Where could it be?

I'm just terrible. I'm always misplacing things around the house. Why can't I find the things I want around the house. I knew I put it somewhere safe but why can't I find it now? So frustrating, I've been searching high and low, rummaging through all the drawers and I still can't find it. I can't find my iPod!

The problem is I don't use my iPod that often so now that I have a need for it I can't find it. I'm such a dill. I've just downloaded a bunch of Nickelback albums but I can't listen to them because I misplaced my iPod. Where could it be?

Auto insurance quotes

We have two cars for many years and they were both insured with the same insurance company for years. Whenever the renewals come I just pay them and not bothered to compare the price with other companies. You can say I was a very loyal customer but loyalty gets you nowhere because I’ve since compared all my insurance quotes and you know what? I can save myself heaps of money if only I shop around! So for auto insurance quotes that save you money, make sure you shop around before paying your next renewal. Don’t do what I did, I was a sucker.

Bugger that!

So what d'ya know? So my brother does read my blogs, I never would've thought of that but I've just found out today that he does from time to time. So I guess I should be careful with what I write. But why should I censor myself? I should be able to write whatever I feel like since its my blog. Unfortunately things are never that simple.

So from now on I have to think before I write; is it too controversial? Will it offend people I know? Will it get me in deep trouble? Oh bugger that! I'm writing whatever I like okay?

Engagement rings

I must admit, when I proposed to Terese I didn’t get her a ring! I remember her saying she didn’t want one but we did get wedding rings for both of us together. So now after so many years of marriage she’s nagging me about her not getting her diamond ring! That’s why I’m checking out JewelryVortex.com where you can find engagement rings, wedding rings or any kind of rings you’re looking for they got it there.

Kudos to Aussies

Reality TVs. They're everywhere nowadays and growing in popularity by the months. First there's Survival, then The Amazing Race, Big Brother and now MasterChef. I'm not really a great fan of reality TV but I like Amazing Race and MasterChef.

MasterChef is the biggest thing in Australia at the moment. Though started by the British the Australian version is heaps better. They've changed the format of the show and now due to the success of Australian MasterChef they're selling the new format to European countries. Kudos to Aussies!

Outer Banks rentals

I love spending holidays by the sea, love the smell of the sea, the sound of the waves rushing onto the beach and the seagulls. Days spent in the warm sun and sands, surfing on the waves. It’s just my kind of holidays and I can’t wait for my next break so I’m busy looking for Outer Banks rentals at work now since that’s where we’re planning to go next.

Free meals

What a nice lunch we've just had, best of all it was free! Ivan's shout since he lost a bet to my MIL about getting a good price for her house. He thought it wouldn't fetch over $400K but it did better than that so being a man of his word he shouted us all to lunch. We went to Plume in Doncaster for Yumcha. So I made sure I ate a lot!

Last night we had a free meal also; a friend's birthday dinner at Templestowe Hotel. Been to that place a few times already but the food is getting from normal to boring now. Its time to look for another place to go next for my birthday next month.

Women shoes

I’ve always had trouble looking for shoes because of my feet size; they’re a little smaller than most people. So finding the right size for my feet can be agonizing sometimes when the smallest size they have is usually one size bigger than my feet so imagine my glee when I came across this store that stocks shoes of my size! They have all kinds of shoes there; women shoes, men shoes and even children shoes. Blessed shoe heaven!

Pleasant surprise maybe.

The weekend is finally here and we can all have a little rest before going back out there again to fight another week. So what's on this weekend? Well not a whole lot actually but maybe going to a birthday dinner on Saturday night at the Templestowe Hotel.

We have been to the Templestowe Hotel for lunch many times before but never for dinner. I don't think there would be much difference in the menu except for the price. Don't know, we might be pleasantly surprised maybe.

Home projects

Like most people nowadays I prefer to do my shopping online instead of trolling around town looking for those special tools I need for my home projects. The internet has revolutionized the way most of us shop. A search of a particular item on the search engines will easily enable the shoppers to find their products and one of the best places I do my shopping is at ShopWiki.com where I can find all the tools I need for my projects like circular saws and any other hardware for home improvement. And they even find the best available price saving me time shopping for the right price. Give ShopWiki a go and I’m sure you’ll thank me for it.

Sold

Yesterday my In-laws sold their house that they've been living in for the last 22 years. It was an auction sale and the buyer was willing to pay $430,000 for it. The house itself is old and run down but the buyer has alternative plan for the land; he's a developer who's going to sub-divide the property into 2 or 3 dwellings.

Seriously we didn't expect the auction would go that high but it did. But it did and at a really good price. The In-laws have already bought another property in Sunshine close to their son at $405,000 which means they have $25,000 of cash to spare. They're going to need to fix the new place with that money I supposed.

