Domain name registrations

Previously I had written about a website that provides assistance in choosing host hosting services. Well, following on that, if you are looking for web hosting, you'd probably wanting a domain name. Have you chosen it yet?

A domain name need to be registered, and many different providers will charge differently so to ensure you pay less for your domain names, be sure to shop around!

A little research took me to PayLess Domain Names - apparently Australia's favourite domain name registrations.



To tell the truth, they are pretty cheap. When I registered my own domain name, I think I paid AU$30 for two years. This site is offering for .net registrations for AU$11.95 a year.

It's not bad huh? So register domain here.

And if you are stuck for choosing a domain name, they give you a few tips as well here -> Choosing a Domain Name

They also do have web hosting services if you want to keep your accounts all with one provider. Discounts are also offered for registering your domain for two years or more, or bulk domain registrations. You'll have to ask them for details.

I'll update further if I do find more deals :)

How To enjoy In The Rain

I was forwarded this story I thought worth while sharing. It's important that we all see the bright sides of life and make the most of being alive and having loved ones with us.

----------- >>> How to enjoy in the rain <<< ---------------

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his
80's,arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb.

He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be
over an hour before someone would be able to see him.

I saw him looking at his watch, and decided, since I was not busy with
another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got
the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.
While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's
appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry.

The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to
eat breakfast with his wife.

I inquired as to her health; he told me that she had been there for a
while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease.

As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late.

He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not
recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even
though she doesn't know who you are'?

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, 'She doesn't know me, but I
still know who she is'.

I had to hold back tears as he left; I had goose bumps on my arm, and
thought, 'That is the kind of love I want in my life'.

True love is neither physical, nor romantic. True love is an
acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

With all the jokes and fun that are in e-mails, sometimes there is one
that comes along that has an important message.

This one I thought I could share with you.

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the best of everything they have.

I hope you share this with someone you care about. I just did.

'Life isn't about how to survive the storm,
But how to enjoy in the rain.'

Speaking of careers....

Although I did say I now call myself a writer, I am still at my full time job in the multi-national corporation for a steady income. The reason? Because I need to pay my bills.

And speaking of work, I have been looking. I thought since I am a writer, other than blogging and the little bit of freelancing I do, perhaps it'd make more sense to find a job that actually writes. (My current job is in project management)



Other than the usual employment website, I was linked to Jobs.com.au - something I wasn't aware existed. It's like a portal to a lot of the job sites out there, and linking the user to the relevant job websites according to the job categories they are after. So say, you are looking for a backpacking job, you wouldn't be going to a website that specialists in executive jobs. So this is a great way to make sure you start at the right places!

On the first page clearly list out the different categories of jobs you can look for. From Admin to Education to Government to Banking to Apprenticeship to Legal to Marketing. Under each link you'll find links to specialist job searches specifically for that category, as well as a description of jobs in that category.

Besides job vacancy linking, there are also links to various Salary Calculators and information on Training Courses. Other services such as resume services and information on recruitment agencies are also extremely useful.

So, speaking of jobs, I am off to find a new job to support my writing....

Being a writer

It's been about a year since my announcement of changing my career to that of the writer. While I do get plenty of support from my partner and close friends, some are still puzzled by my decision.

They say "It's not like you are going to write another Harry Potter" and "You've tried it for a year now and you haven't really got a name for yourself yet, why do you bother keep on trying?"

The truth is, because I know I can. I am sure J.K.Rowling didn't just come up with the first Harry Potter within her first year of writing. Jane Austin wasn't always famous herself either. Many great writers are great now because we remember them so, however they all have been through their learning stages, their hard times of trying to find inspiration, and trying to find a publisher for their books.

Many also have the perception that a writer's job is easy. You sit at your computer, you write and you wait for the money to roll in. Well, the process of writing really isn't that simple. Many spend hours at their desk, writing then deleting then writing again, day after day the piece of work is created but during this entire time, you are income-less. The most difficult part about being a writer is the fact that there is no fixed income. One month you pay make a bit to live, but the next month you may not earn as much, or none at all, if you do happen to struggle to find inspiration.

Although that is not to say it's a career without rewards. The joy of seeing your name in print, and your work published is the best reward of all. The joy of knowing that people enjoy what you write, and that they might just be anticipating your next installment is motivation enough to keep one writing.

