Hello

Hi.. and good night..

have not been a good times :)

Hopefully everything will be settled soon :)

Short Post

My dear went to Kuching again... will be back this coming Thursday...

I wan to kena lttery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Happy

haha...... good 2725 :)

I am going to get more tonight......... thank you 1-6-5

Hi and good nite

hahahaha.. short post today :)

Hello

Hi.. just back from Kuching this morning and spent my week there........ :)

Greetings!

Happy Chinese New Year and Happy Valentine's Day!

Best wishes from David Wong & Family to my readers and families members.. :)

FATT CHOI!!!!!!!

The dark secrets of debit

Why do banks push debit cards for every purchase you make? Because they stand to make millions—largely at your expense

Last reviewed: July 2009

Quietly but surely, a revolution is under way in how we pay for everything from a cup of coffee to our monthly electric bill. Continuing a climb that started a decade ago, debit cards are now preferred over credit cards by American consumers who use plastic for their in-store purchases.

Spending on these cards, which directly tap your checking account, accounted for about 58 percent of purchases made with plastic in 2008, and are expected to grow to nearly 60 percent in 2009, according to The Nilson Report, a trade publication that covers the payment industry.

The convenience of not having to carry cash and a desire to avoid credit-card finance charges are among the many reasons consumers cite when asked in surveys why they prefer using debit cards. But banks are also accelerating this trend by aggressively promoting perks such as air mileage and other reward programs to entice cardholders to use debit cards more often. Debit cards are especially popular among women and among people between the ages of 18 and 25, who card issuers label Generation P, for plastic, according to a Federal Reserve study.

Of course, card issuers have their own motives for encouraging you to reach for your debit card more often, some of which can hit you in your wallet. If you pay off your balance in full each month, a no-fee credit card is a better choice than a debit card because it allows you to keep your cash in an interest-bearing account until the card bill is due. Plus, credit cards provide more leverage if you get into a dispute with a merchant over something you've bought.

But if you're among the growing legion of debit-card fans, here's what you need to know to help you determine when it makes sense to use them and how to avoid the potential pitfalls when you do.

Tug of war over payments

There are two basic ways to pay with a debit card. When you authorize a transaction by entering your personal identification number, or PIN, your bank account is debited immediately. If you opt instead to authorize payment by signing a sales slip, as you would for a credit card, the payment is processed through a credit-card network and the actual withdrawal from your account occurs later—usually within a couple of days.

Racking up overdraft fees

Since research shows that consumers who use debit cards more often are also more likely to overdraw their checking accounts, card-issuing banks can reap an additional $1 million from nonsufficient-fund fees, according to a report by Mercator Advisory Group, a Waltham, Mass. company that does research for the payment industry.

Unequal fraud protection

In practice, Visa and MasterCard both have "zero liability" policies that go beyond the federal law by exempting debit cardholders from liability in most cases when a bank investigation confirms a transaction is fraudulent. But there are loopholes in those policies.

Full article at here

Copyright © 2004-2009 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc. No reproduction, in whole or in part, without written permission.

7 Habits that ruin relationships

Found this in my mail... thought might want to copy and paste here to share :)

==========
If you want to avoid major drama in your relationship, resist the seven habits below that are known to ruin otherwise healthy relationships.

Criticizing his family

No matter how you feel about your boyfriend’s family, making it known to him just how much they drive you crazy is bound to drive an irreparable wedge into your relationship. Even if he, himself, thinks his relatives are bonkers, no one likes to hear others bash their blood relatives, so it’s best to hold your tongue when the subject of his family comes up.

Spying

You may think you're doing yourself a favor by keeping up constant surveillance your boyfriend’s blog, Facebook and Twitter habits; however by being aware of the minutiae of his whereabouts and thoughts, you’re more likely to overanalyze his habits as they relate to your relationship and do more harm than good.

Fighting in public

It's natural for couples to have the occasional argument, especially after being together for any significant amount of time; however, fights that become so uncontrollable that they regularly spill out into the open are an embarrassing and damaging relationship problem that should be nixed.

Letting yourself go

Not only is it bad for your health and overall well-being, but letting yourself go -- whether that means gaining weight or not caring about your appearance -- after settling into a relationship is one habit that sends a bad message to your partner: if you stop caring about yourself, he may assume that you’ve stopped caring about him too.

Trying to improve him

Many women think they are helping the men that they're with by trying to make them over, however, by doing so, they only end up causing more problems for the relationship. Think of men as being similar to dogs: they may be able to learn a new trick or two over the course of a relationship, but if you think you can turn in a pit bull into a poodle, you are going to be in for a whole lot of heartbreak.