Kettlebell

I’ve always wanted to do more physical exercises but going to a gym is not an option. So working out at home is the only answer for me and there are a lot of ways I can work out in the privacy of my own home. One of the exercise programs I’ve come across and am quite interested in is the Kettlebell workouts. DVDs of the exercises and a free kettlebell is included in the package to kick start my new program. I can’t wait to start on it.

Happy new financial year!

Can't believe it has been a year since we took over this business and running it from home. So how has it been all these times? Well we had our fair shares of ups and downs but I think we just managed to get through alright.

I think next year will be better, even though we lost a few old customers we also gained a few new ones and with the online ads running we should be able to gain more customers in the future. Happy new financial year!

Undermount sink

I find normal kitchen sinks too small to work with sometimes, especially when you need to clean your pots and pans. I’d prefer an undermount sink because with its deep and wide basin I can do my dishes easier, including pots and pans. Furthermore it’s handy because you can dump a lot of stuff into it like when you’re washing food and stuff. Well that’s got to be on my top must have list of things.

Sick again

Damnit! I'm sick again. Just when I thought I've gotten over a mild cold, bang! The virus hit me again and this time its even worse. Started out with a bit of nasal infection, then sore throat, coughing and last night high temperature and body ache.

I gotta see a doctor today. Blardy not be swine flu but I won't be surprised since I live right in the middle of swine flu central! Just exactly how I catch a virus I wonder coz I don't mix with other people so often...hmmm.

Atrophex

There are so many fat burning dieting pills out there in the market and for some one like me to choose the right ones that suit me can be really daunting. I think the important thing to do here is to do lots and lots of research into each and everyone of them so that we can have make informed decisions on which ones best suit us. I’m currently looking into Atrophex which I think will best suit me. You should check it out too if you’ve never heard of it.

Being your own boss

Yesterday was a holiday; Queen's Birthday in Australia which means everyone in the country got the day off work, us also. Sort of. It was good because it was quiet and we managed to keep up with our work so we can start a new lot this week.

The thing with owning your own business is that you don't necessarily get your holiday just because everyone else does. We have to work when its busy and relax when its not so that's just part and parcel of being your own boss.

Poor fish

Poor thing, looks like another fish is on its way to fish heaven again. I found it upside down in the fishtank this morning. What its is with me and keeping fish? They just keep dying on me I should just get some plastic fish. Then I'll have nothing to worry about.

On another thing; I found the phone number on my business website is wrong by one digit. No wonder the phone hasn't been ringing. Stewpig me! Well its fixed now so hopefully the phone will start to ring.

Birth announcements

It’s hard to find a good card nowadays; I’m looking for a birth announcements card that is unique and special for a friend who’s expecting the birth of her child soon. We’ve been to the stationary shop and saw how unimpressive the cards there are so we’re still looking high and low for that special card. I just hope we find it before the baby pops!

OMGawd!

Ahhh! Swine flu is all around us! There are cases of this latest deadly disease in my neigboring suburbs and we're right smack bang in the middle of it. Now I'm too scared to go out for fear of catching the bug from strangers. Then again maybe I already have it since I've been coughing a lot with sore throat and all. OMGawd!

Computer memory

I remember years ago computer memory modules used to cost a bomb. It was a luxury few computer users could afford. Then the prices started tumbling down and everyone can afford to give their computers a boost in performance by upgrading the memory. In fact it is so cheap that I’d always maximize the memory to its full capacity. Why not? It’s too cheap!

Self medicate

Damn! Must be the sushi I had for lunch that's giving me a gut ache. Then again I've been getting gut aches quite frequently lately due to gawd knows what? Everyone could be eating the same thing and yet I would be the only one with gut ache. It must be just me, I need to see a doctor I think but I hate going to the doctor's. In fact I don't like doctors so I usually self medicate!

Elliptical

Having gained quite a consideration weigh I thought I’d better hit the gym. Unfortunately I’m one of those people who are too lazy to go to the gym so it will be a costly exercise for me if I sign up. The alternative is to have my own gym at home. Yes I think I can turn one of my spare rooms into a gym, all I need is to buy a couple of exercise machines like an elliptical and treadmill. Brilliant!

Need to fill up

The weather has been exceptionally warm for this time of the year. We're nearing the end of May and winter is just around the corner and yet we're having 22C days. Not that I'm complaining about it, the warm weather is nice and all but it has been too dry for my liking. We need a bit of rain would be nice. I need to fill up my water supply.

HGH

We can all do with a bit of help when it comes to our health and looking good. That’s why more and more people are taking up HGH supplements nowadays to make themselves feel younger. Some even resort to taking synthetic HGH injections which isn’t a safe way of going about it. We should do our homework before deciding on the best HGH supplements to suit us to prevent any complication down the track.

Great weekend.

