Family

One thing that I have been regretting the most is probably the fact that I did not get the chance to take a family portrait with Grandpa and Grandma when I have grown up. I am not talking about the family photo taken at home with a home camera but with a professional photographer.

But it is quite expensive to get such picture taken because of the sitting fee. It is annoying that one need to pay upfront such fee before the photos are taken.

Recently as I was surfing around the Internet, I stumbled upon a site that offers some attractive stuff. First of all, there is sitting fee. Yea!! Then, you can get $50 off coupon. Another Yea! That is a lot of savings.

Here is the down for me. It is available only in Philadelphia. But if you are in that area, do check out New Jersey Beach Portraits.

Opps! I did it again!

Opps~~!

Once again, I have fallen into the trap of online shopping. I dont have to step out of the house or should I say office to buy stuff. This time, I bought a Gucci inspired handbag. Gasp~

Recently I found another place where they offer a lot of stuff that is quite retro and to be honest, I miss those stuff. For example, the Pokemon card. I remember JWei used to be so crazy and played with the cards whole day. I wonder if I get the cards for him now, will he still be interested in them? Maybe not. Maybe he will ponder about it for a while and then put it aside... Talk about having new things to play with.

If only... If only I have all the cash in the world, I would buy all the pins in the whole world...Hehe.. Looking at those pins makes me think of my pathetic pins collection. I would really love to add a few more pins to my Disney's seven dwarves collection - make it a complete Disney pins collection. Wouldnt that sounds nice?

Ah.. time to get back to reality. :p

Heat

The weather has been different from the previous years. I wonder if our Earth is suffering and the symptoms are getting worse. Then again, who am I kidding? I bet a lot of environmentalists will tell me that the Earth is indeed suffering.

Anyways, ever since the constant downpour in January, we are now experiencing heat. But it is still bearable especially since I am sitting in an air-conditioned office the whole day.

Read up about Arizona while surfing around. Apparently, Arizona is a place that has always been quite hot. The temperature is something like 80 degree celcius – Is that possible to live in? But the pictures of Arizona are so breath-taking. The nature is so amazing to look at.

Suddenly remember about the wedding conversation I had with a cousin this morning. I am sure the wedding photos will look superb if the background is of that place in Arizona.

Do check out Arizona relocation services

Manga

I have been reading manga recently. Reading too much actually. The most recent one is Ouran High School Host Club. I believe one of the cousins has been reading this as well. It is about a group of super rich boys that formed a club to accompany rich girls and one of the members is actually a girl.

I am actually more into reading romance manga and this manga has a very vague relation to romance. It is more into the friendship between the members and how they help others in their everyday lives. So, despite of the lack of romance element, I find myself reading more and more each day – perhaps not engrossed as when I was reading romance manga though.

There was a chapter that I read yesterday. It is about not wasting unnecessary food. It is funny to see the group of boys experimenting with different unlikely combination of food. They want to find out what soup that has their vice principal enchanted long ago. Despite of the vice principal’s obvious warning not to waste food, they just went on to waste whole load of food. Finally, the girl in the group said it outloud that they should not be wasting food and that’s when they realized their mistake…

Then again, why was the vice principal unable to forget that wonderful soup? It was revealed in the end that it was because the person who cooked the soup is the person he fell in love with.

Ah! Talking about not wasting food, do read about holodomor.

New Year

It is a new year. Perhaps I should have some new resolutions this year. Be a better person. Try not to be resentful of things. I think I ended year 2008 with a sense of negativity. Not good. I want a different and better year.

With a sense of optimism, I went on a shopping trip. Constant reminding myself to be more open, more receptive to different ideas, more energetic…

I guess I did accomplish my goals. I was able to buy quite a number of pieces. Next is to hope that I will be able to wear these pieces.

The regretful thing might be because of I have not managed to purchase a nice pair of jeans. I am quite particular when it comes to jeans. I need assistance. I definitely know that I cannot wear skinny jeans because my leg shape is not suitable for such jeans. I might end up looking like having two elephant legs.

