CRIZ'S SANCTUARY

I HAVE RECEIVED MY FREE DREAMZ TICKETS

2008-06-28T13:15:00.003+08:00

My TWO FREE TICKETS for the AMBP Dreamz Contest finally came today. I was jumping up and down with happiness as I thought that I will have to wait until the closing date on 1 August 2008 to get them. Now I have more time to plan carefully for my Genting Highlands trip.

It’s still not too late for you to submit your entry post. You can always refer to my “The Dreamz of My Life” post to get all the necessary answers and steps to join in this contest. You have up to 1 August 2008 to do so or until the TWO FREE TICKETS worth RM260 runs out.

Hurry to join now as there are still tens of double tickets to be won. This is a lifetime’s opportunity for you to watch white lions and tigers with your partner.

ARE FORUM DISCUSSIONS GETTING WAY OUT FROM REALITY?

2008-06-27T12:25:00.002+08:00

Forums can be great only if they are properly used for discussing problems, providing solutions and getting latest news but has the local forums especially those Chinese related ones maintained their dignity by ensuring truths in the news itself? Just an example from the recent case when the whole Penang state was put under alert when one of the forum users advised those people using the Penang Bridge to be careful as a ship had collided with the bridge. The news spread like a virus and the Penang state Government has a hard time in assuring the public that the Penang Bridge was safe to be used. The rumor also came out on the front page in many of the local dailies and the user has been banned from the forum.

What else is cooking in the forum now? Twister in Penang? In Bukit Jambul area? In fact, that is what another user has posted up now, even with a photo. Should I believe that the photo is not photoshopped? In my opinion, I do not and will not fall for the same old trick again. I was asking myself, if the news was real, why was there only a photo and not a series of photos?

I have checked through all the online local news and nothing was mentioned about the twister although it supposedly happened at around 2pm on 26 June 2008. By now, the news would have appeared in our local daily today, right? The second doubt was that how could a twister which promised a gloomy dark sky can still shine through some sunlight against the background buildings? I think the person who did that “touch up”, ought to consider all these aspects before even trying to fool people with false news.

Here are the two versions of the photos obtained from the forum. Do guessed out if these are the photos that can really convince the public.

SCARF LOGO COMPETITION

2008-06-03T21:27:00.002+08:00

For those who would like to try out their creativity, there is an ongoing logo competition on for the Society for Childcare Assistance/Relief (SCARF), Inc. SCARF is seeking a logo for their Not For Profit Organization. The Director, Janet Miller Ph.D, is hoping for a logo that reflects the core meaning of SCARF with a symbolic and visually appealing logo.

Mission Statement:
The mission of the Society for Childcare Assistance/Relief (SCARF), Inc is to assist workers and students with dependent children aged infant to 12 years of age with their financial ability to obtain quality childcare. SCARF, Inc, will achieve its mission by providing childcare tuition grants on a sliding scale basis, assisting clients in being informed of other vehicles for obtaining childcare assistance, helping them understand their own potential, and encouraging clients to pursue their own career excellence.

The Winner will be chosen by the Director and will receive $100 and sign a TRANSFER OF COPYRIGHT AGREEMENT. The name of the artist will be credited on the website and brochures.

For more information on the copyright agreement, please check Jafabrit’s blog.

Please send entries to jafagirlart@yahoo.com

THE DREAMZ OF MY LIFE

2008-05-31T03:49:00.002+08:00

Who is the professional image consultant dishing out juicy tips on how to look your best at CloveTWO.com's Lookin' Good section?
Answer: Wendy Lee

Name the bloggers at the Guy and Parent blogs.
Answers:
Guy: Andrew William
Parent: Sharmila Rajah

At which section do you find stories on women's fashion and beauty?
Answers: Style Sheet

Attending Dreamz would be a dream come true for me because it has been a childhood dream that I had yet to fulfill.

Never had I dreamt that the AMBP (All Malaysian Bloggers Project) would tie in with Genting – City of Entertainment and CloveTWO.com to give away 80 double passes (worth RM260 each and valid until 31 August 2008) for FREE to the latest extravaganza Dreamz Magic Show.

By just posting the Dreamz logo, the answers to the above questionnaires and sent your post link to Dream a little Dreamz, you will be entitled to TWO PASSES to the show itself in Genting. I am not going to delay further as the free tickets are going off fast. The sooner I get this done, the sooner I can confirm my places. It is a childhood dream that I would like to fulfill, what more with a white lion and tiger which I have never seen before.

You have up to 1 August 2008 to submit your post or until all tickets are taken up, whichever comes first. Check out AMBP’s site for more information as there are certain Rules and Regulations that you will need to abide.

MY CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION SCRIPT WAS PICKED

2008-05-10T00:08:00.001+08:00

Finally, the CCSI Little Production Studio had decided to use my script for their newest production scheduled to be released on 10 & 11 May 2008. Many of you may not know what CCSI stands for. CCSI means Cat/Canine Crime Scene Investigation. You did not read wrongly. It is all about furry animals dressed up in human forms and solving crime scenes cases. This is going to be yet another great production ever produced since the studio’s last two successful productions from last year onwards.

