Monthly Pains

As a woman, I really hate the time of the month whenever I get my period as it always leads to cramps and a general horrid feeling. Once I had really bad cramps and when I went to see a doctor, I was told that they were caused by progesterone hormones which go haywire during this time of the month. He could only give me some painkillers for it and it looks like I'll need to deal with it every month! Sigh, it's tough being a woman sometimes!

Nice ID

We just went to collect the keys to a new property we invested in. It was a pleasant surprise to see how nicely they have done up the bathrooms in this new property. It came with some interior design and had some really nice kitchen faucets in the kitchen as well. It is a pity we're planning to rent it out otherwise I wouldn't mind staying in such a nice place!

Furnishings in Singapore

I was in Singapore last weekend and met up with an old school friend. She had recently moved to Singapore for work and was staying in a tiny little one bedroom place. The place was small but it had really fantastic furnishings. What impressed me most was the bathroom which came with a really nice rain shower and walk in bathtub! Apparently walk in bathtubs are the latest thing in Singapore and most units tend to outfit themselves with that now. How nice! I think it'll take some time for Malaysian developers to catch up.

Designer Watches

Have you ever heard of a Gerald genta watch? I have to admit that I have not heard of this watch before. However, I recently saw a friend wearing one and was really taken in by the colours and design of this pretty watch. They have both sporty watches and dress watches for men and women and each of their watch comes with very eclectic designs and swirly colours. Some of them even have very unique hands in an eye catching design and are a real conversation piece. They come in very nice colours too which range from striking reds and blues which is something very different from the muted colours and simple designs most designer watches carry. I asked where she got it from and was told that she came across it during one of her travels in the airport. Although it is not a very popular brand here, I have heard from her that it is very popular overseas and many people are falling in love with the bold colours and designs of the watches. For a more formal look, choose from their dress watch range or if you prefer a younger and sportier look, feel free to select from their sporty range, including their gorgeous Arena new launch. I am not sure if I can find it here otherwise I’ll be really interested to know what range the Gerald Genta watches come in and whether it is within my reach!

Technology Wave

We're truly in the technology age. Sometimes I really wonder how people in the past did without things like computers, televisions or a flash drive. I still remember using huge floppy disks when I was much younger which slowly graduated to smaller and more durable floppy disks. Now, no one uses that anymore! Most times, you won't even be able to find a disk drive on a computer now. All they have are USB ports. Isn't it amazing how fast technology is changing?

Expensive Parking

I've been lucky enough to get rides out to work recently as my brother is on study leave. However, he will not be having classes tomorrow which means I'll need to find my own transport to work. Driving isn't a problem but parking is and I either have to come in very early or pay really expensive parking rates. A colleague of mine pays almost RM30 everyday just to park in the basement parking below which doesn't have any cap! I don't think I can afford that!

Franchise Business

There was once when I was really fed up with work and considering options I could run on my own without having to work for others. I was impressed with how well franchises here were doing and since we do not have a Krispy Kreme franchise, I decided to find out how much it would cost. I went to their site and was shocked to find that the rights to the brand name alone would cost more than US$1 million! I can't imagine how people set up their McDonald's franchise then! They must have a lot of money to start with!

Expensive Lunch

Yesterday I went for lunch and my lunch of rice, vegetables and 2 pieces of chicken costed me RM4.30! This is a far cry from the days when my lunch used to cost under RM4 for the same food! Sigh, it's a sure sign of rising costs. My sis tells me to bring my own food to work to save money. I might consider that once my lunch buddy goes off on her maternity leave.

Drug Help

Yesterday whilst I was driving along the highway, I noticed a big billboard advertisement for a drug rehab company. It is apparently founded and run by a former drug addict himself so I'm sure he realises the dangers the addicts are going through and their painful withdrawal stages. I think it's great that he has come forward to help addicts break free from their addiction. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who knows someone fighting a drug problem.

Playing Online

I have a group of girlfriends from my ex company. It was quite funny how we got to know each other as we are from very diverse backgrounds and of very different ages. I am the youngest among them and most of them are already married or mothers so it’s quite funny how we find things to talk about sometimes! One of my friends in that group is a real casino fan! I never knew that until she told me about how she and another friend played hooky from work to go up to Genting Highlands for half a day of gambling at the slot machines! She told me part of the fun was going up there and having the thrill of playing although she didn’t win much. Maybe I should tell her about Online Poker which is available online. With online poker she doesn’t even need to leave her house or can even play in the office if she’s bored! They’re flexible and allow payment through paypal or bank accounts and even provide great reviews of most online poker sites available online so you wouldn’t waste your time playing at a boring one. However, despite the online casino facilities available, I’m sure most people still find pleasure playing at a physical machine!

Online Gaming

It has been ages since I have written about Online Casinos. Despite the availability of all these casinos online, my friends still prefer driving up an hour to the highlands where there are the physical casinos available for them to spend their money on! Perhaps I should tell them more about the fantastic offers available on these online sites. There are so many fantastic offers given to their members which range from free bonuses to fantastic deals which are only available when you play online with them.