But skinny jeans with Boots will look so nice… If I have skinny legs.

Instead, I am more open to wearing jeans that has a little bell-bottom… low cut… has a bit of stretchy material… But why is it so hard to find such jeans?

Though I have to admit it that it is also partially because of my finance. Too little finance to satisfy my enormous spending habit. I am starting to want to sign up for a credit card so that I can spend more. Gasp!

Manage your debts

When we think of debt…inability to pay off the debt… we will think that bankruptcy is the last resort. Suffer thru the bankruptcy and then come out of it as a new man again. But who would want to go on living with such financial restriction? There are actually so many other ways to get out of debts.
I first heard of debt consolidation from a television show. The television show is about people who gotten themselves so much in debt that they are in a serious financial problem. The counselor helped them to realize the causes of their situation and how to stop themselves from getting more into debt. At the same time, the counselor also helped them to find some other way to make extra cash to pay off their debts.
I think this is a very interesting issue because not everyone has the knowledge about this. Then, I read about Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVA). It is a better alternative to bankruptcy as one can actually cut their debt by half and freeze the interest. What is more is that it can actually stop the creditors from going after you. There is so much stress from having the creditors calling and asking for payments every now and then. I will break down if I am faced with such pressure.
Overall, there are so many ways to handle debts. We should always try to look for different options.

SOCSO?

I have always wondered what if someone get injured in my workplace. What sort of security do we have for this? In Malaysia, employer and employee are required to contribute a small amount each month for SOCSO, a government organization that will pay compensation to the employee in the case of a workplace injury. Truthfully, I have never heard or seen anyone claim for it.
Perhaps for my line of job, there isn’t any serious injury that can happen. But what about those that work in dangerous places. The lady in the payment counter for basement parking at this shopping centre, which is still under renovation, she has to suffer the dust from the construction for the whole day. Think of the dust that she is inhaling every day. I don’t think a person with asthma history can sit in her place and work. She has to wear a mouth mask in order to not inhale the dust. Guess she is a good candidate to claim for compensation should she develop asthma or other personal injury.
But does she know her right? That is why it is always good to have people who are specializing in claiming compensation to help. These specialists can actually create awareness to the public that they can claim for some compensation for the pain that they suffer.

Training

There is this one time long ago that Denny asked me to get for him a cassette for networking sale motivation. I told him that I saw it on sale somewhere and I remembered him when I saw it. He wanted it when I told him about it. It costs him quite a bit of money but he said it is worth it as the speaker is someone with high caliber in this industry. I guess I can say that he was trying to get trained to do sales before he steps into the working world and start practicing what he has learned. Perhaps he should also go for some Sales Courses .
Even now, I think we still need to go through training to upgrade ourselves in order to compete with others. Time is possibly the only thing that is in the way as there is always not enough time to do things… Guess it is entirely up to us to grab the opportunity when it is there.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Many people do not realise that the medical world is just not just about treating illnesses or accidents. Yes, it was labeled as the "gorry" job. What a wrong perception altogether! Nowadays, medical profession is also seen as the "beauty surgeon". Plastic surgeons are coming up like mushrooms after a rainfall. Breast Augmentation is no longer something new to many. It is now the "in thing", especially in the world of the rich and glamour. One can easily get her boobs fixed. After all, a girl has all the freedom she has to pursue her beauty. Beauty may be very subjective but it also an effort. There is a saying that goes, there is no ugly girl, but only lazy girls. Cosmetic surgery is no longer an alien - it is just like another friend which comes by at one time in your life. Yes, no doubt there are many risks when the surgery is concerned, but is there not any risk in other medical procedure as well? The risks would always be there, but it is up to the plastic surgeon and his or her client to make the wisest decision for the client. No matter how one tries to deny it, cosmetic surgery is going to take over the beauty scene sooner than you expect.

