UK Pooh

Rah Rah Rah!! give me some of those classic Gund Pooh from the UK, they are so much better than the orange Disney versions!!

this Gund large classical Pooh--> see the LARGE one on the right.






And I already have this musical catch a butterfly one <-- image on the left.


But how come Paddington bears look slightly different in all the versions???

world geography

Ben's Place of the week http://blog.oup.com/category/reference/bens_place_of_the_week/ - Oxford University Press

Capitals of the World - About Geography, based on 192/193 official countries (Vatican is not represented in UN). ~~Note: no W.X. ^_^

Afghanistan - Kabul Albania - Tirane Algeria - Algiers Andorra - Andorra la Vella Angola - Luanda Antigua and Barbuda - Saint John's Argentina - Buenos Aires Armenia - Yerevan Australia - Canberra Austria - Vienna Azerbaijan - Baku	The Bahamas - Nassau Bahrain - Manama Bangladesh - Dhaka Barbados - Bridgetown Belarus - Minsk Belgium - Brussels Belize - Belmopan Benin - Porto-Novo Bhutan - Thimphu Bolivia - La Paz (administrative); Sucre (judicial) Bosnia and Herzegovina - Sarajevo Botswana - Gaborone Brazil - Brasilia Brunei - Bandar Seri Begawan Bulgaria - Sofia Burkina Faso - Ouagadougou Burundi - Bujumbura
Cambodia - Phnom Penh Cameroon - Yaounde Canada - Ottawa Cape Verde - Praia Central African Republic - Bangui Chad - N'Djamena Chile - Santiago China - Beijing Colombia - Bogota Comoros - Moroni Congo, Republic of the - Brazzaville Congo, Democratic Republic of the - Kinshasa Costa Rica - San Jose Cote d'Ivoire - Yamoussoukro (official); Abidjan (de facto) Croatia - Zagreb Cuba - Havana Cyprus - Nicosia Czech Republic - Prague	Denmark - Copenhagen Djibouti - Djibouti Dominica - Roseau Dominican Republic - Santo Domingo
East Timor - Dili Ecuador - Quito Egypt - Cairo El Salvador - San Salvador Equatorial Guinea - Malabo Eritrea - Asmara Estonia - Tallinn Ethiopia - Addis Ababa	Fiji - Suva Finland - Helsinki France - Paris
Gabon - Libreville The Gambia - Banjul Georgia - Tbilisi Germany - Berlin Ghana - Accra Greece - Athens Grenada - Saint George's Guatemala - Guatemala City Guinea - Conakry Guinea-Bissau - Bissau Guyana - Georgetown	Haiti - Port-au-Prince Honduras - Tegucigalpa Hungary - Budapest
Iceland - Reykjavik India - New Delhi Indonesia - Jakarta Iran - Tehran Iraq - Baghdad Ireland - Dublin Israel - Jerusalem Italy - Rome	Jamaica - Kingston Japan - Tokyo Jordan - Amman
Kazakhstan - Astana Kenya - Nairobi Kiribati - Tarawa Atoll Korea, North - Pyongyang Korea, South - Seoul Kuwait - Kuwait City Kyrgyzstan - Bishkek	Laos - Vientiane Latvia - Riga Lebanon - Beirut Lesotho - Maseru Liberia - Monrovia Libya - Tripoli Liechtenstein - Vaduz Lithuania - Vilnius Luxembourg - Luxembourg
Macedonia - Skopje Madagascar - Antananarivo Malawi - Lilongwe Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur Maldives - Male Mali - Bamako Malta - Valletta Marshall Islands - Majuro Mauritania - Nouakchott Mauritius - Port Louis Mexico - Mexico City Federated States of Micronesia - Palikir Moldova - Chisinau Monaco - Monaco Mongolia - Ulaanbaatar Montenegro - Podgorica Morocco - Rabat Mozambique - Maputo Myanmar (Burma) - Rangoon (Yangon); Nay Pyi Taw (administrative)	Namibia - Windhoek Nauru - no official capital; government offices in Yaren District Nepal - Kathmandu Netherlands - Amsterdam; The Hague (seat of government) New Zealand - Wellington Nicaragua - Managua Niger - Niamey Nigeria - Abuja Norway - Oslo
Oman - Muscat	Pakistan - Islamabad Palau - Melekeok Panama - Panama City Papua New Guinea - Port Moresby Paraguay - Asuncion Peru - Lima Philippines - Manila Poland - Warsaw Portugal - Lisbon
Qatar - Doha	Romania - Bucharest Russia - Moscow Rwanda - Kigali
Saint Kitts and Nevis - Basseterre Saint Lucia - Castries Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Kingstown Samoa - Apia San Marino - San Marino Sao Tome and Principe - Sao Tome Saudi Arabia - Riyadh Senegal - Dakar Serbia - Belgrade Seychelles - Victoria Sierra Leone - Freetown Singapore - Singapore Slovakia - Bratislava Slovenia - Ljubljana Solomon Islands - Honiara Somalia - Mogadishu South Africa - Pretoria (administrative); Cape Town (legislative); Bloemfontein (judiciary) Spain - Madrid Sri Lanka - Colombo; Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative) Sudan - Khartoum Suriname - Paramaribo Swaziland - Mbabana Sweden - Stockholm Switzerland - Bern Syria - Damascus	Tajikistan - Dushanbe Tanzania - Dar es Salaam; Dodoma (legislative) Thailand - Bangkok Togo - Lome Tonga - Nuku'alofa Trinidad and Tobago - Port-of-Spain Tunisia - Tunis Turkey - Ankara Turkmenistan - Ashgabat Tuvalu - Vaiaku village, Funafuti province
Uganda - Kampala Ukraine - Kyiv United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi United Kingdom - London United States - Washington D.C. Uruguay - Montevideo Uzbekistan - Tashkent	Vanuatu - Port-Vila Vatican City (Holy See) - Vatican City Venezuela - Caracas Vietnam - Hanoi
Yemen - Sanaa	Zambia - Lusaka Zimbabwe - Harare