One thing great about Casino Newbies too is the fantastic reviews they provide on all kinds of online casino sites to help you make the right choice as to which site to play at. That way you can choose the most suitable site for you depending on whether you want an opportunity to win at a huge bonus or whether you wish to simply play for fun. They do different deals too for different days of the week so do keep a look out! And best of all, all these sites accept paypal so if you have some money languishing in there and are a gaming fan, do have a great time playing! It is so much more accessible compared to the physical casinos!

Spending on Flowers

I was reading my favourite wedding forum website just before lunch. I've picked up some very good tips and tricks from there, not to mention the exhaustive list of contacts these girls have very generously shared. One thing that surprised me though was the cost of wedding flowers. I never had any idea that flowers for a wedding could cost so much money. One girl mentioned that her church floral decorations alone cost more then RM2k! And all these money spent for something which will die and can barely last a day! Isn't it crazy? Unfortunately I don't have that kind of money to blow on these decorations so I'll need to make do best with what I have.

Lunch Bud

I just got back from lunch and am pleased because my lunch was under RM4 for spinach, chicken and rice. I had a good time chatting with my colleague. She's due to deliver soon and I'll definitely miss my lunch buddy! She'll be away for 2 months after that on her maternity leave. I wonder who I'm going to have lunch with while she's gone!

Good Present

I've got a housewarming cum baby's 1st birthday party to attend this Saturday. And I'm at a total loss at what to get the host. What does one get for a housewarming party? Personally, I find it a bit hard because decorative items are always subject to one's tastes and what you find nice, the recipient might not! Sigh, it's really tough plus I hardly have any time to go shopping to look for something nice!

Buying Gold

Recently our banks here have offered the possibility of investing in gold. Previously, people who wanted to invest in gold had no options of doing so unless they purchase gold coins to keep. However, selling that back was also difficult as there was no ready market to accept those gold coins and there may be some big commissions involved by the goldsmith shops. However, one bank has recently offered investors the opportunity to buy into gold via their gold accounts. That way they are given the full flexibility to purchase and sell these gold investments on paper through the same bank. I was quite keen when I read about it but would like to find out more before I consider investing in it. I think I should take some time off work soon to visit the bank to find out more.

Sick of Work

I have been fighting a bad ulcer for a while already but recently I've been getting headaches and feeling very tired as well. Something tells me I might be coming down with something. But oddly enough I get all these kind of symptoms only when I'm at work! Haha...maybe it just means that I'm allergic to work :p

Rising Costs

The cost of everything seems to be rising these days. The other day, I went for lunch and got charged almost RM5 for a plate of nothing but vegetables! It's crazy! Food is really expensive now, especially around my area where there aren't many choices and whatever existing shops run on a monopoly type of business. Some attribute it to the rising oil prices and others blame it on inflation. Whatever it is, at the end of the day, the people who will suffer are the normal consuers like me and you.

Used Car Market

A friend recently changed her car from a sedan to an MPV as she found that her old car wasn’t big enough to accommodate her baby’s things whenever they travelled. However, she chose not to sell her old car as the second hand market isn’t very good at the moment. The second hand market here has dropped since the prices of new cars have dropped and sometimes even old cars are no longer popular and can’t fetch a good price. It’s a pity we do not have auto recycling services here like the midwest auto recycling centre where used engines and transmissions are traded. That would save a lot of money for people who wish to change their car but are unable to afford to.

Keep Out of Sun

I’m a strong advocate of sunscreen. Since young, my mom has always conditioned us to protect ourselves from the sun as it can be really harmful to the skin. When we were taking swimming lessons, we used to slather ourselves with sunscreen before hitting the pool. Till today, the smell of sunblock is always something I associate with swimming! When buying sunblock, I tend to look for higher SPF sunblocks that don’t clog your skin. I have sensitive skin and sometimes I’m worried that the sunblocks sold on the market can be a bit bad for the skin as they are rather thick. So I was really excited when I found out there’s a new sunblock on the market called Screen, Inc. which is specially catered for teenage skin! This means that it’s light enough not to clog pores and yet strong enough to protect the skin from the being ravaged by the sun. It’s important to always protect yourself from the sun if you don’t want prematurely aged skin!

Detox Diet

I've always wondered how good it is to go on a detox diet. One of my friends recently went on a detox diet and lost tonnes of weight plus she told me she felt so much healthier. Apparently she went on a diet where she didn't eat and just filled herself up with juices and water together with some Orovo detox supplements. I'm not sure if I have the same willpower to pull through it!

Shopping in Sg Wang

There are lots of little ecclectic jewelry shops in Sg Wang Plaza. It's a really popular place for young teenagers to shop for all kinds of jewelry or fashion pieces from religious jewelry to sparkly blings. It's a very popular shopping place for them and they're often there almost every weekend! So now you know where to head when you need cheap fashion pieces.

Invest Wisely

Would you invest in stock options and derivative tools such as covered calls ? I used to study a bit of finance when I was in university and we used to learn that derivatives were one of the riskiest forms of investments due to their uncertainty. However, together with high risk comes high rewards. Many, especially though who are well read about investments, might consider taking that risk especially if market conditions are suitable and if they're prepared to make a timely exit. Personally, I still think I'm risk averse and would prefer to put my money in more stable investments.