Sweet Dreams

Sleep is such an important element in our lives. Why do I say that? ‘Cause having not enough sleep will mean less energy and thus leading poor health. I have a personal experience with it. And I am suffering from it now. Took a leave from job today to rest and trying to gain back the sleep time.
One of the important things that affect the sleep is the bed. I believe in having a comfortable bed to sleep on. Personally, I prefer a queen or king size bed. Simply because I love the size. Single bed is just too small and restricted. I like to roll around and I tend to move when I am sleeping.
My current bed is a double-decker type of bed as I used to share the room with my sibling. But I am planning to change it soon in order to make the room more suitable to my personality. I am aiming to get a nice antique style bed. My online searching leads me to oak beds. The reliable oak beds seems so appealing to me. It has a sense of security and seems to be able to last for a long time. I find myself imagining smelling the smell of the wood. Hmm… Nice…

Get in control

One thing that is very worrying to me these days is that how to avoid myself from getting into debts. How to make sure that I will not be tempted to place myself into a difficult financial position? People, who do not know, would think that with my salary, I should have enough to spend and save if I use the money wisely. But… this is not the reality. The fact is that I have a few commitments that use up my salary.
I am guessing that people will advise me to spend minimal on every single thing. That means to spend a small amount for mobile phone charges, cable television charges, food, and fuel… That’s the necessities. Then, it also means not to spend a single cent on clothing and entertainment…and beauty. Impossible to achieve…what is the point of living if there is no enjoyment in life?
I think the more logical approach is to make yourself aware of what you are spending on. To make sure you know what that thing that drains your cash is and take control of your spending. Spend only in cash and never in credit card. Don’t spend money in advance because that money is not yours yet. In the case of emergency, make sure that you have someone reliable and generous to lend you money… best if this person is your parent.

Control yourself and spend within the limit.

For more info, read Debt Management

Cottage business

In the future, I would like to move to a place like my aunt in New Zealand. I love the basement garage that the house has. It is really spacey and can store a lot of things despite of the small area.
Since my place at this moment is impossible to have a basement, I guess I can also settle for Concrete Garages. I found this site that provides garages, sheds and workshops. It looks very convenient and has a lot of options to choose from.
When I saw this word ‘sheds’, it reminded me of the shed at my colleague’s house… I am quite envious of the shed that she has. It is quite convenient to keep all the gardening equipment that is too big or dirty to store in the main house. Somehow, it also gives me the feeling of being organized. There is separation of space between things done outside of the house and inside of the house.

This shed looks so cute…that I think it is possible to convert it into a playhouse for children. And guess what it is easy to clean as well. Oh wait! The site mentioned something about cottage industry… I am guessing that if I have a big plot of land and build this little shed aka cottage, I can rent it out to people and… money will flow in… Hoho…. That will be so nice~

Less on children?

I remember watching a show on tv about helping couple to gain back control of their finances in order to save their relationship. These couples have over-spent and have a lot of loans to pay off. One of the couples featured in the show has a daughter. Both parents have the weakness of buying toys for their daughter. They are willing to splurge a lot on buying toys regardless of the price.
What reminded of this particular couple is because of this article. It said that parents are planning to spend less on their children. I think it is in every parent’s heart and mind that they will automatically splurge to make sure that their children are happy and … have everything that the parents never had before when the parents were young. In the case of the particular couple, the counselor helped them to curb their weakness to buy toys and increase their awareness to the necessities.
Nowadays, we are spending more and more as the price of everything increases… But this doesn’t mean that we should save and scrimp on things that are related to the children’s education. Education is the pathway to a better future for the children. Thus, I think it is reasonable to obtain a loan if there is such a need. Here’s a place you can read more about secured loans.

The most troublesome

The most troublesome thing if one wants to go travelling is accommodation. My travelling, so far, I have saved quite a bit on accommodation because I knew someone at the place I went so I was able to stay with them. At this moment, I am considering my next travel destination. I want to go somewhere further than my previous destinations... and I am quite interested in Southern Spain...specifically Seville.

One of the things that I worried the most is accommodation... Thanks to this site, I am able to have a one-go look at all the available hotels in Seville. Not only it has divide Seville hotels into its star ranking but it also provides pictures of the hotels. This way, I can actually know how does the hotel room looks like...