When would be the most appropriate time than to release it prior to Mothers’ Day which will fall on 11 May 2008. The latest production would be called CCSI III – The Missing Mummy Caper, written by yours truly from Malaysia, directed by Opus & Roscoe from Italy, produced by Sassy & her Little Productions Team from USA, and marketed by Momo from Australia. This production will feature many talented furry animals such as cats, dogs and bunny throughout the blogosphere.

Do not miss the opportunity to spend some value time with your mother this weekend while enjoying the story line of the case. Please make a mark on your calendar now. It is going to be aired for two consecutive days starting from 10 May 2008 at Sassy’s site.

HAVING FAITH IN LIFE

2008-05-09T15:58:00.001+08:00

It would be a wonderful thing if everyone in this world has at least some compassion in them. It was only two days ago that I had encountered an incident when a man fainted along the pathway of the heavily traffic of Penang Road, in a fit with blood rushing out from his nose and not even a single motorist stopped by to help him. I often wondered if the locals are really a heartless bunch of people or they are afraid of other consequences that might happen if they were to lay a hand to help anyone that is really in need. Although I was already late for an appointment, miles away, I was glad that at least I did my part in calling 991 for an ambulance to send him to the hospital

Speaking about compassion, my heart melted away as I was reading about how a 22-year-old Reuben Stringfellow, a private-first class in the Army, stationed in Alaska, rescued a puppy about to be put to sleep. His mother Jude, who lives in Oklahoma City, took over the task of caring for the poor puppy. Faith, the name given to the Labrador-Chow Chow mix breed female dog, was born in December 2002 with only 3 legs. Its left front leg was amputated at 7-months old when it was found to be deformed and useless. She has to be taught to walk upright by a canine trainer and training was not that easy as everyone thought. I guessed she would be the first bipedal dog that I have known that ought to receive a standing ovation.

This is a great incident where a combination of compassion by the Stringfellow family and having faith in life, can push forward the determination of a canine to live its life to the fullest. Be compassionate. Lend a hand. Encourage some faith and motivation to live on, not only towards animals but also towards those humans surrounding you. Life is not something to be discarded off so easily when there is still hope, faith and willpower to strive on.

A book has been published about Faith entitled “With a Little Faith”. If you check through YouTube, you can see Faith and her owner, Jude Stringfellow, featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Montel Williams Show as well as Ripley’s Believe it or Not. You can learn more about Faith at faiththedog.net

MAXIS WIRELESS BROADBAND – THE UNRELIABLE

2008-05-04T01:00:00.004+08:00

I have been extremely patient and when a person’s patience is extended until the maximum, anyone would have burst out in anger? What more being patient for up to 15 months? This is what will happen when things had gone wrong without any proper explanations. In fact, I do not think Maxis has any explanations at all. I do not think there are any good communication practices from the top level management down to the staff as well as their contractors (sub-contractors in fact). Nobody seems to know what the other is doing.

The bloggers is a big community and can you think what will happen if everyone who is using the service complain? I am going to share with you the trauma and bad dreams I had when I had put in my 100% confident and belief in a company that WAS ONCE BELIEVED to be the top communication service provider in Malaysia. Even their 012 and 017 mobile phone services are beginning to drop in sales. Who would want to receive explanations like “who asked you to live in a valley” and “Penang tall building a lot, so sometimes frequencies do get blocked”. When a person complained, they want explanations and solutions, not just some craps that come out illogically and as an insult.

Here are some of my scenarios that occurred during the last 15 months of usage. Maybe this will help many new subscribers to reconsider applying to a service that is so inconsistent and unstable that you can only use to check mails (but not all the time).

“Sir, can you log into 192.168.0.1 and check the connection status. Is it connected or disconnect? Now can you check your network type? Is it HSDPA, UMTS, EDGE or unlimited service? Can I know the cell ID reading? Now can I know the RSSI, RSCP and Ec/lo readings?” Is this not what you would be asked if you call the 1-800-822-000 hotline number? It sounded like they are reading off a piece of paper and being not so personal after all. But then this will happen if only you can get hold of anyone from the customer service department, which WAS SUPPOSED to be a 24-hours service centre?

Most of the time, you would just be forced to listen to all the rest of their crap services and wasting your mobile phone credits away. Well, more than RM600 worth of mobile phone credits used up to call the hotline during this 15 months is not a big deal to them right? It is not their money but the hard earned money of the consumers. “Apa lah, why use handphone to call? Use lah house phone.” Have they ever thought of the reason why a consumer uses wireless broadband instead of fixed line broadband? If got fixed line, who would be so stupid to use mobile phone ESPECIALLY PREPAID to make calls to the extremely high cost hotline?

Initially when I activated my 384kbps package account in March 2007, the service was good. Even within the 1-month cooling period, there were only minor disruptions. Not bad, paying RM68 a month and getting such speed was reasonable compared to going to cyber cafes. Everything changed after the one month cooling period and only then was I informed that there would be a penalty of RM800 plus if I was to breach the contract of 18 months. Nobody told me that, I was only asked to sign in the form as the rest were filled by the agent. Is this another desperate bid by the agents for sales without concerning about the welfare of consumers if ever they face any problems in the future?

