Definition of "busy" according to Answers.com:

1. Engaged in activity, as work; occupied.
2. Sustaining much activity: a busy morning; a busy street.
3. Meddlesome; prying.
4. Being in use, as a telephone line.
5. Cluttered with detail to the point of being distracting: a busy design.
   

I often tell myself, "BUSY is not an excuse. Instead, personal time management aka. not finding time is."

Yet whenever someone asked me why I never spend time with them or why certain tasks are not accomplished, I would simply scratch my head and say "Oh, I'm too busy lately!"

Of late I noticed that the term "busy" has often been misused, overused or simply overlooked by many. To illustrate my point, lets look at some simple mundane scenario.

*E.g. One: In a building walkway. A bumps into its friend B after work.

A: I almost didn't see you for ages. Where have you been?

B: I have been so busy.

A: Are you free this evening?

B: Yes.

A: What do you say if we go out and eat?

B: Oh, can we go next time, when I am not busy?

*Sadly next time never comes!

Definition of "busy" in this context: 1. To hide availability from others. 2. Pretend to be engaged in a lot of activities.

Now let's expand the conversation between A and B.

A: Are you on your way home now?

B: Yes, why?

A: In that case, can I go to your place?

B: Why not? We could order pizza and get busy watching some movies that I recently bought.

*Why not?? Tsk, tsk, tsk!

Definition of "busy" here: to occupy free time.

It's getting more and more exciting isn't? Well, I could (and I am sure you can as well) give lots and lots of examples on how people use the word "busy" as an excuse to their unaccomplished whatever. The above conversation of course doesn't literally portray accurate feelings of A and B. Culture is one reason. Due to being polite, people simply like to say "I am busy" as to not reveal their personal life too much or politely refuse offers, dates, etc. For me, I say it most of the time too (shame on me) what more these day when it is 101% true. Nevertheless, I should be aware of how I tell others that I am "busy" because sometimes I really like to coin it with the maybe-famous definition: 1. Do not wish to be bothered. 2. Stay away.

So, do you think people are really "busy"?

*disclaimer: The conversation above is not a parody to any conversation that I have heard of or involved with. Everything is just my two cents worth! *_*

Have you heard about 5.11 Tactical Outdoors? Well, if you haven't then you really need to check on them. Whether you are young or old, a police-wannabe-freak or not, you can find items here that you might find unique or rarely seen on normal stores. They have hundreds of items ranging from Tactical's grear bags to TDU uniforms and from footwear to LBE vest. Besides producing good quality products to customers and having huge inventory, 5.11 Tactical offers shipping services within 24 hours of payment received. They also have a place where you could email your questions and they would try their best to answer all of your questions regarding 5.11 Tactical.

Is everybody celebrating Halloween? Well, I don't celebrate hallo, neither do I celebrate ween. So that's pretty much summed up. My kinder kids are all 'malas' today due to a witch spell. I was teaching them their dance (cannot call it dance actually) hand moves but again their attention span was depleting with every ticking sound of the clock!  When Casper finally rung the bell, everyone was so excited since they saw Witchy Laura was carrying lots of tricks or treats lollies for them. Yes kids...now you can beg!! Below is a picture I took with Cammy two weeks ago. It's Emporium's finest Halloween pumpkin prop!

Happy Halloween readers!

So you are not satisfied with your body and looks? Thinking that exercise does not always pay your efforts? How would you like to go for liposuction surgery? I don't know what is in your mind but this once considered a taboo procedure is now growing popular among those who men and women who wants chiseled abs and hour glass figures. Personally I don't think it is wrong to want beautiful figures but not to the expense of your own health. That is why you need to carefully choose the best liposuction companies that provide complete information and safe procedures that could really guarantee your satisfaction and not otherwise. Liposuction UK provides some information you need to know about liposuction and its various procedure. This company wants to minimize harm towards patients that might fall victim to several promising liposuction company by providing their best services and treatments towards their clients. I like their website since there are lots of information that could help you be prepared before you go for the procedure. Take a look if you are interested.

For some reason this song is stuck in my head all day. Good reason to blog about it. I love this song by Beyonce. She wrote it especially for Deena, her role in Dreamgirls. Read the lyrics, I am sure most of you, as Beyonce said, can identify with this song entitled "LISTEN."

