Family Moments, General Knowledge, Tips

Chinese Orchestra Performance

2011-12-03T23:09:00.003+08:00

Showing Up For Life

2011-02-19T00:02:00.002+08:00

After struggling through many changes in 2010 from a personal standpoint, I've never in my life felt so low. Now, I understand why people take extended timeout to come to terms on their devastating losses.

In the back of my mind, the events still felt so real. HY said time to get over it...Ok, let's take it one step at a time. Maybe, next year when I pay my respects I will start to smile because deep down in my heart I know dad and fourth brother are resting in peace. Sad thoughts aside, I only have this book to share today.

A book by Bill Gates Senior, "Showing Up for Life".

I think this quote in the book is the best way to sum it up:

Life is the ultimate teacher, but it is usually through experience and not scientific research that we discover its deeper lessons. We are all here for a single purpose: to grow in wisdom and learn to love. We can do this through losing as well as through winning, by having and by not having, by succeeding or by failing. All we need to do is to show up openhearted for class...So fulfilling life's purpose may depend more on have we play than what we are dealt. You have to be present to win.

Till my next posting...Remember to show up!

Perseverance Pays Dividends

2010-10-26T08:42:00.003+08:00

Yesterday a highly talented friend of mine shared that his website hits has grown. I thought it is great piece of news to share with all. As there are millions of websites on the Internet, it really takes good effort and sheer determination to keep on keeping on with the quality writing to gain those hits!

This brings us to the quality every individual needs to strive to have in his/her arsenal, Perseverance. It is obvious that you want to fight for something good instead of bad. Keep doing the bad thing may bring you worse thing. So, we are to stay clear of the bad ones and keep working on the good things to pike up those scores. Remember, it is a journey and never a destination. Sometimes, your perseverance covers more distances. Other days it may not move an inch.

May I wish all more successes and keep on keeping on!

Who Needs A Will?

2010-08-05T10:12:00.000+08:00

Back in 2008, I wrote this article about, Do You Have A Will?. I would like to emphasize again the necessities of having a will. Forget about the old myth of having a will also mean that the death is near. Not having a living will can create a lot of extraordinary admin works for your descendants later on. One other thing, CPF monies cannot distributed via a will. You need go down to CPF office and fill up a nomination form to indicate who your beneficiaries are.

Peace, health and harmony.

Keeping our heads up and senses

2010-07-30T09:54:00.003+08:00

During hard times,there's is no doubt that there are almost always couple with anguish and sadness.

Time has proven that it will always heal all. Keeping our heads up and senses clear are the best way forward. Using history as valuable lessons for all to learn from mistakes made, and reminding ourselves the costly consequences if it is repeated.

Talk, talk, and talk. Communicate, communicate and communicate. It is as simple as that. Shutting yourself up ain't going to help yourself or others. I pray for peace, harmony, happiness and health for my family and all. Stay united during adversities, and we can conquer all challenges.

Anyway, isn't this what our ah Gong wanted. This is how I was named.

Removing Mental Blocks

2010-07-02T14:16:00.004+08:00

Here is a great passage from this book, The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy, that I have read:

Keep On Keeping On
When fear knocks at the door of your mind, or when worry, anxiety and doubt cross your mind, behold your vision, your goal. Think of the infinite power within your subconscious mind, which can generate your thinking and imagining. This will give you confidence, power, and courage. Keep on, persevere, until the day breaks, and the shadows flee away.

From past mistakes and failures learnt, we strive to overcome the same or new challenges tomorrow. As mentioned in the Joseph's book, in life we have to keep on keeping on.

7 Probable Reasons Of Moving On...

2010-06-19T11:16:00.004+08:00

Here are 7 probable reasons why someone would choose to leave his existing employment to seek greener pasture:

Reason #1: The current boss don't recognize your contributions for the organization.

Reason #2: Non-performing peers keep outperforming you year after year for some unknown reasons.

Reason #3: The current boss wants you out using scheming tactics to try to remove or replace you.

Reason #4: The offer is just too good to miss out...after you have done all the risk analysis and calculation.

Reason #5: You are feeling too strain and stress keeping up with a matrix reporting organization where you need to report to two bosses. Both bosses having total contrast style of management and you just couldn't keep up with a chameleon day in day out.

Reason #6: Customers are acting like a whining baby wanting attention every single minute.

Reason #7: It is the 7th anniversary of the employment. The seventh year of itch just got the better of you and you couldn't resist the temptation of leaving for the next company.

What The Future Holds

2010-06-16T22:17:00.001+08:00

Talk about motivation quote from the sports arena:
"I told Ron to come here for this, to be able to play on this stage, because he deserves it. It's too bad that sometimes we have times in our lives where we just get remembered for one thing. Ron is a heck of a person and a hell of a basketball player. He's loyal as hell. I told him that he deserves, the work that he put in, what he had to persevere through, he deserves to play basketball at this level, on this stage."

Nobody knows what the future holds. You can't use the past to help you find the answer on how the future may shape up. It is like viewing the future using a rear-view mirror. It is the present that you persevere to get you to the next period in time. If you think you deserves the future that you envision, then it is now that you bring it on. Live with no regrets and livestrong!

Tips To Help Your Child Develop Potential

2010-06-01T23:46:00.003+08:00

Here is a list of tips to help your child develop potential:

Help them discover what makes them unique and special
Provide them lots of opportunities to discover their gifts and talents
Identify what they excel at; the activities that bring them praise and attention
Give them plenty of time to explore and develop before committing it full time
Give fast, specific feedback about their natural abilities
Don't rely on others to spot your child's potential
Support and guide them on their journey to self discovery
Encourage healthy exploration and keep options open until they are ready to make decisions
Never ridicule your child
Encourage your child to set goals
Be willing to be the role model by discovering your own potential

Prayer For My Fourth Brother

2010-05-26T23:08:00.003+08:00

This prayer is for my fourth brother. He is relaxed and at peace, poised, balanced, serene, and calm. The healing intelligence of his subconscious mind that created his body is now transforming every cell, nerve, tissue, muscle, and bone of his being according to the perfect pattern of all organs lodged in his subconscious mind. Silently, quietly, all distorted thought patterns in his subconscious mind are removed and dissolved, and the vitality, wholeness, and beauty of the life principle are made manifest in every atom of his being. He is now open and receptive to the healing currents that are flowing through him like a river, restoring him to perfect health, harmony, and peace. All distortions and ugly images are now washed away by the infinite ocean of love and peace flowing through him, and it is so.

CANCER INFORMATION

2010-04-13T23:36:00.005+08:00

I found this article from one of my searches. The person who posted it claimed that its source came from Asian Health Association.

Cancer prevention Here's some very useful and important information about
cancer prevention:

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not
show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion.
When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in
their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect
the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's
lifetime.

