Steph's Blog: November 2006

Week's Wick: Anxiety

Anxiety

Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength. ~ Charles Spurgeon

Tags: Anxiety, Blogging, Blogs, Charles Spurgeon, Memes, Weeks Wick

Rude Taxi Drivers

My family and I were on our way to Church this morning. We waited and finally a taxi came. The driver was not very friendly-looking and cold.

Anyway, I thought he maybe having a hard day. I mean, in Singapore, things can get pretty stressful, which pretty explains the low birth-rates and boys getting high on pepper.

Then we reached this junction. Previous taxi drivers have always continued straight, but this driver was exceedingly smart (I am being sarcastic here). He turned right! It was then that one of us asked him why didn't he go straight. His reply?

Mr Rude Taxi Driver: In front got jam, so I turn here.

How did he know that there's a jam there? Well, he could be Professor Xavier a.k.a. Professor X. His telekinetic powers may have informed him of the jam up ahead. With powers like this he should be working for some top secret organization, instead of a taxi driver predicting road jams. When your taxi driver is a powerful mutant who teaches people with adamantium claws and moves around in a floating wheelchair, you better not mess with him.

For your information, we have been going through the same route with previous taxi drivers and nope, there wasn't any jam in that stretch of road. His tone was pretty offensive and rude, but hey, he maybe getting high on pepper too, so I guess it's understandable.

Due to his smart maneuver, we had to stop at the Bras Basah Kopitiam. So one of us told the uncle that we would like to stop at the Kopitiam. His response?

Mr Rude Taxi Driver: (stares into blank space - no reply)

Okay it wasn't a real response, in fact there wasn't any response from Prof X here. Why must he be so cold? Even Iceman has a fun personality. Maybe the X-Men is in trouble or the Blackbird crashed or Magneto won a game of Counter Strike last night. I don't know.

Time passed and soon we were reaching the Kopitiam. It was in front of us. One of us told him that he could stop right in front. You know what he did? He continued on! He passed by our destination! What would you do if you were in his taxi? Seriously, he was being rude and all. Then one of us asked him why didn't he stop there. His reply?

Mr Rude Taxi Driver: DOWN THERE CANNOT STOP LAH!! (accompanied by swinging hands) I SEND YOU NEARER. YOU WANT TO WALK BY YOURSELF THERE IS IT?

If the Hulk was there, Orchard Road would be gone. He raised his voice. To me it was shouting, but to the others they said that he just raised his voice and didn't shout. Whatever it was, it was definitely offensive. His reason was that he didn't stop us there so that he could drop us somewhere where we can walk to our destination. I am like "huh?" (No, that doesn't describe it really well. Let me try again.) Previous taxi drivers were able to stop there, except for him. I was like "HUH??? What's up with this guy?". You board a taxi to stop a distance from your destination? The pepper must be going to his head.

We paid the fare and walked off.

After our everything was over, we took a taxi back home. Guess what, the taxi available then was from the same company as the one in the morning. This one was not rude, nor was he friendly. He was cold and quiet. Sheesh, I am not sure what's up with this taxi company.

The taxi driver may have meant well, but his social skills definitely needed some polishing, which shouldn't be a problem for Prof X the taxi driver. Okay, my bad, I shall stop calling him Prof X. Anyway, it's in the past now, so let us all move on with other more interesting things in life like reading my blog.

An Observation At McDonald's

I was having my lunch at McDonald's when I saw this three young boys. One of them asked for some pepper. It was a harmless request. He took the sachet of pepper and opened it. What happened next was totally unexpected.

He put it near his nose and took a whiff of it! I was like "huh?" and totally shocked. What was he trying to do? Get high? Apparently I was correct! He seemed satisfied and smiled. After that, he asked his other friends to try the same thing. One of them took a whiff and said something which I can't hear as they were quite a distance from where I was.

Maybe I was overly suspicious. After all, they are kids, and as kids, it's normal to be curious.

DSTA Scholarship - Breaking The Code

If you had noticed, DSTA had an advertisement in The Sunday Times (19th November 2006) in the last page of Lifestyle.

