Result of the poll on "love"

Which is a more correct use of the word "love"?

love myself has 2 votes
to love has 6 votes
feel love has 1 vote
fall in love has 1 vote

Total only 10 votes, and not significantly (P=0.079>0.05 by ChiSquared Test) different from the uniform case.
Nevertheless, "to love" has the highest number of votes.

Is it Karma?

I think Karma is real, but how to identify it?

I wasn't happy when I went out two days ago and these things happen:
1) It was raining heavily, so I brought umbrella, which is something I don't like to bring and use.
2) By the time the bus arrive, the rain has stopped, which means I could have ride my bicycle instead as I don't like to take feder bus.
3) For some good reason I guess, the driver is driving in a supper slow manner, while I had a tight schedule.
4) Good to have some stranger approach me with a "Happy New Year," but sorry to the person, I wasn't in good mood and was rushing off.
5) Went to an ATM machine, punched in all the necessary, and only to read on the screen "This machine cannot dispense cash now."

Thus, I forced myself out of the bad mood and the rest of the day was nice :)

Compete vs Complete

Tonight I heard a speech on two perspectives: scarcity and abundance. The formal is like a zero sum game where for one to win someone else must loose because resources are seen as scarce. The latter consider resources as virtually infinite, and complement each other to yield as much as possible from the abundance pool of resources.

This relates to what I just read in the afternoon, in the book "The World Is Flat" describing how the Netscape browser pushed for open standards in the Internet world as a major factor that brought about the current tremendous connectivity through the Internet. In pre-Internet era, network software companies perceive a scarce pool of customers and therefore "disallowed" their customers to use other companies' software to communicate with theirs. With open standards, these companies now seek to complete each others by producing software products that provide services that could be still lacking in others, and because of this, the once perceived to be a scarce pool of customers expanded into an abundance pool.

Smorty is the second hub I just subscribed to that connects advertisers to me so that I get paid to blog¹. I think this company has an perspective of abundance from this statement found in its FAQ:
"Smorty does not limit the way in which you get paid for blogging, we only add to it."

Smorty sponsored this post.

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¹ As a side note, I read in some places skeptics accused bloggers' souls were on sale when this idea started. I hope mine isn't :) I don't sell much. I just post my comments, with sponsorship.

Beware of romance

The first definition from a Google search for define:romance is

love affair: a relationship between two lovers

Sound ok to me initially, but what exactly does the word "affair" imply?

These are found from a similar Google search for define:affair:

Definitions of affair on the Web:
matter: a vaguely specified concern; "several matters to attend to"; "it is none of your affair"; "things are going well"
a usually secretive or illicit sexual relationship
a vaguely specified social event; "the party was quite an affair"; "an occasion arranged to honor the president"; "a seemingly endless round of social functions" wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
An affair is a form of nonmonogamy. The term may be used to describe infidelity in marriage. It may be used as a euphemism and in some cases to add glamour to an illicit liaison. Describing a relationship as an 'affair' may be inaccurate or intentionally damaging. ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affair

Wow!!! So, beware!

Calling Cards

Is anyone calling the cards? Of course not! Then, is anyone using the card to make phone calls? Once upon a time, phone card refers to physical card bought from phone companies to be used on their public phones. Nowadays, technology has minimized the requirements of such physical gadgets. However, the name remains.

These "cards" can now be conveniently purchased from the Internet. This is one of the largest retailers of phone card and calling cards carrying 459 different phone cards from all major vendors.

It has been quite some time since I once used to made frequent overseas calls using such cards. One troubling thing is the short life span of the many digits PIN. Here you can find cards that have state of the art ANI recognition system that allows PIN-less dialing, especially the rechargeable ones!

Post Sponsored by GetMeCallingCards.com.

It's real!

What is real? What is not real? Recently heard a speech suggesting that our sub-conscious mind cannot differentiate between real and unreal events. However, if an event occurred, then why is it unreal? Even if it is a dream. Instead of unreal, I would say outside the currently quite well scientifically described world. In other word, the religious world called it spiritual. Enjoy this fun commercial, although Karma may not be fun.

What a luxury!

To the poor ones, to have three meals daily is a luxury.

From this perspective, an article title "The luxury of being a [full-time] mother" means that career women are comparative to the poor ones.

Isn't it natural for father to be the sole bread winner of a family. The role of mother is very important but has been devalued in recent decades.

Did all these advancements in developed countries/cities make most woman became "poor" because they are stuck in the middle, between being successful in career (by sacrificing their family), and being able to have the "luxury" to be a mother.