3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be
destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple
nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental,
food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and
including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and
also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow,
gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver,
kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages
healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce
tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not
result in more tumor destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation,
the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can
succumb to various kinds of infections & complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become
resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to
spread to other sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not
feeding it with the foods it need to multiply.

a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one
important food supply to the cancer cells.
Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with
Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka
honey or molasses
but only in very small amounts.

b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the
gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and
substituting with unsweetened soy milk, cancer cells are being starved.
Milo, Ovaltine, Horlicks are made with milk and best avoided.

c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is
acidic and it is best to eat more vegetable & fruits rather than taking
meat. Because meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones,
parasites, etc, which are all harmful to people with
cancer.

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds,
nuts and a little fruits helps put the body into an alkaline environment.
About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices
provide live enzymes that are easily
absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and
enhance growth of healthy cells.

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have caffeine. Five-leaf
ginseng which is caffeine free is a better alternative and has
cancer-fighting properties.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of
digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become
putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup & the calcium content in human
body will be "destroyed" slowly.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or
eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of
cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer
cells.

14. Some supplements (must be wholesome, which means not going thru a
chemical process to extract) build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence,
Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc) to enable
the body's own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements
(Maitake e.g.) are known to cause cancer cells apoptosis, that is, induce
cancer cells to commit. ABM Mushroom, Shatake Mushroom, Ling Zi, Yun Zi,
are
able to activate the natural killer cells of our body a few times active to
combat with the cancer cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and
positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger,
unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic
environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax,
enjoy and trust God for healing.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising
daily and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular
level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer
cells.

17. Cancer can be reversed with nutrition, supplements and clinically
proven complementary and alternative therapies.

18. Cancer can be healed by divine intervention of God the Healer...

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT INFO:

1. Sugar is a cancer feeder. Avoid sugar. Sugar substitutes like Equal,
Spoonful, NutraSweet are made with Aspartame, a chemical that is harmful to
the body. A better natural alternative is Manuka honey in small
amounts.

2. Milk causes the body to produce mucus. Cancer thrives on mucus. A better
calcium alternative is unsweetened soya milk.

3. Five-leaf ginseng has anti-cancer properties. It is a better substitute
for coffee and tea, which have caffeine, bad for people with cancer.

4. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour. Better
alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

5. Meat like pork, beef, chicken contain livestock, etc. antibiotics,
growth hormones, parasites, etc, which are all harmful for people with
cancer. It is better to eat Fresh vegetables, potatoes, oats, corns and
more fruits. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of
digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become
putrefied and leads to more toxic build up. And have a higher chance to get
Colon Cancer.

6. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or
eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of
cancer cells and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer
cells.

7. Water - best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins
and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

8. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells, try to drink fresh
vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw
vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104
degrees F (40 degrees C).

A little effort at our part will yield great return in the long
run...keep up the discipline and enjoy every single movement in life.

TOP 10 BIGGEST BRAIN DAMAGING HABITS

1. No Breakfast - People who do not take breakfast are going to have a
lower blood sugar level. This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients
to the brain causing brain degeneration.

2. Overeating - It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a
decrease in mental power.

3. Smoking - It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer
disease.

4. High Sugar consumption - Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of
proteins and
nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.

5. Air Pollution - The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body.
Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing
about a decrease in brain efficiency.

6. Sleep Deprivation - Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term
deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.

7. Head covered while sleeping - Sleeping with the head covered, increases
the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen
that may lead to
brain damaging effects.

8. Working your brain during illness - Working hard or studying with
sickness may lead to a decrease in
effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.

9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts - Thinking is the best way to train our
brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.

10. Talking Rarely - Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency
of the brain.

The main causes of liver damage are:

1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main cause.

2. Not urinating in the morning.

3. Too much eating.

4. Skipping breakfast.

5. Consuming too much medication.

6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, and
artificial sweetener.

7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil
use when frying, which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil.
Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very
fit.

8. Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden of liver.
Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried veggies should be
finished in one sitting, do not store.

We should prevent this without necessarily spending more. We just have to
adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good eating
habits and time condition are very important for our bodies to absorb and
get rid of unnecessary chemicals according to "schedule."

Because:

Evening at 9 - 11pm: is the time for eliminating unnecessary/toxic
chemicals (detoxification) from the antibody system (lymph nodes).This time
duration should be spent by relaxing or listening to music.
If during this time a housewife is still in an unrelaxed state such as
washing the dishes or monitoring children doing their homework, this will
have a negative impact on health.

Evening at 11pm - 1am: is the detoxification process in the liver, and
ideally should be done in a deep sleep state.

Early morning 1 - 3am: detoxification process in the gall, also ideally
done in a deep sleep state.

Early morning 3 - 5am: detoxification in the lungs. Therefore there will
sometimes be a severe cough for cough sufferers during this time. Since the
detoxification process had reached the respiratory tract, there is no need
to take cough medicine so as not to interfere with
toxin removal process.

Morning 5 - 7am: detoxification in the colon, you should empty your bowel.

Morning 7 - 9am: absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, you should
be having breakfast at this time. Breakfast should be earlier, before
6:30am, for those who are sick. Breakfast before 7:30am is very beneficial
to those wanting to stay fit. Those who always skip breakfast, they should
change their habits, and it is still better to eat breakfast late until 9 -
10am rather than no meal at all.

Sleeping so late and waking up too late will disrupt the process of
removing unnecessary chemicals. Aside from that, midnight to 4:00 am is the
time when the bone marrow produces blood. Therefore, have a good sleep and
don't sleep late.

As I can't verify the authenticity of this article, for those who are seeking formal and official source of information, it advisable to visit http://www.cancer.gov.

Growing Up!

2010-04-13T13:01:00.003+08:00

Do you have siblings? Do you have kids? I am a father of 3 children. Everyday, I observe that my kids are growing and developing their characters day by day. Most parents hope that their children will grow up being healthy, smart and become as independent as they can be when they are adults.

Independent is good but extremely independent can become detriment when your child is faced with real and serious trouble. If your child becomes too independent, then he or she may not be able tell when to seek help. Worst of all, they may stay in self-reliance state even when they meet with the most challenging issue of their life.

I am glad to hear if your children are independent and you don't need to worry about their future. However, you may want to let them know you are always around to help and stand by them if they face their match of their lifetime. The help can be as simple as offering a shoulder to cry on or just a simple pat on the back as a gesture of mental support. Eventually, you never know a little help can sometimes turn out to be a huge lift for your child.

Just Another Hump Along The Journey

2010-04-06T22:44:00.003+08:00

Life is a long distance journey without any destination because everyone is learning new things everyday. Of course, along any journey there are always ups and downs. Appreciating and cherishing every ups and learning valuable experiences from each down. From the low of each down, we can expect the next up is coming sooner.

The entire family is behind you. NO WORRIES. Just plain simple focus on getting well.

from little brother nl

哥哥，加油！

2010-04-06T17:00:00.005+08:00

Keep the faith, everyone is praying for your fast recovery.
You can do it and we believe in you.

NL

Learn Typing for Free

2009-12-29T16:42:00.004+08:00

Have you wonder how can you teach your children typing? Sign them up for a typing course? Or borrow a typing course book from your neighbourhood library. I believe your children boredom will most probably get the better of them in a short span time.

