Anything Under the Sun

Bad Analogies

2009-08-23T07:46:00.001+08:00

...from a high school essay

7) He was as tall as a six-foot-three-inch tree.

6) The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.

5) Her date was pleasant enough, but she knew that if her life was a movie this guy would be buried in the credits as something like "Second Tall Man."

4) Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. travelling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.

3) John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

2) The thunder was ominous-sounding, much like the sound of a thin sheet of metal being shaken backstage during the storm scene in a play.

1) The red brick wall was the color of a brick-red Crayola crayon.

And You thought Your Job was a PAIN?

2009-05-31T09:31:00.001+08:00

If you think, for one second, you’ve got a bad job, on your way home from work, stop at your pharmacy. I want you to go to the thermometer section and purchase a rectal thermometer made by Johnson & Johnson.

Be very sure you get this brand. When you get home, lock your doors, draw the curtains and disconnect the phone so you will not be disturbed.

Change into very comfortable clothing and sit in your favorite chair. Open the package and remove the thermometer. Now, carefully place it on a table or a surface so that it will not become chipped or broken.

Now the fun part begins. Take out the literature from the box and read it carefully. You will notice there is a disclosure in very fine print that reads:

“Every Rectal Thermometer made by Johnson & Johnson is personally tested and then sanitized.”

Now, close your eyes and repeat out loud five times, “I am so glad I do not work in the thermometer quality control department at Johnson & Johnson.” Have a wonderful day knowing that, no matter how bad it is, there is always a job that’s more of a pain than yours.

Lessons in Life

2009-05-02T20:03:00.001+08:00

DAD - Son, come in here, we need to talk.

SON - What's up, Dad?

DAD - There's a scratch down the side of the car. Did you do it?

SON - I don't believe; if I understand the definition of "scratch the car"; that I can say, truthfully,that I scratched the car.

DAD - Well, it wasn't there yesterday, and you drove the car last night, and no one else has driven it since. How can you explain the scratch?

SON - Well, as I've said before, I have no recollection of scratching the car. While it is true that I did take the car out last night, I did not scratch it.

DAD - But your sister has told me she saw you back the car against the mailbox at the end of the driveway, heard a loud scraping sound, saw you get out to examine the car, and then drive away. So again I'll ask you, yes or no, did you scratch the car?

SON - Oh, you mean you think you have evidence to prove I scratched it. Well, you see, I understood you to mean did "I" scratch the car. I stand by my earlier statement, that I did not scratch the car.

DAD - Are you trying to tell me you didn't drive the car into the mailbox?

SON - Well, you see sir, I was trying to drive the car into the street. I mishandled the steering of the car, and it resulted in direct contact with the mailbox, though that was clearly not my intent.

DAD - So you are then saying that you did hit the mailbox?

SON - No sir, that's not my statement. I'll refer you back to my original statement that I did not scratch the car.

DAD - But the car did hit the mailbox, and the car did get scratched as a result of this contact?

SON - Well, yes, I suppose you could look at it that way.

DAD - So you lied to me when you said you did not scratch the car?

SON - No. No, that's not correct. Your question was "Did I scratch the car?" From a strict legal definition, as I understood the meaning of that sentence, I did not scratch the car... the mailbox did... I was merely present when the scratching occurred. So my answer of "No" when you asked "Did I scratch the car" was legally correct, although I did not volunteer information.

DAD - Where in the heck did you learn to be such a liar?

SON - From The President of the United States.

Double Take

2009-04-22T18:54:00.007+08:00

Its been a while since I last posted. Its already more than 4 months since we moved from Singapore to Adelade. The kids have settled and are extremely happy to have ADSL internet service available so that the can enjoy their online games and communicate with their friends back in Singapore through MSN etc.

Instead of 1 week school holidays, kids have 2 weeks holiday for the first three terms and at the end of the year they get about a month and a half of holidays. As for the Easter weekend, we had a really long weekend. School ended a bit earlier on Thursday and the public holiday streched up to Monday. Our neighbour gave the kids easter eggs and they also got some from friends and teachers in school. Shops started showcasing lovely easter eggs and bunnies etc from the start of March.

I am still learning to drive and will have to keep my learners permit at least up to September ( I hope I would have passed the exam by them). I am very excited to join TAFE for certificate in childcare in July. I believe that is the best job for me. I love to spend time with kids and I love making crafts and I am a happy and bubbly person. Its an irony, but to join this course I have to send my youngest to a child care or day care! After being a home maker for quite a few years I'm a bit nervous yet I keeping my fingers crossed that everything will work out fine.

See the comics below and you'll know there are other who have to be much more nervous than me! Hope you enjoy the comic - Its from www.doubletakecomics.com

If you are caught Sleeping at Work

2009-03-14T10:14:00.000+08:00

Ten best things to say if you get caught sleeping at your desk

10. "They told me at the blood bank this might happen."

9. "This is just a 15 minute power nap like they raved about in that time management course you sent me to."

8. "Whew! Guess I left the top off the white out. You probably got here just in time."

7. "I wasn't sleeping, I was meditating on the mission statement and envisioning a new paradigm."

6. "I was testing my keyboard for drool resistance."

5. "I was doing a highly specific Yoga exercise to relieve work-related stress. Do you discriminate against people who practice Yoga?"

4. "Why did you interrupt me? I had almost figured out a solution to our biggest problem."

3. "The coffee machine is broken."

2. "Someone must have put decaf in the wrong pot."

1. " ... in God's name, Amen."

The Less You Know, The More You Make

2009-01-22T10:20:00.000+08:00

"Salary Theorem" states that "Engineers and Scientists can never earn as much as Business Executives and Sales People."

This theorem can now be supported by a mathematical equation based on the following two postulates:

1. Knowledge is Power.
2. Time is Money.

As every engineer knows:
Power = Work / Time

Since:
Knowledge = Power
Time = Money

It follows that:
Knowledge = Work/Money.

Solving for Money, we get:
Money = Work / Knowledge.

Thus, as Knowledge approaches zero, Money approaches infinity, regardless of the amount of work done.

Conclusion:
The less you know, the more you make.

Goodbye Singapore Welcome Adelaide

2008-12-29T08:08:00.024+08:00

It's Official - We've Mooooved!

It has only been about 1 month plus and there are already 2 "things" that I miss terribly.

Number 1 : Family and Friends
I miss my siblings, my in-laws and friends. While of course, my kids miss their cousins, best friends and classmates. But thank God for email and phones, we can still keep in touch:)

My sister had a house warming at her new place in JB and the "Gang" was there from Friday till Monday. So, that was one get together that we couldn't be around. But, I know that there will be other times so, we just have to wait patiently when we come down for a visit back to Singapore.

On the 23rd of January, my husband's niece will be getting married. She is the eldest grand daughter for my in-laws. The wedding is going to be really up scale and and grand but we have to miss that too. Fortunately we were around for her ROM and my husband will be back in Singapore during that time so at least he will be able to attend.

Number 2: Food Glorious Food

I am really glad that there are many "Asian" grocery stores available here. I have also located quite a few Halal meat stalls and Halal food shops. However, I just can't walk down to the neighbouring food court and order just about anything. Boy, do I miss the Halal Food Court in Jurong Point!

I can't seem to find those yummy and sour preserved fruits anywhere. Although I could find lots of fresh and dried fruits as well as such a variety of nuts everywhere. I just hope when Chinese New Year is round the corner, I'll be able to grab some of my favorite preserved fruits. Yummy asams :)

Some Distinctive Differences

The People

They are very friendly and helpful. Back in Singapore, if a stranger says "Good morning" when I go pass him on a Zebra crossing, I will do a double take and think to myself, "That guy is really strange". But such incidence are the norm here.

Everyone who serves you will usually greet you with "How was your day" etc. as well as show patience and kindness when dealing with you. For example, once when I was trying to fax a document and it couldn't go through, the librarian bothered to check the Net to find out if I had got the wrong fax number or were there any other alternative numbers to fax to. I believe that is definitely going the extra mile for customer service!

The Land

It's huge. So almost everyone drives. When someone mentions it's just 5 minutes from here, they are not talking about 5 minutes walk but, more likely about 6 km away or 5 minutes drive.

I haven't seen one skyscraper yet and I don't think there's any here.

The views are soooo beautiful. I wish I was a professional photographer or artist. I'd probably make millions of dollars with these "Post card" views.

It's cheaper to rent a "landed property" with lots of garden and backyard as compared to a flat. Flats are low maintenance, usually situated nearer to the city and it is also more difficult to find 3 bedrooms in apartments.

My kids simply love the space available. They can play catching, hide and seek, ride their scooters and bikes and have lots of fun. Of course, I end up with a bigger place to clean up and keep tidy. The possibility of insects visiting your house increases many folds.

The weather - It's no sweat!

Seriously - because of the lack of humidity, one does not perspire. Whenever I sweep or mop the floor back home, I would end up drenched in sweat. Not so here, so I can sure save money on perfume huh :)

The daylight hours are very long right now. Sun rises at about 5 am and sets at only 8.30 pm. I am sure glad that by the time we have to fast next year for Ramadan the timing would have changed to what we are more used to. (Sigh of relief)

It's strange but it can be cold and hot at the same time. The sun is intense so all school children need to put on a hat during P.E. While at the same time the wind can be strong and cold. The first few days after we arrived, it was the coldest summer in many years.I heard that it was snowing in Victoria. (Yes it's summer not winter in down under)

The transport system

No MRT, but there trains, trams and buses. They do not come in such short intervals as in Singapore. BUT hey, all forms of public transport (except for Taxis) are free within the city limit.

Outside of the city - you buy a ticket and it can last you for 2 hours. That means you can use it on trains, buses and trains as many times as you wish within the 2 hours.

Getting a driver's licence

I had thought that since cars are so common in Australia, getting a driver's licence would be really easy. I took some lessons in Singapore but didn't have time to sit for the test as the booking for a test has a waiting period of about 3 months or longer. I thought I could just take a refresher course then sit for a test. Unfortunately the system is very different. After I pass the theory test, I will be given the "L" plate. I will have to complete 40 hours of day driving and 10 hours of night driving with a qualified supervising driver. As my husband does not hold an Australian driving licence, it's a bit of a problem for now:( I will also have to hold the Learner's permit for at least 6 months.

The Education System - It's Stress FREE

This was one of the primary reason for our move. There's no PSLE, "N", "O", "A" levels or any other streaming for me or my kids to worry about. The kids start out at kinder garden then move on to primary then later to high school. After which they can decide to take TAFE ( which is similar to polythecnic in Singapore) or to join the university.

The school starts in end January so we have an extended holiday from November to January for this year. Yippee!

The Library

It is much smaller and not multi storied like those in Jurong East, Woodlands etc. However, their system is sooo wonderful. Instead of us searching for the books the book comes to us. How is that possible you ask?
You check up the books that you like in the computer catalog and put them on "Hold". Once it is available you will be notified and then come down to the nearest library of your choice to borrow.

You don't get to borrow a miserly 4 books at a time. NO, after 3 months of library membership you get to borrow "50", yup that's FIFTY items. You don't have to pay annual membership fee of $20 to borrow Audio visual materials. For those below 18 years old, there could also borrow from the recreational library stuff such as tennis rackets, soccer and basket balls etc. The children section is really cozy and has lots of puzzles and games to keep to tots occupied while the parents browse and read at leisure.

What is more, the favorite activity of my elder three kids, which is using the Internet, if FREE. (for 2 hours per person per day)

On the other hand , there are some disadvantages such as the opening hours are not as long as in Singapore and the branch here does not open on Sundays. But there are other branches that operate at different times.

It is really a very new experience out here in Adelaide and we hope to enjoy every minute of it. Till we get back to home sweet home Singapore.

More humorous ponderings

2008-12-20T21:12:00.002+08:00

- Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

- One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.....

- Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

- If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?

- If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest drown, too?

- I went to a bookstore and asked the sales woman,"Where's the self-help section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

- What if there were no hypothetical questions?

- If a deaf person swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap?

- If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation?

What it Means, "Really"

2008-11-13T23:08:00.000+08:00

"It's really a good movie," REALLY MEANS, "It's got guns, knives, fast cars, and good looking women."

"You know how bad my memory is," REALLY MEANS, "I remember the words to the theme song of "F Troop", the address of the first girl I kissed, the Vehicle Identification Number of every car I've ever owned, but I forgot your birthday."

"Oh, don't fuss. I just cut myself. It's no big deal," REALLY MEANS, "I have actually severed a limb, but will bleed to death before I admit I'm hurt."

"I do help around the house," REALLY MEANS, "I once threw a dirty towel near the laundry basket."

"What did I do this time?" REALLY MEANS, "What did you catch me doing?"

"She's one of the rabid feminists," REALLY MEANS, "She refused to make my coffee."

"I heard you," REALLY MEANS, "I haven't the foggiest clue what you just said, and am hoping desperately that I can fake it well enough so that you don't spend the next 3 days yelling at me."

"You really look terrific in that outfit," REALLY MEANS, "Please don't try on another outfit. I'm starving."

"I missed you," REALLY MEANS, "I can't find my sock drawer, the kids are hungry and we are out of toilet paper."

"I'm not lost. I know exactly where we are," REALLY MEANS, "No one will ever see us alive again."

"We share the housework," REALLY MEANS, "I make the messes. She cleans them up."

"I don't need to read the instructions," REALLY MEANS, "I am perfectly capable of messing it up without printed help."

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T20:16:00.007+08:00

Do you think these Halloween Photos will scare anybody?
O.K Maybe the Ladybird beetle!

Tips for meal planning and grocery shopping

2008-09-11T22:31:00.008+08:00

I got these great tips from a magazine. Although I don't follow all of these tips, I'm sure these nuggets and ideas will be useful to my friends.

1. Order Out - Use an online service, which deliver groceries right to your door. This way you can order 24/7, don't have to drive, wait in line, load the car, and so on. In fact, shopping online saves time and money because there is less tendency to buy on impulse. However, most services may charge delivery charges or require you to order to minimum sum before delivery charges are waived. In Singapore such online shopping is not such a norm yet.

2. Text it - As most of us don't leave home without our handy dandy hand phone, it makes sense to enter your grocery list into it for quick reference.
As for myself, I am strictly user of phone only to communicate. My kids are more knowledgeable about my phone and use it to take photos and videos etc while I make a pitiful attempt to send text messages. So I am really a pen and paper kind of person.

3. Time it - Check up your schedule for the coming week, and plan meals based on how much time you have each day. You could also store quick - cooking foods in the freezer for when unexpected chores pop up, or those time when you in evidently burn something while cooking. I find storing such quick meals in the freezer is very helpful when visitor come down unexpectedly.

4. Write it down - As soon as your use up and item, throw away the container - or recycle it- and write it on the erase board posted on your fridge. That way, you will remember to buy it.

5. Go Digital - You could us an online menu planner such as Savingdinner.com. Such sites usually provide weekly grocery list, plus ideas for easy, family friendly menus.

6. Don't Clip coupons - If you clip coupons, figuring you would save money, its likely you would end up buying items you don't need just because there is Such a saving and you might one day need it. I can tell you such one day may never come and you will end up throwing it away or giving it away. It has happen to me soooo many time that I really DON'T clip coupons anymore.
Try to shop in a particular shop or two where you know there will be offers. I frequent two such stores and buy items from those stores which are cheaper than the other. I especially look out for big ticket items such as milk, diapers etc for my kids and buy a few cans at a time when there is a offer.

7. Do the basic - Set a time limit for grocery shopping and never go without a list. Simple tip but most effective I think.

FUN Advice for those who diet

2008-08-31T09:23:00.002+08:00

Cook "Lite" - I thought that meant wearing as little as possible while in the kitchen (it does get hot in there). And, yes, be careful not to burn the buns!

Count Calories - I have yet to see any calories to count. I am not even sure what they look like. You have heard of hidden calories, right? It is easier to count the dust particles on my TV screen.

Walk for Exercise - Hey, I walk wherever I go. I do not jog, run, or skip...I WALK.

Stay Active - Duh...Just this week I re-activated my membership to the Dessert of the Month Club.

Avoid Overeating on Holidays - Funny thing, when I go on holiday, so does my ability to ward off temptation. When I look for Willpower, I find a sign saying, "Gone on Vacation." Unlike Willpower, I at least worked for my time off!

Practice Portion Control - I've been practicing....just not perfect yet.

Eat a Balanced Diet - so far I think I've done well on that point. My weight seems to be evenly dispersed and I am not in danger of careening to one side or the other.

Drink in Moderation - WHERE is Moderation? I would go there....

Find a Hobby that doesn't involve Food - I joined a theatre group. They put me in charge of the Dinner Theatre! Then there were those biscuits for the 7 Brides for 7 Brothers.... So much for a foodless hobby!

Eat a Variety of Food - No problem! Have you seen the variety of chips lately? I mean, we are talking everything from pickle, cracked pepper, nacho, vinegar, jalapeno, and more! And Jelly Beans....enough variety to have a different one every day for three months!

Thank you to my Top 3 Entrecard droppers

2008-08-24T23:46:00.009+08:00

To show my appreciation to my top EC droppers, I will showcase the top 3 droppers for 1 week.

The top droppers for this month are:

rkdsign88

LamBerry

Smadar's Treasure

The AdSpace Contest

2008-08-17T14:15:00.009+08:00

I can't wait to tell you about The AdSpace Contest I found!

The idea is simple and easy: Get as many entries as you can (very easy to do) over the next 30 days. The more entries you get, the better chance you have of winning! At the end of the 30 days, they announce the winner.

The prize?
A 125x125 pixel ad spot (above the fold) on at least TEN DIFFERENT BLOGS that will run for one month. That's at least a $100 value!

Who is co-hosting?

Geek Mom Mashup
Vrtualme
Jamaipanese
Best of Stupid
AxioBlog
The Big Bald Blog
Jason Boom
Unconventional Marketing Blog
Offended Blogger
GorillaSushi

How do you enter to win?
1 Entry - Subscribe to any one of the blogs above via email.
10 Entries - Write a post about the contest (must include links to all 10 hosts OR use the suggested text)
25 Entries - Offer up an ad spot on your own blog for one month as part of the prize package

Simply put, you could subscribe to all 10 blogs, write a post and offer up your own ad spot for a grand total of 45 entries!

How to get thinner and stay that way ?

2008-07-26T20:17:00.004+08:00

when you mention that you would like to loose some weight, you are bound to get lots of friendly advice. They can range from vague "Go on a diet", "Exercise more" to "Try this diet tea/ pill/ plan etc, my friend lost 10kg in just 1 month etc."

