THE MAN OF THE HOUSE

Words cannot express
How much you have done
How much you have sacrificed
To make me who I am today

Since my adolescence period
Until my adulthood today
You have always stood by my side
Catching me when I fell
Holding me when I cried
Hugging me when I needed comfort
Guiding me when I failed
Supporting me when I was down
Comfort me when I was depressed
Showing me the right path when I was lost

Now that you have grown older
More fragile and forgetful than ever
I will always be there for you seven days a week
To serve you in whatever ways you want me to
I will be your eyes to drive you around
I will be your legs to help you run errands
I will be your hands to help you carry things
I will be your head to remember things for you

Thank you for
Your patience in guiding me to stand up on my own two feet
Your time for teaching me to be the person I should be
Your laughter to make my life brighter and better
Your comfort when things seem to go wrong for me
Your encouragement to make me stronger
Your enlightenment to make me realize what a jerk I was before

Without you
I will still be a lost child
Never ever get out from the wild
You are my inspiration
To help me finish this dedication
You are none other than my friend, my mentor
My ever loving father

I love you Dad…Happy Fathers’ Day

Come this third Sunday of June, the whole world will celebrate Fathers’ Day. It is a day where all fathers expect at least some acknowledgements from their children for their fatherhood. How do you plan to show your father that you value him in your life? For those who has lost your father when you were young, step-fathers, god-fathers or whoever that act like a father figure to you and brought you up until today would also appreciate being acknowledged. No doubt the person is not your biological father, he still love you as his own.

Many of you will choose to spend this special day with your father by buying him gifts, cook something special for him or even take him out for a nice meal. When it comes to deciding what sort of gift for him, many of us will be stressed out as shopping for some fathers could be rather hard. Gifts for fathers should reflect the personality of the father. It could also be something that can bring back memories of the bond between you and your father.

Some of you would end up giving your father a red packet or “lai see” to wish your father longevity, health and prosperity. Some will give him some shopping vouchers for him to get what he wants in a shopping mall. Some will even buy him a vacation ticket to some quiet places far away from the hectic lifestyle he is having now.

Not all gifts given to your father must be of monetary value. As time passes by, some of us might not even notice that our fathers have aged a lot. They are many things that he cannot do physically now. A simple gesture of helping in any difficult household chores would be valued by him. Even a simple act of sitting with him and chatting until the day go by is enough to please him. Some fathers do not expect much from their children since most of them have grown up and have their own lives. A simple gesture of a long loving hug and some quality time spent together will be much appreciated.

What roles does a father play in the lives of his children? With his unconditional love towards his children, he also strive the best for the future of his children by protecting, providing, nurturing, educating or just being a friend for them. He is the man of the house who offers the guidance, discipline, right track and the needed strength to ensure the success of his children. He teaches us the basic things and helps instill many values in our lives. In short, he shaped us to become what we are today.

As Margaret Truman once said, “It’s only when you grow up and step back from him, or leaves him for your own career and your own home – it’s only then you can measure his greatness and fully appreciate it.” Not until you have a child of your own do you realized the joy and love in the heart of a father. How honoured he is to be able to pass on something that is good and hopeful into the hands of his child. How heartbroken he would be if his children were to go astray from the paths he had planned for them.

It is not an easy task to play the role of a father. Most of the time he will feel unappreciated for the sacrifices he has given, ignored for his position in the family and unwanted by his family after they have grown up. Stop making your father feel so inferior in his life. Show him what you can do by showering him with your endless love. Let him know that he is always being remembered by you. Prove to him that you are still a filial child not only on Fathers’ Day but also for many years to come.

TESTING OUT NEW BLOG THEME

Hi guys... I am testing out my new theme here. I would appreciate that you guys provide me with your screen specifications. Currently I am using 1024 x 768 dpi as my default. Some of the bloggers who came in here complained that they have to scroll extremely right in order to read properly.

So please keep me update before I post up my next new article.

Thanks

HI FIVE TAGGING TIME

I got tagged by Ritchie, the Tagging King this time. I guessed I have to keep the ball rolling. Here are the questions given by him:

5 things found in your bag
1. Files
2. Documents
3. Brochures
4. Pens
5. Stapler

5 things found in your purse/wallet
1. Money
2. Name card
3. Identity Card
4. Driver’s License
5. ATM Card

5 favourite things in your room
1. My Snoopy Pillow
2. My Cat Soft Toy
3. My Dog Soft Toy
4. My Winnie the Pooh Bolster
5. My Human Sized Teddy Bear…LOL

5 things you’ve always wanted to do
1. Travelling Around The World
2. Eating Exotic Food
3. Earning More Money
4. Writing A Book
5. Owning A Big Company

5 things YOU currently into
1. Blogging
2. Designing
3. Learning New Programs
4. Keeping Fit
5. Meditating

5 people WANT TO tag
1. SkyNaz
2. Grace
3. Dakota
4. Wuching
5. Nicholas

FED UP OF JUNK MAILS

Rated: PG18

If only this is true :P

Nowadays I seemed to get lots and lots of junk mails in all of my email accounts, may it be hotmail, yahoo or even google. Even though I did try not to subscribe to any of the online sites, the junk mails still managed to creep into my mailboxes. God knows how? Most of the junk mails nowadays come from the medical sectors which promote Viagra, Penis Enlargement, Breast Enlargement, etc.

