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How to spread Blogivitis September 11, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Blogging, Memes & Tags , 11comments

Just as fast as Blogivitis is spreading, there are blogging tips to help spread the disease in super duper fast time! I received this list of blogging tips from Anggie and Narrowband and in true blog-tagging fashion, I will spread this around….(by the way, I have taken the liberty to combine the two lists)

-Start Copy-

It’s very simple. When this is passed on to you, copy the whole thing, skim the list and put a * star beside those that you like. (Check out especially the * starred ones.)

Write your own blogging tip for other bloggers.Try to make your tip general.

1. Look, read, and learn. http://www.neonscent.com/***

2. Be, EXCELLENT to each other. http://www.bushmackel.com****

3. Don’t let money change ya! *****

4. Always reply to your comments. http://chattiekat.com/****

5. Blog about what you know & love. http://sugar-queens-dream.blogspot.com****

6. Don’t use filthy language-buy a dictionary. http://shinade.blogspot.com***

7. Blog about something educational http://climateofourfuture.org**

8. Be yourself; others will follow http://sfgirl-thealiennextdoor.blogspot.com

9. Don’t have too many blogs that will become a chore to maintain http://cubicledenizen.blogspot.com*

10. Keep it simple, user-friendly, interesting and organised! http://erishaling.blogspot.com****

11. Keep the blog simple and sweet!! http://www.leslieho.com **

12. Share with others your thoughts and don’t be shy! http://groovy-olives.com/blog

13. Never ask for link exchange. Blog hop to increase traffic. http://www.jessieling.com***

14. Blog about something uniquely you. Or post some unique pictures. http://bernardchan.net *

15. Avoid too lengthy posts e.g. less than 200 words if you can help it. http://www.mylongkang.com*

16. Avoid Doing Tags.. clementwongpy.blogspot.com

17. Remember to go to the toilet when nature calls, don’t just sit glued to the computer or you’ll shit in your pant! http://wuching.blogspot.com

18. Blog hoping is fun. You’ll never know what gem you’ll find in the blogsphere. che-cheh.com/

19. Do. Not. Plagiarize. http://narrowband.org/ *

20. Don’t clutter your blog with ads all over the place. IT’S IRRITATING. http://oliviasy.blogspot.com/

21. Don’t comment for the sake of commenting. Some looked too fake and its a big turn off! http://sashablablabla.blogspot.com***

22. Share something interesting and you will gain more readers.http://judychow.blogspot.com*

23. Show that we care to all bloggers, treat each other as friends. http://mummyinvain.com**

24. Pictures say a million words. Keep them coming! http://familyfriendsnfood.blogspot.com/**

25. Blogging should be fun or you’ll get tired of it pretty soon. http://justmyrambling.com/*

26. If u have nothing to write, dun force yourself , If u cant write, learn and be creative in other way http://eiggna.blogspot.com/

27. Catchy comments make for more blog visitors. http://giddytigers.com

–End Copy-

I especially like tips No. 13, 14, 19 and 21, and I’ve starred them too!

I’m passing this tag on to:

Simple American
Chinnee
Pink Elle

An Interesting Story….or is it? August 21, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Blogging, Rainmakers , 1 comment so far

Some bloggers blog for money
But all bloggers blog for popularity!

Isn’t that absolutely true? So how does one gauge the popularity of a blog? When I started blogging about a year or so ago, opening up my blog for comments was something that I did not do. It was pretty much a one-way traffic kind of thing, but then I revisited the idea and it occurred to me that blogging is not in the same vein as keeping a conventional diary. Where a diary totally prohibits comments, much less prying eyes, blogging is just the opposite. Because a blog is open for all the world to see, we bloggers are a proud bunch of people, and we totally live on blog popularity.

A blog’s popularity is not solely judged by the number of links in from other blogs, although that is one of the factors that is taken into consideration. Popular blogs are those that generate tons of comments, often from loyal readers or from thought-provoking posts. But then, do we crave for just mere comments or comments that add value to the integrity of the blog? I, for one, would like to know if a post I have taken the effort to churn out really made a difference in someone’s life. Or in fact, if it is at all interesting to my readers. Because when it comes to the crux of it, what good is a blog if it is just plain dreary, right?