This post is all about France this time whereas the previous one was about London. As you know, I like reading The Travel Guide Magazine and this time I wanted to read something about France. Through out my reading I just can't stop my imagination from imagining myself being in France and shopping all day! As you know, France is the birthplace of all fashion and it is just heaven to look at beauty and elegance portrayed in all items that are sold in stores. There are several famous stores such as Celine, Christian Dior, Channel, Cartier, etc. In fact people say that Paris is where all the fun resides for you could surely shop till you drop! However, there are many fun places to shop in France. Although Paris is where most of the action is situated, there are numbers of high quality stores from one side of the country to the next. So, when visiting these places, make sure you check out hotels in France and hotels in Paris. These are affordable hotels for those of you whose aim is to really shop. Yet if you don’t plan to shop, it is a crime if you don’t at least stroll along the stores and take a few peeps in many of the popular store!

Well, don’t just feed your eyes with posh trendy things but feed your taste buds by visiting some of the famous restaurants that serves the best local cuisine around. There are several posh and well-known restaurants that have been around ages ago and these restaurants sure get lots of compliments all year round. Check out Au Chien Qui Fume, Au Pied de Cochon, La Coupole, Le Wepler and many more. The prices are ranged from affordable to expensive so dine according to your budget.

While in France, don’t forget to enjoy small high class towns or villages like Ave jean Medecin and Vieille Ville. According to my reading it says that these places offer lots of arts and crafts. So if you enjoy looking at art works, stop by these places. Again, don’t forget to look for nice hotels while planning your trip because you don’t want to deal with any hassle that might spoil some of the fun you deserve!

Are you a gambler? Personally I don't gamble but I have gone to casinos. I have seen how people excitedly gamble non-stop and how coins after coins keep rushing through the machine! It is not all quiet when you go to a casino. You hear people scream with joy, people whining, people talking to each other in a loud voice, etc. Like other gambling games, one could get hooked into this. If you have self-control and know your limits, then this could be fun once in a while, but if you depend solely on gambling and expect it to regenerate your money, then you need to take extra pre-caution.

Online gambling has been around for quite sometime. Many gamblers resort to this type of gambling because they could just switch on their computers and register with any websites that offers gambling games and walla! Now we have what we call online casino. An online casino is a website which allows you to gamble on the Internet. An online casino lets you play multiple chance games and win or lose money. Some sites and games let you play the odds against the online casino and it other games they let you games such as Poker against other internet users. If you are interested, you could check out Casino Reviews. This casino online is designed to help you save your time by going through almost 3000 online casinos to gamble online. Now you could check which sites offers high bonuses and have good ratings and reviews. You could check out what rating does Bingo day website has and so on. This user-friendly website gives you all the conveniences that none other website is offering. Don't believe me? Go tour the site for yourself!

I have joined quite a number of community websites such as friendster, MySpace, Hi5, Facebook, and so on but I have to say that this is my first time hearing about a new portal called Friendsation. Friendsation is not much different from all the sites above, just that it has certain features that is worth trying. Although this site is just starting out, it has already gained popularity among teens. Why not? You can enjoy free dating, free live chat and free phone chat. The world has never been so close to each other before. Not interested in dating but want to get to know more people? Here is the place. I personally like the website and love to hang around since it is free to join!

Magic loans has just launched its orange look! With this new website, it is very easy for prospects to find what they need to know. In other words, this website is very user-friendly. Let us look beyond the orange and go into its content. What is Magic loans? Why is it called magic of all names? Well, if you study their services carefully, you will know the secret why it is simply magical.

Magic Loans is for those of you who dream big. What I mean by this is that you have imagined how you want your future life to be and just waiting for them to come true. Perhaps you want a new branded car or transform your house into how you picture it in mind, Magic Loans can help your dreams come true. They provide secured homeowner loans of between £5,000 and £250,000 for any purpose, and you can pay it back starting from three up to thirty years. But why Magic Loans you ask? Well, they know that many of us may have difficulties on choosing what is the best secured homeowner loans that would best suit us and that is why they moved one step ahead to serve you better. Check on their Secured Home Equity Loans and other services to find out more.

*image source: Dark Horizons dot com

Watched the above movie before? Hobbit and I watched it last week and due to my preferences, my husband wasn't quite happy since the main actors or actresses are Haylie Duff and Hillary Duff. "Is that Hillary Duff?? Not again...!" Yeah...that's typical of him. Since it was movie time for us, he had no choice but to give in.

I just talked about blackpool, UK last night and today it is another pleasure to get to know several places in London. Honestly, I have never been to Great Britain before but surely have read a few well-known places from articles, books, literature, magazines, etc. My favorite World Travel Guide magazine had featured a lot of places where I dream to visit one day. Yes, dream...I am sure someday when I get the chance to travel, I will review from my list of places and pick maybe 5-10 places to go. How great could that be? As for now, patience is the key.