I had a laugh when I visited one of the blog recently. I saw this photo in Kucau’s blog and decided to share this humour with you all. It’s on Viagra. Let us have a bit of knowledge on Viagra before we proceed to view the photo.

Blue diamond shaped Viagra

Viagra is a prescribed medication given to men with erectile dysfunction or impotency. It is being manufactured by Pfizer as an blue shaped oral medication. When taken, the erection will last for more than 4 hours.

Here are some of the side effects known for Viagra users. Those patients taking nitroglycerin or similar nitrate compounds for their hearts should not take this medication because it would result in fainting and collapsing. Additionally, there are side effects with headaches and stomach upsets being the most common. There may also be flushing and some nasal congestion. Abnormal vision is also an additional side effect which is unusual. Some men describe that they see a blue haze when they take Viagra.

Blue haze or blue sky? All I can see is a handsome guy wearing a bandanna and having a sword. What? Having the side effect of Viagra too? Gosh…I think I have watched Pirates of the Caribbean 3 once too many time. :P

Haha…How could they sell Viagra so openly?

Viagra Massage? OMG…what could they think of next?

ARE YOU HAPPY IN LIFE?

What do you understand by the word “Happiness”? Happiness lies in the hands of its creator – YOU. It is not about how you find it. It is about how you make it happen with the right attitude. It is a process of discovering who you are, who you want to be and being contented in applying whatever that is meaningful to your life. In short, the only source of happiness comes within your inner self.

Most people thought that they will be happy after they get married, have a child, maybe two or three. Paradigmatically they are wrong as they did realize how frustrated they could be waiting for the child to outgrow his age. Teenage period is always the hardest time for any parents to cope with. They will then assume that their lives will be complete when they get rich, buy a nice bungalow, buy a nice luxurious car, go for vacation at some fantasy island when they retire. How long do you think it will take? Tens of years right?

How many of you all have this kind of thoughts in your life? Are you really happy right now? Will happiness always be there for you? The truth is, there is no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, then when? Your life will always be filled with challenges until you grow old.

How do you measure the level of happiness? Basically, it comes in many characteristics where people tend to be happy.

1. HEALTH – physically and mentally healthy

2. WEALTH – having the purchasing power over materialism.

3. STATUS – being the boss and not the worker

4. KNOWLEDGE – well versed in their line of work without any setbacks.

5. FREEDOM – in control of own life rather than being controlled by external circumstances.

6. EVENTS – compliments, promotions, marriages, etc

7. SELF ACTUALIZATION – Self Esteem + Self Respect + Own Pride

8. ROUTINE FREE – breaking free from routine that will ruin one’s life

9. GOAL SETTING – knowing and discover what goal you want

10. COMPASSION – making others happy by sharing what you know and you will be happy as the result.

11. POSITIVE EMOTIONS – having the positive energy to lead a better life

12. SPIRITUAL BELIEF – having a pure and peaceful state of mind to eliminate negative emotions.

From the few characteristic factors that I have mentioned above, how many of you are really happy now? Spend some time to study within yourself. Are you on the right track of gaining happiness?

Below are two of my favourite quotes that inspired me to write this article on happiness:

“Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don't wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it's at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savoured.”

- Earl Nightingale

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

SPICY HOR FUN WITH GLASS NOODLES (FROM CRIZ’S KITCHEN)

As usual during weekends, I would create some special food to feed my ever curious tummy. For my lunch today, I tried something different. It is somewhat like our famous Char Koay Teow but the ingredients used are not the same. I called it “Spicy Hor Fun With Glass Noodles”

Ingredients:
1 kg Hor Fun (open up and cut into 1” strips)
300 gms glass noodles (soak for 30 min and drained)
3 pulps garlic (chopped)
300 gms medium prawns (peeled and marinate with some pepper, soya sauce & sugar)
1 chicken breast meat (sliced and marinate with pepper, soya sauce & sesame oil)
300 gms bean sprout (taugeh)
1 stalk of spring onion and chilly (for garnishing)
2 1/2 Tablespoon Cili Boh (Blended Chillies)
4 eggs
salt and sugar to taste

Method of cooking:

1. Saute some chopped garlic with some oil and stir fry the Hor Fun. Put in some pepper and soya sauce. Scoop up and put aside.
2. Stir fry the prawns and chicken meat individually and put aside.
3. Put in 6 Tablespoon oil and stir in the Cili Boh. Put in 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 3 Tablespoon of soya sauce. Stir fry until you get the pungent smell.
4. Put in the eggs and stir until it is cooked.
5. Put in some water (about 40ml)
6. Put in the glass noodles and stir evenly.
7. Put in the cooked Hor Fun and stir evenly.
8. Put in the cooked prawns and chicken meat. Stir evenly.
9. Put in the bean spout and stir until the bean sprout becomes almost transparent.
10. Dish out onto a plate and garnish with sliced chillies and spring onions

(Serves: 4-6)

As for dessert, I took some mini glutinous rice dumpling with some Malaccan brown sugar mixed with coconut milk.

IT’S STILL NOT TOO LATE TO LEARN

Phew...Finally I managed to learn up some basics on the software that can create animated graphics. It took me more than a day to maneuver with the tools and short cuts through the tutorial accompanied by the software. I would not say it is an easy task. It is through trial and error that I managed to come out with something which I think is quite presentable.

