My iPad seems to be a bit of a white elephant right now. I use it mainly only to watch downloaded movies although I have been told that downloading of electronic book are really easy as well. I have not tried downloading any yet as nothing beats the feel and smell of a physical book for me. I still enjoy turning the pages and taking my time to enjoy the book. Somehow the digital form of an electronic book just doesn't have that same feel. Do you feel the same?
I was hunting around for a farewell gift for my boss who is leaving soon and was surprised to see the number of gift types available for every occasion. Today, you can find gifts for just about anything, from just because gifts to someone whom you are thinking of to innovative birthday and farewell gifts. Gifts today are just getting more and more creative and special and is a multi-million business now. Perhaps a business idea to think about!
One advantage of staying in a small place like I currently do is the ease of cleaning and reaching for stuff. My ceiling is quite low so most of my things are all easily accessible by standing on a stool. I don't even need a two step stool to reach my items in the higher cupboards. Of course it comes with some downside as my ceiling is too low for a ceiling fan so I need to make do with stand fans which naturally don't provide as much wind or cooling effect as I like!
A friend has recently quit the rat race to set up a web hosting company. He now runs a web host for big sites and has amassed quite a fortune as his clients like the stability and reliability his webhosting services offer. That's the amazing thing with the world today...you can make a successful business out of just anything and in any form, whether physical or online.
I've been reading of many people having trouble with their webhosting companies. In some cases, some of their blogs disappear! If you are running a website or a blog as part of your income, it is always important to go with a reliable and proper web hosting company to ensure your site is always available to everyone and you do not lost income from downtime. There are many companies around but do ensure you do your homework, research and select the best possible one for your budget.
I don't really like mess around my work area so I was pretty pleased when my new laptop came with a set of cable covers to hide all the unsightly wires away from view. My IT set it up last week and finally, I have a clean desk now to work off! Funny how particular I can be about loose wires lying around when my house is so messy with letters and envelopes.
I read in the papers yesterday that Britain had started a Christmas in July sale to capture the summer shoppers and people were actually buying their decorations and gifts early! If you are one of those who tend to leave your Christmas shopping too late, fret not, because you can now find gifts for everyone from gifting solutions for all occasions! Imagine finding the perfect gift for your old grandaunt or young niece! They simply have everything covered so Christmas shopping can no longer be a headache!
One really can't keep up with technology. I just had the chance to see someone's Galaxy Tab yesterday and was really impressed with the sharpness and photo quality for something so small. I also played with a friend's Kindle and have to say I was very impressed by how easy it made reading. Next thing will probably be funky gadgets such as Epson TM-T88V or new roll-up TVs. The world is moving at such a fast pace you'll get left behind if you don't keep up!
I'm currently taking Mandarin classes and am honestly finding it quite a challenge as it is a very difficult language to learn. I've asked around and it seems like there is no easier way to learn Mandarin short of memorizing! Perhaps I should start looking at franklin speaking language master tools or guides to help me improve my Mandarin. Hopefully, after a few more months of pain, I will be able to hold a decent conversation and recognise more characters!
A friend has started dabbling in insurance and has been calling me up to go over some buy sell agreements and suggested insurance plans with her. While I would like to support her new career, I do have quite a number of insurance policies already and with my financial status a little uncertain in the long run, I would prefer not to commit to a long-term expenditure such as large annual premiums. However, if you do not have insurance yet, you definitely should consider purchasing a minimal plan to prepare for all unforeseen circumstances.
Did you know that your network cable can actually spoil quite easily if you always take it in and out? I didn't and used to think that the culprit was my home internet modem whenever I had connection problems. It turned out that my network cable was getting spoilt because I constantly changed it from the desktop to my laptop. So, if you use a network cable or a LAN line, try to use it only for one device and not swap it around too often.
In my old job, I had the chance to do some work with a Japanese businessman. I had heard so much about their hospitality and I certainly was impressed at our first meeting. The businessman came with a beautifully wrapped box of Japanese biscuits that I'm sure must have cost a bomb in Japan! He even took the trouble to look for suitable Men's Business & Office Gifts for my male colleague to ensure it will be something useful for him. Very impressive and it certainly goes a long way in ensuring a good business relationship. The Westerners have a lot to learn.
A friend has a brother in law who lives in a nice luxury condo in KL, drives a comfortable Volvo, invests in the top range audio equipment for his home and doesn't need to work a single day for all these! How is that possible, you wonder? Well, I don't know if you would consider it lucky or unlucky but he got into some industrial accident while working in the oil and gas sector and was given a big social security disability payout as a result. Hence, his retirement is pretty much covered for life! That's the benefit of buying social security to protect you at your workplace.
I kinda miss my yoga sessions. I enjoyed them very much as my teacher had a small group and was really passionate about yoga. So she would spend time correcting our poses and ensuring we did everything correctly. Now, my yoga mats are just languishing in a corner of the room and my body has terrible muscle tone. Maybe I should just join a class here though I dislike the thought of big classes and lower attention. Either that or a pilates class.
The world economy is in a bit of turmoil right now. I recently read that world food prices are expected to shoot through the roof in the next few years as the major agricultural countries of the world battle natural disasters and drought. Whatever it is, I hope we will all never fall to a level so low where we need to resort to Selling Gold Jewelry to survive. At the rate the gold prices are hitting the sky, it is always best to continue to keep it for investment purposes.
I was wandering about one of the neighbourhood malls recently and was surprised to see costume shops in Singapore starting to spring up. It seems that costume parties here have become hugely popular in recent times for both children and adult parties. Funnily enough, one of the most popular costume for adult parties is the nursing uniforms costumes! I've never been for a costume party before, have you? I'm sure it must be loads of fun especially if the identities of the people are not revealed beforehand!
Singapore has been having lots of great electronic fairs recently. One that was held over the May Day weekend say really good prices on laser printers and computers. If DH hadn't gotten the printer we now have, I would have seriously considered getting a laser printer at home, simply for the quality of the printing and the clarity of the printouts. Do you have a laser printer? Don't you find it better than a bubble jet one?
Mother's Day is just around the corner and if you're still looking for a gift for Mom, why not consider a lovely bunch of flowers? It makes an especially good gift if you are not based in the same town or country as she is. There are many good online florists with free delivery but ProFlowers offers one of the best services and even have a ProFlowers discount code on their site if you order soon! So start clicking and send Mom your love.
I've been feeling quite pudgy recently and I'm not very sure why as I haven't been eating a tremendous more. Perhaps my metabolism is really slowing down or maybe it is due to the outside meals I've been having in the past few weeks as I didn't cook. I don't think it's time for lipozene yet but I certainly need to make sure I control my weight!
DH went to Bangkok not long after he joined his new job and much to his surprise, his booth in the Exhibition was right next to the Tradeshow booth of his old company! Luckily he left in good terms and actually had a good time catching up with his old colleagues over dinner and breaktime. It's always important to leave every company with good blood and ties maintained. The world is just too small and you never know when you might bump into them again.