Lets talk about places that we could visit in London. One good place to take your family is to London Eye (the Millennium Wheel). I have been dreaming of this place too long that every bit of information about it from what my high-school teacher told me is still fresh retained. When it was first built, it was the biggest in the world. Nevertheless it is no longer the biggest. Singapore flyer is in and its due to open in the year 2008. Apart from this place, you could visit botanic gardens and Kensington palace. This place hosts the exhibition of "Diana, Princess of Wales by Mario Testino" to the public since November 2005. For more information, go to Visit London website.

If you are planning out your vacation and don't want to spend too much on room expenses, check out Cheaper than Hotels website and look at their list of London accommodation. Spend less for a more enjoyable and fulfilling holiday and don't forget to check out on the hotels!

Those of you, like me, who worries about your weight, eat apple!

I was browsing through Yahoo today and read about the recent research done on Apple consumption. The study found out that apples could actually keep calories at bay. How? Eat raw apple 15 minutes before lunch, or I rather say 15 minutes before every major meal, be it cut-up apples or one-half medium peeled, your calories intake will be 187-190 less after lunch or other meals compared to having fruit juice or nothing at all before meal. "Solid fruit is way better compared to juices" according to Scientist at Penn State. Nah...it's just playing tricks with your mind but yet it works!!

Christmas is on its way. I am sure some of you have booked your tickets and travel to meet family and friends. Some of you of course opt to stay home and celebrate. No matter how you celebrate your Christmas, I am sure it will be a memorable one. As for some of my friends, they will be taking this opportunity to visit places. Of course ticket prices would be a little bit high but who cares, as long as you make use of your holidays to the fullest and have fun!

For those of you who are seriously thinking about traveling but still had no idea in mind as to where you should go, well, why not I suggest a place. At the end it is all up to you. One of my preferences is to go to Blackpool, UK. Why? Well, there is a hotel there called Big Blue Hotel that is worth your stay. Besides, the place is great too. If you have been working none stop this year, consider having a simple, refreshing, quiet holiday. Call it Blackpool Hotel if you want to, Big Blue Hotel has a very warm, nice ambiance coupled with its Blue contemporary concept. The rooms are superb, overlooking a beautiful garden, and it is just a few walks away from Pleasure Beach. Beach! Why not?? Give it a try will you?

Okay, this question applies to primary and elementary level (Grade 1-3). I need some general opinion on whether it is necessary for children at this level to go home with homework/reading assignments/etc or is it a sin not appropriate for teachers to give homework at this age level? What do you think? Wait, when I say "no homework" it means no homework at all.

The reason I am asking is because recently there was a hot debate in our school about the above matter. Some strongly believed that students should not be brooding on their school work once they go home and should be spending more time with their families whereas on the other side of the coin, some believed that students should at least review what they have done in school, thus homework reinforces students to study and review. 

Now note this, our parents don't share most of our opinions. Most (60%) parents that sends their kids to our school are working parents or to relate them in this context, I would bluntly say that they don't have or don't spend time with their kids. So through our survey, we noticed that 99% parents went for "Yes, homework!" and only 1% says "No, what for!" So to sum it up, some (fortunately not all) parents prefer seeing their kids get busy after school doing homework rather than they (parents) having to entertain their kids. Well, homework serves a point too -- so that our students don't develop a potato couch habit! So far, no research has proven that homework encourages academic success. What do you say??

Seriously I seldom deal with mortgages yet I have often heard parents and friends talk about it or rather deal with it. Being all grown up and having to deal things myself, of course one day I would be dealing with mortgages. So I thought why postpone thinking about it, why not learn about it and get to know how to deal with it? So here you go.

As I did my research, there are thousands of websites that came up on my google search not just plainly about what mortgages is but how to go about dealing with it. One of my chosen sites was MoneyMagic Mortgages. I just love the Mortgage Guides they provide. They use simple guided explanation that helps me to understand better about their plans and benefits. If I have questions, I could always fill out their Q&A forms and jot down my questions. Note that they have different mortgage types too. Each page is explained in a way that anyone who reads it could immediately understand how they go about and I think it's a great way to gain customers confidence, don't you think so?