For some time, I was scratching my head on what sort of animation I should come out with. Finally, I have decided to use Nuffnang logo as my trial creation. Please do not laugh at my creation as I am still an amateur in this line. It takes time and lots of applications to be an expert. Initially, I have added an edited song into the animation, but I took it out later. It could be quite irritating for some people. Please give me some feedback in order for me to improve better. After all, this is for my self development. Here is the outcome of my effort.

**this is not a sponsored post**

For the past few days, I was in deep thoughts of whether what I have learnt all these years are well-equipped for this ever changing world of technology. “Am I still an old dog spinning my wheels all the time and not getting anywhere?”, “What are the new things I can learn?”

As I was saying, it is still not too late to go back to basics and learn something new to help keep yourself moving ahead. Some people will think that they are too old and lack of mental capacities and understandings to learn up new things. It is not about how long it will take. Finishing is not the goal. The goal is getting started now. It just takes a bit of your TIME, EFFORT, DEDICATION, COMMITMENT, CONCENTRATION and SELF DISCIPLINE to make a difference.

The world does not sit still and wait for anyone, so you need to keep updating yourself on and off whenever you can. There is always someone out there thinking how to change something or to make things better. It seems like they keep screwing it up! But they never give up! Until today, I still believe in my life philosophy, “Never Say Die, Always Say Try”. Who knows? One day, I might excel in my line of work!

So get your butt out from the cozy seat you are on now and learn something new today. It could be HTML programming, cooking, designing, writing, gardening, etc. Just do it!

LET BYGONES BE BYGONES

What has happened has happened for the best...
What is happening is happening for the best...
What will happen will happen for the best…
Do not brood over the past...
Do not worry about the future...
Be in THE PRESENT...

I just want to share with you guys what makes me write that short poem and paste it up as my sub-header. It was based on one incident that I experienced many years back when I was still a teenager. The story goes this way.

One day as Mr. T was going up the steps of a bus, one of his shoes slipped off and fell onto the ground. Before he could retrieve the shoe, the door closed and the bus moved off. Mr. T calmly sat down and threw the other shoe out of the window. I saw what happened and being a curious teenager at that time, I asked him, "Uncle, I saw what you did just now. Why did you throw out your other shoe?" Mr. T just smiled at me and replied, "In case somebody finds them, they will be able to use them."

From then onwards, I befriended Mr. T who was a retired headmaster. He has taught me a lot of things on Life’s Philosophy that as a young man, I took them for granted. Unfortunately before I could learn more from him, he passed away in his sleep a couple of years back. What he has taught me all along made me a better person than I was. I now look at things, understand people and situations much more differently than most people. In that unique incident, Mr. T understood the fundamental philosophy for life. He taught me not to hold on to something simply for the sake of possessing it and do not wish to share it with others. Now I am sharing his philosophy with you guys.

We lose things most of the time and this loss may seem to us grievous and unjustly. Loss only happens so that positive changes can occur in our lives. We always assume that losing something is a bad taboo. We never really understand that if things do not shift, we will never become better or experienced people in our lives. In order for us to mature emotionally, mentally and spiritually, the interchange between loss and gain is undeniable.

Maybe it was God’s will for Mr. T to lose his shoe at that precise moment I was in the same bus. Maybe this happened so that Mt T can get a better pair of shoes. Maybe the loss would lead him to his successor in life philosophy. Maybe God has decided that someone else needed the shoes more than Mr. T. For whatever reasons, we cannot avoid losing things. Mr. T understood that his shoe had gone out of his reach and the remaining shoe would not be much help to him. To him, it would be a cherished gift to someone who is in need of protection from the ground.

Hoarding possessions does nothing to make us better. We have to decide if some things or someone who have run their course in our lives would be better off with others. We have to muster the courage to give them up. To those who are lost in love and feeling down, I hope that what I have written today will bring you some form of solace to ease your pains. I know how excruciating it feels to lose someone or something precious in your life, but life has to move on. What has happened has happened. What is happening is happening for the best. What will happen will happen for the best. So do forget about what happened in the past, do not worry about what’s going to happen in the future. Live as how you would live in the present.

Anybody has a life philosophy experience to share here?

SISTERS CHAR KOAY TEOW

Penang is a multi-cultural state. Therefore various types of food ranging from Chinese, Malay, Indian and Nyonya cuisine are easily available throughout the island. When you mentioned the word Penang to those people staying outstation or overseas, the first thing that they will remark will be on our “cuisine bourgeoisie”, that is our wide range of hawker fare. Nevertheless, Penang has been known throughout this region as the “Food Paradise” of the East.

Being an island itself, Penang provides a large variety of seafood. Hawkers took the advantage of promoting the local seafood by adding them into their dishes. One good example is the Char Koay Teow (Fried Rice noodles), my favourite. This is one dish that I can take as breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner or even supper.

The one I like most is from a small coffee shop along the outskirt of Georgetown. It is located along the famous Jalan Macalister. Sisters Char Koay Teow was one of the first few in Penang to add humongous prawns to their Char Koay Teow. One plate is normally not enough to fill my tummy as it comes in small portion. My record so far was 4 plates at one shot. This is the proof of how good the Char Koay Teow can be. As for those who like prawns a lot, additional prawns can be added to your plate of Char Koay Teow and it costs not more than RM8. I would not mind paying for the amount as the prawns are really big, fresh and succulent. The Char Koay Teow comes with some crab meat as garnishing, as you can see from the photo above. Isn’t it rather tempting?

Tell me more about what food you like and please follow the instructions given below closely.

