Wrote 2 Short Articles Today

I have just submitted my 2 shorts articles for a blog of 300 words each. It only pays USD 1 cent per word, so you can calculate how much 300 words will bring in. Christmas is just over but the Yuletide spirit still lingers on. And I was in bed almost the whole day to recuperate from my stubborn flu after taking 2 rounds of anti-biotics for the last 1 month. As I felt better today, I decided to work a little by writing articles for income. My mind is clearer now and no longer drowsy from the medication and cough mixture. And Belated Christmas to my readers!

Merry Christmas 2008 & Happy New Year 2009

I would like to take this opportunity to wish my readers a very Merry Christmas 2008 and a Happy New Year 2009. As I am currently down with flu and taking medication that makes me drowsy, this blog will take a 1 week break. I will be off to somewhere later today and then to a mountain resort for the holidays for 3 days 2 nights. After that, it will be a busy week with many calendars to send out for 2009. Wish me journey mercies for the trip and speedy recovery for my flu. Till then, have a good holiday!

PayPal December Payment

This is my December PayPal payment for work done in November 2008. Today I got paid USD 201.71 and another smaller payment of USD11.90 for writing articles for a US company. It is one of my highest so far and this month I am not sure if I can match the payment for December as everyday, there will be articles to write. Sometimes revisions are required and I have written about 70 articles with 3 rejects so far. The USD30 was paid out to a company for the cost of express post to send a sample to my boss. I managed to find online the company that sells the material that he needed which was Velcro. Sometimes I just wish I have higher traffic to earn more from my blogs but there there is the trade off of working by the computer almost all the time to get people to visit your blogs and to have many supportive comments.

I don't have the time unlike some blogger housewife to update my blogs every day as I still have to work in the home office attending to quotations, drawings with Autocad, etc. Hence the USD549.71 earned within a month calculates to exactly RM2,000 at 3.64 exchange rate. If only I can earn RM2,000 part time every month from the internet, it will be a bonus for me.

Wrote 6 Articles Today

I guess I am in a marathon to write articles today as there were many opportunities to choose from. Each article is about 300 words at the minimum and 500 words on average. I think not many people can write so much in a day but I took breaks in between now and then. As I am a 4-star writer, my rates are USD1.4 cents per word. For 500 words, this works out to be USD7. This is much better than writing for only USD2 for 500 words which is the market rate for most freelancers web sites. Some even pay a measly USD1 for 500 words! I won't work for less than my current rate and prefer to relax and watch telly than to write so much for peanuts.

Make Money Writing Articles

Just 2 days ago, I was paid USD95.80 from a web site that offers written articles for clients and work for writters. I signed up in October and slowly accumulate my earnings up to over USD90 in a month. That means I have been writing articles on a daily basis upon signing and logging in. After entering my TIN - Tax Identification Number, I finally got paid to my Paypal. Yay! So now that I know the system works and will check and login every day for new job offers. And I was lucky to chance upon this brilliant web site using my Google Alerts to inform me based in keyword search. With plenty of time in my hands, I get to moon light writing articles to earn some pocket money. And this arrangement works very well for me indeed.

Time for some recreation

After working hard over the week, it is time for some relaxation and recreation - www.partofthegame.tv, a web-TV for football that you can view in your free time. Yesterday, I got an offer to write 7 articles but turned it down as I was still feeling drowsy from taking a cough mixture. I am having a heaty cough and cound not concentrate on work. Hence instead of working, I just relaxed and enjoyed my time being carefree just like a child. No worries about making making or anything of that sort but to seize the moment and be stress free.

Continue with Writing Articles

Today, my former client emailed me for an article to write on Tax Avoidance. It is about 500 words paying USD8 per article or USD1.5 cents per word. I took it up because it pays more than the normal rate compared to a freelancer's web site where you have to bid for very low paying writing jobs. If this works out well, I could be writing an article a day for him and he pays promptly right after I submit my work. So far, he is happy with my writings and there are hardly any revisions unlike other fussy clients. I am also bidding for a job to convert to PDF and add images to the contents. In this tough financial times, the little work that comes along are most welcomed from the States.

It is not easy to make money these days

It is so easy to spend money but to earn it is not easy at all. Not in this economic meltdown that is affecting the world globally with looming recession on the cards. Some bloggers even noticed a drop in their Adsense earnings and this does not auger well for making money online. With more people being retrenched, will they ever turn to the internet for solution and read blogs? Will there be a drop in online traffic? I don't know but still cling on to my part time venture blogging in my free time. The key now in these economic crunch is this : A penny saved is a penny earned - so don't spend on impulse and it is time to save whatever we have to brace ourselves for hard times.

Time for Austerity Drive

With gloomy news everywhere and press reports of USA economic crunch and impending global recession, it is time to herald austerity measures in our lives. Share markets continue to tumble down in bearish run for the past few days. So, how can we save money in this financial difficulties? Eat out less often and buy only when really necessary. Don't buy on impulse and every cent that you saved is a cent that is earned. You might like to consider working from home if you are retrenched or your company closed down. I was reading the newspaper yesterday and a big toy company retrenched its 7,000 workers in China which depended heavily on US markets in its toy making products. So, you have been warned. Prepare for the worst and don't simply spend money.