I have never seen everyone in school so addicted to washing their hands before, yet today I could see everyone (including yours truly) had a hang with the washing bowl! I tell you, be it class time, break time, mid class time, tea time, drool time...everyone seemed to be diligently WASHING their hands! I do hope this becomes a habit to everyone! This way, we soon can say goodbye to germs, FHM germs especially!*_*

If you haven't been reading my previous post, so many previous I know there have been foot, hand and mouth disease going around infecting humans especially children, so learning how to disinfect ourselves was being highly encouraged. Darn virus...go away...leave my little chicks!!!

Having problem with bad credit? Good news for those of you who have problem with your credits. Bad Credit is a site that serves to especially help consumers like you get back on your feet financially. Rather than applying for the first offer that comes in the mail, their site allows visitors to compare dozens of bad credit offers from major providers and find the best offer to fit your needs. If you are faithful with your payments, you could rebuild your credit and perhaps your financial future! You have the options to choose from their category in their website such as auto loans, home loans, personal loans, etc. Why not rebuild your financial future with them now before it is too late?

There's no reason to be wasting precious labor hours when you're not that busy. I know you want to take care of your customers, but you also need to protect your bottom line. F. Curtis Barry has been working in Call Center Consulting for over 20 years, and specializes in direct-to-customer sales. They understand what you need to do to make sure that your phones are manned when you really need them to be.

They not only work for you, but with you, finding out what's important to you, then collaborating with you to come up with a plan of action. I thought they were a leader in order management systems, but it turns out that F. Curtis Barry & Company offer a range of services for a wide range of companies including warehouse consulting. I think you'll be surprised by what they can do for you and your company. I know I was.

I have just completed my group assignment and nothing compares to what I am feeling right now. No more group work to worry about! All I need now is a few hours to exercise. Looking at the time now, I think I should be sleeping instead of exercising! Well, since I still have some regained energy from my excitement, I better blog about something that I have encountered and before.

A good place to start an exercise regime or to help track your routine exercise, diet, calories, etc, there is a place online where you could do all of the things I have just mentioned for free. My Fitness Pal is a place where you could get free calorie counter, free diet & exercise journal and get free support from their message board forums. Want a food diary? You could get it here too for free!

What I like most about My Fitness Pal is that their program is very easy and fast. You could easily track your diet, and is very flexible with any diet, be it Atkins, South Beach to name a few. Tired of paying bills for your work outs? Well, with MFP, you don't have to pay a single cent! If you join, you could sign up for a free newsletter that provides free diet tips, recipes and many more!

I really enjoyed reading the history of perfume. Along the lines were stories from the Bible! Remember myrrh and frankincense that the three wise men brought to baby Jesus? Remember Mary Magdaline who poured a whole precious perfume on to Jesus' feet? So perfume dated back that far?? Interesting to know.

Today Hobbit and I invested on a set of perfumes. It sure made us penniless but it was all worth it. It happened that we like the same brand and good thing our choices could be bought as a set with fortunately lots of discount! So that made things a lot easier (the choices part and of course the moola part)! Judging on the smell, I got the Eau de parfum (EDP) while Hobbit got the Eau de toilette (EDT). Well, here are some information on what it means:

• Perfume extract: 20%-40% aromatic compounds
• Eau de parfum: 10-30% aromatic compounds
• Eau de toilette: 5-20% aromatic compounds
• Eau de cologne: 2-5% aromatic compounds

Do note that sometimes EDT dilution could be as strong as EDP dilution depends on the manufacturer. So choose well according to your preferences!

Before I used to be scared when each month came to an end because it meant less money or no money at all! Although I never had an extreme experience where I need to borrow money from my parents or friends, I do know some who could spend their money easily without having in mind how they will survive when month end comes close. The last thing they could think of is to resort to borrowing from either family members or friends.

Well, I don't really know if they have restriction for certain countries in joining their program or offer but I do know that cashAdvance1500 dot com helps people who are experiencing low cash flow close to the end of the month. In other words, they offer you cash advance loans. Unlike normal money lenders including banks, this company does not require credit bureau reports. If you browse through their website, you will notice that they provide information on various loan providers that you can apply various types of short term loans including payday loans. Payday loans can actually help your pocket before your next pay check arrives or being cashed into your bank account. Just be responsible because you don't want to only use their services ones, right? I believe that if we settle down our payments faithfully, payday loans can actually help sort lots of financial shortness that anyone might encounter any time any month.

If your application is approved, your loan between $100-$1,500 will be wired overnight into your checking or savings account. However, you have to read the requirements carefully. See whether you are eligible to apply. Also, there is no harm in trying.