**Start Copy**

Proposition: What is your favorite food in your state or country?
Requirements: Find some info about the food and show delicious pictures of it?
Quantity: FIVE PEOPLE.
Tag Mode: You leave their blog and post link and add to the list below.

Mybabybay loves Asam Laksa from Penang, Malaysia
JustMyThoughts loves Penang Char Koay Teow
My Lil Venture loves Laksa Sarawak
Montessorimum loves Teluk Intan Chee Cheong Fun
Chinnee loves Melaka Wan Tan Mee
Leah loves Hakka Lei Cha
Hui Sia loves Crispy Duck Skin from China
Karen loves Pan Mee
Simple American loves Cheese Enchiladas
Giddy Tiger loves Dim Sum
CC loves Turkish Chicken on Rice
Criz Lai loves Sisters Char Koay Teow

**End Copy**

I would like to tag 5 bloggers who worship food as their God :P
Kuanhoong from Kuanhoong dot com
Ehon from Life
Ken Xu from Mysites Advisor dot com
Jamy from Seay’s Kopitiam
Anna from Dine With Anna

OVERCOMING THE BLOGGER’S BLOCK

Arrghh! Where am I? How am I? What am I? Who am I? Have you ever waken up one morning and experienced severe mental block? You just cannot remember anything or what you did the previous day. You even lost the creative sparks to blog even though you have been blogging for many years. You felt really down and depressed. It felt like you have gone back through time when you were still a baby; sitting there and watching the whole world turning around and yet you have no ways to describe it. Has anybody felt this way for a long time that they are not responding as they normally would?

Paradoxically, many bloggers have this kind of chronic depression. Some will just quit from blogging without considering that this is just a temporary symptom. Others will find it to be the best stimulation to blog even more quality articles. To them, blogging is the way to release their stresses, emotional pains, relationship problems, etc. Thus finding some relieves through the blogosphere.

So, what are the steps to be taken to overcome the blogger’s block?

First, let’s look into our health. Are we getting enough of nutrition for our body? Some recommend Ginkgo Bibola, the herbal extract from the leaves of a gymnospermous dioecious tree. It is believed to be an all round “brain enhancer”, especially good for those “forgetful professors.” Another recommended “brain food” supplement is Vitamin B12, which helps maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells. Vitamin C is also vital for health as it is also an antioxidant which can prevent lots of illness. Be sure to check with your medical consultant before consuming these vitamins.

Our diets are also something we should look into. Milk is believed to be a good nutrient for strengthening the bones but it is also a frequent cause of lethargy. When you get lethargic, you tend to be sleepy and less blogging ideas will come out from your brain. So skip drinking or adding milk to your drinks and study the effects for a couple of weeks. You will be amazed with the amount of blogs you can post.

The best remedy will still be the quality and quantity of sleep one is getting. Due to the working environment pressures and our lifestyles, a lot of people are suffering from progressive sleep deficiency. Remember this, sleep more and you will have more creativity in your mind to write a CLASS A article.

Next will be the blogger’s writing anxiety. When a blogger gets too excited and anxious over an incident or situation, he tends to be less systematic in structuring what he intends to write. The end result will be chaotic. His flow of writing or ways of expressing himself would be so poorly worded to draw any attention from his readers. A moderate level of adrenaline flowing inside us to get ourselves anxiously ready for action is productive. If we let our anxiety overwhelm us, problems such as “blank mind” may arise. This happens to many of us when we were in the midst of blogging, taking an examination, doing public speaking or even competing in sports events. Below are some steps which might help you to blog better.

Be Relax – Even if you are sitting down in front of the computer, stretch as many muscles as you can from head to toes. Close your eyes, breathe in deeply, fill your chest with as much air as you could, hold it for 5 seconds, and slowly let it out. Repeat these steps a few times until you are not feeling so tense to blog.

Be Aware – Aware in terms of your purpose in blogging on your chosen subject. Will your readers accept what you intend to write? Will they go against your judgements? Would you get arrested for blogging about the subject? Would you readers leave a comment on such subject? Nobody would want to read your monotonous lifestyle or on how you play the guitar. Readers want updates on technology, money making, lifestyles, happenings or even gossips. You won’t want your readers to be disappointed, right?

Be Focus – Zoom in what you want to write. Set a topic and do not wander off-track. Have your mind consciously and continuously on productive comments. Pen it down. It could even be in points form.

Brainstorm – Think whatever that first come into your mind. Gather as much information as you can by browsing through the internet. Interview some people to get their different views and opinions. Jot it down no matter how absurd it may sound. It could be a fresh analogy for future blogs.

Nutshell – Compile all your information in short sentences. Identify which information should be your header, contents and footer. Highlight them with 3 different coloured highlighters, Use a pen to number which point should come in first in each coloured sections.

Draft – Organize all your information in a systematic way by typing in Microsoft Word. Do whatever reshuffling and editing necessary. Run a spelling / grammatical error checking on the finished content

Finalization – Check everything carefully to ensure that it is as what you wanted it to be and you can start posting it into your blog account.

Finally, here’s the last important point - Reading. Go through some of the experience bloggers’ site and read through some of their contents. You might get a point of two of what you can write for your future posts. Please remember not to copy their topic contents as yours. It is not professional to “steal” what they have written unless you get their consents to do so differently, in your own words. Here are some of the bloggers who have made blogging so interesting: 5xmom, AhPek, As Zewt As It Gets, and many more.