Going to KL on Thursday

This week coming Thursday, I will be going to KL with my colleague for business. We will meet up with some clients before driving back to Penang. I hope to drive around Kota Damansara surveying the neighbourhood as this is a high end place to rent and stay. You can find shopping lots downstairs your condominium in a few blocks and this makes it very convenient. Tesco, The Curve, IKEA, plus many other shopping areas are nearby which is central for buying stuffs and dining. I happen to discover this place by chance recently when we had to meet up with one of our potential clients for tennis court project. I hope they have Thai food somewhere around.

Writing more Articles

I have been upgraded from a 3-star writer to 4-star writer. The maximum is 5-star for professional writers. As a 3-star writer, I can earn about 1 cent usd per word, for 2-star, the amount is 0.7 cent per word while for 4-star, it is 1.4 cents per word. The earnings increase as your ratings go up. This new site is easy to use - just log in and check how many assignments there are with the star ratings. Note that a 3-star rating writer cannot write assignments for 4-star writers, but 4-star writers can write on 3-star assignments. Hence, if you are writing an article of 500 words, you can earn USD7 as a 4-star writer.

Time to Protect your Computer from Viruses that Steal your Personal Information

Here is a portable identity theft protection card that protects your computer from malware, adware, viruses, etc. It has won an award recently as shown above. Just click on the embedded video to see the features and securities of the nifty card. This is a great solution for you when using the scan on the go card. Basically, it protects users from viruses where ever they use a computer, such as a personal computer or those in the cyber cafe. Always feel safe with this identity theft protection card! Easy to use, just plug it in and go!



This identity theft protection card is convenient to use. Just keep it in your handbag or even a wallet and use it where ever you travel. It is portable and compact form that allows you to store it in a small place such as your hand bag. For the users, they get 10 dollars off when they use this code: KASALES5. Buy scan on the go on amazon to use the discount code.

When you purchase the card, it comes packed in a nice box with instruction sets that are easy to follow. If you like to know more, simply click on Scan on the go. This is a tool that you need to have especially when using the computer.

Photos and Video of my Trip to Kuching, Sarawak

Here is the Youtube video of my recent trip by motor boat to Bako National Park in Sarawak. I went with my two younger sisters.



Myself in the centre with my two younger sisters. There are many cat statues in Kuching, Sarawak. Kuching in Malay means cat.


Here is another group photo. This time we had to pay RM4 for the shot with the cats.


Visit to a cultural village.


Visit to a forestry.


Waiting for seafood at a beach restaurant.


Visit to Bako National Park.

Back from Kuching, Sarawak

I came back by Air Asia from Kuching 3 days ago and was contemplating of putting up photos here, but I shall keep it personal. No point boasting too much and besides, I am too lazy to process the photos. Suffice to say that we each saved RM139 by renting a car instead of taking guided tours. We went to Serikin border town market near Indonesia, Gua Angin (Wind Caves) and Semengoh Wildlife Park to see orang utans feeding on the second day. On the first day, we visited cultural village with cultural show included and then headed to Boa for seafood at our own expenses.

On the third day, we rented a motor boat to Bako Wildlife Park, the very place where The Asian Amazing Race was held. The boat trip was enjoyable. Never go in December during the monsoon season because the waves can be as high as 4 metres and over turn the small motor boat. That's why life jackets are a must during the trip. On our fourth day, we went to Chinese Museum and drove around Kuching near the waterfront. We also went to The Springs Mall, the biggest in Kuching and read some books at MPH.

The trip to Kuching was very enjoyable with my 2 younger sisters and perhaps we might have another tour together in 2 years time in Europe.

Articles on Muscles

Yesterday, I have completed writing 10 articles of 300 words each on muscles. It pays the normal rate of USD3 per 500 words. That works out to be a total of 3,000 words for USD18. I am still looking for better paying assignments online and will post my experience here on how to earn money online. Who says earning money online is easy? Well, it requires lots of luck to get handsome paying assignments and diligence to stick to the deadlines. Otherwise, don't bother to write at all if you find this too challenging. No job is easy and no company is doing charity throwing away money just like that. I also happen to come across a blog that is making about USD9,000+ on freelance writing.

It is an inspiration to read about others who are making tons of money on freelance writing alone and is pushes me to do just as well. Now you can start pondering if you like to start to freelance part time while moonlighting. All that is required is a computer with internet connection and you are on your way to start earning US dollars.

My computer is forever at the technician's

I am getting impatient because the technician does not bother to phone me to inform that my desktop is ready for collection. I had to call in after 2 weeks at their place after it was infected with computer virus. The Indian guy who was formerly doing sales became a computer technician probably because the boss is trying to cut cost from hiring real people with computer repair knowledge. And when I went to collect my computer, what the heck! It still has nagging problems of booting up and when I took it back home, I could not start my computer at all. This Indian guy came to my house to collect the desktop again and told me that it will take another week before it is ready for collection. Blardy hell. I cannot get my work done.