Its Monday again, the weekend went past so quickly. Not entirely a mundane weekend though, we did get to do a couple of things. On Saturday we went to a friend's house for dinner with her family and a movie in their home theatre. Didn't get home till 1 am and that's rare for me now.

Then on Sunday Terese's sister came to visit with her 2 children. It's good to see them again and the kids are just as adorable as before. We went to lunch down the street and came back home for a kiddie movie before they went home around 4 pm. That's the end of the great weekend.

Sales Training

The thing with your own business is that you have to be everyone yourself like the administrator, accountant and sales person. You need to know a bit of everything just to run your business properly. Now most of these skills I supposed you could learn as you go but sales training is very important because your profit margin depends on how well you market your products.

So do I go or chicken out?

I was mucking around on the internet last week when I entered myself in the TV game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. In the application I got to play a little game online but I think I didn't do so well so I didn't think much of my chances. Little did I know I got accepted to a second audition for the show next week! So do I go or chicken out?

Lipofuze reviews

I’m always happy to try anything new at least once. Who knows, just because it’s new doesn’t mean it hasn’t been proven to work. It might just be the one that works for me, not all things work for everyone but when I find things that work for me I’ll stick to them. So that’s why I’m willing to give this new product a go after reading the Lipofuze reviews. I think it just might be the one for me.

Wiating for customers

Finally the business website is done and online. After a couple of months since I contacted Bryan about it its finally done. I must say Bryan did a good job, the main ideas coming from me. I wouldn't have a clue how to build the web pages but Bryan basically did what I told him to do. Now I'm just waiting for customers.

Maternity Clothes

Having a baby is the best and most rewarding thing in the world but it also mean you'd have to make some wardrobe adjustment for at least 9 months. It doesn't necessarily mean you have to be in rags for the term of the pregnancy, you can still look good in maternity clothes from DueMaternity.com where you can find all the clothes you need to get you through the pregnancy.

Ad campaign

To help with the ailing business I've started an online ad campaign. I've listed the business in many online business directories like AussieWeb or Dlook. They all claim to be free but once you've signed up with them they start calling you up trying to sign you up as a paid customer. I've signed up as a paid customer with Dlook just to test it out for 6 months to see if it will help generate any leads. But the best result actually comes from AdWords where I've already have 1 lead.

Ma huang

There’re always new phrases or words to learn everyday like just the other day I came across a phrase ma huang which I have no clue of what it is supposed to be in English. But somehow it sounds very familiar to me in my native tongue meaning troublesome or nuisance. So I’m guessing anyone can use any language they like on the internet and no one’s going to stop you!

Gale force wind

Weather wise it is going to be a crappy day today. Gale force wind but little rain is not what my garden needs. The wind will cause the most damages since it willbreak and smash all the plants around. Woke up this morning to find the plastic sheet protecting the veggie patch was flapping in the wind and it has also flatten a few seedlings. I hope they'll be okay.

Colon cleanser reviews

People are more health conscious nowadays than the previous generations. We eat better, look after ourselves better and generally take better care of ourselves. One of the things we can do for our health is colon cleansing and detox. There are a lot of products on the market that claim to do just that but many are just out to make a quick buck due to the popularity of colon cleansing. What we need are unbiased colon cleanser reviews so we can make informed decisions on what are best suited for us. Different methods might suit different people.

All's done now

I woke up this morning with aches all over my body due to the back breaking work I had to do yesterday. I ordered 1 and a half cubic meter of top premium soil for the veggie patch from the local nursery supplier. The soil was dump on my driveway so I had to cart the lot into the backyard with buckets! Don't know how many bucketload I had to cart in but it took forever. Lucky for me Terese helped shovel the soil into the buckets while I brought them in. All's done now.

San Diego California hotel

One of the places in America that we’d love to visit is California. Terese has her relations still there, aunts, uncles, cousins and nephews I think. Though we keep in touch through the internet its not the same as seeing each other face to face. Like most Asian families we’d be asked to stay with them when we visit but I think its better to find ourselves accommodation like the San Diego California hotel which is very near where the families are.

Good news

Terese just called, she's been out seeing a potential client in Brunswick East. They've given her a style to try out first and I think this is a highly potential future client. They make lingerie and get their works done mainly in China so they've asked us to grade and create markers for them to take to China. This is good news indeed.

Ferrari parts

One of my dream cars has got to be a Ferrari. If I start saving my pennies now perhaps I will be able to afford to buy an old second-hand one when I retire! It’s a good time to get it since I would have plenty of time to spend restoring it in my garage fixing it up and replacing faulty parts with genuine Ferrari parts to its original glory. I’m dreaming aren’t I?

Kudos to her

I was walking behind a woman who wore a short summer dress. All of a sudden a gush of wind blew her skirt up to reveal her underwear right in front of me! I can tell you she wasn't wearing G-string but a BIG polka dot undies big enough to cover her big asset! Too bad I didn't have my camera with me but you know what? She wasn't bothered about it at all..kudos to her.