Thanks to BBC Schools, now your children can learn how to type for virtually free. You just need a Internet connection and a computer to run the interactive typing lessons from their website. My children love it. Maybe, now your children can really make better use of their time while connected to the Internet.

Here's their website, BBC - Schools - Dance Mat Typing - Home.

To our young typists, on your mark, get set, go!

Managing Negotiation In 20 Minutes

2009-07-14T23:18:00.008+08:00

You probably don't realize that negotiation happens more frequently that you think. Apparently, all ages do it differently to achieve their wants or needs. Here is a list of my mind:

Children demanding their parents to buy them the hottest toys for the toy shop.
Kids choosing their meals.
Women shopping for sale items.
Subordinate demanding a pay rise (probably not at this junction) or requesting to stay on the job.
Parents getting their kids to finish their meals.
Love ones disagreeing on every single trivial matters that they discuss.
Sales trying to persuade a potential customer to buy their products.
Customer trying to get a bigger discount on the sale items.
The list goes on...

Here's a quick read to get you gear up for your next negotiation venture.

The Truth About Knowing How to Negotiate: The Essential Truths in 20 Minutes by Leigh Thompson

The interesting part about this book is it even includes a chapter of how to negotiate with someone you hate. You can try find out the truth or stay ignorant about the essential stuff about negotiation and continue to wonder why the other party always get a bigger piece of the pie of the table.

Simply register for a NLB digit account and read the book online.

上网学华文

2009-07-08T00:09:00.004+08:00

Nowadays, kids just can't stay away from the Net. However, every children seems to face a big challenge learning the lovely and exciting language known as Chinese. I think it is a wonderful idea by MOE to develop Chinese language learning programs on the Web for our kids. If your teacher has not signed your kids up, please approach them.

Here's the link, check it out! 语文游戏乐翻天

Exams Are Over. Time to Reflect.

2009-05-30T09:19:00.005+08:00

Exams are over. Did you fair well in your exams? Or should I say did your children do well? Hope that all of you girls and boys done well for your exams. If you didn't, don't despair. Time to reflect what and where are your weak areas and spend the holidays to brush up and dust away those weak spots.

Or maybe there is no weak subject, it was pure carelessness and lack of focus during the exams. Perhaps, it is the lack of the right kind of preparation of your exams. I found something here. Check out it yourself to see it helps you.

Exam Tips

Remember, the will to succeed without the will to prepare will not bring success. So, strive on!

Use Q-R-S-T To Contain Swine

2009-04-28T23:43:00.008+08:00

Look likes we are in another tough fight against this flu bug called swine influenza. Still searching vividly through my memory archival how Asia got pass the avian flu in 2003. Back in 2003, avian flu invaded Asia and any country that has citizen who contracted the virus would fall under the watchful eyes of WHO. Q-R-S-T did manage to slow and contain avian flu the last round. I am looking forward to Q-R-S-T having the same effectiveness on swine as well. So, what is Q-R-S-T?

T - Thermometer: Taking your own temperature once in the morning and evening such as to record your own pink of health.
S - Survivor: Live life like a survivor even when there may be many negatives surrounding you. Because the own way is up if you are already at the bottom.
R - Responsibility: Everyone plays a simple role in the Q-R-S-T system. It is simply to apply it daily till the bug goes away and hopefully never returns.
Q - Quarantine: If someone has reported a higher than normal body temperature, then he gets to stay home once validate to have contracted the bug. Quarantine remains till the person recovered fully for the bug.

Obviously, no one can take away or even deny the efforts and contribution of the medical and administration staff running our clinics and hospitals. Standing at the front line of the battle field, I can only salute their courage and bravery facing this bug. May the force be with you! As for me, the least that I can do is practice Q-R-S-T.

Q-R-S-T is out to stop swine.

PC-BSD Definitely A Better Choice Than Windows

2009-04-23T15:36:00.004+08:00

With Windows getting the wrong kind attention on April Fools Day no thanks to the Conficker Worm, maybe it is really a good time to seriously consider using a better and more secure OS. Windows has been dominating the Desktop OS market for a long while. This may explain why lots of "programmers" produce nasty software to find gaps and holes in the defense system of Windows. Of course, Windows has always been built with the priority of having a friendly-user interface instead of security.

Maybe, it is time to reconsider your choice of OS. Take a look what PC-BSD has to offer:

PC-BSD is a complete desktop operating system, which has been designed with the "casual" computer user in mind. It offers the stability and security that only a BSD-based operating system can bring, while as the same time providing a comfortable user experience, allowing you to get the most out of your computing time. With PC-BSD you can spend less time working to fix viruses or spyware and instead have the computer work for you.

Most importantly, the PC-BSD comes with no price tag because it is FREE!

Are You Obsess With Restaurant City?

2009-04-21T23:03:00.005+08:00

Of course I am not. But the rest of them are. Now, everyone in my family is breathing, eating, and dreaming about this game from Playfish.com called Restaurant City. If you have a facebook account, then you will know what I meant.

So, I am turning out to be the only outcast of the group. Because I neither have facebook account nor a restaurant to operate the whole day long.

Ok, a little on the obsession list that I am observing.
The Obsession Menu list goes like this:

Get an free ingredient the moment the restaurant owner login for the first time of the day.
The owner will clean up her restaurant by picking all rubbish and earn cash for the owner.
Decorate and arrange restaurant layout every other day.
Assign role to all employees of the restaurant.
Open the restaurant.
Feed restaurant staff when their energy level run dry.
Owner staring blankly at her restaurant every other moment while checking on her earning and gourmet points
Feeling the anxiety surge when friends are catching up on them.

Does it sounds exciting or what? I'm really really going to open a facebook account very soon. Alright, maybe next year. I have got to go, rushing to catch a NBA match.
May your restaurant prosperous and shine! Cheers!

Is Facebook Social Games Really Entertaining?

2009-04-13T22:36:00.005+08:00

Frankly, I think the social network games are quite entertaining in a sense that it entices people to compete against their friends. However if people who play the games can't control their emotion, the entertaining value of the game will be gone. Disappearing entertainment value may even turn 180 degree against the gamers and generate negative energy. Do you have such experience?

At the moment, I don't have any answer to such bad experiences yet. However, I'm taking this challenge using these approaches:

Discipline
Mutual Agreement
Put emotion in wrap
Use 1310 anger management

Let's see if the above approaches work!

谷歌拼音输入法好 Cool!

2009-04-12T12:03:00.004+08:00

Do you need to draft in Chinese? Check out Google's Pin Yin!
It is easy to use and most importantly it is also Free.
Try it out yourself! Download 谷歌拼音输入法.

1310 To Manage Your Anger

2009-04-02T10:55:00.004+08:00

Ever wonder why sometimes you just can't control your anger from bursting out. I had the same experience as well. Especially, when I am stress out and kids just refused to listen, it is just so so easy to shout and use the caning method. Guess what, just been shared this anger management formula while listening to 938 live. Three numbers to manage your anger-self:

1 - Tell your mind to STOP. This equivalent to short-circuit everything that the mind is focusing, which is anger.
3 - Take in 3 deep breaths.
10 - Count from number 1 to 10.

Finally, if you think you about to utter any 'junk' from your mouth, gently bite your tongue.
Hope, this helps.

