The Benefits of Working at Home

I have been working at home since February 2004. It certainly has its many benefits, especially in this Covid-19 pandemic. Now the Controled Movement Order will be implemented again due to the surge of Covid-19 cases almost all over Malaysia, including Penang. I try to stay at home as much as possible and only go out if necessary like dining at hawker centers. I guess I am still blessed, that I am able to still generate a little allowance here and there doing surveys, microjobs, and such.

It was shared in the Whatsapp group that someone committed suicide by driving his car into his workplace for being laid off after working there for 7 long years. This is tragic and should not have happened. May God bless his departed soul.

Now I have 2-3 opportunities to make money from home which is free to start and if you are interested, just call or Whatsapp me at 0111-6694988. This is only for Malaysians. Jobs are scarce now and more are getting the golden handshake or rather being laid off. My income is also affected, even though I am still being employed, because projects are less now and owners are finding excuses to make the last payment, as usual!

Below is a nice Good Morning on a Saturday instagram picture taken from my account.

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A post shared by DTan (@philin135) on Nov 6, 2020 at 10:50pm PST

Finally, stay safe and stay at home. Always wear a mask when you are outside.

Completed a Web Development Course on Client Side Today

This morning, I completed a Web Development Course by Coursera, that was sponsored by MDEC for the jobless or unemployed graduates in IT. I took about 2-3 hours to complete the assignment for the final project before submission. There were 6 modules of several videos to follow. Each module is supposed to take 1 week to complete.

Below are my grades for the total quiz and assignments.

So, my overall score was 91%. Here, I learnt the basics to HTML5, CSS and Javascript. I will next proceed to Facebook Marketing and then Full Stack Development if time permits, as I have until end of the year to learnt up the many courses available on Coursera. The web development was taught by a software engineer and a Computer Science professor of University of California. The good thing about this is that I can learn at my own pace and convenience. Applied knowledge is power.

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This is quite random but I just like this 1980 painting by David Hockney that’ll be auctioned soon. From 2nd sis in the UK 🇬🇧. #davidhockney #davidhockneyart

A post shared by DTan (@philin135) on Oct 30, 2020 at 6:45am PDT

Above is a lovely picture from my Instagram of a painting by David Hockney. It was Whatsapp to me by my second sister who is lecturing English in a UK University together with her hubby. Both of them have doctorates, Ph.D. in their respective fields. That's it for this blog post. Stay safe and stay at home.

Sponsored Course by GLOW, Penjana, MDEC

Our Malaysian government encourages continuous IT learning. MDEC stands for Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation. Starting from last Saturday till Monday yesterday, I attended a 3 full-day course by Global Online Workforce (GLOW PENJANA) from 9am - 5:30pm, with short breaks in between. I have learnt to make a logo and bid on Freelancer.com where I was given 100 free bids to work on.

Here is the link that I can share from Coursera on Javascript programming at https://coursera.org/share/e662a9625f4f963d379eaed897366824. This is one of the many courses that you can choose from and it is sponsored till the end of the year, starting from May, during the Covid-19 initial outbreak.

I hope to go into Full Stack Development later after this course and also on Facebook Marketing. There will be certificate given for each completed course that you can show to your potential clients. So, this will increase your credibility and applied knowledge creates wealth.

Finally, I would like to share the "Good Morning" Instagram photo from my account as seen below:

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A post shared by DTan (@philin135) on Oct 18, 2020 at 7:25pm PDT

Stay safe in this pandemic and pray always for protection and safety.

On Site Visit and Traveling along Penang Second Bridge

I followed my business partner to Butterworth recently for an on-site visit and thereafter, we went back via Penang second bridge. This bridge is much longer and more curvy compared to the first one that was straight with more views of the seas. We also passed by several MNCs or factories in Bayan Lepas, the Silicon Valley of Penang. It is an area that has many factories which manufactures high tech gadgets, semi-conductors, silicon chip, and more. Examples are Plexus, Intel, Agilent, and such.

I am also a little tired from all the online work at home using my laptop and smartphone. This morning, I am feeling a little groggy, even though I slept early last night, and forgot to bathe since I overslept. Anyway, in this Covid-19 pandemic, it is better to live one day at a time and count our blessings of being alive with God's grace.