Its not easy to go on a diet, especially when you have 4 growing kids at home and they all love to eat meat, ice -cream and all those delicious and "Weight gaining" stuff. I also dare not consume pills because of the recent hooha about diet pills. As most pills can have side effects that is only revealed after many years of usage, it is a risk I am not willing to take.

Well, you could try to increase exercising then, you suggest. That's not an easy feat either. Last year we commenced a thrice weekly jog with the kids. The kids had no problem and enjoyed spending time out doors. But both my hubby and I had to give it up due to knee troubles.

Many people would suggest, "Take up a sport that you enjoy so that you do not give up exercising and have fun at the same time." I like to play badminton. Firstly, there are no courts nearby, and playing badminton outdoors is not easy due to windy weather. Secondly, my kids suck at this sport and my husband has no interest in it. Until I could find a fellow badminton player in my neighbourhood, I have a "good" excuse not to exercise/ play badminton and thus loose some weight and get fit.

At least, that is what I thought, until I came across this article titled "Slimming Secrets From The Kitchen"

To get the svelte figure, start in the kitchen. Slimming down is about taking in less calories, while you burn more calories through exercise.

For a food lover, the dieting part is tough. Exercise is easy, using the stairs instead of the elevator, getting off a stop or two before your actual destination and walking the rest of the way, all these add up helping you burn the calories.

Dieting, or consuming less calories requires discipline, or does it?

My mom is svelte. She eats what she likes. I was slim too, when I lived with her. Her style of cooking made all the difference.

Dieting is not about denying yourself your favourite food. Sooner or later, you'll feel so deprived, you end up binging.

A smarter way to go about this is to take a look at how you prepare your food.

Do you deep fry your food? Do you love crispy, oily fried stuff?

That could be part of the problem.

Maybe you have been dieting by eating lots of salad, heaping your favourite salad cream on it. Salad is great but salad cream contains so much hidden fat. With all the calories in most salad creams, you might as well have a full 5 course dinner instead.

Do you binge on ice cream? Sweet, delectable desserts that are oh so creamy?

Let's start with crispy foods. If you absolutely love dining on crispy meat, try roasting the meat instead. The oil in the meat itself is enough to cook the food with. No need for additional oil.

My mom had a turbo broiler. That was excellent for for cooking chicken wings. Our toaster was used to give food that crispy effect you can't get from microwave ovens. Now there are ovens that do both. A great way to make food crispy without resorting to deep frying it.

Grilled food is yummy. Again, by grilling, the meats cook in their own juices. No need for additional oils that characterize deep frying. We use an oven with grill functions to grill chicken wings, roast meat, the works. Again, no frying needed. Use an oven to do that.

If you must have a crispy snack, the latest snacks in the supermarket feature freeze dried slices of fruit and vegetables which are just like potato crisps. Or go for unbuttered pop corn, freshly popped in the kitchen. Make your own using a popcorn machine but skip the butter. Use salt or herbs to season it instead. Or if you must, sprinkle honey or cocoa powder on it before eating.

On to the issue of salads. Salads are good, if you pay attention to the dressing you put on it. Avoid mayonnaise. Try a herbal vinegar instead. Or if you can't stomach a salad without the cream, try steaming your vegetables instead. Steamed corn tastes great. Sprinkle a little salt on it and avoid the butter. Actually, steamers are vital in the kitchen of anyone who wants to lose weight. A steamer makes preparing a healthy, slimming, tasty meal so easy.

A svelte 60 year old told me how she stayed so slim and healthy. She has steamed fish and rice for most meals. Fish contains less fat than meat. Chicken meat itself is ok, but the chicken skin is laden with fat. Regular meals based on steamed fish are an excellent way to slim down. All you have to do is to season the fish with soya sauce, a slice of ginger, sesame oil and steam it. Eaten with steamed vegetables and steam rice, you have a tasty, healthy, low fat meal.

If you absolutely love ice cream, switch to low fat frozen yogurt instead. You can buy that at the supermarket or make your own using a yogurt maker. The great thing about making your own yogurt is you decide exactly what goes into it. You could use low fat milk, and all your favourite fresh fruit, then freeze the yogurt when it is done, for a creamy, fruity treat. You could add cocoa powder and honey to it. Just use your imagination for a really yummy, healthy treat.

Please note that when you switch to healthy, lower calorie foods, avoid increasing the amount you eat, no matter how yummy the food. 10 helpings of a 100 calorie snack is 1000 calories, so watch how much you eat.

Invest in these equipment to revamp your kitchen for a slimmer you.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

I guess, now I have no more excuse to loose weight huh?

Hope you found this article useful and do drop me a note on how you were able to loose weight, get fit, get that svelte figure, etc.

Imponderables

2008-07-16T23:23:00.000+08:00

- Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?

- If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

- If you drink Pepsi at work in the Coke factory, will they fire you?

- Why are you IN a movie, but you are ON television?

- Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

- How come we choose from just two people for President and fifty for Miss America?

- Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway.

- If a 911 operator has a heart attack, whom does he/she call?

- Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?

Stress Busters

2008-06-06T08:21:00.003+08:00

When you are all stressed out, Who are you gonna call? STRESS BUSTERS!

Unfortunately for us there is no such organization that can provide stress relief with just one call. (I bet even a Genie would not be able to Grant such a wish at a snap of the fingers.)

Why are we stressed out? Sometimes, it could be because we chose to bite into too big a chunk that we are unable to swallow. Yeah, when you want to show off to the new boss how reliable, efficient etc. you are and "volunteer" to do your job and the entire teams' too. You are asking for STRESS!

Sometimes it could be because of good news such as getting married or being pregnant or bad news such as the death of your loved ones etc. Other times it could be beyond your hands such as noisy neighbours or being stuck in a traffic jam etc.

How I would react to stress will be different to how you would react to a similar situation. That's because each of us cope with the situation differently thus we experience stress to different levels of intensity. You might not have noticed it, but come Monday, you have "The world's biggest headache" or you have a loss of appetite. These are just some of the signs that you are under stress.

Your body sends out various physical, mental, behavioural and emotional warning signs of Stress.

Physical Signs of Stress

*Headaches, migraine, stomach aches
*Muscle tension
*Stomach ulcers
*Fast heartbeats
*Sleep disruption
*Loss of appetite or overeating
Sweaty palms
Trembling
Chronic fatigue

Emotional Signs of Stress

*Anxiety and being bad-tempered
*Excessive worrying, moody
*Sadness, fear
*Feeling inadequate

Mental Signs of Stress

*Poor concentration
*Forgetfulness
*Lack of confidence

Behavioral Signs of Stress

*Acting in a defensive, aggressive or impulsive manner
*Nervous habits (E.g. stammering or biting nails)
*Loss of interest in activities

Now that you know what are Signs to look out for, what are you gonna do about it. NO 1800 number to call or Genie in a bottle remember.

Well, here are some Stress Busting Tips

1. Plan your time well.
Keep a daily planner. Give priority to the most important activities and do them first. Break large demands into small, manageable parts. Work through one task at a time. Decide how much time you need for each job. Be careful not to over-organise. Always leave some room for flexibility and spontaneity.

Planning ahead helps you to complete the task you have prioritised. This allows you to have a sense of achievement for the tasks you have completed.

2. Be realistic about what you can do
Choose your work according to your own abilities and interests. Focus of what you can do and not for the impossible. Set goals that are achievable so you don't become frustrated or discouraged.

3. Spread out the major changes in your life.
Give yourself time to adjust from one change to another. For example, avoid changing jobs, buying a car or a flat all at the same time.

4. Speak to someone about your problems
Seeking help is not a sign of weakness. Sharing your worries and concerns with your spouse, family, friend, supervisor or religious leader helps relieve your emotional burden and provides with you with emotional support. Try joining relevant support groups in your community.

5. Interact with your family and friends
Family and friends are a key component of your life. They provide you with friendship,love and support in times of need. Set aside some time each day to talk and relax together.

6. Learn to like yourself and think positive
Be happy with who you are. Keep a positive attitude and outlook in life. (Remember the glass is always half full instead of half empty) This helps you to accept what you cannot change and make the best of what you have.

Don't be overly concerned about your looks. That Barbie doll look is a myth. So why stress yourself, be happy with who you are. However, if you are concerned about your weight for health issues, then speak to your doctor or nutritionist, who would be able to assess your weight status and give advice on weight management, if necessary.

7. Keep healthy
Keep your body healthy and fit by exercising regularly, eating wisely and getting enough sleep. Engaging in regular physical activity releases endorphins which give you a natural "high". Eating a healthy and balanced diet will provide the recommended level of nutrients needed to boost your immune system.

8. Make some time for yourself
Do something that you really enjoy. Take up a hobby like dancing, painting or a sport. Take a short break when you feel tense or tired. Get up and stretch, or take a short walk. When you return to your work, you can concentrate better.

9. Learn some relaxation techniques
Deep breathing exercises, meditation, message and muscle relaxation techniques help to relieve stress.

10. Be clear about your roles
Know your job scope and what is expected of you. If not, clarify with your supervisor. When working in a team, know each other's roles and responsibilities. Communicate regularly to ensure that the projects are on schedule. Delegate work, where appropriate.

11. Prioritise your work
Plan a timeline for your projects. Start on projects that require immediate attention. Allow an additional 10% of your time for unforeseen circumstances.

12. Be realistic in what you can do.
Start a job only when you can and have time to finish it. Similarly, do not take on new workload when you are up to your neck in work. Learn to say "No" when necessary.

13. Plan your meeting and start on time.
Set the object and agenda for your meeting and request cooperation from team members to be punctual. This helps reduce time wasted discussing irrelevant issues and waiting for everyone to get started. The extra minutes saved can be spent on productive work.

14. Practice "Power" chat
Keep business telephone conversation brief and concise. Don't get into the habit of chatting too long which could affect your work productivity.

15. Counter negative thoughts
Watch out for negative thoughts at work. Stop worrying about how you appear to other people. Focus on your good qualities and accomplishments. Counter negative thoughts with positive affirmations such as "I can do it!". Add helpful reminders to your screen saver, such as, "Take a deep breath," or add a phrase or joke that makes you laugh.

16. Workplace Fitness
Join your workplace health programmes such as exercise classes, stress management courses or quit smoking programme, to keep healthy and fit.

Did I mention PLAN IN ADVANCE

17. Plan your household chores
Spread out the task that need to be done over the week. Avoid doing too many task in one day if you can. Prepare a list for grocery shopping so that you don't miss out on buying items that you need.

18. Plan your vacation
Plan your travel arrangement early and find out more about the place you are visiting (e.g. weather and road conditions, medical facilities, visitor's attractions, safety matters etc.).

Prepare a list of items you need to bring along:
- important documents
- medication
- contact details in case of emergency

If you have pets, make arrangement for someone to take care of them, especially if you are away for an extended period of time.

19. Plan for festive periods or gatherings
List the people you would be visiting and plan your time. Write down a gift list and purchase the gifts in advance, if necessary.

If you are organising parties or social gatherings, prepare an invitation list and plan the menu. If necessary, make catering arrangements early.

20. Plan your child care arrangement
Be aware of the facilities, programmes and deadlines for infant/child care/ school arrangements. For working adults with young children, there are infant / child care centres and before and after school care facilities that will help look after your children while you are at work. Find one that suits your need.

21. Recognise the responsibility if you are caring for an elderly
Be aware of the demands when caring for an elderly, especially if they have a medical condition that requires medication and frequent visits to the clinics / rehabilitation centres. Modification to the home environment, e.g. renovations can be made to provide a safer environment for the elderly.

MANAGE STRESS BEFORE IT MANAGES YOU OR ELSE!

Prolonged stress is definitely not good for our body or mind as it exposes our body constantly to the effects of adrenaline and will lead to many health problems:

* Decreased immunity levels, thereby increasing our chances of getting colds and other illnesses

* Worsening of asthmatic conditions

* Increased blood pressure that will increase the risk for stroke and heart attacks and even kidney problems

* Digestive problems like indigestion, constipation or even diarrhoea

* Depression, nervous breakdown or mental illness.

Use Positive Ways to Manage Stress
Don't fall into using negative ways of coping stress. Taking drugs, consuming excessive alcohol, smoke , binging on food will not provide solution but instead cause more problems. These only mask the stress one feels while actual harming us in the long term and possibly causing emotional and financial burden to you and your family.

We would not be able to get rid of stress altogether, but we can manage it at a level that we can handle.

So do make use of the STRESS BUSTERS mentioned above to live an healthier and stress free life.

P.s. As much as I would like to claim credit for all these nuggets of information, I got a booklet about managing stress by the Health Promotion Board, Singapore. As I found the information to be useful, I am sharing this information with you.

PayDotCom - The Newest Affiliate Marketplace in the Block

2008-05-28T00:42:00.003+08:00

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Did I mention it is 100% FREE to Join!

This site is going to KILL all other marketplaces and by now, almost EVERY SINGLE SERIOUS online marketer has an account with PayDotCom.com

So get yours now and see how much they offer...

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They give you cool tools like BLOG WIDGETS, and they even have an advertising program to help you get traffic to your site.

If you want an ARMY of affiliates to sell your products for you, they also allow you to have Free placement in their marketplace!

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Wedding Bells are Ringing

2008-05-21T08:32:00.014+08:00

Last Sunday, I attended my husband's nephew's Engagement ceremony. Mid June, my niece will be getting married. In December, my cousin in Penang, Malaysia is planning to get married. While other cousins, nephews and cousin's children have also mentioned their intentions to have their marriage or engagement ceremonies soon. Why soooo many weddings and engagements this year, I wonder. Could it be that 08 is Lucky. Well, 8 is a lucky number for the Chinese, but as we are Indians, I don't think that's really the reason.

Living in Singapore, I have had the opportunity to attend wedding ceremonies of different races and religions. It is very interesting to experience the differences in the many different race, religion and culture and realise that there are even subtle changes between the different dialects of the same race or religion.

Most of us are aware of the exchanging of rings in a Church wedding.
But do you know how the Indians, Chinese, Malays and Seeks celebrate their weddings and what customs are involved. As I have friends and relatives from these various cultures, I was able to witness at least one of their wedding ceremony.

An Indian Wedding

Many us of may not be aware that Indian weddings need not take place in a temple. Especially in Singapore, it is usually held in community centres or wedding halls. The outstanding feature about the Indian wedding is that a small pit of fire is constructed on the stage where the wedding couples will seat behind it. The priest will say chantings and pour some oil to let the fire burn slightly stronger. When my best friend, Patma, got married, I got to see first hand the wedding ceremony. I realised that there were slight variations from what I saw in the Tamil movies. In Indian weddings, the bride dresses in a gorges Saree which is usually in bright colours such as red, orange or yellow. She is also decked up in gold jewellery with flowers decorating her long hair. ( Have no fear, dear bride if you do not have the requisite loooong hair, just use long braided wigs). The bride will have beautiful henna decorations on her hand and legs. The couple will also adorn garlands on their necks.

As the priest recites chantings the groom will tie a Thali, which is a yellow string, around the bride's neck and tie 3 knots. Family and friends will throw flowers onto the couple to bless them. After which, the couple will walk around the fire pit 3 times. The couples will then kneel down before their parents and ask for their blessings.

Vegetarian food is served on banana leaf if the wedding takes place in a temple. Otherwise meat dishes or buffet meals would be served when the wedding takes place in a hall or community centre. My favourite part of the Indian wedding meal is the payasam, a sweet porridge served as dessert.

Chinese Weddings

When my brother-in-law married a Chinese, I learned about the tea- ceremonies and the $888 gift packages to the bride. In a Chinese wedding, the groom will give a gift of gold jewelry and money. It is usually in the form of $88, $888, #8888, depending on how much was agreed upon. Did I mention that EIGHT is a very lucky number for the Chinese. (Since this year there will be 08/08/08, the number of Chinese wedding held for this year will probably be an all time high!)

I have also attended a couple of wedding receptions of my Chinese colleagues. The reception is generally held at a hotel and a 8 or 10 course dinner is served. The wedding couples are congratulated by family and friends and toasted with a very "long" YAM SENG.

Malay Weddings

I LOVE Malay weddings. Even when the wedding is held below an apartment block, the decorations are super. There will usually be a red carpet from the entrance to the stage where the wedding couple will be seated on the stage. The stage and the long tables will be beautifully decorated.

As with the Chinese wedding, the groom will usually give a monetary gift as well as many other personal products such as dress, watch, handbag,shoes, make-up set etc. Wonderfully delicious and beautifully decorated "Kuehs" and sweets will accompany these gifts. The striking feature about their gifts are their decorations, even the money is folded into beautiful shapes, such as a peacock etc. The bride will also give some likewise beautifully decorated personal gifts like shirt, watch, shoes etc. (of course no money, and much less gifts then the groom)

Each guest is generally given a small gift for attending the wedding. The Malay couples usually change into many different types of costumes such as different Malay dresses, wedding gowns, kimono, Saree , etc. and take lots of photos. Most couples prefer to have the costume photo session to be held before the wedding. However, they will have a few dress changes during the wedding day and take photos with family and friends who attend.

Kompang, a traditional Malay musical drum beat by a group of man is used to welcome the groom.

Unlike the Indian and Chines weddings, for the Malay wedding, the wedding feast is held at both the grooms and the brides residence. The groom will invite his set of family and friends for his wedding reception and likewise for the bride. Only close relative will attend the feast held by the other party.

Malay wedding feasts are really mouth watering. YUMMY! They have lots of hot and spicy meat and seafood dishes, lots of selection of vegetables and truly yummy selection of kuehs for desserts.

Seek Wedding

I once attended my Seek teacher's wedding held in a temple. All the women attending the wedding had to cover their head with a scarf once they entered the temple. There were songs sung by relatives and friends to congratulate and bless the wedding couples. Yes, vegetarian food only, as it was held in a temple. But it was the first time I sampled mock meat, which was really interesting as it tasted just like meat.

I am looking forward to the many wedding ceremonies to be held latter in the year. Less than a month left for my niece's wedding.
Well Congrats and Good Luck to all who are planning to get married soon.

Free Cartoons

2008-05-12T14:05:00.003+08:00

Hi everyone,

I am busy right now and have not been able to blog my 10 cents worth of opinion for a while now. I had come across this site where " A new cartoon will automatically appear
on your web site every single day...Monday-Friday."