Beware Of Newspapers Lying On The Road

2009-03-17T21:15:00.003+08:00

This piece of advice is from a friend. It is always better to be on the safe side.

If you are driving in Malaysia , do take note of the advice below. Please pass this onto your friends. Avoid driving over newspapers strewn on the road It would appear that this technique has reached Malaysia from Indonesia.

Life here is getting more like in Indonesia these days. This story which was circulated to me reminds me of the traps set in certain parts of Jakarta by robbers.. Some people have lost their lives over this. They drive into certain lonely roads in Jakarta to find pieces of wood with nails in them on the road. This causes their tyres to go flat. If they get out of their cars, they are set upon by robbers who will take everything: their cars, wallets, anything valuable and sometimes their lives.

Avoid driving over newspapers strewn on the Road a new trap set by Robbers. This incident happened some where in KL and forwarded to me by a friend.

This person was driving alone at night when he saw newspapers lying around in the middle of the road. Without giving it much thought, he drove pass the stack of papers. No one would expect to find heaps of rocks and stones beneath the papers!! Wanting to know the damage to his car, he stopped to check.

Need I say more? The moment he got out of his car, he was robbed by a group of guys and lost his properties/belongings. Just imagine what would have happen if this had happen to a girl/woman....

So folks, please be careful, do not stop when you're driving alone at night no matter what! Avoid driving over the papers if you see newspapers lying on the road, this could be a new trick for the desperate fraternity out there...........!!

SDPC Is So Very Lame!

2009-02-04T21:34:00.003+08:00

The actual intent of this post is simply to feedback to the authority that they have done a poor job in stopping illegal sale of cigarettes happening around my neighbourhood. Full stop.

Smoking is harmful to your health. To make matters worse, smokers indirectly work for the cigarettes companies and of course the duty collectors as well. May we ask who are the duty collectors? Who else but the government.

When smoker reaches old age, the smoker usually stops the indirectly employment to the cigarette companies and changes his indirectly employment to a health clinic and pharmaceutical companies.

Is it exciting to work the entire life to have one's salary distribute to others?

I feel the government anti smoking campaigns are lame! Not only did the campaigns didn't reduce the number of smokers. Now, cigarettes can reach potential new addicts at a "affordable" price.

So, can the government do something about it. Yes, they can. For example, use the duty collected from duty cigarettes to educate smokers or our teenagers about the health hazard of smoking.

Smoking eats up your health, burn a big hole in your pocket and makes their love ones cry for you when you dies very slowly due to some form of cancer. At the other end, there will be the cigarettes companies thanking the smokers for their loyalty and paying for their fat bonuses!

Is AIG a Good Buy?

2008-09-23T19:15:00.005+08:00

Hello,
I have been asked by a friend of mine if it is a good time to buy some American International Group (AIG) shares. Obviously, AIG had been in the papers for the wrong reasons recently.

In the papers, an article claimed a rich man had brought more than 1 million shares in AIG at US$1.50. However, that was before the US government announced her bailout plans for AIG. After the announcement, you probably knew what happened to AIG share price.

Yesterday, I was at a shop and a gentleman was advising his friends that it might be good time to buy some AIG shares now. What are your opinions? Is AIG a good buy now? I need to put on a disclaimer for the sake of my readers.

Here's my disclaimer: All ideas, opinions, and/or forecasts, expressed or implied herein, are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a recommendation to invest, trade, and/or speculate in the markets. You should not rely upon any of my materials for purposes of transacting securities or other investments, and you are encouraged to conduct your own research and due diligence, and to seek the advice of a qualified securities professional before you make any investment.

Opinions:

How did AIG get into such a state? From a all time high price of more than US$100, and a free fall to a all time low price of less than US$2. So, is it a good quality company? Hey, I'm not a qualified accountant but common sense tell me there are more bad reasons than good ones as reflected in her share price.
Did the rich man know something that you don't? He is a rich successful seasoned investor and knows how the financial markets work many many times more than you and me. He probably has all his plans laid out before he even carried out his investment. Do you have a plan? If I have the will to succeed but no will to prepare and plan, I don't think my chances will be high.
When the news hit the papers, it is probably old news. Can you gain an edge and profit from it? Maybe yes or maybe no. My opinions are news will always get an investor on the wrong side of a position. Don't depend on the news, which are always old! Don't depend on others to tell you what to do. Do your own research and trust them. Have an exit plan in advance if your research is wrong. And stick on it!
If you are a taxpayer, are you happy or even delighted to hear that a government is using your money to bail out a company on the brink of folding? I will most probably be angry that my money is used in such a manner. As a common shareholder, be enlightened on the fact that you will be the last to receive any leftover cash after all assets have been liquidated if a company goes bust!
Find something that you understand instead of something that have more unanswered questions that even her CEO can't find a solution to them. You will probably sleep better at night without worrying about your good bye on AIG shares!

Who's Laughing to The Bank?

2008-09-22T00:56:00.005+08:00

At this juncture when the financial news were painted in full bright RED, lots of people on the street will most probably suffer some sort of losses in terms monetary or increase anxiety. Of course, anxiety can be in many forms such as worrying about one's job security, how will one meet end needs if the economy stay bad for longer than expected.

While all these events are unfolding, do you know who still get to benefit the most? Right, the CEO of the firm. They may even get a big pay cheque even when they get fired or run the firm into the history books of non-existence a.k.a bankruptcy.

I have to pity those who have put their money in DBS High Notes 5. They may not get back a single cent of their investment. So much, for the promised of annual return of about 5 per cent if it comes with a full wiped out of one's initial investment. Any kind of investments will come with some form of risks. A experienced surgeon, who performs a simple operation with a 1% risk, will also get his patient's to sign that the surgeon may not be at fault if the operation may turn bad and the patient's life may be at stake. I am not here to add fuel to the fire.

Let's offer some constructive ideas to address the issue:

Knows your risks: First, always look at the risk of your investment before you even think about your profit. If the risks suck the life out of your investment or you can't sleep with the risks, then it may be tough to meet the estimated profit.
Don't let your fund managers/financial advisers/brokers break your bank: Do you or others care more about your money? I believe you will answer yourself instead of others. Others will always attempt to meet their very own goals before they care about yours. Take a more active role in your financial planning. It can be as simple as looking at your daily expenses.
Planning is too tough, maybe CPF is the way to go. Lots of people forget that the Singapore Central Provident Fund interests rate offer an annual return of 2.5% and 4% in the Ordinary and Special Account respectively. Recently, it just got a little more attractive with the 1st S$60,000 of the combined accounts will get an extra 1% annualized return. However, some will say they want more control in their wealth. Hey, if you ain't taking an active role in your planning and the banks just pay you less than 1% on your money you save with them, then you should consider CPF as an alternative. Do remember to have a total of at least 6 months of your last drawn salary in your saving account for rainy day. Money that goes into the CPF cannot be taken out like you wish for your bank account.
Take a closer look at REITs and some Trust such as CitySpring. They will never give you explosive returns, however they will give you good yields on a more constant basis with lesser wild roller-coast rides of a market.