Do diet pills work?

Losing weigh is a multi million dollar industry and all around the world millions of people struggle to loose that excess weigh that they don’t want. People will do just about anything to achieve that figure they want like exercise, diet pills and surgery. Take diet pills first; do diet pills work in the way the manufacturers claim they do? And if they do then why do people keep taking them? You shouldn’t have to keep taking them just to maintain your figure. There has to be a better way.

Easter break is over

Well the long Easter weekend went as quick as it came. Just a blink of an eye the 4 day break is over...and I didn't even get to do anything! Actually I did get to finish my little project that went on for 14 months but after that its just doing some chores around the house and not much else.

Yesterday we did managed to go into town and met up with some relations for lunch. Apart from that its a pretty quiet break which in itself is actually quite good, or maybe not.

Diet pill

A long time friend of mine has always had problems with his weigh. He’s always been trying to loose some weigh for the sake of his health but for some people losing weigh is just too hard. It doesn’t matter how he diet, how he exercise, nothing seems to work. He’s at a stage where he’s thinking of taking diet pill but I stress to him that he better do his homework first, never like the idea of popping a pill to solve your problem.

Interest's down

Whoopie! The interest rate has fallen again to just 3% from 3.25% yesterday. But if you think this is going to save you some money on your mortgage you are sadly mistaken because the major banks have no intention of passing on the savings to you!

Bastards! Only one of the major banks has decided to pass 0.01% to the borrowers and the rest nada. Blood suckers the banks are, if I had a choice I'll hide my money under my bed. I'll be safer that way.

UGG boots

Probably it started as footwear for warmth and comfort in the cold months but looks like it has turned into a fashion statement. I’m talking about UGG boots of course, they’re not very glamorous, in fact quite ugly thus the name UGG but seems that they’re gaining popularity across the globe. Nowadays almost every woman must have at least a pair of the ugly UGG boots in their shoe collection. Have you got yours yet?

Seminar tonight

I'm going to a seminar tonight. I'm not really looking forward to it but I feel that I should go for the simple reason that it might help me with our business. Since the business isn't doing well at the moment I feel I should at least give this seminar a go.

I hope its not one of those feel good seminars or those trying to get you to part with your hard earned money. Better not or I'll be out of there the minute I smell a rat!

CAD Drawings

Another good reason for me to get a new and better PC is that I’ll be needing to run some serious CAD programs with the new PC. Therefore it has to be powerful enough to handle some serious cad drawings. A good monitor and a great video card are essential plus enough RAM and CPU power are all needed in the new system. Spare no expense!

My PC is dying

Just my luck, my desktop PC is dying on me. Well it has been enduring my use and abuse for so many years now so its only fair that it can finally rest in peace. Now I'm looking around for a replacement. Been looking at Dell's PC since I'm quite happy with the notebook I bought from them.

I think I'll just get a bare minimum PC and add in whatever I want later because its cheaper to get the parts later than from Dell. Next is the matter of paying for it, I think I'll use my stimulus cheque that I'll be getting from Uncle Kev to pay for it.

Automotive lifts

Living in the city can have its advantages and disadvantages. One of the disadvantages is parking; there are just not enough of them for everyone. If you’re one of those people lucky enough to own two cars then you’re in even worse situation unless you get yourself one of those automotive lifts that allow you to literally stack one car above the other. Parking problem solved!

A little extra

When my neighbor Adam moved to London he left me some of his stuff from his garage like his gardening products. Some of these products are liquid & granule fertilizers. I've been meaning to use them but never got around to doing it until now.

This morning I decided to pop open the liquid feed he gave me & to my surprise it was never open! So this morning instead of getting the usual watering all my plants got a little extra in the water and I still have half of it left.

Jillian Michaels workouts

With summer over and the weather getting cooler day by day one can get slack and put on some extra kilos especially if you don’t get out and about during the cooler months. One should always make an effort to keep fit irrespective of the weather; we can always achieve this by keeping active indoor when the weather is not too kind. Do some simple exercises like the Jillian Michaels workouts would be perfect and we can all do it at our pwn pace. So lets get on it.

A beautiful day

Not so long ago we define a beautiful day as a sunny day, blue sky, no rain and ambient temperature. Nowadays the definition of a beautiful day should be an overcast day with constant rain! Funny how a long drought can do that to you where you look forward to rainy days rather than sunny days.

And that's what we all got for the last couple of days with good rainfall all over the states. It even rained on the day of the concerts held for the the bushfire relief but there was no one complaining. Bring on the rain.

Immigration lawyers

This country is made up of people from all over the world and that’s what makes it great. Since the days of our forefathers people’s been coming here to give a better life for their children and it continues to be the norm today. Just about in every community I know needs immigration lawyers in their areas to help the new arrivals and I’m glad I can do my part as well for the communities.