make fire with water!

Wow... I know that I like weird things, but this article is just way too cool to be dismissed, how come those "make fire with Ice Lense" people never thought about WHERE am I going to get a piece of clear convex ice easily while camping (unless I am in the arctic?)...

This is way easier and much more pliable, and RE-USABLE! Don't even need to bring a magnifying glass or lighter!... Though dry tinder is needed to start the fire within a reasonable amount of time. ^_^

100% Solar Impulse plane

Full story at Gizmodo here.

The Solar Impulse is Bertrand Piccard's 100% solar-powered airplane. He plans to go around the world with it in 2011, but the pilots have started training today using an extremely complex virtual simulator that takes into account all its features. It has a 262-feet wingspan full of photovoltaic cells that power its 40kW engines. The Solar Impulse can move its 4,409-pounds carbon-fiber body at an altitude of 39,370-feet, while maintaining a 43.9mph average speed.

Magnificent Trees

I started using del.icio.us recently, and came across this great blog about the Magnificent Trees in the world, I have seen and been to several of them myself. =)

These are the famed (Madagascar) Baobob trees mentioned in my favourite book, "Le Petit Prince".

feast of color

Repurposing a Rice Cooker

It may be called a rice cooker, but don't let that stop you from using it for:

Making hot breakfasts — and keeping them hot. To make oatmeal or other hot breakfast cereals, add a little less milk or water than you would for stovetop cooking (and some chopped nuts and dried fruit if you want). The "keep warm" function is perfect for days when everyone gets up at a different time.

Steaming vegetables or making vegetable-based one-pot meals. If your machine comes with a steamer rack, use it to cook cut vegetables, tofu, potatoes, or even shrimp, fish fillets, or chicken breasts.

Making risotto without stirring. Saute onions in butter in an open rice cooker, then add 1 part Arborio rice and 4 parts liquid (such as broth and wine). Cook for about 25 minutes in an on/off cooker or use the "slow" or "porridge" cycle if your machine has one. Mix in grated cheese and herbs at the end.