Obviously, these 4 steps will not get you laughing to the bank. Remember the journey goes on even if you decide to do nothing. A start is better than never.

May Everyone Have A Better and Brighter Tomorrow

2008-09-18T00:29:00.007+08:00

Hello,
Recent news headlines flashed that we may be facing one of the greatest crisis after the Great Depression? What do you think? If you are affected directly or indirectly by the recent events, I wish you well. May we have a better and brighter tomorrow when this crisis goes into the history books.

Steps to Convert Audio CD into MP3 format using CD-DA X-Tractor

2008-09-15T20:29:00.012+08:00

I am sharing this encoding guide, hope you find it useful. If you have any advise on how to make it better, please leave a comment. Thanks

Things to note:

There are lots of MP3 encoders out there. I will only discuss CD-DA X-Tractor, which is available on Xtractor Sourceforget.
Get the latest Lame encoder DLL file from Free-Codecs.
Guide is based on Windows Operating System that CD-DA X-Tractor can be installed.

Steps:

Install CD-DA X-Tractor application by following the instructions given by installation steps.
Next, copy the latest Lame encoder DLL file into the installation directory of CD-DA X-Tractor.
Launch CD-DA X-Tractor and insert your Audio CD.
Click on Refresh CD button and the tracks from the Audio CD will appear.
Click on Options and select Output settings. Change the Encoder to Lame Encoder DLL and then click ok. If you want your MP3 output at a particular directory, change it accordingly.
Click Rip Tracks to start your MP3 encoding.
The ripping status will appear on a smaller window.
When the rip is done, you will see the status of each track on CD-DA X-Tractor.
Transfer your MP3 songs to your MP3 player using a USB cable to enjoy your favourite songs.

4 Common Mistakes People Made in Retirement Planning

2008-09-06T18:51:00.007+08:00

Previously, I shared 3 simple principles on how to achieve early retirement. If you ain't convince, then check if you are committing these mistakes.

Mistakes 1

Late Planning

As the funds required for retirement are often large, starting late means the period for wealth accumulation will be short. If a high-risk investment instrument is chosen, the retirement fund may be exposed to too much risk. This kind of retirement planning often fails from adverse market performance in the short-term.

Mistakes 2

Saving Too Little

Even when one starts early and usually save very little, it will result in poor compounding effect. As the compounding is not significant, it makes it difficult to reach retirement goals.

Mistakes 3

Over-conservative Investment

Because retirement planning is a long-term investment, if the investment style is overly conservative, the returns may be lower than inflation. Meaning there is no effective growth in assets. On the other hand, selecting the right investment instrument can not only offset inflation, it also accelerates asset accumulation.

Mistakes 4

Over-spending early in retirement

Although inflation, longevity, medical expenses are all factors you can’t control, monthly expenses after retirement is something you can. Spending in moderation and with planning will ensure that your retirement funds last longer.

Everyone holds his own key to his retirement. You can start to plan early for what you want in you later stage of your life. Or you can continue with the above Mistakes. You are the captain of your own vessel. Steer it right, you enjoy a smooth journey. Steer it wrong, you may face challenges along your journey.

3 Simple Principles To Achieve Early Retirement

2008-09-05T19:02:00.007+08:00

Principle 1

Always start early

Retirement planning must start as early as possible. One of the most important concepts in investing is the compound interest. The earlier you start the easier you can accumulate wealth.

For example: Taking an investment instrument with an annualized return of 10%, when 10,000 is invested monthly, will accumulate to 770,000 in 5 years; when invested for 10 years it will become 2.05 million; and extending to 25 years, the accumulated amount will be 13.27 million. From this, it isn’t hard to see the magical effects of time value.

Principle 2

Make regular investments, force yourself to save

Retirement planning can span over a long time; the easiest and lowest risk investment style is choosing a fund with stable returns over the long-run, and investing a set amount regularly. The advantage of regular investment is that you don’t need to worry about investment timing. When you force yourself to investment regularly every month, you will get less fund units when markets are high and more units when markets are low. Therefore, there is no need to worry about investment timing, no need for a large initial investment, and no need to worry about short-term volatility in the market. It is an ideal investment style for retirement planning.

Principle 3

Review periodically, adjust as needed

Investments needs to be monitored, periodic examination of performance and the appropriate selling and stop-loss measures can ensure investment returns are as expected. By going through different stages in life, one’s needs may change; it is essential to adjust the contents of your retirement plan accordingly.

If you have all this while not think about it, you don't need to despair. There is never too late to achieve anything if you commit to the goals that you have set for yourself. I encourage you to take actions and start now.

5 Possible Steps to Give Your Kids A Financial Head Start

2008-09-04T20:23:00.005+08:00

As a parent, who has young children, other than providing your children necessities such as food, education, and a roof over their heads, you probably wonder what else can you do to give them a better future. I am using these 5 steps to hopefully give my children to a financial head start when they grow.

Open a insurance policy before the child reach 1 year old. The policy shall preferably include a rider, which will allow the policy to remain active in an event the policy owner is not able to pay the premium due to unforeseen circumstances. One of the parents of the child will need to be the owner till the child reach the age of independence. Apparently, opening a policy at a younger age will also have the benefit of lower premium. Obviously, you should take into consideration your financial state before embarking on this step. Do not get a policy that you can't finance in the long term. Stopping any policy before it reaches its maturity date will definitely not give your child a head start, in fact you may end up poorer in the process. It is best to seek advise from your financial planner.
Open a Saving Account for your child. I received cash gifts when my children were born. I collate and deposit these cash gifts into their account. No matter how small the amount may be, consistent accumulation will one day grow their account into tens, hundreds and even thousands.
Reinvest Saving Account once their account which a substantial amount. Look at REITS and Trusts that are listed on exchanges, such investment vehicles provide consistent dividend of between 5 to 9 percent. If you are not familiar with such investment, seek advise from qualify financial adviser.
Buy a Piggy Bank when your child goes to the primary school. Get them into the good habit of saving any leftover pocket money after their school.
Teach them the Value of Money as early as when they can understand simple explanation from you. It may be as simple as not wasting food or not buying what they do not need. If the item is a want or wish from your child, then you will need to get them to work to earn the item.

Are these steps going to give my children a financial head start? It may or may not provide any kind of financial start for my children, however I think doing something now than later get them some baby steps ahead. Wish to contribute to these steps? Leave a comment or drop me a mail.
Thanks in advance.

Do You Have a Will?

2008-09-03T23:10:00.006+08:00

In the first place, you may ask what is a Will? I attended a talk about this topic a couple of years back and this was how they described what a Will is.

A Will is a declaration made in accordance with the formalities required by the statute that sets out your specific wishes for the administration and distribution of your estate upon your demise.

Lots of big words and I myself find it hard to comprehend as well. I managed to find another version from Chris Nadolski & Associates and here it goes:

A Will is a legal document that names the people you want to receive the things you own, your property and possessions, after you die. These people are known as your beneficiaries. Your property and possessions include everything you own: your home, land, car, money in bank accounts, insurance policies, shares, jewellery, pictures, furniture, and so on. Making a Will is the only way you can ensure your assets will be distributed in the way you want after you die.