So enjoy the jokes (HAHAHA)

SLS Karaoke with a Difference - India's Solution to mass literacy

2008-04-25T22:21:00.007+08:00

Although I enjoy Karaoke singing, I didn't for a minute, think that it could help solve a nation's literacy problem. Below is an excerpt from an article which I found very interesting and want to share it.

Same Language Subtitling (SLS) is the simple idea of subtitling song-based programmes on TV in the same language as the audio. Thus, you will be watching Bollywood style Hindi film songs with the lyrics subtitled in Hindi, every word highlighted as it is sung. Ditto in 22 official Indian languages ... or any of the world's languages.

SLS is a deceptively simple idea for the enormous contribution it can make for mass reading development in countries where TV viewers already watch song-based programmes with a passion and reading skills are low.

SLS is Karaoke with a difference! Karaoke is entertainment for the literate. SLS is designed for mass karaoke on popular song-based TV programming, targeting the early literates, ie, those who may be able to write their name, but are not really literate.

SLS accelerate skill acquisition by creating practice opportunities at home. A strong impact on motivation for literacy is expected among non-literates and early-literates. One of the biggest challenges in literacy is learner motivation. With SLS, learner motivation to read along with the songs is inherent in people's passion for Bollywood. It is a well-researched point that if SLS is there, it will invite reading engagement in anyone with some alphabetic familiarity, like being able to recognise a few letters. Learner frustration does not build up among the early - literate, while reading along with songs. The "answer" to what they are not able to read fast enough is always there, instantly in the audio or, in their mind if they know the song. SLS on songs naturally infuses plenty of successful moments in a struggling reader's reading experience.

SLS has found national acceptance in India, but it is yet to become national policy, which would mandate SLS on every song in every language on TV. Finding roughly $20 000 per TV programme annually is a major challenge.

While the SLS project has always enjoyed short term funding from institutions like the World Bank and Google Foundation and a fellowship from Ashoka.org, this has not easily translated into steady funding.

This in not only an interesting way to increase literacy level especially for a country where TV and songs is an essential entertainment and one that can reach the masses readily. Good Luck to India to obtain more funding for this very worthwile project.

Is History repeating itself? - Different nations but same attitude

2008-04-19T00:29:00.004+08:00

A country, newly industrialised, shocks the developed world with its fast and loose way of doing business. It has no respect for intellectual property. Piracy and counterfeiting are rampant. the food it export poisons consumers in other nations. In exasperation, its trading partners plan to impose trade sanctions on its products.

Oh I know that country, you're thinking to yourself. Its China, of-course! Well, you're wrong. It is the US - not the present day Super power nation, but during its the humble beginning of the late 19th and early 20th century one.

According to a recent article in the Boston Globe by Stephen Mihm, an associate professor of American History at the University of Georgia, Americans had gotten on the nerves of Britain and other European countries by publishing books by their authors - Charles Dickens among others - without paying royalties. Its butter exported to Europe was made of beef fat, cattle stomach and ewe udders. Its pork was contaminated with cholera, its pickles with sulphates and its milk with chalk. America, in other words behaved very much like China today.

Things have slowly changed as America moved up the value ladder and started selling its products on quality rather than quantity. Then it started pointing accusing fingers on other nations as the tables had turned. During the second half of the twentieth century, Japan got the brunt of trade sanctions for perpetuating the sort of practices it (the US) had abandoned.

China is now repeating history with abundant pirating of western movies and products, importing foodstuff that are poisonous etc.

It seems every "Growing" nations has its lot of mistakes, although the people who are affected are more often from other nations. Let us hope China grows up soon and realise "Quality is always better than Quantity". Unless it imposes rules and quality checks on its products and foodstuff, other nations will stop trading with it or impose trade sanctions too.

I personally would prefer to pay a bit more on quality products. An example would be a can opener that I had bought for $1. It lasted a week. Rather than paying $1 for a product that is useful to me for merely a week, it would be better to pay for good quality product even ten times the price, that is $10, if it lasted a year or more.

Kindness pays big dividends.

2008-04-05T00:54:00.005+08:00

When I brought along my daughter shopping today, one of the stall owners gave her a candy while another owner smiled at her and called her a "Cutie". As a parent, I appreciate the kind acts by these people and will remember them and would indeed frequent their stalls when I need to buy items sold by them.

Of course, the exact opposite would be the one who frowns at me and is reluctant to do a little extra to please the customer. Every Saturday, we like to buy lunch. We had frequented a particular "Bryani" stall for many months. We prefer to have the rice, the chicken, the salad and the gravy to be packed separately. Otherwise, by the time we return home the food would turn soggy.
Well, one day, the staff in this stall complained loudly to his colleague that this customer, ie, me, was being unreasonable and soooo troublesome. Well, that the last time I bought from that stall.

It's simple and very true - The customer is Always Right. So if you don't want to loose your customer be polite and kind. Furthermore, there are many ways to attract and keep customers by being friendly and kind.

Lance Winslow of www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs mentioned some simple ways to attract and keep customers. Here is his article.

Most small business people do not take advantage of human relationship issues. They do not understand that being nice and friendly, out going and enthusiastic pays high dividends. When you are out and about in public you should always wear a smile, wave, honk and have a positive displacement. Such a public image makes people wish to do business with you, it is a good thing.

Waving
When you're driving around town, remember to wave to your regular customers, your corporate customers and even non-customers. Soon you'll notice everyone is waving in your direction, honking their horn and some may follow you to your next stop for service just to get a business card. When you are driving a company vehicle with a magnetic sign on it, you are advertising, if you follow that up with a high-energy attitude you will attract new customers and enhance referrals from your previous golden customers. Sometimes you'll need two hands to wave to everyone and won't be able to shift the standard transmission in your car or truck. Encourage your crews to show the same friendliness and enthusiasm when driving any of your company vehicles.

Honking
If you drive by a business where you know a lot of people and customers, announce yourself by honking. Catering trucks do it all the time. Honk and wave when you go by a gas station even if you don't know anyone there, because someone will think your friendliness was directed at them and will wave back. Others will assume you were waving at someone else and that you must have lots of friends around town.

Thumbs Up
Give the thumbs up sign to police and fire vehicles. Give a thumbs up especially to the police. Due to the nature of their job, they believe that no one likes them and the fact is that many people don't. After all, no one likes to get a ticket. A lot of people do like police officers and if you let them know you're on their team and appreciate their efforts to keep crime under control, you create instant good will with the police department. If the police wave back to you at a crowded intersection, this increases the public's recognition of your role as a positive, contributing member of the community and makes people feel safe and happy about your service as well.

Grocery Stores
When you're in a grocery store and you are wearing your company logo on your shirt it helps to smile at people and make positive eye contact. Be friendly at all times, especially in line where you are most able to make personal contact with others. It makes people happy even though you both have to wait in line. Make sure you always carry business cards with you.

Be proactive when you are not a work too and any time you are in public, it is best way to win friends and influence people. It is a good idea and it adds positive vibes for the entire community. Think about it.

Playing God

2008-03-23T19:26:00.006+08:00

When I ask you, what has a long trunk and has 2 tusks? The answer will be an elephant. How about what is majestic and has a mane? A lion, of course. These are just some of the most distinguishing feature of some of the animals. IF you were allowed to play God and given a free hand in designing "Animals", what would you have chosen.

Why such a "philosophical" question? I got an email with lots of photos of animals, but with a twist. There were 2 animals used per picture and the image had been superimposed. Some of them were real cute while others were real Gross and yet others which I could not really make out whom the 2 contributing animals were. (Half the fun was trying to figure out who the two contributors were.) Some of them are Really tough. Good Luck!

CUTE

MEOWYMOOO

REDFOX

Do Cats eat carrots? - So what's gonna be my favorite food now?

Move over Chiwawas - I'm smaller n cuter.

HEAR NO EVIL - WOOF WOOF

Real Gross

EXPERIMENT GONE WRONG!

MOVE OVER FREDDY

SUCH BIG NOSE

2-IN-1 WE CAN HAVE DOG FIGHT AND A COCK FIGHT

NOT THE KING OF THE JUNGLE - THE CLOWN

Can you figure these out?

UNKNOWN A

UNKNOWN B

UNKNOWN C

UNKNOWN D

UNKNOWN E

Do give me a comment if you could figure out any of these UNKNOWNs.

Would you like to see more animal pictures. How about Veggi Animals.

Taking Sight for granted

2008-03-07T07:49:00.004+08:00

Have you heard of Glaucoma. I hadn't, until about 2 days ago, when I read my local papers and got a wake up call about taking sight for granted.

Glaucoma, it sneaks up on you and steals your sight. There is no pain and there are no symptoms. That is why about half of all sufferers worldwide lose a large part of their vision before they even discover they have this optic nerve disease.

Unlike cataracts, this disease cannot be cured, and once blindness sets in, it is irreversible. TOO LATE!

Yesterday, 6Th March was the first World Glaucoma Day, where health-care institutions come together to raise the awareness of the disease.

Glaucoma is the second top cause of blindness in the world and it was stated that Chinese are at high risk. People with high blood pressure, smokers and those who are short-sighted may be more likely to get the other main form of the disease - open-angle glaucoma.

Glaucoma - from the Wikipedia

Glaucoma is a group of diseases of the optic nerve involving loss of retinal ganglion cells in a characteristic pattern of optic neuropathy. Although raised intraocular pressure is a significant risk factor for developing glaucoma, there is no set threshold for intraocular pressure that causes glaucoma. One person may develop nerve damage at a relatively low pressure, while another person may have high eye pressure for years and yet never develop damage. Untreated glaucoma leads to permanent damage of the optic nerve and resultant visual field loss, which can progress to blindness.

Glaucoma has been nicknamed "sneak thief of sight" because the loss of visual field often occurs gradually over a long time and may only be recognised when it is already quite advanced. Once lost, this damaged visual field can never be recovered. Worldwide, it is the second leading cause of blindness. Glaucoma affects one in two hundred people aged fifty and younger, and one in ten over the age of eighty.

People with a family history of glaucoma have about a six percent chance of developing glaucoma. Diabetics and those of African descent are three times more likely to develop primary open angle glaucoma. Asians are prone to develop angle-closure glaucoma, and Inuit have a twenty to forty times higher risk than Caucasians of developing primary angle closure glaucoma. Women are three times more likely than men to develop acute angle-closure glaucoma due to their shallower anterior chambers. Use of steroids can also cause glaucoma. Those at risk for glaucoma are advised to have a dilated eye examination at least once a year.

Although intraocular pressure is only one major risk factors of glaucoma, lowering it via pharmaceuticals or surgery is currently the mainstay of glaucoma treatment. In Europe, Japan, and Canada laser treatment is often the first line of therapy. In the U.S., adoption of early laser has lagged, even though prospective, multi-centered, peer-reviewed studies, since the early '90s, have shown laser to be at least as effective as topical medications in controlling intraocular pressure and preserving visual field.

I believe this is one case where ignorance is NOT a bliss. Sight is such an important faculty that most of us will be at a loss without it. Since Glaucoma is not treatable, we can only take preventive action. If you believe that you have a high risk of this disease, do go for a dilated eye examination.

The Modern Cinderella Story

2008-03-04T21:46:00.004+08:00

I didn't think that fairy tales can become true in real life. Well, I do hope that these "Girls" will have a "Happily Ever After" ending.

Who are the heroines you ask?
They are the Vietnamese brides married to Taiwanese men.

No cruel stepmother in the horizon. Just desperate parents who gladly exchange their daughters for a Princely sum of around US $ 3000 which is equivalent to what a family would earn in 10 years or more.

Prince Charming you say!
More like middle aged Taiwanese men, usually farmers who treat their spouse as nothing more than someone to warm their beds, produce babies and work on the farm. As it takes years for a Taiwanese farmer to save up money for a wife, he is usually middle aged by then. Did you know that in extreme cases a Taiwanese husband could be older than his Vietnamese bride's grandfather!

No jealous and ugly step sisters, only a society that ostracises and treat these brides as a second - class citizen. While Vietnamese mothers are ostracised at parent-teacher meetings, their children are ostracised in the classrooms and playgrounds.

The Fairy - God - Mother who comes to the rescue of these "Cinderellas" is none other that the Motherland of these brides, that is, Vietnam.

With a twist of the wand, these Vietnamese brides have a much rosier future. Suddenly having the role of a Vietnamese wife has changed. The wife is now the key to the new riches. Trading, manufacturing and property investments are all smoothened by the Vietnamese connections. Vietnamese relatives who used to only write pathetic letters asking for money now offer chances of investment that other Taiwanese have no access to. A Vietnamese wife has, almost overnight, (actually after about a decade or two) become an asset.

As Vietnam grows at the speed of up to 9% annually, the fastest in Asia, the status of Vietnamese in Taiwan is rising. In the past, Vietnamese mothers who taught their children their native tongue had met with objection form their husbands who saw no merit in it. Today, the ability to speak Vietnamese is a boon. Vietnam is looking so attractive that many Taiwanese want to retire there.

How will the story end?

Keyboard for Russian Blondes

2008-02-26T20:04:00.002+08:00

Russian computer company Sven has released a "Keyboard for Blondes". This device, which is pink, has all the familiar keys going under unfamiliar names. The space bar is marked as "The Longest Key". "Enter" is now the "OK Key" or "The Largest Key", and all the function keys F1 through F12 are marked: "You don't need those keys". Numbers are spelt out and the Caps Lock is "The Key for Large Letters". Sven says the new keyboard is bound to become a hit in Russia. A large part of the Russian female population is blonde, and Russians love to laugh at themselves, the company said.

I wonder what will happen if this type of "Keyboard" was invented in any other country. Probably, the company will face lawsuits from Blondes who are "not able to laugh at themselves".

By the way, have you heard of the blonde joke......

This blonde decides one day that she is sick and tired of all the blonde jokes and how all blondes are perceived as stupid, so she decides to show her husband that blondes really are smart.

While her husband is off at work, she decides that she is going to paint a couple of rooms in the house.

The next day, right after her husband leaves for work, she gets down to the task at hand.

Her husband arrives home at 5:30 and detects the distinctive smell of paint. He walks into the living room and finds his wife lying on the floor in a pool of sweat.

He notices that she is wearing a ski jacket and a fur coat at the same time. He goes over and asks her if she is OK.

She replies, "Yes."

He asks what she is doing.

She replies that she wanted to prove to him that not all blonde women are dumb and she wanted to do it by painting the house.

He then asks her why she has on a ski jacket and a fur coat.

She replies that she was reading the directions on the paint can and they said, "For best results, put on two coats."

Love Dogs NOT Dog Meat!

2008-02-18T20:06:00.005+08:00

I have heard that it's a dog eat dog world, but I was shocked to read that dog meat was still eaten in many places including China.

In the west, a dog may be a man's best friend. However, in China as well as Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan, a dog is often a men's best dish!

Canine meat cooked with lots of garlic and herb is considered as a delicacy and is eaten during the winter months.

Dog eating is still prevalent in many places in China. In Beijing, for example, you will find restaurants specializing in dog meat. Did you know that there are even some university canteens in China that offer dog meat in their menu?

Dogs have alway played an important role in the lives of the Chinese since ancient times. For the ancient kings and aristocrats, dogs were plaything whereas for the peasants they were food.

Fortunately, today the number of dog eaters are increasingly being outnumbered by dog owners. According to market estimates, about 200 million Chinese are dog owners. (Mind blogging huh, that's fifty times Singapore's population!) This has resulted in a huge and fast-growing industry that has arisen to service the needs of these dog owners and their dogs.

Dogs have become friends of the old who are childless or stay apart from their children. While others have become playmates for the Chinese children, where most of whom have no sibling due to the nations One-Child policy.

However, due to the lack of education regarding responsible pet ownership, which has resulted in increasing amount of stray dogs and a lack of proper vaccination thus leading to a potential risk of the spread of rabies.

As China is preparing for the upcoming 2008 Olympics, to reduce the rate of the spread of rabies, Beijing Municipal Government had arranged for a dog call in November 2006.

Fortunately, petitions by dog owners and animal lovers combined with pressure from animal protection groups, both local and international, eventually led to the ending of the cull.

The life of a dog in China is still at risk either at the whim of "food lovers", the old and the very young as well as government official who can decide "to cull or not to cull". O Boy, It's a dog's life!

To hit the right spot

2008-02-15T00:25:00.003+08:00

I got this short story / joke from my email friend. I would like to share it so that everyone can have some laughs and Learn from the morale of this story!

A giant ship engine failed. The ship's owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure how to fix the engine.

Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was young.

He carried a large bag of tools with him when he arrived.

He immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom.

Two of the ship's owners were there, watching this man,
hoping e would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag nd pulled out a small hammer.
He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life.

He carefully put his hammer away.

The engine was fixed! A week later, the owners received a bill
from the old man for ten thousand dollars.

"What?!" the owners exclaimed. "He hardly did anything!" So
they wrote the old man a note saying, "Please send us an itemized bill."
CAN YOU GUESS WHAT WAS THE BREAK DOWN?

The man sent a bill that read:

Tapping with a hammer. ............ . . $ 2.00

Knowing where to tap......... . $ 9, 998.00

Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort in
your life makes all the difference.

Blog for Money

2008-02-02T23:47:00.001+08:00

In one of my earlier posts, I had mentioned that I would like to earn truck loads of money through blogging. Well, I am slowly grudging one step at a time towards this goal.

My latest foray to earn money through blogging is Smorty.com
At Smorty.com, you get paid to write the things you like. You don't have to review a blog or site and advertise about it. Just simply post your opinion about a subject that interests you. It can be about someone's product or service as well as someone's website. It is as simple as that!

Furthermore, you can get paid weekly through Paypal.

Unlike many sponsored review sites, Smorty.com
is very user friendly. The process of registering is very easy. It also allows you to submit multiple blogs so that you can write more opinion about a variety of subjects and hence earn more money.

Here are some of the other Great Features of Smorty.com

* Setting up and maintaining an account with smorty is absolutely FREE.

* For each post you will receive a minimum of US $6 and depending on how high your blog PageRank is, you could earn much more per post.

* Advertisers are given 5 days to review your post and it is than automatically approved if it is not disputed within these 5 days.

* Email notification is sent to you whenever new campaigns are available for your blogs. These emails will describe the task details and deadline for submission so that you can make an informed decision as to whether to post on that particular subject or not.

* Each post written for Smorty.com must be between 150 to 400 words. I find this to be a comfortable number for a post. Not too short nor a lengthy or rambling post is expected of you.

For all my fellow blogger who would like to get paid for blogging, don't wait, register right now with Smorty.com

In your Shoes - Different perspectives.

