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So thats done. Crossed out of my "Things To do Before im 30 list" :)
Maybe full report later. Surprisingly it wasnt as bad as i expected it to be!

Painted faces fill the place i cant reach

For Jim.



my jim.

:)

GizmodiggidyWhat?

You Probably Know an Idiotphone Owner with Cellphone Inferiority Complex

It ain't that they black or white, it has an area the shade of grey

Ah.. what the heck. Im bored anyway and dont really have a life. heh.. so here goes from (one of) my favourite blogs ..
(terasa begitu Oprah disituh.. kosser!)

What is the Single Best Way to Change Your Relationship with Money? The Money Book Guest Post at Coupon Cravings
by admin on April 9, 2009

Note: This was a guest post I wrote for Coupon Cravings. I love Coupon Cravings, and considering that my Money Book is my favorite financial tool, it was great to be able to write for Erin’s site! See the full post on Coupon Cravings here.
Meet the Money Book

The single best way to change your relationship with money and your outlook on your financial future lies in one cheap little notebook.
Hear it here, hear it forever: The key to financial freedom is in basic record-keeping.

What is a Money Book?

A money book is a pocket sized journal you take everywhere. It is the place where you record everything you spend and everything you earn. Every week takes up two pages in the book, and you can set up your pages to look like this:

On the left hand page you list each day with a spot for earning and expenses, and a total at the bottom of the page for earned and spent.

On the right hand page you list:
• Week’s Net Loss/Profit
• Year’s Net Loss/Profit
• Net Worth

How To Use A Money Book:
1. Every day, write down everything you buy. Every single expense. Anything that you pay for in cash, anything you pay for with a credit card. $2 coffee? Write it down. $5,000 Gucci hand bag? Write it down. Every single expense needs to get written down. And you must note what you spent the money on! i.e. do not write $5,000. do write $5,000 Gucci handbag.

2. Then write down what you earn. For people with consistent incomes, this would mean dividing your annual salary after taxes by 52 weeks in the year. For freelancers or those without one solid number, write down what you earn as it comes in. Make sure to also write down any other amount coming into your bank account (do not forget cash gifts, tax refunds, interest earned on savings,etc).

3. Once a week, tally up what you earned and spent that week to determine the Week’s Net Loss/Profit. Add that weekly number to your ongoing annual tally of Year’s Net Loss/Profit. Then add that number into the overarching Net Worth number.
You can interpret this Net Worth number however you like. Some people like to include their investments and property, but some prefer simply referencing liquid cash or available savings in this number. Think about what is best for you.
If you have never kept a money book before, and are new at record keeping, you may not be able to calculate your Net Worth overnight. I would encourage you to simply start with a Net Worth of 0 as of the date you began your money book until you can figure out a good estimate. Then you can retroactively add that in.

4. Once a month, transfer these numbers into a simple running list of expenses and income either on your computer (I recommend many simply pre-made budgets in Excel) or on paper. The idea is that at the end of the year you will have an itemized list of exactly how much you spent in what categories all year.
What are the Biggest Benefits of Keeping A Money Book?
The reasons are endless. Although I had dabbled in expense and income record-keeping for years, it wasn’t until I went on one 8 month trip around the world (during which I had to seriously count pennies) that I become converted to the idea of writing down every single expense. At the end of that trip, I felt that I had finally taken control of my life. The liberation in knowing exactly how much you need to live well is astounding. Some of the other benefits of keeping a money book:

• You have a year by year account of what your money is spent on. This is one of the best motivators I know of lowering a given spending category.

• You also have a year by year account of your salary in simple black and white combined with the grand total that you “earn” outside of your salary (gifts, interest, windfalls, product returns, rebates, etc). No more digging through bank statements to figure out if Granny is still giving out $20 at Christmas.

• At the end of the year, doing taxes are a breeze.
If there is one thing you do this year to improve your financial situation, let it be this: get a money book. The key to financial freedom is in the record keeping. I promise;)

Never mind what haters say, ignore 'em 'til they fade away

We were exchanging our favourite blogs my gal pal L and I. (which by the way is such a good way to broaden your reading list) and I know im not supposed to use this blog as a place to post forwarded emails or other peoples post, but i see people doing it on twitter or facebook and these articles are really interesting. And the thing is, you might not have even stumbled upon it in your day to day reading. So instead of doing it their way im doing it my way. So thank you L for a new blog for me to read. Maybe next time ill post up an entry from my favourite blog!

Keeping Score

June 12th, 2009

One of the things I’ve noticed in life and in doing the show is people’s propensity to keep score. Partners say (or at the very least think) things like, “I’ve been to dozens of his boring games, it’s time he came to a musical with me,” or “We’ve spent every single holiday with her family, it’s time my family got to see the kids at Christmas.” I know I’ve done it. And I’ve been royally ticked when my partner was very good at taking, and not so good at giving.

“Compromise” is the word that usually comes up when you start to talk about “evening the score.” I actually think that score-keeping is a really bad idea, although I’m the first to admit I have no idea how to get people to stop. And I hate, Hate, HATE the word “compromise.” Maybe because whenever it’s been thrown at me, as in “You’ll have to compromise,” (said in a deep, patronizing voice) it’s usually because I’ve done just about enough compromising and have drawn a line.

I much prefer the word “negotiate.” The idea behind compromise is that both couples do it evenly so that over time it’s a 50/50 wash. Personal experience has told me that this very seldom happens. Usually one partner is much “better” at compromising, and turns into a doormat for the sake of peace. The other claims to compromise, but it’s on very small things. Then the Keeping Score starts.

