Home Furniture

Furniture From Home is an online furniture room store which carries a wide selection of dining room furniture and bedroom furniture. They also have some really beautiful home office furniture sets, living room furniture including sectionals, game room furniture, bar stools and a selection of beautiful leather furniture. Besides furniture there is also a modest selection of area rugs and carpets.

The Furniture From Home website is one of the better looking online furniture stores that I have seen. It could be that I am partial to the color scheme of burgundy, tan and peach with white fonts.

The home page's navigation is simple and easy to use. The categories of furniture are laid out very clearly on the left side of the page and all I have to do is click on a particular category, for example bedroom, and a page with a whole array of bedroom sets comes up. The choices of bedroom sets are beautifully arranged in groups of three for each row with a brief description for each set. I like this because I don't have to look around too many pages to see what is available. If I see anything I particularly like, I click on the picture and a new page opens where I can see a bigger picture of the furniture set, and all the information associated with the product, including the price for each item in the set.

I wanted to look at storage beds and entered "storage bed" on the Search box. That search yielded three results. But when I entered "children's bunk beds" it yielded zero result. I remember seeing bunk beds on the site! I tried again, this time I entered "bunk beds". It still gave me "Your search for "bunk beds" has 0 results". Ok. Let't try "bunk bed". That got me 2 results. I think Furniture From Home needs to improve on the search option results. As long as at least one keyword matches the items that they carry, those items should appear on the search results.

The other thing that I find could be improved is the horizontal navigation bar at the top. I know the space is limited but when I am already on one page, say looking at sleeper sofa, and now I want to look at TV Wall Units, I will have to go back to the home page, and click on See All Rooms and then choose from a whole range of options before I get to the page on TV Wall Units. I suppose that is where the Search feature comes in useful. Apparently TV Wall Unit is not the same as Entertainment Centers. They later produced more results than the former!

If I am serious about looking for furniture and comparing the choices, I will look at every page that is available at Furniture From Home. But if I am looking for a particular set or style or piece, I will have to be very specific with the words used on the Search feature. Otherwise, I will think what I am looking for is not available and move on to other sites.

Overall, I will give Furniture From Home a high score because they have a wide selection of furniture. I will not mind going through every page to see all that they have since they are all beautifully arranged.

Wordless Wednesday 1

Morning Glories

Copper Crystal Bracelet

This bracelet is made with five 12 mm Swarovski Cosmic crystal copper beads, two 8 mm round swarovski copper crystals, some sterling silver spacer beads and three Bali style beads. I love how they come together, and copper is my current favorite crystal color!

Kathy's Pearls

Kathy's outfit for her second daughter's wedding is champagne colored with pretty little pearl beads around the neck area. I made this white pearl and champagne colored pearl dangle ear-rings to go with her outfit. The findings are sterling silver.

This two-strand two-toned pearl bracelet completes the mother of the bride outfit. To go with the ear-rings and bracelet Kathy is wearing a white pearl necklace which she got from her eldest daughter.

Can you be a Christian and a Muslim at the same time?

Is it possible to be a Christian and a Muslim at the same time? That idea is both illogical and contradictory, if not heretical! Apparently it is not illogical or contradictory for the Rev. Ann Holmes Redding a clergy woman of the Espiscoplian church of St. Mark's in Seattle, Washington.

In Islam, Jesus Christ is merely a prophet, even lower in esteem than Mohammad. In Christianity, Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, and this doctrine of the divinity of Jesus Christ, and salvation through Christ only is totally incompatible with Islam.

But then the Rev. Ann Holmes Redding is one of those liberal Christians who rejects the divinity of Christ and the Trinity. It is therefore not surprising that she can embrace both Islam and Christianity.

Rev. Redding should be thankful that she was a "Christian" first before she decided to embrace Islam at the same time. If it had been the other way around, I doubt her Muslim superiors would be as understanding if she had decided to embrace Christianity while remaining a Muslim!

I agree with Dr. Emir Caner, dean of The College at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, when he described Redding’s faith conviction as “an extraordinary illustration of what has become Postmodern Christianity in America.”

Further Readings:

Christian Theologians: 'Episcopal Muslim' Faith is Illogical, Contradictory

An Episcopal Muslim?

Pray to Allah?

The Bishop of Breda, Tiny Muskens, wants people to start calling God Allah. He says the Netherlands should look to Indonesia, where the Christian churches already pray to Allah. It is also common in the Arab world: Christian and Muslim Arabs use the words God and Allah interchangeably.

Speaking on the Dutch TV programme Network on Monday evening, Bishop Muskens says it could take another 100 years but eventually the name Allah will be used by Dutch churches. And that will promote rapprochement between the two religions.

Read the rest of the story here.

I understand what this bishop is saying, and why he is saying it. I understand the "what" but I cannot agree with the "why".

I come from a background where the word "Allah Taala" is used to refer to God Almighty. And I do not refer to God as "Allah" because I want to promote rapprochement between Islam and Christianity.

What needs to be emphasized here is that the word "Allah" has been in existence long before Islam. The word "Allah" when referencing to God cannot be exclusively used by Islam even though Islam would like to claim the word for their own. In Malaysia, the bible in the Iban language was banned for a time because of the use of terms that are found in the Qu'ran. The reason for the ban was that the Iban Bible might confuse the Muslims, which in my view, is a ridiculous claim.

When Christians in the Middle East, Indonesia and Malaysia use the word "Allah" to refer to Almighty God, they are most definitely not referring to the Muslim God. This is where I dissent with Bishop Muskens. He makes no distinction between the Christian Allah and the Muslim Allah when he encourages people to start calling God Allah.

When I use "Allah Taala" to refer to Almighty God in my mother tongue I know which Allah I am referring to. I am referring to Allah the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God who brought the Israelites out of Egypt. I am referring to Allah who is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. I am referring to "Allah" the God who is the redeemer of my soul, the pioneer and perfecter of my faith.

Conversations with a 4-year-old

"Fish is dead, Mommy?" looking at the plate of deep fried sole.
"Who killed fish, Mommy?"

What's this, Mommy?" pointing to the nipple on his naked body while sitting in bathtub.
"That's your nipple, Duncan. How many nipples do you have?"
"One, two. I have two nipples!"

"How many balls do you have, Duncan?"
Quickly grabs balls, "Two! I have two balls!"

"We pray for our soldiers. We pray they kill bad duys (guys)."
"No, say we pray that God keep our soldiers safe."

"Make sure you wash your hands before you eat."
"Me will."

"Don't you punch your sister!"
"Sowy, Mommy," with tears running down his face. "Me pwomise, me won't."

Out of the blue, "Me love you, Mommy."
"I love you too, Duncan, very much."

Weird News of the Day

I first heard the following story a few days ago on the Tom Sullivan Show. Tom Sullivan suggested that it wasn't accidental that the woman sold the turtle containing the ashes of her husband's previous wife. I think it wasn't accidental either! :-) What do you think?

