I Have Grown Up

It was 29th July 2008 12.30am. I was reading Harry Potter and The Deadly Hallows. I realised that while I was reading the story, I couldn't help but to think about how I was so crazy about Harry Potter years ago and it had been a long time before I decided to continue reading Harry Potter.

I am 21 years old now but when I was 14 years old, a friend of mine introduced me to the world of Harry Potter and since then I was so hooked on with it but as I gradually grow older, I find myself in the most awkward position, I am losing my childhood and imagination. I used to imagine many fantasy worlds and how I would write a love story set in a fantasy world but I am not so sure if that would happen now. I feel old, like an old soul.

It is always at night time that I find myself more intimate with my own feelings. I can never write my thoughts during the day when everyone else is awake and at work. At night, I find the peace and silence to compose all my thoughts into my blog, that is if I want to, or else, I would simply stare at the screen and wander off with the thoughts.

Knol - Another Squidoo?

So, Google has come up with another new feature called Knol. This reminds me of Squidoo, really, the concept of creating a one authoritative page with ads so you can earn some money is really so Squidoo, except that this is known as Knol : a unit of knowledge.

So, I log in using my Google account and explored the site generally and here is what I found:


click on the screen shot to get a big shot..

I know, you might have noticed that I have been using screen shot for this post and previous post but seriously I think I am addicted to it but that is another story for another day..

Anyway, some of the features include:

1. You can email the Knol you like to your friends
2. You can print the Knol by just clicking on the 'Print' button.
3. When you want to compose, you click on 'Write a Knol' and you will be redirected to a page like this:


I have decided to create a Knol of my own but I have no topic to write about after seeing all the topics available here are mostly related to health, boring to me..but the recipes are nice and a handful of science really interest me..

So, what I am going to do is to find the topic and write it, then publish it here for my readers to see..hopefully I can do it as soon as tomorrow..

There might be more other features that I haven't discovered yet but I shall talk about it later..

Meanwhile, you can just check out Knol yourself and see if you can find the fun out of Knol..

I have one piece of Knol that I like : Eclipse

Enjoy!

My New Twitter Layout

I am happy to show you all my new Twitter layout..I also added the Twitter widget on the sidebar so you have another tool to play with..

The new Twitter layout is inspired from Go Smell The Flowers

Here it is my proud Twitter layout:


click on the picture to see bigger picture..

Malaysia ex-PM's Blog

This is the best Politician blog ever in Malaysia, a blog from the ex Prime Minister of Malaysia.

He is Tun Dr. Sri Mahathir B. Mohamad.

He was Malaysia's Prime Minister since 1981 - 2003. Born in Alor Star, Kedah on 10th July 1925, he is destined to be a leader.

He just started to blog in and making millions of hits already.

You can read about the news about him starting a blog here.

Spaghetti Weekend

It is Sunday 3.37am and I am still awake when I am writing this post.

I thought of making spaghetti today for lunch so hopefully everything will turn out fine.

Anyway, just want to say a few words about Windows Vista.

I found a cool post about 10 ways you can speed up your Windows Vista. A must read.

Alright, must go to bed now. Chao..

Page Rank

I am so happy..Today I checked my blog PR at PR Checker and I found that my blog PR has changed from PR 2 to PR3 (check the sidebar for proof).

X-Files - I Want To Believe

"Don't Give Up"

This is a powerful phrase, at least for me. I like X-Files and the mystery that is always on going. I agree that the latest movie is a fan movie. However, I think people should really watch it at least once. I feel in the midst of all the action movies such as Batman, Hellboy and the upcoming Mummy movies, it is good to have a subtle and soft movie such as X-Files or else we would be bored to death, with no other choices of movies to watch.

As for me, I realised that just like Dana Scully in the movie, I wanted to quit on something a long time ago and somehow I managed to survive on that matter alone and why? Because I refuse to give up even though I have thought of quitting. I never let myself to be be defeated by the other side of my mind that keeps telling me to "quit on doing what you do, you will never make it".

And I believe that everyone should believe in what they believe in and don't let anything else stops you from doing that.

How Rich Will I Be?

I am so glad that I finally found a magician that can look into the crystal ball and tell me how much I can earn in the next 10 years. Surprisingly, I am overjoyed with the response. According to the magician, I can earn a staggering $10,899,688 in the 10 years time.

