Taking Loans

What do you do when you have financial difficulties? Do you borrow from friends? Family? Neighbours? What's their reaction when you do that? Have you ever been rejected, and don't know what to do next?

There are a few online loan sites available for this kind of needs. These are legal ones, unlike the loan sharks here.

There are a few types of loans available, secured loans, personal loans, mortgages, and etc.

In fact, credit card is also a form of loan, but the interest rate is definitely the highest. In fact, if you have unsettled credit card loan, you should take a personal loan to offset it, as personal loan's interest rate is usually much lower.

Secured loans are for those who already have bad credit history, as this kind of loan is usually tied in with some assets, e.g. your house. So, 'secured' for the lender. :)

Brought to you by http://www.loanwize.co.uk

Upcoming Holiday

I am have 5 days off till next Tuesday. Very luckily, I managed to book our company's holiday bungalow in Cameron Highlands.

I'm going to bring my family, my mom & dad, my sister and SIL there, for the upcoming new year celebration!

I'm so excited and looking forward to that holiday! Will be off soon, to buy some food stuff!

Happy New Year to all of you!

PPP Postie Patrol #3

Just before Christmas, HP and PPP teamed up for HP's Digital Photography Review through the latest Postie Patrol. It took place in the very chilly Chicago (I was just there couple of months ago!!).

The lucky postie this time was Robyn Nykaza. So, what is Postie Patrol? Watch the video below for the answer:


There are a lot of HP gears and cash to be won, including a digital camera, a digital printer and a thousand dollar cash price! When it comes to that fabulous prizes, anyone would do the same, even in that icy winter weather of Chicago! It was actually minus 9F during the game.

What I like most about the video is, where Ted acted like a fish - so hillarious!

Brought to you by HP

Cilantro Restaurant

Last Friday we had our department's Christmas party at Cilantro Restaurant & Wine Bar, Micasa All Suite Hotel.

We started with cocktail, while waiting for all to arrive. There are 3 items for cocktail: scallop, prawn, and duck meat. Scallop is very good and juicy, prawn is not bad, but duck meat is jus so-so.

After all were seated, they started serving warm bread - their homemade wholemeal bread was very delicious. It was very soft, full with nuts and grains. The spread for the bread was very good that one of our guys almost ate it alone!

For starter, they served Pan Fried Unagi and Foie Gras with Mesclun Salad. This is the first time I had foie fras. I never know both unagi and foie gras can blend in together so well. They are very soft, and nearly melt in my mouth.

The Cream of Wild Mushroom with Shaved Truffle is ordinary. The 3rd starter was Seared Smoked Salmon with Fresh Water Prawn and Nantua Sauce. I don't like it. I only ate a quater of the salmon, coz it is just too salty.

Following the smoked salmon, we had our main course. There are 2 choices: Steamed Seabass with Tarabagani and Ohba Broth, or Pan Fried Black Angus Beef with Natural Jus. I chose the beef as it is chef's recommendation!

It came in a very tiny piece, but I think it is just nice for me. The steak was very juicy and tender, can beat those I had in US.

The dinner ended with a nice dessert with coffe or tea. The dessert was Dark Chocolate Cup Cake & Nougat Glace with Raspberry Coulis. Well, it is actually warm cocolate cup cake - similar to the one that I ate in Chicago! It was so good that my boss had 2 plates!!!

As for drinks, we ordered Cloudy Bay - a very nice New Zealand white wine, which someone quoted: "If you order Cloudy Bay, you will never go wrong."

The set dinner cost us around RM180++ per pax.

Silly Video

I love animation. I especially love watching those brainless ones. :P

Come let's watch this silly chef trying to cook a chicken. This animation has won the online animation award 2006.


Play the animation now!

My Other Blog

I would like to introduce to you my other blog, to write those 'boring' or serious stuff. That blog, is tentatively, going to be filled with tips on generating online money, which I think most of you already know lah!

It is intended for PPP later, to write those financial related opportunities. I'm waiting for it to be 'matured', at least 3 months old, before I can submit for PPP approval.

Later, I think I will slowly add in other more interesting stuff, if I have the time.

I'm trying to segmentize my blogs, so I won't have too many rojak ones.

Chernobil Rabbits

Don't let any rabbits escape! Shoot all them with 5 choices of weapons, and buy ammos when you earn enough credit (by killing rabbits).



Play Chernobil Rabbits!

Miss Nevada USA Lost Title

It is actually quite entertaining watching beauty contests, and following its news (or scandals!) after the contests.