Slow-cooking soups, beans, or stews. Give your rice cooker enough liquid and time and it will create long-simmered dishes without scorching or boiling over (the way slow cookers sometimes can). Try split-pea soup with ham, or put beef (that's been browned on the stove) and vegetables in the cooker with tomatoes, wine, and herbs for a hearty dinner.

Poaching fruit. A rice cooker works for healthy desserts of fruit simmered in juice, wine, or maple syrup. Or make applesauce and other fruit sauces.

=========
saw this link from a friend's blog. 3Q Kuri!

buying a new PC?

Maybe I should consider one of these $99 toys, the Zonbu ...

The Father's Love Letter

My Child ...
You may not know me, but I know everything about you.	Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up.	Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways.	Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.	Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image.	Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being.	Acts 17:28
For you are my offspring.	Acts 17:28
I knew you even before you were conceived.	Jeremiah 1:4-5
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.	1 John 3:1
Simply because you are my child and I am your Father.	1 John 3:1
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.	Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father.	Matthew 5:48
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand.	James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.	Matthew 6:31-33
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.	Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love.	Jeremiah 31:3
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore.	Psalms 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing.	Zephaniah 3:17
I will never stop doing good to you.	Jeremiah 32:40
For you are my treasured possession.	Exodus 19:5
I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul.	Jeremiah 32:41
And I want to show you great and marvelous things.	Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me.	Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart.	Psalm 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires.	Philippians 2:13
I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine.	Ephesians 3:20
For I am your greatest encourager.	2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles.	2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you.	Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart.	Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes.	Revelation 21:3-4
And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth.	Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus.	John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.	John 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being.	Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you.	Romans 8:31
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.	2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.	2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you.	1 John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love.	Romans 8:31-32
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me.	1 John 2:23
And nothing will ever separate you from my love again.	Romans 8:38-39
Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen.	Luke 15:7
I have always been Father, and will always be Father.	Ephesians3:14-15
My question is…Will you be my child?	John 1:12-13
I am waiting for you.	Luke 15:11-32
-- Love, Your Dad. Almighty God

10 types of people

hehee.. I have truly nerdy but funny friends! [[they are cool!]]

0:
> There are only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary
> and those who don't.

1:
> That's a BIT of a generalization.

10:

Ooooo.... very clever! ^_^

what does that old T-shirt read? "Six Hertz Six Bytes" right?

11:

^_^ I know which one I belong to..


OverFlow:

:)

sea and lighthouse

no man is an island

No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.

-- John Donne, Meditation XVII
English clergyman & poet (1572 - 1631)

Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou thinkst, thou dost overthrow,
die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

-- John Donne, Death Be Not Proud

• Biography of John Donne here.
• Wikipedia definition of John Donne.

Henry VIII

Jonathan Rhys Meyers - just like they said so in the show, "the most beautiful thing of all might be Meyers himself .... There's more to this king than what meets the eye!"

NPR short clip on "the Tudors" here.

Admired him and Scarlett Johansson in "Match Point", excellent, unforgettable movie. Almost like a twisted Romeo and Juliet!

$0.03 humbling experience

God never fails to teach his lessons, even if the "worldly value" is only 3 cents, but the value of the lesson is immeasurable.

First thing this morning I decided to read a random entry on another friend's blog, and her personal experience is similar. Not knowing that I have a life experience lesson coming up, I went about my day encouraged by her note, but still, it's like "in one ear out one ear" type of thing. Today, just as I was getting comfortable in my spiritual life, and is complacent with my personal development, God never fails to show me new ways.

That is, until I had my 0.03 experience. I am grateful of the lesson He taught me, and the beauty of human kindness shining through a small incident like that. I believe today will mark an indelible imprint on my personal/spiritual journey.

And that's my 3 cent story...

Yao Ming

What's in a name?

Yao Ming (Chinese: 姚明; Hanyu Pinyin: Yao Ming)

I heard a short clip about Yao Ming this morning on NPR, all of a sudden, I had a realization. Hey, they went according to Asian rule and said his last name first!