2008-01-26T16:49:00.001+08:00

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

A Tribute to Sir Edmund Hillary

2008-01-22T14:28:00.001+08:00

Let us remember the great achiever and humanitarian Sir Edmund Hillary through his own words and by the words of his contemporaries

Listed below are some of his Famous Quotes

* It is not the mountains that we conquer, but ourselves.

* Nobody climbs mountains for scientific reasons. Science is used to raise money for the expeditions, but you really climb for the hell of it.

* People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things

* You don’t have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things – to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Sir Edmund, while descending the 8,848-metre peak, had announced his greatest achievement to a fellow climber with the words: "We knocked the bastard off".

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said "He was an heroic figure who not only 'knocked off' Everest but lived a life of determination, humility, and generosity".

Acting Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Sir Edmund's name was "synonymous with adventure, with achievement, with dreaming and then making those dreams come true".

Tim Macartney-Snape, who has twice followed Sir Edmund's lead in scaling Everest said "His fame didn't change him at all, he just used that for his work for the people of Nepal."

New Zealand Governor-General Anand Satyanand said "Sir Edmund was an important role model, a leader who showed how to set goals and achieve them".

Hillary's conquest was barely a week old when he was honoured with a knighthood at the age of 33, one of the new Queen Elizabeth's first acts, but he reacted with typical modesty.

"I could see myself walking down Broadway, Papakura, in my tattered overalls and the seat out of my pants," the former beekeeper recalled, "and I thought 'That's gone forever. I'll have to buy a new pair of overalls now'."

Without fanfare and without compensation, Hillary spent decades pouring energy and resources from his own fundraising efforts into Nepal through the Himalayan Trust he founded in 1962, building hospitals, health clinics, airfields and schools.

The words that says it all - Hillary's loss was "a loss for all those who sought to improve our world".

Although most of us could not achieve even 1 % of what Sir Hillary has contributed to the world , let us remember him and work hard to be a better person.

We may not be able to scale the Everest and " knocked the bastard off " but we "can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated"

The Silver Opportunity

2008-01-12T01:37:00.001+08:00

Opportunity need not be golden to bring in big bucks; They can also be "Silver".

With the rise in ageing population all over the world, industries and firms that initiate strategies that cater to the special needs of the elderly will become the early birds to catch the "silver" worm.

It is estimated that worldwide, middle-income retirees will spend US 23.6 billion on travel in 2014.

So, do you operate a tour agency? What features have you incorporated in your itinerary to encourage the retirees to sign up with you? Some good feature that you could include are:

1. Tours that have less strenuous activities in their itinerary

2. Larger sized fonts on maps and brochures etc.

3. Tour buses or other vehicles which have facilities for wheelchair bound passengers.

Resorts and other travel destinations can also jump in to get a piece of the "silver" pie. They could

1. Incorporate infrastructures such as barrier free facilities and elderly - friendly features in shops.

2. Arrange for activities and wellness programmes for the aged.

3. Provide meals that cater to special dietary requirement of the aged.

4. Provide larger sized fonts on menus, maps and brochures etc.

5. Sell large print books for the benefit of the elderly.

6. Have Doctors or nurses in hand to help out in emergencies.

Increased life expectancy also means good news to a lot of industries like finance and insurance, hospital and medical care, day care and retirement homes and many more.

As for financial services they should gear up by increasing retirement and estate planning services. Insurance companies can look into the possibility of providing annuities that are packaged with long-term care plans.

As for hospital and medical care, some products that are beneficial to the elderly include:

1. Fall detection telemonitoring system where A camera will help to detect if someone has fallen, and the system will automatically send an email, SMS or MMS alert to the caregiver.

2. Height-adjustable wash basin that helps to reduce the chances of falling. The basin can be raised or lowered for those who need to sit or cannot bend.

3. Robotic suit that is specially designed for stroke patients that helps them to retrain the use of their paralysed limbs in the comfort of their own home.

As for day care and retirement home providers, they can start a consultancy services or even start franchise programmes to increase the number of facilities all over the world.

These are just some ideas about the glittering silver industries and there's many more opportunities waiting to be dug up!
This is definitely a huge "niche" market.

Getting Prepared for the Best Buys

2008-01-02T22:59:00.001+08:00

Can you imagine buying 40 presents on Christmas eve. Well, it was one of the segments that was featured in the News on Christmas Eve. I kept wondering why someone had to buy 40 gift. Could it be that he was the Form Teacher of a class and his students unexpectedly announced that they were visiting? (Well, that's another story anyway)

For those of you who had just gone through the harrowing experience of buying lots presents within the last few days before Christmas, these tips give you 12 months for you to prepare for the next Christmas!

Make a list
If you had just crossed off all the persons to buy presents from last year's (2007) list, copy it into your 2008 diary, not the pen and paper type, onto your PDA as this will save you unnecessary repetition. If you are not the type to make list, Get into that Habit!

On your list, jot down notes such as what you gave person A last year, what is his hobby, likes , favourite colour, what was his reaction to your gift and any hints that he gave you for his next present etc,.

Look out for Bargains and Sale
If your present is not going to be fashion ware such as clothes or shoes were trends changes within the year, or IT products such as phones , PDA, notebooks etc that are constantly replaced by newer models, then consult your PDA list and look out for gifts whenever there is a bargain or sale.

Research
When Person A or B or C etc, mentioned that she got that loooovely present from Aunt Sue, who happens to be your Arch enemy, and you just have to do better than her, Whatever the Cost, do some Research. Beat her at her own game, get that Lovely Gift at a bargain of course!

Get on the Mailing List
Once you have done your research, sign up with shops that have a mailing list so that you can know in advance of all the sneak preview Sales organised by these shops!

Shop Online
Many online retail sites will pump out special offers and bargain deals especially for their e-shoppers during THE SALE seasons. So, while everyone else in your family and especially Aunt Sue is getting crushed in the packed retail outlets, queueing up in long lines to pay up and getting very tired because they let their feet do the walking, Use your fingers instead and shop online!

Grab a Partner
If you insist on getting your hands dirty and tiring your legs by wanting to be in the midst of the Action, then grab a partner.

You have three choices, your hubby / boyfriend, girl friend/s or teenage daughter (if you have any).

Your husband is a good choice if you intent to buy lots of stuff and need an extra pair of Muscular hands. He can be put in charge of carrying all the packages while you are busy Shopping, shopping and more shopping. If your husband / boyfriend is the type who cringes when the word Shopping is mentioned, then you might have to tempt him with a carrot. Induce him to tag along by stating that his favourite sports and / or IT shop is having a Big discount sale. If you are in luck, they are bound to have a sale too.

Instead of having a Day / night out with your girl friends, go shopping before you go out for a late dinner. There is nothing like honest input from a friend when you select that gorgeous looking but definitely not your type of dress. Don't forget the aim of this shopping trip. Yes, you can have fun and buy yourself some great buys but don't forget that you are shopping for Christmas gifts. So if you friend oohhhs and ahhs over a particular handbag and it is within your budget, get it for her - discretely of course, when she is in the changing room, for example.

Make this shopping trip an excuse for some bonding time with your teen and treat her to hi-tea after you both have shopped till you drop.

Contests
Another great thing about these Sales is that there will usually be lots of contest and lucky draws organised by the malls or retail shops during these sales. Make sure you fill out all the forms, please note that husbands are also good at this chore, so pass it to them, of course.

If you should get a real yucky prize in the lucky draw, do wrap it up nicely and give it to Aunt Sue.

Don't forget to have fun while you shop.

Here's to a Wonderfully Prepared Shopping experience!

Why I Blog

2007-12-30T22:08:00.001+08:00

Money,Money,Money

So that I can bring home truck loads of MONEY, of course. My husband introduced me to blogging. Rather he said "Lots of my friends make money from websites and blogs. So don't just sit at home and idle away, go on and blog so that I can retire earlier". New twist to the old quote - Behind every successful woman is a guy shoving her forward!

So that I can make friends.

As a homemaker, the potential to make new friends is zero, well, its not exactly zero, I did make some friends through the Parent Support Group that I joined. Basically we meet about once a month for about 2 hours for 9 months in a year. Through blogging I learned about many social networks like Yuwie, Blogcatalog etc, As a result, I can make new friends and chat, exchange ideas etc. whenever I can grab some free time.

So that I can rant and rave

I could probably rant and rave and scream my head off when I get frustrated and want to blow off steam! But I live in a flat with lots of neighbours nearby and I wouldn't want to be deemed as "nut case" and sent to a mental hospital. So I blog, rant, rave and scream silently so that my fans and friends read and sympathise with me. Added bonus is when I get encouraging comments from my friends. No, I don't need expensive gifts just kind "words"!

Say no to science

So that whenever my kids keep asking me science questions which I haven't the faintest clue about, I can answer, " I'm working, Don't disturb me now!" When I was my kid's age, about eleven, I learned about the shape of trees (that's about all I can remember now). But nowadays, kids have to answer questions like "State the differences between veins, capillaries and arteries." Thank God for the Net, Wikipedia and the likes!

Become a Geek

So that I can keep abreast of the latest technology and news. All the while, I had thought that "Avatar" was a cute cartoon that my kids love to watch. Well, now I know that an icon used in a multi -user site is also known as an Avatar.

To get my High

Now I blog because I'm addicted to it. I don't smoke pot, drink beers or any other alcohol for that matter, yet I have become intoxicated. I can get high only through blogging.

Should I seek help? Am I beyond help? Do I have to go "Cold Turkey"?

Wah,Wah,Wah.... Don't STOP me, I MUST BLOG!!!!

Contests by fellow Bloggers

2007-12-23T19:49:00.000+08:00

It is the season to give and it seems lots people are in the mood to give. (With an ulterior motive of course, that is, to get more views to their blog!).

I've come across lots of contests from the start of this month (December). The first contest I noticed is the one by How2Blogger.
He is giving away $100 to a lucky winner. All you have to do is write a blog based on "How to" to get 10 entries to the draw. For more details CLICK HERE.

Next is a contest where you can earn $25 as well as en E-book. General Marketing blog is running this contest. All you have to do is to post a comment about the competition to enter. CLICK HERE for more details.

Many of the other blogger are giving away EntreCard Credits (EC). (For those of you who have never heard of EntreCard, here is the condensed version of what its all about.)
It's your internet business card. It's a way for you to advertise your blog on other members sites for free by using a digital business card. Advertising is bought using credits which you have to earn. They can be earned by visiting other members sites and "sending them" your digital business card. You also earn credits when people visit your site and send you their business card. CLICK HERE to find out more about Entrecards

One Superb Contest is by The Big Bald Blog where all you have to do is subscribe to his RSS feed via email and write a blog about his contest. The Yummy goodies that one lucky winner is bound to get includes
1. An 8 Gig iPod Touch

2. 500 Entrecard Credits

3. A total blog review from Mike over at Bloggin-Ads

4. Some cool Big Pappa Worldwide gear. You'll get shirts, shorts,stickers and if you are female we even have some "boy shorts", ringer shirts, tanks and thongs that we can throw in on the deal. Guys, we will throw in an extra "Road Trip Rules for Guys" shirt.

Are you Game for 1000 EC Credits? This contest is run by the coolest girlie geek from Ramblings of an Undisturbed Mind. All you have to do is write a post linking to her contest post and stating the reason of why you need the credits. As for me, I'm always hungry for goodies be they $$$$ or EC Credits! 1000 credits would be a great Christmas Gift. For once, there's a contest where there can be more than one winner, first to fourth place winners will get credit as follows:
First Place will win 1000 EntreCard Credits.
Second Place will win 500 EntreCard Credits.
Third Place will win 300 EntreCard Credits.
Fourth Place will win 200 EntreCard Credits.

Another contest where you can win 1000 EC credits as well as $250, (Wow! More and more yummy goodies!) is run by Saphyrm.com.
What do you do to get a chance to win these yummy goodies?
Basically, Pick a post (besides the one about the contest) from Saphrym.com and blog about it and then link back.
I have to read up on the other post at saphrym.com so that I can post about it and enter into this contest!

A contest with a Twist - You get to choose your prize from the 5 prizes available. All you have to do is write a little post on the prize you would like to win out of the selection prizes. To find out more about the Contest For Bloggers Choose Your Prize CLICK HERE
I would really love to get the IPhone which is prize no. 5. (I'm sure it's the prize that almost every one would wish for.) The other prizes include 1. Sweet grabing game machine( Don't quite know what's its called) 2. A puzzle game 3. A sudoku toilet roll 4. A scary hand.

Now for a Really complicated competition - Blog Comments Competition by CK Marketing.
You have to leave a comment in 10 blogs (outside of your blog subject) to earn 40 EC per blog, that is a total of 400 EC credits.
I'm sorry to inform you that the contest ends on 24th Dec.

An easy way for a chance to win 200 EC credits, is the contest by My Broken Shell.
There are several ways to get entries into the contest.

-Talk about the contest on your blog with a link back(4 entries)

-Subscribe to their feed through email(3 entries)

-Link on your blog roll(2 entries)

-Comment on their post(1 entry)

For more details CLICK HERE.

The simplest contest so far, drop your card every day until the 28th of December for a chance to win 100 EC credits. 7 lucky winner will be annouced by Xavier Media Blog on 28th December.

The best contest that I have come across so far, is the 500 Entrecard Credits Weekly Giveaway by belolets.com where the winner also gets link love

All you have to do is create an entry on your blog about this really cool promo and include the following 2 linked keywords:

500 credits weekly
link love

What is great about this contest is that there are 500 EC credits out for grabs every week and you only have to blog about this contest once but you will be included on the names of the blogs that will be drawn for the succeeding weeks.

On the other end of the spectrum, you get to earn 4 EC credits for every comment (relevant ones not for the just "nice post" kinds) about the post in TechSnack.net

For those of you who are busy looking for EntreCard Widget on my sidebar, please check my other blogs, Healthy Yet Yummy Food and Idiocrasies Of The English Language - That are fun and funny
I have 5 blogs, so for now I am concentrating on these two blogs.

Hello everyone - greetings from around the world

2007-12-09T23:33:00.000+08:00

Do you know how many languages are there in the world? Well, I searched under "Yahoo Answers" and the answer is 6800. O boy, that's really a lot of languages. However, I don't think there's really an authority to say for definite how many languages there are. (How about all those ancient languages, the list is never ending)

One might not know too many languages, but I'm sure we know of some simple words such as greetings in other languages especially in languages that are popular. Well, here is the list of the greetings that I know of

Hi / Hello - English

Vanakam - Tamil

Nî hâo - Mandrin

Appa Kabar - Malay

(P.S. These are the official languages in Singapore, so almost everyone here knows at least how to greet each other in this 4 main languages.)

The list continues....

Namaste - Hindi

Salut / Bonjour - French

Ciao / Salve - Italian

Hola - Spanish

Sawatdi - Thailand

Namaskaram - Malayalam (Kerala India)

Selamat - Javanese (Indonesia)

Aloha - Hawaiian

Salaam - Arabic

Chào - Vietnamese

Namaskaara - Kannada (India)

Ho bo - Hokkien (Singapore, Indonesia)

For those of you who want to check up other common words like please, goodbye etc in European language check out this site : http://www.geocities.com/mailjohan/

These are just some of the common (Well known) greetings that I know of.

As for me, how I greet someone depends on who I meet.

My relatives - Assalamu Alaikum ( This is how muslims greet each other by invoking the Blessings of God upon each other)

Friends - Hello / Hi

Tamil friends (and especially when I meet my children's Tamil teacher) - Vanakam

Close friends / or friends with whom I have not met up with for quite a while - long time no see (This is Singlish La)

English, being an international languages, many of us will great each other with a "Hi" or "Hello". However, there are many nations using English who have their own manner of greetings.

Some of you may have known that Aussies greet each other with a "Good day mate" and cowboys with "Howdy partner". How about Bugs Bunny's "What's up doc"

Most of us have our own slang of greeting others - So what's yours?

How to advertise your blog for FREE - IS Free Advertising a Myth?

2007-12-02T15:10:00.000+08:00

This article is part of How2Blogger’s Super Sexy Holiday ‘How To’ Contest which you can see at How2Blogger’s ‘How To’ site.

If one should Google Search for "Free Advertising" , he'll get more than 317 000 000 search results.

We all know that most of these are just hype, scams out there to get our e-mail address and spam us, kinds of sites.

So what do you do if you wish to advertise your blog without taking any money out of your pocket?

HOW TO ADVERTISE FOR FREE?

Well, here are some ways that I advertise for free. The results are varied and since I don't have any tracking mechanism I can't assure anyone of how much traffic I get from each "Method".

Feel free to give your insight and share your views on how you have been able to advertise for free.

1. NAME CARDS = ENTRECARDS

For those who own a brick and motar shop or those who are proffessional know how important it is to "Spread" your namecards to family, friends and acquaintances (Even strangers). You never know when someone is looking for an accountant and come accross your name in their pile of cards:)

How about us souls who own a blog or site, how do we introduce our business or blogs to others?

Well, I use Entrecards - Its of course FREE. Its also very simple to use. It's a way for you to advertise your blog on other members sites for free by using a digital business card. Advertising is bought using credits which you have to earn. They can be earned by visiting other members sites and "sending them" your digital business card. You also earn credits when people visit your site and send you their business card. CLICK HERE to find out more about Entrecards

2. Forum = Blogcatalog

When you take part in a Forum and discuss a subject that interest you, - there's sure to be at least a trickle of new traffic to your site.

But what's different with BlogCatalog is that its a directory for blogs yet it has options for discussions

So How do you advertise in BlogCatalog - Whenever you view others' blog, you appear in their profile page under "Recent Viewers". If you upload a distinctive picture as your image, than that's free advertising for your blog. Whenever someone check's out the profile of (let's say) Crystrad and the last 10 persons to have viewed this blog would be shown. So the more effort you put in and the more blogs you check out means your image will be shown in all their "Recent VIewers'. So to find out more CLICK HERE.

3. Social Network = Yuwie

Many of you may have heard of Yuwie. Its a place for you to blog and make friends, discuss in forums etc. How do I advertise through Yuwie, I have blogs in the yuwie and introduce my other blogs in there. For eg. I have a blog dealing with English, humour etc, So I start a blog about jokes, post some jokes and them introduce the abovementioned blog. Likewise I've joined clubs that deal with jokes and humour so that I can introduce my blogs to other audience who share similar interest as me.
For those who have not heard about Yuwie, do check it out.
CLICK HERE to find out more.