So I was in for a treat when I discovered this really cool blog post ranking system called the ThoofRank. This ranking system is implemented by Thoof, which is a site that I feel was created with the everyday website user in mind. Upon registration, which by the way is free of charge, I get access to personalized news and articles submitted by other bloggers and users worldwide. With this ThoofRank system, I am able to now gauge how popular or interesting my post is in comparison to other posts of a similar topic. The ThoofRank is a measurement in percentage that shows how interesting a story is relative to other stories that have been submitted. So a ThoofRank of x% means that that particular story is in the x% bracket in terms of interest. You’ll want your story to be at least 50% to be above average in terms of interest! With this amazing ThoofRank badge, I can now have a surefire way to tell how interesting my post is. And for good posts, I can also proudly display the ThoofRank badge for a particular post on my blog, just for bragging rights! :) It’s definitely bound to make my blog popular!

Reeking of Confidence and Insight August 20, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Blogging , 6comments

No amount of boredom or work could stop me from taking this test. When I first saw it on Rinnah’s, I told myself I would do it one fine day, but today when I again saw this same test done at Tine’s, I hesitated just for a heartbeat and then took the test.

Your Blogging Type is Confident and Insightful

You’ve got a ton of brain power, and you leverage it into brilliant blog.
Both creative and logical, you come up with amazing ideas and insights.
A total perfectionist, you find yourself revising and rewriting posts a lot of the time.
You blog for yourself - and you don’t care how popular (or unpopular) your blog is!

What’s Your Blogging Personality?

And you know, I find that it is eeriely TRUE!  What do you think?

This post is brought to you by the number FIVE August 20, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Blogging, Memes & Tags , 5comments

Rinnah and I have been playing tag too much, I think.  It’s amazing how this girl can fit so many things into her schedule, even speed-shopping!   I thought I had better complete this one, before my list of tags-to-do start growing insidiously long again…. And I just know that no sooner have I completed a tag, more will come my way. Hehehe….so without further ado, here I go again….This time round, it’s another number tag, and the number for today is FIVE.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so:
1. Mistyeiz
2. Wuching
3. Ehon’s Rojak’d Life
4. Rinnah
5. Giddy Tiger

Choose 5 people to tag:
Jazzmint
Leah
Zara & Zaria’s Mama
Hijack Queen
Sue

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I had just completed my undergraduate studies in UKM and was preparing to venture into the vicious working world.  Unaware of what my future held, I still found time to hang out in malls and enjoyed my neither-studying-nor-working status to the max.  Those were the days….

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Unfortunately about the same thing I am doing right now.  Stuck in this boring thing called my job.  But it brings in the dough, so I am not allowed to complain much.  A year ago, Ethan had also just turned 6 months old and I remember we made our maiden trip to KL with him to attend a friend’s wedding.

Five snacks you enjoy
(again very similar tastes to Rinnah’s) Twisties, Pringles, Cheezels, dark chocolate and pillow biscuits/biskut bantal ~ you know those cute brown tiny little things that are shaped like pillows?  In school, I bought them for like 10-20 cents per packet.

Five songs that you know all the lyrics to
I’m good at remembering lyrics and surprisingly this comes naturally to me, with no extra effort on my part.  I’ll just name the five songs off the top of my head:

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire
Correction…if I were a trillionaire :) ….and I’ve already listed the things I would do in an earlier tag I did.

Five bad habits
I’m way too stubborn for my own good, I am moody, I can’t save a dime or a cent, I watch TV too much and I’m too lazy!

Five favourite toys
My big brown grizzly teddy bear, my Nokia N73, and errr…. all of Ethan’s toys!  I play those toys with him, what! :P

Five things you like doing
This is easy!  Shopping, eating, cooking (but not cleaning up after), watching TV and watching Ethan.

Five things you would never wear again
Humungously HUGE shirts with skinny stretchy leotards, which was all the rage in the 80’s. Polka-dotted track bottoms (don’t ask).  80’s Madonna-like hair accessories, e.g. big scarves adorning the head in the form of a hair band.  My school shoes, never again will I need to wash them every week and put white shoe polish on them!  Socks with cartoon characters on them.

Three’s Company, Three’s a Crowd August 17, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Blogging, Memes & Tags , 10comments

Is it that obvious that my favorite number is THREE? I myself cannot explain it, but there is something about that number that makes me attracted to it. Maybe it’s the way it is shaped, or maybe it’s just the way I am. And because of this, it is only appropriate that I complete this tag from Chinnee as best as I can.