Now, is this easier to digest or what? So, why do I care about a Will? Sometimes, life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. Events happening around me make you ponder on the importance of making a Will when you are healthy and at a peace of mind.

I will be very clear. First and foremost, I am strongly against people who use their hard-earned salary and place a bet on the lottery. Not even for leisure purposes. I am just sharing a real life experience.

I have a friend who has a bed-ridden Uncle, called James. James has a son and a daughter. He worked his life span till he lost his ability to walk. When he was younger, he seemed to have lady-luck shining on him whenever he placed a bet on the lottery. I am going to emphasis again, Learn How to Invest Wisely, Don't Gamble! Back to the sharing, he managed to save some of his winning into a few Fixed Deposits account. Back then, bank pays an average of 5% per annum on the principal amount. As James grew older, he did something really strange. He decided to have joint Fixed Deposits accounts with his nephew instead of his next-of-kin.

Last year, at the age of more than 70 years old, he lost his ability to walk and was hospitalized for more than 3 months. His medical bill crippled not only him, worst his children have had difficulty paying his bill. His children only managed to recover one of the account from their nephew! In fact, the nephew even has his eyes on James' property. His children quickly advised him to make a Will while he is still conscious. Today, James lives in a hospice care center.

It is a sad story to tell and share. You may even have read in papers that siblings will go to the court to fight it out the share of their deceased parent possessions. If one die without a Will, his possessions will distribute by administration process which takes around 1 year for his possessions to be allocated to his close ones.

Do you want to relieve your close ones the pain of deciding how you share your wealth?
Where there's a Will, there's peace of mind. Where and how to start. I found this website that provides useful resources for one to explore further.

How to Write a Will that is Legal Binding

Is there a step by step guide on how to setup a blog?

2008-09-02T23:20:00.004+08:00

Hello everyone,

When I decided to start my blog, I could still remember that I went to the library to borrow a couple of books about blogging. All the books covered blogging widely but not in a detailed format where easy step by step instructions are provided. In the end, my trial and error prevailed over the books and I started exploring resources from the Net.

So, are you wondering how can you start your very own blog with some of my advice? Nope. Anyway, I am only at a beginner level, can't claim to provide any advice. However, I found something better that you may want to watch these videos yourself. This site is providing 10 free video tutorials on a easy step by step basis on how to setup your own blog.

BecomeABlogger.com

Now, you can save yourself a trip to the library and reduce your learning curve in the process.
Hope it helps.
Cheers

How to become Mummy's Little Good Boy?

2008-09-01T00:01:00.003+08:00

Hello everyone,
I can teach everyone how to become Mummy's Little Good boy. However, first you need to come closer and have a good look at the picture. So, did you manage to figure out the answer?

It is simply wearing a T-shirt that has the print of Mummy's Good Little Boy. I would like to thank the people who bought this gift for me. Once again thank you very much.

AdSense Optimization Tips

2008-08-29T23:52:00.004+08:00

If you have made up your mind to use AdSense to monetize your website or blog, then you need to watch this video produced by AdSense Optimization Team. Mel Ann and Tim did a fantastic video sharing Five steps to optimising your AdSense performance.

I started out working on the optimization reading tricks and tips from all sources on the Net. It definitely takes a longer while to crank my engine to a start! Getting the tips from the creator themselves may be one of the best advices that one can find.

I am not sharing the five steps because I encourage everyone to watch the video. Instead, I will share my limited experience on what works for me base on the five steps.

Contents, contents and more quality contents. If you haven't been writing enough, then there will most likely be little readers as well. No reader equal a slow start or worst no start at all. And it will not do your morale any favor.
I never understand how this channel thing will help me. Now that I know, I better start working on it. So you do.
Things that work best for me are: Dark orange, Medium Rectangle and blending.
I only learn this step after watching the video. I will start exploring if this advice is as good as they shared.
I think it is common sense for them to share the last step. Like any operation, a team started out with the design, followed by planning the execution and finally reviewing the results for further optimization. Your result is only limited by how much efforts you wish to commit.

One other thing before I go to bed, AdSense has also setup a discussion topic known as Your Favorite Optimization Tips. I guess everyone gets to benefit from failures and successes.

Have a great weekend!

Vicks Vapor Rub - Good Information for Sharing

2008-08-29T19:17:00.004+08:00

Hello everyone, do you have young children who have bad cold cough during bedtime? I happened to come across this health tips and applied it to my baby boy. It did work as shared. I am using a vapor rub brand known as Snuffle babe, which is suitable on babies more than 3 months old. Vick's is meant for children who are more 2 years old. Do share if this health tips work for your children.

To stop nighttime coughing in a child (or adult as we found out personally), put Vick's vapor rub generously on the bottom of the feet at bedtime then cover with socks. Even persistent, heavy, deep coughing will stop in about 5 minutes and stay stopped for many, many hours of relief.

Works 100% of the time and is more effective in children than even very strong prescriptions cough medicines. In addition it is extremely soothing and comforting and they will sleep soundly.

The head of the Canada Research Council describe these findings on behalf of their scientists when they were investigating the effectiveness and usage of prescription cough medicines in children as compared to alternative therapies like accupressure. Cough medicines in kids often do more harm than good due to the chemical makeup of these strong drugs. It was a surprising finding and found to be more effective than prescribed medicines for children at bedtime, and in addition, it has a soothing and
calming effect on sick children who then went on to sleep soundly.

Ladies Fingers - Magic

2008-08-27T16:08:00.005+08:00

Okra Bhindi or Ladies Finger - benefits to body and soul

Here's something new... A guy has been suffering from constipation for the past 20 years and recently from acid reflux.

He didn't realize that the treatment could be so simple -- OKRA! He started eating okra within the last 2 months and since then has never taken medication again. All he did was consume 6 pieces of OKRA everyday. He's now regular and his blood sugar has dropped from 135 to 98, with his cholesterol and acid reflux also under control.

Here's are some facts on okra (from the research of Ms. Sylvia Zook, PH.D (nutrition), University of Illinois. "Okra" is a powerhouse of valuable nutrients, nearly half of which is soluble fiber in the form of gums and pectins. Soluble fiber helps to lower serum cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease. The other half is insoluble fiber which helps to keep the intestinal tract healthy, decreasing the risk of some forms of cancer, especially colo-rectal cancer. Nearly 10% of the recommended levels of vitamin B6 and folic acid is also present in a half cup of cooked okra. Okra is a rich source of many nutrients, including fiber, vitamin B6 and folic acid. He got the following numbers from the University of Illinois Extension Okra Page.