(08-07) 17:25 PDT Elmira, N.Y. (AP) --

A woman recovered a ceramic turtle containing the ashes of her husband's previous wife Tuesday after accidentally selling it for 50 cents at a rummage sale.

Anita Lewis of Elmira said she didn't know it held the ashes when she sold the turtle Saturday to a woman who had plans to use it as a cookie jar, despite being unable to get the lid open.

Terrence Lewis' previous wife had collected turtles, and the couple's home was full of them, Anita Lewis said.

When she realized her mistake, she began a frantic search. An anonymous caller's tip to the Star-Gazette of Elmira led her to a Salvation Army Thrift Shop in Horseheads, where she found the turtle.

Garage Storage Cabinets

When it comes to the garage, organization is always a constant thing. Having the right kind of garage storage cabinets can make the difference between a garage that has cars in it with everything else stowed away out of sight, and a garage that is full of clutter with no space at all for your cars.

For my garage I'd like to install the Ten Piece Garage Cabinets, preferably white. White makes the room bright and roomy. As to the choice, anything less than a ten piece garage cabinet is not going to accommodate all the tools, the extra odds and ends from the house that have spilled into the garage. I like the tall cabinets because I can store tall things like my 6 feet tall rolls of batting.

The rolling base garage cabinets make it easier to move them around as space allows. The top of the base garage cabinets can be used for storage too. Things stored in plastic containers can be placed on top of these cabinets.

At carguygarage.com you can find other kinds of storage cabinets that will meet your needs.

Favicon on Blogspot

Did you notice the favicon next to the URL on my blog today? How many of you knew that you can add your very own favicon on your Blogspot blog? I didn't know that was possible until I read how you can do it on Tips for Bloggers. Tips for Bloggers is quite the resource for bloggers using Blogspot. I highly recommend it.

For my favicon (the image next to your url), I used Paint which comes with Windows, to create it. It is not that difficult to make it. Or you can use any image you like for you favicon. Look at the favicon on my Puteri's Hobbies blog. I have a handbag for my favicon! :-) Favicons are such small images that you need to use an image that is clear. The handbag favicon is the clearest (besides the one on this blog) I have on any of my blogs. If I find something clearer I will change those that are not that clear. I can do letters or colors but I wanted images that reflect the content of the blogs. When I said the favicon is not that difficult to make, I mean the letters kind!

Let me know if you have added a favicon on your Blogspot blog! I'd love to see it!

3 column template tutorial

My friend, Cuthess, wants to know how to install a 3 column template on her blog.

She tried doing it, and she must have done something wrong because now her blog has completely disappeared.

The choices of templates offered by Blogspot do not have any with 3 columns. If you don't know any coding, do not even try to edit any of the coding on the updated templates offered by Blogspot.

The easiest way to do it is to revert to the classic template and replace the template code with a 3-column code of your choice.

Here's how you do it. I have a blog where I test the templates on. This is useful because if you do mess things up, there is nothing in the test blog you do not mind losing.

Before you begin the process of switching your blogspot template to a 3 column template, you need to look for a 3 column template, that is compatible with Blogspot. You can find 3 column templates at The Blogger Workshop, and also at Gecko and Fly which have templates similar to the Blogspot 2 column templates except that they have 3 columns. Download the one or ones you like, unzip the folder, and save it in a folder somewhere in your computer. Now you are ready.

Log in to your blogspot account and go to the Dashboard. This how it looks like if you have the upgraded blogspot template.


Click on Layout, and this is how it looks like.


Click on the Template tab. And then click on the Edit HTML option.

You are now on the HTML page. Ok, pay attention to the Backup/Restore Template instruction. This is there for a reason! If you already have something on your blog, then it is wise to download the full template and save it somewhere in your computer, in your document folder, for example.


Once you have downloaded and saved your template (i.e. backed it up) scroll down to where you see this. Click Revert to Classic Template.

Click Ok, when this dialog box pops up.

Once you have done that, you are now looking at the HTML page. At this point, open the 3 column file that you have in your computer (remember where you saved it?) using Notepad. This is how mine looks like opened with Notepad. This is the file that I downloaded from The Blogger Workshop.



Then you are ready to delete the 2 column code that is on your HTML page (right click, select all, then delete). Once you have done that, right click on your mouse, select all, and copy the 3 column template code and paste it onto the HTML page. Click the Preview button to see how it looks like. If you are satisfied with the look, then click on the Save Template Changes button.

This will tell you that your new settings have been saved. Click on View Blog and you will see the changes on your blog.

What you won't see are the stuff you have added on your blog using the previous template, like your links, or the Mybloglog image etc. But you will see your previous posts, archives, and profile.

Your work is not done. You need to edit the left sidebar and fill it with the stuff you want on that side of the template. For example, a Google Adsense code. Replace the word "Something" with "Sponsored Links" or something like that. Then put in the adsense code between [p] [/p] (it should be < >). Delete the extras you do not need.


This is where you edit your links. Fill in the url between the "#". Remove # and add the url. Put a name to the link, by replacing "Link 1". You get the idea with the rest.

Once you have made all the changes you want on the template, remember to click on Save Template Changes. View your blog. If you think you need to make more changes go back to the HTML page and redo it. Below is a screenshot of my test blog where the left side bar has not been edited.


And this is a screenshot of my test blog where the left side bar has google adsense added to it.



REMEMBER, if you messed up this HTML page, you can always copy paste the code from your file onto the HTML page, and re-do it.