The first 2 months down the road got bad to worst. Frequent disruption of services, network problems and each call would give the same reason of Maxis doing upgrading to higher speed and assured us that we will benefit the higher and faster browsing experience WITH NO EXTRA COST. Anybody would fall for that. I waited patiently again until the customer service confirmed that everything was up and moving. By that time, I was still experiencing the slow or practically no connection. NO CONNECTION or only maximum of 3 hours slow browsing per day for 3 MONTHS? It took them 3 MONTHS to send a technical person over to find my modem faulty and replaced one. What a great service? The wonderful thing was that I was stopped from going to the nearest Maxis branch to check my modem. “You don’t have to go over, our technical people will check for you.” What a joke… 3 MONTHS!

I did ask for a rebate for not able to use the service through one of the customer service personnel. I was stupid not to follow up and trust the sweet talking lady to do so. I waited but no rebates. Surprisingly, no reports on my problems and rebates were recorded in their system. I was only given a two-month rebate only last month when I got to meet up with the branch manager of the Penang Northam Road Branch. RM136 rebate for spending hundreds on handphone calls, petrol and parking fees, not forgetting the thousands I had lost for not being unable to follow up with my online business deals. REBATE? What a nice term to justify complaints…and keep the customer happy with peanuts. LOL!

After many visits to the branch, the branch manager finally decided to grant me a 3-month trial period with the upgraded package of RM98/month with 3.6Mbps connection. 3.6Mbps? I would be really happy if I ever got even 1Mbps of connection. In the end, after checking the provided Maxis speed test for a few days, the maximum it went up was 400kbps. That is only a bit better (150 kpbs more but average it is much lower than that) than the previous package but paying RM30 more. Did I get the information wrong? 3.6Mbps or 300kbps? Something is not right too. They had removed the speed check widget with reasons that it had expired. Reason or avoiding more complaints? You think it out.

I called the hotline again and got the normal repeated conversation but this time better. “Sir, can you please switch off your modem, pull out the network cable and unplug the power cable and off your computer. Wait for 20 minutes and I shall help you to reset the network over here.” Sounded great. 30 minutes later, I called back after having no changes at all in the reading and asked for the lady who assisted me. (PLEASE get their names each time you call for your record to complaint but I do not think you would even want to apply one now :P) “Sir, she had gone back. Maybe I can assist you. Have you off the modem… blah blah blah…” Again? “Oh, I shall pass this case to the technical department and they will call you. Anything else I can do for you? If not, thank you for calling Maxis.” I gave up! How to contact me when she did not even ask for my contact number as I had found out that they will not key in the contact unless you stressed to them to do so? What a helpful service. LOL

Oh… I forgot about one incident when I was at the branch getting some solutions on how to make my connection better. “Sir, I have checked with my colleagues and they agreed to terminate your account without penalty. Did you bring your modem and telephone for the termination?” Huh? What? I came here for solutions and she asked me to terminate my account. Are we having communication breakdown here or they are trying to shoo me away after dozens of recorded complaints? Is this what you call customer service? It sounded more like pushing problems aside in the fastest way. I am not falling for that as I still have 50% confidence that they would rectify the problems.

After having 4 technical visits and 4 replaced ZTE modems, an engineer who was reliable and believed to be from the Maxis own technical group finally came. (Reliable? LOL. He made an appointment on a Friday but did not show up and came on a Sunday when I was half way out of town. Luckily, an occupant who had called in sick for work was at my rented office.) It seemed that the signal received at my office was not strong enough to get higher speed. ONE YEAR to tell me that? After using his MAGICAL LAPTOP to hunt for the best signal, it ended up in one of the occupant’s bedroom. (I should have cancelled my trip to stay back to watch this, maybe he will hunt down a ghost too. LOL) Can you imagine having an office downstairs and a modem in another person’s room? Not bad with the convenience right?

After following his advice to buy a crossed cable (RM40 to get a 15m one at my own expense), I got the permission of the occupant to put my modem in his room. Talk about privacy. I guessed he has just lost it! LOL. Hooray! The line was great! I managed to get the HSDPA fast connection but for just a day after some raining spell. The service switched from HSDPA to UMTS as it likes making browsing practically impossible at such a low 49kbps. I called the hotline again and they said there were no reports on Penang having network problems. “Sir, can you log in speedtest.net and check the connection speed?” What an idiotic person she was. I could not even get Yahoo to show up and she asked me to check my connection speed.

Until now as I am still typing this post, I am still facing problems with the connection. No rain and humid day and yet the network type is still jumping and switching crazily. Browsing takes ages and sometimes I need to refresh few times before I could get into a site? Using Windows Live Messenger (WLM) is like playing “hide and seek”. It connects and disconnects nonstop and incoming emails would not even get updated.