What a relief

The rain is bringing some much needed relief from the dreadful summer heat we just had not long ago. Its bee raining for a couple of days, though lightly its still a great relief. I even manage to collect 2 wheelie bins of rain water and the garden is getting a good soaking. I finally get a break from carding out the shower water for the garden too. Lets hope the rain keeps up.

Jobs in IT

I’ve been noticing that most school leavers when asked what they want to do is getting jobs in IT or IT related. I supposed a lot of it has to do with computer games and applications kids been playing with since very young age. Its one thing to wanting to get a job in that field but another to have the qualification to get into it. Usually they have to take up another course to help them land the jobs they want so eventually they end up back in school!

No credit card

It was quite an eventful day yesterday. Being Sunday Mui decided to have Andrew's 21st birthday party on the day instead of the real day 11 days ago. Everyone chipped in and I was in-charge of picking up the roasted pig from Richmond in the morning.

I arrived just after 10 hoping to pick up the pig which was sitting there waiting for me. Being a restaurant I thought they would take credit card payments as well as cash since I didn't have enough money on me. Bad luck, they wouldn't take my credit card so I had to drive around town looking for my bank's ATM before picking up the pig which cost me a good half hour.

Everything but the cash drawer

When we bought our business from our former employer we had to move the business to our home to run it from there. During the last week at the old premise we managed to take almost everything with us, everything but the cash drawer were taken including the plotters that weighed a ton each. The computers were quite easy because they were lighter but the filing cabinets were killers on my back!

Its raining

After nearly 2 months without rain it has finally come. Yippee! This morning I woke up and greeted by dark luminous rain clouds blanketing the sky. Then I heard the sound of pitty patty rain dropping on the ground and it lasted for 2 minutes!

Damn it we need rain desperately! My garden depends on the rain water so I wouldn't have to card out shower water everyday breaking my back. Well at least there's no heat wave like we had a couple of weeks back.

Slot cars

Jessie’s nephew Ethan is only five or six I think but like most boys his age he’s mad into cars. Everything involving cars and he’s into it. He likes all the car movies and TV shows like The Fast And The Furious franchises and the ever popular British TV show Top Gear. So at least it makes buying presents for him easy; just get him toy cars like slot cars, remote control cars or even model cars!

One week on

Its been over a week since that terrible day in Australian bushfire history. Though the weather has turned for the better the fire is still burning in parts of the state. For the last few days Melbournians been waking up with blanket of smoky haze choking the city.

The official death toll now stands at 189 but is expected to rise further. There are still many more people missing and there are still a lot of bodies to be identified by the coroner. Some of the bodies may never be identified due to the severity of the fire. I hope we never see another day like the Saturday on the 7th of February.

Omega watches

Thinking back when I was on holiday in Malaysia when we went to visit Chinatown in KL where you can find products that you thought you would never be able to afford like designer bags, watches and jewelry. It was a shopping haven where you can let loose and shop till you drop. Of course these are all imitation products so I think I will save up my pennies to get those Omega watches that I’ve been wanting since I was little.

Another scorcher

Gosh! Not another hot day coming up this weekend! It is forecast to be a scorching 43C again this Saturday, the day everyone's invited to celebrate a one year old birthday. This is not good, where would all the guest hide from the heat? The house isn't big enough to put everyone in it.

The last time we had a one year old birthday party there it was a good day and all the guests were seated outside. But this time it is going to be a disaster, I hope they postpone the date to Sunday where the temperature is only predicted to be 25C.

Self storage

Some people get too attached to their possessions and never want to let go of them. I don’t, in fact I hate clutters and would throw anything away if I don’t use them anymore. Well if you’re one of those people who must absolutely keep those sentimental stuff but have no more room in your house for them then consider using self storage facilities. They don’t cost much and you get to keep all your clutters!

Spending Chinese New Year

Well let's see what we're going to do for Chinese New Year this year..tomorrow we're having a New Year lunch with our friends. Was supposed to be a dinner but Selwyn and Caitlin have to go somewhere in the evening. So lunch for this year it is then. We do this every year all 3 families and will continue to do so for many more years to come.

Then next Friday we'll probably go to Crown again for their Hawkers Bazaar down on the Esplanade like they have every year. It's becoming too predictable now with the same acts and performances year in year out. And there's no fireworks like they did when they started the first year!

Acne treatment

Back when I was in high school there were a lot of my classmates who had very serious problems with their acne, some worse than others. I was one of the lucky ones in that I did not have much problem except for a pimple here and there every now and then. Some of my classmates had really bad acne covering their whole faces. I think there wasn’t much acne treatment back then except for some acne cream. Nowadays there are so many to choose from so there’s no excuse for bad acne days.