A real advertisement

Online advertisments are getting more real... but slowly.

There are many opportunities to put up online advertisements, but many of them are about what many considered as scams, or of the money making theme. Seldom there are pure advertisments.

This advertisement at emailcashpro is one in a couple of months by someone selling Gucci pouches.

And it is an active blog with (I think) real sales.
Update 20080131: I was wrong. It is not active now.

One for all and All for One

Is vaccine for you? Actually, most people had it without saying yes, or even ever had had this question in their head. However, in this era, what's the chance that you will be infected if you were not vaccinated? The chance could be very low for certain infections that certain vaccines are designed for. So, should someone then say, "It isn't for me."

Some years back I heard a discussion regarding should individual choice or rights be ignored for the sake of welfare of the population, and make it compulsory for all to be vaccinated?

In 18 Dec 07 TodayOnline's article: a 56 year-old man said: "It's not for me … It's good for single, young men only. Elder and married men like me who have only one partner are more decent and safe." If a person is safe, there isn't any big different to go for the test, other than the extra few dollars to pay. If only "more" decent and safe, i.e. not 100% safe, isn't it good to be tested? And, even if you have only one partner, not questioning faithfulness, but you can't know for sure if your partner is also decent and safe.

Also, another 54 year-old man said: "Testing isn't for me — the more you know, the more problems there will be." This is similar to choosing not to be vaccinated because somebody would rather die if infected. However, this is not about a single person's life, but about avoiding potential epidemic of infectious diseases that can cause much much more lives.

So, one test for the benefits of all, and all live properly for the benefit of One Human Race.

Finally the egg is broken

What a surprise! Didn't expect income from Google Adsense.. even though it is not even a dollar yet. :)

The World is Flat

What a coincidence! I just started reading an E-book "The World is Flat" that talks about globalizations 1.0, 2.0 and now, 3.0. It was talking about how the Internet has virtually allowed anything digitizable to be processed anywhere in the world. I guess natural face to face communication is very much a digitizable event.

Here, I bump into LifeSize. It provides an affordable high definition (HD not only for TV shows) video communications solution that uses advanced technology to deliver a true and natural telepresence experience. LifeSize uses existing broadband connection avoid high cost of special infrastructure setup.

For further featured products such as the LifeSize Room, allow up to six participants to connect in high definition please visit their Video Conference Equipment site.

It says "Do more. Travel less. Be present." I say, "Do more. Travel less for work but more for play. Be present." Reminds me of my dream of living in the wild nature but still able to providing services to anywhere in the world. It is realizing now, with communications already here. Remote power supply is still an issue, but the alternative of self-generating power is feasible for small equipments that require little power such as smart phone and PDA.

Post Sponsored by LifeSize.

Colour face

A face shows expression
Colours enhance expressions
Red for passion
White for peace
Green for environment friendliness
Black isn't a colour
Yet it expresses the strongest
face of all.

1129hr 16th December, CIG 7th year.

How about coach tickets too?

Between booking through phone and through Internet, I personally prefer Internet. However, it seems that many are unlike me. This Hotel Reservations site provides both. I have yet to have the opportunity to book through it, but am willing to do so if the opportunity arises. I feel that the site has a clean and clear look, simple without many fancy but unnecessary and time and resource taxing features.

Only very recently, I came across a site that provides similar online purchase of coach ticket from various companies. This site should consider adding this to its already quite complete set of services including Hotel, flight, cars, vacation rental/package.

Not sure about elsewhere, but here the coach seat facilities are equivalent to that of a flight, above the economical class for sure!

Post Sponsored by

Trust nature

In the article, "The 80-year-old Pope said the world needed to care for the environment but not to the point where the welfare of animals and plants was given a greater priority than that of mankind."

On one hand, we cannot not care. On the other hand, have we over cared? Or, will we unfairly care?

I see nature as a very fine piece of designed work, and I trust its robustness.

Just as how much is fever a symptom of illness versus that of a curing process?

My Big Fat Moonie Wedding

Did you arrive here while searching for the above "documentary"? If so, then you must watch this too.

The director is a child of one of those marriages.
The media industry seems to be going from reporting facts to selling whatever can sell.

I watched a few episodes of a documentary about "UFO" that tries to fairly present arguments from both sides, at least I feel so. Thus, I do feel unfulfilled after watching as it always ends without making a stand. This might affect its sales as people from either side will not fully endorse it.