Please check there for more details. Okra Nutrition (half-cup sliced, cooked okra):

Calories = 25
Dietary fiber - 2 g
Protein = 1.5 g
Carbohydrates = 5.8 g
Vitamin A = 460 UI
Vitamin C = 13 mg
Folic acid = 36.5 mg
Calcium = 50 mg
Iron filtered = 0.4 mg
Potassium = 256 mg
Magnesium = 46 mg

These numbers should be used as a guideline only, and if you are on a medically-resricted diet please consult your physician and/or dietician. Ms Sylvia W. Zook, Ph.D. (nutritionist) has very kindly provided the following thought-provoking comments on the many benefits of this versatile vegetable. They are well worth reading:

The superior fiber found in okra helps to stabilize blood sugar as it curbs the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract.
Okra's mucilage not only binds cholesterol but bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver. But it doesn't stop there...
Many alternative health practitioners believe all disease beings in the colon. The okra fiber, absorbing water and ensuring bulk in stools, helps prevent constipation. Fiber in general is helpful for this but okra is one of the best, along with ground flax seed and pysllium. Unlike harsh wheat bran, which can irritate or injure the intestinal tract, okra's mucilage soothes, and okra facilitates elimination more comfortably by its slippery characteristic many people abhor. In other words, this incredibly valuable vegetable not only binds excess cholesterol and toxins (in bile acids) but also assures their easy passage from the body. The veggie is completely non-toxic, non habit forming (except for the many who greatly enjoy eating it), has no adverse side effects, is full of nutrients, and is economically within reach of most.
Further contributing to the health of the intestinal tract, okra fiber (as well flax and psyllium) has no equal among fibers for feeding the good bacteria (probiotics).
To retain most of okra's nutrients and self-digesting enzymes, it should be cooked as little as possible, e.g. with low heat or lightly steamed. Some eat it raw.

ABC Song

2008-08-20T19:36:00.007+08:00

When babies watch videos, they seem to be fascinated by the sound and motion images produced by the videos. I managed to find this ABC song from Youtube. Do you have any good educational videos to share?

Do you know how to reduce or stop cold irritating coughs at night?

2008-08-15T18:35:00.003+08:00

I wonder if anyone know any good effective ways to reduce or even stop cold irritating coughs at night?
I only came across a handful of advices from trials and errors, friends and parents sharing.

Here is my list of tips:

Drink lukewarm water
Avoid air-con or direct the fan away to individual having cold coughs
Take Pei Pa Koa
Apply chest cherry rub (for infants, apply infant rub) onto the chest of individual
Put chest cherry rub on both soles and then wear a pair of socks
Time to do some serious spring cleaning, the house is most likely accumulated with dust.
Stay away from furry stuff especially for those with allergic nose.
Last but not least, see a doctor!

Do you have some tips you would like to share? Hope to hear from you.

Roaming in a Walker

2008-08-10T10:07:00.004+08:00

Hello,
I'm back. This round I'm roaming in a walker. It is a very interesting experience for me. Anyway, everything is new to me. Chuckle chuckle...

Fresh New Look!

2008-08-09T02:19:00.003+08:00

Hello everyone,
How do you find the fresh new look? Thanks to David for sharing some professional blog templates on his website, eBlog Templates. I believe you can find something that you like from there. Check it out!

Tips on Filling up your Car

2008-08-06T16:29:00.003+08:00

Hello everyone,
Here are some useful tips from a 31 years veteran who had work in the petroleum industry. If you do drive a vehicle, you may want to spend a couple of minutes to browse through this article. Hope it helps.

ONLY BUY OR FILL UP YOUR CAR IN THE EARLY MORNING WHEN THE GROUND TEMPERATURE IS STILL COLD.

Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground, the denser the fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening.... your litre is not exactly a litre.
In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products play an important role. A 1degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

WHEN YOU'RE FILLING UP, DO NOT SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER OF THE NOZZLE TO A FAST MODE.

If you look, you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode, you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapours that are created, while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapour return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapour. Those vapours are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TIPS IS TO FILL UP WHEN YOUR TANK IS HALF FULL.

The reason for this is, the more fuel you have in your tank, the less air occupying its empty space. Petrol evaporates faster than you can imagine. Petroleum storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the petrol and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.
Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated, so that every litre is actually the exact amount.

ANOTHER REMINDER, IF THERE IS A FUEL TRUCK PUMPING INTO THE STORAGE TANKS, WHEN YOU STOP TO BUY, DO NOT FILL UP - most likely the petrol/diesel is being stirred up as the fuel is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.
Hope, this will help you get the maximum value for your money.

DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS! LET’S SHARE INFORMATION AND BENEFIT ALL, FOR THE BETTER OF MANKIND.

Have A Treat!

2008-08-03T21:46:00.003+08:00

Hello Aunt,
We didn't forget the cake. Here you are, a lovely Dora cake for you to enjoy...

Happy Birthday to You!

2008-08-03T20:48:00.004+08:00

Hello Aunt,
Today is your birthday. We didn't forget, do you know that. We have a song for you.

Happy birthday to you,
happy birthday to you,
happy birthday to you,
happy birthday to you!

From Jing, Ying and Rong

M & M's, anyone?

2008-08-03T20:31:00.005+08:00

Hello,
I am wearing a M & M's shirt that Aunt brought for me. How do I look? Or do I look tasty? Yum Yum... Anyway, I feel comfortable. No side-effect of my fall on Friday because I'm just feeling great now. I am still young, need to figure out how to break my fall the next round. I must gotten a few people real worried and scared. Sister said I cried for 20 minutes after my first fall from the bed. Did anything happen on Friday? I'm just a baby, can hardly remember what happen a few hours ago and not to mention 2 days ago. Ha ha ha...
Talk to you soon. ;-)

Cough medicine for baby under 6 months?

2008-07-29T09:35:00.003+08:00

Hello,
May I know if there is any effective cough medicine for baby under 6 months old? I have been coughing for more than 3 days. My elder sister viral germs are very strong. Can there be anything to do with her watching too many episodes of Powerpuff Girls? I am wondering...

Currently, I am taking Prospan cough syrup for about 3 days. If you can share something that's more effective, I will be glad to hear from you. Thank you.

Why do babies enjoy a car ride?

2008-07-24T15:10:00.006+08:00

The wheels on the car go round and round all through the city.

Have you ever wonder why babies enjoy every minute of a car ride? Any guess? Appreciate your comments.

Never Let Hard Objects Drop into Toilet Bowl!

2008-07-23T22:18:00.004+08:00

Last week, we had a stinky experience after one of our bathroom toilets stopped working abruptly. To make things worse, one of my daughter just done her heavy duty 'business' and only then did we discovered that something was amiss!

What will likely cause the flushed water from a toilet bowl to stay stagnant and refuse to drain?

Alas! Beats me, how on earth will I know? I'm not a plumber! I was told by my dad that something solid must have dropped into the bowl which resulted in the failure of the drainage. By the way, my dad is P.U.B certified in Plumbing and Electrical. Pardon me, I didn't learn any of the skills from him. Borrowed a plumber plunger from him in an attempt drain the smelly stagnant water.

The plunger did drain the water away and I tested a couple of flushes and the water drain properly. Ah, problem solved. Hooray, end of my nightmare!

The very next day, someone passed motion into the same bowl and the issue returned to haunt me. This round, I got my elder brother to get to the root cause of the issue. My brother is a certified P.U.B. plumber. He disassembled the toilet bowl and rested bowl on its side. There and then we found the hard object! It is a Ambi Pur toilet flush refresher.