Three things that scare me are
1. Clowns - must have started from that Stephen King movie, “It”.
2. Lizards (including detached lizards’ tails that are hopping and dancing around)
3. Visiting public toilets

Three people who make me laugh
1. Ethan
2. My hubby
3. Myself

Three things I love
1. Spending quality time with hubby and Ethan
2. Sleeping in under the cool quilt on a wet and rainy morning
3. The smell of photocopied paper

Three things I hate
1. Isn’t it obvious? W O R K!
2. People who think they can abuse their high and mighty position to do anything they want, even if it means flouting rules and regulations
3. People who have not guts to speak up about their complaints, but instead complain in private

Three things I don’t understand
1. Why we have to work to get money to make for a happy living. Why can’t we survive on fresh air and sunshine?
2. How to memorize the special keys and functions on computer games
3. Very complex science fiction story lines from movies, such as Star Trek.

Three things on my desk
1. Picture of Ethan Boy with his Barney and Winnie the Pooh
2. My tumbler of water
3. My cellphone

Three things I am doing right now
1. Completing this meme -DUH!
2. Thinking about the upcoming weekend and why it is not here sooner
3. Planning what to eat for lunch.

Three things I want to do before I die
1. Be an SAHM
2. Complete my cross-stitch project… I know, I know….
3. Bunjee jump

Three things I can do
1. Make Sarawak Laksa
2. Watch TV for hours
3. Swim (all strokes except the butterfly. I can do half a butterfly stroke actually)

Three things I can’t do
1. Turn back time
2. Respect someone who treats me like dirt
3. Use the sewing machine

Three things I think you should listen to
1. The Word of God
2. Your parents
3. Your heart

Three things you should never listen to
1. Rumors and gossip
2. *Friends* who call you up after a LONG LONG absence to share their thoughts on an MLM program
3. Stories beginning with “They say….”

Three shows I watched as a kid
1. The Electric Company
2. Gummi Bears
3. Thundercats

Three people I am tagging
1. Rinnah
2. EastCoastLife
3. ParisB

The Vicious Cycle of Blogging August 7, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Blogging , 7comments

How things have changed since I was a kid. When I was a little girl, little did I know that what I was doing then would be emulated now that I am an adult. I’m referring to reliving my life in the form of a diary. Yes, I kept a diary. A book I fiercely guarded in my drawer with lock and key. It was a means of escape for me, where I would rant and rave for all I cared. I complained to my diary about incidents that happened to me and cried my heart out in its lined pages. The words would just come naturally then, and I found solace in the fact that *someone* was lending me an *ear*. I think I started when I was in secondary school. It was extremely addictive and I would pour my heart and soul into that diary of mine. Now that I am an adult, I keep a diary too. The difference is that it is for all to see. And people do not only get to peek into the innermost corners of my mind as I translate them into words, they also get to chip in with their comments too! That’s the new age diary for ya. Back then, when I jotted religiously into that diary of mine, there was no backspace and delete key to be used, and I couldn’t care less how the words showed up on the pages. But now, with a blog, I have readers in mind…readers I akin to as the *customers* of my blog. So I need to make sure the message I have in my head is transferred to my users in the best plausible manner.

And that’s not an easy task sometimes, I would say.

So blogging and keeping a diary…. not much of a difference, is there? In the days of yore, mention a diary and you would imagine a leather-bound book kept in the strictest level of confidence ever, far far away from the prying eyes of siblings, friends and especially parents. Nowadays I am not even sure if teenagers keep diaries anymore. Wrangling a pen and a book might not be the coolest thing now, you know. But hanging out at the nearest Starbucks (wi-fi access included), with an open laptop, most certainly is. Yes, I bet most teenagers own a blog or two, at the very least. There are so many blog hosting companies out there who are hosting blogs for free. And when one person in a clique starts a blog, the rest are bound to follow. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, that’s what they say. Of course, with a blog, it does takes some ingenuity to prevent it from being *accidentally discovered* by parents, or people you do not want to reveal your blog to. Using nicknames and not revealing photos are just a few methods employed by bloggers to ensure that level of mystery and secrecy.

Blogging beats keeping a diary also because in most cases, blogs help generate income. Be it from blog adverts paying the blogger when blog visitors click on ads on their blogs or when the blogger gets paid to blog about things he/she loves, income gained from blogs can be anything from a measly few cents a week to a jaw-dropping few thousand in a month, or even more! Unless you published your diary in the form of a memoir or a book ala Anne Frank, I doubt many would pay to read your innermost thoughts.

Blogging is indeed the diary of the new millennium. It is also an avenue to make new friends, albeit friends whom you have never met before, but refer to them using their monikers. Isn’t it odd to meet someone for the very first time, knowing so much about the person beforehand, and finally putting everything you have read about him/her from his/her blogs to a face?

Well, that’s blogging for ya. Love it or hate it, it’s certainly here to stay. You are either an avid blogger or an avid lurker, or both! Either way, we’re all caught in this vicious cycle of blogging. Well, maybe not so vicious after all….