If you find other 3 column templates that you like better, you now know how to go about it! Just repeat the process.

~~~~~~ ****~~~~~~

However, if you feel up to experimenting with the code, Tips for Bloggers is a wonderful site to help you along. I don't know any code but I can follow clear instructions! :-) You can find instructions on how to change or add to the code of a few of the more popular Blogspot templates into a 3 column template. Changing and adding to the existing code is a good way to make your template into a 3 column template because you get to keep all the widgets which make editing the look of your template so easy.

Here are three screenshots of my blogs. Two of them use the minima template. The other uses the Script template.

Train Horn

Have you ever been in a situation where you honked your car or truck and nobody seemed to have heard you? Do I need a train horn or what before someone gets out of my way!?

How about when you are out in a boat on the river in summer and it is filled with all kinds of water crafts, like it is here in Sacramento, and what you have on your boat is not loud enough to warn anyone to stay out of your way. Do you sometimes feel that you need at least a 155 DB sound coming out of your horn before you can warn anyone of the danger that they are in?

If those thoughts ever crossed your mind, then I can tell you where to get that horn that is loud enough!

At Trainhorn.org you have a choice of a Dual Pump Train Horn Kit or an Single Pump Adjustable Pressure Train Horn Kit.

With the Dual Pump Train Horn Kit, which is made of high quality horns and can sound up to 175 DB, nobody can say that they can't hear you coming! The kit is easy to install and it comes with an easy to follow color instructions.

The Single Pump Adjustable Pressure Train Horn Kit which produces a 155 DB sound is also made out of the highest quality components and they have been tested and proven to last. It also comes with an easy to follow color instructions, so easy that anyone can install it.

Check out Trainhorns.org if you are thinking about installing a train horn for your boat, truck, train or car.

*This is a paid post.*

Nose Bleed

Its summer and in California the air can get quite dry. One of the effects of this dry air, for me at least, is a nose bleed. My nose started bleeding in the summer two years ago. Last year it occured at least once a day during the summer. Being the hypochondriac that I am, I imagined I was suffering from more than the garden variety nose bleed! It is a fact that a nose bleed could be a symptom for something serious like nasal tumors or leukemia

Anyway, last year I got myself a nice humidifier that I turned on in my bedroom at night. This has helped somewhat, and this summer I've only had a nose bleed three times. This morning was the most recent episode. I have the humidifier going next to me even as I write this post.

What causes the nose to bleed? The information below is from familydoctor.org

The most common causes are dryness (often caused by indoor heat in the winter) and nose picking. These two things work together--nose picking occurs more often when mucus in the nose is dry and crusty.

Other, less common, causes include injuries, colds, allergies or cocaine use. Children may stick small objects up the nose. Older people may have atherosclerosis ("hardening of the arteries"), infections, high blood pressure and blood clotting disorders, or they may be taking drugs like aspirin that interfere with blood clotting. The cause of nosebleeds often can't be determined.

What to do when there is a nose bleed

If you get a nosebleed, sit down and lean slightly forward. Keeping your head above your heart will make your nose bleed less. Lean forward so the blood will drain out of your nose instead of down the back of your throat. If you lean back, you may swallow the blood. This can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Use your thumb and index finger to squeeze together the soft portion of your nose. This area is located between the end of your nose and the hard, bony ridge that forms the bridge of your nose. Keep holding your nose until the bleeding stops. Don't let go for at least 5 minutes. If it's still bleeding, hold it again for 10 minutes straight.

You can also place a cold compress or an ice pack across the bridge of your nose.

Once the bleeding stops, don't do anything that may make it start again, such as bending over or blowing your nose.

How to stop a nosebleed. Pinch soft part of your nose, right beneath the bony ridge

Pinch your nose to stop a nosebleed

Bedroom Furniture

The right kind of bedroom furniture makes all the difference between a cosy and comfortable bedroom, and a merely functional one.

I am in the market for a new bed because my waveless waterbed developed a leak and despite a patch job done to the leak the bed is never going to be the same again. I am thinking that when I get my new mattress I want it on a real bed frame instead of what we have right now which is just a metal frame with a separate head set.

I see a many beautiful beds at Gallery Furniture which has the finest master bedroom selection of Houston's furniture. My favorite is the solid mahogany low profile queen bed in the neo-classical style. I find the clean style and the dark, rich, merlot finish very attractive. I like to put a quilt cover over my bed and this style is just perfect for it. There are no posts that could get in the way of the bed cover. Besides that, the price of $899.99 is within the budget we have set for the purchase of a new bed.

One other thing, since we are thinking of replacing our salt and pepper colored carpet with hardwood flooring, that dark, merlot color will contrast rather nicely with a dark blond hardwood flooring.

Now that I have a bed in mind, the choice of a mattress is much easier. I'd like to get a Tempur-pedic mattress and I don't have to go very far to look for it. Gallery Furniture carries Tempur-pedic mattresses and pillows in their mattress store.

If you are also thinking of replacing your old furniture set, be it dining room, living room, entertainment or bedroom, why not check out Gallery Furniture? They have the finest selection of furniture in Houston and there is bound to be something that will meet your needs.

Weird News of the Day

This morning on Paul Harvey's News and Commentary, Paul Harvey related this funny story. Maybe funny is not the correct word.

FREDERICK, Colo.—A Catholic priest faces an indecent exposure charge after police said he went jogging in the nude about an hour before sunrise.

The Rev. Robert Whipkey told officers he had been running naked at a high school track and didn't think anyone would be around at that time of day, a police report said.

He told officers he sweats profusely if he wears clothing while jogging. "I know what I did was wrong," he said in the report.

Whipkey did not return phone messages. His attorney, Doug Tisdale, told the Longmont Times-Call that Whipkey had no comment.

Whipkey, 53, was arrested June 22 in this small town about 20 miles north of Denver. An officer said he saw a naked man walking down the street at 4:35 a.m. The U.S. Naval Observatory Web site said sunrise that day in Frederick was 5:31 a.m.

The officer said when he shined his flashlight at the man, he covered himself with a piece of clothing he was carrying.

The Archdiocese of Denver said it takes the incident seriously but is awaiting the outcome of the case. Whipkey, who also officiates at parishes in the nearby towns of Mead and Erie, remains an active priest.

If convicted of indecent exposure, a misdemeanor, he would have to register as a sex offender, prosecutors said.

What do you think? Is the priest a pervert? He WAS running in the dark and it WAS before sunrise. Do you think that was indecent exposure? With the scandals facing Catholic priests, I don't think jogging in the nude is a good idea, even if he meant no harm.

Rejection and Approval

I started writing sponsored posts for PayPerPost on July 30. Last night I received my first notification of a rejection to one of my posts. :-( Arrrggghhhh! And it was worth $18! The reason? I did not meet the minimum requirement of a 100 words! What?! How difficult is it to write a 100 words? That taught me a lesson. What happened was I was too eager to click on the Take Opportunity button that I didn't pay attention to the minimum number of words requirement. I could easily have rectified that situation because there was nothing to stop me from editing that post once it was submitted so that it fulfilled the minimum number of words.

Anyway, first thing this morning when I checked my email, I had received another notification email from PayPerPost about the approval of another post. This was my first approval and it sort of mended the disappointment over the rejected post. Why "sort of"? This post that was approved was worth only $5. That's not to say that it is bad news. The good news is that it is not that difficult to write sponsored posts and earn some extra cash!