This was how it looked like.

(Picture taken from this PDF file)

My father saw it and asked me if I could break the code at the top-left corner. At first, I was skeptical about it. After all, it may just be a mix and match of random alphabets and letters. Nevertheless, I took a shot at it. Surprisingly, it revealed a message! It was totally unexpected. I didn't know they would really advertise a real code for people to break instead of some random alpha-numeric arrangement.

I emailed the result to DSTA hoping to get an interview or something like that, but they directed me to their website for further information. Lol...apparently, breaking codes isn't the only thing that is required. As always, an outstanding GCE A-level or Diploma (merit) has to be present too. You may want to try to break the code and who knows, you may have an interview with them if your email address is not as long as mine. Even if they don't call you, at least you know that you are smart enough to break a code from DSTA and not Kids Central. Take comfort in that :)

After breaking the code, I saw somemore on the man's shirt. I tried to break it using the same key as the previous one, but it was futile. What came out was some jumbled letters that seem to come from a toddler. I guess that was where the random arrangement comes in. I maybe wrong though.

Note: I won't post the answers or any clues here. Try to break it without help, you will be even more satisfied if you do so.

Can you break the code?

(For more information on the DSTA Scholarship, you can refer here)

Week's Wick: Man Of Values

Man Of Values

Try not to become a man of success but a man of value ~ Albert Einstein

Make Money With ReviewMe

I found this site that helps bloggers like you and me to earn extra cash for that iPod (yes, I am still derived of an iPod). ReviewMe is a place where clients can choose to ask you to help them in reviewing certain items like products or their website. The good thing is that, you get paid in the process. This is very important with the recent news of an increase in GST.

So how does it work? Simple.

1. Create a free account with them.

2. Submit your blog for their approval.
(Note: Your blog maybe rejected if it doesn't meet a certain a standard like monthly traffic. Don't be dismayed by this fact as you can submit your site again in a few months time.)

3. Once approved, you can wait for the clients to pick your service.

4. Remember to take part in their $25,000 giveaway by taking the review from ReviewMe.

Now, you maybe thinking how much your site/blog is worth. Well, the value or price of your site/blog is determined by a few factors.

1. Your Alexa ranking.

2. Your Technorati ranking.

3. An estimation of how many people subscribe to your site/blog.

ReviewMe keeps 50% of the payments from advertisers. So assuming your blog is worth $100, you keep $50. Payment can come in the form of either cheque or PayPal. I personally prefer PayPal as it's secure and unlike mail, it can't be lost along the mail chain nor can it be chewed by your dog.

One more thing. Reviews done in ReviewMe must have some sort of disclosure that the post is a paid one. Mine here is a sponsored post. If you are comfortable with this, then it shouldn't be much of a problem for you. You must disclose that the post is a paid post in some way.

If you are interested in earning some cash, I would recommend you to create a free account with them.

Observations On A Saturday

I was in the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) on my way to school when I saw this family. In front of me was this pregnant lady coaching her daughter on how to tackle the 9 x 9 Sudoku quiz. She sounded quite fierce with phrases like "Are you sure it's there?" and "You think carefully first." The poor girl had to crack her head to do those exercises. Then it came to me. We are living in Singapore! Primary school children are starting to learn stuff I learnt in secondary schools. Children are sent for ballet, piano and etiquette classes. All these in the name of kiasu-ism. It's true that Sudoku does help your brain exercise and all, but ultimately, it's a hobby - something that should de-stress you and not stress you up.

All of a sudden, the girl beside me called the girl in front of me who was busy with the Sudoku. Apparently, they are sisters! Guess what the girl beside me was doing. She was doing crossword puzzles! Oh man, talking about early education and all. If it's her hobby, it's fine, but if it is for the sake of I-want-my-child-to-be-smart, then I guess it's quite a sad reality. There in front of me was one on Sudoku and beside me on crosswords. The one on the crosswords seemed to enjoy it while the one in front of me wished she was at Disneyland.