Fatt fatt fatt all the way August 6, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Blogging, Memes & Tags , 13comments

There has been an abundance in the number of tags about numbers. Why, I wonder? I’ve received tags for the number FOUR, the number SEVEN and now Leah has tagged me with the number EIGHT. Her “cafe” goes a step further than merely serving coffee because now she would like me to list down 8 things about myself. Really, Leah? You sure…? Anything at all? It could be totally random and out of whack, you know…. hehehe….

Oh, but before that, here are the rules:

“Each person links to the person who tagged them. Then each person posts the rules before their list. Then they list 8 things about themselves. At the end of the post, that person tags and links to 8 other people and then visits those people’s sites and comments and lets them know that they’ve been tagged, and to come read the post so they know what they have to do …”

Here are EIGHT (count ‘em: EIGHT) things about me:

  1. Like Leah, I, too, am a Christian. And I was baptized on Christmas Day :)
  2. I am an animal lover. And that’s exactly why I went bonkers at the Singapore Zoo a couple of weeks ago. Look look..baby rhino! Wahhhh…. check out the giraffes and the llamas! And ooohhh….. there’s a white tiger too! Oh and what about the orang utans….

When I was in school the WWF came to promote animal awareness amongst school kids. We were educated about animals that were about to go into extinction and what we could do to help save them. And you know, I cried when the theme song was played. Let me just clarify that WWF = World Wildlife Fund and NOT World Wrestling Federation, okay? Although the Wrestling one has other *animals* of their own…

3. I have been breastfeeding for 18 months and still counting! My initial target of 6 months was stretched to a year and revised to 15 months. It has been a wonderful journey for both Ethan and me, and yes, I am in the process of weaning him now, but I know I will miss the experience when that happens.

4. I pout very well. My ex-classmate used to call it a “state-of-the-art” pout and in fact, she confessed that she would find something to say to me that would result in me producing a pout. I don’t do it that often anymore, but if the situation calls for it, I would and I certainly could.

5. I have no problems at all remembering lyrics of songs I have heard. I don’t make an attempt to do it, but I just can. Even songs from old musicals, these stay in my head years after I have listened to them. I can sing along to all the songs from Grease and Grease 2, and yes, even The Sound of Music. My hubby says a great portion of the storage space in my brain is used for this. Maybe…. but it is just something that comes naturally to me. And that’s a good thing, right?

6. I watch football. Or soccer, as it is called in the US. The *opening ceremony* of the English Premier League took place last night with the Community Shield match between Man U and Chelsea. And much as I would have preferred it to include the team I support (Liverpool), I am sure I will get to see MUCH more of The Reds this season. More Football Crazy. More Football Focus. And more Top Corner and EPL highlights. Go Reds! :D

7. I am sad to say though that I am *prone* to injuries. I don’t inflict them on myself purposely, but somehow I always seem to be on the receiving end of knocks, cuts and bruises. Why, this morning as I was walking along my office corridor, I slipped and fell forward, scraping my left knee. And with my bags and laptop too! Dang! Must be the slippery floor! In fact, I am so accident-prone that when I let out an “Ouch!” at home, my hubby thinks nothing of it, and doesn’t come immediately to my aid as fast as I would have liked him to. :P

8. I am immensely emotionally driven. I am affected by everything I see. In fact, I’ll be the first to admit that I cried when I watched The Little Mermaid. And I am sure I will still shed tears if I were to watch it today. And that’s only a cartoon!

I’m gonna tag the following eight people, just because I know I can :)

  1. Rinnah
  2. Angeleyes
  3. Suzette
  4. Pei Sze
  5. Adino
  6. HuiSia
  7. Susan
  8. Domestic Rat

Hi, I’m GT and I’m Addicted to Blogging August 3, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Blogging , 6comments

I visited Rinnah’s site today and she has confessed that she is addicted to blogging. Now, since Rinnah and I began reading each other’s blog posts, we have discovered so many similarities between each other that out of curiosity I, too, did the addiction test. And in an uncanny coincidence, would you believe the result I got?

81%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

We have the same score!

Virtual Money to Burn… August 2, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Blogging, Memes & Tags , 12comments

In this blatant materialistic world we live in, money certainly appeals to everyone. And for those of use who do not have the money, well, it doesn’t hurt to dream, does it? And dream away I did. First Joanne gave me a million bucks to do as I wish. And then Suzette also added another million to my bank account. But when I still didn’t do anything with all that money, my good gal friend Rinnah put the icing on the cake and gave me an additional million.