Yesterday and in the wee hours of the morning (I was on my computer really late!) I wrote a total of 4 sponsored posts and together they are worth $40. This time I made sure that I met the minimum word requirement for each post!

I'm dreaming of the day when I am eligible for the higher paid posts. For now my google ranking for this blog is a meagre 3, and forget about Alexa! This blog is ranked 5662346 with Alexa. Boo hoo.

But the other good news is that there are opportunities that do not require any ranking and that means people like me can still make some money writing sponsored posts! It is not that difficult!

Latina Dating

There are many reasons why people use online dating sites to meet other singles. One of the reasons is that it is easier to learn about someone by browsing his or her profile at a dating site than to try and strike up a conversation with a stranger, say, at a bar. It is also easier to get to know someone through a dating site because you will have avoided that first three minutes of face to face meeting where first impressions are critical.

This is where a dating site like Latina Dating comes in. Latina Dating is a dating site where you can meet latin singles in your area. Just because the name is Latina Dating, that doesn't mean non-latina or latino can't join in!

At Latina Dating you can join for free. All you need to do is fill in the information that is required like your email address, your date of birth, and you are also required to write a description of yourself, and make a headline which is a statement that will draw attention to the kind of person you are.

Once you have registered, you can log in and browse through photos and profiles of thousands of other members at the site. You can even send messages to the other members you might be interested in. If you don't feel like sending any message you can send a "flirt". That way you can indicate your interest in someone and that person might respond by checking out your profile. There is also the Search feature, where you can try to look other members up by filling in their nicknames in the Search box.

Give Latina Dating site a try. You might find that special someone you have been waiting for to share the rest of your life with!

Senior Citizens and Their Sports Cars

Have you noticed lately that there are more and more older people, I mean senior citizens, who are driving low slung sports cars?

Last week I was at a gas station, with my husband, waiting for our turn at the pump when I noticed this red convertible with the top up at the opposite pump. The door of the red convertible opened, out came a pair of pale, flabby and varicose-veined legs, followed by a body that matched the legs. I mean this little old lady was practically struggling to get out of the car!

We drove up to the next available pump and no sooner had my husband put in the nozzle in the tank, a black Corvette drove by. Guess who was behind the wheel? An old man!

My neighbour, who was divorced last year, started driving a black convertible. No, he is not a young man, and I have never seen him driving his car with the top up. I guess for him the sports car was a chick magnet because not long after that he acquired a girl-friend!

The father-in-law of one of my good friends also drives a Corvette, white with red leather seats. He is middle-aged, not a small guy, and I don’t think it is easy for him to get in and out of that sports car.

I think what is happening here is that the baby boomers are only now able to afford some luxuries because their kids have all left school or college. Moreover, I think some of them are trying to relive their youth.

I heard on the radio recently about the statistics for road fatalities especially motorcycle fatalies. According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “Motorcyclists age 40 and over riding larger motorcycle engine sizes account for the fastest growing group of motorcyclist fatalities”. Yes, those baby boomers fall into that age group!

Traveling any time soon?

Are you thinking about traveling for business or pleasure this summer? Or maybe later in the year? Need one convenient location where you can get a wide selection of airline ticket prices, accommodations and rental cars at the very best rates available out there?

If so, Hotel Reservations is the place for you! At Hotel Reservations you can choose and compare air ticket prices, hotel rates, and car rental rates, and even cruises. For better deals go for the vacation packages like flight+hotel+car combo, or the flight+car combo, or the hotel+car, or the flight+car combo. You will be amazed at how much you can save when you choose from one of these combos!

Not only does Hotel Reservations have all inclusive resorts and vacation rentals to choose from at their site, they also have a wide selection of motels, and bed and breakfast accommodations suitable for the budget conscious, or the family oriented. There is bound to be something that meets your criteria because they offer over 70,000 properties worldwide for you to choose from!

Group travelers will not be able to resist the special internet rates they can get from group bookings! To secure these special rates, which is backed by their lowest internet price guarantee, and enjoy huge savings, you are required to pay up front by credit card. At Hotel Reservations all credit card transactions are safe and secure, and moreover major credit cards, like MasterCard, Visa, and American Express are accepted.

If your are ready for a hassle free planning for your next travel or vacation, why not check out Hotel Reservations and utilize their easy booking tools for that perfect accommodation? Their certified hotel experts available 24/7 are there to help you too if you have any questions!

Best of all by planning your trip at Hotel Reservations, you get their Hotel Reservations Price Guarantee. There is nothing like a Price Guarantee to assure you that you are definitely getting the best prices available on the internet!

If you make your reservations by August 31 for travel through October 31, and fulfill certain conditions, you are eligible for up to $100 gas rebates! Don't wait, plan and book your next perfect trip at Hotel Reservations. I am going to!

*This is a paid post.*

A Little Accident

Just before I unlocked the door to the house, with the kids right behind me, I put my finger into the soil of the potted plant by the door. Hmm, still damp, and then I swipe my fingers across the leaves to remove the spider web covering them. A brown praying mantis fell onto the floor. That got Duncan all excited. I picked up the praying mantis and placed it gently back on the plant.

Denice and I went on ahead into the house while Duncan stayed outside by the door still looking at the praying mantis.

Some minutes later, Duncan surreptitiously entered the house and headed straight towards the bathroom. I quickly asked him to show me his hands. He showed me his hands, nothing there. I thought maybe he had brought the praying mantis into the house.

I decided to check on him in his room. He had removed his shorts and was only wearing his briefs. He was trying to cover his briefs by pulling his t-shirt over his briefs. I suspected something and touched his briefs. It was wet.

Duncan got a good scolding from me. For trying to hide the accident from me, and for being close enough to the bathroom and yet not using it. He had been too engrossed with the praying mantis that he did not make it to the bathroom in time. I held up the wet shorts and showed it to him. You should have heard him cry. It was more like a scream. A high pitched cry that showed how embarrassed he was at wetting his shorts. “I’m sorry Mommy” was all he could say after the cry. I reminded him again that he should not wait till the last minute to go to the bathroom. It was also my fault because the last two days I made him go to the bathroom as soon as we got home. But today the praying mantis distracted us all.

By and large, it has been a successful few days at staying dry. I am proud of him.

10.545% CTR on Sponsored Posts!

When you come across a sponsored post done by a blogger, do you wonder about it's effectiveness? If you are skeptical about the effectiveness of this form of advertising then I have news for you.

According to an extensive study done by PayPerPost, the average ctr for such form of advertising is 10.545%. That is simply an incredible rate and great news for advertisers. Advertisers should feel confident that their advertising dollars is reaping them a good return.