Allowing problems to fester

Everyone would like to think that they have the perfect relationship; however, if in your quest to avoid creating drama in your relationship, you frequently allow things that upset you to go unsaid, you are doing yourself and your partner a great disservice. Good communication is the cornerstone of any happy, long-term coupling.

Lying to him

Lying to your boyfriend for any reason does not bode well for a successful future together. Just don’t do it.

SOURCE: here

Person of the Year 2009

Ben Bernanke













Source: www.yahoo.com

Heya

Just want to post something to say hi... :)

Quite a headache these few weeks............... hopefully 1-6-5 can help me in spirit to settle it :)

GOD BLESS ME AND MY FAMILY

Hi..

I have wanted to post something back few days but being lazy.. wuahaha.. also Happy Belated Birthday wishes to me... muahahahhahaa

10 Drugstore Shampoos You Shouldn't Buy (Even if they're on Sale)

by The chicks at TotalBeauty.com, on Mon Oct 19, 2009 3:17pm PDT

If there's one hair care secret I'd like everyone to know it's this: you don't have to spend a lot of money on shampoo to have healthy hair. True, there are great salon and high-end shampoos out there that are more than worth their price. But, for most of us, we can get along just fine using a quality drugstore shampoo.

Please note however that I said a quality drugstore shampoo. Because plenty of them just aren't good enough for your hair. Take, for example, the shampoos below. TotalBeauty.com readers tried them and found they left their hair dirty, dry or greasy -- ugh! Peruse the products below, and toss any coupons you may have for them, they're totally not worth it.

No. 10: Pantene Pro-V Nature Fusion Smooth Vitality Shampoo, $8.33
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 5.8 (out of 10)
Why: Most readers weren't impressed by this. "I don't think this shampoo and conditioner did anything out of the ordinary for my hair," one reader says. Another reader says it gave her "the weirdest breakouts on my upper arms."

No. 9: Suave Professionals Radiant Brunette Shampoo, $3.48
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 5.8
Why: Most readers did not find that this enhanced their hair color. Instead it "left my hair rather tangled" and one reader says it actually "stripped away the color!" Others complain that this left them with "straw-like [and] dull" hair. One reader says, "I had colored my hair [and] it went a little too dark. I went to a salon … this is what they used to strip my hair of the color. LOL!"

No. 8: Sunsilk Anti-Caida (Anti-Fall) Shampoo, $4.59
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 5.6
Why: The verdict: "This stuff dried my hair out and made my color run." Other readers agree, saying even though "I love the Sunsilk brand … this dried my hair out." The final word: "BAD."

No. 7: TIGI Bed Head Self Absorbed Shampoo, $10.50
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 5.5
Why: Readers feel a bit "blah" about this shampoo. "[Hair] wasn't stripped, but it wasn't very soft or shiny," readers say. While most readers had a so-so experience, one reader says, "my hair [was] so dry and tangle-y that my fingers got stuck in it when I tried to rinse the shampoo out." One reader laments, "Now I have 1 liter of this sitting around. It wasn't completely terrible but I don't use it."

No. 6: John Frieda Radiant Red Color Captivating Shampoo, $5.49
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 5.5
Why: This was a double-whammy disappointment, readers say. One complaint: "[It] made my soft, silky hair rough and tangled … unmanageable." But the biggest problem: "it did not seem to preserve my color at all," readers say. One reader was so sad that "all it did was stain my fingernails and towels red."

No. 5: TIGI Bed Head Moisture Maniac Shampoo, $10.50
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 5.4
Why: While readers do concede that this "smells good," they still can't endorse it. Why? "After using it my hair is rough and hard to brush," one reader says. Readers generally agree that this shampoo is "not nearly as moisturizing as its name leads you to believe."

No. 4: Burt's Bees Rosemary Mint Shampoo Bar, $5.99
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 5.1
Why: While this may work for short hair, readers with long hair say, "you'll do what I did and give up in the shower the first time." One reader says, "it was pretty difficult to get enough lather to completely get my hair clean, and I ended up in the shower for way longer than I wanted to be." The ultimate un-endorsement: "It made my hair look and feel like pubic hair," one reader says. "Nuff said."

No. 3: TreSemme ColorThrive Brunette Shampoo, $3.99
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 5
Why: Our readers' major complaint with this was its lack of cleaning power. "I have fine, oily hair and must shampoo daily. With this product, I find myself wanting to wash my hair twice a day," one reader says. Another agrees, saying "my hair doesn't feel as clean after I rinse." Other annoyances: "the smell isn't that great" and "three times after I had used it, my scalp was all itchy," one reader says, adding "I'm not [usually] allergic to any shampoo."

