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Surprise Me! May 25, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Thoughts & Scribblings , 4comments

I love surprises.  Being surprised, getting surprises, the works.  So knowing that I could very well find out who had won American Idol before actually watching it on air (it being the information age and all) , I resisted the urge to do a google search, let alone allow myself to accidentally browse into an entertainment news page or something like that.  Three years ago, to avoid this predicament, I went back home to catch the live screening of the program.  Yup, caught it all…how Fantasia won the title and all the hoopla that came with the live show.  This year though, I unfortunately don’t have that luxury.  However, despite my being careful not to find out who had won, before I left work yesterday, I saw the status message of one of my colleagues on MSN, that said, “Yay! Jordin and…” (rest of the message was hidden from the window on my screen).  GAWSH…. that just did it for me.  It was obvious that Jordin had won.  No fun already since I already knew the winner.  To make matters worse, I turned on the TV at 8:03p.m. to catch the premier screening of the American Idol Results show and actually caught a glimpse of Jordin singing!  Apparently the 6:00-8:00p.m. screening dragged on a bit … so it was clear who had won.  Shucks.

This morning itself, I almost got conned.  I was browsing through my Google Reader and was reading LB’s new post from my reader.  For some reason, I am unable to open his site and May’s site at work.  I used to be able to view their blogs using Firefox but now, I can only see them at home.  Anyway, I was reading his latest post, and somewhere in the middle, he warned of a spoiler for Heroes!  I almost jumped out of my seat and closed the window immediately!  No way was I about to subject myself to a Heroes spoiler.  Hehe….I was so looking forward to getting my weekly dose of Heroes tonight, but hubby just told me over lunch (steamed mushroom chicken rice and Hong Kong chee cheong fun) that his friend had not gotten it yet.  Bummer….the suspense is killing me.

Purify the Air May 25, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Rainmakers , add a comment

Since my hubby and I are allergic to dust, we don’t use a broom to sweep at home.  Instead we opt for a vacuum cleaner.  But the thing is, the vacuum cleaner which we are using now is really really old.  We’ve had it for about 10 years now and surprisingly it is still workable.  My only grouse is that it is really noisy and I would really love to own a vacuum cleaner which does the job well in a silent manner.  That way, I can vacuum while baby is asleep without worrying about waking him up.  And since hubby and I are also very particular about keeping our house dust-free, I’ll add an air purifier and humidifier to that wish list of mine.  To be exact, I want mine to be one of these Air-O-Swiss humidifiers.  Here’s hoping my wish comes true!

Ready and Set to Go May 25, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Close to Heart & Home, Relax & Celebrate , 4comments

So you know about that bug in the Krisflyer site that was preventing me from redeeming my miles for a vacation in Singapore?  I doubt if they’ve got it fixed yet, but after several complaints I made via email, a nice lady from Krisflyer finally called me 2 days ago.  She informed me that she would be so kind as to help me book my flights for redemption over the phone itself, since they had no inkling on when they would be able to resolve the problem.  In addition, she would also honor the 15% discount on miles redemption I would have otherwise been entitled to had I booked the flights online.  Yippee!  The flight confirmations were done in a jiffy and I received the itinerary by email within an hour or so. 

The ticket redemption was only for my hubby and me, and even though Ethan would be travelling with us, I decided to get him a ticket.  Since he is below 2 years of age, his ticket will only cost 10% of the full fare plus the relevant taxes (originally I had thought it would be free for Ethan but aiya, apparently SIA says there is no such thing for them).  I called up the Singapore Airlines ticketing office in Penang yesterday and made Ethan’s booking.  So everything is confirmed, and the only thing left to do is to issue the tickets, which I will do so in due course.  After all, we’ll only be travelling in a couple of months’ time….and I really can’t wait.  Singapore, here we come!  And yes, if you are wondering, I purposely adjusted our vacation to coincide with the Great Singapore Sale!  Woohoo!