Writing Articles

I just got a job offer to write in Bankruptcy in USA which I have to turn down as I don't have any legal background on this topic. My writer needs 5 articles of 600 words each. I feel honored that he thinks I can write it but it is too profound for my liking. Since I earn a comfortable income from my present employment since the last 4 years, I am not too hard up for extra work. It will be more pocket money, that's all. But it is nice to receive an email for job order now and then especially when I am free to write.

Bought a new Laptop

My desktop is still at the technician's and boy they are taking a long time to solve the problem. Anyway, I have bought a new laptop, Acer Aspire 4920 at RM2834.00 with Windows Vista. This model is a bestseller and the most affordable one. I don't even have to install my printer driver as it comes with it. A lot of things are made easier with Windows Vista though initially there were a lot of glitches in using Windows Vista when it was first launched. For a start, I am using Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile processor of 2GHz. I also have 2GB of DDR RAM and 160GB hard disk drive. The price justifies the components that I am using. It makes my work run smoother and I am able to take up more paid work online.

Computer Infected with Virus

My computer was infected with virus recently because it keeps booting up on its own very frequently. So it was sent to the technician for about more than 1 week before it was ok and that bugger installed a trial copy of Anti Virus XP 2008. This is a spam software because it lead me to a site to pay for the full version costing RM150 which I decided to use my credit to pay. Upon payment, I realized that I was charged RM350 instead of RM150 as stated by the so call anti virus web site. After that I got the password to key in for full execution of the software which maliciously installed anti spam guard which keeps prompting up for me to pay further for the full installation. This is spamming my computer with unnecessary messages and I just cannot removed it from my PC. Moral of the story is never trust your technician to know everything and don't pay to install anti virus software.

Just Came back from KL

I was back yesterday evening from Kuala Lumpur after staying 1 night there. I am feeling in a very relaxed mood and don't have the urge to write articles part time at the moment. I guess I need to rest from the long journey back to Penang. We stopped by in Tapah for Baskin Robbins ice-cream, which was our dinner. We had planned to stop in Ipoh but it was rather late, so we drove pass through it. This month, I have earned about RM250 so far from writing articles while last month, I got RM850. I will still continue to write articles to supplement my income in view of the increasing prices of fuel, rice and other raw materials.

Taking a Break on Sabbath

I have a lot of articles to write, about 10 in all due today. But I am taking a break on a Sabbath day. Making money is not everything and sometimes I need to take a good break from it all. The articles pay USD1.50 for 300 words which is not much at all. Sometimes, I need to forego making money even peanuts level so that I can update my blogs with beautiful photos of food taken at various places. And I am not a machine that churns out articles after articles every day. Even my assistants or co-writers are choosy about the topics that they write. So, this leaves me having to write them myself but not for today and tomorrow. I need a good holiday doing the things that I love.

More Articles to Write On

This month, I have several payments to my Paypal for writing articles. It comes to about RM700. Not bad on a part time basis. And I have one potential writer emailed me to be my assistant from Australia after reading my blogs. There is so much writing jobs online that you don't have to be afraid of bids from your competitors. Just put a reasonable price and time frame for the work to be done and bid on. As an aside, I may have to consider closing my 3 wordpress blogs due to undisclosed reasons. Earning from Google Adsense is just way too little to justify having the blogs around.

This morning, I have placed bids for a writing job that pays USD1 for every 100 words from USA. I hope to be successful in getting this job that requires native English speakers. It pays more than USD2 for 500 words which is the market rate at the moment. And this is what I am getting currently.

Re-write 5 articles

This morning, my client from India contacted me via Google Talk and offered me 5 articles to re-write for USD2 each. That's USD10 in a day. They are about 500 words on Herbs and Breast Enhancements. The deadline is tomorrow morning, but as of now, I have already completed the job. So, now I can take it easy until she sends me more work orders. If you like to write articles and get paid in USD, you can email me at diana[at]gmail[dot]com so that I can pass the overflow work to you. It would be better if you have yahoo messenger or Gmail account for GTalk.

Going back to Penang tomorrow

I am currently in KL and have been here since 4 days ago. That’s why I have not been blogging to often or writing paid articles. It was a good break though I am here for business. In a short while, I will be going to Sunway Pyramid for 3 nights in a row as I love the shopping experience there. And I just discovered they have Teochew and Hakka restaurants in the new wing. I went to see the Japanese buffet nearby and my gosh, they have so many varieties of Japanese food that I wonder what will happen to them if they are not eaten up by diners. For RM55 per person, you get to dine here. As I am keeping watch over my weight, I shall give this a pass and dine other restaurants with ala carte food.

Doing Paid Articles

I was contacted directly from GAF to write articles on stretch marks. There are a total of 20 articles to write with each article comprising of 500 words. And I need to get this done by Sunday evening. It has to be 100% original written in my own words. And the pay? USD3 per article which is about the market rate for freelancers like me. My client is from Germany and I have just submitted one written article that passed Copyscape. Yeay! Next, I have 19 more similar articles to write and will be very busy tomorrow and the day after. Since it pays more than Adsense, I am devoting more time to writing as my part time job. It is a rewarding effort, as I get to learn about new stuffs every day while improving on my style of writing.