No wonder they are gaining the name of MAXSUCKS. Well, I have no comment on that but I had experienced losing 5 occupants and created 2 enemies out of them just because of the line problems. Another one would be in the process if this problem did not get rectified soon. Handling online business, investing in commodities, share market or forex would NOT WORK at all with the speed and instability Maxis is providing so frequently. Every seconds and minutes count. Now who is at a losing end? Another thing is that if you are a blogger (especially those relying on making money through blogging) or a web developer, you can say goodbye to your dreams. You would lose out in your bidding and hundreds or thousand worth of businesses.

Do you want to know why? Well, just look at the screen shots below. It happened so frequent that you feel like smashing your computer to pieces no matter you are using Firefox or Internet Explorer as your browsers. Those present users should know this. Their so called maintenance is frequently done from 11pm until 4am on WEEKENDS (Friday to Sunday) where most people would have the extra free time to surf more. Wonderful! They forced you to spend more time in bed right? Not bad, at least you are safe from paying more for replacing your broken computer. LOL.

You can check out the MAXIS FAQ on waiving the penalty and no commitment needed but with all the problems I had faced, I do not think I would like to have another person facing the same trauma. If I were to write more on other situations, this post will never end. I am contemplating to switch to other ISP but there are still many problems and hidden costs that I will need to consider. What I want is to have stability and minor or none disrupted service to be able to save the already affected online business. If you happen to come across this post, please do give advice on the following packages available from other ISP and which do you think is the best for a person without wired line.

WIRELESS:
1. DIGI EDGE – stable but only using EDGE technology and it gets disrupted when there’s rain or thunderstorm. Modem provided.
2. CELCOM 3G– 3.6Mbps given. Stable and fast, especially in the Sabah area. Modem not included (Modem at RM899 or offer RM699 at roadshows) with high cost of monthly access fees. The only disadvantage is the risk of buying a non-returnable modem even if the service could not be used.

WIRED:
Telekom charges to get a line: RM215
RM75 deposit + RM50 installation + RM10 stamp duty + RM80 sub-contractor wiring
RM25 of monthly fixed line rental is waived if apply together with StreamyX packages

STREAMYX (RM50 modem installation is optional)
384kbps - Monthly RM60
- RM205 (RM75 activation + RM60x2 deposit + RM10 stamp duty).
512kbps - Monthly RM90
- RM265 (RM75 activation + RM90x2 deposit + RM10 stamp duty).
1Mbps - Monthly RM110
- RM305 (RM75 activation + RM110x2 deposit + RM10 stamp duty).
2Mbps - Monthly RM140
- RM365 (RM75 activation + RM140x2 deposit + RM10 stamp duty).
4Mbps - Monthly RM160
- RM405 (RM75 activation + RM160x2 deposit + RM10 stamp duty).

There are even side packages as below:
Package 1:
RM99/month for 2Mbps with free IPTV (up to 30 June 2008) for 24 months. Thereafter RM188/month

Package 2:
RM148/month for 4Mbps with free IPTV (up to 30 June 2008) for 24 months. Thereafter RM268/month

DEFENCELESS VICTIMS OF ZONING IN BRAZIL, INDIANA, USA

2008-04-30T04:05:00.000+08:00

Sometimes I wondered if so called ordinances in some countries ought to be reconsidered for further amendments. Just look at the outcry of people across the world on the recent case of Rothrocks vs the US Indiana Government. The couples were asked relocated their family business of 20 years just because the government had decided to zone the district of Brazil, Indiana, USA as “a residential and historical zone”. On top of that, the couples had also received a kennel license from the government until August this year for helping to rescue, spay, neuter and vaccinate stray and feral cats at their expenses.

The question remained as a question without any proper explanations. Why would it take the government such a long time to close down a business which had become the livelihood of the couples for 20 years? How are they going to survive after this as relocation means giving up the family home as well as start anew their business which will take months or years to pick up again?

The second question would be as follows. If the property has been labeled as “a residential and historical zone”, why in the first place approved the license and then decided to revoke it, leaving the couples in dilemma as how to relocate all their 31 rescued pets to families who are willing to care for them? If not, they will be fined, adding to their worries of how to survive for the next couple of months.

Now who is at fault? The Rothrocks or the Indiana Government? I was even shocked to read on the reply by Michele Altman, Planning & Zoning Dept, Brazil, Indiana, USA to a concerned citizen on the welfare of the Rothrocks.

“The Rothrock's have not been fined, even though I was within my legal rights to fine them $2,500.00 for the first day and $7,500.00 for every day thereafter until the violation no longer occurred.”

“I cannot speak for previous administrations as to why they failed to do their jobs. I can only speak for myself. I have recently shut down several other businesses that were operating illegally, so I have not singled out the Rothrocks. I will do my job.”

Isn’t it amazing for a person to deny the facts that the ordinance has a flaw and blamed it to the previous administration for not doing their job? Even the Alley Cat Allies, who assisted cities all over the country with stray cat problems, has quoted this:

“Across the country, citizens are being punished for caring for stray and feral cats. These caregivers did not create the colonies of cats -- and they are serving their communities by humanely caring for them. But according to antiquated animal control laws and uninformed community leaders, each of these Good Samaritans deserves to be punished. We must change outdated animal control laws, policies and practices. We must stop caregivers from being punished for doing the right thing. ”

The news had even gone to the media with The Brazil Times and WTHI reporting on it. Surprisingly, all links for the Tammy Rothrock case went missing in the WTHI website. I wondered if someone asked them to keep their mouth shut on this case. It’s a mystery.