I'm quite surprised as to how many people are actually eager for me to update my blog! To those of you who sent me Tmail, sorry, and to those of you who actually sent messages through net means or messengers, sorry, also to my husband who nagged me to update, sorry, and to those silent readers, sorry! If I have given the same reason for not writing before, sorry, again. Nevertheless I still can't think of other reasons but to again give the same one --- I'm being too occupied, in other words -- busy!

I envy those who can easily find balance in life. I've heard many people tell how they balanced their daily life between family, work, exercise, etc. I've read blogs about how people plan and follow their plans in trying to seek balance. For me, I've been looking for this (balance) for donkey years but still couldn't really find satisfaction in the past practice. I've read load of books to find answers as to how I could perfect my skills but still I see tilted scale! Then one day I just came to my senses that I should stop seeking for a 50/50. I better stop living with what-to-do tips and let imbalance be. After all this is what LIFE is. In fact, we have to deal with tilted scales all the time. Our painting masterpiece is too imperfect compared to the Master's and our colors are often half colored! The good thing is we never stop painting, never stop coloring and never stop living! Perhaps...seeking the balanced is just living the imbalanced?!

Speaking about balance, Hobbit and I have been sleepless for 2 nights 3 days last week on trying to catch up due dates for our assignments. To tell you the truth, I thought it was all easy to balance between study and work. I thought I was such a superwoman until I was torn between the possibilities and impossibilities. Personally I have to divide time between family, studies, work and blog (yes, I am a serious blogger, didn't you know?)! Am I glad not having children clinging on each of my legs right now because if I do then I wouldn't have been a dedicated parent. Maybe if it wasn't from this institution that I was registered under, toiling day and night would be less of a burden? Perhaps if I wasn't employed could I concentrate more on my toiling, isn't it right? Or perhaps if I wasn't blogging for profit I would have more time for the other three? Well, perhaps...

Anyway, mind my rants and rambs, in order to get all the assignments out of my head, I went to a bookstore and got some magazines. I tell you, even though it was just plain chicks magazines, it made me feel so good, soooo good!

Beauty cosmetics have helped a lot of people with skin related problems. I am sure there are thousands of products out there that you might or might not have heard about but could somehow help in one way or the other in improving our looks and beauty. There is no harm trying several different products to see whether they work well with your skin because it is important to find the right skin care formulation for proper care. ORIKI Cosmeceuticals is one of the big names that I am sure many people have heard about. They specifically have developed products for those with Asian, Mediterranean and other Olive (AMO) skin types. Designed by an American Board Certified Dermatologist and Biochemist, Oriki Cosmeceuticals advanced formulations utilizes the botanical antioxidants and purest cosmeceutical ingredients that are  scientifically designed to rejuvenate skin cells and collagen-elastin complex.

You might ask again but why Oriki? Well, those with AMO skin types are prone to respond differently to different stimuli such as UV lights and scarring. Notice that after a minor injury or acne breakout, the affected area in our skin might turn into a darker color? Once pigmentation problem develop, it might take us longer to resolve and with inappropriate skin care might even aggravate this pigmentation problem. For that reason, Oriki skincare regimen is here to help us fight this battle. Read more about their treatment and skin care regiment in their website meanwhile don't forget to check out their products too!

* This post is especially for aunty Danna

Long holidays are coming up soon and everyone is getting busy with their gift list. I could see that some people are busy going around getting their perfect gifts already. For those who are busy with work and other stuff and have no time to shop, I recommend you shop online with EdealFinder. During this time of the year I bet there are many online discount codes that you can find. At EdealFinder, you could get lots and lots of discount coupons, from Overstock coupons to Dell coupons . I found that Dell coupons actually have free shipping which helps you save a lot besides having online discount codes. Take a browse and I am sure you can find some of your perfect gifts here.

The kindergarten in our school was closed today to October 23 this month due to a epidemic viral disease widely known as Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease. It started last week when a student started to show symptoms of the disease but his health was overlooked thinking that it wasn't serious. Not until the stubborn viral started infecting other kids, parents and teachers started to panic. Obviously one parent called the school and discussed the matter over since one of his kinder child contracted the viral and thus was infecting his other children in the family.

School went the same for other students and teachers but all of a sudden late this afternoon, we were informed that the whole school will be close tomorrow for disinfection work. School will resume on Thursday for Grade 3 to Grade 12 but not for Kinders to Grade 2. They will only resume next Wednesday. For teachers, no such thing as "emergency holidays" but I silently am hoping that we will get at least a day off without having to come to work.