Invest in Gold

Whenever I walk pass the jewellery store in megamalls in Penang, I notice that the price of gold has been increasing steadily ever since I bought myself a gold bangle in Singapore. The money that I have saved up from giving tuition was spent on the gold bangle costing S$300. Now with the US Dollar dropping against the Malaysian Ringgit, it is wise to invest in gold coins. This is because the value of gold keeps appreciating very fast and it is a rare commodity. Gold is traded internationally and used as a form of investment. If I have the cash, I will try to invest in gold coins as they look pretty and will appreciate in value over time.

Working with Words

Recently I have been reading a lot of newspapers, combing page by page and some magazines to improve on my vocabulary and writing skills. That's because I intend to make writing my part time income. I have also attempted writing term papers like ALA style, whatever that means but samples are abound on the internet. Lazy students who prefer to pay other writers like yours truly to do their homework for them. This is a form of cheating, but if they are so stressed up writing a 1,000 word term paper and hate typing, then the internet offers an alternative solution for them, but I wonder if they will be competent in their jobs when they graduate later on.

There's plenty of writing assignments if you bother to search and register through the online companies, and to salvage such students. Still, others prefer contents for their ever growing web sites and need plenty of fresh information - not those that you copy and paste verbatim.

My Trip to Kuala Terengganu

I stayed in Grand Continental Hotel in Kuala Terengganu 2 days ago. My colleague drove us from Penang to Kulim, then to Baling, Gerik in Perak, Jeli, Machang in Kelantan and then down to Kuala Terengganu which is about 2 hours' drive from Machang. It was a fruitful trip and we secured the business deal. It was my first trip to Terengganu which is nearer to drive from Penang rather than Karak Highway in KL. All in all the journey took about 7 hours by car moving at 80-100km per hour. Below are the photos I took during the trip there.


This photo was shot just behind the registration counter in Grand Continental Hotel which incidentally was located by the beautiful beach.


Here is the lobby with lifts leading to the hotel rooms. Further in the photo is the restaurant serving buffet and ala carte food.


This is my hotel room with twin single beds.


A rather beautiful view from my hotel room of the blue seas and some atap roof houses of the Malay 'kampung' (village)


My simple buffet breakfast of sausages, curry chicken, French toast, etc.


A bill board next to the lifts.

Going to Kuala Terengganu

I was in Kuala Lumpur a couple of days back and will be going to Kuala Terengganu by car on Easter Sunday. Though I heard that the roads leading to Terengganu is not good, I hope the ride will not be bumpy. I plan to meet up with our client for sports project over there and hopefully the sale can be closed on the same day. This will be my first trip to Terengganu, the only state that I have never been in West Peninsular Malaysia. Also, I have been to Bintulu, Sarawak before, leaving Sabah as the only other state that I have yet to visit. We plan to stay 2 nights there in Grand Continental Hotel.

I prefer to travel using the North-South Highway that is smooth and easy flow of traffic. Going to the East Coast gives me jitters whether the car will break down halfway in the God forsaken place. There is very little traffic and asking for help from PlusLine is almost impossible. So, I better pray for a smooth, unhindered drive down to Kuala Terengganu.

Dr Seuss' Horton Hears a Who

Just 2 days ago, I went to GSC cinema in Queensbay Mall to watch Dr Seuss' Horton Hears a Who in its debut opening day on the 13th of March 2008.

The book tells the story of Horton the Elephant who, on the fifteenth of May in the Jungle of Nool, hears a small speck of dust talking to him. It turns out the speck of dust is actually a tiny planet, home to a city called "Who-ville", inhabited by microscopic-sized inhabitants known as Whos.

The Whos ask Horton (who, though he cannot see them, is able to hear them quite well) to protect them from harm, to which Horton happily obliges, proclaiming throughout the book that "a person's a person, no matter how small". In doing so he is ridiculed and forced into a cage by the other animals in the jungle for believing in something that they are unable to see or hear. His chief tormentors are Vlad Vladikoff, the Wickersham Brothers and the Sour Kangaroo, and the small kangaroo in her pouch. Horton tells the Whos that they needed to make themselves heard to the other animals, lest they end up as part of "beezlenut stew", which they finally accomplish. The Whos finally make themselves heard by ensuring that all members of their society play their part. In the end it is the smallest Who of all, Jo-Jo, who provides the last volume lift to be heard, thus reinforcing the moral of "a person's a person no matter how small".

Now convinced of the Whos' existence, Horton's neighbors vow to help him protect the tiny community.

It's interesting to see a pretty big creature like Horton concerned with protecting the tiniest creatures of all...even if the others in the jungle of Nool may not believe that's he's right about all those tiny people on the speck (well, maybe Rudy, the Sour Kangaroo's son, may think he could be right...)