…and now I’ll need to work out the accomodation…. :D

Eliminate the Middle-Man May 25, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Blogging, Rainmakers , 3comments

This just in: PayPerPost has announced the launch of PPP Direct!  This is really something us posties should get excited about, because now not only will we get paid to blog, we would also open the door of opportunity for advertisers to approach us directly to blog about their products.  Aptly named Part One of the Birdo Release, the advertiser now gets to contact the blogger if they like the way they write and would like them to write about their products.  This really eliminates the involvement of the PayPerPost as the middleman.  What does this all mean?  In essence, bloggers will get more for the hard work they put in.  PPP Direct charges only a fee of a mere 10%, 5% of which goes into transaction fees for PayPal and credit card processing.  Compare this to a competitor who actually charges an exorbitant 50-100% markup and end up keeping half of your hard-earned money!  See the difference?  No prizes for guessing which is the smart way to go!

All you need to do is to have the PPP Direct badge installed on your site, and before you know it, relevant advertisers will come knocking on your door.  This is definitely a win-win situation.  You get paid to blog about the things you love, while ensuring the safety and security of this spectacular service, all provided to you by PPP.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go jump on the bandwagon and get that PPP Direct badge on my site pronto!


The Vital Ingredient May 24, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Thoughts & Scribblings , 4comments

What keeps a little girl playing the piano, day after day, night after night, practising it and perfecting each and every note, till there are no mistakes? Do you think it is not frustrating to play right till the end of a musical piece and make a mistake then and there? What is it that makes her go on despite her frustration?

What makes a straight-A student pursue a course in Dance & Art when society dictates that straight-A students should logically head straight for the medicine and engineering courses? What makes this student ignore society’s “rules” and go against them, embarking on a path less-trodden, not knowing what the future holds?

What keeps an employee coming to work, dealing with irate and angry customers, reporting to a big bad boss, only to leave work feeling tired, hungry and ready to plonk his head down on a pillow at the end of a gruelling day?

What keeps a stay-at-home-mom sane through it all? Do you think it is a bed of roses facing dirty diapers day in and day out, having a pile of laundry to wash and having to prepare meals for your family each day? What makes her keep that calm demeanour with an everlasting smile on her face despite all adversities?

And what keeps a loyal Reds fan true to his or her team, in spite of the disapppointing loss to AC Milan early this morning in the Champions League? So Milan had their revenge, and Red hearts are broken, as our dreams are dashed….So what is it that keeps us Kopites still singing the anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone, standing by our team through it all?

It all boils down to passion. The passion to pursue something despite the obstacles one faces, and the passion to overcome them no matter what it takes. The passion to love and the passion to believe. Without passion, nothing can be achieved and absolutely nothing is even worth achieving.

I’m in mourning over the loss but I strongly believe we will triumph in the next season. SIGH…. like what Steven Gerrard said:

“We gave everything but it wasn’t to be tonight and certainly this feels the complete opposite to what it was like after Istanbul.”

European Vacation, anyone? May 23, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Rainmakers , 2comments

I simply adore Europe.  With its beautiful scenery and gorgeous and intricately-designed buildings, Europe is a picturesque and dream holiday destination for most people.  If I have the golden opportunity to step foot in Europe in the near future, I would not miss the chance to visit Prague in Czech Republic, Paris and of course Italy.  The one thing discerning vacationers are concerned about is their lodging.  For example if you are making a trip to beautiful Italy, you’ll be amazed at your choice of Italy Hotels you can select from.  How to choose?  You will be spoilt for choice.  Thankfully, EuroBookings has reviews for all of these hotels to help you make an informed decision to suit your taste and budget.  And what better way to allay your fears about being taken for a ride than to have your hotel bookings done online without having to pay a reservation or booking fee in advance, but rather, you only pay when you check out of the hotel?  Unbelievable?  I kid you not… this is what EuroBookings has to offer.  Here, you can find the lowest hotel rates in Europe in almost all the popular destinations.  You can also check out their hotel guide section, which provides information and reviews on what you can do whilst in Europe.  Trust EuroBookings for a worry-free vacation in Europe.