Have you ever noticed that we have to switch Chinese, Korean, Japanese, etc Asian names around for the western society? Names become mangled, and in actors or actresses I have to mentally do a "switch around" before I say it in English vs. talking to friends in Chinese. It's just so awkward! That's starting to change a bit, now we have "Zhang ZhiYi" and "Yao Ming".

Have you ever noticed that when you fill out forms, or when the computer does a search and the listing is always LastName, FirstName? well, I think the ordering of the names shows a fundamental difference in mentality between the East and the West.

Eastern world values family connection and thus one is identified more as being a part of a clan, thus the family name takes the uttermost importance. There are old sayings about "glory for the family clan", "come back to benefit the whole local community", etc.

Western world is all about individualism, self-importance, thus the first name takes precedence, with a few even forgoing their last name, thus severing connections with previous generations and other family heritage, whether it be good or bad.

~~Just my humble 2 cents on this naming thing, I think it totally reflects the difference of family vs. individual value system between the East and the West.

Gas Watch

high gas prices prompted me to start using this site.

THE GIFT OF THE MAGI

by O. Henry

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one's cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty- seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.

There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.

While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home. A furnished flat at $8 per week. It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad.

In the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring. Also appertaining thereunto was a card bearing the name "Mr. James Dillingham Young."

The "Dillingham" had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity when its possessor was being paid $30 per week. Now, when the income was shrunk to $20, though, they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D. But whenever Mr. James Dillingham Young came home and reached his flat above he was called "Jim" and greatly hugged by Mrs. James Dillingham Young, already introduced to you as Della. Which is all very good.

Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn't go far. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling--something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim.

There was a pier-glass between the windows of the room. Perhaps you have seen a pier-glass in an $8 flat. A very thin and very agile person may, by observing his reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate conception of his looks. Della, being slender, had mastered the art.

Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length.

Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair. Had the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy.

So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.

On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out the door and down the stairs to the street.

Where she stopped the sign read: "Mne. Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds." One flight up Della ran, and collected herself, panting. Madame, large, too white, chilly, hardly looked the "Sofronie."

"Will you buy my hair?" asked Della.

"I buy hair," said Madame. "Take yer hat off and let's have a sight at the looks of it."

Down rippled the brown cascade.

"Twenty dollars," said Madame, lifting the mass with a practised hand.

"Give it to me quick," said Della.

Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed metaphor. She was ransacking the stores for Jim's present.

She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. There was no other like it in any of the stores, and she had turned all of them inside out. It was a platinum fob chain simple and chaste in design, properly proclaiming its value by substance alone and not by meretricious ornamentation--as all good things should do. It was even worthy of The Watch. As soon as she saw it she knew that it must be Jim's. It was like him. Quietness and value--the description applied to both. Twenty-one dollars they took from her for it, and she hurried home with the 87 cents. With that chain on his watch Jim might be properly anxious about the time in any company. Grand as the watch was, he sometimes looked at it on the sly on account of the old leather strap that he used in place of a chain.

When Della reached home her intoxication gave way a little to prudence and reason. She got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work repairing the ravages made by generosity added to love. Which is always a tremendous task, dear friends--a mammoth task.

Within forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, close-lying curls that made her look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy. She looked at her reflection in the mirror long, carefully, and critically.

"If Jim doesn't kill me," she said to herself, "before he takes a second look at me, he'll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl. But what could I do--oh! what could I do with a dollar and eighty- seven cents?"

At 7 o'clock the coffee was made and the frying-pan was on the back of the stove hot and ready to cook the chops.

Jim was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on the stair away down on the first flight, and she turned white for just a moment. She had a habit for saying little silent prayer about the simplest everyday things, and now she whispered: "Please God, make him think I am still pretty."

The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two--and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves.

Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face.

Della wriggled off the table and went for him.