SEAFOOD FETTUCCINE (FROM CRIZ’S KITCHEN)

It’s Sunday again. Most people would just laze about until early afternoon before they are willing to wake up to get something to feed their empty stomach. As for me, I woke up at 8.30am and went for an early sundry shopping down at the wet market. I’m going to cook something nice for my family for lunch today. It’s seafood pasta!

Here are the ingredients:

2 tins Campbell Mushroom Soup (420gms + 300gms)
½ tin Evaporated Milk
1 tin button mushroom (thinly sliced)
2 big onions (chopped)
2 big tomatoes (cut into cubes)
500 gms frozen Dory fish (cut into small cubes)
500 gms peeled prawns
300 gms squid (cut into rings)
1 stalk celery (chopped)
2 pkt fettuccine pasta (500 gms)
2 small cans of water (600 gms)
Some black pepper
Some Italian Mixed Herbs
Pinch of salt and sugar
Some margarine/olive oil

Marinate (15 mins):
prawns - some soya sauce, sesame seed oil, pepper and pinch of sugar
squids – some soya sauce, pepper and sesame oil
fish – some soya sauce, pepper and sesame oil

Method of cooking:

1. Boil a big pot of water with a teaspoon of salt. Put in the pasta and cook until soft according to the instructions given on the packaging. Drain the water and then mixed with some margarine/olive oil.
2. Stir fry all the marinated seafood individually and put aside to be used later.
3. Put 3 Tablespoon oil into a wok. Put in the chopped onions. When it’s cooked, put in the tomatoes and stir fry for 5 minutes.
4. Put in the canned mushroom soups. Stir awhile and then add in the evaporated milk and water. Bring to boil.
5. Put in the boiled carrots, mushroom slices and celery. Bring to boil.
6. Sprinkle some mixed herbs and black pepper
7. Put in the cooked seafood and stir well.
8. Add in salt and sugar to taste
9. You are ready to serve.
10. Put the cooked pasta into a flat plate and put some sauce on it.
11. Garnish with some herbs and celery leaves.

(Serves: 8-10)

Note: Use a packet of pasta if you do not want to have so much. You can keep the rest of the sauce in the cooler to be reheated the next day.

WHY MUST EVERYTHING BE IN SEVEN?

Why would Ritchie tag me for this kind of things? Why har? One thing I’m not sure of is that why is it 7+7+7 questions instead of seven questions? Hmmm… the number "777" is considered a lucky number for certain people especially for those who like to gamble in the casino jackpot environment. To me, the first think that struck my mind is that of Boeing 777 Freighter, the world largest and most capable twin-engine freighter. This latest technologically advanced 777-200LR Worldliner (Longer Range) passenger airplane, with more capacity, is scheduled to fly by the end of 2008.

Oops…I should be answering the questions instead of blabbing about something else. Here are my answers:

[Seven Things I'm Experiencing Now]
1. Having a headache
2. Having a really bad backache
3. Applying some lotion to my backache
4. Sweating and withstanding the terrible pain
5. Taking some muscle pain-killer to soothe the pain
6. Feeling really hot
7. Listening to some nature music to relax my mind

[Seven Things I'm Thinking About Now]
1. What to cook for lunch tomorrow?
2. What to buy from the wet market?
3. Why did I eat so full for dinner? (Sotongzai’s birthday dinner)
4. How much food should I cook for lunch?
5. Is it enough for everyone?
6. Who will get to eat my food?
7. What time should I finish cooking?

[Seven Things I'm Worrying About]
1. Will I be able to get rid of this acute back pain?
2. Can I wake up on time to cook before lunch time?
3. Will I be scolded for cooking late?
4. How long can I blog?
5. When will I see some money coming in?
6. Is my blog attracting enough readers?
7. Am I writing the correct articles for my blog?

[Seven Things I'm Happy About]
1. It’s a weekend!
2. I get to cook something special on Sunday!
3. I met with Nuffnang’s Executive Director just now!
4. I get to see 5xmom, Lilian Chan’s new hairstyle :P
5. Learnt something new about Nuffnang
6. Getting good results in blogging
7. Knowing a lot of new bloggers

[Seven People I Treasure]
1. My Dad
2. My Mum
3. My Brother
4. My Girlfriend
5. My 2nd Aunty
6. My God Sister
7. My Ex-Girlfriend

[Seven Things I Always Touch or Come In Contact With]
1. Computer
2. Keyboard
3. Mouse
4. Handphone
5. Car Keys
6. Cooking Utensils
7. My Girlfriend

[Seven Things I Want to Improve]
1. My blogging skills
2. My earning capacity
3. My business contacts
4. My designing skills
5. My relationship with other bloggers
6. My relationship with my family
7. My relationship with my partner

[Seven Things I'm Strong In]
1. Giving good advices
2. Finding new places to eat
3. Designing
4. Cooking
5. Talking
6. Joking
7. Bargaining

[Seven Things I'm Weak In]
1. Not to grumble
2. Keeping slim
3. Saving money for rainy days
4. Stop blogging and get a good rest
5. Seeking help from others
6. Finding ways to earn more
7. Not getting sick

[Seven Things I Adore Eating]
1. Char Koay Teow
2. Nasi Kandar
3. Hokkien Mee
4. Wan Than Mee
5. Sandwiches
6. Fusion Style Western Food
7. Yam Rice

[Seven Things I Adore Drinking]
1. Plain Water
2. Strawberry Yogurt Drink
3. Iced Blended Mocha
4. Local Coffee
5. Milo
6. Herbal Tea
7. Chinese Tea