No. 2: TreSemme Vitamin B12 & Gelatin Anti-Breakage Shampoo, $6.99
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 4.9
Why: This left readers perplexed: "You'd think that a product that's supposed to inhibit breakage would help moisturize hair, but this really didn't at all," one says. She adds, "This ? actually seemed to dry my hair out even more." Other readers didn't like that "it left my hair feeling waxy (from the gelatin in it) and dry."

No. 1: Samy Smooth Shampoo, $5.99
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 4.3
Why: Smooth? Not so much, readers say. Instead, "it completely left my hair feeling heavy and dry," one reader says. Another adds, "It doesn't smooth, and it leaves hair funky feeling and dry." Fine, oily haired readers didn't like it either. "Made my fine hair greasy," and "made my hair limp and unmanageable, and it always felt dirty," readers say.

• So you've seen the worst, now it's time to check out the best (break the coupons back out, you'll definitely want to buy these).

Source:

A Windows to Help You Forget

by Walter S. Mossberg
Thursday, October 8, 2009

provided by The Wall Street Journal

Microsoft's New Operating System Is Good Enough to Erase Bad Memory of Vista

In just two weeks, on Oct. 22, Microsoft's long operating-system nightmare will be over. The company will release Windows 7, a faster and much better operating system than the little-loved Windows Vista, which did a lot to harm both the company's reputation, and the productivity and blood pressure of its users. PC makers will rush to flood physical and online stores with new computers pre-loaded with Windows 7, and to offer the software to Vista owners who wish to upgrade.

With Windows 7, PC users will at last have a strong, modern successor to the sturdy and familiar, but aged, Windows XP, which is still the most popular version of Windows, despite having come out in 2001. In the high-tech world, an eight-year-old operating system is the equivalent of a 20-year-old car. While XP works well for many people, it is relatively weak in areas such as security, networking and other features more important today than when XP was designed around 1999.

Here are some of the key features of Windows 7.

New Taskbar: In Windows 7, the familiar taskbar has been reinvented and made taller. Instead of mainly being a place where icons of open windows temporarily appear, it now is a place where you can permanently "pin" the icons of frequently used programs anywhere along its length, and in any arrangement you choose. This is a concept borrowed from Apple's similar feature, the Dock. But Windows 7 takes the concept further.

Desktop Organization: A feature called Snap allows you to expand windows to full-screen size by just dragging them to the top of the screen, or to half-screen size by dragging them to the left or right edges of the screen. Another called Shake allows you to make all other windows but the one you're working on disappear by simply grabbing its title bar with the mouse and shaking it several times.

File Organization: In Windows Explorer, the left-hand column now includes a feature called Libraries. Each library -- Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos -- consolidates all files of those types regardless of which folder, or even which hard disk, they live in.

Networking: Windows 7 still isn't quite as natural at networking as I find the Mac to be, but it's better than Vista. For instance, now you can see all available wireless networks by just clicking on an icon in the taskbar. A new feature called HomeGroups is supposed to let you share files more easily among Windows 7 PCs on your home network. In my tests, it worked, but not consistently, and it required typing in long, arcane passwords.

Touch: Some of the same kinds of multitouch gestures made popular on the iPhone are now built into Windows 7. But these features won't likely become popular for a while because to get the most out of them, a computer needs a special type of touch screen that goes beyond most of the ones existing now. I tested this on one such laptop, a Lenovo, and was able to move windows around, to resize and flip through photos, and more.

Speed: In my tests, on every machine, Windows 7 ran swiftly and with far fewer of the delays typical in running Vista. All the laptops I tested resumed from sleep quickly and properly, unlike in Vista. Start-up and restart times were also improved. I chose six Windows 7 laptops from different makers to compare with a new MacBook Pro laptop. The Mac still started and restarted faster than most of the Windows 7 PCs. But the speed gap has narrowed considerably, and one of the Lenovos beat the Mac in restart time.

Nagging: In the name of security, Vista put up nagging warnings about a wide variety of tasks, driving people crazy. In Windows 7, you can now set this system so it nags you only when things are happening that you consider really worth the nag. Also, Microsoft has consolidated most of the alerts from the lower-right system tray into one icon, and they seemed less frequent.

Compatibility: I tried a wide variety of third-party software and all worked fine on every Windows 7 machine. These included Mozilla Firefox; Adobe Reader; Google's Picasa and Chrome; and Apple's iTunes and Safari.