In the USA, more than 220,000 Americans have passed on due to Covid-19. I hope and pray that this situation will be controlled. I had also watched a video of how people are leaving New York City in droves due to money being channeled to other departments and no longer to the NY police department and rubbish removal department. This is simply absurd. Prisoners are freed and rubbish uncollected due to no income from the Federal Government.

On a positive note, see my "Good Morning" Instagram picture below:

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A post shared by DTan (@philin135) on Oct 16, 2020 at 4:46pm PDT

See how pretty the graphics are in the aforementioned picture. I take pride in uploaded lovely pictures from my Instagram account. This is certainly uplifting and encouraging to view, instead of watch negative news of the world on Astro tv.

Lunch at Sakae Sushi and 10.10.2020 Date Today on a Saturday

We had lunch at Sakae Sushi a few days ago in 1st Avenue Mall, Penang. Previously there were 4-6 cooks or chefs busy preparing food before the pandemic. Now it is reduced to just 2 cooks/ chefs and just 1 waiter. Apparently the previous staffs were all retrenched and Sakae Sushi hired new people at a lower rate. So, in total, there were just a mere 3 staffs manning the restaurant.

I also called up my real estate agent who sold me my KL unit at the highest price of $293k before GST was implement to soften the property sector, as the prices were skyrocketing. Now it is worth a mere $260k at market rate, and you will be lucky if you can sell it at this period of Covid-19, where thousands were displaced from their jobs and unemployment abounds. People will come view the property, but won't buy, according to my real estate agent. They will give valid reasons of lost of jobs or increase of Covid-19, hence, it is better to rent than buy.

Below is a nice banner taken from my account that I uploaded to show an auspicious date of 10102020 which will never come again.

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A post shared by DTan (@philin135) on Oct 10, 2020 at 1:43am PDT

Don't you find the above banner rather interesting? It is very attractively done against a black background with colors that stand out. Hence, this post during this auspicious date here of 10.10.2020 before the day - Saturday - is over in a couple of hours time at EST time here in Malaysia.

Here is another banner from my Instagram too and see the inspiring wordings.

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A post shared by DTan (@philin135) on Oct 10, 2020 at 1:40am PDT

The words are very meaningful in the banner above, especially in this pandemic of coronavirus, where so many people are confused, jobless and stressed out. I wish you all well and take care. Stay safe at home and don't go out if necessary.

Dim Sum and Fast Food in the Heart of Georgetown, Penang

I love dim sum and will indulge it myself once in a while with my spouse. By now you know that I have become a part-time Youtuber and upload personal videos almost daily for a better algorithmn.

Note that this food is not kosher or 'halal' as there is pork inside. But I certainly love the prawns like fried prawn with beancurd skin, prawn dumplings or 'har kau', prawn 'chee cheong fun' paired with shallots and sambal belacan, and more.

For this particular eatery, they sell dim sum, alcohol and Chinese fast food, which includes the various veggies, chicken, fish, etc. Just watch the video above and view it till the end.

As now it is 1:03 am in the wee hours of the dawn, morning, I have included a nice Instagram picture below from my account.

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A post shared by DTan (@philin135) on Oct 2, 2020 at 6:45pm PDT

Don't you find the blue geranium flowers lovely in the photo above? I don't think they are cheap either and are quite rare. They are seldom used in the decorations of flower bouquets in the lobby of hotels and such.

Anyway, in this pandemic, do stay safe and wear your mask at all time when you are in public places. Heard from the news yesterday, that our Donald Trump tested positive for Covid-19! So, don't gamble with your life and think freedom is more important than this pandemic, by not wearing your mask.

The 6 Benefits of Working at Home

This is an old article written by me years ago for a client to showcase my writing abilities. It was not used anywhere, hopefully, by the client who later hired me for a while to write for him on a part-time basis. Well, I am still on the learning curve when it comes to English, spellings, grammar, etc. I am not perfect in my writing, but nevertheless, it has allowed me to at least earn a little allowance here and there for the hirers who are not so stringent.