[Seven Things I Detest]
1. Dirtiness
2. Backstabber
3. Loud Noise
4. Pretenders
5. People who do not keep promises
6. Excuses without a strong reason
7. People who are not punctual

[Seven Things I Cannot Live Without]
1. Computer
2. Internet Connections
3. Food
4. Money
5. Companions
6. Transports
7. My Brain

[Seven Things I Fear to Show]
1. Lack of knowledge in knowing more things
2. Asking stupid questions
3. Anger which I cannot control
4. Failure in coming up with new ideas
5. Not earning enough to survive
6. My Girlfriend
7. My ugliness

[Seven Things I'll Never Want to Talk About]
1. My personal life
2. Religion
3. How much I earn per month
4. My relationship in love
5. Other people’s little secrets
6. Who are my family members
7. My failures

[Seven Things I Will Want to Do]
1. Travel to romantic places with my love
2. Get enough of sleep
3. Stress free
4. Earn more money
5. Buy a better digital camera
6. Have a lot of understanding and loyal friends
7. Gain more blogging skills

[Seven Things I Will Never Play Around When/With]
1. People’s feelings
2. People’s girlfriend or wife
3. A gun
4. A samurai sword
5. Dangerous games
6. A murderer
7. Gambling

[Seven Things I Wonder About]
1. How successful can I be in blogging?
2. When can I get rich?
3. When should I retire from my work?
4. Who can help me in getting more money through blogging
5. Am I doing the right things all the time?
6. How far can my relationship go?
7. When can I get to be famous in my working industry

[Seven Questions I Hope My Friends Would Respond To]
1. What is your first impression on me?
2. Do you think that I'm too bossy?
3. What do you see in me that you like?
4. What do you see in me that you do not like?
5. How well do you know me?
6. Do you think I can get far in blogging?
7. Give me some advice in improving myself.

[Seven Things (or People) I Would Love to See]
1. Being a more successful person
2. Unlimited spending power
3. My Girlfriend
4. The whole world
5. People with more gratitude and politeness
6. A better status in this society
7. Less violence and war throughout the world

[Seven People I Want to Tag]
1. Skynaz – because he did not get tag by me before :P
2. Kuanhoong – my faithful commentator :P
3. Sotongzai – feels getting a squid to response here :P
4. Ken Xu – just want to know what advices you will give this time :P
5. Conan Cat – want to see how a cat can turn into a tiger :P
6. Timothy Tiah – how you got to be so successful in Nuffnang? :P
7. Sasha – want to see how well you can bla bla bla with such questions :P

BLOGGING WITH BETTER ENGLISH

After blogging for some time, I have noticed that the usage of the British English has been manipulated into many different forms such as the Amglish (American English), Manglish (Malaysian English), Singlish (Singapore English) or even Inglish (Indonesian English). I would not say it is wrong to use such languages or dialects while blogging, as long as the messages sent across can be easily understood by the readers or certain terms are well defined. The best written article is in short and simple English.

Since Malaysia is a multi-racial country, the 3 main languages that its bloggers use are English, Chinese and Bahasa Malaysia. Majority of the blogs in this blogosphere uses English as the main language, thus I noticed that a lot of our local bloggers have problems in writing as well as in expressing themselves using the correct English. I found a few good online dictionaries but the below 3 links are the easiest to use for beginners and advance users. I hope that these dictionaries can help you to blog better. You can bookmark these as your favourites in your internet browsers.

- Merriam-Webster Online English Dictionary

- English-Chinese-English Online Dictionary

- English-Bahasa Malaysia-English Online Dictionary

Let’s start with the proper way of understanding English better with these 8 basic terms.

NOUN – a name of a person, thing, place, animal, etc
E.g. John, toy, Malaysia, cat

PRONOUN – a word that is use in place of a noun
E.g. I, we you, they, he, she, it, etc

ADJECTIVE – a word that is use in describing a noun
E.g. blue, smart, old, bad, tall, angry, etc

VERB – a word that expresses actions or a state of being
E.g. go, play, sing, come, is, am, are, is, was, were, etc

ADVERB – a word that answers to questions beginning with how, what, when and modifies verbs, adjectives and other adverbs
E.g. quickly, cleverly, fairly, early, etc

PREPOSITION – a word placed before a noun or pronoun to show its relation to another word
E.g. to, from, in, for, under, over, etc

CONJUNCTION – a word that connects other word, sentences or clauses
E.g. and, or, but, through, thus, etc

INTERJECTION – a word or phrase used in exclamation
E.g. Oh! Good! Hey!

Now that you have understood the 8 basic terms, let’s look at some of the things to avoid while writing a blog.

DO NOT WRITE DIRECTLY INTO THE POSTING AREA
You will have a hard time rewriting your blog if you have post it and got a server/program error. So make a backup by writing your blog in MSO WORD first. Run a spell/grammar to proofread your articles to avoid unnecessary spelling and grammatical errors. Now you can copy and paste your article into the blog post

DO NOT SIMPLY USE SINGULAR OR PLURALS
E.g. My mothers is going to the market. It makes people think that you have two mothers. Even if it is true, the verb should be written as “are”.

DO NOT MISUSE THE COMMAS, SEMICOLON AND EXCLAMATION
E.g. Avoid overusing commas, that are not necessary, and do not overuse exclamation marks!!! Do you get it??? Use the semicolon properly, always use it where it is supposed to be; and never where it is not.