Lovable characters like Horton, who can be serious at times (and is truly determined) but also wild-and-crazy, full of imagination and whimsy. Like the mayor, who is determined to protect his city from the dangers they're now being exposed to (who will protect the protector? "A giant elephant, up in the sky!... Don't bother to look, he's invisible...")

Highly recommended! The look of the film is visually stunning, and a good voice cast (CBS Radio's Charles Osgood narrates; the mayor and his wife are Steve Carrell and Amy Poehler, and Jim Carrey of course is Horton.

Lim Guan Eng as Penang's New Chief Minister

It is a day of reckoning when DAP (Democratic Action Party) trounced Gerakan and BN in the recently concluded Malaysian 2008 General Election. Now we have a new Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng who was sworn in yesterday to be the people's spokesperson. No longer do we have an academic Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon who was muted about the NEP (New Economic Policy) and could hardly fight for the Chinese rights. NEP was implemented by the second prime minister of Malaysia Tun Razak. It is biased and unfair to the Chinese and the Indians while enriching the Malays, more likely those in positions of political power.

To quote from Datuk Lim Keng Yaik, it is scary to see the UMNO Youth president, Datuk Hishamuddin wielding the keris (Malay sword) in their general assembly. This should stop. No wonder the Barisan Nasional lost quite a lot of seats. There has been much corruption, cronyism, and insensitive remarks made in the past by UMNO members. And we Chinese have to learn to bear with it and try to get along with them because they are in power. Hopefully with DAP in charge of Penang now, this will no longer be the case.

Tags : Lim Guan Eng, Penang's new chief minister, Malaysian 2008 General Election, New Economic Policy, Democratic Action Party, DAP, Barisan National, NEP

Reasons for the Malaysian 2008 General Election Results

The results of the Malaysian 2008 General Elections took everyone by surprise. Incumbent Barisan lost 4 more states - Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor to the opposition. What has really happened? There are some plausible reasons to this. When our former deputy prime minister, Anwar released the Lingam's video to the press near election time, it was very destructive for the goverment to know that a common lawyer like Mr Lingam could broker the appointment of judges in high court. There was much corruption with the 'Correct, Correct, Correct' lawyer offering free tours, houses, handphones to top judges. This show how corrupt the judiciary is.

Secondly, churches were not allowed to use the word 'Allah' in their printing materials and in their preaching. What the heck! The word 'Allah' was used before Islam came to Malaysia. It shows how narrow minded the government is. And Bibles were confiscated recently by the customs that belong to a Baptist church. Looks like the citizen's freedom is being eroded bit by bit.

People were also fedup especially the non-Malays of the NEP (New Economic Policy) favouring the bumiputras or simply the Malays. All government contracts are given to bumiputra companies only leaving out the other races, the Chinese and the Indians. No wonder Lee Kuan Yew said we were being marginalized just because we are more hardworking, diligent and rich. Most of the common Chinese in Penang have felt the pinch of NEP and they are not as rich as before. People are angry and therefore, don't expect the rakyat to vote for you when you are not fair to all races to begin with. You preach one thing, but your actions speak another.

Since Penang is now in the hands of the opposition, I hope future tenders will be fair to all races and not solely for bumiputras only. Hopefully my company will be able to participate in sports open tenders meant for anyone and any race on a fairer system. I also hope that goverment planned projects to develop Penang like the monorail, Penang's second bridge, Penang Outer Ring Road and the like will not be delayed any further by the government since the rakyat or citizens have chosen the opposition to govern them. Congratulations to Lim Guan Eng and Karpal Singh of DAP, Datin Seri Wan Azizah of PKR and the other victorous candidates.

Tags : Malaysian 2008 General Election, reasons for 2008 Malaysian General Election results, Democratic Action Party, DAP, Barisan National

Herbalife - an affordable direct selling program to join

I joined Herbalife, a multi-level marketing (MLM) or direct selling program just 3 days ago. It was so convenient. I paid by internet banking to my upline's Maybank account and the next morning, it was delivered right to my door step by Skynet from Kuala Lumpur. Above is are the items I have received from Herbalife. And I was introduced this by my upline who is also my Yahoo Messenger online chat friend based in KL. He has been doing this business for 3 years now since they started in Malaysia and have even gotten RM10,000 check in commissions from his 30 downlines.

I am happy I have made the right choice to reduce weight. As you can see, I love food too much and it is about time I need to reduce my weight for an optimum BMI (Body Mass Index). From the BMI chart, I am considered overweight but thank goodness not obese. So I bought Formula 1 nutritional shake of french vanilla flavor to replace my daily meals. Just 2 scoops with 250ml of water to replace my lunch and dinner. As of today, I have already lost 0.5kg after 2 days of drinking the vanilla shake. And it is delicious and not sweet at all. I have previously joined other MLM companies, all to no avail like Perfect Youth and Lampe Berger which cost a whopping RM30,000 just to be a count. I only paid RM98 for the business pack with distributor license and form. And another RM79.23, after 50% discount at cost price from my upline at a supervisor level, for the Formula 1 nutritional shake. For more details, check out here and see the pictures of consumers with slim sexy bodies from an otherwise obese body. By the way, F1 nutritional shake mix is the bestseller product of the company to help people reduce weight.