Although money is needed to live, most writers don't write for money. We write for a passion, for a love of putting thoughts and images to paper. We write to educate, write to spread a word about particular subjects, or simply write so that we can live in our character's shoes.

If you are too, thinking about becoming a writer, especially the life of a freelance writer, ChrisBlogging and Beyond the Rhetoric are two great sites for advice, from two experienced writers in the field.

Blogging incomes

Some findings I have found as a serial blogger, is another blog for money opportunity with Smorty.

Smorty provides both service to the bloggers, as well as service to the advertisers. While the advertisers get their word out there, bloggers get paid!

The only thing about Smorty, (and many other similar sites) is that it's quite US based, so not allowing more international bloggers to fully participate in some of the campaigns. However, that does not mean there are nothing to write about. Sometimes a great opportunity would come up about things we love, and there is nothing better to write about things we love, things we have an opinion about, and get paid for blogging.

What about the search engines?
Yes, the search engines do penalize blogs that accept advertising by sending less traffic to it. However Smorty does provide a few tips on how to avoid this.

Finally the world has come to realize how important bloggers are, and the blog advertising concept is the fruit of it all.

Tour Down Under 08

Tour Down Under 08 stage 6 took place yesterday in Adelaide. Big crowds gathered along the roads, on the balcony of pubs as well as anywhere they can stand on to catch a glimpse of this exciting bike race.

Here are some photos from the event.































Now, I am going to nurse my sunburn.

Why I love Adelaide

Have decided to spend the Australia Day long weekend in Adelaide, and I once again confirm why I am absolutely in love with the city.

20c parkings.

We were driving along the north of Torres River and found ourselves outside the zoo. I decide to park and walk the rest of our visit so having found a spot fit enough for the hired car, I headed for the meter.

Weekends: 20c, maximum 4 hours.

20c per hour I thought, already impressed and put my first coin in. Thank you, please take your ticket said the screen, and out came a ticket for the next 4 hours.

Wow.

Coming from Sydney where you actually need to save up to park in the city, this is magic.

Another reason I love Adelaide is the absolute serenity and European feel about the city. We walked along the river, had a picnic on the shore, caught the free city loop bus around to places we need to be at, and no one was in a rush. There is no pushing, no shoving and no screaming. The whole city felt more like a town.

Have a look at an Adelaide map and you would already realise how well this city has been planned. The city centre is surrounded by parklands, and places for you to lie down for an afternoon nap in the sun. The new tram line extension from Glenelg means you can now travel further faster for cheaper.

I am loving Adelaide.

Happy Aussie Day! Are you a true Aussie?

How do you know if you are a true Aussie? Richard Glover have some ideas on how you would know if you qualify!
Click:
How do you tell if you are a true Aussie? (Richard Glover) - Sydney Morning Herald

Happy Australia Day! :)

The First Rate online marketing experience

Businesses in Australia and New Zealand have been using online marketing to attract more clients. These strategies include email marketing, search engine enhanced websites, online advertising and web design and development.

First Rate is such a company that provide these services, and with a good portfolio too. The company's client bodies include Vodafone, Yellow Pages Australia, ING and Flight Centre. And now, First Rate is also the first Good Qualified Company in NZ.

Visit First Rate Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) website for further details. Besides the description of what they do, you can also download their education presentation on 'Top Tips for Link Building' and 'How to Plan and Implement a Paid Search Campaign'.

So what exactly do they offer?

SEO Process - their specialty is to be able to assess your business website and adjust your contents layout and wording to maximize search engine traffic.
SEM - a way of paying the search engines to have your website advertisement appear as their top products.
Email Marketing - a popular product. First Rate has an in house email marketing system that keeps your mailing lists for you and provide a template for your marketing needs such as regular newsletters, offers and surveys to your clients.
Online / performance advertising - First Rate will assist you with your online advertising needs.

It's crucial for any business these day to have an internet presence, and even more to have a website that is easily found by your potential customers.

Quotes to lift your dull work day

The latest Reader's Digest compiled a list of the funniest stand-up comic's lines. I thought I'd share some of these with you to cheer up your work day.