The Proof:

How much money will you be worth?

This is the proof:


I am glad that I won't have to work anymore after the age of 31 years old, am I?

Click on the banner to find out about your future earnings...

* this is just for fun anyway, don't take it too serious though...I held no responsibility to whatever the outcome is...

Harry Potter Sorting Hat

Are you a Harry Potter fan? I used to be a HP fan until lately when I find that the movies are getting boring. I love the first four series but the fifth installment is really a disappointment for me. Still, I am looking forward for the next movie and it is coming up soon so I guess I go dig up some stuff about Harry Potter.

Lucky me, I have found another fun toy to play with. Apparently, you can go through the sorting hat ceremony by answering a few questions. I have answered the questions and I am being sorted into the RAVENCLAW House. I wished to be in Gryffindor but I guess it doesn't matter as long as I not in the Slytherin as I hate Slytherin House.

To go through the sorting hat ceremony, click here.

Check out my badge:



I'm
a Ravenclaw!

The One Foreign Expression Everyone Must Know

There are many foreign expressions but there is only one that everyone must know. Foreign expressions play a major role in explaining something we cannot explain using plain english:

The one foreign expression that everyone must know is De Facto.

Meaning:

in fact; in reality: Although his title was prime minister, he was de facto president of the country. Although the school was said to be open to all qualified students, it still practiced de facto segregation.

Sexual Health Test

Your result for The Sexual HELL Test...

HEAVEN LEVEL 2

Raw score: 14%

You scored the highest possible goodness rating on this test! Your intentions are pure and admirable! For you, sex is a spiritual outlet; it is a loving threesome involving you, your partner, and God.

My guess is that you are a Christian. If you're just considering Christianity, great news: you qualify! It is unlikely that your escapades in bed will ever offend God. Unfortunately, they might not excite him either.

For you, sex is second to love, and love is second to faith. Did you know: It was the same for Jesus!

AVOID: Hell Levels 1 and deeper (all hellions).

Take the test : Sexual Health Test

*****

I took this test out of the fun of it. I got from Lady Banana and she always has this kind of stuff in her blog which is really fun and entertaining..

Selfishness (1)

According to the Dictionary available in Microsoft Works Word,

self·ish [sélfish]
adj

1. looking after own desires: concerned with your own interests, needs, and wishes while ignoring those of others
2. demonstrating selfishness: showing that personal needs and wishes are thought to be more important than those of other people

Apparently someone commented that I am a selfish person. It was due to a post I made in Writing Angel. I simply joked that maybe the cinema should ban kids from watching movies that are not suitable for kids.

I am not saying that movies like Narnia is not suitable for kids but for kids below 5 years old, what do they understand from the movie anyway? Besides, there are wars involved in Narnia and would you want your kids to watch violence anyway? I wouldn’t.

Maybe the only attraction to the kids in the movie is either Aslan or the Pevensies. Unless if the kids are older, I doubt they really understand the movie.

I am not saying that parents cannot bring kids to watch movies in cinema like if you are going to watch Wall-E or Ice Age III and even Kung Fu Panda. I can understand that kids will laugh at Po whenever he fall from Jade Palace, or being hit by Master Shi Fu.

Can you imagine kids watching Iron Man? I was kind of surprise a 5 year-old boy was brought along by his parents to watch the movie in the same cinema as me. Throughout the whole movie, the kid keep on asking who is the tin man and his parents keep on telling him, “THAT is IRONMAN!”.

Then the kid started to yell, “Iron Man!” every time ____ transformed into Iron Man. Later, the kid asked the same question. The parents will have to keep on answering the kid’s repetitive questions.

Look at the meaning of selfish no. 1 : looking after own desires

The person said I am being selfish. I could say that the parents of those kids are being selfish too. They are not the only one who wants to watch the movies, I want to watch too. The truth is I am not the only one. In the whole Cineplex, there are like a hundred or maybe two hundred seats so there will be hundreds of people watching movies.

Look at meaning no. 2 : demonstrating selfishness

It is not like I scold them at their face. I am not demonstrating selfishness. I am just using Writing Angel to express my opinion. I did not point a gun at GSC people and make them ban kids from cinema. I am a consumer, and I have the right to make suggestions.

Is it wrong to express my opinion? I respect the person’s view but I never approve the comment anyway, too bias for me to publish.