CHARMING CITIES TO VISIT IN EUROPE

2008-04-20T22:00:00.000+08:00

If you have the opportunity to visit Europe, which cities would you choose to visit? As for me, I would love to revisit Dublin in Ireland, Paris in France, Barcelona in Spain and Rome in Italy. These few cities have always given me the sort of memories that I would never forget. The differences in their culture, architectural structures and cuisine have always amazed me.

Dublin is the largest city and the capital of Ireland. It is an economic, administrative and cultural centre for the island of Ireland. It has the biggest libraries and literary museums in the whole of Ireland, namely the National Print Museum of Ireland and National Library of Ireland. The Irish artistic scene is also world known. Some of the famous includes the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery, the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery, the City Arts Centre, the Douglas Hyde Gallery, the Project Arts Centre and the Royal Hibernian Academy. You should not miss out Dublin's famous Ha'penny Bridge over the River Liffey. Dublin Hotels can be easily found everywhere within the city.

Paris, the capital city of France, is one of the world's leading business and cultural centers. On top of their uptrend and remarkable fashion designer’s products, it has the most remarkable landmarks such as the Notre Dame de Paris, Eiffel Tower, and the Napoleonic Arc de Triomphe. You should also not miss out France’s gastronomical diversity such as their bread, cake, croissant, baguette, etc which are of world class standards. As for accommodation, Paris Hotels are easily available.

Barcelona, Spain, is an important cultural and major tourist destination. It is a world heritage site by UNESCO for its rich cultural heritage as well as architectural works. One of the good places to visit would be the still unfinished church of the Sagrada Familia, one of the remarkable works of the famous architect, Antoni Gaudi. The church was constructed since 1882 and is scheduled to be fully completed by 2026. There are also many castle-like buildings with beautiful architectural designs such as the Barcelona Cathedral, Santa Maria del Mar Church, Palau Nacional, Arc de Triomf and Castell dels tres Dracs in this city. Barcelona Hotels are plentiful surrounding major business centers within the city.

Rome is the capital city of Italy and the country's largest and most populous city. One of the most famous landmarks for Rome is the Colosseum, the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire between 70 and 80 AD. It was used for gladiatorial combat. Some of the interesting sites include the Column of Marcus Aurelius, Piazza del Campidoglio, Piazza della Repubblica, Piazza del Popolo, Ponte Sant'Angelo, Saint Peter's Square and the Quirinal Palace, house of the President of the Italian Republic. There are so many interesting sites to visit that I assure you that you would not feel bored at all. Since you cannot visit all the beautiful places in a day, why not check in any of the nice Rome Hotels and experience living like the Romans.

FLIGHT ATTENDANT AS A CAREER

2008-04-07T02:55:00.000+08:00

Have you ever thought of pursuing a career in something that is very adventurous as well as having the opportunity to travel throughout the world? The Vancouver based International Air and Hospitality Academy (AHA) is offering some great training programs such as Airline Reservations and Airport Services, Airline/Travel Specialist, Culinary Arts, Restaurant Management, Hospitality Management and Baking Arts.

What caught my attention most is their flight attendant school. I have found out that many people are dreaming of flying high in the sky and travel to many destinations but they do not know how they could make that dream come true. With AHA’s program lineup, it is no longer impossible. I can opt for the flight attendant career or the airline/travel specialist career. Both programs would not take you more than 10 weeks. Isn’t it great to be able to travel to foreign cities and exotic locations all over the world?

If you would like to find out more on the experiences of those seniors, you can always check out their flight attendant blog. They will share with you what they had gone through in the school that taught them well on how to apply those lessons in any live situations. There are cases on identifying a criminal suspect, being the perfect life tourism information center and even learning a few new acronyms through their line of work. There is so much fun reading their blog, learning funny acronyms such as PITA. Do you want to know what it means? Check out their blog to find out more.

I ENDED UP IN JAIL FOR LUNCH

2008-04-04T12:50:00.003+08:00

It was terrible. I did not commit any crimes but I was forced into the jail with my friend and we had to take curry chicken rice for lunch. We were forced to watch the gruesome execution of a prisoner on an electric chair. Well, don’t get me wrong here. It is a “jailhouse” restaurant anyway. Haha! There is this few months old Japanese restaurant in Penang, which serves its customers in a jailhouse environment. The place rocks!

Welcome to the world of Obake-Ya Restaurant – the first ever Jailhouse Restaurant in Penang.

You even dine as the prisoners do in canteen or in your private cell. The whole environment looked dim and damp with the special effect of airbrush painting.

What’s cooking for lunch? You can have their in-house specialty which is the Jailhouse Curry Chicken Rice. You will be amazed on how they present it to you. Haha!

For your information, photographing the interior of the restaurant place is prohibited. I managed to arrange for an interview with the director herself to get this privilege. So, are you curious to find out what else you can have in there plus the author’s recommendation? Check out the full detail of this Japanese restaurant here.