"A woman's mind is as complex as the contents of her handbag; even when you get to the bottom of it, there is always something at the bottom to surprise you."
~ Billy Connelly

"How many people here have telekinetic powers? Raise my hand."
~ Emo Philips

"I tried to walk into Target, but I missed."
~ Mitch Hedberg

"I am not afraid of death. I just don't want to be there when it happens."
~ Woody Allen

"You know, you get that tattoo of barbed wire when you're 18. By the time you're 80, it's a picket fence."
~ Robin Williams

"First, the doctor told me the good news: I was going to have a disease named after me."
~ Steve Martin

"I think there should be more Australian culture in America's life. Most Americans think Jacob's Creek is where Dawson's cousin lives."
~ Adam Hills

"So they're showing me on television, the detergent's getting out bloodstains. I mean, come on, you've got a t-shirt with a bloodstain all over it. Maybe laundry isn't your biggest problem right now."
~ Jerry Seinfield

"Why are women wearing perfumes that smell like flowers to attract men? Men don't like flowers. I wear a scent called New Car Interior."
~ Rita Rudner

"When I was in London, I went to buy some chocolates. The cashier was like, "That would be 10 pounds." I'm like "Rub it in, why don't you?"
~ Carol Leifer

Cheers.

Choosing a web host and be happy with it!

So, you want your own website? What do you know of web hosting? How do you know if you are paying too much, or have chosen a plan too little?



This website: Web hosting choice is an US based site giving you an independent selection on the web hosting companies out there and their pricing. You can specify your requirements and let it choose the best web host for you, or you can browse through their list of hosting directory to find the one you want.

It's also good that they have a 'Learning Center' that teaches you all the jargons such as Bandwidth and Dedicated Server. Things you do need to know to choose the right web hosting service!

Unfortunately this is an US based site. They should have something like this in Australia too.

Another Hollywood tragedy: Heath Ledger, dead at 28

News source: Heath Ledger dead at 28 - Sydney Morning Herald

It's scary to think that we are the same age, Heath Ledger and I, yet I am safely sitting at my desk at work, with nothing in the world to bother me, while he was found dead in his apartment, suspicious of suicide in New York.

For such a young person with so much entertainment credit behind him, could he have been another tragedy caused by the spotlight?

Sometimes we forget that celebrities, actors, singers and dancers are also human. As much as the glamour and the wealth surround them, they are also faced with immense pressure and the public judgment each time they do something. It's not easy being in the spotlight all the time, but we don't see it until something like this happens.

Heath Ledger has had quit a career behind him. His career had been short, yet extremely successful. Each of his movies, starting with 10 Things I Hate about You to A Knight's Tale to Casanova have always been big hits. Not to mention his controversial, yet still successful movie Brokeback Mountain where he played a gay cow boy and was the subject to criticism by religious and political groups.

A star with so much more potential and opportunity in the future, found dead on his bed with sleeping pills. Who would have thought?

The celebrity world has been full of sad stories lately. Is there not a lesson to be learned in this?

Online prescription glasses?

I don't wear glasses. Fortunately. My sister does though, and I can see how annoying it would be having to go to the optometrist every time something goes wrong and you would need to get new prescriptions.

But apparently here is a Great Discovery: www.ZenniOptical.com - you can order your prescription glasses online.

I don't know. I mean, it's something to do with our health right? Our eyes are so sensitive and if you get it wrong, you get it really wrong.

Oh ok, I am being reminded that you can still buy FRAMES online and then get your eyes tested out for proper prescriptions. Well that makes sense I suppose, especially if it's going to be cheaper. Looking at the prices on this website does seem to be cheaper if you were to buy from the optometrist... I guess if you want a quick replacement and know your prescription exactly, then you could order them online like it here.

You can buy sunglasses too, but I think I'd rather go to a shop to try them on before buying them.

The glasses on offer don't look too bad do they?

My blog's worth

Jeanne at Writer's Notes introduced us to Dane Carlson's How Much Does Your Blog Worth calculator and found out that this exact blog, Amyee's 2 Cents, is worth a $564.54!

Ok so it's not like it's a couple of million, but hey, it's better than my Travel String and Sydney Fun blogs which are both worth a whole $0.

Interestingly, I get more readers in the above blogs than this one.
So I wonder how this came about?

More importantly, where can I cash out?

A change in scene at home

It's been raining all day. Even the cat is depressed. Can't do anything outdoors in such an outdoor city like Sydney, can't afford to go shopping and I am sitting on my sofa going growing mold.