Anyway, recently I watched Hellboy 2 and the same situation is repeating over and over again. I am living with that but my “Opinion” is that kids should only be allowed for certain movies.

The censorship in Malaysia is said to be so high that I cannot even watch The Passion of The Christ in the cinema. If they want to ban the movie, why not they censor the type of movies suitable and not suitable for kids?

When Workload is Too Much

Recently, I had taken so much workload that I find myself struggling very hard to finish off the last bit of work. However, today I managed to reduce the workload by working from 7am to 11.59pm the same day. Still, I have more and more work coming in so I am not sure if there is time for me to actually get some rest.

Last weekend was very happening. I finally get to dine at Shakey's. However, I was a bit disappointed with the food served there. Even though the pizza seems nice enough but when I took a bite out of it, it did not taste like pizza at all, like some sort of hard pitta roll with some pineapples and chicken chunks on top. That was my friend's order anyway.

I ordered Chicken Carbonara, spaghetti with mushroom and some kind of cheesy sauce as topping. At first, it tasted really good. At the end, I felt like vomitting. I guess these food very much not suitable for me at all. The best spaghetti in Malaysia is the one at Secret Recipe, known as Meatball Spaghetti (you can choose chicken or beef).

Life seems much better now with on going projects coming along. The only thing that I haven't seen yet is the money factor anyway. Still, I believe that it will be rolling to my direction soon.

Alright, get back to work now and talk later..

Hostess With The Mostess

I was watching Mondo Mini Shows, "God & Devil Show" featuring Martha Stewart here and I was wondering 'what's with the catch phrase of "Hostess with the Mostess" means?'.

I managed to look up in the real Martha Stewart's blog and found out that there is a site called :

www.hostesswiththemostess.com

So I automatically clicked on the link and it redirected to me a site so nice that it is good enough to 'eat'. The site features everything beautiful, delicious and yummy. There are recipes for all occasions, wedding tips for all and beautiful gift boxes for all whether official business or simply fun party giveaways..

I am a big fan of Martha and she is a really amazing person, my idol for a successful career..

Her daughter is so talented in baking and I am going to learn how to bake like her..

I get so many recipes from MarthaStewart.com and her blog. Her site is my daily breakfast.

I think that everyone one should really read her site and blog to get an 'upclose and personal' experience with Martha and daughter Alexis..

"When Nature Is... & Human Is ..."

1. When the nature is dying, the human is ignorant, the world is heading towards an end.

2. When the nature is living, the human is greedy, the world is losing its resources.

3. When the nature is losing, the human is rich, the world is dying.

4. If everything else fails, be prepared to dive into the pit of death..

Kung Fu Lessons From Master Po - Lesson 2

Lesson 2 - "...I Love Kung Fu..."

When it comes to Kung Fu, I am a fan. However, I am not going to just talk about how Panda Po loves Kung Fu but my point is more towards about how we love to do something but we are never brave enough to actually 'do' it.

For example, Po wants to learn Kung Fu but his father said,

"Everyone has its own place. We are noodle folks."

Do you think that we are meant to be who we are as of today or we have the potential to be someone different from now. Let say in another ten years, do you still want to be a bell boy, as you are at present?

I don't think we all want to stay in the same job, live in the same place, eat the same food, wear the same clothes every single day until we die.

There must be something else we want to do after all there are so many things to do before we die and regret on how we never get to do those things. By then, it would be too late as there is nothing much we can do after death.

As for me, I love to write but one of the biggest challenge is, people telling me,

"You cannot live by just writing. You need a job."

Whoever that says that again to me, I am going to reply,

"I am writing now and I an earning money. I get to stay at home, work at my own time, no boss shouting at me, no colleagues to fight with..I am at peace."

To everyone out there who are brave enough to do something different than they think of, bravo..

To those who are still in the cocoon, please step out and face the world..

Kung Fu Lessons From Master Po - The Series

* click here for image source

I am sure that most of you have watched Kung Fu Panda (or maybe not). I am going to start a new series of 'Lessons you learn from Kung Fu Panda', which I call it:

"KUNG FU LESSONS FROM MASTER PO - THE SERIES"

I have been so addicted to this movie, I had to watch it over and over again just to get the satisfaction..

Let's not waste time and let the lesson begins..

*****

Lesson One - "...have you think of doing something else, something besides noodles?"