4. Advertising Tool = TrafficSwarm

TrafficSwarm is a fully-automated traffic-generation
system. I've put TrafficSwarm as the start page in my PC. Everytime someone in my family uses the internet (Which is a minimum of 10 times in a day), I get credit. This credit is used to display my TextAds in their site. Fortunately for me, even when I don't get to use the PC, my kids do the job for me.
The other way to earn credit with TrafficSwarm are
a) To Surf for credit
b) To have a Search Box on your site
c) To have a Link Box on your site

To find out more about TrafficSwarm CLICK HERE.

First Impresssions

2007-11-25T19:05:00.000+08:00

The other day, while waiting for my doctors appointment, I read a magazine for Teens. Though I'm no longer a teen, (But I'm always young at heart), my eldest son is 13 and his younger sister is 11. I thought I should prepare myself to the inevitable changes that will occur as my kids go through the teenage phrase.

I came accross an article on Making a Great First Impression. What's great about this article is that the advice is relevant to everyone not necessarily limited to teenagers. The article from 'Seventeen' mentions 10 points. the other points that I list below are my own. Do you have any other suggestions or tips about making great first immpressions. Do feel free to add to comments so that I can add a link to your site.

1. Be Early - Arrive 10 minutes ahead of time for job interviews. It will show the boss you take this oppotunity seriously. (Do plan ahead and give yourself extra time for unexpected traffic jams etc, especially if the destination is new to you.)

2. Record clearly - Have a simple outgoing voice-mail message. You don't know when a college rep or employer will call! (Avoid having heavy music or rap music for your mobile phone on hold or message as these types of music would be appriciated by your friends but not necessarily by others.)

3. Shake hands - Firmly grasp hands, make eye contact, and smile. This will tell new people you're confident and friendly.

4. Think before you order - On a first date a pricey meal looks greedy; a measly one makes him feel cheap. Go midprice instead. (I feel that this is a great suggestion!)

5. Press "Silent" - When your're with new people and you don't take a million calls, they'll know they are your priority. ( Do remember to turn to silent when you're at the theatre or Lecture hall or other public places where the shrill of your phone will cause others inconvinence)

6. Be self - sufficient - Keep pens, tissues, and cash on hand. Borrowing from people you barely know makes you look irresponsible.

7. Mingle - Walk around at parties. If you stick to one group, it will seem like you don't want to meet new people.

8. Stay Upbeat - Talk about fun stuff, like movies or friends, when you first meet someone. It shows you're fun to be with.

9. Give compliments - Comment on people's clothes or jewelry, but never ask how much they paid for them - that's intrusive.

10. Do dishes - After eating at a new friend's house, offer to clean up - her family will know that you're appreciative.

11. Dress appropriately - Dress smartly by knowing what to where for the occasion. For eg. Don't turn up with T-shirt and shorts when it is a formal party.

12 Be informed - learn about the other person's or organization's culture. When you take the time and effort to learn about others it will be greatly appriciated.( There's also less chance of making a mess or slip up in front of your new friend.)

Fashionable Fridays - Henna Designs

2007-11-16T23:22:00.000+08:00

I believe that temporary tattoos could have come about after someone saw how Indian women wore henna designs on their hands and legs. {Just my view, not necessarily the truth:)}

Having henna designs applied onto ones palm and hands is getting more and more fashionable. When I got married,(about 14 years back) intricate henna designs were not available, the person to draw those designs were not readily available nor was it fashionable or even well known at that time. All that I had on my palms were a large red circle in the centre with lots of red polka dots to fill up.(I'll try to dig up my wedding Photos and upload later if possible)

Nowadays, you need not be a blushing bride, just be willing to spend about $5 per palm for striking designs to be applied onto your palm or hand.

Initially, my Chinese friends and colleagues were put off to see some kind of "weird" painting on my hands. But over time, Henna drawings has become a Fashion Statement just like temporary tattoos.

For those who want to give a try at drawing on palm (that is, if you have a ready guinea pig, as trying to apply on your own hand is a difficult task for newbies), they could buy a cone of henna and buy a book on henna design (or check out some of the design on the pictures above). It is recommended that you make photocopies of the design that you would like to draw, make some practice round by drawing onto the photocopied designs before trying it on your guinea pig.

Henna doesn't even have to be all red or orange, now they have come up with some kind of enhancement to make them shiny gold, silver etc.

For those who do not want to go through the hassle of learning how to draw intricate designs, or cough up $5 per palm, there is another solution. Temporary tattoos - rather Shinny Temporary Henna Designs which can be very easily applied. This is the ideal solution if you want to dress up your hands for your Indian friends Wedding or during Deepavalli visits etc., where you can easily wash them off after the occasion (unlike real henna designs, which may take about 1-2 weeks to completely disappear)

I hope you have fun trying out some of the design. There are many sites all dedicated to henna designs.

To Remarry or Not to Remarry - that is the Question.

2007-11-12T10:26:00.000+08:00

What would you do, if you were 30 years old, mother of two young children when your husband dies of cancer?

I watched a short film in Tamil (only 30 minutes long) from the series Silla Nerangal which means "Sometimes". (Another story that touched my heart was about a crossed - eyed boy - which you can read about from my earlier post, The Perspective of an Outcast)

What I liked about the story is the direction and the way the story was relayed.

In a hall about 30 people are gathered together. An young man in mid 20s (I can't remember his name, so for convenience sake we'll call him Siva), is speaking in the mike to those who are present. He thanks his mom and explain to the others the hardship she has suffered. Thanks his younger sister for helping in the marriage arrangement, and his wife for her support.

Siva then mentions that his mother was unsatisfied with some arrangement in this marriage.

There is a flash back where the Mom is having dinner with a man ( I assume, the Father) and says "The kids have not consulted us regarding the wedding and have gone about doing as they please".

My first impression is that this was Siva's wedding and that he is not giving due respect to his parents. (Indians are very conservative as well as expect to be respected and consulted when it comes to wedding).

Another scene shows Siva and his girlfriend/wife ( I was not sure about the relationship at that time) choosing the wedding Invitations. Only 30 people are to be invited and some scenes of the parents inviting their close friends/employer are shown.

Next Siva's Sister is inviting her grandfather to the wedding. The mother is quietly sitting back as the grandfather speaks harsh words to show his disagreement to this wedding. "You are the eldest in this family and you should give your blessing" Siva's sister tells her grandfather and puts the invitation on the table, then she leaves off with her Mom.

Now for the true beginning of this story - "Why are you late Mom, Where have you been?" Siva asked his Mom.

"I've been out with a close friend" she replies.

"We have heard rumours - you are been seen going out with..." he stops.

"Well, go on. I've been seen going out with whom?" she asked him.

The mother than reveals that she now has a boyfriend. The children are upset and Siva accuses his mother of not being true to the memory of his dead father.

Only now is it revealed that the mom was widowed when she was only 30 years old and had worked very hard to support her 2 children for 14 long years. The son is now happily married and the daughter in a good position.

As with most family, especially a conservative family, this news (of the Mom having a boyfriend and wanting to remarry) is indigestible.

First her family members give her the silent treatment, next they threatened to move out. ( The sister too wants to move out) leaving her mother to choose between her family or boyfriend.

Of course, she chooses her family over her boyfriend and explains the situation to him.

When Siva threatens to move out - the Mom explains that she will not marry without their blessing and would not give up her children.

She then takes out a letter written by her late husband and hands it over to Siva, saying that this letter will explain that she is not disloyal to his late father. (Although I do not like such a pat answer with a ready letter that helps to change the children's mind, I can understand that the director has only 30 minutes to finish up this story).

In the letter, Siva's father explains that he had always loved his wife, and though she had not shown any interest in marrying him, but had only agreed because the marriage was arranged by her father, she had been the best wife any man would be lucky to have for the past 10 years.

He then stated that he trusts her to bring up their kids well. But his only concern is that she should not wallow in memories and suffer a lonely life. He hoped that she would find a man to love and be happy with.

True love means that you should be unselfish and rejoice that your loved one has found happiness again.

When Siva rounds up his speech and ask the bride and groom to the stage, the grandfather at last joins in to give his blessing.

This story has touched my heart because being a single mother could not have been easy. Her willingness to give up her lover for her children shows us how unselfish a mother is.

The scene that I really like ( A typical Indian scene) - The grandfather will mention that what her daughter wishes to do (Remarry) is disgraceful, since she has a daughter of marriageable age and that his grand daughter's life would be spoiled (meaning, they will not be able to find a groom for her) and that he will be the laughing stock among his friends and relatives.

Although, this is the 21st century, remarriage is still a taboo, when it comes to women and especially, older women.

The "Society" still has double standards when it comes to man and woman.

I remember, when one of my cousin's wife passed away, on the 40th day ( when there were some prayers held) they were already talking about getting him remarried. (The reason suggested was that he had 3 kids, the youngest being only 8 years old as such a mother's care was needed). After a few years, this cousin did remarry, although the stepmother has in no way helped to take care of the children.

However, when the husband of my relative passed away leaving 2 young children aged 2 and 4, not a whisper of remarriage was spoken. In fact, I remember that her mother in law told her that if she were to remarry, then she had to hand over her 2 children to her in laws. Till today, she is still a single mother struggling to bring up her daughters on her own.

Fashionable Fridays - The Saree, an exqusite piece of Artwork

2007-11-09T16:21:00.000+08:00

Its been quite a while since I last put in a post for this blog. Have been busy with the Deepavalli visiting (my friends) and shopping (Indian Sweetmeats and Lovely Sarees and Punjabi suits).

I have thought of starting a weekly post on Fashion on Fridays. Not surprising my first blog is about SAREES.

I'm being biased as I am an Indian, but I believe that the saree is one piece of clothing that makes a women look sexy (of course, if you have the figure of Aishwaria Rai, it will be even better.)

Saree - its something that you can wear that's evergreen. There are so many varieties available to suit the different ocassion, from formal to casual. For those who feel, Hey, What am I gonna do with this 6 yards of materials (Scratch head). Now, there's 3 piece available. So you get a blouse, a long skirt with the pleats in the right place and a long scarf to drape it on to look like you're wearing Saree. (See there's a cheat code available - not only for PC games anymore)

Every year, new designs are available. Lots of them are based on what the screen heroine of the latest Bollywood or Tamil film etc wear during shooting. A few years back, when the film "Autograph" was screened, the latest Saree for that year was one with the Tamil alphabets printed on the Saree (Just like what was worn by the heroine during the famous song scene in Kerala).

About Sarees
The saree is an extremely versatile garment. It simply consists of a single, rectangular piece of material, five to six yards in length, accommodating any size. The style, color, and texture of this material vary according to region and caste. Different draping styles convey the status, age, occupation, region, and/or religion of the wearer.

Buying a Saree :
Women on heavier side should buy sarees in Georgette, Chiffon or Chignon. Heavy Mysore Silk saree looks beautiful and one tends to look slimmer.
Shorter women should buy sarees with small borders or no borders. They should definitely avoid big borders as big borders make one look shorter.
Thin woman should buy Organza, Cotton, Tissue and Tussar Saree. These Sarees gives a fuller effect.
In printed Saree, avoid big prints, as it gives a gaudy and a huge look.
Delicate print on a Saree, gives a delicate look. Dark skin color women should generally buy dark colours like maroon, green, dark pink etc.

Draping a Saree :
In office Pinup your Saree, this looks smart and is manageable too.
For an outing or a function, just pinup the tip of the saree and let the rest fall on your hand. This gives a very graceful look. But of course the Saree should have a good fall.
Cotton, Tissue or any starched Saree should be ironed properly and at the time of draping, the pleats should be done with your hands pressing and shaping it properly.
Put the pin on the back shoulder as this keeps the saree intact and does not show the pin too.
Don't wear a very flared petticoat inside.

Customer Service - Going the Extra Mile (NOT)

2007-11-02T14:11:00.000+08:00

The other day, I read a joke about the customer of a bank who was frustrated by the red tape and inflexibility of the bank and the counter measures he proposed to get even.

I personally believe that the Banking Industry is one that has too many red tape and thus its staff are inflexible. When a customer request for forms to be emailed or posted to them - the standard reply is - Please download the forms from our website.

Its more convenient to fill up a form when it is in front of you instead of needing to go to their site, looking for the necessary form, then downloading it, etc. One is automatically put off by the need to do extra actions. In this sense, the banks are loosing out on potential customers.

No matter how busy the staff is, the customer should be dealt with quickly. At least, email or phone to inform him how long it will take him to respond to the customer's queries.

I hate having to chase someone to do their job. Incompetency will always be remembered.(NOT FAVOURABLY) - We had bought a foreign property for investment purposes. The officer in charge of arranging the loan for us was always full of excuses. (We definitely will not go back to this agency should we decide to buy more properties.)

How would you like to end up paying fines because of the inefficiencies of a property management officer. At long last, we managed to finalise the loan. Only to find that we had many bills to be paid to the foreign government agencies. After a lot of dawdling and incurring fines (for us), the bills were paid up.

After 6 months, the cycle started again. More bills to pay!
Since we're overseas, we expected the property management officer to handle it for us. After all, they did deduct management fees from the rental every month.

Once I received another bill in mid September, I emailed and called the property management officer instructing her to pay on our behalf before the 30th of September.(Which was the due date)

After calling them numerous times (O Boy is my long distance phone bill going to escalate for October!), I was told on Tuesday October 9, that as my funds from my rental have already been banked in, they will only be able to pay my bill next month.

Enough is enough, I screamed my head off (NO more Nice Girl) and at last got a confirmation on the payment of the bill on October 19.

What I can't understand is that the request was such a simple one - Pay my bill - use my money - So why was there such a big hassle.

I'm not saying everyone is incompetent or inefficient, but when it comes to customer service - lets not talk about the extra mile, at least to your duty PLEASE!

p.s.I've learned a lesson, I'm paying my own bills from now on.(Thank God for Internet Banking)

At Wit's End

2007-10-26T09:22:00.000+08:00

My eldest son just got back his report book yesterday. He passed ( Just barely). I'm pretty disappointed with him. Although he had done better than his previous exam (Mid year), he promised to improve much more than what he had actually done so.

I'm at wit's end as to how to encourage and motivate him to perform better. He is smart but just lazy and is not consistent in his work.

Next year is an important year for him. Based on his final year results of 2008, he will be placed in Science, Arts or Technical Stream. I would prefer that he gets into Science stream.

I have repeatedly explained the need to do well in his studies. I have tried rewards as well as punishment. Nothing seems to work!

I would appreciate any kind of tips on how you have been able to motivate your child, grandchild, student etc. to perform well. So feel free to share your views.

By the way, he got top in History in his class and just brought back the trophy :) He can perform well when he is interested in a particular subject, such as history. He loves to read, especially books such as Horrible history and Horrible science and the like. He also loves to play games involving history, such as Civilisation IV and Age of Empires.

Hurray for Festive Days

2007-10-23T12:40:00.000+08:00

During the weekends, we visited my three brothers at their places.
Being muslims, we celebrated Eid ul-Fitr. Even before the start of Ramadan, I'll be getting "When will you start making cookies Mum?".Nearer the end of Ramadan, "When will we have the open house Mum ?" and "Can my favourite cousins come and stay over?" etc...

What does festivity mean to you?
To me, its not the new clothes or delicious food, but the chance to meet up with the extended family that means the most. When both parents have passed away and each sibling have families of their own, the opportunity for siblings and cousins to get together gets lesser and lesser.

Although getting new clothes and eating delicious meals and cookies are a definite bonus, its not everyday that we gather and spend time together.

Of course, festive season also mean spring cleaning - and getting the kids to help out and clean up their rooms at last!

Here's a list of Festive Occasions of the different religions and races.

Christians - Feast of St. Basil (Christian, Orthodox)
Epiphany (Christian)
The Nativity of Jesus Christ (Christian, Orthodox)
Ash Wednesday (Protestant, Roman Catholic)
St. David's Day (Welsh)
St. Patrick's Day(Ireland, United States)
Feast of Annunciation (Christian)
Mothering Sunday (England)
Palm Sunday (Protestant, Roman Catholic)
Holy Thursday (Christian)
Good Friday (Protestant, Roman Catholic)
Easter (Protestant, Roman Catholic)
St. George's Day (English)
Ascension Day (Christian)
Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola (Spain, Roman Catholic)
Reformation Day (Christian)
All Saints' Day (Christian, Roman Catholic)
All Souls' Day (Roman Catholic)
St. Nicholas Day (International)
Christmas (Christian, Roman Catholic, International)

Jews - Tu b'Shvat or Tu B'Shevat* (Jewish, Israel)
Purim (Jewish)
Passover *begins at sundown (Jewish)
Yom Hashoah/Holocaust Memorial Day (Jewish)
Shavuot *begins at sundown (Jewish)
Tisha B'av* (Jewish)
Rosh Hashanah* (Jewish New Year)
Yom Kippur* (Jewish)
Sukkot* (Jewish)
Shemini Atzeret (Jewish)
Simchat Torah (Jewish)
Hanukkah* (Jewish)

Islamic - Ashura (Islamic, Muslim)
Al Hijra - Muslim New Year
Israel Miraji Ascent of Propher Muhammad
Ramadan (Islamic, Muslim, Moslem)
Lailat-Ul-Quadr (Islamic, Muslim)
Eid-Al-Fitr (Islamic, Muslim)
Eid al-adha (Islamic, Muslim)

Sikh - Guru Gobind Singh's Birthday (Sikh)
Lohri (Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh)
Martyrdom Day of Guru Arjan (Sikh)

Hindu - Lohri (Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh)
Diwali (Buddhist, Hindu)

Buddhist - Vesak - Buddha's Birth (Buddhist)
Bodhi Day - Buddha's Enlightenment (Buddhist)

Japan - The Doll Festival (Japan)
Bon Festival/Feast of Lanterns (Japan)
Autumnal Equinox (Japan)

Vietnam - Tet Nguyen Dan (Vietnam)

Others - Imbolc (Wiccan)
Chinese Lunar New Year (China, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam)
Mardi Gras (United States)
Naw Ruz (Baha'i, Persia)
National Tartan Day (Scottish-American)
Beltane (Celtic)
Cinco de Mayo (Mexico)
Declaration of the Bab (Baha'i)
Ascension of Baha'u'llah (Baha'i)
Martyrdom of the Bab (Baha'i)
Cirio de Nazare (Brazil)
Birthday of Baha'u'llah (Baha'i)
Virgin of Guadalupe (Mexico)
Santa Lucia Day (Sweden)
Las Posadas (Mexico)

These are just some of the HOLY days that I could find from the net. I'm sure there are many others.