Then the mother said something like, "If the 9 is here and the 5 is there, what do you think this space should be?" The girl kept quiet, obviously in deep thought. "Well, going by logical deduction, we can eliminate these two numbers right?" Wow. Logical deduction. That would sound very foreign if I were her age.

Oh well, elitism is something that some strive for, so what harm can a little "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" and "Exercitationes" do before bedtime? You've heard of playing classical music for babies who are still in the womb and soft instrumental music for sleeping toddlers. So I guess this is nothing strange. I guess parents are just worried that their children would not make it to EM1 and be in the top 5 Junior Colleges. Being educated and highly-skilled has become so important in society so much so that without them, the individual is deemed as a lower-class citizen. Though not announced out loud, it is as real as the increase in GST.

The next thing I noticed was that the pregnant lady was not wearing any rings. Hm...I assume that she is married to be pregnant and have 2 girls. Unless of course things are otherwise which can be quite ugly. What puzzled me was why did she not wear her ring? I mean she's married right? Unless the ring came from some 50-cents dispenser machine, I don't see why she should be ashamed of the fact that she's married. Well, for all you know, she may have kept it in fear of a robbery or any other reason. Then comes the question. Should a couple wear the rings exchanged during marriage? Or is the ring just a material thing without any significance? To each his/her own views.

Suddenly the little girl in front of me submitted her Sudoku exercise to her mother who began checking her daughter's work. It reminded me of a scene between tuition teachers and students. She began to check the rows and columns for any mistakes. Meanwhile, the little girl just sat down and looked around.

PPP

Don't know what PPP is? Well, it is PayPerPost. It's a very interesting concept for bloggers to earn money. Plus, it is easy too.

It has been sometime since I joined PPP. I blogged about a few things and will earn some money from it. As of now, it's about $20 pending payments. Pretty neat huh?

For advertisers, they can choose to advertise on blogs listed in PPP for exposure. This is where bloggers come in. They see an opportunity and blog about them. They win, we win. Everyone is happy. The next thing you know, world peace is just around the corner.

The thing I love about PPP is the many opportunities they have. From credit cards to telescopes, there's a wide range of things you can blog about and earn money from. It is also easy. Just choose an opportunity, blog about it and wait for their approval. Payments can be made via cheque or PayPal.

I am pretty optimistic about this whole thing. Hopefully the payments will come through :D

Will It Blend?

The average blender is normally used for blending fruits, vegetables and stuff. Since small I have always imagined what would have happened if I put stuff that my mum forbids like marbles and golf balls.

After a decade or so, I finally found the answer.

For other videos on Mr Tom Dickson you can click here.

Christmas Gifts

Christmas is coming and it's the time for presents and all. So what kind of gifts do you have in mind? Now as people are getting more and more IT savvy, it's not strange to see people wearing thumb drives round their necks. If you are planning to get a thumb drive, may I suggest you get this laser engraved thumb drives. With a wide range of products, you are sure to find one that suits your needs.

Their products range from the humble 512MB to the heavyweight 4GB available in 5 snazzy colours. The good thing is that there are no minimum orders and no setup charge. Pretty neat huh? To further top it up, customized laser engraving is free on all Store-It Thumb Drives.

Do check out their current online specials:

Current online specials: 1GB Thumb Drive (any color) for $20.99 with FREE laser engraving & 2GB Thumb Drive (any color) for $38.99 with FREE laser engraving.

Don't you want one of these in your Christmas tree?

Happy Holidays :D

Mistaken For Someone Else In MSN

Have you ever been mistaken for someone else in MSN? Imagine this. You signed in. A few seconds later, someone talks to you and you reply. After a few lines, he/she says that he/she has mistaken you for someone else and the conversation stops there. How would you feel? This is an excerpt of what happened a few minutes ago. The conversation is in Singlish, so it may sound foreign to you.

(Names have been changed to protect the privacy of the parties involved)

Blog says:
Hello!

DÙ§ says:
aloha

DÙ§ says:
you clearing leave ah?