This is a very deja vu statement in my life. I have always asked myself, "Do I want to do something else other than just eat, study and sleep?" or "Do I want to drop out of school or going to the college?". Maybe I should also ask, "Should I join the rat race in work industry?"

I have always wanted to venture into something totally different when I was 14 years old. Knowing that if I venture something out of my comfort zone, I might feel like dying but then, the urge is constantly in my heart and I know someday I need to do something about it.

Born into a traditional Chinese family has never been easy for me. With constant pressures in studying hard and achieving excellent results, I have no time to discover my true self. All I did was study, study and more studying. I managed to get great results all the time yet, I feel it is nothing to be proud of, as exams are simply a boring way to measure how much you have memorized instead or what you have learnt.

I was 18 years old when I finally made the shocking decision. I left home in search of 'who' I am and 'what' I might be if I take a different route as in 'The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. That poem happened to be the one I learnt in school as well so I don't see why I should not set foot on a different path rather than just follow the lead, which is mundane.

Now, at the age of 21, I am proud to say that I am glad to have taken the first step out of my comfort zone and do what I want to do, to see the world, to experience different working conditions and now I am doing my ultimate favourite thing in the world, I am writing..

I am sure everyone wants to do something else other than what they are doing at the moment but afraid to give it a try. Be brave and have the courage to move on to a new level, then you can do whatever you want without having to worry much...

A Pinch of Social Spark, A Handful of Facebook and A whole Lot of GAF

I have registered at SocialSpark for a few weeks yet I had no time to learn the tricks and get familiar with the whole site until tonight, when I finally get some time to do some blogging and updating my social sites.

The most disappointing event was when I received an error message that states

"Your account has been DEACTIVATED"

I was like, "WTH, how come my account is deactivated? What is the reason?"

Then, I was mad a little while, before I calm down and submitted a ticket to the support. I do hope they can activate my account as I have yet tasted the new dish yet, when Social Spark was first introduced..

Later on, I moved on to Facebook and apparently I have 71 friends. I wonder how I get 71 friends while most of them I don't even know them..of course, it is a trend in Facebook where you get to add people you are interested in..then wait for their approval and voila, you have a new friend..that is easy..I wonder why I have approved their adds, perhaps for networking?

So now, moving on to GAF..this is where my life is, freelancing..

I was and am looking for new projects to bid on but at the moment I haven't found anything yet, which was again, very disappointing but I will keep on looking, as I have Elance and Scriptlance as well..

Let just hope I will be able to secure a new project soon..

My Online Published Work

It has been a very tiring day for me and it is almost 11.00pm when I wrote this post but I figured that I will stay awake perhaps until 2.00am to get some things done and maybe to just browse some sites and learn a few tricks about blogging or writing.

However, I have the urge to showcase two of my published work on a youth operated site: YouthEcho.com

Below is the link to my published works. There are two topics I have written just for YouthEcho:

1. How To Identify A Fashion Victim

2. Bus Rides For Dummies


Have a look and hope that you will enjoy..

Meanwhile, I am going back to work now..

Update 15/7/09: Youthecho.com is no longer available.

You can always check me out here:

Triond

My Life As A Freelancer

Full time job is over. I am moving forward to become a freelancer. While most of the time, people would ask, "Why you give up on your full time job? You have secure income and nothing to worry about, unlike freelancing?"

I could only smile and replied, "Because I love to write and I cannot stop writing."

It is true, I can't stop writing at most of the time. The only time I stop writing is during lunch, dinner or when I need to go out. Apart from that, I am addicted to writing.

It doesn't matter what I write as I simply love to write. Writing is giving me satisfaction. Freelancing is giving me the freedom and opportunity to do what I love.

So why not I venture into freelancing?

Yes, the income goes up and down but as long as I can maintain great relationships with my customers and provide excellent services, I am sure I can achieve greater.

My daily routine being a new freelancer:

1. Wake up either at 7am or 11am (depends on what time I sleep the night before).

2. Check emails and log in to YM (Yahoo! Messenger)

3. Log on to GAF (GetAFreelancer), Elance and Scriptlance to bid for projects.

4. If I have projects to work on, I will start work right away after bidding.

5. If I don't have any project yet, I will keep on bidding and blogging.


I totally found a new life in freelancing and I am loving it..