System Requirements: Nearly all Vista PCs, and newer or beefier XP machines, should be able to run Windows 7 fine. Even the netbooks I tested ran it speedily, especially with the Starter Edition, which lacks some of the powerful graphics effects in the operating system. (Other netbooks will be able to run other editions.)

If you have a standard PC, called a 32-bit PC, you'll need at least one gigabyte of memory, 16 gigabytes of free hard-disk space and a graphics system that can support Microsoft technologies called "DirectX 9 with WDDM 1.0." You'll also need a processor with a speed of at least one gigahertz. If you have a newer-style 64-bit PC, which can use more memory, you'll need at least two gigabytes of memory and 20 gigabytes of free hard disk space. In either case, you should double the minimum memory specification.

Installation, Editions and Price: There are four editions of Windows 7 of interest to consumers. One, a limited version called Starter, comes pre-loaded on netbooks. A second, called Business, is mainly for people who need to tap remotely into company networks (check with your company to see if you need this). A third, called Ultimate, is mainly for techies who want every feature of all other editions. Most average consumers will want Home Premium, which costs $120 for upgrades.

Bottom line: Windows 7 is a very good, versatile operating system that should help Microsoft bury the memory of Vista and make PC users happy.

Write to Walter S. Mossberg at walt.mossberg@wsj.com

Read More Here

Hi

hello.. now in Kuching, doing some holiday :)

Payment

Should you hold off on saving until your nonmortgage debt is paid off?

Simple math suggests it's better to get rid of debt before saving for retirement or an emergency fund. After all, if the savings rate is 1 percent and you have credit card debt at 14 percent interest, money is better spent paying down debt quickly.

But personal finance decisions are rarely so simple, and this method may not be the right choice for everybody.

"Like everything else in life, this decision is one of balance, not of absolutes," says Michael Rubin, president of Portsmouth, N.H.-based Total Candor, a provider of financial education.

Dean Barber agrees. The host of nationally syndicated talk radio program "America's Wealth Management Show" says there are pros and cons to each approach.

"You have to set your priorities ... and understand the consequences to either paying debt first or saving money first," says Barber, who is also president of the Barber Financial Group of Lenexa, Kan.

So which should come first -- paying off debt, or saving?

Paying Debt Before Saving

The notion of saving before paying high-interest debt is hard for some financial advisers to swallow, given the math.

Donna Fox, author of the book "From Credit Repair to Credit Millionaire," says low interest rates on savings accounts make paying off debt first a better choice right now.

"It's simple mathematics," she says.

Too many savers ignore the math and instead opt for a false sense of security, Fox says.

"People get into trouble with debt and finance when they start letting emotions vote on their outcome," says Fox. "So they feel better if they have a cushion in their savings account, even though for most people it's not the financial savvy thing to do."

She cites the example of someone who has $10,000 in savings (earning 2 percent) and $10,000 in credit card debt (at a rate of 9 percent). Anyone pleased with this situation is misguided, Fox says.

"This is like investing your $10,000 in an investment you know will lose 7 percent a year ... and being happy about it," she says.

Instead, the debtor in this example should pay down obligations as quickly as possible.

"You then have the free and clear (credit) card available as a cushion in case something goes wrong," she says.

Barber says savings are important, especially as part of an emergency fund. But he agrees with Fox that paying down debt first sometimes makes more sense.

He gives an example of a 50-year-old with $20,000 in credit card debt, $200,000 in 401(k) but no cash reserves.

"If you use the reasoning of needing cash reserves, you will incur more debt because interest is compounding on that $20,000," says Barber.

If this same person has $1,000 in disposable income per month, and if the entire amount is put toward the credit card (at 12.5 percent interest), the card can be paid off in 2.5 years, he says.

in disposable income per month, and if the entire amount is put toward the credit card (at 12.5 percent interest), the card can be paid off in 2.5 years, he says.

"At that point, the person can then start saving," says Barber.

Saving Before Paying Debt

However, others disagree with paying down debt before saving. In particular, they stress the importance of building up an emergency fund before eliminating debt.

Having a stash of emergency cash is more important in today's economic times of tight credit, says Sarah Place, president and CEO of Place Trade Financial, a full-service, discount brokerage firm based in Raleigh, N.C.

She suggests socking away six to 12 months of easily accessible cash to cover any unexpected expenses. Access to such money is especially important today, when many people have found their home equity line of credit has been reduced -- or even canceled.

Place acknowledges that it's difficult to tell people to save "in an environment where they are earning a fraction of a percent of interest on their savings" while being charged "usurious loan shark rates of over 30 percent on their credit cards."