A pat on the back

2007-10-18T13:25:00.000+08:00

Oct 15 was world Blog Action Day on Environment and Blogcatalog had a forum where everyone was encouraged to blog about the environment from the prespective of or related to their own interest or blog.

Yes, its already, Oct 18, so why am I harping on Old News. Its because I came across some truly amazing post that have "Opened my Eyes".

Although the Blogger Buzz highlighted some of the many Blogger powered blogs that focused on the environment, climate change and sustainability, (A pat on their back for them too!)- I was amazed by how other blog authers could incoporate "Blog Action Day" about the "Environment" into their post.

I'd really like to "take my hats off" to recylecindy of My Recyced Bags for her genius in creating wonderful and useful stuffs, from bags and doll clothes etc, using such varied material such as tapes and plastic bags. I have never considered these materials to be recyclable. Thanks recyclecindy for opening my eyes.

Although Haute Nature was highlighted by Blogger buzz, I think its great that there's a blog about - Ecologically based creative ideas, art and green products.

Cool Stuff - Widget Attack

2007-10-12T08:34:00.000+08:00

I'm quite a newbie when it comes to blogging (comparatively). Yes, it might surprise you, since I have 5 blogs. But I just started in July 07.

I'd like to thank everyone who had complemented by blogs and had given ideas and suggestions. But I'm not sure how to reply back to them.

Well, once I got a suggestion to add some widgets - compliments of Blogcatalog. Until then, I'd never heard of widgets. (Thought they were some sort of gadget.)

So I scooped out Blogcatalog widgets and now have "Recent Viewers" in most of my blogs. Nowadays, I always like to look out for cool widgets to add to my site.

The other day, I came across a widget website while surfing. When you look at my side bar, you will see "Sponsored Links" and this is the widget that I got from WidgetBuckets.com. I think that it looks super. At least it beats Googles Adsense. Rather than just having static words to describe a product, there's a whole list of products and a corresponding picture.

Its very simple to get one. Just sign up - Its Free!
Then put in your details about your blog ...Tada... New Widget!
More great news - When you sign up, you get $25 Bonus to your account.

Its easier to get a widget if you are using Blogger or TypePad as compared to Wordpress. I'm using Blogger, so after I've completed my details and clicked on the Blogger button, I was directly sent to my Blogger login. Then I was asked which one of my blog that I wanted to add the widget. After I chose the correct one and clicked, the adjustments were made and I got that Great looking Widget in my side bar.

WidgetBuck.com is based on referral system. So if you like to join in, Please click on the button below. (Every referral counts)

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Another cool widget is the one by Maps amung us. On my side bar, you will see a world map with lots of hearts. Yeah, each heart denotes a viewer to the site.

The website to check out is whos.amung.us. No set up or registration is needed. There are many different types of widgets available. I personally liked the map widget so I chose it for my blog.

If any of you have come across other cool widgets, do share it with me by submitting a comment to this post. I'll then link to your blog in this post.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you Don Williams from My 2 cents 4 the day for giving me the information on more cool widgets.

Do check out these widgets too!

Another really cool widget is Geobisite. Its like the map 'among us,' but shows an animated globe of your choosing.

Clik the globe and it will give you a list of where everyone is coming from. When someone is active the spinning globe pulsates the location.

You can check out mine on my blog, My 2 cents 4 the day

Another widget is 'How much is my blog worth?" Just enter your blogs name and it will tell you how much your blog is worth in advertising potential a year - Cool!

You can find it here: http://www.business-opportunities.biz/projects/how-much-is-your-blog-worth/

Another new widget that you might have seen is the Blogrush widget. It will help you get more readers to your blogs. A lot of blogs on BlogCatalog have it. You can get it here:

http://www.blogrush.com/r41415887

The Prespective of an Outcast

2007-10-09T07:40:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, I watched a short movie about a boy who had crossed eyes. His name was Shanker. Although there were many students around him, he was always alone. His only companion was a seed or fruit form an almond tree.

This Best Friend was always true to him and always beside him; never judgemental or poking fun at his odd appearance, gesture or his gait of walking.

As young children who have not learned to mask ones emotion or dislikes, his classmates and schoolmates readily showed their repulse of him.

Kids who are different learn to cope with their environment by isolating themselves. Likewise with Shanker. He lived in his own lonely world with his Best Friend.

All those times when his schoolmates teased him and poked fun at him, he simply ignored them and refused to acknowledge the hurt their actions caused him.

One day, during lesson, Shanker was happily playing with his Best Friend by flicking the seed from one hand to the other. At one time, the seed slipped and fell off his table. This caused distraction to one of his classmates, Edwin, who was then reprimanded by his teacher.

Until then, Shanker had been ignored; no one liked him but no one disliked him either. But because of this incident, Edwin held a grudge against Shanker

What fueled the enmity?
Due to the Principal's persuasion, Shanker took part in one of the school sports competition. It was the Sack Race. Then too, his class mates laughed at him. Shanker didn't want to embarrass himself and his Best Friend, thus he jumped and jumped to victory. Edwin, who was also in the race got second place. Edwin couldn't understand how this outcast could win him and be better than him in any way.

The small grudge had escalated into enmity and he wanted to hurt Shanker. He knew that depriving Shanker of his Best Friend would hurt him most and proceeded to do so.

Shanker searched high and low for his Best Friend. He couldn't concentrate on his studies. His loss was so profuse that he was fanatic in his search. Alas, it was no use. He couldn't find his one True friend and he cried his heart out.

Edwin witnessed his suffering and realised the extend to which he had in evidently hurt Shanker. He did not apologise, but merely called "Shanker" and took out the seed from his pocket.

When Shanker saw that Edwin held his Best Friend in his hands, he felt that his Best Friend has been defiled. What Edwin had done was beyond pardon. He got into a brawl with Edwin. During the ensuing fight, the seed fell off the roof into a running drain.

Shanker yelled at his friend to stop. but his Best Friend didn't listen to him. He went further and further away from him and at last fell into a stream near the school.

"Does my Best Friend prefer Edwin to me, is that why he has left me or Is he angry with me for not protecting him from being kidnapped by Edwin". There were many confusing thoughts running in Shanker's mind. (Many a time, we as parents, do not realise the importance our children place upon their "Best Friend" like the favorite Teddy Bear, car or aeroplane etc. that our child always plays with .We may casually throw it away once it is old or damaged, not realising how deeply they would be affected by such an act.)

Shanker could not be consoled but even tried to jump into the stream. Edwin managed to pull him back then kept patting him to try and console him.

The enemy is now his Best Friend. But this new Best Friend did not remain with him either. Just like his first Best Friend, Edwin too left. How, you ask? Edwin died!

The movie was very touching and was able to convey the feelings of the child who was an outcast so beautifully. I'm afraid I've not done justice to the story. As they say "A picture says a thousand words".

I hope you enjoyed reading about Shanker and realise that being different doesn't mean that one should be ignored but should be cared for and shown consideration just like any other person.

Jobs and their fringe Benefits

2007-09-27T13:14:00.000+08:00

Here's an humorous view on how some occupations come with fringe benefits!

1. Life Guard - Paid to ogle at skimpily clad women

2. Security Guard - Paid to ogle at well dressed women
(at town offices)

3. Doorman - Paid to ogle at richly dressed women
(at first class Hotels)

4. Fashion Models - Paid to be skimpily dressed

5. Photographers - Paid to "shoot" skimpily dressed women
(of fashion models)

6. Fashion dress designers - Paid to get women to wear skimpy
dresses

7. Model hair stylist - Paid to work on the hair of skimpily
dressed women

8. Lawyers - Paid to lie

9. Politicians - Paid to lie profusely

10. President - Paid to live a lie

11. Cartoonist - Paid to make fun of others

12. News reporters - Paid to report the tragedy in others life

13. Clowns - Paid to make a fool of themselves

14. Magicians - Paid to make things disappear

15. Authors - Paid to have his ideas read

16. Singers - Paid to have his voice heard

17. Insurance agents - Paid to extol "Murphy's law"

18. Bankers - Paid to keep your money

19. Brokers - Paid to play with your money

20. Housewives - Underpaid and overworked! - So All Housewives -
get a job with Fringe Benefits Now

Humourous Ponderings - laughter the best medicine!

2007-09-24T13:11:00.000+08:00

• These I have never understood:
o We chop down trees but chop up wood;
o We draw down wrath, we draw up wills,
o We run down foes, we run up bills;
o We eat food up, we down a drink,
o Which is a little strange, I think.
o We turn down offers, turn up noses--
o Just one last thought and then this closes:
o We should remember, we poor clowns,
o That life is full of ups and downs.

•Two robins are lying on their backs, soaking up some sun.
A Mama cat and her kitten come walking by.
The kitten complains, "Mama, I'm sooo hungry, what can we eat?"
The Mama cat, spying the 2 birds replies, "How about some baskin' robins?"

What's the difference between a railway guard and a teacher?
One minds the train, the other trains the mind.

Why wouldn't the skeleton go to school?
Because his heart wasn't in it.

Teachers nowadays specialize so much that they know more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing!

Why did the flea fail his exams?
He wasn't up to scratch.

Do you know that if you laid all the economics teachers in the world end to end you'd still not come to a definite conclusion?

Why do stupid people eat biscuits?
Because they're crackers.

Why did the robot act stupid?
Becaude he had a screw loose.

What is the most popular sentence at school?
I don't know.

What sells and why - enticing people to buy

2007-09-12T11:49:00.000+08:00

When do people buy or rather what kinds of advertisement entice people to buy?

Free Gifts is one word that attracts lots of people - me included. Most mums know that when they bring along their kids for grocery shopping, they'll end up with dealing with a tantrum where the child wants the cereal for the toy free gift even though the mum explains there's more than enough cereal back home! Many a time I've been enticed to buy a product because of the free gift that I would receive when I buy the product.

I know that most men would be attracted to the word "Fast" - like fast results, fast delivery etc. Nowadays, we value our time just as much as our money.

I would be more willing to buy or use a service if there were a "Money Back Guarantee" where if I'm not satisfied I'll get my money back hassle free.

Most of us are enticed to buy (sometimes they are not even needed or useful to us) when we see that the product is offered for a "Limited" time only or limited stock only. I remember that there were long queues when MacDonalds offered "Hello Kitty" dolls as there were limited stocks only. People want to own things that are exclusive or rare and thus they are easily enticed to buy!

We all know that word of mouth "Testimonials" works. I would be willing to try out a new restaurant or buy from a boutique etc, based on the favourable comments from my friends and relatives. Great service and excellent products always sells!

The magic words "Discount / Sale" will surely have an impact on the public. Especially if it is not just a sales gimmick but a genuine sales. Once when we went to shop for some jeans for my husband, we came across a shop having a sale - On the front, the sign stated "Closing down sale" and at the back "Opening sales" - that's sales gimmick for you! Of course, this is not the case when it comes to "Big" stores like Walmart, Watsons etc. People will always want to find bargains in the form of rebates, percentage offers or get one free etc.

Being New in itself sells. Especially when it comes to technological items such as PC, laptops, PDAs, Mobile phones etc. Most men (and some women) want new products or services that will improve their life like new information, taste technology, results etc.

Most of us want to look better. Thus products that helps to loose weight, tone up our body, make us look slimer or fairer and improve our looks etc will grab our attention.

Ever heard of Fountain of youth? Well nowadays, there are loads of over the counter medicine and vitamins that promises us long and healthier lives.

MOtivation Sells - people like to feel good about themselves thats why there are so many self-help gurus mushrooming everywhere with thousand and one E-books on how to improve your life etc.

OSIM may be expensive but look at their sales turnover and you'll understand that people want to relieve aches and pains and get comfortable. Thus ultimately products that can help a person get comfortable sells. ( Five star Mattresses, Jacuzzis, spa treatments etc)

Tours sell - whether it is to a neighbouring theme park or an all out exoctic trip to an topical island, people will spend money to relax and have a time of their life before going back to their boring old jobs...

Hope you liked my insight of what sells. Please feel free to comment and add your own ten cents worth of opinion!

The helping hand

2007-09-10T12:47:00.000+08:00

Its very easy to be selfish and self-centered and then put the blame on work load, lack of time etc. How often have we offered to help our neighbours, let alone strangers in need?

Well, recently I received help from a stranger that has "knocked some perspective" into me.

Rainy days may mean different thing to each of us. But ask any mom with children going to school and they'll remember raincoat and how to manage a safe journey to and from school.

The other day, while I was about to bring my son to school, it started to drizzle. So I got a raincoat for him, placed a raincoat on top of the pram to protect my baby daughter and an umbrella for myself.

Fortunately, I could go through covered walkways and blocks for about half way to the school. While I was still in the covered walkway, it started to pour so much so that I could barely see through the rain. (I was about 100 meters from the school and usually I would be able to see it). I was just thinking "What am I going to do?" When suddenly, an old woman came into the walkway from the rain. She came to me and offered to take care of my baby in the pram while I brought my son to school. She spoke to me in Chinese which I don't really understand. But I could understand her offer through her gesture. I told her thanks and rushed my son to school and back to her. The kind old lady was talking to my baby to keep her entertained while I was gone. I told her my heart felt thanks and she continued to go back to her home.

Another kind soul that touched my heart was a Malay Taxi driver in May 1996. Yes, I may not remember his name or face, but I'll always remember his help.

I was about to deliver my second child on that day. I had flagged a taxi and had asked the driver to rush me to a neighbouring hospital. Within about the 20 minutes of the journey, my labour pains had intensified very much.

Upon reaching the hospital, the driver insisted that I keep put while he rushed to get the nurses and a wheel chair for me. I was rushed to A&E and gave birth within the next 10 minutes.

It was a long while later when I realised that the kind gentleman who had helped me had not even insisted on getting his fare. I had no way of contacting him, but he will always have my sincere thanks.

May God bless the kind old lady who helped me, the helpful taxi driver and all those who help others without thinking or needing reward.

I may not be able to do much to help others, but I have resolved to at least make some cards and spread some cheer into the lives of my friends and relatives.

Top 25 Leadership Quotations

2007-09-06T14:04:00.000+08:00

Ponder what it takes to be a true leader with these practical quotes that will lead you to a more precise understanding of the secrets to successful leadership...

"A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the quality of his actions and the integrity of his intent."
--Anonymous

"No person can be a great leader unless he takes genuine joy in the successes of those under him."
--W. H. Auden

"Good leaders make people feel that they're at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens people feel centered and that gives their work meaning."
--Warren Bennis

"No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it."
-- Andrew Carnegie

"A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be."
--Rosalynn Carter

"Perhaps the most central characteristic of authentic leadership is the relinquishing of the impulse to dominate others."
--David Cooper

"The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality."
-- Max DePree

"Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it."
--Dwight D. Eisenhower

"A boss creates fear, a leader confidence. A boss fixes blame, a leader corrects mistakes. A boss knows all, a leader asks questions. A boss makes work drudgery, a leader makes it interesting. A boss is interested in himself or herself, a leader is interested in the group."
--Russell H. Ewing

"Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions. "
-- Harold Geneen

"One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency."
--Arnold Glasow

"All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership. "
-- John Kenneth Galbraith

"The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet."
--Theodore Hesburgh

"The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men the conviction and the will to carry on... The genius of a good leader is to leave behind him a situation which common sense, without the grace of genius, can deal with successfully."
--Walter Lippmann

"Leadership is getting someone to do what they don't want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve."
--Tom Landry

"Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them."
--John Maxwell

"The real leader has no need to lead-- he is content to point the way."
-- Henry Miller

"The leader must know, most know that he knows, and must be able to make it abundantly clear to those about him that he knows."
--Clarence B. Randall

"The person who know "how" will always have job. The person who knows "why" will always be his boss."
--Diane Ravitch

"A true leader is hated by most, and respected by all. A follower is liked by all, and respected by none."
--Scott Smigler

"Integrity is the most valuable and respected quality of leadership. Always keep your word."
--Brian Tracey

"You know what makes leadership? It is the ability to get men to do what they don't want to do and like it."
--Harry S. Truman

"Leadership is not the private reserve of a few charismatic men and women. It is a process ordinary people use when they are bringing forth the best from themselves and others."
--Unknown

"Nothing so conclusively proves a man's ability to lead others as what he does from day to day to lead himself."
--Thomas J. Watson

"Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish."
--Sam Walton

Lets get creative

2007-08-28T08:18:00.000+08:00

We have always heard the phrase "Thinking Out of the Box". Well recently my 7 year old son asked me "Where is the box, Mum?" Its pretty tough to explain creativity to a child (or is it?). Since kids are like blank canvases they easily absorb ideas and are more creative than us adults. I told him to bring me something that is circular in shape and is gold in colour. He brought me his younger sister's gold colored bracelet. I explained that his answer was correct but that there can be many answer such as a gold ring, a $1 coin etc.
For those who would like to know about more games that ignite creativity in your child, check out my other blog :Games and Activities to Ignite the Creative Spark in your child!

I came across this article on Creativity which I found interesting and useful. So here it is for your reading pleasure.

A Quick Course in Creativity

This quick course in creativity is designed to give you a platform to stand on as we look at the various ways you can handle home, social and workplace situations, job-search details and career-path decisions. Let's examine what creativity might look like.

Here are some of the ways in which creativity expresses itself. Perhaps the creative idea is one that mixes and matches items or ideas that haven't been combined in just this way before. A wonderful example of this comes from Anita Roddick, who founded the Body Shop, a chain of personal care products and stores. She combined the need to help underdeveloped countries earn income with the need to avoid destroying their resources and environment. She built her business by using natural products produced by these countries.

Or, perhaps the same item could be used in a different way. Which came first, the ballpoint pen or roll-on deodorant? Both use the same idea -- a rolling ball that applies liquid to a surface.

Perhaps you can take a new approach that works. This was the case, for instance, with Arm & Hammer Baking Soda when it was discovered that putting an open box into the refrigerator would soak up odors.

Finally, you might use your creative powers to develop special mastery in areas that can contribute to workplace effectiveness. For example, you might try opening yourself to new ways of experiencing life, increasing flexibility and open-mindedness. There are lots of ways in which creativity can be fostered to produce really great outcomes. And all it takes is practice. We all have the abilities...what we need to develop are the skills, the methods, the focus.

OK, now it's time to examine the process of creativity itself. There are five steps involved.

· First, there's PREPARATION. By this I mean that all knowledge contributes to creativity. No matter what you read or see or hear, it might become a part of a brilliant, new idea. Truly creative people are always hungry for new knowledge and information, even on seemingly unrelated subjects.