My husband and I do a lot of shopping online, and most of the time when we are looking for something in particular we do so by using search words. We are also not adverse to clicking on the Adwords that show up with the results of our searches. But ever since I started doing sponsored posts through PayPerPost, both of us have found ourselves clicking on the advertisers' links. That means for the advertisers, the bloggers themselves are potential customers!

A most recent example for me is the sponsored post I did for Coupon Chief. We were very delighted to have found discount coupons for computers. We followed a link to one of the computer vendors and found a whole range of computers that were within our budget. We are narrowing down our choices before we make our purchase. And not only that, there are coupons there at Coupon Chief that I can use to buy gifts at Linen and Things for a friend who is getting married later this month. Imagine the savings!

Sponsored posts do pay for the advertisers, at a 10.545% click through rate to be exact!

Market Day

This morning as I was getting the kids ready for pre-school, I was surprised to receive a call from Jessica's mom. It seemed that she was already at the Galt Flea Market and wanted to know if I was going to it too!

I told her to go back to the school and I would meet her there. When I arrived at the school, she was already at the school. After dropping off the kids, Jessica's mom and I drove to the market in my car.

We had a good time. We started off by sharing a bowl of Vietnamese noodles. We walked down most of the aisles at the market. Jessica's mom bought two pairs of shoes for herself, and I also bought a pair of light green sandals. Very cute! I also bought socks for Duncan, a bunch of lucky bamboo plants for my hand painted vase, a pair of underwear, and vegetables.

One of the things I know I will be getting the next time I go to the market is a hair piece! I tried one on and it was interesting how it really added volume to my tied up hair. The lady who was selling the hair pieces had all kinds, all colors and all lengths.

After the shopping, I invited Jessica's mom over to my home and this time she did not turn down my invitation. She stayed for only a few minutes but that was a good start. I told her to bring Jessica next time she comes.

Halloween

Are you ready for Halloween the movie? If you are a fan of the Halloween series as I am, I bet you can't wait for August 31 when it opens in theaters!

I love to be scared out of my wits, and I consider A Nightmare on Elm Street to be right there at the top with Halloween. Freddy Krueger in his hat and his ugly face give me the creeps! In Halloween, that mask that Michael Myers wears, now that gives me the creeps as well.

If you are a fan of the original Halloween and wonders if this 2007 version is going to be any good compared to the original, give Rob Zombie, who wrote and directed the movie, a chance and see if he has done justice to the original classic. If Rob Zombie's "House of 1000 Corpses" and "The Devil's Rejects" are anything to go by, then we should all get ready to be scared out of our wits! After watching the trailer, I know I will not be disappointed.

Rob Zombie's remake, or "re-imagine" as he likes to put it, of the original classic will not be "cheesy" as one reviewer puts it. I like the idea of Zombie expanding the character of Michael Myers. In the original classic, Michael Myers kills his sister, and all that is said about his motivation is that he is " ... simply evil". We are left wondering as to the motivation of a six year old, who when he escapes Grove-Warren County Sanitarium at age 21, continues to kill more people.

Rob Zombie in talking about the difference of his version to the 1978 version said "The biggest difference is I wanna make Michael Myers two things. I wanna make him a lead character who you sort of know about, 'cause I think that's what it'll take to make that character then again truly terrifying. So in order, in my mind, to pump the life back into him, to make that figure terrifying when he appears on screen, is you need to know what is happening in his brain."

Now doesn't that quote by Zombie as told to Launch earlier this year make you curious and make you want to watch Halloween and see if you will be as scared as you were of Michael Myers as when you watched the original? I most definitely am!

I am wondering if the final scenes where Michael Myers was shot six times, and whether that scene of him falling from the second-story balcony will be reproduced, in this new version. Will the closing scene be as suspenseful and leave you asking, "Where is his body?" I can't wait to find out!

A day of triumph

Today has been a day of triumph of sorts for Duncan. He went, for the first time, to school without wearing his training pants.

Yesterday was the test day for him. He refused to wear his training pants and insisted on wearing his briefs. Ok, I said, just remember to go the bathroom whenever you feel you have to. I had to help him along by reminding him and taking him to the bathroom every few hours. He did great!

This morning as I dressed him for school, he himself told me that he was going to wear his briefs, not his training pants. When we got to school, I told his teacher that he was wearing his briefs and wanted her to remind him to go to the bathroom.

When I picked him up at the end of the day, I noticed that he was still wearing the pair of shorts he had at the beginning of the day. Woohoo, he managed to stay dry all day! I guess my baby has reached an important milestone in his life. I took him to the bathroom as soon as we reached home, just to make sure that after the success of the day, he did not regress to his wetting the training pants days!

Quality Taps for Less

I have been looking at the taps in our bathrooms and kitchen, and without a doubt it is time to replace them!

First of all the tap in the kitchen is all dirty looking because of scratches, and stains from the minerals in the water. Moreover the pull out rinser in the sink does not work anymore. As for the taps in the bathrooms, they have lost their shine because of over-cleaning with a corrosive cleaning agent.

If you need taps you can find a wide selection of bathroom and kitchen taps at Taps4less. They carry modern kitchen taps, designer kitchen taps, high rise kitchen taps and even the traditional kitchen taps. For those with a white kitchen sink, there are white kitchen taps to choose from. The designer kitchen taps are made of top quality brassware, coupled with innovative designs with great functionality. You will be spoiled for choice! And best of all the prices are unbeatable.

Taps are not the only items that are available at Taps4less. You can get top of the line showers like those from Mira, Hudson Reed and Home of Amber. How about an electric shower? You can find that too at Tapsforless.

How about adding that heated towel rail to your bathroom? Won't it be nice to get out of the shower, and get hold of a towel that is already warmed? That would be bliss on a cold winter's day!

Check out Tap4less.com for unbeatable prices and selection for your kitchen fittings, and bathroom fittings needs.

Ashop Commerce Shopping Cart Software

When starting at an online store, the ease of the shopping experience can make a customer come back for more shopping. That is why having the best shopping cart software installed in your online store can make all the difference to the success of your online business.

Ashop Commerce's award winning Shopping Cart Software is the choice of thousands of both novice and professional users. Its easy to use web based administrations allows the merchant to build an online store capable of competing with the webs most powerful sites for a simple, low monthly fee.

Among its world class easy set up features are:

- No plug-ins or programming required
- Complete operational storefront
- Web based store administration
- Free tech support (phone, email, online chat)
- No graphic design skills required

And some of the attractive inventory control features that come with this sofware are:

- Featured products
- Multilevel product variants & optional surcharges
- Multi level text variant option
- Related products
- Rich text editor (WYSIWYG editor)
- Product reports
- Category reports
- Auto image resizing

Ashop Commerce shopping carts are also integrated with all major banks, gateways and third party processors including PayPal (full functionality integration). Credit cards are now a widely accepted form of payment in online stores and Ashop Commerce's built in SSL protection (checkout security) means your customers pay with confidence. Ashop Commerce also offers advice on obtaining credit card processing facilities.

Give Ashop Commerce's Shopping Cart Software a good look if you are looking for such a software. It's affordable, easy, and comes with technical support and customer service.

Spaghetti anyone?