Herbalife was founded in 1980, a company that sells weight-loss, nutrition and skin-care products by multi-level marketing, also known as network marketing. In February 1980, Mark Hughes began selling the original Herbalife weight loss product from the trunk of his car. Mark started Herbalife with the help of physicians including a Nobel peace price winner for medicine after much research for the supplements. Herbalife started when Mark Hughes saw his own mother died at the young age of 36 due to efforts trying to lose weight from unworkable and sub-quality weight loss programs. The company now has grown by leaps and bounds, spread in 60 countries with multi-billion dollar profit. If you like to lose weight while earning money at the same time, drop me an email at diana [dot] tan [at] gmail [dot] com.

Stayed in Dorset Hotel for the Weekend

I had a very good weekend vacationing in Dorset Hotel in Larut Road, Penang. It was located just opposite Kentucky Fried Chicken's outlet in a colonnial bungalow. It was also conveniently located opposite my church known as Georgetown Baptist Church with English services at 9:00am, 11:00am and Hokkien service at 4:30pm by Pastor Yeoh Guan Hock. That's one of the reason why I booked this hotel instead of staying in Vistana Hotel like last weekend. Our church service venue has been changed from Relau to Larut Road in town. This is a much bigger place and better location which is quite established. Below are the photos taken from my camera.


View from our hotel room in Dorset Hotel.


See the Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet at the bottom. Another view from our hotel room.


Writing table with lamp and mirror.


How comfortable the huge sofas in the lobby.


Bathroom of our hotel room. There's a basket of freebies like shampoo, shower cap, cotton buds, sewing kit and soap in the corner.


The huge kingsize bed.

Happy Chap Goh Meh

Chap Goh Meh represents the fifteenth and final day of the Lunar New Year period as celebrated by Chinese communities. The term is from the Hokkien dialect and refers to the fifteenth day of the first month, which is the occasion of the first full moon of the New Year.

The occasion is marked by feasting and various festivities, including the consumption of tangyuan. In traditional Chinese culture, it is also celebrated as the Lantern Festival or the Shang Yuan Festival. In Southeast Asia, however, it coincides with the Chinese Valentine's Day. It is also when young unmarried women gather to toss tangerines into the sea, in a hope that their future spouse will pick it up – a custom that originated in Penang, Malaysia. In the past, this was also the only day that unmarried ladies could be seen with their partners.

Tags : chap goh meh, chinese valentine's day, throw tangerines

Down with a Cough

Yesterday I went to see an Indian lady doctor in Island Glades and she charged me a very expensive amount of RM55 just for a visit of cough without fever. The normal charges are usually RM25 to RM30 just for a simple cough and sore throat. And she gave me a strong anti-biotic which I don't really need as I don't have fever and charged me an exorbitant amount for it! Previously I did see her before and did tell her some of the medication I already have and there is no necessity to give to me. But still she insisted on me using her medication.

I had originally planned to visit Dr Por of Union Clinic in Jalan Gangsa, which is much cheaper and he doesn't simply charge patients for medication that they don't require. Twice before I went, the clinic was closed... most likely he went for dinner before opening again at supposedly 7:00pm to 9:00pm. It is just unfortunate that the time when I could visit him, the clinic was closed. And I have been resting at home, hopefully my cough will recover soon. I guess I ate too much heaty crackers during Chinese New Year.

The Queue Up Church

Here is a youtube video showing the queue to New Creation Church about one and a half hours before the service starts. Imagine such hunger to hear God's word being preached by Pastor Joseph Prince, a modern day very annointed prophet and preacher. And they are not queuing up for ang pows or some free gifts from Her World magazine.

In fact, one of the shop owners got so curious what people are queueing up for that she decided to join in the crowd and then became a Christian and accepted Christ into her life. That's the living testimony of how people came to know this dynamic church that preaches to the whole world, United States included via satellite TV. And this was my former church when I was still in Singapore. I really missed not being able to attend in person the 4 services on Sundays. If you happen to be reading this and is in Singapore, just check up on newcreation.org.sg for the time of the service and make sure you don't miss it. I promise you won't regret it.

Happy Chinese New Year 2008

Here are some photos taken around this season at various places to whet your appetite. I shall be going to Haadyai from tomorrow morning until the third day of Chinese New Year. In the meantime, there won't be any blogging as I take a break. The van will come and pick us up at around 6:00am tomorrow to Lee Garden Hotel in Haadyai. My parents plan to get lots of cashew nuts which are cheaper there. Happy Chinese New Year to all my readers!


Shop selling all kind of Chinese New Year paraphernalia.


Red pussy willow. Commonly used to decorate homes during Chinese New Year.


Turquoise intricately designed antique bowls.


Pots of kumkuat that resemble mandarin oranges are a hot buy.


What kind of fruit is this?


Large red fans hanging from the ceiling.

Photos taken in Parkroyal Hotel, Penang

The buffet dinner was themed Seafood with slipper lobster, prawns, salmon, oysters and more.




Prawns and more prawns. Nice decoration.


Seafood buffet dinner with meat and veges.