"Jim, darling," she cried, "don't look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold because I couldn't have lived through Christmas without giving you a present. It'll grow out again--you won't mind, will you? I just had to do it. My hair grows awfully fast. Say `Merry Christmas!' Jim, and let's be happy. You don't know what a nice-- what a beautiful, nice gift I've got for you."

"You've cut off your hair?" asked Jim, laboriously, as if he had not arrived at that patent fact yet even after the hardest mental labor.

"Cut it off and sold it," said Della. "Don't you like me just as well, anyhow? I'm me without my hair, ain't I?"

Jim looked about the room curiously.

"You say your hair is gone?" he said, with an air almost of idiocy.

"You needn't look for it," said Della. "It's sold, I tell you--sold and gone, too. It's Christmas Eve, boy. Be good to me, for it went for you. Maybe the hairs of my head were numbered," she went on with sudden serious sweetness, "but nobody could ever count my love for you. Shall I put the chops on, Jim?"

Out of his trance Jim seemed quickly to wake. He enfolded his Della. For ten seconds let us regard with discreet scrutiny some inconsequential object in the other direction. Eight dollars a week or a million a year--what is the difference? A mathematician or a wit would give you the wrong answer. The magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not among them. This dark assertion will be illuminated later on.

Jim drew a package from his overcoat pocket and threw it upon the table.

"Don't make any mistake, Dell," he said, "about me. I don't think there's anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less. But if you'll unwrap that package you may see why you had me going a while at first."

White fingers and nimble tore at the string and paper. And then an ecstatic scream of joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails, necessitating the immediate employment of all the comforting powers of the lord of the flat.

For there lay The Combs--the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshipped long in a Broadway window. Beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jewelled rims--just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair. They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone.

But she hugged them to her bosom, and at length she was able to look up with dim eyes and a smile and say: "My hair grows so fast, Jim!"

And them Della leaped up like a little singed cat and cried, "Oh, oh!"

Jim had not yet seen his beautiful present. She held it out to him eagerly upon her open palm. The dull precious metal seemed to flash with a reflection of her bright and ardent spirit.

"Isn't it a dandy, Jim? I hunted all over town to find it. You'll have to look at the time a hundred times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it."

Instead of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the back of his head and smiled.

"Dell," said he, "let's put our Christmas presents away and keep 'em a while. They're too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now suppose you put the chops on."

The magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. O all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.

---

*END*

WC2 1/4

^_^ !

well, actually, it annoys me quite a bit when she gets all chatty and loses track of time. Maybe because I have always been a rather unsympathetic person and is not particularly caring towards strangers, I just don't find her stories interesting. I mean, what do I care about her grandson and divorced husband and etc.? That's just a little too much information there!

Then for the last 20 min. she's really in a rush, I think it'd be way better if she has a better grasp on time and progress forward in a more even pace. She's indeed such a chatty grandma!

Spend Less article

Quick Tips for Spending Less

Sometimes the key to spending less is making small, everyday changes. Here are some ways to cut back on expenses:

• Understand your budget. Start to think and talk more openly about your money goals. This will help you get on track to living within your means.

• Cut back to one credit card.

• Make it hard to get to your money. Leave your credit card and ATM card at home.

• Shop from a list and stick to it. Plan purchases based on need.

• Don't go food shopping when you're hungry.

• Eat out less. Bring lunch to work.

• Don't pay full price. Buy used. Buy at outlet stores. Buy store brands. Buy in bulk.

• Pay down credit cards as quickly as you can. Ask to have the interest lowered on your card or switch your balance to a card with a lower rate.

• Conserve. Turn off the lights when you're out. Turn off the tap while soaping. Turn off the air conditioner or turn down the heat when you're out. Keep window shades down during the day in hot weather. Open the shades in cold weather to let in the sun.

• Clean your own house or apartment. Use ammonia instead of brand-name cleaners.

• Raise the deductibles on car and home insurance. See if you qualify for insurance discounts.

• Take advantage of your community. Take your children to public parks. Read the community calendar in the newspaper to find out about free events. Use your local library for video rentals and Internet use.

• Trade clothes with friends or relatives.