2 days ago, Miss USA Tara Conner was finally allowed to keep her tiara when she agreed to go under alcohol rehab. A day ago, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (anti-drunken driving group) cut its tie with Miss Teen USA Katie Blair, because she was spotted partying with Miss USA Tara Conner in NY clubs.

And now, Miss Nevada USA Katie Rees lost her title! Shocking photos of her partying in Tampa, Fla., was published on the internet. In the photos, she was seen kissing other young women, exposing one of her breasts, and pulling down her pants to show her thong underwear at a party in Tampa, Fla.

Some of her photos can be found here. Warning: discretion viewing is advised.

More on this news, visit here and here.

Babu Taiwan Cuisin

Went to do scaling of my teeth during lunch just now. After that, on my way picking up my car, I passed by this Babu Taiwan Cuisin at Desa Sri Hartamas. I was hungry, in a hurry, so I simply asked the guys standing outside, any food that I can pack and go.

They recommended the beef noodle. From the picture, it looks tasty.

I then changed my mind, and chose to dine in. It was served pretty quickly.

Not sure whether I was too hungry or the soup was just so nice, the taste was just fantastic. Well, I think the noodle is not the type that I like - a bit like the Pan Mee in town. I prefer thin noodle more than this fatty type. But then, when I drank the soup, it is just too nice that I could finish the whole bowl of noodle within seconds.

I am usually a slow eater, especially when it comes to hot soup noodles. So, the speed of me finishing this bowl of beef noodle really proves that it is very tasty.

The meal costed me RM15.60. Not cheap. Could have just pack at Burger King drive-through. For the sake of the tasty soup, okay lah!

Flam Restaurant, Bangsar

We were supposed to lunch in Prime in Meridien Hotel, but some colleague had to rush back for a meeting.

This morning we decided to change the venue to Flam, Bangsar. I was asked to make reservation for 10 pax. Such a simple task, but I couldn't do it! The restaurant simply didn't have anyone answer my phone, from 9am till 11:45am! I gave up, we just headed straight there.

Well, it only opens at 12noon, and apart from us, there was no other table opened! So, I could have saved my energy for calling them. Darn!

Anyway, about the restaurant... Their main food is flam, like thin pizzas, slightly softer. Well, actuall I think flam is tastier than pizza, coz it has less flour dough. ;)

We had 3 flams and a dozen of escargots for sharing, as appetizers. Each of us ordered a soup (or salad) and a main course. Mine was wild mushroom soup and a homemade ravioli. I was eyeing on the crepe suzette, as I love crepe a lot. 2 weeks ago, I had crepe 3 days consecutively! in Crown Plaza Mutiara Hotel, KL.

The mushroom soup is very thick and full with wild mushrooms - tasted okay only, coz it was not hot enough - I like hot soups. The ravioli is excellent. It has duck mousse inside. Outside, it is served with duck breast meats and slices of shitake mushrooms. If you take them separately, they are very nice. But, if you put all three together into your mouth --> hmmmmmm! They compliments each other so well that... whew, we were speachless for a moment.

I was so full at the end of it. Couldn't finish my main course, not to even order my dessert. :( Maybe I should skip the mushroom soup, and share my main course with someone else!

Chyna Restaurant, Hilton KL

Chyna is my boss's favourite Chinese restaurant in town. Whenever there are guests from overseas, she'd bring them there for lunch. Only if it is fully booked then we go elsewhere.

The restaurant has a very good ambience. We like the deco very much - all other hotels' Chinese restaurants really cannot beat it. They are luxurious, yet in harmony and not overly done.

When seated, there will be a 'Tea Master' serves complimentary ginseng tea, with their kungfu moves. I am always very stressed whenever being served like this, afraid that the hot tea will be on me instead. :P

Food quality is very good. We usually eat DimSum and vegetables. I love the almond coated deep fried prawn (not sure what's the name), the batter itself is already full with fragrant, and the prawn is succulently juicy and fresh. The fried yam cake is also very yummy - even the most critical Hong Kong guest we have, cannot find fault with it!

Yesterday, my boss ordered a new dish. It is a deep fried (now only I realise all are deepfried!) round dimsum: chicken charsiew (Chinese BBQ) wrapped with glutinous rice flour. It is like chicken charsiew deep fried omochi! Very oily, but very tasty.

For all other dimsum, I still prefer those in non-halal restaurants, coz I like pork instead of chicken in dimsum. :)

Apart from dimsum, Peking duck would usually be ordered too. I don't fancy Peking duck, but I like the noodle that is fried with its meat. This one in Chyna is particularly tasty, I think it is mostly contributed by the quality of noodle.