Good selection of dessert with custard, chocolate mousse, etc.


Outside the hotel with tourists resting by the pool.


Beautiful swimming pool lined with palm trees.


Foot Massage in the Hut.


The room that I stayed 2 weeks back in Parkroyal Hotel, Penang.


The room furnishings.


Carpark view outside my hotel room.


White linen covered chairs in the garden for barbeque dinner.

Going to Stay in Equatorial Hotel Today

I have faxed to Equatorial hotel my credit card details to confirm a room for tonight. The price is RM295++ with RM100 credit for food and beverages. This is a 5-star hotel near the air port and is popular amongst executives with business dealings in factories in Bayan Lepas. I have dined and had buffet dinner before in Equatorial Hotel but never stayed there. This is a good opportunity to experience the room ambience just before Chinese New Year.

The air seems to smell of money and ang pows during the Chinese New Year season. And there will be lots of hampers, promotions, deals during this festive season. Also, I shall be going to Haadyai to avoid nosy relatives during Chinese New Year from 7th to 9th February. A van will come to my house and pick us up (me, my youngest sister and parents) and bring us to Lee Garden Hotel in Haadyai. My youngest sister booked online for the hotel while my father arranged for the transport to Haadyai. Wish me journey mercies.

Tags : Equatorial Hotel, Lee Garden Hotel, Haadyai, Chinese New Year

Got Back My Computer

After 8 days in the PC clinic, I finally got back my baby, my computer. It is much faster now and all spywares removed. I still maintain and continue using Windows XP as the Operating System. And tomorrow early in the morning, about 6:30am, my colleague will come fetch me to Melaka for a meeting at 3:30pm. Just hope that we can make it for the long journey from Penang. We will stay 1 night in Subang Jaya's condominium before coming back.

And now here I am blogging. That's because I need to find an excuse to use my 'new' computer. I have yet to install all the software that I normally use. Maybe after coming back from Melaka, I will find the time to load the necessary programs to continue working from home again. In the meantime, I shall enjoy working from home while the opportunity is there.

Computer Sent for Repair 2 days ago

Lately, my desktop computer shuts down on its own and some silly error code appears that makes all editing impossible. I have to reboot a few times to get the job done. I suspect it is some malware being installed into the computer. As of now, I am currently in KL and blogging via a laptop. It will take some days, at least 3-4 days before my desktop computer is repaired and brought back. I have requested that geniune Windows XP Home edition be installed so that I can have automatic update of anti-spyware from Microsoft web site. An upgrade to Windows Vista requiring change of motherboard to Intel Core Duo to support it cost about rm700 more. I suppose I will use my present desktop for a few more months to a year before upgrading to Windows Vista.

Going to Stay in ParkRoyal Hotel Today

The weekend has arrived finally and last week I stayed in G Hotel beside Gurney Plaza. Today I have already booked and reserved 1 night in ParkRoyal hotel in Batu Feringghi. The room rate was supposed to be RM370++ but with the coupon posted in the letter box, we only pay RM270++ with buffet breakfast. And the promotion is valid from 1st January 2008 till 31st March 2008. Right now I am recharging my camera batteries that conked off on me last night while I was in Queensbay Mall. The Chinese New Year decoration was beautifully done and I had wanted to take some snap shots but my batteries went flat on me. Next time.

Joseph Prince at Hillsong Conference 2007

I have been amazed at the success of Pastor Joseph Prince's preaching to the world. He is the senior pastor of New Creation Church in Singapore. From a mere 100 plus members, New Creation Church has grown to be about 15,000 members now. It has the largest Hokkien service in Singapore with more than one thousand members.

Why do people love Pastor Prince? For one, Pastor Joseph Prince has received word of healing, word of faith from the Holy Spirit. He is very much in tune and walks closely with the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I mean, this guy really listens and receives fresh manna from heaven. You could say he is a modern day prophet. And whatever he says has come to pass and people who listen to him have made money. Sometimes he drops nuggets of gold to his congregation by telling them when to buy gold for instance, at the right time and when to invest money. Not only were people made richer, some of them have been healed from sickness and terminal cases. Though not everyone has been healed, but the fact that many were healed listening and following his teachings, speaks volumns of his annointedness.

I still continue to buy his teaching CDs, music CDs, sermons and books from his web site in NewCreation.org.sg Indeed Pastor Prince is extremely annointed and blessed. Recently he has paid 100 million singapore dollars downpayment for a new iconic building for his growing congregation in Singapore. If you think he is a cult leader, definitely people around the world won't be fooled by him. He preaches to USA, Uganda, India and a few other countries around the world via tv satellite. Now you Singaporeans are very lucky to be able to catch Pastor Prince live in New Creation Church. Though the queue is very long, but it is well worth it.

Review on G Hotel in Gurney Drive, Penang

Last weekend, I checked into G Hotel beside Gurney Plaza at 3pm on a Saturday. I could actually check in at 2:00pm but my friend was still busy with his work. Below is the photo taken from my room showing the super condominium Regency on the left and Gurney Park condominium on the right. The swimming pool decked with palm trees belong to Regency while further on the top right side is the swimming pool of Gurney Park. Don't they look stunning? Now I feel like going for a swim.