• Share purchases with others. Buy a neighborhood lawnmower or swing set.

• Write letters or e-mail instead of calling long-distance.

• Carpool, ride a bike, or use public transportation.

• Sell what you don't need.

• Ask yourself these questions when you go shopping: Can I repair it instead of replacing it? Do I really need it? Is this the best price?

© 2004 Ceridian Corporation. All rights reserved.

Financial Goals article

Quick Tips for Setting SMART Financial Goals

Learning how to set realistic financial goals is an important part of taking charge of your money. Whether you're trying to pay down debt or save for your first home, you need clear financial goals as well as a road map for reaching them. Here you'll find tips that can help.

First, figure out where you're starting from by looking at your monthly income and expenditures. You may need to track your spending for a few weeks or even months to come up with reliable numbers -- and remember to track everything, including groceries, car maintenance, rent, utilities, insurance, prescriptions, subscriptions, entertainment, gifts, and vacations. Second, determine your time frame. How much money do you need to come up with and by when? Third, map out a plan with specific steps you can take to reach your financial objective.

The SMART goal model may help as you develop your plan. SMART stands for:

1. Specific. Identify specific ways you can cut spending or make more money. For example, don't just say, "I'll try to save $200 more a month." Get specific:
• "I'm going to save $60 a month by making my lunch instead of buying it at work."
• "Instead of going out every Friday night, I'm going to save at least $40 by staying in one Friday night each month."
• "I'm going to put in one extra hour of overtime each week to earn an additional $100 per month."
2. Measurable. Make sure there's a way to measure your progress. For example, if you're trying to save $60 a month to pay down a debt more quickly, track your spending to make sure that's happening, and then check to make sure that you're actually increasing your monthly payments to creditors by $60 a month.
3. Action-oriented. A goal such as, "I'm not going to use my credit card as often" isn't measurable and will be hard to stick to. Instead, commit to a definite action like, "I will take all the credit cards out of my wallet so I can't make unplanned purchases."
4. Result-focused. Make sure that you're achieving the intended results. For example, if you're trying to save $60 a month by not buying lunch at work, make careful choices at the grocery store so you're not spending an extra $60 there instead.
5. Time-limited. Make sure your goals are time-limited. Setting a time frame for each goal is helpful, both to keep you focused and to help you measure your progress.

© 2006 Ceridian Corporation. All rights reserved. 103106

Evite

Is Evite hiring? Because if they weren't, maybe they should start considering so.

I have been an Evite user since inception time, however, is it just or others are also noticing the downward progress of evite interfaces? They used to have some privacy features which they no longer provide, and it took me nearly an hour or more to just create an evite.

In addition, some of their error checking loops are broken, so it took me forever and finally gave up when I tried to change the reminder date setting.

One final conclusion: Evite needs more man power to fix all their bugs and make their server faster!
They should definitely team up with Friendster, who are experiencing a similar trend.

~~ unhappy-bear.

Ice Cream in a ball?!

Have you ever tried to make your own ice-cream? How about getting some exercise before eating them?

Well, now you can "have cake and eat it too" with one of these jewel toned Ice-cream balls. It takes a lot of "elbow grease" to make your personalized flavoured ice cream, but hey, it's well worth it!

Last weekend I brought this nifty novelty toy item, and couldn't wait to get the ingredient items from the supermarket. I ended up "shaking my booty" for a good 30+ minutes making a pint of less dense ice-cream/slushy. The trick is in the fat content of the cream you use:

cream fat content explanation and chart: http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/bakingtips.Frostings/Frostings.cfm

I think the MegaBall is way too big and too heavy to be tossed around and played with, this is also not a toy for kids since you wouldn't want them to a). injure themselves or someone else while tossing it around. b). crack the plastic shell on this ball.

But for a "silly Poohbear" like me, it's perfect! in fact, after shaking it around for 10+ min. I got bored and got on a step exercise machine and did a whole body workout while watching Tivo. Well, all that exercise got wasted when I ate the ice-cream later though. ^_^`