· The second step is INCUBATION. When a situation or project needs a shot of creativity, the real job is to get to know every intimate detail of the subject at hand, then to put it all into the very back of your brain and let it "stew." It's sort of like making bread. You mix all the ingredients, then you put them into the pan and let the dough "rise." The important thing here is that there's no way to force the process. You've got to let go and let it happen.

· The third stage of creativity is ENLIGHTENMENT. This could also be called INSIGHT. It's the moment at which the unconscious and the subconscious minds, having finished working on the problem, present an "AHA!" A "EUREKA." An "I'VE GOT IT!" We've all had this happen. Sometimes it comes in a dream; sometimes it's as simple as suddenly remembering where we left our keys or glasses. But it's a critical part of the process, and those who forgo it are taking a sort of foolish risk -- the risk that creativity won't present itself.

· Next, there's an EVALUATION of what's come up. It's not always the right answer, even though it may be excitingly creative. At this stage, we match imagination to reality and make some decisions about practicality. There's room for imagination and creativity here, though. The question, "Why not?" is vital at this time and at this stage. Consider this to be the moment at which the real risking in life begins.

· And finally, the risk goes on as you begin the IMPLEMENTATION of the ideas your creativity produced. And the cycle can begin again right here with new information, new incubation, new insights, new evaluations and further implemented outcomes.

Now let's look at the ten keys to creativity.

The first step is to stimulate yourself to get the process started. One way to do this is to look back at all the creative things you've done. Every one of us has had really good creative ideas that have produced wonderful outcomes, and remembering those things often puts the wheels in motion. Then?

1. Write a list of creative achievements - and add to it as new memories surface. This can be a valuable tool that can be used time after time when creativity is what you're focusing on. I have such a list, and it grows, usually, by about one item a month.

2. "Can the Can't!" This is just a short and sweet way to say, "Get out of any negative place you're in." If you believe you can't do something, you probably can't. And it's not that you don't have the intelligence, the drive, the resources, or even the track record. It's that you BELIEVE you can't. Your mind is a neutral place. It listens to what you tell it and acts on that information without regard to whether or not it's good for you. So keep yourself aimed in a positive direction.

3. Be willing to bend. I always feel a little subversive when I talk about this key. Why? Because you need to read a couple of extra words into this phrase?the words are: "the rules." You see, I'm not talking about bending to someone else's will or adopting someone else's ideas. I'm talking about bending your rules! This means, pay attention to whether your mind is locked in to a pattern of behaving a certain way because you've been told that this is the way it's done. You see, I was always told that the rules are the rules because they work. What they didn't tell me was that sooner or later, things change. What used to work just fine may not work any more. As soon as that becomes clear, creativity has an opening. What's more, the old saying "If it works, don't fix it" can be a real cop-out. Maybe -- just maybe -- it could work a little better if it were creatively changed. Now, I don't believe the other extreme -- "If it works, break it" ? I don't accept that as an option. But I do think that almost any rule can be re-written to work better so as to fit a changing, dynamic environment, and that's a real creative challenge. So question the rules. See if a different approach, a different method, or a different attitude might yield a different - and better - outcome.

4. De-stress. Creativity and stress just don't fit together. You can't expect your mind to work well when your body is stressed, because they're both part of the same system -- the system called YOU. So take care of stress. Spend time relaxing, meditating, even daydreaming. This simple process can often be a direct route to creative insight. And, since stress is often a consequence of fear, there's a natural "fear" consequence when approaching creativity because the creative process usually takes you outside of your comfort zone. You need to be willing to?

5. Take chances. Move outside of that comfort zone - perhaps in small steps - and be willing to fail or to make a mistake; that is, to have no outcome at all, or an unsatisfactory outcome. That's all part of the creative process. And here I'd like to add that most successful people failed many times on the way to their success. The minute you become willing to fail, you become capable of real success.

6. See mistakes as lessons, not failures. This is particularly interesting, because it's a creative act in itself to break out of the notion that a mistake isn't a failure. I think that our system of schooling builds this into us from a young age. Getting it "RIGHT" is very important...our grades depend on it. So, getting it "WRONG" is the same as "BEING BAD." Get off it. Look at mistakes as object lessons about what doesn't work. Forget about right and wrong.

7. Ask the right questions. We all seem to have a pat set of questions about life. "Why?" seems to be a leader. But you know, it may not make any difference "why" something is, or happens. The right question might be, "What REALLY happened?" And the WAY we ask questions - the languaging - is important. In other words, it's also important to ask questions in the right way. In fact, when you're tempted to ask "why," here's a possibly valuable substitute question. "What is it about ______ that ________. For instance, instead of asking, "Why did you move to Los Angeles?," ask, "What is it about Los Angeles that made you choose to move there?" When you ask someone "Why?," that person sometimes may feel challenged, or negative. "Why did you move to Los Angeles?" might be perceived as questioning the wisdom of the decision. But if you ask, "What is it about Los Angeles that made you choose to move there?" there's no threat...no negativity. And when you ask this kind of question of yourself - "What is it about this idea that appeals to me?" - you'll find yourself opening up channels that wouldn't be available to you by wrestling with a "why" approach.

8. Ask your opposite. What I mean by this is, try a "contrarian approach" to whatever it is you're working on. If it's a business problem, seek out a vendor, a competitor or a customer to interview. You'll get specific perspectives and information you'd never come up with yourself. It's a way of playing devil's advocate that is much more reliable and comprehensive than trying to do it yourself.

9. Study something new each year. The most creative people I know are folks who seem to have an unquenchable need for new knowledge. And they also seem to study a lot of different things. What they tell me is that by learning about unfamiliar subjects they learn new ways of thinking and relating and associating. This gives them broader platforms for decision making. And here's the final key

10. Identify the real problem. Many people ask me, "Why wasn't this the first key?" Are you thinking this, too? Well, observe what the key says...what's the REAL problem. After you've mulled over whatever is challenging you, be prepared to re-evaluate the first premise of what you're working on. Only after you've done all the creative work can you begin to see clearly where you're headed, and that's the time to ask yourself whether you're actually working on the right problem. One of the world's major creative failures, I think, is that too many people fail to take that last, long look, to question the work already done, and to be willing to start over or keep on going, but this time in a new direction. Well, there it is, a short course in creativity - five steps, ten keys. It didn't take long to outline, but it may take you a long time to master it. So please?start now.

Copyright 2002, 2005 Optimum Performance Associates/Paul McNeese. Paul McNeese is CEO of Optimum Performance Associates, a consulting firm specializing in transitional and transformational change for individuals and institutions through publication. His publishing company, OPA Publishing, is an advocacy for self-publishing authors of informational, instructional, inspirational and insightful nonfiction. Email: pmcneese@opapublishing.com Websites: http://www.opapublishing.com and http://www.opapresents.com

The Joke is on us - the Online Marketers

2007-08-23T17:58:00.000+08:00

I came across a funny Poem about Online Marketers. I think many of us can relate to this. So lets have a laugh ( On us! )

IF, An Online Internet Marketing Poem

If before you have turned on the coffee, or got your kids fed,

If you are the last one dressed and ready to leave the house, While others in the family get ready, your still moving a mouse.

If you have more friends online, than you do in real life, And hubby refers to you as his cyber wife.

If you cook dinner between web pages and downloads, And your brain is dreaming about java script codes.

If your daughter tells her teacher moms a computeraholic, And you always push, "view source" to see how web pages tic,

If you are still sitting with blood shot eyes in that chair, While the rest of the family is off having fun somewhere,

If the dishes are piled high on the counter and sink, You know you should be doing them, you just got to hit one more link.

If all of the above in life seem too true, Maybe you should rule your computer, instead of letting it rule you!

----------side note--------------
This poem was first published on my practice site at Yahoo. I recently updated that website page and discovered it had been viewed over 2 million times in the past 3 years. Amazing, and they say poetry doesn't sell. Subscribe to my ezine below to watch an experiment I am doing with a blog on this subject, as well as learning other methods to earn money working from home.
I was no expert when I started, self taught myself all I know. If I can learn how to do this anyone can. Follow along on my journey with me.
----------side note--------------
By Laurie Meade Copyright 2002-2005 All Rights Reserved.
---------------------------------
Dedicated to my 4 children, who I learned are growing to quickly for me to allow the computer to rule me.
Visit my blog for more articles and resources and humor on Internet Marketing. Writer's Resources for Internet Marketing Subscribe to her poetry mailing list at mailto:poetry@lauriemeade.com?subject=TRAezapoemif Visit here site at http://lauriemeade.com or her blog at http://lauriemeade.blogspot.com

Success for life

2007-08-23T11:00:00.000+08:00

The Winning Combo!

What do we all strive for in life? Success! Success is the ultimate destination. Every one of us has the good intentions and capacity to achieve something but we lack the follow-through. A system is needed to keep us focused on the most important thoughts, ideas, people, actions, and results. Perhaps, a life organizer is what we require.

The winning combo required for achieving breakthroughs in every area of life:

1. Passion for what we do.
2. An unshakeable confidence and faith
3. A "Take-it-easy" attitude

1. Passion for what we do:
First, ask yourself these questions:
What gives me immense satisfaction when I do it? What can I lose myself in for hours? ? What did I want to be when I grew up? ? What do I still dream of being or doing?
Everyone has a passion in them. It may be buried deeply, but it's there. All we have to do is to discover it.
A passion to do something is when we spring out of the bed excited about the day ahead, we lose track of time because we are totally involved in that work, and when we long to make a meaningful contribution to the world.

2. An unshakeable confidence and faith:
We should put our whole trust and confidence in what we do. If we lose faith, it will cause us to deviate in our thoughts and actions and a chaotic condition will prevail.
Negative thoughts like "I'm bound to fail" or "I'm not good enough" or even "I don't deserve to succeed" will only lead to failure. Faith and confidence can be built by preparing ourselves thoroughly in whatever we do, setting reachable goals, and ultimately reward ourselves when we succeed.
Read this quote:
"Don't quit when the tide is lowest, For it's just about to turn; Don't quit over doubts and questions, For there's something you may learn. Don't quit when the night is darkest, For it's just a while till dawn; Don't quit when you've run the farthest, For the race is almost won. Don't quit when the hill is the steepest, For your goal is almost nigh; Don't quit, for you're not a failure Until you fail to try"

3. A take-it-easy attitude:
Abraham Lincoln once asked an audience "How many legs would a lamb have if you called the tail a leg?" When someone volunteered the answer "Five", Lincoln said, "No, the answer is four. Just calling a tail a leg doesn't make it one."

Perception of problems is also important. When we perceive it as a big problem, it becomes one. Tough solutions are the need of the hour when it comes to tackling tough problems but the way to arrive at these solutions is to probe with a calm and composed mind.
The first two ? Passion, unshakeable faith and confidence - are needed to achieve the result and the third ? the "Take-it-easy" attitude is necessary to know how to deal with the result.

Jewelled Fashion

2007-08-12T17:07:00.000+08:00

Gold prices are escalating and not likely to drop any time soon. But we ladies do like to have some trinkets that are new and fashionable. (At the same time not cost a bomb!)

Pearls are classic and elegant, while sterling silver jewelry are trendy and chic. For the sophisticated look, there's nothing like Diamonds.

I came across this article on Sterling Silver Jewelry and how to Care and Clean your Sterling Silver Jewelry. I hope you will find it useful.

Sterling Silver Jewelry Today

Sterling silver jewelry: silver and gemstone rings, sterling silver earrings, bracelets and pendants are some of the hottest fashion accessories today! Sterling silver jewelry is enjoying an unprecedented popularity with today's fashion conscious public. You know how beautifully sterling silver jewelry complements fashionable clothing and how it sparkles and shines; now here is the rest of the story.

Silver has been used since ancient times, but has not survived as well as ancient gold because it tarnished and decomposes. There have been times, however, when silver was "in"; we are going through such a vogue today.

Silver is the most common of the precious metals. Fine silver is pure silver, which is seldom used for jewelry because it is too soft. Sterling silver is 925 parts silver to 75 of copper, the alloy most often used. Silver weighs about half as much as gold, has greater flexibility, but is not as malleable, it has always been less expensive as well. A comparable piece of gold jewelry might cost four or five times that of a piece of sterling silver jewelry.

The current fashion trend toward black clothing has made silver jewelry more popular than ever. Silver likes to be worn; it stays cleaner & shinier through movement and friction. So sterling silver is a perfect accessory for today's fast paced lifestyles. Much like gold, sterling silver needs to be cleaned.

Care and Cleaning of your Sterling Silver Jewelry

1.) For daily cleaning it is recommended to use a simple jewelry polishing cloth that is impregnated with special jewelry cleaner. These are widely available and are very easy to use. Store your cloth in a plastic zip-lock bag, and keeping your jewelry drawer or armoire. It is a good idea to have one cleaning cloth for gold and one for silver.

2.) For a slightly more "in-depth" cleaning you may want to use a liquid jewelry cleaner.

3.) For cleaning badly tarnished silver, here's a neat little trick

a) Cover the inside bottom of a heatproof glass dish on bowl with a piece of aluminum foil, shiny side up.

b) Place the tarnished silver in the bottom of the dish, contacting the aluminum foil.

c) Add 1 heaping tablespoon of baking soda, and then slowly pour boiling water to cover the piece. The tarnish will gradually collect on the aluminum foil.

d) Remove your silver, rinse thoroughly, and polish.

Here are Some Tips for Greater Enjoyment of your Sterling Silver Jewelry

1.) Are your silver chains all tied-up in knots? If so, here's a nifty little trick for straightening them out. Dust your chain with a little talcum powder and then try to unknot it. If the knot is stubborn, place a small drop of baby oil on a sheet of wax paper. Lay the knot in the oil and work it out with two pins; then clean the chain as instructed below.

2.) Always apply make-up, perfumes, oils or colognes before you put on your jewelry.

We hope you have enjoyed this special report. Please feel free to share it with your friends!

For more information on jewelry and gemstones, we cordially invite you to visit http://www.morninglightjewelry.com to pick up your FREE copy of "How To Buy Jewelry And Gemstones Without Being Ripped Off." This concise, informative special report reveals almost everything you ever wanted to know about jewelry and gemstones, but were afraid to ask. Get your FREE report at http://www.morninglightjewelry.com

Time Pieces

2007-07-27T14:31:00.000+08:00

One day, as I was window shopping, I came across a watch shop where the varieties were staggering. So many to choose from but so little TIME (ha ha). I had thougt of getting a birthday gift for my teenage niece and I ended up getting her a "Evening Wear Watch Set".
The watch strap has sparkly jewels and the watch face has 6 diffent inter-changeable and attractive rings of different colours and pattern. Fortunately the price was within my budget. I feel that this is a great gift for a trendy teenage girl where she can swap the watch face to coordinate her dress colour or occasion etc. There's never too many when it come to ladies fashion wear.

I game across the following article about watches. Here it is for your reading pleasure :)

Does Your Watch Keep Time with Fashion or Function?

If you haven't lived under a rock for the past few decades, then you surely know that Rolex stands for luxurious precision timekeeping, and you know that Timex is the premier name in inexpensive, reliable timekeeping. The vast area between the two, however, offers the widest selection of watches-in terms of function, fashion and price.

We're all creatures of habit, and if one watch has served us well for years, it's natural that we gravitate toward the same brand and design each time we purchase a new watch. If you'd like to adorn your wrist with a different type of watch, perhaps a Swiss-quartz or high-fashion watch, we offer you a cheat sheet below, to help you get up to speed quickly with the many offerings available today.

If you've always thought of a watch as a functional necessity, you might add a few fashionable watches to your collection of watches and bracelets. If you've always worn high-fashion watches, consider adding an elegant watch to your collection, perhaps one with a golden mesh band. Whatever your requirements for timekeeping and your sense of fashion, you'll find a watch to suit your needs.

Impress Your Colleagues Watches

In the exclusive $5000-$2,000,000 range, you'll find a variety of luxury watches with names that escape the average man or woman on the street, and you won't find any of these online. Does Vacheron Constantin or Blancpain ring a bell?

Perception is everything, and a genuine Rolex brands you a person of discerning taste. If you live in New York City, you might be surprised to learn that you can buy a Rolex from a bona fide jeweler, most likely in the 10021 zip code. Forget all the hype about Rolex watches: people buy them for one reason. They are the most recognized status symbols in watches-everyone has heard of a Rolex, and a diamond and gold Rolex remains out of most everyone's price range.

Rolex watches are the most popular, and ownership is not a requirement for popularity. It might surprise you to learn that Rolex watches are not THE most accurate. It is unlikely that they take a year to make, and their resale value is of little importance to their buyers. Ah, Madison Avenue strikes again. Still, a Rolex watch is a fine watch and an investment in time. Give me status; give me a Rolex.

Other fine high-end watches include Cartier and Omega.

Affordable Treats

If you're a mere mortal with a penchant for arriving at your destination in style at the prescribed time (perhaps your job depends upon it), your idea of a good watch probably resides in the $100-500 range, and maybe even toward the lower end of that scale. You know the names Seiko, Swiss Army, Pulsar, and Citizen-just to name a few. The brands available in this price range offer a wide selection of choices ranging from simple and elegant leather bands, to mesh and link bands. You'll find analog and digital displays, timers, calendar displays, water-resistance, etc. in this price range. In fact, this price range offers the widest variety in terms of elegance, precision time keeping, and fashion choices. You can select from a number of watches using Swiss-quartz movements in this price range.

For the Fun of it

You'll find everything from designer-of-the-moment watches to household names such as Swatch and Fossil in the below-$100 range. The Fossil collections feature casual and dress watches in a dizzying array of choices, and provide dependable service as well. Fossil offers a lot of bang for the buck-fashion, dependability, variety.

Starting at $40, Swatch offers the most in up-to-the-minute throwaway watch fashion. The company began late in the 20th century as a consortium of Swiss watchmakers and worldwide graphical designers with one goal: to resurrect the analog watch. Swatch has come a long way since those days, and one of their newer creations, the Skin Diamond watch, can set you back a cool $2000. Of course, you won't run into yourself coming and going if you sport this new status symbol. The rest of us can settle with wearing our moods on our wrists.

And, last but certainly not least-depending on your current age-this category satisfies the Abercrombie-and-Fitch, Top 40 crowd with an assortment of watches from the king of the teen designers, Tommy Hilfiger himself.