*source: drgreene

Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease

I believe that many people, young and old, have personal savings. Whether you are close to the age of retirement or maybe still have a long way to go, saving is one way to guarantee income after we retire. However, with the increase in cost of living nowadays, not many of us have a lot to put aside for savings anymore and thus many are looking for solutions as to how we could add into our savings. One way is through investment.

trust deeds is an investment program that produces a high margin of return with a low margin of risk. You can get a 12% return rate on high yield first trust deeds and hard money lending systems. If you are familiar with high yield income investments, you should try this one. Whether you want to add to your savings or you are exploring options for earning retirement income, this is a good place to double your earnings. If you are new to it, then let the experts at Diamond Bay introduce you to first trust deed investing. If you are short of funds for the initial investment, they offer private lending as well. The minimum investment is $25,000.

*for U.S residents only

Of late I noticed that it is no longer easy for people (especially if you are a foreigner in a foreign country) anymore. Compared to the past two years, credit cards are easy to get since almost anybody could meet their requirements. Not only that but it is also hard for people with poor credit to get approval for a regular credit card too! If you are having problems with low credit score, limited credit history, or are looking to get your credit back on track, then Creditnet have just the right card for you. Creditnet.com offers you credit cards for bad credit because it gives you the best chance of being approved and start on the right track to good credit. In order to learn about their applications, company and other related issues, don't hesitate to direct your browser to Creditnet.com and find out information for yourself. They have user-friendly websites, so don't worry!

My class and I really enjoy Joseph, the King of Dreams, story. When I first mentioned about Joseph, some of them said "Oh Ma'am...we heard that story already!" But when I retold the story all over again, switching my role from first, second to third person point of view, one could tell why they really wished that the story of Joseph didn't just end where it ended. I could see their eyes filled with imaginations as I narrate...I could see each of their faces being among the thousand slaves searching for the strong, handsome Joseph. I could see how they frowned upon Potiphar's wife! I could see their tears running as they sadly watched Joseph walked towards the pit cell. Ahhh...I could see myself sobbing too! I really need to get the movie so that the kids' imagination don't just go to waste! Hang on there kids...Ma'am Amy is willing to swallow dust just to get you the movie!

Most women or rather some men would often get frustrated when it comes to choosing a bikini. I remembered my frustrations in the past when I was desperate to buy one. However, I was very pleased to know about Keys Swimwear. It is really a good place to shop for swimwear online. They are not only concern about choosing their swimsuit designers but also provides customers with a la carte shopping freedom. You can choose from separate designers based on the style, size and colors you like. Be it bikini tops or bikini bottoms, you have the freedom to match according to your preferences. Keys Swimwear has been in the boutique business for 35 years and one of their all time goal is nothing but to make sure that their store becomes your favorite online swimsuit boutique. To know more about their store and designs, go to their website now and start looking.

Hobbit and I stayed home the whole day today due to never-ending assignments task. Both of us were strictly glued to our seats and were forced to straighten our postures so that we could face the screens better! Well, the postures didn't last long. Soon after I sought the closest refuge and roll all over the bed for comfort! Hobbit sought the cushy haha!

I wonder why the sky is so blue today?

Also, where did the fresh cool breeze that blew in and out of our house came from?

How come not a single rain?

Yesterday was totally the opposite. We were ready for church but never reached church on time due to the flood on our street. Oh well we thought, better late than never. Neither of us wanted to miss the potluck.

Drove to church. Lolly...lolly...lolly...

Err...oh no! Water!

Soon when we entered the street that led us to church, everywhere was water. Flood experience wise, it was nothing really. We managed to cross and enjoyed the potluck food!

Our evening was pleasant. Seacon Square welcomed and bid us with unintended spendings!

Tsk! Really bad for the tabung...  

How would you like to shop for electronic appliances all in one place online? Just for your information, I found an online site called Abt Electronics and it is a popular online stop for many people in the Midwest. It has a very interesting background history, a business that started from small and slowly grew into a big well-known store that has more than 1000 employees and occupies 37 acres in Glenview IL, a suburb of Chicago.

Among the things I checked out was trash compactor bag accessories, digital cameras, cellular phones and other cool electronic gadgets. Speaking of trash compactor, most of our Asian house of course don't have the luxury to have one but I tell you, it is a great tool to have in the kitchen. You can save a lot of time from lugging your garbage to your outside bins. Take a look at the many selections Abt has on their site. Shop in AbtElectronics.com and enjoy the free shipping services. If they are willing to ship stuff to me, I would rather buy all the appliances and electronic products that I need in one place so that I don't have to worry about the hours-wasting hunts!