Okay, so it's not that bad, but I took the chance to have a look around my house. Old sofas from sister-in-law, old dining table from mother-in-law. TV was picked up from a neighbour who was throwing it out and our double bed was bought second hand from a colleague at work.

Nothing matches, nothing really belongs to us. Perhaps some of these days we should have a look if we can afford to buy some nice furnitures?

Since it's raining, I thought I'd start on-line. And since I am only dreaming about it all, I can afford to start with some nice vintage furnitures I've always wanted.

I love wood. They have such vibrant colour and patterns that make them good furniture material, and look at these beautiful dark sleigh beds! No way I can ever afford them, but they would look really nice in our bedroom. Ahhh what about some nice big king beds? My fiance is always trying to steal my side of the bed, and my cat try to steal the foot part of my bed, and often I am driven to one tiny corner with my pitiful little bit of the doona... a king bed would solve the problem! We could roll around as much as we won't and possibly won't even touch each other!

Excellent....

And look at their prestiges living room furniture!

I am mentally putting an image of our house being fitted with all these nice furnitures. Wow, it would look amazing.

Shame. Can't afford them. I'll stick to our hand-me-downs for now.

Yes I still do believe there are good in all humanity

Osama bin Laden's son - the peace activist (Sydney Morning Herald)

I know all you cynical people out there are probably thinking "yeah yeah, that's just what he says, he is probably using the reverse psychology to get us Westerners back"

In truth, I think it's the politicians that are playing it all up. We have our governments saying "We have to fight for our freedom" but in truth - it's really the oil they want.

I personally think it's great Omar Bin Laden is trying to bridge the peace between Muslims and Westerners. It's a big thing when your father is the world's most wanted and you are automatically suspected of being the same, however he is determined to take this big task of bringing peace up and I respect him for it.

Here is something for those with bad credits

We all fall into hard times. And it's happening all over the world. In the US they reckon so many people are behind on their home loans and with interests stacking up, these money will be the burden of their lives forever.

And then, even worse, you become a bad credit customer and no financial institution wants to deal with you anymore. These bad credit loans can really trip you over and make life a hell!

So these guys I found, a US based site that believes they can help you back on your feet. Their credit report can help you determine if you have a bad credit, and then help you plan and finance your life.



On this site you can compare credit cards, car loans, home loans and persona loans from different institutions and see how you can re-finance and perhaps bring the interest rates down.



It's a free resource which means you won't have to pay to get this consultation, which is always good.

Honestly? We'd rather not be.

I was flipping through some old weekend papers and came across an article that appeared on one of the Saturday Sydney Morning Herald a while ago. The article was about our honesty. Whether it be a nasty lie or a white lie, can we go with full honesty for a week? The author found that declaring she is going to be all honest with her friends resulted in her friends asking her not to contact them while she conduct this experiment, as this will probably end up in conflict and end of friendship.

Why is it that we can't be honest with each other anymore? I have also been in trouble of being too blunt and 'honest' in my communications with people and have found that people often get offended. Don't we appreciate the truth anymore? Telling you that dress probably doesn't suit you better than your old one isn't telling you you are ugly, it's pure honesty to prevent further comments being made by strangers after you have actually bought the dress. These days we tend to take comments too personally that we overlook perhaps that someone who is telling the truth is actually doing you a favour.

How often do you actually stop and listen to the answer to "How are you?" rather than using the phrase in the context of "hi"? How often have we smiled and said "we should catch up soon" when you probably have no intention of meeting that person again?

What's wrong with replying with the truth to the question "how do I look?"

Being truthful isn't being rude or mean. Why is it that we'd rather hear a lie than the truth? Don't we want truth out of the politicians? Don't we all detest liars?

I do want to speak the truth as much as I can, however after a couple of mis-understanding, I do think twice now before I speak. There is just so many issues with political correctness as well as superficial politeness that just ruins our honest nature.

Lov'in ze language

Just a joke I'd like to share today!

European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.



As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in
plan that would become known as "Euro-English".





In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy.


The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.



There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.



In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.


Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.


Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.


By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".


During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl.


Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.


Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.


If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl.

Are you romantic?

Ok, this is the last time I am going to try to broadcast this:
I am engaged!

Although, I really am not the romantic I am appearing to be. I didn't even want a ring. I am afraid I might lose it, and we'll have to spend the money to replace it.