For proper journalism, I have to edit a few times, as required by my editors in Singapore. Hence, I have had experience writing for the professionals whose English is impeccable with writing that attracts repeat visitors. All credits will go to the online publisher. My 2 younger sisters have better English than me, with better grades in school. They scored 'A's while I got 'B' for English 1119 many years back. They are avid readers of novels written by Americans and British authors. While late granny made sure I spent my time studying text books, depriving me of improving my English since mum bought the books and grandma didn't want me to read those books.

Anyway, with software and constant reading, my writing has improved a little, not to say by leaps and bounds. Therefore, it is imperative that you read a lot and become a voracious reader. Consuming knowledge is better than consuming alcohol, don't you agree? Being able to write sufficiently well, it is one of my few streams of income now and then. But you have to work hard and be able to revise a few times to satisfaction.

Sometimes, people may also take advantage and get you to write for free, editing so many versions for them. But then again, this is part and parcel of life, learning from your own working experience. Working at home certainly has its many benefits. Just listen to the video above carefully, and you may get some tips on why we should now take advantage of technology to work at home, especially in this Covid-19 pandemic that has ravaged the world economy, causing mayhem globally.

It behooves me that people are still searching around for their calling and vocation in life, the honest way. Of course, we should be cautious of the quacks and scams that abound in the internet fraternity. I, for one, do not like to depend on a fixed salary from 1 source of income. You should always have multiple sources of income to retire comfortably with excess to donate to charity, or pass to your siblings, as in my case, should I pass on.

So, blogging, writing, microjobs and surveys have kept me very busy these few days, not counting being a content creator for YouTube. Everyday is a learning curve for me and the internet is full of information, if you are hardworking and search for it. Do implement what you have learnt, as action speaks louder than words. Finally, some final words: "Stay safe at home and always wear a mask whenever you are in a public place."

Dinner at Mizi Bistro

I went to Mizi Bistro recently and ordered my favorite which is, "Fish My Dream," consisting of poached Dory fish on top of braised spinach and drizzled with a special secret sauce. My friend had "Monte Carlo" fish, which has similar ingredients except without the braised spinach and topped with sliced sausages. The set dinner for 2 consists of mushroom soup, drinks of ice peach tea, lemon tea, hot green tea or coffee. There is unlimited ice cream with 6 flavors after the main course. The ambience is cozy with dark wood decorations for that rustic feel and porcelain pictures.

As you can see from the video above, the 6 flavors of ice-cream are chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, green mint chocolate chip, peanut butter cup, etc. You have a choice of strawberry or chocolate sauce to drizzle over the ice-cream and sprinkle with colorful beads or chocolate beads. They certainly look tempting in the video.

There are several Mizi Bistro outlets in Penang, but the one in town is closed. This was at Straits Quay Tesco, Tanjung Pinang. Anyway, I came back from KL yesterday after staying overnight in our rented condo in USJ 19 Mall, Subang Jaya. Since my partner drove down, he needs a break from the long distance driving of 400 km one way. There were several changes in USJ 19 Mall with more improvements for the better. Da:Men certainly looks much better now with many restaurants move in and lots of high-level tenants. But the condo at that time for an empty one was half a million at the cheapest, which was beyond my budget.

Any, in this Covid-19 pandemic, stay safe and stay at home as much as possible.

My Birthday Celebration at Foong Wei Heong Chinese Restaurant Recently

This was treated by yours truly for her 50th birthday anniversary at Foong Wei Heong Restaurant. Only immediate family members attended. Mum, youngest sis, spouse and myself. Dad had gone to heaven while second sis has settled down in the UK. The video was done using an app in my iPhone X, converted from MOV to MP4 file format that is compressed and then uploaded to YouTube for further sharing.

The food ordered were sumptuous dishes of seafood soup, pomfret fish cooked in 2 styles, spinach soup with egg yolk, spring rolls in 2 styles, seafood yam basket and birthday 'lam mee' or noodles. Someone commented, the food was enough for a party of 7, but there were 4 of us; hence there was leftovers of birthday noodles and seafood yam basket.

The seafood soup cost $40 a bowl for 5-6 of us and it was certainly delicious! There were real crab meat, crab sticks, fish maw, sliced mushrooms, plus other ingredients that thicken the soup for that thick and smooth texture. The seafood yam basket also costs the same and needs to be ordered in advanced for the preparation. If you order this dish on the go, it won't be available for serving.