The refresher and its holder must have been flushed down the bowl accidentally. I guess I learn my lesson the hard way.

Never Let Hard Objects Drop into Toilet Bowl! Retrieve it before it turns into stinky issue.

Just wanted to say Hi!

2008-07-23T11:56:00.006+08:00

Hello Aunts,
pardon us for not spending more time to chit chat during last Saturday conference. We were busy running around the house, creating troubles... Oops!

Take care and talk to you soon. Cheers!

Snacks For Kids - Steamed Banana Cupcake

2008-07-21T23:13:00.004+08:00

Ingredients: (6 big muffins)
2 Eggs
100g sugar
2 ripe bananas, mashed (200g)
150g Self-raising Flour
1/8 tsp Baking Soda
75g oil (any flavorless oil)

Steps:

Sift together self-raising flour and baking soda, set aside.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar till ribbon stage.
Mix in mashed bananas, beat till combine.
Gently fold in flour mixture and oil, taking care not to deflate the eggs and sugar mixture.
Pour Batter into muffin pan, lined with muffin cups.
Steam over high heat for 15mins or till an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Blood clots/STRoke - Knowledge that can SAVE LIFE

2008-07-17T10:11:00.004+08:00

Sharing a knowledge that can save life. Information is shared by a trained nurse.

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters.... S.T.R.

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) ....she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening

Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke
at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die.... they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this...

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally . He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 995/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

How old are you?

2008-07-15T23:51:00.003+08:00

I am celebrating my 4 years old birthday. Will you sing me a birthday song? You can have my cake, because I prefer fruits.

One day old

2008-07-15T23:35:00.003+08:00

Here's a picture of Jun Rong when he was 1 day old.
Cheese... and you got frown instead!

Chicken Little

2008-07-14T23:54:00.005+08:00

The sky is falling!!!
Chicken little to the rescue...

Nap Time

2008-07-14T23:34:00.004+08:00

I'm seeing a funny 'eye' looking at me. No shooting, please. I'm taking a nap. Baby needs lots of rest to grow. Next round, I will hang my "Don't Disturb" sign. Just joking. Good night and sweet dreams to all.

I'm Back. How are you doing?

2008-07-12T10:59:00.003+08:00

Hello everyone,
I'm back. How are you doing? Just recover from viral fever. What is viral fever? How did it come about? Do you have any clue?

Everyone had a few uncomfortable nights checking on me especially Mum. Now that the fever is gone for good, I better drink more water to keep this viral fever away. Wishing everyone good health and have a great weekend!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars (Re-mix)

2008-07-07T23:55:00.005+08:00

Here's the latest #1 under 3 years old billboard song chart of the week. Hit it!

Hope you enjoy the video! Cheers! ;-)

Teething Issue?

2008-07-06T23:05:00.006+08:00

Nowadays, I can't stop biting on anything that I can get my hands on. If I can't grab anything, then my fingers will do just fine...hehehe. What can I do? Everyone thinks that I am teething. Any suggestion? Dad said it is part of the process of growing up, need to experience some pain so as to grow.

Are you facing a teething issue? My teething pacifier is quite good. Maybe, you are growing as well. Not everyone can use a pacifier to relief his pain like me, I guess you will find your best 'gadgets' to tackle your teething issue. Wishing everyone well and good health.

Let me chew on my issue for now...

Conference works!

2008-07-04T22:46:00.005+08:00

Doing remote support on a laptop with microphone issue wasn't easy but it did pay off! We did a conference chat successfully today. As Skype can only do voice conference, I will need to look for a video conference client so that we can do a video conference. At the meantime, you may want to enjoy a song from Jing.

Skype sound setup

2008-07-01T23:48:00.004+08:00

It is great to be able talk to your sibling who are living abroad. I mean not the kind of talking and typing into a Skype chat window that anyone would ever imagine. As a family, it is just a great feeling even though it is a little annoying not able to get the microphone to work. You will know what I mean if you had experienced it.

Hope that this magical link will solve the mystery to the one way video call traffic. If it fails, then don't give up I will try other means to get it up and working. Hey, if there is a will, there is bound to have a way around this challenge...
Catch up with you guys soon...
;)

Happy Youth Day!

2008-07-01T10:09:00.005+08:00

Today is youth day. So, to all youth (I mean as long as you thing you are youthful, you should be able to join in the celebration) out there, Happy Youth Day!

Since it is youth day, I need to do some tricks to demonstrate how youthful one can be. Lying on a bouncer without falling of is a trick I practice for today. It is show-time!

Hope mum and dad don't scold me for doing such a stunt because I'm only 4-month old. I know nuts about the pain of a fall. Hope, I have lighten up your day!

Setting up skype for video chat

2008-06-23T22:25:00.003+08:00

Hello, here's how you setup video chat on skype:

Setup a USB webcam on your laptop. You can get a reasonable USB webcam from IT store for about SGD50. I am not sure how much it will cost in other countries. A 1.3M pixel webcam with USB 2.0 compliant should cost that price.
Follow the instructions provided by USB webcam, and you should be able to setup it properly.
After that, visit skype web site and download the installation file. You just need to double-click on the installation file to install skype on your laptop.
Upon completion, if you don't have a account, skype program will ask a couple of questions to help you setup a account.
Once you sign-in to skype, you are ready to go. Skype is quite smart, and able to detect your webcam if it has been setup properly.

Just need to note that you need to maximize or expand the video chat so as to see the picture of the other party. I manage to video chat with brother this evening. We are also celebrating Yang Yang birthday this Saturday. So if you can setup it before Saturday, then we can try to Video Conference at 8.30pm Singapore time. Hope it helps. If you still encounter problems, then I may need to get you detailed instruction in a Word file. Hopefully, you will be able to figure it out. ;-)

Doing push-up?

2008-06-04T16:19:00.004+08:00

Hello Uncles and Aunties,
After lying on my back for more than 3 months, which is so boring, I decided to do some 'push-up' instead. It is really fun! Till the next update, more tricks from me, baby Jun Rong. See you and take care.

Take Care & Bon Voyage to You

2008-05-24T21:00:00.003+08:00

Little brother here again. Didn't get to say Good Bye... Hope you guys enjoy every moments of your trip or journey... I guess life is full of stories. Every story has many chapters. Life goes on. See you guys during Chinese New Year! At the meantime, Wan Jing and Jun Rong just want to say smile. :)

Good Afternoon

2008-05-13T15:31:00.002+08:00

Shan Ying and Jun Rong just wanted to say Hi! It was meant to be a Good Morning...I supposed a Good Afternoon is just as well.

Hello, :)

2008-05-12T23:32:00.003+08:00

Hello Brother, Sister, Sister-in-law,
Hope that everything is fine and well. I guess you guys are busy and working hard so I create this blog give you a 5 minutes or even 10 minutes excuse from what you are doing. To stop and ponder... We back at home, will always hope for your best and may all wishes come true. :)

Mum just wanted to say, "Remember to eat, don't go hungry...!"
I just wanted to say, "Stay healthy. You need health to enjoy your wealth! ;-)"
Till the next time out...
Cheers!
Just your brother, NL.