However, I do appreciate a bit of romance. As much as I say I don't want roses, it does still bring a smile to my face when my partner brings home a couple. I think it's romantic because he doesn't over do it, and when he does do something like this out of the blue, I know he means it.

Perhaps I am not a romantic because I don't know how to be one. I am a practical person you see, and sometimes having to be romantic just seem to waste so much money. Perhaps I just need to learn.

So I did do some research in hopes to improve the romantic in me, and I found this: Romance Ideas.

Romantic Ideas eh? I had to have a look, and I was delighted to find most of the suggestions don't cost so much money!

Personally I think it's all about small gestures. A flower delivery when the sender is not even there, does not beat a quick text saying "missing you" when you are just up stairs and the other person is down stairs for example.

I do agree with what experts say, that you can't let romance die down once you have settled into a couple life. I think too many people take their relationships for granted they just assume the other person feels the same. They stop saying I love you, they stop giving each other hugs and kisses. They become too comfortable and eventually, there will be problems.

So maybe I should learn to be a romantic. At least I know, after we do get married, I'll have way to keep this marriage alive!

What I need now is a massage!

I can't help but flip through the ads. I mean, what else am I suppose to do when I am twiddling my thumbs, pretending that I am working hard?

Well, ok, it was a prompted search. My back has been hurting from sitting around too much. That's what you get in an office job. Your back gets stiff and cracks when you try to stand up too quickly.

I glanced at the title: Human Touch Massage. Enough to make me want to just have a look.

Oh man, Massage Chairs. My uncle has one, not sure what brand though, and it certainly looks comfortable. I mean, they are in no way able to replace a well trained massage therapist, but it sure gives you a relief when you want one if you have one of these at home!

Well, this is what they claim:
• Amazingly human-like massage that replicates the rolling, kneading, compression and percussion techniques of massage professionals
• A full-body massage that follows the contours of your spine and body from neck to foot
• Unique three-dimension movements provide maximum relief to sore, tight muscles
• Multiple automatic programs that allow you to customize massage area, intensity and techniques used
• Intuitive controls that put you in command of your massage experience

I know it's all a sale pitch, but here I am, slightly in pain at my desk, could just dream to have one in the office so we can have a go.

Well, until I save up the money, I'll keep going to the chiropractor.

Say yes to plastic bags? Is he crazy?

Victoria has taken the initiative to ban give-away plastic bags in stores, and charging 10c for each a customer asks for. The move is said to hopefully inspire the rest of the nation to follow their lead and ban plastic bags all together.

I say - about time.

Most European countries have already adapted this idea. When you go shopping in a supermarket, you have to bring your own bags or you get charged 15 Euro cents per bag you need.

Plastic bags do make up major part of our rubbish piles. They are hard to break down, they float into the oceans and threaten wildlife and clogging drains.

This article by the ABC well documents the danger of plastic bags and how we can avoid over-using plastic bags: No Bags, Thanks!

I fully support the initiative to ban give-away plastic bags. What I cannot believe is that someone actually doesn't like the idea. Well of course, look at his title - Richard Evans, the CEO of Australian Retailer's Association happens to think it's a bad idea.

“Plastic bags are a part of our lives - if we replace them we are going to replace them with paper and where's the paper going to come from." Says he. In his words, he doesn't think it's going to save the environment.

Well Mr Evans, you don't believe in little steps along the way do you? Plastic bags ARE bad for the environment, and banning them doesn't mean we have to replace it with paper. The move is to encourage everyone to bring their own bags, which we all get almost for free from shopping centre promotions such as Buy $50 and get an environment bag for free! What's the point of getting all these bags and not using them?

And it doesn't have to be a special shopping bag. All you need is a cloth bag that will hold. Even a backpack - that's certainly what I used when I lived in Germany, a simple backpack so I can put it on my back when I ride my bike to the shops.

Mr Evans wants better litter management rather than plastic bags cutting. Really, simply maths here:
Banning plastic bags = less plastic bags floating around the household = less being thrown out = less litter = LITTER MANAGEMENT.

Obviously, he is just another sucker of commercialism/capitalism.