Lunar New Year & Australia Day

This year's Lunar New Year falls on the same day as Australia Day meaning there will actually be a holiday on the day! Living in Australia for so many years I've missed the exciting festive season as was celebrated back home in Sibu. It is such a contrast here even with the event celebrated by most of the Asian residents. Nothing compares to New Year in Sibu so I don't even bother to make an effort anymore.

Instead it'll just be another day comes Australia Day or Lunar New Year Day. At least it'll be a holiday, maybe have a barbie with some friends or family..that's about it.

Diet pill

A famous local funny celebrity who has always been on the heavy side has decided to shed her extra weigh. The public has always known her as a heavy woman and in a way I think that’s probably her trademark as well. I heard on the radio in an interview that her goal is to target 85 kilo and that will be a huge weigh off her. Well good on her if she can achieve that for her health but I wonder if her new image will be detrimental to her fame since everyone’s used to her extra weigh. Losing weigh is hard and I’m glad I don’t have that problem but if I do I’d rather have a miracle diet pill and not bother with the hard work! Of course that’s wishful thinking.

This will do fine for me

Yes I know I've been lazy in updating my blogs. Rather than doing so on the weekends I opted to do my scale modeling instead. And yes I've been slack in updating the progress of my Millennium Falcon model as well! Actually the scale modeling project was going the way of the 'too hard' basket as well until I bought the magnifying lamp from Officeworks.

The magnifying lamp from Officeworks is a gem and I can do my projects with it. Cost me $149 but it's worth every cents. It's not exactly the real thing like what they have in a lab which costs thousands of dollars but this one will do fine for me.

Term life insurance

Life is so unpredictable; one minute we are enjoying the best of our health and the next minute things can change for the worse. It is so imperative that we safeguard ourselves and our families for any unexpected nasties. It is imperative that we all get ourselves insured like a term life insurance. Sure when we’re young we think we’re indestructible and life insurance is the last thing we want to spend our hard earned money but it could well be the best investment of our lives.

Everyone's on holiday except us

Even though it's the holiday season there's a lot of work for us to do. Our customers left us with a lot of work so we had to try to finish as much as we could in preparation for more work when most of our clients come back from their holidays.

Having so much work we are running low on cardboard paper. I hope what we have left over we can manage to last for another week because our paper supplier is also on holiday for another week!

Tankless water heater

A couple of years back my friend’s water heater in their home broke down and they had to get a new one. It was the perfect opportunity for them to get the latest state of the art tankless water heater that doesn’t require a big water tank like a conventional water heater. It is slightly dearer but I think it’s worth every cents of it, I would get one for myself if mine broke too. You get instant hot water!

Happy New Year 2009

Happy New Year everybody! Can't believe it's 2009 already, where did the year go? So how did you celebrate the New Year? Did you get smashed on New Year's Eve? I know I didn't because I was at home watching the countdown to the New Year on TV and the fireworks.

But we did get to celebrate the New Year on the first at our friends' house. We stayed all day and they had their whole clan of family there; it easily could have been over 100 people! Lucky they have a big house to put them all in. So that's it for another year, let's hope 2009 will be an even better year for all of us.

Everything has to go including the faucet

Renovating the bathroom is estimated to take a couple of months since we’re going to attempt to take on the task ourselves. First we have to rip everything out like the bathtub, vanity unit and the faucet. Next would be the tiles, everything has to go so we can have a blank canvas to work with. We don’t actually have a set idea on what we want just yet so anything is possible at the moment.

More rain next week

I've given up on the idea of installing a rainwater tank in my backyard for the simple reason that I don't have enough room for it, even for a slimline version. Instead I've bough myself 4 240 liter wheelie bins and together with the existing barrel they'll be used to collect the rainwater from 2 downpipes. All up I hope to collect nearly 1200 liter of water on a good downpour. It's been a while since we had a good downpour and I've been using what water we have left over from the last downpour. I'm hoping we'll get more rain come next week.

The sales is on!

With Christmas behind us for another year the much anticipated annual Christmas sale is now on. It started on Boxing Day and will continue for another two weeks. There are some keen shoppers out there hearing that people were queuing outside the department stores at 3 am in the morning waiting for the doors to open at 5! Now that’s dedication.

Back to work

Well Christmas came and went with a blink of an eye. I was so busy working I didn't even know how and when it came. This year I really missed out on Christmas; no Christmas shopping at the mall and no post Christmas sale for me. Too busy with work I have to work right through.

But it's nice to know people still remember you, it's not a completed disappointment though coz I did get to spent Christmas eve with the in-laws, Christmas lunch at a friend's and Christmas dinner at another in-law. So there, that's my Christmas all wrapped up for the year. Back to work.