DO NOT LEAVE A SENTENCE HANGING IN THE AIR
E.g. This sentence no verb. This is not a complete sentence but merely a subordinate clause.

DO NOT START A SENTENCE WITH A CONJUNCTION
E.g. And I think he has lost his way coming here. But I guessed he should have called us to tell us where he is now.

DO NOT MISPLACE THE APOSTROPHE
Apply the apostrophe at “it's” proper place and omit it when “its” not needed. The right usage should be: Apply the apostrophe at “its” proper place and omit it when “it’s” not needed.

DO NOT USE LONG WORD WITH MANY SYLLABLES
E.g. How could I understand you when you use sesquipedalian words?
Definition:
sesquipedalian: having many syllables

DO NOT USE THE HYPHENS WRONGLY
Make sure you hyphenate a word properly.
E.g. relocation and not re-location, preparation and not pre-paration, pre-perforated and not preperforated, pre-gather and not pregather.

DO NOT BEAT AROUND THE BUSH
Articles should be simplified as readers do not like to read too many words. Use the K.I.S.S. concept, i.e. Keep It Short and Simple.
E.g. It has come to our considered attention that in a large majority of cases, far too many people use a great deal more words than is absolutely necessary when engaged in the practice of writing sentences.

DO NOT LEAVE THE READER GUESSING
Make sure you have the flow while writing. Set paragraphs for each point you have. Be systematic about how you want to present your points. Continuity of thought, logical development and smooth transitions are important. Never leave the reader guessing over what you have in your mind.

DO NOT REPEAT ON THE SAME TOPIC
Readers get bored after reading your article if you were to say the same thing all over again. Do not say more than once. It's redundant and repetitious.

DO NOT USE CONTRADICTIONS AND DOUBLE NEGATIVES
E.g.
1. In a formal writing, don't use contractions. “Don’t” should be replaced with “Do not”.

2. There can never be no man working for such a stingy boss. Negative plus negative becomes positive. It should read as: There can never be anyone working for such a stingy boss.

DO NOT USE BOMBASTIC OR FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Do not use languages/dialects that majority of the readers will not understand. Even if you do, please state clearly what it means.
E.g.
1. Avoid colloquial stuff or trendy locutions that sound flaky and confusing.
Definitions:
colloquial: informal conversation; slang
locution: a particular form of expression

2. The de facto use of foreign phrases vis-a-vis the English in your written tete-a-tetes makes the sentence rather confusing and harder to understand.
Definitions:
de facto: actual,
vis-à-vis: in relation to
tete-a-tetes: conversations

WHAT WERE YOU DOING WHEN YOU WERE 18?

I got tagged by this Ehon, the “Evil Horror from the Ominous Necropolis” to write something about when I was 18 years old. Walao…How could I remember what I did so many years ago? It was more than 10 years ago. Yea…I must admit…I’m old physically but not mentally. Hehe… Cough…cough…I’m still sick and nothing is in my brain now. What should I write? *Bang bang the forehead on the table* *Dig dig my old school magazine out from the dusty attic*. Achoooo… ah ha…here is something that will refresh my memory. I will write about it after I post up the rules and check through the website.

THE RULES:

1. Go to www.popculturemadness.com
2. Select the year you turned 18 (type the year in the google search)
3. Get all nostalgic over the songs of the year
4 Write about it
5 Pass this tag onto 5 others

The moment I saw the word “Rules”, I got scared as I was wondering if it’s like the Singaporean, Jack Neo’s latest movies “Just Follow Law” - everything also must follow rules, just fill in this form and we get back to you in a few days. Don play play lah! Wait…must I declare this before I write further? Haha…

THE RESULTS:

Here are some of the songs which gave me good memories even until now… sob… sob… Ehon…why you made me this way?

One Sweet Day - Mariah Carey & Boys II Men
(Reminded me of how I first met with my love and how sweet she was when I first met her)

I'll Be There For You - Rembrandts
(Yea…I was there for her always…day and night until her mother shooed me home…hehe)

We've Got It Goin' On - Backstreet Boys
(Both of us idolized this group of “leng zai”s)

Boombastic - Shaggy
(Won in the Grammy Award for the Best Reggae Album 1995…we were dancing to the tune even at home)

Better Man - Pearl Jam
(I was then her favourite man, so was I to others, but I chose to be with her)

The Woman In Me - Shania Twain
(I felt so lost and fragile because her whole family moved down to KL and I was left all alone again)

Thank You - Boyz II Men
(Thanks for all the sweet memories you have given me during our 3 years of relationship)

Sexual Healing - Max-A-Million
(I needed a lot of that then)

Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop) - Scatman
(My first encounter dancing with another gal but I still can’t let go of her, my first love)

Gangsta's Paradise - Coolio
(Won in the Grammy Award for the Best Rap Solo Performance…nay…I was not one)

Colors Of The Wind - Vanessa Williams
(I love the Pocahontas storyline…it made me feel the love atmosphere and crying over the love that got lost in my life)

Hooked On You – Silk
(Yea…still hooked on her and can’t let go)

Exhale (Shoop Shoop) - Whitney Houston
(Tried to get that extra breath to have the courage to move on)

Dreaming Of You - Selena
(Day and night I dreamt of her…even now…even I know she’s still single down in KL but my family commitment comes first…how sad)

As I Lay Me Down - Sophie B. Hawkins
(Sleepless nights trying to get hold of myself for not crying out)

Baby - Brandy
(Baby… I love you forever and wished that fate will let us be together again)

*************************************************************************************

Someone please pass me some tissues…

Here are the 5 persons whom I would like to share their experiences with me:

Elena Tong – my loveable god sister who has a real sentimental heart in the love industry…LOL

Graceq – a good friend of mine who like to talk about her piggy’s life :)

PapaJoneh – tell us what you did when you were young prior to knowing your soul mate, MamaJoneh :)

Pikey Dude – Dare you to tell me more :)

Val – I know you might hate me for doing this but I just want you to be relax and drift your mind back to those sweet memories that you had.