I have never been particularly fond of Italian cooking. In fact I can count with one hand the number of times I have eaten at an Italian restaurant this past year, and I still have fingers to spare! All that cheese and tomatoes! I am lactose intolerant, and that is one reason why I avoid food with cheeses, also I have and acid stomach. Imagine what eating food with lots of cheese and tomotoes will do to my stomach!

But still I have to add variety to my home cooking. To be honest, I am bored with the dishes that I have cooked up in recent months. I wished I was rich enough to hire a private chef to prepare my meals, or better yet been married to a husband who knows some gourmet cooking! :-)

Anyway, last Wednesday, I cooked spaghetti for dinner. It has been a long while since I last cooked spaghetti. This time I tried Ragu pasta sauce with lots of chunky mushrooms in it. I also bought some grated parmesan cheese and some 4% fat ground beef. I was surprised how good everything tasted! That is why I made spaghetti again for dinner last Sunday. Doug had no complains because he loved spaghetti and brought some left-overs to work this morning. Best of all, my stomach was only slightly bothered by the meal!

LCD Digital Photo Frames

I love taking photographs and with the advent of digital cameras with its high capacity memory cards, I can take countless pictures without worrying about buying film for the camera. But the thing with possessing hundreds if not thousands of pictures, is that I am not likely to print all of them. And neither am I going to have the time to put them away in scrapbooks or photo albums!

This is where a digital photo frame comes in. It is unobtrusive and each picture from your memory card will be displayed on the frame like a slide show. Each digital photo frame has the standard, Five-in-one Card Reader which supports CF/XD/MS/SD/MMC cards. In addition, there is also a USB 2.0 connection for maximum compatibility.

And the beauty of these frames is that all the frames are compatible with JPEG, MP4, DivX, AVI, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, MP3, WMA, WAV formats. That means besides your pictures, you can also view movie clips that have been taken with your camera, even play music in the background because each frame comes with a built-in stereo speakers.

You no longer have to put away all your favorite holiday pictures and wait till Thanksgiving or Christmas to share them with friends and family members. You can display them on your LCD digital photo frames and display them on your coffee table or side tables around the house.

I just love it! I will most definitely get one from Digital Framez which is an online store which sells frames ranging from 7" - 10" wide.

What's the weather like in your neck of the woods?

This summer has got to be one of the coolest summers I have experienced since moving to this part of California.

On Saturday we had the mecury hit 103 F. The air-conditioning in the house had a good work out that day. But by 8.00 p.m. the delta breeze had kicked in and what a difference that made! It was as if there was no triple digit weather that day.

On Sunday, the delta breeze was in full swing. There were leaves and buck every where on my front patio. I hate those eucalyptus trees! They are so ugly and the leaves they leave all over the ground! If not for the shade they provide, I would have chopped them down a long time ago!

The temperature on Sunday was only 76 F. That was a new record low for August 5. In fact, with the wind, it felt chilly at times! Imagine feeling chilly on a summer's day! My son, Duncan, who was recovering from a cold, was told to wear a jacket as he hung around his Dad who was working in the backyard.

Last night was the first time this summer that I felt like putting on socks in bed. I did not have my fan on in the bedroom while I slept last night.

This morning, as we walked out the door, Duncan, said "Look, Mommy, going to rain!" There is no rain in the forecast but the sky looked overcast and it looked like a cold day in fall.

Living in the Sacramento valley, a day like yesterday and today, is not something we want to complain about! We wished it was like this all summer's long!

Blog For Money

Do you love to blog? If you do, do you sometimes wonder if you are wasting too much time blogging? It doesn't have to come to that!

You can get paid to blog. Smorty is a service connecting advertisers with bloggers. With Smorty, advertisers pay bloggers to write opinion pieces on their blogs with links back to the advertisers' site. Advertisers are always looking for ways to bring potential customers to their site and what better way to get exposure from advertising on blogs? I think advertisers have finally found a cheap way to spread the word around about their site and products.

Now, with Smorty you can get paid while you blog. Why wait any longer? Sign up with Smorty and get paid to blog. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The possibility of being paid more by advertisers is there especially if you own a blog that has many visitors. Sign up with Smorty today, and get paid for blogging.

Beef Stew for Dinner

At weekends, I hate to cook lunch. Usually Doug and I will eat whatever leftovers we have in the fridge. We need to eat the leftovers because they can really pile up!

This morning I cooked rice porridge for breakfast and since I had breakfast really late, I skipped lunch and started preparing dinner at 3.30 pm. Since I had planned on cooking beef stew, I thought 3.30 p.m. was a good time to start cooking. The beef pieces were quite chunky and even though I still have all my teeth, err, almost all, I hate to eat food where I have to chew and chew and chew. My jaws get tired really easily. No kidding!

Cold beef stew after dinner

My previous beef stew did not taste quite the way I remembered beef stew is supposed to taste. This time I bought the McCormick beef stew seasoning. I think I bought other brands previously. I read the instructions on the little packet carefully, and made sure the beef chunks were properly coated with flour and properly browned on all sides before I poured in the water and the seasoning. I let the whole thing simmer for an hour before I added the vegetables, as per the instructions on the packet!

I guessed that did the trick because the beef stew was quite tasty. Thick and flavorful, and far better than my previous attempts!

Holiday Cheer Throughout the Year!

Who likes to pay full price for anything? Not me! I always look forward to the discount coupons in my mail. And who says we have to wait for special sales to get that new laptop, or that digital camera or that big screen TV? How about those new toys for the kids?

With Coupon Chief, any day of the year is a Sales Day! Check out the coupons that you can use at Target, Linen and Things, K.B Toys, Kohls, Best Buy and many other places that are available at Coupon Chief.

Wow! I am now only realizing the various merchants that are offering discount coupons at Coupon Chief! My poor husband will not have to wait in line as early as 4.00 a.m. at an electronics store the day after Thanksgiving to get me my new computer this year! Look at this deal! A $259 savings on Inspiron 1721 Notebook with a Dell coupon from Coupon Chief!

I am thinking about replacing the carpet in my house with hardwood flooring. When that happens I will be in the market for a few area rugs. With a coupon from Coupon Chief I can get a 20% discount on any area rug purchase of over $149.99 at Linen and Things. This is absolutely something I have to keep in mind.

The best thing about these coupons is that these coupons can be used not only in the stores but also on the merchant's online stores. I love shopping online!

Come on, go over to Coupon Chief for your free coupons, online coupons and coupon codes! There is bound to be a coupon for something that you really want. Why wait for Thanksgiving or Christmas to get it? Get it now, and at a discount to boot!

A Conversation

My daughter, Denice, says her best friend is Jessica. Jessica is relatively new at the preschool. Jessica's mom is from Thailand. Seeing that she is an Asian, I decided to befriend her. I invited her to join me to the flea market one day but she said she wasn't free, maybe next week then? I'm still waiting for her to join me!

Anyway, yesterday I talked to her, and I invited her to visit me at my home. Bring Jessica, I said because Denice has been begging for Jessica to visit her. Okay, she said. Jessica has been begging her mom to take her visit Denice!

In the course of our conversation she said something about people looking down on Asians. I was surprised at the statement because ever since I moved to California, I've never had any negative experience regarding my race. I told her that much.