Show me my money, PLEASE! May 23, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Blogging , 8comments

So my virtual cash in PayPal is still stuck despite the many complaints I had lodged with their support desk.  Of course they replied, but with the generic “We are aware of the matter and are looking into resolving the technical glitch as best we can”… or something to that effect.  Looks like it is a MAJOR problem.  I know of a few people who have used the workaround method to claim their funds, and I won’t go into details here because I have reason to believe there are plenty of other bloggers who have blogged about it already.  My 30-day deadline on my unclaimed funds in PayPal is fast approaching and in desperation, I logged a support ticket with PayPerPost last night.  I received a reply within an hour and I was informed that PPP is well aware of the situation and in fact, they are currently in contact with PayPal too - getting the same response I got, I believe!  But…PPP gave me HOPE!  They claimed that if need be, PPP would be able to resend the unclaimed funds to the affected posties’ accounts, because they had a record of all unclaimed funds.  I certainly hope this is true.  But for sanity’s sake, I hope that PayPal would once and for all solve that massive pain of a glitch.  That would make us all sleep better.

And now…let me go prepare for the clash in Athens tonight :) 

You’ll Never Walk Alone…

Back it Up May 23, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Rainmakers , add a comment

Data backup is something which is extensively overlooked by most people. In this day and age of technological advancement, when we can store data in so many different forms in our computers, be it in the form of images, videos or plain data files, having a reliable method for backing the information up is essential for our peace of mind. Murphy’s Law states that if something can go wrong, it will, so before you experience heartache and heartbreak crying over lost data, why not get your data stored and backed up online with IBackup? Now with IBackup, you can get an integrated solution comprising:

So for an online backup solution that is trusted by so many organizations, you know you won’t go wrong when you choose IBackup.

The Game of the Name May 22, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Thoughts & Scribblings , 8comments

Do you ever wonder what goes into deciding the name of a shop or an establishment? Some take the easy way out and name their shops after their own names, like Versace, Gucci, Tag Heuer or McDonald’s. Then there are others who take the trouble to think it through and come up with classics like Burger King, T.G.I.Friday’s and Target, to name a few. These names virtually roll off our tongues and is incredibly easy to remember.

Lately I’ve noticed many new shops in the shopping malls with quaint names. Names that perhaps convey an underlying message, yet is subliminal enough to arouse the curiosity of the general passerby. Like this shop, for example. It is called SHINS, but I doubt it sells anything close to shin protection or shin beautification.

In fact, if I am not wrong, this shop sells beauty products and makeup. Could the name of the shop been intended to be SKINS instead? Hmmmm…that actually sounds gross, because then it will sound as if they are selling skins! Could it have been SHINE? Either way, it doesn’t make any sense to me…

Oooh, and what about this one?

Have your Carbs and Shed those Pounds! May 21, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Rainmakers , 3comments

Believe it or not, I used to plop myself in front of the idiot box waiting for infomercials to air.  I thought they were so much fun to watch and wondered what went into the process of producing these commercials.  I’ve since lost touch with these infomercials, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a site that ranks the top infomercials on TV.  Top on the list of infomercials is Nutrisystem.  I could hardly believe that this is actually a revolutionary diet program which is rich in carbohydrates but low in fat!  If you can’t say no to carbs, this is your answer.  The concept of Nutrisystem is based on the Glycemic Index which emphasizes the quality of carbs and not the quantity!  You can choose from a range of different Nutrisystem Nourish systems, whether you are over 60 years of age, a diabetic, a vegetarian or if in fact, you just need a regular diet plan.  In fact, this product is really worth every cent now because not only can you take advantage of Nutrisystem’s automatic delivery of food right to your doorstep, if you order through TVTopTen, you will receive an extra week of food absolutely FREE!  Isn’t that reason enough to enjoy your food and lose weight while doing so?