I also think it's not going to save the environment. It's no hollywood movie here. For the environment to be saved we need to do a lot of things at the same time, and having less plastic bags is a small step into bigger initiatives such as less paper advertisements, less use of petrol (encourage public transport/walking/bikes for example), more recycling and less waste. It's a small educational step towards a mass movement to save the environment.

News sources:
Giveaway plastic bags banned
Plastic bags to be axed by year's end
Plastic bags join endangered list

The issue with DVD regions

When we were on holidays in Malaysia and Taiwan, we saw new DVDs being released earlier than the Australian markets bring them in. Movies like Ratatouille, which is just about to be released into the Australian market, was already released in Malaysia. Being a fan, obviously I wanted a copy! Especially the Australian dollar being slightly stronger now, the conversion meant the price was a little cheaper than how much the DVD would cost back home.

I am not talking pirate copies. I don't believe in pirate copies. I am talking real DVDs, the official releases.

But there was a problem: Malaysia is in region 3, Australia is in region 4. We have a player that only plays region 4 DVDs.

Bummer, I thought, but I bought the DVD anyway, I'll find a way out later.

And I did. Came across this website promoting a software that unlocks DVD region systems. Using this software you can make your DVD player play all the regions in the world!

http://www.dvdunlocker.com/

There are so many movies and documentaries that are not available for sale in Australia. I remember seeing them in the shops in Europe, but unable to play them simply because I don't have the right regions!! How annoying.

See, I don't see this as a bad thing - DVDs are DVDs. It's not like I go off and buy pirate DVDs. As the website suggest, just because I live in Australia doesn't mean I have to buy the DVD in Australian prices! I am still buying them in proper shops with the official seals on them, I don't see why I can't be playing them on my DVD player just because they are from a different region right?

New Year, New Attitude

I just read an inspirational blog post by Jeanne Dininni at Writer's Notes on Attitude is a Choice. The post tells a story of a man who choose to be in a good mood everyday, and even when he had an accident, his positive attitude meant he determined to be alive.

I think of the times when I complain, or I listen to complaints about just the most minor things, such as lack of parking spaces, the traffic, getting rejected again by the publisher and not being paid enough. I often think back to whatever incident and reflect - was it really the end of the world? Couldn't I or the other person have thought of it from another angle to make it a positive experience?

I think I prefer to think I am happy. I have a job, not the best job in the world but I have an income which pays my rent so keeping me sheltered and safe. I have a wonderful fiance, not the best looking in the world, but who loves and cares of me and supports me through hard times. I have a car, at least so I can get around to places that doesn't have public transport. I got rejected again, but I learn from the experience and improve on my writing, which in term can only make me a better writer.

All these things I have, and not everyone in the world is fortunate to possess.

So I really should be happy, I should learn from John, the man in Jeanne's story, to wake up each morning and choose to be in a good mood. Why not? I am the only one that can control my moods and attitude, no one else can!

Living our lives online

I got engaged over Christmas (yay for me!)

Two days after the date, I received ten bunches of flowers, about twenty high-fives, two people popped champagne for me and one gave me a pot of flowers. Congratulations were coming from all over the world I felt like such a celebrity.

And I haven't even seen any of them face to face. I got all of these just through my Facebook profile.

Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and many others are dominating our generation's social scene. These communities not only allows us to expose everything about our lives, including what schools we went to, what jobs we have, birthdays, emails and our favourite cake flavours, it also lets us to share photos, videos, music and files. It's like taking the entire world and compressing it into a small server sitting somewhere, humming to the sound of all the gossip between its members.

I've managed to find my entire extended family on Facebook and I found out that my high school friend just had another baby.

My phone sits lonely on the desk. No one even bothers to ring anymore. Even wedding invitations were being sent on one of these communities.

The concept of online communities started off great. Photos that used to require physical delivery to be shared can now be shared between the whole world within a couple of clicks. People can contact each other faster, rather than waiting seven working days for your international mail to send through.

These applications are meant to help us know more people, to network and to socialise, but have we in term actually become more anti-social because we are spending more times in front of our computers, typing away chatting to three people at the same time and replacing a paper greeting card with a virtual teddy bear that can be deleted at anytime?

Hardly sound sincere to me...

But who am I to talk? I am blogging my heart out!

All these talk about weight loss!

I return to work for the first time having been avoiding the office for the past 4 weeks during this festive season. I couldn't help but notice that the colleague who usually sits next to me, somehow looks rather... thin?