So folks, I have 3 million to burn now….what to do, what to do?

Well, the logical thing to do of course is to be politically correct and invest or save this money in some unit trust fund or something, right? But since I am allowed to dream big, I’ll go out on a limb and say that the first thing I’m going to do (short of quitting my job) is to spend it on my family ~ I’ll put a downpayment (or maybe even pay cash) on one of these babies in Seri Tanjung Pinang. I know for a fact that my hubby and Ethan will just go crazy over this new house. Oh, before that, I will pay off my existing housing loan and car loan first la. The selling price of one of these semi-detached houses in Seri Tanjung Pinang is at least a million bucks! We’ve seen the show unit and it is sooooo gorgeous, I almost pengsaned! Even Ethan was amused by the interior! I love the locale, the way the houses are built and the adjacent roads. It really feels like I am in a totally homely place when I drive around that area. Landed property in Penang is scarce nowadays…. good landed property, make that. And this piece of property is worth every penny, if one can afford it.

And if I have a house like that, I can finally get myself a golden retriever and a beagle :) Having a dog (or in this case, two) has been my dream for ages.

Of course, I am a filial person, so some of the moolah will go to my parents too. I’m sure my folks would like to travel or perhaps retire comfortably in a new house. But I will leave it to them to do as they please.

After spending that obscene amount of money on the house and the renovations and furniture, I doubt I will have much left. So with the remainder I will invest or save for a rainy day. Of course I hope I have some left over to go for a shopping spree!

Oh, and what about that beemer I was talking about? Well, that would be left to my hubby…. *wink*

…and finally when I have all this, I will quit my job and be an SAHM :)

**********

I’m passing on the one million bucks to these following bloggers. What will you do with all that money?

LB
Pinkelle
May

A Schmoozer: That’s What I Am July 31, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Blogging, Memes & Tags , 11comments

It’s award time once again, and social climber Rinnah has very kindly awarded me with an honorable Blogging Community Involvement award that says simply that I’ve got the Power! … The Power of Schmooze, that is…. Well, fellow schmoozer Rinnah seems to think that I am too a schmoozer…that’s a P.C. way to say that I am a “cakap banyak” person, ain’t it? *grin* I ran off and I checked on the meaning of schmooze and it says to schmooze is to chat in a friendly and persuasive manner especially so as to gain favor.

Now, I don’t know how I would fit into the bill of being a schmoozer because all I do is to talk about what I observe and experience. And I say it as it is.

However, I do know that I am:

A Shoe Addict

 

Last week I finally used my RM100 Sunshine Square vouchers to get myself not one but TWO new pairs of shoes! I was practically grinning ear to ear after the purchase, and one could tell that it has been aeons since I splurged on shoes. They were both Carlo Rino shoes and I chose the ones with a not-too-high heel so it would allow me the freedom to run after Ethan, if need be. To be fashionably accurate, they were strappy mules, and I love them to bits.

A Foodie Photographer

I finally FINALLY managed to take a good picture of the Old Town Nasi Lemak I so love. Been wanting to take a good picture of it, but everytime I try, it either turned out too dark or too bright. So this one’s just nice and yummy looking too.

A Giddy Tiger

Yesterday evening, while I enjoyed my beef koay teow dinner with hubby, I received a call from an unknown number.

Me: Hello..?
Unknown man’s voice: Hello… is that Giddy Tiger?
Me (confused but played along): Yes it is.
Unknown man’s voice: Hello Giddy Tiger, how are you doing today?
Me: Fine thank you. And may I know who I am speaking to?
Unknown man’s voice: This is LB.

Muahahahaha… That was a pleasant surprise! Getting a call from the Emperor himself! What a royal honor! Well, we chatted for a bit and hoped to meet up if I happened to be in the Klang Valley before he leaves.

The Depressed Perfectionist

After our Singapore trip, I have been trying my best to update Ethan’s blog with as detailed posts as possible, providing a day-to-day account of what we went through, rigorously sprucing up the site with pictures I handpicked and photoshopped. However, I am depressed and disheartened that only a handful read it, judging by the comments :( I’m only into Day 2 of our adventure, I’m tired and weary and I need the inspirational *comments* to go on… so I am going on an unabashed plea to request for some comments, pretty please???? With sugar on top? :D

Ah well, it may turn out to be just for my own reading pleasure….

*******************

Ooops, sorry, didn’t mean to be schmoozing there. But hey, it does seem as though I do deserve this Schmoozer award after all eh? But wait, there’s more… I need to grant this award to five other bloggers, so go on guys, SCHMOOZE away!