The site not only offers a helpful list of Seville hotels but also hotels in other provinces such as Granada hotels, Malaga hotels, and many others. So, if I want to travel to other places, I can also look for accommodation thru this site.

With the accommodation problem no longer bothering, I can look forward to planning the finer details of my holidays in Spain

Selling things

I have a dream that I want to open a shop selling handmade accessories using beads and other materials. But a physical store is not only requiring a full time supervision, it also requires a fixed expenditure for the rental of the space. I notice that the rental cost is really high for places that have high population. Apart from that, the customer can only be from one geographical location, which is where the shop is located.

Nowadays, more and more people are using the Internet. So, to open an online store is the way to do it. Like every other online store, I will need to have a shopping cart to allow my customer to purchase my things. This is where I need to get the help from the experts. Ashop Commerce provides shopping cart software that is easy to use and can be customized to suit the user. The cost of getting and using the software is small if I compared to having to pay a high monthly rental. Another thing that intrigues me more is because Ashop Commerce provide not only the shopping cart, but also the design for online store, shipping, payment and other ecommerce software.


So... if you are looking for such program, try Ashop Commerce.

Bad credit?

One thing I fear the most when I am considering whether to get a credit card or not is whether I will be able to pay for the money that I will owe. I know people with an ever-increasing credit loan and it scares me. But what if there comes a day that one has a bad credit? It is always great to be able to compare the variety of bad credit loans that are available from different providers. From the different loans, one can choose the one that can suit one’s needs. With that, one can actually improve their financial position.

Get paid to blog

Consider blog advertising...

It is a way to earn cash while you blog about things or giving it a review thru your blog. Personally, I think it is great because that way, you can actually learn about more stuff as you blog and your blog can showcase a variety of topics and thus… appeals to more people, right? Such opportunity doesn’t just present itself every day. We need to grab it as it comes along. Not every opportunity is suitable as well so we need to choose the one that is suitable for us. So you like to blog and would like to earn some extra cash, why not consider to get paid for blogging? There are so many things that we can blog about so why not blog about those things and at the same time earn the extra cash? So, what are you waiting for? Come and join the trend to get paid to blog.

Where is our next travel destination?

My geng and I have developed a habit of travelling together. So far, we have been travelling together to 7 places, four local and three international. This has been going on for the past two years.

One of the most important aspects in our travel plan is that we want to make sure that it is as convenient as and as low budget as possible. We have either stayed with our relatives or was sponsored the accommodation. At this moment, we have actually ran out of such favours. So, we are a bit worried about going over-budget.

Then, I stumbled upon this Hotel Reservations. It provides such an extensive search on hotels and flights even in the Asia regions. I was surprised and delighted. Even better, it also has internet offer rate which is cheaper than the normal rate for the hotel booking. It gave me a hope that we can actually plan with more details and perhaps, save us a few more dollars on the ever-so-expensive accommodation.

Hey... My plan to go to Japan and Korea to see Tohoshinki may even come true now. Haha...

Detoxfying

Was watching the CSI marathon last night. CSI Miami caught my attention particularly. The set of the crime scene is at a rehabilitation center. It is very intriguing to me. I noticed that rehabilitation centre is a place of comfort and also, safety. People who go there need help to get back on the feet, to lose the addiction they are facing and to be able to lead a normal healthy life.
I went on researching more about rehabilitation centre and found Stone Hawk Rehabilitation Center in Michigan. This centre is different from my perception. It believed in detoxifying the body and help their customers to discover and to develop the lifestyle that suits them. I think it is great that they have such program to help people with drug addiction. Not to mention, the scenery at the rehabilitation centre is amazing.

If I ever need to go to a drug rehab, I wouldn’t mind going here.

Time for a change

The New Year is fast approaching. I managed to convince Dad that we need to give our garage floors a new look. It has becoming more wash-out recently. Not to mention the oil stain due to the old car left behind.

We have looked online for the available options. I wanted a brightly-coloured floor but Dad isn’t interested… The final decision lies in his hands since it is his garage.

Don’t understand why I want to convince him about the floor change. :p