You will notice that for each movie that I make, I will choose a different creative commons music to go along with the video. The music comes with the app and for some, you may need to add credits to the music composer, for their creative work done for free. I wore a string of peach-colored pearls, a gold bangle and rings to complement my light blue embroidered blouse.

You will notice the boss and his friend stood nearby while the waiter served us birthday noodles with a spoon and fork. I received $100 from youngest sis and I brought $200, more than enough to pay for the set meal. So, I am 50 years young now on the 6th of July 2020. It is an irony that I have discovered to become a YouTuber at this 'young' age where most of the YouTubers are in their twenties. Anyway, this is my new hobby that is keeping me very preoccupied, learning how to use new software like Adobe Premiere Pro, Filmora 9, Lumen5, Camtasia and InShot App.

In the meantime, stay safe at home in this Covid-19 pandemic that has ravaged the world economy and we should brace ourselves for a global recession now.

Seafood Buffet Dinner at Mosaic Restaurant, Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur

This is a complimentary buffet dinner for 4 pax using the Elite voucher app, but we decided to just dine for the 2 of us for more privacy. We also redeemed 2 bottles of complimentary red wine and a box of 10 handmade praline chocolates. We also paid for 50% of the citrus green tea powder-covered cake, retailing at $158 at full price. Our 3 days 2 nights stay in Mandarin Oriental (MO) was a business cum leisure trip. We met up with a few clients, attended an interview, and decided to use up the vouchers during the Restricted Movement Control Order (RMCO) in June recently.

Otherwise, we had to stay up cooped in our condo for 3-4 months during the Covid-19 pandemic causing global recession and mayhem around the world. Now in the video above, you can see me in an orange cheongsam blouse eating seafood, namely succulent slipper lobster meat, prawns, and scallops.

I also had some bites of 'satay' or marinated barbequed chicken on skewer sticks with peanut sauce and paired with cut cucumbers and onions. Furthermore, I ate some fruits and small bites here and there, so as not to put on weight unnecessarily. These are raw videos that I added into the InShot App using my 3- year old iPhone 10.

Everything was done in the car on the way back to Penang from Kuala Lumpur, as I was the front passenger in our Benz. Well, this YouTubing is a steep learning curve for me, having paid USD 399 for an online course by Matt Par. He is a youngster, in his early twenties and is crushing it with $30k monthly from his 8-9 YouTube channels. Not bad for someone young without a degree, but he is very motivated and learned. So, why go to college when you can start earning as soon as possible, once you learned the tricks of the trade?

So many hotels in Penang, KL and Ipoh were closed permanently due to no tourists and the hospitality sector was badly affected by the pandemic. Well-known hotels like Jazz, Tanjung Bungah Hotel, Holiday Inn Hotel, G Hotel, and more were either closed indefinitely or put up for sale at this point in time.

Hence, in the meantime, stay safe at home and practice social distancing.

Lesson 2 of Basic Excel 365 by Diana Tan

Here is another amateur lesson 2 on Excel 365 using Windows 10 operating system or platform. My apologies for the mistake: It should be 5 decimal PLACES; not 5 decimal points. Guess I was a little tired from watching so much Youtube and Zoom videos that I was looking at the decimal point and mentioned the wrong keyword instead. This was created using Camtasia and I hit the function key F10 to stop the recording immediately. The upload is automatic to Youtube for verification, and thereafter, I edited the thumbnail using a screenshot of my laptop with the green liquid that makes an awesome background. 💥💖💦

Now don't get me wrong. Being a Youtuber takes consistent effort and lots of time and energy. More and more people are jumping on this Youtubing bandwagon to leverage on the viewership during this Covid-19 lockdown. This is especially so, when you have limited budget and have to DIY (Do It Yourself). The beauty of DIY is that you have more control of what you need and know how to tweak the Youtube algorithm for more viewership and being found. Besides being a noob Youtuber, I have been a blogger for umpteenth years, earning a measly US dollars now and then from sponsored posts and such. With these said, I hope you like this blog post too and do watch the Excel 365 video specially curated here for your viewing pleasure and learning environment. 👩👧🧒