Stop driving from one company to another in order to look for your car insurance because I know exactly where you could go to get one. At Advantage Auto Quotes you can get all types of car insurance including liability insurance, commercial policies, student policies, bad record, and also good record. This business insurance company has been doing very well serving each of their customers the best rate that they could ever ask for no matter what type of car you are driving and what driving history you have. The cost for your online insurance policy depends on the amount of coverage you request and the deductibles you apply for. So get started now by checking out their website and fill out their simple form!

Hobbit and I each received a parcel yesterday. The difference is that his was from the US and mine from HK. I for one had not received a snail mail for quite awhile since the age of emails kicked in. I can't describe how it made our day despite of the continuous rain and flood that almost made us refugees of the day! *_*

Are you looking for great web hosting services? If so, why search high and low when there is always the well-known top10webhosting.com where most web users go for? This website offers great deals on web hosting services. They have carefully choosen 10 best web hosting companies from some of the world's top web hosting companies and have been working together very well for more than a year now. These web hosting companies supports the use of Apache, Python, PHP 4 or 5, MySQL 4, Microsoft FrontPage extension and email that includes webmail. Most of these applications run on Linux and Windows. Although this business is very competitive, most of the hosts are still giving very cheap web hosting rate and other attractive deals with discount coupons. This way, everyone can easily find a very cheap hosting from as low as $4 to $10 per month!

I have been sick lately and today my body feels weak and all my joints are aching. Thought of not coming to school but our school fair is just around the corner. I need to get the Kindergarten 2 kids dance to the chinese songs that I have selected. As you know, Wednesday is Kindergarten's day and I always dread this day! Where am I going to get all the energy to move my butt today? Arrgh! I feel so weak and just want to go home and sleep! Anyway, someone showered me with a bouquet yesterday, how sweet!

Yes, I was all lavender yesterday. From my hairclip to my make-up, my blouse to my skirt was all lavender! As I stepped into my first class, the students all went "wow...!" When I asked them why, they had different answers as to commenting about my lavender look! One remark that didn't quite match was "you looked like a barbie doll today!" Urggh...me? A barbie doll? My expressions made the kids giggled. Doesn't matter...but we sure had more giggles about lavender after I tried to crack some stupid jokes! Eheh!

Have you thought of owning an online business? If that is your direction, have you thought of what online software are you going to use to sell of your products? If you haven't, then you should check out Ashop Commerce, a shopping cart software that helps you build your desired online shopping store.

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This Friday marks the end of our school's first quarter without any holidays in between quarters. I felt that studies and work has been burning me out so much and I am so looking forward for beach holidays.

I was delighted to check out Dialaflight's website. It is a leading independent UK travel company offering cheap flights, hotels and travel ideas worldwide. This website really helps a busy working person like me taylor my holidays according to my preferences. To book with DialFlight, you need to call and speak with their travel consultants who will ensure that your requirements are fulfilled. Just tell them what you want and I am sure your holiday will be an unforgetable one!

Have you experienced having low cash flow close to the end of the month? To be honest, I had and not just once but many times. This is when credit cards kicks in. Nevertheless, if you don't have a credit card, there are other methods to get cash in advance.

CashAdvance 1500 offer you cash advance loans. Unlike the normal money lenders including banks, this company does not require credit bureau reports. If you browse their website, you will notice that they provide information on various loan providers that you can apply various types of short term loans. One of it is payday loans that can actually help you pocket before your next pay check comes. If used responsibly, payday loans can actually help sort lots of financial shortness that you might encounter any time any month.

If your application is approved, your loan between $100-$1,500 will be wired overnight into your checking or savings account. However, you have to read the requirements carefully. See whether you are eligible to apply. Also, there is no harm in trying.

It is not easy to raise teenagers these days. Parents need to really get to know them through constant communication and being understanding towards their behaviors.

Do you know of any teenager who suffers from teen depression or teen stress? Do you know that there are programs online that can assist in handling such problems? Kickoutstress.com can provide the help needed for teens who suffers from depression, stress, eating disorders, anxiety disorder and even deal with difficult problem such as drugs and alcohol abuse.

One specific program that the Kickoutstress website offer is toward reducing teen sports anxiety. For a teenager who finds school, sports and other problem too stressful and have difficulty in concentrating that it interferes with sports performances and limiting the teen's full potential, as a parent or a coach, take action to ensure their continuing mental health.

Last post for Greenery Retreat. This time it is about...

Zorbing!!!