DÙ§ says:
oh no

DÙ§ says:
you ORD liao!

Blog says:
Eh? Sorry, wrong person.

DÙ§ says:
ok nvm, i thought you were XYZ too

Blog says:
HEY! Joking lah! Lol...

DÙ§ says:
but youre just his blog right?

Blog says:
Good, can blog about this....hehehe....

DÙ§ says:
-.-"""""""

Week's Wick: Enough Is Enough

Enough Is Enough

A: That's the most stupid sentence ever made!
B: Huh?
A: That sentence that you just said. You said that "enough is enough".
B: How is it stupid?
A: Well, "enough" is definitely "enough". It's like saying "apple is apple" or "candy is candy". Duh. Enough is definitely enough.
B: You are retarded.

No More Ads

If you noticed, I have removed the ads on the sidebar. Hopefully with this change, visitors can have an enjoyable time reading my blog.

I would like to thank Psychobabble, Jeremy Barker and Greywulf for their honest comments that helped me made this decision.

Ads No More?

I have been thinking about this for the past few months - ads.

Some bloggers see it as a nuisance while others see it as a source of income. I must say that my blog would be much better without ads in terms of loading speed and overall outlook. However, I was hoping that by having these ads, maybe I could have some form of income. Sadly, the rate at which I earn through these ads is actually quite miserable. Let me try an analogy. It's like trying to complete a 100m distance with one step a day. Of course if you happen to be Gulliver in Lilliput, then things will be different.

What do you think? Should I just remain with those ads or remove them? Helpful inputs are greatly appreciated :)

RAZZ Mixer: Personalized Recordings for Blogs

This is a new website called RAZZ. What does it do? It's kinda like a place where you can make yourself to sound like a professional DJ. You say something about yourself/breakfast/Christmas/insert-an-interesting-topic and place it in your blog for people to cheer/jeer at.

It works in Flash, so you need to have the flash plug-in. Also, you need to have a microphone for sound inputs. Nope, ultrasonic humming towards your CPU won't amount to anything other than strange stares from the people around. A microphone is necessary.

The overall layout is nice and easily accessible which is a plus. You won't want to find yourself having trouble saving your recording after the effort you've put in. The RAZZ Mixer is easy to use. I like the many choices it gives. From cartoon noises to the animal sounds, it's hard to run out of choices. The interface is easy and friendly. Quite a nice package I must say.

Are there any improvements that can be made? I feel that the RAZZ Mixer should allow visitors to create and save their recordings without signing up. Perhaps allow them to have a 10 or 15 second recording to try out and if they are happy, they can sign up for it. Won't everyone be happy this way?

Here are some screen shots:

To end my post, here's how a finished recording sounds like:

Make your own Razz!

Try the RAZZ Mixer Yourself
Note: That wasn't me. It was from the list of samples they have.

Where's My Oreo Cookie?

This happened a few weeks ago.

I was on duty. So in preparation for the long duty hours, I bought two packets of Oreo cookies.

Office hours was over and people started to go home. As I was on duty, I stayed behind. Being hungry, I decided to eat those cookies. However, I was disappointed...very disappointed.

One of the Oreo cookie packets contained 2 instead of 3! Oh man, and worse still, I am on duty. In case you don't know, my duty hours can stretch all the way until 11pm or even 12am. Starting from 5 pm, it sure is a long stretch. I was thinking how could the packet only contain 2 instead of 3? Did the auntie who sold me this packet took one before selling it to me? No, the sides are sealed and there wasn't any sign of breakage.

I ate the full packet and kept the "blog-worthy" one. I went home and took pics of it to show you how a "2/3 Oreo Packet" would look like.

Here's how it looks like. Kinda innocent huh? But don't be cheated by it's deceptive blue and tempting picture.

If there were three of them inside, you won't be able to fold either side of it, but for this case, I could.

Why is that so? It's because it's empty, allowing me to fold either sides by pushing the two cookies to the left and right side. Now, if you think I crushed one of the cookies among the three inside just to create space, I have nothing to say. I might as well eat all 3 (if there were 3 in the first place) instead of folding it about and blogging about it.