Christian videos for Christmas

With Christmas literally just days away I’m struggling to get all my gift shopping done. I’m one to put in some careful consideration when choosing gifts. Don’t want to get just anything, has to be something that they’d like and appreciate so that’s why my gift shopping’s still not done yet! But I think I’ve got the right gift for a friend of mine who’s a staunch Christian and that’s Christian videos and there’s heaps to choose from at NestEntertainment.com. Now that takes care of him, now who’s next?

Waste of precious drops

I have decided to scrap the long time idea of getting a rainwater tank for my backyard, simply because there's no room for it. Instead I'm going to have 4 240 liter wheelie bins to store the rainwater when it rains.

I've already purchased the bins over the internet and now just waiting for them to arrive. I hope to get them before Christmas. There's been a recent downpour of rain but I didn't have enough container to collect them all and have to let them go. What a waste of precious drops.

CLA supplement for my health

With all these work that I’m busy with at the moment I mustn’t forget to look after my body at the same time like eating the right food, exercises and taking my CLA supplement. Oh yes, I’ve been taking these supplement for my overall health, CLA which stands for Conjugated Linoleic Acid is a type of fatty acid which is essential to my diet and helps me with weight loss as well. There’s nothing worse than making all those money to the detriment of your health!

Ready for another round

OMGawd! I woke up late this morning at 8:30! I usually wake up at 7:30 every morning but this morning was exceptional. I was so tired last night, actually I've been tired for the last few nights all due to the work I was doing right into the nights.

It feels good to be working hard again, its been a while since I felt so tired after working. Its all worth it, bring it on. More please! I'm all pumped up and ready for another round.

Light fixtures for home office

As you may already know, we turned our lounge into an office where we can work from home. However the lounge came with soft dim down lights which may be appropriate for living but not really suitable for working. We’re thinking of getting some ideas on different types of light fixtures that will be more appropriate and a good place to start would be at LightingShowplace.com.

Happy clients are good paying clients

Its been a busy week since Last Friday actually. I'm not complaining, it makes up for the quiet times we've been having last month. The clients are starting to get their acts together now I reckon which is good for all.

I've been burning the midnight oil for the last couple of nights trying to catch up with work. I like to be one step ahead of the clients so they can get their works back quickly too. Happy clients are good paying clients.

Industrial knobs

I’m currently working on a little project that would hopefully be able to protect my delicate plants from the harsh summer sun these few months. Summers in Melbourne can be a real scorcher with temperature rising past the 40C so even the toughest plants can do with a little help. The project is like a portable shade that I can assemble and disassemble in seconds and it includes aluminum rods, industrial knobs and shade cloth. Maybe I should patent it!

First day of summer

Today being the first of December is also the first day of summer in Australia. However the weather sure doesn't feel like summer at all with rain last night and cool breeze in the morning with more rain predicted for the day and the next few days.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the cool weather at all. In fact I welcome it especially the rain, we can do more with rain for the gardens. I'm also looking forward to this month because I'm expecting to get really busy at work as we move into Christmas and beyond.

Christmas For Payatas

Christmas is almost on us and most Australians are getting ready for the joyous season…especially the children. While we all celebrate this merry occasion with presents and food we must not forget that the children in the landfill of Payatas are rummaging through rubbish to find anything of value to sell for food.

Let’s all get together and help these children have a better Christmas; this is a charity appeal to all Australians to help with donations so they too can have a joyous Christmas like us. There are many prominent supporters for this great cause from footballers to politicians. Let us all unite as Australians and show them that we care. Please watch the video below for more information and donate generously to the Christmas For Payatas appeal. Merry Christmas!

...to make money!

It's less than a month till Christmas and like most people I'm looking forward to it. However I'm not looking forward to Christmas the way most people are in the sense that I'm looking forward to the amount of paid works that traditional a business like mine would be getting.

Yes Christmas time is traditionally the busiest time of the year for us and with business being slow the way it is, at least we can make up for it then. We're not Christians and never really celebrated Christmas wholeheartedly so it is just another time of the year for us..to make money!

Leptovox

It’s hard trying to loose that extra pound especially for people who are hereditarily heavy. It’s genetic, not just about eating too much. Some people don’t eat much but they still put on weigh so we should get help from wherever we can get it like exercises, good healthy food and a little bit of slimming product like Leptovox can go a long way to a healthier you.

It can only get better

The global financial crisis has hit home hard. We are not immune from the rest of the world, our stock market is on the landslide and businesses are closing down. We're definitely heading into recession.

Personally my own business has taken a turn for the worse also; sales is down by a lot. This month has been the slowest month ever but we can't give up now. We have to hang in there, it can only get better after the worst.

Digital signage

I have been thinking about doing some advertising for the business lately but which medium should I go with? There are so many advertising mediums out there all claiming to be able to sell your products to your potential customers better than anybody else. Truth is I need a high traffic area like a shopping mall with digital signage that attract potential customers more effectively. This I think is how I should go.