I commented on the cross she was wearing on her necklace and asked if she was a Christian. She said "No, I am Buddhist. I wear this cross when I am in this country." Huh? Oh, I get it. I think by wearing the cross she feels she will be more accepted. I think she needs more friends so she will know that the majority of the people here are very tolerant and very accepting no matter what your color or race is, or what your beliefs are.

Quilting

I have been neglecting my quilting these past several weeks! Fortunately for me, my clients are not very fussy and allow me to finish their quilts at my convenience.

I received Carrie's quilt more than 2 weeks ago, and I have only yesterday completed machine quilting it. Today I am going to box it and mail it back to her. Hers was the first that I'd received through the mail. She usually drops off and picks up her quilt at my home, but since she moved away from the area, she can't always drop it off in person.

This quilt of Carrie's that I just completed will be entered at a quilt contest in August. She told me to include some business cards in the mail so she could place them together with her quilt. I am not adverse to some free publicity for my quilting business!

Blog of the Day!

Woohooo! I just got approved today at PayPerPost, and already I am Blog of the Day at PPP! I waited a week for my blog to get approved after signing up with them.

Next on the agenda, is for my first sponsored post to get approved so I can get paid for writing it! Otherwise I will have given them all that free advertising!

On another topic, Puteri's Musings now has its own domain. This blog at Blogspot will continue as usual, because I do not have any complaints about its service.

The reason for the new domain for Puteri's Musings is so that I can make more money from blogging! I have caught the disease from Jamy! She personally admitted that she is "obsessed" with making money! She even uses "kayatan" as her ID on her blogs. Heheh, Jamy, true what!

Ok, now I need to drive traffic to my new blog. Ok, people how about you help me by linking my new blog to your blog? I will do what Baby Bok Choi is doing! She is one smart lady! She is offering the chance to win a shopping gift card to anyone who links to her new blog. If you want to try your luck at winning this shopping gift card, go over to her blog and leave a comment there! Good luck!

Ok, about that opportunity for winning a prize on my new blog ... go over there and check it out. It should be out soon, really, really soon!

I signed up with PPP!

I have been approved at payperpost and I am now its newest Postie! I am very excited about getting paid for blogging about the things that I love!

Come August, I will have been blogging for two years, but all this time I never realized that there are businesses out there who will pay you to write about things that you have been blogging about all this time. Come to think of it, bloggers have a large reach and I can understand why advertisers would want to harness the power of the blogging community to spread the word around about their products.

I first heard about payperpost from Jamy who is obsessed about making money. I then checked out payperpost website and signed up without hesitation. I was excited, motivated and challenged by the earning potential after reading the testimonials from members at PayPerPost.
I am already making friends with other Posties and networking with them and learning from them ways to drive traffic to my blog. Besides that, I am also learning from other posties on how to write an effective post for the advertiser.

Imagine what I can do with that extra $$$!! Who knows I will have made enough by Christmas time so I can afford to buy that large screen TV that I covet! I am looking forward to that first payment from PayPerPost for my effort on behalf of the advertisers!

What are you waiting for? Join me and sign up with payperpost and start making money from blogging!

Car Show and Craft Faire

Yesterday morning my friend, Kathy, and I went to our Church’s annual car show and craft faire.

I love looking at other people’s handicraft especially jewelry, bags and purses because those are the crafts that I make. The thing about going to such faires is that I cannot resist other people’s handiwork. I also feel compelled to support fellow craftsters.

After browsing the different booths and chatting with the different vendors, I bought, among other things, a small but beautiful hand painted glass vase. The floral painting on the vase reminded me of the morning glory that I planted recently and which has just started blooming. Kathy also bought a similar vase because she too thought they reminded her of her morning glory.

I also bought a small purse from the ladies that were selling them. It was easy enough to make but it was something I could use immediately. I am going to use the purse as my cosmetics bag because the one I have is looking very grungy.

I didn’t buy any jewelry and it was hard not to! But I did buy a bookmark that had some pretty beads on it. I had to buy at least a bookmark from Christina who is a fellow church member. I also bought a wooden cross that she’d made. I was surprised that she could make something out of wood! It seems she has diversified her interests!

I forgot to bring my camera, and my cell phone! I could at least have used my phone camera if I had it with me but …!

This time I didn’t look at the classic cars that were on display because Kathy and I didn’t want to spend too much time there that morning. However, on the way home we stopped by at the local library so I could get a library card and also register for a card craft class. A lady who teaches the class had a booth at the craft faire.

Kathy told me that I should also have a booth to sell my crafts! Maybe next year.

Unique Gifts

Do you like giving gifts and receiving gifts too? What kind of gifts do you like receiving? Unique ones or useful ones?

Among the things that I love having around the house are scented candles. I almost burn down my house one day when the dish that a candle was sitting on broke and there was flaming wax all over the counter! All my candles look like what candles are supposed to look like but look at this beer mug of a candle! Cute ----->!

How about umbrellas? We Asians don't like walking around under the hot sun without something covering us. When I go to the Flea Market in summer I always carry an umbrella with me! And I am not the only one because there are many Asians shopping at the Flea Market. But do you really need a monogrammed umbrella? I know it is unique but an umbrella is an umbrella!

How about a fleece jacket for your dog? I don't have a dog, but if I have a dog, and takes it out for a walk on a cold day, I think the dog will need something to keep him warm too. I won't mind dressing him in a jacket, even though he will look silly in it! --->

I have a couple of crystal vases but for every day use, I won't mind receiving this unique shaped vase!

When I was younger, I like receiving cute gifts. But as I got older, I like receiving gifts that are useful, gifts that I have need for, gifts that are useful for my personal use or for use around the house. But best of all, I LOVE receiving monetary gifts!

Is that Gucci bag you're carrying really a Gucci?

This story on the Daily Mail made me smile. According to a survey in the UK, two thirds are proud to buy fake goods and are willing to admit what they have is not the real thing.

I was at the Galt Flea Market last Tuesday where I tried several stylish sunglasses with famous brand names like Gucci, Burberry, Coach, Prada, and Chanel but did not buy any. The current style of sunglasses are huge and on my flat Asian profile, those styles just don't sit very well on my face. If they did, you can bet I would have bought at least a pair for myself! Each pair only cost $5!

But I did buy a Gucci handbag not too long ago. The quality of the bag looked like the real thing, and it cost me only $20. I am quite proud of my Gucci! Heheh.

I have a friend who is very well to do. When we go shopping, we told her, even if she was carrying a fake handbag, no one would think it was, because everyone knew she could afford the real thing. Whereas if I were to carry one, even if it was genuine, people would think it was a fake! Hah.

I don't mind fake handbags or sunglasses but I stop at fake perfumes. I love perfumes and I want to be sure that the scent is genuine and not something that will smell like some cheap perfume after a few hours!

Summer Camp

I was pleasantly surprised when NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams, on their Faith in America segment featured a story about how and where some American youths were spending their summer.

The American youths who went to Mexico, went under a Texas based group called Teen Mania Ministries. They had to raise their own money for the trip and they brought food, toys, shelter and most importantly shared their faith with the poor people in that part of Mexico.