The problem with keeping score is that sometimes it takes a long time before the other person gets theirs and the score builds and builds on one side of the scoreboard, making the person who is doing all the compromising feel like a fool. Eventually, if you’re in a real partnership, it comes out in the wash. But what about all those feelings of resentment and being-taken-advantage-of in the meantime?

I like the idea of negotiation. Here’s how it works.

“Honey, I want us to go to my parents’ for the holidays.”

“Okay, sweetie, I know that, but I hate your parents. Your mother always acts like I was the worst possible choice in a mate. She looks right through me.”

“But she hasn’t seen the kids in five years. And she’s sick. This is really important to me.”

HERE’S WHERE THE NEGOTIATION COMES IN…

“How important on a scale of 1-10?”

“It’s a 9.5.”

“Well, it’s a 8.5 for me NOT to go on my scale, so you get this one.”

Ha, I see the flaw Gail…. What if the other guy makes all his/her scores a 10 all the time? See, that’s where my brand of negotiation is so great: For every three in a row one guy gets, the other guy gets an auto-default to what he/she wants. So if you play the 10 card three times in a row to get your way, you’d better be prepared for what comes next, because it’s my way all the way baby!

For most couples this kid of negotiation works because, on a case-by-case basis, you’re determining just how important it is to each person. If something is a 5 to me and a 7 to you, clearly you get what you want. If it’s a 9 to me and a 3 to you, I get my way. If it’s a close call, which it can sometimes be, then you’ll have to negotiate on a finer point.

“Not going to your mother’s house is a 9 for me, baby. Sorry.”

“Going is a 9 for me so what now.”

“Well, how long do we have to stay?”

“I’d like to stay 5 days.”

“Okay, I’m prepared to give this to you if we stay two days.”

“TWO DAYS!… How about three.”

“How about 2 and we call it three! Hey, man, the fact that you’re getting me to go to your mom’s house is a fricken miracle. Cut me some slack.”

“Alright, we’ll go late on Friday and leave early on Sunday. That’ll seem like three days.”

“No, buddy, it’ll seem like a month. But I’ll buy that.”

Try it. See if you can make it work for you. And it doesn’t matter how small the negotiation is, remember the three-in-a-row rule. It’s bad for the relationship dynamic for one person to get his or her own way all the time, no matter how right (s)he may be.

*click article for link*

Im coming back for more

Running is one of the most liberating and refreshing things to do. A good run is like a cure to a bad day. But the thing is when it is forced, it starts to feel like a job or a chore, and loses its appeal.

Thats what you get for waking up in Vegas

So i was reading some blogs, biasa la.. blog surfing. And i stumbled this blog with lots of pictures and writing. Femes jugak blog ni and the pictures are awesome. Very the creative yo!

But Thank God i didnt recognise any of the people in the photos.
Dont get me wrong.. Theyre amazing photos and im pretty sure youve jumped up the social ladder if you were in it.
But if i did see you in them and i happened to know you? then im pretty sure its like i never knew you at all.





Do you dig this shizz?!

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance I hope you dance

Airports are fascinating kan? Its like full of expressions, tempat yg penuh dgn perasaan. There are the excited faces traveling abroad, and there's the sad ones who are being left behind, and there's the kids who are just happy running all over the place taking rides on the big sturdy trolleys.
Airports have always been a source of joy for me , even that ugly LCCT that never sleeps.( especially when im leaving to some place exotic). while Subang still has a lot to catch up with regards to that festive feeling but still a source of joy when im leaving for an island getaway (hee).. and KLIA is just in a whole league of its own! But as i said, there are the ones who are leaving and then there are the ones left behind and it is appropriate to say airports menjadi saksi dan tangki takungan air mata orang yg ditinggalkan.
Anyway yesterday it was a whole different experience when i went to pick Abg Abdol aka MHM.. (euww.. geli la plak bunyi Abg Abdol eetuww kan?.. its like you would imagine some dirty perverted old man.. jadi.. Abg Abdol akan kembali dipanggil MHM - My Hunky Monkey kerana ia berbunyi lebih comel :) ) Its like a different kind of joy seeing him back after all the drama with the immigration which had him delay his trip back for 4 days. Its like seeing the airport in a whole different light. Like you become more aware of the happy faces all looking forward to their trips and that wholesome family feeling as they crowd around to send their golden child off for studies abroad.
And with that feeling in mindlah, i suddenly remembered my friend D's request to write out a short paragraph on my experience at PP last month. Hey my friend M actually created a whole new blog for the whole event and everything related to it.. as she puts it "This blog is all about capturing those moments that take your breath away, being a bon vivant & living in the moment. " and it was exactly how the PP getaway felt.
Really, its not that we did much since the group of 9 slimmed down to only 3, but the trip was definitely the most relaxing holiday ive ever been to. Nowhere to rush off to, nowhere to go. Just sleeping by the beach, with a book in hand, a cold glass of teh O beng and our ipods. Of course D was all out trying to get her diving license done (which reminds me, WAS my 2006 resolution) but she still managed to have some fun with us. We snorkled and watched Turtles grazing at the bottom of the sea..(penyu okeyyy! penyu!!) and even sharks swimming not so nearby. Gossiped about the unattractive couple who were grossing us out and playing stupid word games. No alcohol, no drugs, no high from external substance whatsoever! (the cigarette or two doesnt count) Just pure organic endorphins!
So there D... a paragraph for that scandalous blog of yours.. *peace!*




p/s : kenapa lately aku rasa cam aku berbunyi over gedik ni?.. koser!