Sticking our heads in the sand.

It looks like no one is immune from the global financial melt down. The United States is in recession and so are the European countries. Japan announced that they're into recession as well and looks like Australia is not too far behind.

It is predicted that Australia will be in recession for the first half of the new year despite what everyone is saying about how strong the country is and that we're able to weather out the turmoil. We must be sticking our heads in the sand to think that.

New holiday frames

Well the silly season is almost upon us. It’s less than 40 days till Christmas! Have you organized your holidays yet? Well before you go on your holidays this year make sure you get yourself a new pair of glasses with a choice of different Holiday frames from ZenniOptical.com like I have.


If you don’t already know it ZenniOptical.com is the place to get your eyeglasses at ridiculously low prices starting from only $8. They have a huge range of frames to choose from so you will definitely find the ones you like. Right now with the holiday season upon us be sure to check out their holiday frames just arrived for the season. Don’t just settle for a frame, I got myself a few just so I can wear different frame on different days!

While you’re there at Zenni Optical be sure to check out their women’s fashionable glasses as well. Who say you can’t be stylish with glasses? You must also check out their children’s frames as well if you have kids, also have a look at their bifocal frames, men’s frames and even goggles. But whatever you need I’m sure you will find them there because if you can’t find what you need at Zenni Optical then you can’t find it anywhere else!

One out of a hundred

Things have been going quiet recently maybe due to the uncertainty of the current economic turmoil sweeping across the globe. People are scare of spending their money and rather sit and watch how things turn up. So we had to do something and I've been cold canvassing potential customers across Melbourne by sending them letters and business cards introducing ourselves and hoping to get a bite or two from them. So far I've only gotten two inquiries, I'm not expecting much but if I can get one customer out of a hundred correspondents I'll be happy.

Top careers

With the current economy the way it is a lot of people are feeling the pinch; cut backs and lay offs are leaving the average households in difficult times. We are heading into the worst recession since the Great Depression. Well, all isn’t all glooms and dooms because the economy will bounce back. We just have to hunker down and ride out the storm to come out the other end. And when the boom comes there will be lots of opportunities for top careers in almost every industry.

It never had a chance..

This morning when I came down to feed the fish I was greeted with a shocking sight; a dead fish on the floor next to the fish tank! It must have jumped out of the tank in the middle of the night and through a tiny little gap!

The problem with comets is they swim very fast and will leap out of the water if given the chance. I had one leaping out of the water right in front of me the other day but I managed to grab it and put it back in the water before it hit the floor. Last night? It never had a chance..

Best fat burner

I have a lot of friends who are forever trying to loose that extra pound. Truth is loosing that extra fat is not easy, sure one can do lots of exercise but there’s a lot of factors involved like lifestyle, food and individual’s metabolism. By far the best fat burner will have to be a trip to your pharmacy because you can get a good start with the proper medication to help you achieve that perfect weigh.

What to do?

We've finally got our BAS done; yesterday I received an email from the account with document of our BAS which the account has prepared. All that was needed for me to do was sign the document and fax back to the accountant.

In the meantime we do have to pay the GST owing to the ATO before the 25th of this month or else! Businesses are being used by the ATO to collect taxes from the public and got nothing in return except for the GST claims which isn't much. What to do?

Save on car insurance

We have 2 cars in our household but I’ve been thinking of getting rid of one of them since we only ever drive 1 car at a time. This way I’m hoping we can save ourselves some money on maintenance like car insurance, registration and services. It’s just getting too expensive to maintain 2 cars nowadays and the price of petrol is forever rising there’s just no point in keeping both cars.

This morning..

We went to see the accountant this morning. We need to get our BAS done and our personal tax returns done too so this way we kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Still it took us about 2 hours to get everything sorted out even though we haven't got much complicated paperworks.

After the accountant we decided to pay a visit to Becky and Peter's bakery shop since we were in the area. We found the place alright but they were not in! Oh well, next time then.

Tea Collection

In our line of work we’ve done quite a number of works for different children clothing companies throughout the years. We thought we’ve seen them all, I mean how much difference can children’s wear differ right? Well not till we’ve seen Tea Collection at ForestAndZoe.com where you will find hundreds of stylish children clothing at amazing prices. Their designs are quite unique and very original so if you’re looking children clothing you know where to go.

Well prepared for the summer heat

We finally got our air-conditioner installed for downstairs. The installers came bright and early yesterday morning to install the units in place but without an electrician license they weren't able to install the cabling. Another installer will have to come to finish the job.

The second installer came in the afternoon and took the rest of the day to finish installing the cabling. Because of the distance of the unit from the switch board he had to running cables through the garage and along the external wall of the house in conduits to get to the air-con. It didn't look too bad and he's done a good clean job. We're happy with it and well prepared for the summer heat.