My advice? Feel the packet by gently pressing next time you want to buy an Oreo cookie packet. Of course don't press to the extent of crushing it. Just enough to feel if there's anything inside. For all you know, there may only be one inside or worse, nothing.

Paid From PayPerPost!

If you scroll down a bit, you will notice that I joined PayPerPost a few days ago. I checked my account today and was pleasantly surprised.

Why?

Simple. I was credited with $10! Great isn't it? With $10, I can do one of the following:

1. Eat 5 packets of chicken rice.
2. Drink 25 packets of Yeo's Chrysanthemum Tea.
3. Hold an over-due library book for 2 months.
4. Buy 100 packets of salted seaweed.
5. Send 2000 SMSs.

Feel free to add to this list if you have any plans for that $10.

So if you have not joined this yet, please do so now and start to earn money by posting on your blog. Do use my email below as your referral :D

Enough Is Enough

Let me try to narrate a scenario that happened a few days ago...

Friend A: So how was it?
Friend B: Hey, don't rub it in okay? I don't want to talk about it.
Friend A: Rub what? All I want to know is...
Friend B: Enough is enough!
Friend A: Relax man. Chill.

It was at this point of time, that I contributed something stupid.

Me: That's the most stupid sentence ever made!
Friend A and B: Huh?
Me: That sentence that you just said. You said that "enough is enough".
Friend B: Stupid?
Me: Yes.
Friend B: How is it stupid?
Me: Well, "enough" is definitely "enough". It's like saying "apple is apple" or "candy is candy". Duh. Enough is definitely enough.
Friend A: You are retarded.

It's a good thing that nothing violent occured. All ended with a laugh from the three of us. I know it was stupid, but hey, it was helpful right?

Week's Wick: Old Kid

Old Kid

"I'm glad I'm finally five. This is the oldest I've ever been in my entire life!" ~ 8 year old child

Tags: Blogging, Blogs, Children, Memes, Old Kid, Weeks Wick

PayPerPost

I have been seeing this very often in BlogMad. Every now and then, a blog will have a post or a link to PayPerPost. What is it? Well, it's a place where you can post and earn money! Interesting huh? It's kinda like Adsense, but this time, you earn when you post and not when someone click on those ads. So in this case, you have some form of control over the dice that decides whether you earn or not. Neat ain't it?

Having nothing to lose, I decided to sign up. I registered my blog and waited for their approval. After waiting for about a week or so, my blog was approved! I was so excited! I decided to take a look at the opportunities that I have. Hm...it's quite a lot I must say. I am kinda spoilt for choice. I am now trying one post to see if it works. Although I have yet to earn anything, I am quite optimistic about this. This whole thing is quite new and I must say that I look forward to earning some dollars :)

Aren't you excited? You have a chance to earn some bucks for your hosting plan or school textbook or that birthday gift you always planned to buy for him/her/it. By the way, if you are planning on signing up, do tell them that I sent you. Here's my email you can use as referral.

Enjoy and earn!

Steph's Blog

Monday, November 27, 2006

Week's Wick: Anxiety

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Rude Taxi Drivers

Saturday, November 25, 2006

An Observation At McDonald's

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Top 3 Posts From Steph's Blog

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

DSTA Scholarship - Breaking The Code

Monday, November 20, 2006

Week's Wick: Man Of Values

Make Money With ReviewMe

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Observations On A Saturday

Friday, November 17, 2006

PPP

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Will It Blend?

Christmas Gifts

Monday, November 13, 2006

Mistaken For Someone Else In MSN

Week's Wick: Enough Is Enough

No More Ads

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Ads No More?

Saturday, November 11, 2006

RAZZ Mixer: Personalized Recordings for Blogs

Friday, November 10, 2006

Where's My Oreo Cookie?

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Paid From PayPerPost!

Monday, November 06, 2006

Enough Is Enough

Week's Wick: Old Kid

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

PayPerPost

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