their outdoor lighting. They found their gate unlocked and their car ransacked. They are lucky that they still have their car because in a separate incident, a friend lost his brand-new 4WD which was parked in the porch.

Queen Platform Bed

In any home, great emphasis is placed on the bedroom from draperies to color of the wall to a comfortable bed which includes the bed design, mattress, pillows and others. Platform beds are still popular. They can be designed for beauty, longevity and durability. Furniturefromhome.com has a range of platform beds including this queen platform bed which is of a Japanese design and is minimalist beautiful and durable.


In apartment-living, storage beds are useful for storing away things, eliminating clutter. Leather dining chairs add a certain character to any dining area. All these can be found at furniturefromhone.com. Check them all out.

Friday Frolics: How Vain Are You?

So I'm vain, a little, but who isn't!? I know I'd want to look good so that I can feel good, and which begs the question: Do we dress up for ourselves or for others? What do you think?

You Are 28% Vain

Okay, so you're slightly vain from time to time, but you're not superficial at all. You are realistic. You know that looks matter. You just try to make them matter less.

How Vain Are You?

Click here for more Friday Frolics

Furniture shopping

Looking for furniture but don't like the hassle of going shopping? I've got the solution for you. Go shopping at Furniturefromhome.com.

They have a great selection of bedroom furniture sets. Whether it's comtemporary or traditional style you are looking for, they have it. And if you are looking to upgrade your living room furniture, check out their living room furniture. They have sectional sets, even reclining ones and lots of other attractive pieces. You will be sure to find what you need.

While you are at the site, why not take a look at their furniture home office. An executive desk would surely enhance any home office.

The Women's Hair Loss Project

Hair loss is thought to be a strictly male condition but according to stats in the U.S., women actually make up forty percent of American hair loss sufferers. Hair loss can be absolutely devastating for the sufferer especially for women. It inflicts a big dent in one's self image and emotional well being.

Some suffering people find solace and relief in coming to terms with their condition by having their experiences documented. Documenting them either to share them with fellow-sufferers or just for the sake of simply having them etched somewhere can be beneficial - at least, the act offers some stress-release amd at most someone will benefit for the experience/knowledge.

One such case is this project I found on the web, a Womens Hair Loss Blog. This lady writes about trying to cope with an uncontrollable disorder - her hair loss. You can also find articles relating to hair loss and one that's about whether celebs wear wigs as a fashion statement or is it relating to their hair loss?

Wall sconce

If one has the time or interest, people-watching is a great pastime. A friend used to spend hours people-watching in London. Yet another like to do that in a park. While out shopping the other day, during the mega sale period, I couldn't help noticing husbands and boyfriends waiting impatiently outside department stores, surrounded by bags and bags of goodies. One gentleman even had a wall sconce parked beside him. Ah.. the joys of shopping but the frustration of waiting.

Property with a view

I went with some friends to a home showroom the other day. It was a show-house for a condo project actually. It's located in a nice part of KL, away from the hustle and bustle of the city but just so close enough to the city that it only takes you ten minutes to get there. The property is on elevated ground with the Petronas Twin Towers in full view and what a sight. I can imagine the view of the towers at night or when they hold a fireworks display in KLCC.

Kuala Lumpur is still a housing developer's paradise. Unfortunately, being an inland city, properties in KL lack the feature of natural waterfronts unlike perhaps beaufort nc real estate in the U.S. Still, KL is still a lovely place to be.

Mylivesearch - a new search engine

How would you like another search engine but with a difference? Mylivesearch search engine was launched on 29 August and with just a few days, they have received in excess of 700,000 requests since the launch and is still growing.

The owners will be bringing out a new version in the coming weeks with more functional improvements and some more features - great enhancements to their beta version.

With mylivesearch, your computer will turn into a super spider to search the web of invisible dynamic pages that conventional search engines have trouble seeing. It can also be used to improve results from conventional search engines - practically, the first of its kind, now in beta. It supports IE and Firefox. Download plugin from the site.

Turbo charge your existing search engine or use it as a powerful standalone system that will take you further, faster and deeper into the web.

Petaling Street, KL Chinatown

It's been many years since my last visit to Chinatown, so a few of us decided to make a trip there. We parked along Jalan Sultan, just beside the Furama Hotel and walked to Petaling Street.

Along the way, we discovered two very interesting shops. They have things Chinese - paintings and antiques. There are lots of Chinese folklore figurines - big and small, vases, etc. One thing caught my eye - a Buddha's head. I've always wanted one of these but am worried that I might place it in a wrong place thus could be inadvertently showing disrespect. I guess I better live with not having one.

A visit to Chinatown is not complete if you don't go down the entire Petaling Street. This part of Chinatown is closed to auto-traffic from evening onwards. You can bargain on anything from bags to clothes, the famous fake watches, fake CDs, DVDs, fruits, pickles, phones, fashion accessories, toys, and lots more. If you love roast duck, it is believed that the best roast duck in KL is found here sold from a stall.

Anyone who has been to Petaling Street or Chinatown would have to put up with noise, traffic (human and auto type), dust and dirt. Thank goodness for skin care products.

I wish I had my camera with me though. Maybe next time.

Picture source: Wikipedia

Something about Babies

Misunderstandings can sometimes be hilarious. Enjoy this one...



The Smiths were unable to conceive children and decided to use a surrogate father to start their family.

On the day the proxy father was to arrive, Mr. Smith kissed his wife goodbye and said,

"Well, I'm off now; The man should be here soon." Half an hour later, just by chance, a door-to-door baby photographer happened to ring the doorbell, hoping to make a sale.


Good morning, Ma'am", he said, "I've come to...'' Oh, no need to explain," Mrs. Smith cut in, embarrassed, "I've been expecting you."

"Have you really?" said the photographer. "Well, that's good. Did you know babies are my specialty?" "Well that's what my husband and I had hoped. Please come in and have a seat"

After a moment she asked, blushing, "Well, where do we start?"

"Leave everything to me. I usually try two in the bathtub, one on the couch, and perhaps a couple on the bed. And sometimes the living room floor is fun. You can really spread out there."

"Bathtub, living room floor? No wonder it didn't work out for Harry and me!"

"Well, Ma'am, none of us can guarantee a good one every time. But if we try several different positions and I shoot from six or seven angles, I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results."

"My, that's a lot!" gasped Mrs. Smith.

"Ma'am, in my line of work a man has to take his time. I'd love to be in and out in five minutes, but I'm sure you'd be disappointed with that."

"Don't I know it," said Mrs. Smith quietly. The photographer opened his briefcase and pulled out a portfolio of his baby pictures. "This was done on the top of a bus," he said.

"Oh my God!" Mrs. Smith exclaimed, grasping at her throat.

"And these twins turned out exceptionally well - when you consider their mother was so difficult to work with."

"She was difficult?" asked Mrs. Smith.

"Yes, I'm afraid so I finally had to take her to the park to get the job done right. People were crowding around four and five deep to get a good look." "Four and five deep?" said Mrs. Smith, her eyes wide with amazement. "Yes", the photographer replied. "And for more than three hours, too.

The mother was constantly squealing and yelling - I could hardly concentrate, and when darkness approached I had to rush my shots. Finally, when the squirrels began nibbling on my equipment, I just had to pack it all in."

Mrs. Smith leaned forward. "Do you mean they actually chewed on your, uh...equipment?" "It's true, Ma'am, yes.. Well, if you're ready, I'll set up my tripod and we can get to work right away." "Tripod?"

"Oh yes, Ma'am. I need to use a tripod to rest my Canon on. It's much too big to be held in the hand very long."

Mrs. Smith fainted........


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