Stay safe at home, peeps! 😀😁😂

Funny Coconut Hairstyle done by a Child for his Dad and a Similar Cute Monkey Pictures to See during the Covid19 MCO

This removed video is an obedient child shaving off his dad's hair with a bowl to style it like a coconut in this Covid-19 where you DIY (Do-It-Yourself). See how meticulous he is and every strand is removed and styled carefully with tender loving care. He even shaved the loose ends and tidy up the hair to look perfectly like a coconut husk. Then the child uses a water strainer to shave off the longer stands of hair and it shows how ingenious this family is to use kitchen cooking tools and kits to cut one's hair with a stylo the FREE way. In this Covid-19, where some countries have lockdown, you cannot go out anymore and all barber shops are closed. This child is certainly a chip of the old block, the exact replica of his dad, hair and all. 👨‍🦱🤴🧔

Here is another shot of a monkey entitled, "I cut it myself." It is a hilarious reminder of the above video. I wonder if this is a pet monkey where the owner decided to have some fun or it is in its natural look and portrait in the wild. For yours truly, I am having a whale of a time updating my blogs and learnt new tricks along the way with my videos. I am still in the process of learning forever till thy kingdom comes. 😀😁😊

For many people, they cannot take it during this strict lockdown of the novel coronavirus mayhem and start to go crazy. It seems 2 teenagers even took their own lives. How sad! That is why, "Man shall now live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." So, let's be good to ourselves, be kind to others especially our family and be safe staying at home. 🧡💛💚💙💜

Prepare and Prevent, rather than Repair and Repent - Stay Safe at Home

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A post shared by DTan (@philin135) on Apr 17, 2020 at 11:26pm PDT

I created this poster using on an online app that is easy to customize with the template of the decos all done. I just added the text, edit for proper size and that's it. Easy peasy! ❤🧡💛 It is true that we need to "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and ALL these things will be added unto you." - Matthew 6:33 in the New Testament of the Bible. ✝✝✝💥💥💥

In this Covid-19 pandemic lock-down, I love what I do online and it has become a hobby. The best part is that I have the freedom to be creative and my artistic soul becomes awake. 💚💙💜

Blogging is simply the best job one could have. A note of caution though! Stay away from politics, grudges and personal matters. Then you are safe and it is safe for everyone to read. Nothing personal here!❣❣❣💢💢💢

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#stayhome #staysafe #stayhomestaysafe

A post shared by DTan (@philin135) on Apr 17, 2020 at 4:37am PDT

Above are 2 Good Morning Greeting posters; you need to swipe left or click on the left button to scroll to the next one. Better to stay safe, stay at home.👩👨👧

Prepare and Prevent, rather than 

Repair and Repent!

Ok, peeps, I gotta go now to rest and take some online course when the will and determination arise. Been quite lazy these few days reading WhatsApp group messages instead of learning online for free, take a test and get a certificate!

Stay Safe, Stay at Home in the Covid-19 Lock-down

Now is the time to stay safe and stay at home. To check the latest statistics in Malaysia on the infected and deaths on a daily basis, check out https://newslab.malaysiakini.com/covid-19/en. Also, my partner's nephew passed away of Covid-19 this morning at 1:03 am on 30.3.2020 in a hospital in Sabah, bringing it the first case of Covid-19 death in the state. RIP Wan Jen. He's in his 30s with 2 young daughters, at the prime of his age. May perpetual light shines on his departed soul.

As long as you have internet, you will stay alive! Hey! Hey!

In the meantime, stay safe and stay at home.

Proclaiming God's Word, Psalms 91, over the Enemy - Covid19

Proclaim Psalms 91 over the uninvited guest or enemy, the novel coronavirus. No one is going to get the COVID-19 in the congregation and that is also true for every child of God who has faith, instead of fear. You see, God works miracles by faith, while the devil works by fear. Fear is the opposite of faith. From Google, faith is defined as 'complete trust or confidence in someone or something.'

Psalm 91 is the 91st psalm of the Book of Psalms, generally known in English by its first verse in the King James Version: "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." ... As a psalm of protection, it is commonly invoked in times of hardship, such as the current pandemic of Covid-19 worldwide.

The text of Psalms 91 is as follows, according to the New International Version :

Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life, I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

AMEN!