Thursday Thirteen The Tenth!

13 things to look out for when searching of work at home opportunities

The past few weeks, I have been browsing through hundreds (if not thousands) of sites to do research on work at home opportunities. After clicking on one too many ads proclaiming that it is a 'legitimate' work at home opportunity, I have learned a lot about online scams. So I have come up with a list of the top 13 lines these scam sites liked to use to draw unsuspecting people in.

1) 'Make $200 - $3000 and more per day!' - we all know it is never that easy to make so much money.

2) 'Simple online surveys. $ 5 - $75 each or more' - online surveys are not all that profitable.

3) 'Part-time work, $150 an hour' - again, if it is that easy to make that kind of money, there would be a lot of millionaires in this world.

4) 'This is not a scam but a legitimate work at home business' - if it is really legitimate why announce it and insist that it is not really a scam?

5) 'Start making money in just 15 minutes' - Might as well go buy a lottery ticket if you have money to throw away.

6) 'Not earning money with clickbank? We will pay you more' - and we will cheat you of your hard-earned money so that we can become rich! (between the lines)

7) 'Steps to making millions in a short time' - such as coming up with scam-sites like ours...(between the lines)

8) 'Top ten secrets to making money online' - this is often offered free and once you click on that link, they will offer you some information which can easily be found with proper research online and lure you into purchasing some other e-book with similar sounding and tempting names such as 'Make a million dollars now', etc.

9) 'Earning money easily online, increase your profits' - and give us your money so that we will earn the easy money. (between the lines)

10) 'Fire your boss and earn immediate income' - don't do it because you may never see the promised 'immediate' income.

11) 'Double and triple your investments in days' - need I say more?

12) 'Make money just by reading emails' - HAH! A good one. Paid emails are not all it's made out to be and yes, you may get a few bucks or so but that's it. No millions rolling into your account just because you read some measly emails.

13) 'Free money making website' - nothing is free in this world. EVERYTHING comes with a cost so wise up.

So there it is. There are thousands of variations to the lines I mentioned and I could not possibly mention all of it. Even the lines I mentioned are not exact words from any scam sites, just the gist of the lines used by scam sites. So do be careful when in search of the pot of gold under the rainbow. It is better to wake up and remember that there is no pot of gold no matter what you were told.


Links to other Thursday Thirteens!




Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen #9

13 things about having a BABY


As a relatively new mom... (okay so, LR is now turning two soon but it still felt like only yesterday that I was waddling around with a huge belly)...this is what I found out in the last year and more after the joyous arrival of LR:

1) A good night's sleep is but a distant memory. Though LR stopped waking up for night feedings since he was about seven or eight months old, he is a very light sleeper and jolts awake at the slightest sound. So thanks to noisy neighbors and howling dogs, I never did get a really good night's undisturbed sleep.

2) Despite their tiny size, trust me, babies have strong lungs. They scream and cry over the tiniest thing from wet diapers to hunger to the plain fun of making bumbling confused adults even more confused and frazzled.

3) Zero social life. Having a screaming infant in your arms most of your time at home (after work) is definitely not conducive to gossiping on the phone with your girlfriends and let's not even talk about going out for drinks and dinner with friends. Maybe it's just me but having to leave LR with the babysitter most of the day when I am at work, I would feel guilty if I leave him with the babysitter's just so I could go out to meet with my friends.

4) You have morphed into one of those irritating 'proud parents' who would gush non-stop about their precious little baby to anyone who has the misfortune to ask 'so, how is the baby?'.

5) Smooth skin and a sexy bikini figure is but an airbrush away (or alternatively, a lot of hard work involving exercise, diet and possibly plastic surgery) as pregnancy means stretch marks and unwanted weight gain which is not easy to get rid of.