GETTING A JOB OR A JOB DONE HAS NEVER BEEN SO EASY

2008-04-03T00:09:00.001+08:00

Have you even encounter problems trying to get a job or trying to get a job done but you ended up sourcing in many websites and yet nothing have been done? It can be a tedious job doing so. Fear no more as there is a website launched recently in the USA where you can practically source for anything you want or ever wanted to get done without any hassle at all.

There are a few main categories you can choose from such as construction, landscaping, household, services, computer & multimedia, hobby & recreation, automotive, moving, hauling, delivery, materials & products needed and miscellaneous. All you need to do is to log in Undertool.com, register for free, describe the job, and bid amongst the contractors and service providers to negotiate on the most competitive pricing in the market. It is as easy as ABC. Posting a task is free. You are only required to pay a minimal fee when the bid is approved. You can have a look at the graphic below for a clearer picture of how it works.

GUIDE TO THE BEST WEB HOSTING COMPANY AROUND

2008-03-31T12:15:00.003+08:00

I have been hearing numerous dissatisfactions amongst my friends that they have encountered many problems with their web hosting companies. They faced problems such as slow loading of their websites, websites not found and some even got hacked by some expert website hijackers. The worst thing is that they could not even get the web hosting companies to give them fast and reliable supports. This should not happen at all. A good web hosting company will never ever let its clients down. They should at least inform their clients on the upgrading period and will never fail to have a backup system in case the worst happen.

There are many web hosting companies around but who are those reliable ones that will give you quality hosting and support? According to Kaushal Sheth’s guide to the best web hosting sites, he recommended three web hosting companies that he had done detailed surveys and reviews on them. They are Host Monster, Host Gator and none other than the reputable Yahoo Host. Do check out on them as these companies do provide competitive rates to your preferences.

By the way, Kaushal Sheth also has some beautiful templates that you might want to use to freshen up your website outlook. Who knows with a fresher look, you might generate more traffic to you websites?

CRUELTY BEYOND WORDS

2008-03-29T00:49:00.004+08:00

Many of you would have known that China would be holding the Beijing Summer Olympic Games between August 8 and August 24, 2008 but do you know why many countries are planning to boycott the Olympic Games? There are just too many reasons the world leaders have voiced out ranging from human rights, animal rights up to pollution.

Just look at how China’s brutal treatments to the Tibetans as reported by the National Post. It has becomes more overt as the regime's rhetoric becomes more shrill and paranoid. Most cities are under martial law. Roadblocks have been set up to prevent internal travel as well as to keep Western journalists from reporting the truth on the protests and hundreds of deaths and arrests made. Even the Epoch Times reported countless of news on the repression faced by the Tibetans.

On top of the human rights problems faced by China, there were also outcries on animal cruelty from animal lovers throughout the world. As reported by the Daily Mail, “Thousands of pet cats in Beijing are being abandoned by their owners and sent to die in secretive government pounds as China mounts an aggressive drive to clean up the capital in preparation for the Olympic Games.”

The cull comes in the wake of a government campaign warning of the diseases cats carry and ordering residents to help clear the streets of them. Can you imagine how pitiful those furry animals are being crammed into a small cage and sent to some secret death camps? Paranoia is so intense that six stray cats including two pregnant females were beaten to death with sticks by teachers at a Beijing kindergarten, who feared they might pass illnesses to the children. Even doctors are advising their pregnant patients to get rid of their cats as these cats will bring illness to the babies.

About more than a year ago, dogs have fallen victims to the country’s “clean-up” massacre. Now cats become the victims. There were even reports stating that hundreds of cats were sent to infamous restaurants in Guangzhou, southern China to be served in their exotic animals menus.

Although the Beijing government is eager to show the world the city in a good light during the Olympic, but the way the government dealt with animals especially cats in such an inhumane way will seriously tarnish the image of Beijing and the Games.

The concern on the public’s health due to endless pollutants in China is another factor the world’s environmentalists are not happy with. Even ABC News reported a “lost” Beijing National Stadium in haze. China has been ordering polluting factories in and around the city to shut down or relocate during the Games to ease Beijing's choking smog. Drivers are allowed out on to the roads only three times a week. This is just a temporary measurement. What will happen after the Games? Will these factories stop polluting the air? No, they will not. The air would still continue to be bad to the health of the residents surrounding those polluting factories.

China may be the most populated country in the world. It does not mean that killing a few thousands by poisoning them will help in the over population problems. The people deserved the right to live in a cleaner and safer environment. Now you have a clearer picture of the reasons behind the boycotting of attending the Games, reading, viewing and even purchasing products from the Games.

WEB CONFERENCING CAN SAVE A LOT OF TIME AND COST

2008-03-28T22:45:00.001+08:00

This is the era where the internet has further eased the convenience of communication. Businesses are now using more and more of the internet to deal with their customers globally rather than the normal face to face business approach. As a business grows, more staff would be employed and thus having meetings all the time would be costly and time consuming. Therefore web conferencing has now become a trend in the business world. Instead of arranging for venues and accommodations in some cases, some of the companies have already widely engaged the use of web conferencing packages in the comfort of their own offices.