Anyway, a 1L glass containing 500ml of water can be perceived as half full or half empty. Interviewing less than 10 failures out of 2000 over marriages should suggest high success rate. Otherwise, there wouldn't be more of such event, with growing numbers, including many of their children.

Update:
If you didn't come here from Mhax Prosper related post, I recommend you to pay a visit there for further updates.

Giving hope

Wonder when the concept of borrowing and lending started. People have been helping relatives and friends naturally all along. "Help" might be either 100%, i.e. w/o expectation of returning, or 0%, i.e. the concept of lending with expectation of exact returns, or still 0%, although it seems like <0%, i.e. lending with interests.

Nevertheless, I feel that when someone is willing to lend, he is willing to give you your hopes. However, one needs to establish necessary credibility to be given hopes.

Usually, the lenders are clear of their risks and are professionals. Rarely this is the case for consumer borrowers, while businessmen are clear of their profits when borrowing. In this modern age, it is wise to learn more about loans, the different types such as Unsecured Personal Loans, Payday Loans and many others you can find in these links. They also have some general articles.

Post Sponsored by BestLeadingLenders.com.

Be reflective

In our circle of life, there is a sub-circle of influence, and in it a sub-sub-circle of control. In the very center of these circles is each one of us.

Thus, for betterment of life, family, career, management, etc. it is important to be reflective. When we analyze situations, we should look at the center first, i.e. ask what have I done to affect to the situation and how better can I respond.

In the show "Remember the Titans" a football captain was accusing one teammate of his poor attitude of not willing to play for the team. The answer from the teammate, "attitudes reflect the leadership," triggered the captain to reflect and eventually these two become good buddy.

Take ownership means taking ownership, not of the victories, but of the failures and problems and resolve them.

Get ready for exam

Education encompasses knowledge, teaching, learning, remembering, application, etc.

Is something missing?

Oh yes, exams and tests! However, these are not necessary in education although evaluations to feedback errors and weak areas for further strengthening are necessary.

Ironically, exams and tests are the two most talk about than all the other areas.

These two are there to serve the industry. In many industries such as real estates, insurance and finance, for the sake of the general public consumers, there are many qualifying exams to certified agents in these industries to be qualified to provide professional services.

Take for example, dealing with mortgages, there is the Mortgage Test. In this exam-prep.com link, you can find resources to prepare yourself for the test. Resources include CompuCram® Exam Prep Software that guarantee to help you pass your mortgage exams the first time. It contains huge database of exam styled questions by industry experts to train you as much as you choose to.

In my days, sometimes we paired up with classmates to test each other while preparing for tests and exams. With CompuCram® Exam Prep Software, you can do that repeatedly without bothering someone else.

This reminds me of the similar kind of software that my middle school English teacher developed to teach English Grammar. Thinking of it now, it was very amazing as that era was before MS Windows, with many fruits-branded (including Apple of course) computers, while he wrote it on his Sinclair Z80 (if I remember correctly) using the BASIC computer programming language.

That program was effective. Surely, the CompuCram® Exam Prep Software would be much better!


Post Sponsored by exam-prep.com.

Middle management

It is difficult to be in a middle managment position. Yet, virtually nobody is not in this position.

On one hand, you may be trying to "take care" of your subordinates. On the other hand, it usually backfires and all suffers.

Once during my army time, trying to act smart, I told the guys a book-out time based on my own estimation, so that they may get ready in advance. However, only minutes later an instructor gave further tasks for us. Arrrgh..I felt like everyone wanna humtam me.

However, we still should have initiative and anticipate to be better prepared for upcoming events or goals. The important thing is that these should be done centered on the higher goal. Rather than focusing on making my guys "happy" by naively hoping for good news, I should have asked the instructors for further instructions earlier. Probably, we will have the instructions earlier, complete them earlier, and therefore able to book out earlier. Thus, everyone is happy.

Flying termites!

Eeee TERMITES!!!

My wife once saw them flying out from a wall where they live. It is like horror movie. There seem to have a protruding pattern on the wall where in it is where their nest is. She said sound can be heard from the wall at night.

Don't know where they fled to. No experts were called in, but somehow, the house is still standing, so hopefully they are gone.

Of course, I don't recommend ignoring their existence. With easy search for resources in this Internet era, if you have concern with termites, read a guide to getting rid of termite infestations, at termite control.

"Booting up"

When a computer is powered on, there are a few very simple tasks to get the fetch-cycle started.

When a baby is born, two simple and important tasks that gets the baby going are cry and suck.

Amazing!