6) No more 'travelling light' when going anywhere as I have learned the hard way when LR decides to mess up his shirt by spitting out his food, then proceeded to smear it everywhere, then poop and then, make a huge fuss. A trip to the mall with him means having to lug a backpack along (complete with spare diapers, tons of wet tissues, a few change of clothing, insect repellent, toiletries, toys, etc) and a stroller for when he refused to walk. LR needs a big luggage to himself whenever we go for a short two to three days' holiday elsewhere.

7) Baby spit and poop is no longer gross. Perhaps it's all those months of going around with baby spit on my clothes or the early months of having to change LR every hour because he was breastfed and has very loose stools. I am now immune to whatever gross stuff that comes out of a baby.

8) Worships the person who created wet wipes. Seriously, these are most probably the best thing ever created since sliced bread. Anyone with a drooling, spitting, pooping baby would understand the usefulness of wet wipes.

9) Everything revolves around the baby. As in, all plans from dinner parties to meetings to work obligations revolves around the baby's schedule (e.g. nap time, meal time, play time, etc).


10) Third party in our marriage. We are no longer two but three so our holidays are no longer like our honeymoon but are more like family vacations complete with screaming kid and frantic moments finding fun stuffs to distract the kid.


11) Realization that you are responsible for caring, nurturing and shaping the future of the tiny little person you brought into this world. Suddenly, you are no longer carefree with no responsibilities, everything you do have direct implications and impact on your child.


12) Having to cut down on swear words and bad habits so that baby do not pick it up. I have now started using 'shiish' or 'shooosh' or 'fishes' or 'dalmations' for a variety of safer, milder swear words ever since LR started repeating every word we say.


13) Inundated with unwanted nosy advises. Every nosy relative (especially grandparents) would give you a gadzillion of unwanted advises on how to raise the kid. My response: thanks but he's my son so I will raise him the way I think fit and not your way.






Links to other Thursday Thirteens!




Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

TT # 8

The ways to refrain from causing physical harm on another person

In my line of work and also in my personal life, I have come across really annoying people whom I would like nothing better than to bash his/her face into a bloody pulp but instead, I am forced to smile and be polite to them. In order to do that (the smile and be polite part, not the bashing part), I do these:


1) Take a deep breath

2) Tuck both hands deep into my pockets (if any) to make it harder for me to raise my hands, or else link it behind me

3) Take two to three steps away from the offending person

4) Count to ten to let the anger cool

5) Think of the horrible conditions in jail and how I do not want to end up there because of the offending person in front of me

6) Solve a complex mathematical problem in my head (since I am lousy in Maths, this could take me hours and will have me forgetting how offending the person is within seconds)

7) Think of all those starving, poverty stricken people in the world (to put me in a 'softer' but sad mood)

8) Think up 100 ways to torture the offending person

9) Actually picture the 100 ways of torturing the offending person (which usually elicits a genuine smile, though it is far from a pleasant smile)

10)Imagine the offending person in a ridiculous outfit such as a macho man in a pink polka dot frilly dress (this often had me trying to suppress my laughter)

11) Update and double-check my to-do list in my head including house chores and work schedules

12) Always have a nice manicure (so that I will be less tempted to use my hands and break a nail)

13)If all else fail, abruptly walk away on the pretext of answering my cell phone.

So far, I have not inflicted harm on anybody...yet. So, these steps obviously works for me!







Links to other Thursday Thirteens!




Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

TT # 7 of quotes I like

Thirteen quotes I like
On friendship:

1) The world is round so that friendship may encircle it.
- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

2) True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it is lost.
- Charles Caleb Colton

On love:

3) Marriage is not a noun; it's a verb. It isn't something you get. It's something you do. It's the way you love your partner every day.
- Barbara de Angelis

On life:

4) Be not afraid of life. Believe that life IS worth living and your belief will help create the fact.
- James Truslow Adams

5) There is a very fine line between loving life and being greedy for it.
- Maya Angelou

On happiness:

6) Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.
- Guillaume Apollinaire

7) Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul.
- Democritus

On death:

8) It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.
- Marcus Aurelius

9) Pain and death are part of life. To reject them is to reject life itself.
- Henry Ellis

On success:

10) I'd rather be a failure at something I love than a success at something I hate.
- George Burns

11) Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.
- David Frost

On dreams:

12) Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.
- Langston Hughes

On character:

13) Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands.
- Anne Frank





Links to other Thursday Thirteens!




Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

TT # 6 of all things I love!

In light of all the negativity floating around and daily violence and sufferings reported in the news, I decided to chase away all this dark, dark things with wonderful, beautiful thoughts of things I love!

Things I absolutely love, love, love (in no particular order)!

1) Beautiful sunshiny days with blue skies, cool breezes and absolutely fresh pollution-free air. Nothing beats great weather with cool crisp refreshing air when I go for my morning walks.

2) Little Ray may not be a 'thing' but more of a person but I so do adore and absolutely love him to bits.

3) Darling Steve is the light of my life and the one who kept our apartment spick and span. How could I not love him? *g* Seriously, he is my soul mate and I do not know what I would do with myself without him in my life!

4) Generous people who do not think twice about helping out a poor soul along the way either by way of donations or some thoughtful gestures.

5) Cute furry pets from dogs to cats to hamsters...I am an animal lover who can't go through life without a pet! Now we can only keep fishes due to Little Ray's allergic problems with dog fur and though we did not get rid of my poor silky terrier, Arthur, he had to be 'relocated' to my inlaws' place.

6) Lazy quiet days at home with nary a thing to do except to lay on the sofa all day curled up with a good book and a box of choc truffles... with Little Ray around, that hardly happens but I do get some quiet moments when he is sleeping.

7) The wonderful music of nature from birds singing in the mornings to the chirping of crickets at night never fail to enthrall me with the wonders of nature.

8) Chocolates - HAH! Thought I forgot this sinful yet delightful dessert?? No way. How could I leave out the food from heaven, the source of all my salivating moments, the wonderful, mouthwatering confection of my dreams?

9) Ice cream - now, I could not mention chocolate without mentioning ice cream, could I? These cool creamy sweet creations are a favourite of mine on hot sweaty days.

10) My tiny little balcony turned into a small Balinese-style garden complete with a pond, a fountain, goldfishes and potted green plants. I never tire of admiring and enjoying my 'garden' though it is a tad unkempt nowadays with leaves everywhere....

11) Books, books and more books...I could not live without books. Seriously. I can live without TV but if you take away my books, I would probably shrivel up and die! Oh, it also includes ebooks.

12) A baby/ child's laughter...there is nothing so beautiful, so innocent and so absolutely heart-melting than to hear a young child laugh. I loved to make Little Ray laugh as his bright, bubbly laughter never failed to cheer me up.

13) A good 'wow' story which can be touching, suspenseful, sad, happy, romantic, horrific or just plain fun. This can be presented in the form of a movie, a play, a book or ebook but it has to be well told and has the factor to keep me 'gripped' till the very end.


Links to other Thursday Thirteens!




Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

TT # 5

Having successfully lost about 20lbs in the past year, I have gathered a few things I do to lose the unwanted weight. I still have another 6 to 10lbs to lose to reach my ideal weight but I am certain I could do it! Thirteen things I do to keep on my diet:

1) Walks - I go for a 30 minute brisk walk in the mornings to be followed by 5 to 10 minutes of floor exercise.

2) Meal replacement shakes- I could not do if I had to stick to a diet plan by only cooking healthy meals as I hardly have time to cook and since I work outside the home, it is not possible to have home cooked meals all the time. So, I rely on meal replacement shakes by Shapeworks (Herbalife) for breakfast and dinner. For lunch, I prepare simple sandwiches.

3) Water - I load up on plenty of liquids, mainly plain water, to keep hydrated and the hunger away.

4) healthy, protein rich or high fibre snacks - To satisfy my munching habits, I stick to healthy choices of carrots, celery, soya bean nuts (from Shapeworks), a handful of almonds or peanuts.

5) Fruits and vegetables - On days when I am home and sick of taking a shake for dinner, I will load up on fruits and vegetables for dinner instead.