I am happy and encouraged to hear of the existence of groups like Teen Mania. I am sure there are many churches who send youths to places like Mexico for the summer. My church does it too, and they have three different groups go to Mexico every summer.

This year we were able to contribute to the trips by donating six bags of used clothes because among the things that my church group brought this year were clothes. Each of the group that went to Mexico built a home for a needy family. All the materials for the building were bought and paid for with money raised by the youths who went.

We also "bought" two pairs of Helping Hands. Helping Hands was a way that some of the youths raised money for their trip. They offered services like yard work, baby sitting etc to raise money.

Almost everyone of the young people who have gone on one of these trips to Mexico experienced a life changing experience. A life changing experience not only from their service to the Mexicans they interacted with, but also to their Christian walk, and they had a better understanding of what fellowship and service with other Christians meant.

Crocs Shoes

This is a follow-up on Jamy's post on Crocs Shoes. The first time I saw something resembling this famous brand of shoes was on my sister-in-law's feet (I don't think they were Crocs brand though). And that was several years ago. She wore them around the yard as she watered the plants. I understood her reason for wearing such footwear because, being rubber it shouldn't matter if they got wet.

I didn't know that there was a famous brand of footwear, for these ugly sandals and that they were such hot items among the so called trendy folks. One of the kids at the pre-school where my children go wear those Crocs sandals. I even commented to one of the teachers, "I don't understand why her mother would let her wear those sandals. They don't look comfortable on hot days. Those are shoes you wear working in your yard!" And that was not the only time I made such a comment to the same teacher! Heheh.

When I read Desmond's Gawai post in which he mentioned BlueHeeler wearing those Crocs shoes to the longhouse, the thought that crossed my mind was that Singaporeans were so trend conscious that they were even willing to be seen in public wearing ugly rubber shoes!! Rubber shoes remind me of the rubber shoes my father used to own that he liked very much but made his feet stink!

I can understand why gardeners, fishermen, boating enthusiasts, and beach goers wear them because they were intended for use near the water. Crocs shoes are "non-slip, anti-bacterial, non-marking, and odor-resistant".

But to wear them to work? Jamy's colleague wear them to work, but maybe because they wear scrubs so those shoes don't look that out of place! I like the various bright colors available but I will never be caught dead wearing them to work! Maybe around my yard ...

What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?

So what is the ugliest part of your body? You don't have one? Good for you!

For me, the ugliest part of my body is my double chin. Errrr ... maybe it is my fat tummy! Ok, ok let's just say that I have more than one part of my body that I think is ugly!

When I think about what I consider is the ugliest part of my body, I am thankful that I don't have uglier looking body parts! Imagine being born with a huge birthmark on your face! I guess with today's make up technology, even that can be hidden.

As for teeth, bad and ugly teeth can be taken out and caps or bridges put in. Look at how good looking Elliot Yamin is now with his new set of pearly whites.

I read some where that a famous fashion designer by the name of Halston once said that a woman's knees are the ugliest part of her body. Come to think about it, knees do look ugly especially if you are skinny! A lot of women think that their feet are ugly. I think where feet are concerned, white people (Asians like to walk barefoot in their homes) who have their footwear on all the time have the ugliest, gnarly looking feet!

What about men? What do men think is the ugliest part of their body? I can think of one part that I consider ugly! Hahahaha.

Looking for a New Bed

When you buy a bed and a mattress, what do you look for? Comfort? Functionality? Style?

For me comfort is top priority. The queen-sized water bed that Doug and I got after we set up house is no longer as comfortable as it once was. I have stopped sleeping on that bed for several months now because I started having lower back pain. The top foam padding of the mattress has lost its firmness, and sags right where my lower back is. Doug still loves the bed but two days ago he woke up wet. It appeared that one of the tubes in our water bed had sprung a leak!

Well, I thought, that would be a good excuse to get a new mattress. Hell no, Doug instead bought some stuff that he used to try to patch up the leak! To him, the water bed is the most comfortable bed he'd ever slept in. It was the most comfortable bed I had slept in too when we first bought it, but it no longer is!

Since getting the lower back pain from sleeping on the water bed, I started sleeping on an adjustable single bed that I got when I was pregnant. The comfort level could be better, but compared to the sagging padding on the water bed, it is a lot better!

I hear a lot of advertising on Select Comfort's Sleep Number Bed. On TV, some faded TV stars are also endorsing the bed. I am quite tempted, but I think the bed is not that different from my water bed. Instead of water tubes, there are air chambers, and of course there has to be a padding at the top, just like my water bed's. That padding will eventually sag, as it did on my water bed, even though the air chambers remain in good condition, unless it develops a puncture!
One alternative to a queen-sized bed is to get another adjustable bed for Doug, and we'll have them side by side. The adjustable bed is comfortable for reading and watching TV because you can raise the top end and there's no need to have several pillows piled behind you.

I like the adjustable bed because I have a very acid stomach and at times I just have to have my head higher than my tummy because of the acid reflux!

We'll see how ready Doug is about getting rid of that water bed!

Reminiscing Part 1

Have you ever had one of those days when out of the blue you thought about your childhood friends, or that primary school classmate and wondered what became of them?

I was in the shower this morning thinking about blogging, and out of the blue I thought about my primary school classmates!

Well, of course I am always reminded of one classmate in particular because my daughter is named after her. The classmate my daughter is named after was Denice Katherine Hepburn. She was Australian and was my classmate during most of my primary school years until her family returned to Australia. Her father was the manager at SESCO back in the days when SESCO had a little building right in downtown Miri, near where Park Hotel is right now.

I remember how mean some of us were to Denice. She had curly red hair, with lots of freckles on her face. Some of us called her "white bum". The thing about her was that she dished out what she got, and her favourite phrase was "Sticks and stones will hurt me, but words won't".

I liked Denice and she even invited me to stay with her one weekend, because that weekend was her birthday and there was going to be a birthday party for her. It was a big deal for me because at 11 years old, I had never spent any time away from home before that, and I remember feeling homesick the whole time I was at her place. Also it was the first time I had stayed with a white family. The thing that struck me was that they didn't eat dinner! We had tea, and that was it.

Denice loved to watch Hindi movies and listen to Hindi songs. I remember her calling the cinema because we wanted to go watch a Hindi movie, but she got the day and the time all wrong and so we never went to see any.

I couldn't wait to get home after the birthday party, and Denice's mother was kind enough to take the time to drive me home right after the party.

Another primary school classmate that I often think about is Yvonne Davidson. Yvonne's mother was Indonesian, and her father was English, I think. She was my classmate until I was in Primary 3, because her family moved to Kuching after that. She was the smartest girl in my class and was more advanced than any of us, and when we were in Primary Two there was talk about promoting her to Primary Four. She played the piano, and it was from her that I developed an interest in playing the piano. I begged my mother to send me to piano lessons but my mother said the classes were too far away, and we couldn't afford it anyway. That was that.

I don't know if I'll ever meet either of them again, or if they'll even remember me, but who knows eh.