Whatever your pleasure in marking time, find it, get it, own it, wear it. Mere mortals like us can browse and purchase the watches of our choice right here-onlin

M J Plaster is a successful author who provides information on shopping online for brand name watches and watches in general. M J Plaster has been a commercial freelance writer for almost two decades, most recently specializing in home and garden, the low-carb lifestyle, investing, and anything that defines la dolce vita.

Ponderings of a consumer - How to attract customers and keep them too.

2007-07-25T07:53:00.000+08:00

Have you noticed that certain product and services stand out from their competitors because of an Extra something. It could be the price, how its packed, whether free delivery is offered etc. Here are some of my views of how companies attract customers and get them to remain loyal to them.

How Price Place A Part.
I generally give each of my 3 school going kids a packet of chocolate/strawberry milk per day when they go to school. This worked out to 60 packets or 10 sets of 6 packs. Thus a price difference of even 20 cents adds up, let alone 60 cents to 80 cents difference in price that I've noticed between the different brands. For good economics, my vote goes to the cheapest!

Useful Free Gifts
My mother collected dozens of serviceable brown plates when she bought coffee packets while mum-in-law collected mugs, also through coffee. I believe that most housewives would buy a product if practical household products are given away.

Packaging Of The Product
We use lots of honey at home, as my hubby bring a water bottle full of honey and apple cider vinegar mixture to work everyday. I prefer to buy honey in a 1 kg bucket instead of bottle. These buckets are very useful as containers, for storing of my marinated meat, fish etc in the freezer as well as liquids like ginger and garlic paste, ground chili paste etc. Recently, when I celebrated my youngest daughter's first birthday, these containers came in very handy to give away to my friends and relatives cakes and other food stuff to bring back with them.

The Availability Of Lager Volume/Bigger Size
My sister prefers to buy a particular brand of oil which comes in a 5 kg bottle during festive seasons, weddings and other occasions where she will be using lots of oil for frying, for instance, frying muruku etc.

Free Delivery
My friend buys her provision from a particular store as they provide free delivery for orders above $50.

24/7 Operations
Operating for 24 hours, 7 days a week, means availability and convenience for the consumer. Once the fast food giant "MacDonalds" started operating 24/7, its able to cater to night shift workers thus generating more sales.

Catchy Phrased Advertising
From young I've grown up to "Fast to cook, Good to eat" jingle of "Maggie" noodles. So whenever, I go shopping for instant noodles I grab a "Maggie" packet. As far as I'm concerned, instant noodle = "Maggie". ( I guess this is subconscious programming through advertising jingles or product promotion.) I've noticed many people saying "Pampers" when they mean diapers. (me included)

Natural Remedies and Traditional Skincare

2007-07-23T09:25:00.000+08:00

Recently I watched a documentary on the people of Myanmar(formerly known as Burma). An interesting fact that graped my attention is that the women of Myanmar used the bark of Thanaka trees for skin care. It is considered the beauty secret of Burmese women. Apart from cosmetic beauty, thanaka also provides protection from sunburn, helps remove acne and promotes smooth skin. It is a traditional cosmetic and an inexpensive form of skin care. Thanaka cream is made by grinding the bark of the thanaka tree with a little water on a circular stone slab which has a channel round the rim for the water to drain into.

Living in South East Asia, it surprised me that I've never heard of this tree before. So I started to wonder what other natural remedies and skincare products are available from other countries and other societies.

Turmeric
From my Hindu friends, I know that Turmeric is very important as a skincare product for them. Turmeric paste is used by some Indian women to keep them free of superfluous hair. Turmeric paste is applied to bride and groom before marriage in some places of India, where it is believed turmeric gives glow to skin and keeps some harmful bacteria away from the body.It also acts as an excellent anti-scarring agent when mixed with milk and applied on skin.

In the Ayurvedic medicine, turmeric is thought to have many medicinal properties and many in India use it as a readily available antiseptic for cuts and burns. Whenever there is a cut or a bruise, the home remedy is to reach for turmeric powder. Ayurvedic doctors say it has fluoride which is essential for teeth. It is also used as an antibacterial agent.

It is taken in some Asian countries as a dietary supplement, which allegedly helps with stomach problems and other ailments. It is popular as a tea in Okinawa, Japan. It is currently being investigated for possible benefits in Alzheimer's disease, cancer and liver disorders.

Aloe Vera
My aunt used to apply the sap of the Aloe vera onto her cheeks where she had black marks on them. After continuous use for some weeks, the marks disappeared.

Aloe vera has been used externally to treat various skin conditions such as cuts, burns and eczema. It is alleged that sap from Aloe vera eases pain and reduces inflammation. Cosmetic companies add sap or other derivatives from Aloe vera to products such as makeup, moisturisers, soaps, sunscreens, shampoos and lotions. Aloe vera gel is also alleged to be useful for dry skin conditions, especially eczema around the eyes and sensitive facial skin.

Mint Leaves
Menthol from mint essential oil (40-90%) is an ingredient of many cosmetics and some perfumes. Menthol and mint essential oil are also much used in medicine as a component of many drugs, and are very popular in aromatherapy. A common use is as an antipruritic, especially in insect bite treatments (often along with camphor). Mint was originally used as a medicinal herb to treat stomach ache and chest pains.

Sandal Wood
Sandalwood essential oil was popular in medicine up to 1920-1930, mostly as urogenital (internal) and skin (external) antiseptic. Its main component santalol (~90%) has antimicrobial property. It is used in aromatherapy and Sandalwood oil is also used to prepare soaps.

Lavender
English lavender has a highly effective essential oil with very sweet overtones, and can be used in balms, salves, perfumes, cosmetics, and topical applications. Essential oil of lavender has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. It was used in hospitals during WWI to disinfect floors, walls and other surfaces.

An infusion of lavender is claimed to soothe and heal insect bites. Bunches of lavender are also said to ward off insects. If applied to the temples, lavender oil is said to soothe headaches. Lavender is frequently used as an aid to sleep and relaxation: Seeds and flowers of the plant are added to pillows, and an infusion of three flowerheads added to a cup of boiling water are recommended as a soothing and relaxing bedtime drink.

Green Tea
The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression. here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:

cancer
rheumatoid arthritis
high cholesterol levels
cariovascular disease
infection
impaired immune function

The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots.

Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay! Just as its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations containing green tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to appear on the market.

Sage
The Latin name for sage: salvia, means “to heal”. Although the effectiveness of Common Sage is often open to debate, it has been recommended at one time or another for virtually every ailment. Modern evidence supports its effects as an antihydrotic, antibiotic, antifungal, astringent, antispasmodic, estrogenic, hypoglycemic, and tonic. Internally it can be used for indigestion, gas, liver complaints, excessive lactation, excessive perspiration, excessive salivation, anxiety, depression, female sterility, menopausal problems. While externally it is generally used for insect bites, throat, mouth, gum, skin infections, vaginal discharge.

Grape Seeds
In all products grape seed oil is a preferred cosmetic ingredient for damaged and stressed tissues, possessing regenerative and restructuring qualities which allow a better control of skin moisturization. It is noted to be especially effective for repair of the skin around the eyes. Used as an all-over skin moisturizer, grape seed oil is known to reduce the look of stretch marks. A light, thin oil, grape seed oil leaves a glossy film over the skin when used as a carrier oil for essential oils in aromatherapy. It contains more linoleic acid than many other carrier oils. Grape seed oil is also usable as a lubricant for face shaving. Grape seed oil is reputed to contain plentiful antioxidants.

Nutmeg
The essential oil is also used in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries for instance in tooth paste and as major ingredient in some cough syrups. In traditional medicine nutmeg and nutmeg oil were used for illnesses related to the nervous and digestive systems.

Tulsi (Basil)
Tulasi’s extracts are used in ayurvedic remedies for common colds, headaches, stomach disorders, inflammation, heart disease, various forms of poisoning, and malaria. Traditionally, tulasi is taken in many forms: as an herbal tea, dried powder, fresh leaf, or mixed with ghee. Essential oil extracted from Karpoora Tulsi is mostly used for medicinal purposes and in herbal toiletry. For centuries, the dried leaves of Tulasi have been mixed with stored grains to repel insects.

Tulsi is effective for diabetes, by reducing blood glucose levels. There is a significant reduction in total cholesterol levels with Tulsi. Tulsi's beneficial effect on blood glucose levels is due to its antioxidant properties.

Anise
Anise leaves are used to treat digestive problems, to relieve toothache, and its essential oil is used to treat lice and scabies. In aromatherapy, aniseed essential oil is used to treat colds and flu. It is being researched for the treatment of bird flu as well. In India, aniseed (Saunf in Hindi) is also used as mouth freshener. It is also used for flavouring some foods.

German Chamomile
German Chamomile is used medicinally against sore stomach, irritable bowel syndrome, and as a gentle sleep aid. It can be taken as an herbal tea, two teaspoons of dried flower per cup of tea. For a sore stomach, some recommend taking a cup every morning without food for two to three months. It is also used as a mouthwash against oral mucositis. It has acaricidal properties against certain mites, such as Psoroptes cuniculi. The primary active ingredient of the essential oil from German Chamomile is bisabolol. Chamomile is also used cosmetically, primarily to make a rinse for blonde hair.

Cloves
Cloves are used in Ayurveda, Chinese medicine and western herbalism and dentistry where the essential oil is used as an anodyne for dental emergencies. Cloves are used as a carminitive, to increase hydrochloric acid in the stomach and to improve peristalsis. Cloves are also said to be a natural anthelmintic. The essential oil is used in aromatherapy when stimulation and warming is needed, especially for digestive problems. Topical application over the stomach or abdomen will warm the digestive tract.

In Chinese medicine cloves are used in formulas for impotence or clear vaginal discharge from yang deficiency, for morning sickness together with ginseng and patchouli, or for vomiting and diarrhea due to Spleen and Stomach coldness.

Ayurvedic herbalist uses cloves internally as a tea and topically as an oil for hypotonic muscles, including for multiple sclerosis.

Eucalyptus
The properties of Eucalyptus oil include Analgesic, Anti-inflammatory, Antiseptic, Antiviral and as a Stimulant. Its many uses include Air Disinfectant,Asthma,Bronchitis,Burns,Cuts,Decongestant,Flu,Headaches,Insect Repellant,Muscle aches,Rheumatism,Sinusitis,Skin Ulcers,Urinary Infections and Wounds.

Ginger
Chinese women traditionally have taken ginger root during pregnancy to combat morning sickness. Ginger ale and ginger beer have been recommended as "stomach settlers" for generations in countries where the beverages are made. Ginger water was commonly used to avoid heat cramps in the United States in the past. It may also have blood thinning and cholesterol lowering properties, making it theoretically effective in treating heart disease

A special type of ginger in Indonesia which also known as Temulawak is being used as a herbal preparation and therapy for patients who wish to slim down, detoxification, reducing "winds" in blood streams and controlling bad eating habits.

Lemon
lemons contain unique flavonoid compounds that have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. Because of its high Vitamin C content, lemon has been touted in alternative medicine as a tonic for the digestive system, immune system, and skin. There is a belief in Ayurvedic medicine that a cup of hot water with lemon juice in it tonifies and purifies the liver.

In Myanmar, ginger and local sweet (Htan nyat) which is made from palm tree juice are boiled together and taken to prevent the Flu. A hot ginger drink (made with sliced ginger cooked in sweetened water or a Coca-Cola-like drink) has been reported as a folk medicine for common cold.

Now for some Homemade Skin Care Recipes

Skin Freshener/Soother
Add pulp-free aloe vera juice to water in a spray bottle and spritz arms, legs, back and face.

Skin Astringents
Lettuce leaves
Water
Boil green lettuce leaves for 10 minutes in enough water to cover. Let cool and strain.

5 All-Natural Beauty Aids
Not everything you use to enhance your appearance has to come from a bottle or box.How often do you go all-natural? Did you know you can freshen up your looks with fresh fruits and other grocery store goodies? Some of the most effective tools for improving your looks -- from the texture of your hair to the appearance of your skin -- can be found at the local farmers' market. We’re talking about fruits that are just as good for your outside as they are for your inside.Here are top secret tips for enjoying natural beauty. These tips not only make great sense, but they also can save you plenty of dollars.

1. Squeeze an orange and, using your fingers, pat the liquid on your face. The juice will evaporate quickly and leave you with a radiant glow. Plus you'll have the benefits of the antioxidant vitamin C.

2. Mash half a banana and rub it into patches of dry skin. Leave it on for 5 minutes, then rinse well. Your skin will be baby soft. BONUS: the potassium in the banana will help erase the dark circles under your eyes.

3. Snip off the foot section from an old pair of pantyhose and fill with one cup uncooked oatmeal. Now carefully tie the "oatmeal foot" to the faucet of your tub (you want the water to run through the oatmeal). Now fill the tub and soak away your dry, itchy skin.

4. Blend 2 cups crushed macadamia nuts with 2 sprigs fresh mint and a half-cup of honey. Mix into a paste and rub over your body to exfoliate dead skin. Rinse and pat dry.

5. Mash a ripe mango with one tablespoon plain yogurt. Add 2 egg yolks and blend. Work the mix into your hair, then cover your head with a shower cap and leave in place 20 minutes. Shampoo thoroughly. It's the ultimate hair conditioner!

Homemade Skin Care Recipe: Skin lightening with lemon juice

One of the simplest ways of lightening skin is Lemon Juice. Topical Vitamin C is difficult to store and very expensive too. Rubbing Juice of half a lemon on the face and neck every day can provide very good results. It tingles the skin a bit, especially if applied on clear skin, but the tingling only lasts a few seconds. For added benefit a drink of lemon juice with a glass of warm water and rock salt, can be taken first thing every morning. The results can be seen within 4 weeks.

Ingredients:
Juice of Half a Lemon - for application. For Drink - Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice, Warm Water, Rock Salt.

How to prepare:
Just Squeeze the lemon, avoid storing, best used fresh

How to use:
Dab a cotton Ball with freshly Squeezed lemon juice, rub over face and neck, till dry. If tingles too much, pat dry with towel.

Homemade Skin Care Recipe: Lentil paste for excessively oily skin

A small amount of lentil paste either dry or wet, when applied to excessively oily skin is found to be effective in 3 ways. It cleanses, scrubs, and exfoliates skin removing dirt and dead skin. For dry skin this is not so effective and can cause irritation. Depending on the skin tone and irritation you can add some honey (for moisturizing), lemon (for cleansing), neem (antiseptic), milk (conditioner and moisturizer), orange peel (complexion improver).

Basically I have followed the above with honey and lemon juice once a morning regime. It leaves a squeaky clean feeling that stay the whole day. This pack can be adjusted according to your own suitability and availability.

Ingredients:
Red lentil (or Indian masoor dal) - a handful. Lemon juice - quarter of a small lemon; Honey - 1-2 teaspoons; Tulsi leaves - a few; Neem leaves - 1-2 leaves

How to prepare:
Grind dry lentil beans in a grinder/blender. It need not be very finely ground. In fact best if some beans are not thoroughly ground. The powder should have a gritty feel when rubbed against your hands. Mix sufficient water/milk to make it a paste. Add lemon juice (too much will make skin dry), honey, crushed tulsi and/or neem leaves. Mix paste with hand to form a smooth paste.

How to use:
Apply the paste freshly made. Do not store. Wash face and neck with warm water pat dry and apply immediately. Let the mask dry completely before removing with lukewarm water. Use a gentle scrubbing motion while removing mask. Pat dry and feel the difference.

Great Expectations

2007-07-20T09:33:00.000+08:00

When I first started a blog, I thougt I would compartmentalize each of my hobby and create a blog for each. So in less than a week, I've ended up creating 3 blogs. They are:
1) A Toast to Parenthood
2) Healthy yet Yummy Food
3) Easy Crafts

Only 1 solution! I've decided to create this blog so that I can give my ten cents worth on Any other views, likes & dislikes, tips, interest, hobbies etc, that I may develope.

For today I like to share about Gift Ideas.

Gift Baskets - are traditionally given for the birth of a child. I personaly prefer to buy individual baby products and make up the basket rather than buying commercially available ones. It's much cheaper and you can get creative using a particular theme or colour coordination etc,.

Hampers - like the Gift basket can be created on your own. Giving an hamper is an excellent idea for festive seasons.

Gift Vouchers - are hassle free and with the wide variety available, selection can be made with the recepient's interests in mind. My sister gave book vouchers as presents for the birthday of my 2 school going kids. Although they were not too happy about it, I was ecstastic - Got them loads of assesment books!

Now for the Heart of the matter - What should I get for my nephew who's turning 21 in December? He's the shy and reserved type. The only thing I know about him is that he likes Football and his favourite team is Man U. I've thought about getting him a Man U Jersey (Just afraid that he may already have some of his own). ANY SUGGESTIONS?

P.S. I came across an article Tittled "Make Your Own Professional Gift Baskets" by Donna Hamer which I hope will be helpful to some.

Make Your Own Professional Gift Baskets

Ever given your family or friends a beautiful gift basket? Gift baskets are such a wonderful gift and can be given for any occasion. However, if you are like me you don't have a clue where to start, let alone how to put one together?.. and the thought of creating a gift basket is the last thing on your mind? Then read on?.

Let me tell you how easy it is to make an amazingly beautiful gift basket like a professional. Even you won't believe you've made it!
To begin lets start with your "basket". When you hear gift basket the first thing that pops into your mind is a typical wicker basket. Well things have changed; you can use anything as your "gift basket". Once you decide who you are creating this gift basket for then decide on the type of basket which would be appropriate for that person. For instance if it is a teenager try a makeup bag or a plastic bucket for a gardener or a beach bucket for a child, try a laundry basket, a small plastic container or even a pretty purse, depending on the occasion and who it's for (you are only limited by your imagination for the type of "basket" you choose).

Next, find your fillers. The fillers don't have to be expensive but ensure that they match the type of gift basket you are creating. Make sure that what you buy will fit inside your basket. The secret to the presentation of your gift baskets are to make sure it looks like it is overflowing. The type of fillers you use will depend upon the theme of your basket and again, who you are creating it for.

Now for the fun part ? decorating! Start arranging your items into the basket. Make sure to put the bigger, taller or larger items to the back and the smaller items in the front. You can use shredded paper or any other "stuffing" to prop things up or fill in the holes if you need to. I like to cover the basket in cellophane and then type of personalized card.
Finished ??. how easy was that!

For more gift basket ideas or how to make gift baskets, visit us at www.101giftbasketideas.com.
About the Author: Donna Hamer is the author and publisher of eBook "101 Gift Basket Ideas".

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