Yes, I finally get to try zorb! The first day I watched, observed and listened to the screams. The next day Teddy and I zorbed, and everybody watched, observed and heard ME screaming! Sorry Teddy, all my saliva must have scattered around your face and body...eeeiyeh! Hobbit and Teddy's side kick actually took videos when the big ball came rolling down but with mine, the camera's battery died halfway when the ball was rolling, and Teddy's one was full of my screams. So I don't want you to hear screeching sound that might annoy your precious ears.

* The scene

* Anticipating

* When fear kicked in

* Finally rolling down

The experience was fantastic! Want to do it again. Woooh..the bumping part not fun at all. It felt like when you got pick up and hardly shaken by the giant in Jack and the Bean Stalk! The aftermath's result was ugly. Teddy and I were both confused, lost, and looked so much like the orang gila jalan-jalan on the street with unkempt hair!

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After missing my white chiffon sleeve blouse, I finally found one that looks almost the same with the old one. So without thinking, I bought it quick and now this blouse is mine!

I know of a couple in school that collects watches. Old watches, brand new ones and of course expensive brand-name watches. One of them told me that they have been collecting since 20 years ago. Now that one of them has retired, he devoted himself to become a watchmaker.

Greattiming.net sells most of the watches that the above couple have in their collection. Speaking about this website, it has been serving customers worldwide since 2000. Now their business is still growing steadily due to their good relationship with their customers. They pride themselves on their great selection, great prices and great services. On their selections of wristwatch, they have the automatic ones and digital ones ranging from Kenneth Cole watches, Freestyle watches, Vestal watches and many other brands. Their products come in many styles as well such as bracelet, chronograph, diamond, etc. If you place an order, shipping within the US is free. For other countries, you can always contact them for and ask for a quotation.

Again I have to whine about cameras. I no longer fancy my bulky dslr camera even though everyone told me that I should be thankful to have a good, decent camera (though it is now ancient to me).

I see my friends put their point and shoot cameras in their handbags and take it out very quickly whenever they see things worth shooting while I have to go through the broken button casing, take the camera out and take off the lens cover, turn it on and shoot! By the time I look up, everything worth the shoot had moved or flew or disappear and gone!

How would you like to win a big amount of cash, an Ipod touch 12GB, the latest PS3 and other free gifts?? You know, I found out this website called Bid4Prizes and it has a totally different concept compared to other sweepstakes or auction games.

In this sweepstake, you basically need to find a prize that you like, choose it and bid an amount to win it. If you think this one is like other websites where the highest bid wins the game, I tell you this one is different. If your bid is the lowest unique bid, you win the prize! Easy right?

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December is on its way! Aren't you excited? Well, I am quite excited but not so much because I have classes to look forward they day before Christmas too. I have lost count on how many Christmas have I been away from home. I long to celebrate it like I used to do back home...

I have been thinking lately of what would be a suitable gift for each of my family members this year. I thought now that I could shop online, why not invest some moola on the net! One of the website I might peep into is of course Coupon Chief. It is quite a well-known site that provides a one stop coupon deal and discount resource for website visitors. If you love shopping at RitzCamera coupons, check it out because you sure can get 16% off for buying their scrapbooking products. Not only that, shipping is free too if you buy over $100. Another must-check-out store is ClassicCloseouts coupon codes. You sure will get lots of discount plus free shipping services according to the cost of items you buy. Oh I just can't wait to shop but hey, I do feel that it is nice to shop online but we need to also be careful with our budget!

Finally it is Friday again. My body was too reluctant to come to school today and teach. Since the beginning of this month, my muscles and tendons and everything seemed to be very tense. So many times I told Hobbit that I need a proper massage and begged him to take me to the massage parlor.

Thai massage is an ancient art of body therapy for healing, health, and transformation. Have you ever indulged yourself with Thai Traditional Massage before? Well I had for several times already. You see whenever my parents come to visit, I always made sure that I would take them to the massage parlor because they love it so much! Based on my personal experience, one of the unique things the massager do in Thai massage (especially whole body massage) is that they make sure that they are mentally and physically prepared to do the massage on you.

*picture source: thailand.wowasis.com

So before they start, they will put their palms together and mumble a few sentences silently. Then they will greet you with a "WAI." How special is that? This indicates that they are fully ready to make you fly! Haha! Well, not fly really, just that there is this part close to the end where they will make your thighs stretch and therefore the way they do it is to lift part of your body up and stretch, stretch and stretch! After the stretch I guarantee whoever was being massage will feel a slight blood rush pumping to every part of your body thus offers you great feeling!

To learn more about Thai massage, go google it up or experience it yourself. There are many parlors here that offers massages at reasonable prices.

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