I have come across many vendors offering similar web conferencing product, either through web hosted services or through using software. None has even come close to RHUB’s hassle free system which can also enable PC, Mac, Linux, Unix or even iPhone users to join in any scheduled meetings.

All you need to do is to purchase their affordable appliance based on your own needs. It could be the setting up of 2 meeting rooms until many more combinations of rooms and attendees. You can refer to the graphic below on how cost effective by owning the appliance can be.

Most people would be worried about the support they will need in case there are problems during the meeting. You do not need to worry as the appliance is very easy to use and it takes only one time deployment of not more than 30 minutes. Moreover, the appliance is IT maintenance free and the firmware is updated automatically.

RHUB web conferencing appliance has been known to be used to host meetings for:
- Sales presentations and product demos
- Internal meetings within your networks
- Remote support for your customers
- Remote training & seminars
- Remote access to your computers in office or home
- Engineering collaboration
- Any real-time collaboration where desktop sharing is needed

If you have any enquiries, do check out their website. I am sure that your business will need this state-of-the-art technology to further boost up your sales.

PHOTO HUNTERS: METAL

2008-03-22T02:09:00.001+08:00

This week’s theme is on METAL.
This used to be a METAL netting to keep
unwanted insects out from the house.
Unfortunately, my cat Jonathan bit and tore
the METAL netting to escape for his sex expedition.
Tom cat! What a desperado!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND VISIT!

For those PhotoHunt members,
please click Mister Linky above and enter your information for easy tracking.
Thank you and have a Nice Weekend!

YOUR STAR CAN TELL ABOUT YOUR HEALTH

2008-03-20T00:49:00.003+08:00

Do you know that every single line on your palm will indicate your health situation or energy flow? The marks or signs on these lines will define whether you will have health problem some time in your life and how badly it will affect you. I always had neck and back problems due to sitting too long in front of the computer and it indeed showed in my right palm. Here are some of the facts on the effects of Jupiter, Mercury, Venus and Uranus on health issues and I am willing to share them with you.

JUPITER: The lines can reveal eyesight problems, injury to the eyes when an island is seen below the third finger. A break on this line often means liver problems and a cross shows a tendency to a stroke and heart failure.

MERCURY: The line often reveals mental illness, stress and anxiety. If you see islands, crosses or breaks, it can mean that you have a weaken body and a depressive mind. Healing will be prolonged.

VENUS: If you see moles, islands and crosses, it could mean that there are some venereal diseases. In women, these are signs of problems in the ovaries, womb and breasts. In men, these are signs of prostate gland problems or a weakening sexual energy due to a trauma.

URANUS: Apart from indicating wealth issues, crosses and islands could mean that there will be kidney and bladder problems. Breaking lines could mean arthritis and rheumatism tendencies. If there are many breaks, you could be having on-going rheumatic problems.

WHO SAYS MONKEYS ARE NOT SMART?

2008-03-18T00:00:00.000+08:00

If you were given to choose between a gibbon and a tiger, which of these two do you think will survive better in the wild? The meat eating tiger which is known for its viciousness or a gibbon which is known for its playfulness? I will tell you that it is a monkey’s world out there and monkeys sure rule! If you do not believe me, check out the video which I have stumbled on to find out the truth.

THE GROWING TREND OF “TIDAK APA” OR “WHO CARES” ATTITUDES

2008-03-17T00:33:00.001+08:00

Have you ever wondered the reasons behind the failure of a company or community? I have been pondering on this question for some time and decided to do some personal researches on the cause and effect of human attitudes towards the success or failure of a company or community. The result was astounding. It basically goes down to one major problem – the “tidak apa” or “who cares” attitudes of the employees.

It has already been hard to get dedicated and committed employees in a company and it takes just a few persons with the “infectious disease” to slowly erode those with good efforts. One very obvious indication is that those employees will always be in boredom and anger when given a task to perform. Teamwork does not exist in their vocabulary. Once you noticed the subtle slide in your company performance, it is time to reverse the effect with immediate actions. Here are some points for your knowledge.

FIND A GOOD TEAM LEADER
In every successful business or community, there is a leader who is influential enough to push the rest of the workers to strive for the best. It does not necessary be the manager but someone who is charismatic enough to lead the team.

COMMUNICATION
With the team leader in place, teamwork amongst the staff would be next in the agenda. Interaction is very important. No ideas and suggestions thrown in are worthless. Brainstorm each and every one of the ideas and discuss as a team the practicality of each idea and apply them if found to be appropriate.

STRATEGIC PLANNING
Strategic planning is important in every business. Find out all the short term as well as long term plans that are beneficial towards the goals of the company. Goals such as better customer service and support are some of the few that should not be ignored.

S.W.O.T. ANALYSIS
What is S.W.O.T.? It means Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat. By understanding this principle, you will know who is better in whatever field in the company to assist in grabbing the opportunities in the market and how to promote better sales when there are competitors around.