"However, in the given economic circumstances, tough choices have to be made," she says.

Rubin generally belongs in the camp that advocates paying down debt before saving. However, he cites exceptions to the rule. In particular, he urges a "save first" approach in situations where a person's employer matches contributions to the company retirement plan.

In the given economic circumstances, tough choices have to be made.”

"The guarantee provided by a matching program is even more valuable than repaying credit card debt, so one should always maximize the match first," says Rubin, who is author of the book "Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck: A Conversation About Income, Wealth, and the Steps in Between."

Rubin also says it's OK to delay paying off debt in circumstances where interest rates are low, such as zero-rate or low-rate car loans. In such cases, it's better to make scheduled monthly payments and not worry about devoting extra cash to paying down the debt faster.

Any extra income saved then should be funneled into savings in a high-interest savings account, Rubin says.

Best of Both Worlds?

Still others suggest the best solution is to strike a balance between saving and paying down debt that you -- and your family -- can live with.

Paula Langguth Ryan of Cocoa, Fla. -- author of personal finance books, such as the forthcoming "Break the Debt Cycle -- for Good!" -- is an advocate of this combination approach.

She says paying down debt in a steady, systematic way while also building up a little emergency savings helps reinforce sound spending and saving habits that continue to pay dividends long after the debt is gone.

"You're actually retraining your money habits," Ryan says.

Ryan concedes you may net more money by paying off the higher interest rate debt rather than putting money in savings. However, she says any short-term gain will be lost if you revert to using a credit card to cover emergencies.

"You just replace old debt with new debt," she says.

Creating an emergency fund is the only way to break the debt cycle, she says. Without such a cushion, chances are good that you will fall back into debt as soon as you're in a financial pinch -- no matter how much money you're throwing at your current debt.

"Save a reasonable amount to build up a nest egg, then increase your debt payments once you've saved up a certain amount -- about $500 to $2,000 -- to cover the usual cost of emergencies you may encounter," Ryan says.

Copyrighted, Bankrate.com. All rights reserved.

Source

Bed sharing 'bad for your health'

Couples should consider sleeping apart for the good of their health and relationship, say experts.

Sleep specialist Dr Neil Stanley told the British Science Festival how bed sharing can cause rows over snoring and duvet-hogging and robs precious sleep.

One study found that, on average, couples suffered 50% more sleep disturbances if they shared a bed.

Dr Stanley, who sleeps separately from his wife, points out that historically we were never meant to share our beds.

He said the modern tradition of the marital bed only began with the industrial revolution, when people moving to overcrowded towns and cities found themselves short of living space.

Before the Victorian era it was not uncommon for married couples to sleep apart. In ancient Rome, the marital bed was a place for sexual congress but not for sleeping.

Dr Stanley, who set up one of Britain's leading sleep laboratories at the University of Surrey, said the people of today should consider doing the same.

"It's about what makes you happy. If you've been sleeping together and you both sleep perfectly well, then don't change, but don't be afraid to do something different.

"We all know what it's like to have a cuddle and then say 'I'm going to sleep now' and go to the opposite side of the bed. So why not just toddle off down the landing?"

Tossing and turning

He said poor sleep was linked to depression, heart disease, strokes, lung disorders, traffic and industrial accidents, and divorce, yet sleep was largely ignored as an important aspect of health.

Dr Robert Meadows, a sociologist at the University of Surrey, said: "People actually feel that they sleep better when they are with a partner but the evidence suggests otherwise."

He carried out a study to compare how well couples slept when they shared a bed versus sleeping separately.

Based on 40 couples, he found that when couples share a bed and one of them moves in his or her sleep, there is a 50% chance that their slumbering partner will be disturbed as a result.

Despite this, couples are reluctant to sleep apart, with only 8% of those in their 40s and 50s sleeping in separate rooms, the British Science Festival heard.

Source: BBC News

Helooooo

Hi everyone :)

the end~~

me2everyone

me2everyone launches early 2009 and until then, this page will tell you all the latest news. We will let you know about some of the great features that are coming and give you an insight to the team behind me2everyone. By December 2012 we want at least 100,000,000 registered members and so we want your help to start spreading the word now. Remember membership is completely free and all members benefit from the Ripple Effect. For now, thanks for becoming a member and sharing this journey with us!

Please visit www.me2everyone.com

Hello...

Here I am, still sitting in the office, eyes half open :~!

Operation

17th August- today's gf went to Dr Kang (opposite wet market) for eye consultancy and spent rm50

17th August- gf went to Rejang Eye Centre for eye operation and spent rm170