6) Chocolates - unbelievable as it may seem, I do indulge in some chocolates once every few days but in moderation. It is so that I do not build up a strong craving for the sinful heavenly dessert and go on a binge.

7) Family support - no diet will be successful if your family members do not offer the appropriate support. It is thanks to my husband's support that I managed to lose all the weight.

8) Weight loss coach - family support aside, having an expert in weight loss on hand to give advise and the appropriate prodding on exercise and food intake does wonders to keep me on the beaten path.

9) Research - I did not follow any of the popular fad diets so I did a lot of research on all the diets, healthy foods, exercises and such so that I could formulate a diet and exercise regime that suits my lifestyle.

10) Blogging - instead of turning to food whenever I am down or stressed, I blog and pour out my feelings and frustrations.

11) My toddler - Little Ray is now almost two and caring for him after work could be counted as part of my exercise regime! I never knew little toddlers could run so fast!

12) Entertainment - I keep myself occupied, when Little Ray has gone to sleep, by reading and watching movies on the TV so that I do not think about food. The hardest is of course, keeping away from the snacks when watching movies.

13) Work - My workday could sometimes be very hectic. At times, I hardly have time to breath much less stop for a lunch break so my work has somehow helped me stay off munching on junkfood all day! But I do not skip meals as it would slow down my metabolic rate so I would often munch on a wholemeal healthy sandwich for lunch.

There it is! It is not exactly a sure-fire way to lose all those unwanted weight fast but at least it worked for me!


Links to other Thursday Thirteens!




Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen

This week, I list 13 things that I wish do not exist, in no particular order :

1) Wars - frankly, more innocent women and children are killed in wars just because some politician wants more power/money/ fame.

2) Crooked power hungry politicians - Leaders are meant to look out for the welfare of the people under them, not to bully, cheat, kill and bluff their way into positions of power.

3) obsessive, controlling, annoying in-laws - okay, okay, we all know nobody really ever get along with their in-laws but why aren't there more wonderful, understanding, irritating-free in-laws in this world?

4) Famine - sometimes I feel darn guilty gulping down the last delicious morsel of a wonderful meal when somewhere, someone is dying of starvation.

5) Natural disasters - this includes earthquakes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, floods, tsunamis, etc.

6) Taxes - don't we all wish that we do not have to pay any form of taxes ever again because the government has finally came out with a formula to make its own money to sustain the whole country and its residents.

7) Fatal diseases - cancer, heart disease, AIDS, bird flu...and many more, it is sad that many more people are dying from all these diseases as compared to people who die in, say, a plane crash.

8) Bosses from hell - these entirely different group of humans are convinced they owned the souls of their employees to the point that their employees must be at their beck and call no matter what. (This is based on research, it has nothing whatsoever to do with my bosses. Really. Honest.)

9) Violence against women and children - rapes, incest, abuse and all manners of assault is happening on a daily basis on mothers, babies, little girls, teenagers, sisters and even grandmothers. The perpetrators should be tied to a post, stripped, douched in honey, covered in big giant fire ants before they are castrated (for rapists) and locked up forever in some god-forsaken place.

10) Men who thinks they are God's gift to humankind - like, hello???? They should be locked in with the perps above! Well, just saying.

11) Rude, incompetent drivers - whose f*&^ing idea is it to allow absolute nincompoops behind the wheels who do not know how to use the signal lights, do not know which lane to keep to and insist on driving at 10mph in the middle of the bloody road? I think my grandma walks faster than these drivers.

12) Viruses and bugs - no, not the ones that attack humans. The ones that incapacitated our beloved electronic companions which range from PDAs to notebooks to apples to personal computers.

13) Calories - how many times have dieters like me fall off the diet wagon thanks to the calories of our food intake? If only chocolates, cakes and ice creams do not have calories.....sigh


Links to other Thursday Thirteens!





Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

My second Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things about Chocolate Being a diehard chocoholic, the thought of popping a delicious morsel of chocolate into my mouth and letting it melt and slide down my throat is never far from mind. So in honour of chocolate, this week I am going to list down 13 reasons I have for indulging in chocolate! 1) The TASTE - just the thought of toe-curling, skin-tingling, mouth-watering, tongue-bursting, ecstacy-filled, mind-numbing taste of rich, sweet, creamy, smooth chocolate melting in my mouth is enough to get me hooked! Need I say more? 2) It's the time of the month - we all know we crave sugar just days before the time of the month when we bleed out so what better reason than to get the sugar craving fulfilled with a bar of chocolate! PMS is a time when I go a bit crazy and practically rip anyone in my way apart so the only way to appease me is with a nice bar of plain dark chocolate. 3) Variety - as they say, variety is the spice of life and mmmm, mmmm, there are so many variety of chocolates out there from those filled with nuts, liquer, fruit creme, dark, milk, rich, sugar-free, low fat to those quirky weird ginseng and herbal kinds. What better excuse than 'Hmmm, I've not tried this cherry-filled, almond covered, sugar-free chocolate so might as well buy one and try it!' I am determined to try as many types of chocolate as I possibly could even if some tasted so horrible it almost (but did not succeed) turn me off chocolate. 4) No disease / virus - what with the bird flu, mad cow disease and sea pollution, it is difficult to eat anything from chicken to fish without worrying about the diseases and contamination that seems to have infiltrated into every delicious food EXCEPT chocolate! So, if you are worried about catching the bird flu from chicken or mad cow disease from steaks, forget about those. Have a bar of chocolate instead! 5) Great companion - whenever I am bored and alone at home (which is very seldom but it happens!), nothing beats having some chocolate over for company. They are great listeners, they don't talk back to us, they don't comment on the size of my hips nor frown down on my tattered 'at-home' look and most importantly, they don't ask awkward personal questions like when I plan to have another baby or when I last shave my legs. Oh, of course, they expect to be eaten slowly so that I can have a really wonderful time! 6) Wonderful de-stress food - oh, we all have those dark stormy days of stress, depression and more stress. So I always grab a bar of chocolate, any chocolate, to rid me of all that tension and stress knotting up my shoulders, neck and brain. Nothing beats the sugar rush and almost orgasmic feeling after a bite into scrumptiously rich, creamy chocolate. 7) Gives me warm and fuzzy feelings - The one main thing which really won me over to the Harry Potter books is the part where those who came face to face with Dementors had to consume chocolate to get the warmth back and fully recover afterwards.Well, I may not have seen any Dementors around but hey we never know right? It is better to keep one by our side, just to be on the safe side. LOL. 8) Cures colds - okay, so it does not really do that but some sinfully, saliva-inducing Belgium chocolate never failed to make me forget about the puffy eyes, blocked nose and general lousy feelings associated with colds. 9) Available everywhere - whenever I go on vacation anywhere, be it a paradise island or some God-forsaken unknown jungle, chocolates can be found. So if the local foods of the place seemed suspiciously deep-fried-insect-looking, I don't have to worry about starving to death because no matter where, the airport always have a store selling chocolates. Worse comes to worse, purchase from the ridiculously expensive inflight airline store. 10) Universal - I am not a linguist and could not speak hundreds of different languages but I do know one thing though. Most of the people I met in foreign countries understand the word chocolate so I can often find the local chocolate store without any problems! 11) No cooking required - there are days when I am too lazy...er..busy...to cook or bake or slave away in the kitchen so chocolate is what I reach for to fill the growling stomach. Just tear off the wrapper, put in mouth and let it melt. Simple. 12) Versatile - there are also days when I am extremely hardworking (ahem!) so it is simply amazing the things we could cook, make and bake using chocolate from chocolate pies to cookies to ice cream to shakes. It is desserts galore! 13) Good for health - Aha! Finally, the scientists have discovered "preliminary evidence that cocoa and other chocolates may keep high blood pressure down, your blood flowing and your heart healthy". What more can we ask for? Disclaimer: The chocoholic blogger is not a qualified scientist so these reasons are merely her own observations and she is not liable for any sugar/chocolate overload among readers after reading this post.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants



Thursday 13

This is my first time participating in TT so here goes:

A list of 13 things I will not regret or try not to regret doing:

1) Slacking off at work to blog / write down my story ideas. Since trying to type even a sentence after work while at home with a toddler without the said two-footer trying to add in his own words is next to impossible, I reserved some of my office time to blogging and writing my own manuscripts. I just had to be careful to quickly click on my email page or other office works in progress whenever someone walks past my desk.

2) Missing out on sleep to work on my story ideas / manuscripts. Again, I have to put both baby and husband to sleep first before I get some free time of my own to write, write and write so that I can finish that manuscript! Dark circles under my eyes? Hah, even pandas would envy the lovely pair of beauties surrounding my eyes from lack of sleep.

3) Writing romance stories even if they never get published. I started jotting short romance stories when I was a teenager and though I have dabbled in a few other genres such as horror and fantasy, I still find I love writing romance stories with the happy ever after endings. I am now working towards completing my first full length novel and sending queries out to publishers.

4) Indulging in chocolates and ice cream. As a die-hard chocoholic, I would probably die without my daily dose of chocolate. I could survive solely on a diet of chocolate so throw me on a deserted island with endless supplies of chocolate and I will live!

5) Spending more time with my family. In my hectic working world, it is very difficult to balance my roles as a sister, daughter, mother, wife, journalist, blogger, closet romance writer, chocoholic, bookworm but I'll do whatever it takes to finagle some time out of my clogged schedule to spend more time with my darling husband, Steve and hyperactive son, Ray.

6) Reading all kinds of books including erotic romance books. I am a bookworm very much like my mother so I buy all sorts of books and when I have stolen free moments, I would let myself be transported into the different worlds created by authors from around the world.

7) Yo-yo dieting. I have never been blessed with the 'thin' genes so I always have to go on a diet to lose extra baggage around the hips and butt whenever I overindulge in no. 4. But I can never stick to a diet for too long because frankly, lettuce leaves vs chocolate...no prizes for guessing which one won the fight!

8) Starting this blog. When I initially started blogging, I was very apprehensive and unsure of what to write. Now, I am glad I started as it gave me an avenue to sharpen my writing skills and air my opinions and also rant and rave!

9) Not becoming a millionaire by not choosing a 'safer' or 'stable' career. Money and materialism have not always been the main goals in my life. A simple person at heart, I don't mind living in a small apartment, driving an old car which could break down at any time of the day for no simple reason and not being able to afford luxurious things like a diamond-studded toilet seat. As long as I can live comfortably with my family, I am happy with my not-so-profitable career choice.

10) Buying skimpy, smaller sized clothes which I may not be able to fit into in this lifetime. Hey, every girl is allowed to buy clothes they wished they could somehow squeeze into someday. It's the only motivation to lay off the chocolate for like two whole minutes!

11) Learning to cook and bake. When I was younger, I have been known to burn everything I tried to cook but after meeting my gourmet husband, I have improved my skills and now, can whip up a simple meal for 20 if need to.

12) Having my son, Ray. At times I may feel like pulling out my hair in frustration over his cheeky shenanigans but all in all, he is a good kid who never fails to cheer up my days. I don't even mind the stretch marks and extra bulges I ended up with for having him.

13) Not conforming to any particular group of people. Though I am a news journalist and is supposed to be all serious, all no-nonsense and very sociable, I am far from that. I have a skewed sense of humour and tend to burst out laughing (real deep loud HAHAHAs and not those ladylike polite 'heeheehee's) at anything remotely funny to me even when in the middle of a press conference which could be very awkward. That said, I also hate attending any social events and avoided it like the plague and the only way I could be induced to attend one 'voluntarily' is by orders from the boss at work for work-related functions.

There, it wasn't so hard after all.