For dessert, many like the soy milk with 'SuetKapGou' (winter frog gel - a Chinese delicacy, made from fat layer of frogs' ovary - sounds disgusting, but most Chinese don't know what it is made, so no fuss!).

Service is okay, except that the speed is rather slow. They require 20 to 30 minutes to serve fruits, as they cut them fresh upon request. But then, freshness will be guaranteed!

It is not cheap though. We usually end up paying RM500 to 900, depends on pax. The last team lunch, I paid RM800+ for table of 10! That's why we like to visit here for team lunch - none would like to pay this on their own. :P

Chyna is located on the second floor of the KL Hilton Hotel. Reservation is required (no reservations, no entry). For reservation, call + 60-3-2264 2264.

P/s: This is my own personal review based on true experience. I received nothing for writing this.

Lower Back Under Pressure

"At every moment, even when we sleep, our spinal column is subject to constraints.

Researchers measured the pressure exerted at the level of the two inter-vertebral discs, corresponding to the vertebra L5 and S1. This pressure varies according to each one of our postures, going from 25 kilos in sleeping position, to 50 kilos when we stand up, 140 kilos in sitting position, 150 kilos when we incline ourselves slightly (position of the vacuum cleaner) and 300 kilos when we lean our legs and hands on the ground to take an object.

If one adds the additional pressure exerted by some movement, like raising a load of 20 kilos, one arrives at a pressure of almost 500 kilos on this unhappy disc. The pains and the damage that a bad movement can involve is astonishing."

Received the above in an email. My ex-boss has a slipped disc. She told me that actually in a sitting position, angle between the upper and lower torsor is 90 degree, it is the most strainfull position for the lower back.

Our lower back's spinal disc is most relaxed when we are in sleeping position. So, don't sit up for too long - walking is even better than sitting.

Lost TV Series

Have you watched the ABC drama series Lost? I love it very much, but keep missing the show, as I don't have satelite TV at home.

I have to catch it on DVD, and it is not live! :(

Discovered this site that provides transcripts - but I only read them after I watch it, don't want to spoil the scene!

The story is about 48 people being stranded on an island after their plane crashed. Each episode shows the past life of 1 or 2 of them, how it affects their reactions and lifes in the island.

Some people's life is very interesting, but some are quite boring. I particularly like Hurley's (the big guy) story, it makes me feel spooky, goose bumps all come out! I find Michael's story is most boring, sometimes make me sleepy. Sawyer is a wierd guy, sometimes his story is interesting, but most of the time repeating confirming his character, no?

It is now showing season 3 in US. Finally, there is something to look forward to catch.

Notice to US Bound Travellers

Below picked from recent CAS (Corporate Affairs Secutiry) report:

• In late November ASI issued a notice to business travellers concerning an increase in authority of the CBP “to seize and scrutinize contents of laptops without explanation."
  
• This search creates the potential for the loss of Company information as files, presentations and media storage devices may be displayed or left behind.
  
• CBP officers are trained to crosscheck arriving passengers against lists of known criminal or import/export offenders and other persons of interest. They are also trained to identify unusual traveller behaviours that require a greater degree of scrutiny.
  
• CBP has broad authority – beyond typical law enforcement - to conduct warrant-less searches of travellers and goods at international points of entry such as airports, ports, and border crossings. Note: Travellers have not officially entered the US until after clearing both Immigration and Customs.

Desa Park City - Future Development

There have been questions around the Desa Parkcity's future development of their Commercial Centre, Hypermarket and Hospital.

Though I am very sure I've read about those last year, I couldn't find the news online any more. I took the liberty to call the developer's office at +603 21669900 to enquire the detail.

Very disappointed to hear that project Quaritz, the commercial centre, is now put on-hold, pending management's review.

As for the hypermarket and hospital, the sales person told me it is in their plan for future development, but refused to reveal more as "she doesn't have the detail to share".

According to her, the club house will be completed by 'end of this year', which I am not quite sure of her answer - I thought we are already in 'end of this year', aren't we?

Tanjong Jara Resort

Our department very rich one… Teambuilding and meeting is conducted at Tanjong Jara Resort, Terengganu. I heard that the rate is extremely expensive, but since company is paying, I don’t bother lah!

Flew in this morning, had some time to wade the pool and looked around. Can’t afford the SPA: RM600 for a package of 3 hours, or RM200 for a simple 50 min massage. Don’t think it is worthy to spend that money!

I don’t think this is a great place lah! It is supposed to be something like Pangkor Laut concept, but no where there. Took some photos, but not nice, no need to show lah.

Will be back to KL on Friday, then attend the CPR course organized by MMB… really looking forward to this – will be meeting msau ler. :)