TEAM RULES
A successful team will always have a set of written rules as guideline to perform their task. This will eradicate any disputes that may arise when someone breaks the rules. You might consider having transparencies within the team to have open discussions on any problems faced rather than creating gossips and backstabbing within the team.

BE SUPPORTIVE
It is not easy to get a team that has no clashes in opinions and conflicts. This is the time when the leader has to be supportive in settling conflicts amongst team members for the team’s future. There should always be sincere listening, accepting or rejecting and compromise when faced with any disputes.

CREATIVITY AND RISK-TAKING
People learn and grow from their mistakes. Even the greatest inventions were the products of many failures. By stopping and blaming all on an individual will stop him from being creative. This is a risk you have to take. Troubleshoot the failure as a team. Find out more on the reasons of the failures and rectify them. After one or many attempts, you will eventually succeed in getting the best product in the market.

POSITIVE APPROACH AND CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK
Would you agree that no one would want to make mistakes or get rejected by others? I will always think that pinpointing the mistakes of an individual in front of a team is humiliating. Use a positive approach when someone made a mistake such a “Hey, don’t worry about the mistakes. Try harder next time.” or “I believe that you can do better next time.” With this positive approach, it will foster a better working relationship by having the members giving better and constructive feedback to improve the business. After all, each member will want to be part of the team that recognized their strengths to help the weaknesses of any tasks.

MOTIVATION
Never short of appreciation and recognition when someone or all performed greatly. It does not necessary be of monetary value. It could just be a trip or a small gathering for the members and their families. If you are not sure, throw it to the crowd. They would be more than happy to give you many wonderful suggestions.

LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE
Nowadays, people do not like the idea of “Do what I say and not what I do.” Some of them might have enough of that during their childhood days when they have to follow only the orders of their parents and nothing else. In fact, they will follow what you do. Setting a good example will eventually help in improving the quality of a working environment. How are you going to punish anyone for being late when you do that very often? Have the initiative of doing more than you are expected, helping those in need and be supportive and positive in your approach and you will be the role model of your team.

Remember this. An empowered team will make things happen. An empowered team can do what others thought was impossible. An empowered team is what makes your company grow!

UNPLEASANT DEMONSTRATION IN PENANG

2008-03-14T21:19:00.003+08:00

I was down in Prangin Mall doing some shopping when I received a call from my Dad saying that there was a protest demonstration down in Komtar. Surprisingly, I did not feel any threats at all as everything in the mall seemed to be normal. When I left the mall around 2.30pm, I saw that there was a crowd gathering in front of Starbuck shouting “Merdeka!” This was the first time I saw so many people gathered in front of the Chief Minister’s office building in protest on his decision towards the New Economic Policy (NEP).

There were many policemen and Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel surrounding the mall area barricading some of the major roads. The traffic was rather chaotic. There were even two helicopters flying over the building to inspect the situation. Tensions began to grow as most of the Prangin Mall area roads were filled with swarms of people. Luckily there were no unwanted incidents when the crowd dispersed hours later. Here are some of the shots of the gathering below.

FIRST MALAYSIAN BLOGGER IN PARLIAMENT

2008-03-09T09:59:00.003+08:00

The blogosphere created history today by having our fellow blogger, DAP's Jeff Ooi, 52, becoming an MP. Jeff Ooi became the first Malaysian blogger to have won the three-cornered fight for the Jelutong parliamentary seat with a 16,246-vote majority in Penang yesterday. He was contesting against Gerakan's Dr Thor Teong Gee and Independent’s Badrul Zaman.

The opposition party (DAP+PKR+PAS) denied the national coalition BN their 2/3 majority in this election by claiming 5 states, namely Penang, Perak, Kedah, Selangor and Kelantan. Even though BN has secured their seats for forming the next federal government in this election, it is obvious that the public wanted a change in having THE MALAYSAN rather than having a country breaking up in separate races.

Let us see what the new change will have in store for us with all the new faces in the Malaysian politic. For more information, you can check for updates in Malaysiakini or the election 2008 results.

PRESERVING OUR NATURE

2008-03-03T17:00:00.000+08:00

If you are a nature’s lover, you should go to one site which I frequent a lot. The Nature Conservancy is one organization that I would give a thumbs-up for what they did since 1951. They are the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.

Since their founding, the organization had protected more than 117 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide with more than 100 marine conservation projects globally such as in the region of Africa, Asia Pacific, Caribbean, and USA. They have also addressed threats to conservation involving climate change, fire, fresh water, forests, invasive species, and marine ecosystems. It will be a waste if you did not check out their stunning jaw-dropping photograph collections on the Coral Reefs, Forests, Freshwater Ecosystems, Great Rivers, Islands, Marine Ecosystems, Rainforests or Tropical Forests.

If you plan to help in the conservation practices in you daily life that will affect the natural world around us for the benefits of your future generation, you can always start by assisting in the bird conservation, improving the quality of the rivers, combating invasive species by not dumping them into where they should not be and helping in protecting the coral reefs.

Here are some of nature’s wonderful colors to share with you all. Won’t it be sad if such nice places are polluted by human’s uncivilized actions? Think before you throw your next bit of rubbish onto the grounds, seas or rivers!