SLEEPING TIPS IN A SUBTLE WAY

Sleeping is very important to one’s health. A human can stay alive without eating for 2 weeks but if he doesn't sleep at all, he can only survive for a week. Sleeping provides us the chance of resting our internal organs, external organs and most importantly our brains. If you wish to have stay healthy and have a long life, here are some useful tips.

DON'T SLEEP WITH YOUR HANDPHONE
Putting the handphone beside your bed or anywhere near you is not encouraged. Though some of us use handphones as alarm clocks, please put the handphone as far as you can. It has yet to be proven officially, but scientists believed that handphones will emit magnetic waves which can cause disruptions to our nervous system. Therefore, if you need to put your handphone near to you, switch it off first. Errr…you mean that’s the reason I’m feeling a bit crazy now? :P

DON'T SLEEP WITH THE WATCH ON
Though small, watches can emit a certain level of radioactivity. If you wear it to bed for a long period of time, it might have adverse effects on your health. OMG…my sex life will be affected too? Oh…better not wear next time :P

DON'T SLEEP WITH WEARING BRA / UNDERWEAR
Scientists have discovered that those who wear bras for more than 12 hours have a higher risk of getting breast cancer. Well, the same goes down there for guys. Just imagine having a prosthetic part? So go to bed without it. One more thing to keep in mind is to keep all animals out of the room when you are sleeping with a “sarung”. You might not know what might go missing…hehehe :P

DON'T SLEEP WITH MAKE UP
People who sleep with make up might have skin problems in the long run. Sleeping with make up will cause the skin to have difficulty in breathing and problem in perspiring. You will also need a much longer time to go into deep sleep. Errr…lip gloss considered make up? :P

DON'T SLEEP WITH OTHERS' WIFE OR HUSBAND, GIRLFRIEND OR BOYFRIEND
You may never wake up again. Ehhh…No wonder I almost got killed when I slept with Mimi for one night. Her husband almost killed me lar…stupid dog :P

ADDITIONAL TIPS:
Kuanhoong has noted that I left this important part out. So here it is.

DON'T SLEEP WITH CONTACT LENS ON
The lens will cause some irritation and dryness to the eyes if worn too long. The fewer total hours the lens accumulates on the eye, the lower the chance of problems such as lens discomfort, blurring of vision and infectious risk. I just don't get it at all. Do you really need to have such a good vision when you have sex in bed? After all, sleeping after sex is quite normal :P

HOW TO ADD THE ALEXA REDIRECT LINK TRAIN

I’ve received a few enquiries about the Alexa Redirect Link Train in my comment. Guessed what? I did not realize that I myself was confused over what it actually does until I did some further research to get a better view of the mechanism. I think I better brief you all the correct steps to link this train before someone ended up like me…breaking the link from the source.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Copy (highlight and press ctrl-c) the whole blog contents and paste it (ctrl-v) into MS Office and edit from there.

STEP 1: GIVE A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE TRAIN

The latest train to be introduced in this blogging area is the Alexa Redirect Link Train. Thus, it will give participating blogs good traffics & popularity and at the same time improves your Alexa and Technorati ratings. Spread the news about this Alexa Redirect Link Train in your blog. Feel free to add in my comment if you are interested to be in the train list. Have a good day! Just add another 3 persons you think should be in the list and post it in your blog. Check here if you are not sure how to continue the link.

STEP 2: ADD THE ALEXA TRAIN PHOTO

You can right click save picture and upload to your own photo album and put in the html codes here

STEP 3: ADD THE INTRODUCER’S NAME AND THE LINK TO HIS WEBSITE

Example:

kuanhoong dot com has tagged me to write and promote this train. So here is my list.

· Alexa Redirect for kuanhoong dot com

· Alexa Redirect for My Sites Advisor

· Alexa Redirect for Life Rocks! 2.0

· Alexa Redirect for Vince Cordic’s Internet Marketing Tactics

· Alexa Redirect for Criz’s Sanctuary

· Alexa Redirect for Webtools

· Alexa Redirect for 5xmom

· Alexa Redirect for AhPek dot com

· Alexa Redirect for Cedric’s Asylum

WELCOME ABOARD:

· Alexa Redirect for PapaJoneh dot com

· Alexa Redirect for HLCO

· Alexa Redirect for Piggy’s Life

NOTE:

Can you see that I have added another 3 new website names to the list kuanhoong dot com has?

I have also added 3 additional people who have requested to jump aboard my train in my WELCOME ABOARD list. Just add more names here if you get more requests :)

Make sure that when you have written the blogger’s website, you must be assured that they are properly hyperlinked.

Eg. Alexa Redirect for 5xmom

The Alexa Redirect hyperlink should read as: http://redirect.alexa.com/redirect?http://chanlilian.net/

The 5xmom hyperlink should read as: http://chanlilian.net/

HERE IS HOW IT LOOKS NOW