This is the bathroom and the sink of G hotel. They used red seeds or known as 'biji saga' which grows abundantly in Malaysia for interior decoration. Ok, the colors of the hotel theme are brown, beige and red. I used to collect a lot of these red seeds in Dalat International School and last time in Gurney Drive before the upgrading.


I took this photo in the lobby of the hotel. It is different from other olders hotels which have big flower vase and hanging chandelier. Here, the ambience is more romantic, lights dimmed down and plenty of sofa sets for you to lie flat on your back. The platform is wooden with lights surrounding it.


The charge per night is 255++ and after taxes and service charge, the total amount came to almost RM300 for 1 night of stay. May be a bit on the pricey side for most people but once in a while, it is ok to splurge. You can be sure, I will not be staying here every weekend, but I love to try different hotels and experience the settings.

Below is the list of hotels that I have stayed so far in Penang.
1) G-Hotel
2) Gurney Hotel
3) Northern Suite Hotel
4) Cititel Hotel
5) City Bayview Hotel
6) Traders Hotel
7) Red Rock Hotel
8) Sunway Hotel
9) Vistana Hotel
10) Hydro Majestic Hotel
11) Naza Hotel
12) Berjaya Hotel
13) Penang Hill Hotel
14) Pulau Jerejak Apartments
15) Cruise to no where, 1 night
16) Dorset Hotel

Going to Stay in G-hotel today

The weekend has arrive and this Saturday, I will be staying in G-hotel beside Gurney Plaza. The charge is RM255 without breakfast for superior room with king size bed. I will get to do a lot of window shopping as Gurney Plaza, Penang's lifestyle shopping mall is nearby. At the moment, it is under expansion, so there will be some construction work going on. Just the other day, I had a set dinner in Manila Place for an affordable price of RM35++. This is because it came with mushroom soup (plenty of chopped button mushrooms in it), bread, butter, appetiser, coffee or tea, salmon teriyaki as one of the many main courses to choose from (quite delicious and big helping) and ice-cream as the dessert.

G-hotel is not like any other hotel that you find here. For one, the interior decoration is very modern and hip. You will not find big vases of flower and hanging chandeliers unlike the older hotels. Here, you will find a very cosy lounge with plenty of sofa sets and cushioned chairs with lighted lampstands beside them. The setting is just like a modern house's interior, cosy and comfortable. The lighting is dimmed down for that romantic feel. The flooring is raised wooden platform with side lights. I am looking forward to today's stay and check in time is after 2:00pm.

Alvin and the Chipmunks

Last night, I watched Alvin and the Chipmunks for the second time. The movie was that good and entertaining. Alvin is the cheeky chipmunk, while Simon is the smart one with spectacles and Theodore is the small plump chipmunks who keeps having nightmares. Dave Seville (Jason Lee) was a down-on-his-luck musician who just needed that special something to make his songs sell. That's when three talking chipmunks, Alvin (Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Theodore (Jesse McCartney), ended up raiding his home. Their rise to stardom is seen in "Alvin and the Chipmunks."

The computer graphics were superb as animators blend them with humans. The facial expressions of fear tell all especially the three chipmunks had to sing to Uncle Ian for the first time. This movie shows a father figure in Dave and money-making practical businessman in Uncle Ian who make use of the talking chipmunks to generate more cash from singing tours. Dave have had enough when he saw on TV how the poor chipmunks are so tired and exhausted from so much singing shows all over USA. This is a must see movie for all, not only the kids.

Dr Chua Soi Lek was caught with his pants down

Our former health minister, Dr Chua Soi Lek had to resign when he was brutally honest in admitting for being the Chinese minister caught in the sex video taped in a hotel in Johor. Had he been a Christian, he would not have been so blunt and commit the act in spite of him having a wife and 3 children. Being a public figure, he has to show good example of being a family man to the nation. But no, he could not control his 'langciau' and some would wonder how long this has been going on before the video was taped secretly. Hotel Katarina or whatever the name was ought to have its license revoked for brutal invasion of privacy where Dr Chua was videotaped. He has stripped naked to Malaysia and caught in the act. Imagine, booking a hotel room where they installed pin-hole video camera and start videotaping you when you have having sex or changing clothes. No wonder the boss of the hotel was sick recently. Apparently he does not know what goes on in his hotel and the hotel staff are up to monkey tricks.

Anyway, since the incident, Dr Chua was apparently forced to resign to safeguard the government and coming election. He did the right thing by resigning, otherwise he would have been sacked by higher authorities which would be more embarassing. In the past, mighty men or those holding top positions in society were brought to shame when they keep a mistress or have sex outside marriage. These people ought to remember that they are under public scrutiny when they hold top positions.

Now his children have to bear the shame and also chip in money to help maintain the family as Dr Chua is now a retiree. Overnight, from a somebody, you become a nobody and resign from all public posts. Let this be a lesson to all ministers there who are keeping mistresses. Don't ever get caught with your pants down.