Don't get me wrong. I am not calling him fat or anything, but the word chubby does come out from time to time. It seems that over these holidays, while most of us were putting a bit of weight on from the turkey and puddings feast, he had managed not only to keep it off, but to lose some of the weight!

He said he was on a strict diet program and he is very happy with his results. So that made me looking around for answers - I wonder with all these talk about weight loss, is there something out there that actually promote healthy weight loss without the need for medicine or disgusting lemon chili juice mix drink?

Then I came across this weight loss program, the Magnetic Diet Weight Loss Program.


At first glance it felt just like any other weight loss program, however I read on and realized that this program actually promotes nutritious eating and responsible weight loss methods.

Based on his own book The Magnetic Diet, author Nick Smith has made download-able e-books and audio CDs available through the website. The website doesn't also just tell you to buy the book, it lists the reasons and explanations on weight loss, on how not to fall for pill-popping scams and fall into an unhealthy diet habit. The package also includes a software that calculate how much fat you need to loose to become 'healthy'.

Well, this is sounding so much better than what I read about the Lemon Detox Diet.. I tell you that wasn't good!

I don't want to know about your herpies problem!

"...I just don't know what to do with you anymore.." sobbed the girl in front of me. She doesn't look too young, but should be old enough to know that she is about to publicly announce her boyfriend's bedroom secrets. "...I mean, it's not the same when we are in bed... why do you always want me to suck you?..."

I wish I had my cat's ability to turn my ears to different directions so I can avoid this particular conversation. Spoken loudly through emotions something I don't think is entirely suitable for the regular bus trippers.

"...yeah and you know what? I have to put this cream stuff in my Virgina. Gross. I wish it'd just go away!" Another loud mouth at the front of the bus chats away on her slick pink mobile phone. I consider getting off early to walk.

There is something about people talking loudly on the bus - do they not know it's kind of rude? I admit there is no stopping people calling you anywhere, and that is the purpose of mobile phones, designed so that we can chat, talk, complain and break up with our boy/girlfriends wherever and whenever, but a general courtesy I always have is to ask the person if I could call them back, as it's not convenient for me to speak right now.

To these girls, obviously anywhere is convenient.

And there is nothing worse listening to their conversations either. It's not like we mean to eavesdrop but it's very hard not too. And when the contents gets a little too weird, you can't help to look either, and then you end up getting the what-are-ya-looking-at-ya-bitch stare back at you, as if you were peeking into neighbor's windows minding other people's business.

Don't get me wrong. I am not about to start abusing anyone chatting on their mobile phones on the bus. I really just don't want to know about your hygiene problems.

Accent Languages

I admire anyone who follows their dreams and actually do something about it. A friend of mine from Germany had taken the plunge, packed up and moved to Australia. She settled in Adelaide, where she used to study as a student abroad and has now set up her own language school.

Knowing her from my own study abroad year in Germany, I knew she'd make a great teacher. Not only is her English better than most of us that were born here, she is also fluent in German and French. I personally was her little French student when I was studying in Saarbruecken, a city right on the German France border I figured it'd help a little. Patiently she taught me the numbers, then sentences and corrected my pronunciation. She has helped me immensely it's only fair now I help out by spreading the word.

So, if you have visitors, or know someone who needs a bit of language help, here is the website for her language school: Accent Languages
Learn English, German and French as well as Chinese!

I always say learning languages is so much fun and it broadens our knowledge about other cultures. If everyone knew more than two languages and actually visit the countries that speaks them, the world would be a better place.

Printing my business supplies!

A while ago I was considering going into the jewellery business and made heaps of beaded jewellery hoping that I could take them to the markets to sell.


So with that plan I went into VistaPrint and has some business cards, a rubber stamp with my jewellery website on it, post-it notes saying "From the desk of Amy", as well as some postcards acting as discount vouchers so I can give them to my customer.

In the beginning I wasn't so sure about VistaPrint. The prices were a little too cheap for me to think their quality would be any good. When I got the supplies I was pleasantly surprised. The business cards were free and were good quality. I love the post-it notes and the postcards were well printed and glossy.

Although my jewellery business never went off and I came back to writing instead, I still saved a lot by ordering these business supplies through them. I've just put through another order for my business cards as a writer :) I even got to design it myself!


Visit: vistaprint