Saturday, October 31, 2009

Scary Veg time

I have never carved a pumpkin before …

My Dad taught me that if I was going to do anything, then I should always do my best.

So… when Alex asked me to carve a Mini pumpkin I figured I’d do the best I could… Lets face it, it’s just veg, knife, picture…

I figured you might like a guide on how I went at it – You never know, it might help you!

First I tried to hand draw something Mini-like…

My awesome artistic talent shines like a lump of coal…

Not great….

The idea was to draw a Mini then shade out the areas I’d eventually cut from the scary veg!

So… onto Google and find a good Mini front view…

Make screen size to suit pumpkin… then trace…

Shade main features… cut out… remembering not to cut all the way around or the Mini will fall out!

Now… scoop out pumpkin.

When cutting the top remember to cut it like a wedge, and not straight down, or the lid will fall in!

I then pinned the template to the veg and traced the shape onto the pumpkin using a pin… like a giant dot to dot.

Cutting the smaller parts first whilst the pumpkin is still pretty rigid reduced potential breakage.

For fine details I just cut away the skin, but didn’t remove the flesh from under it. (like the tyre treads)

I also cut the skin around the edge where the main car was attached.

The MINI name at the top also helped hold the main car cut out in place and add to the shape.

Once lit you can see that the treads show up well – even though I only shaved the skin off there!

The end result is a very happy little Alex!

(…and a quite chuffed Dad! – Not bad for a first effort!)

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Don't Let a Boating Accident Sink Your Mood - Get Covered!

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Public Comment, and No follow up...

Mr. Ray Muskat, asked a very good question about city employees using city cars for personal use. Having said that the city council was quite not one person on the council asked the next question. Who are you talking about? did you see them, when did you see them. I am so sorry to say Mr. Muskat (sorry if I am spelling your name wrong) it looks like you should maybe do the council’s job for them. Please come to the next city council meeting, and tell them who you are talking about, I know of one person who does that, the mayor’s assistant takes the city car to the bar she works at every night that she goes to work there. Please tell them who, when, and if you saw them. Let that person come and explain to all of us why we are paying for this.

Once again you all failed sorry to say, but on this one you guys get an F, we the citizens of this city can only do so much you guy’s dropped the ball, this was an opening for one if not all of you to pick up the ball, and run with it for a touch down.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Prepaid Credit Cards - Use for holiday shopping online

Shopping online can be safely done with prepaid credit cards.  In fact, you can use can use prepaid credit cards that have a Visa or Mastercard logo any where that accepts Visa or Mastercard.  It’s easier to stay within your spending limit with prepaid credit cards because your available balance is preset by the amount that you deposit on the card, hence pre-payment.  Issuers of prepaid credit cards will approve nearly 100% of all people that apply.  Unlike debit cards, prepaid credit cards will allow you to build credit.  This is a huge benefit for those that have bad credit or no credit at all.  A prepaid credit card can be a very useful tool to help build and increase your credit score.  Sign up for your prepaid credit card now @ http://score1st.com

Loans

I’m so excited — I get to begin paying my loans back soon! (sarcasm)

Yes I wish I had begun looking at loan information earlier but I’m sort of glad I didn’t because if I had, I would have begun worrying much sooner than necessary. I’ve been sitting at my lovely computer all evening looking over different options and trying to sort out my budget.
Not very fun.

Oh, and I found out my car is worth less than $1,000 Kelly Blue Book! Talk about a financial fun filled evening

I think I’m just going to start playing the lottery more! Haha. I wonder what the statistics of me winning are? Especially now, I wonder if even more people are playing the lottery because they have been hit by a poor economy. I wish (for a very brief second) that I was back in school so I could use that as a sociological study for a class!

Work is going well, we’re very busy in the social media world, which is great! I’m really getting into social media and what it does.

My tip of the day: go to Twitter and just listen. Look for your favorite news program, or a celebrity you like. If you’re afraid to begin “Tweeting” don’t sweat it. You can look around and see what other people are saying. If you find something interesting, follow that account and you can “Retweet” what they said by simply adding “RT @theirusername” and then what they said.

Here are some interesting users:

For mom/nana/aunts –
Lifeway Women http://twitter.com/LifewayWomen

Kay Arthur http://twitter.com/KayArthur

Hugh Jackman http://twitter.com/realhughjackman

NY Times http://twitter.com/nytimes

Jenson Button (Formula 1 Driver) http://twitter.com/The_Real_JB

Third Day http://twitter.com/thirdday

 

Lance Armstrong is on Twitter as well as, Josh Groban, MC Hammer (haha), Neil Diamond (anyone?), OchoCinco (who always gives away free things), Shaun White, Sophia Bush, President Obama, Shaquille O’Neill, Buffalo Bills & Sabres, CNN, NPR!!

I spent this much time finding these people. Do me a favor and get on and listen. You can even follow me!!

 

p.s. still haven’t received this past month’s Woody’s Wire (cough*mom*cough) so if anyone wants to send it I’d appreciate it

Sunday, October 25, 2009

A meat overdose. And I am bad for the environment.

While I am typing this, the Husband is downloading the new series of ‘The Thick of It’ and the i-player icon is doing an odd inhale-exhale motion at the bottom of the screen.  It is most distracting.  On that note, who is excited by ‘The Thick of It’ this year?  I.  Am.

I have just been reading’Julie and Julia.’  Or not reading, so much as scoffing the whole thing down in one.  Which on previous form, no matter how much I am enjoying the book, is guaranteed to make me feel a little bit nauseous.  And when brains, liver and lobster-murder feature quite heavily, this feeling is only going to be heavily magnified.  Note to Julie – should you ever feel the need to spend another year of your work cooking through the masterwork of a culinary heroine, might you consider Delia Smith?  She has the no-nonsense uber-organised vibe that you find so appealing, but there is far less blood and guts and gore and calves feet.  Not that I’m a self-righteous ‘not going to cook anything I wouldn’t kill myself’ because obviously that is not true.  But you may well have put me off meat for a very long time.  Having said that, I think this book is great.  Not least because she gives me hope.   We have many things in common – under-appreciated and truly marvellous Husbands who try not to notice the worst excesses of our hysteria; soul-destroying jobs combined with equally soul-destroying commutes; tendencies to embark on random self-improvement projects which quickly descend into sticks to beat ourselves with; and a proclivity for sentences which are far too long.  In fact, Julie, the only thing that we don’t have in common is that you have a hugely successful movie made out of your life with Amy Adams as you.  And I don’t.  (Though of course, as we know, I would have Tina Fey.)  Still, there is hope, right?  All I need is the right project to obsess over, and then me and Tina can get to work on the screenplay.  So, what will it be?

In other news, we bought a car this weekend.  Oh I know, cars are bad for the environment and an unnecessary expense and fairly impractical in London.  But it is so pretty.  Plus though I am not American, I have absorbed enough of the Husband’s upbringing to know that cars = freedom.  I cannot WAIT for my driving adventures.

One project, I guess, could be teaching the American “what is this gear-stick that you speak of” Husband to drive this car, but I think on balance probably not.  He’s happy enough pushing all the air conditioning buttons and fiddling with the speakers.   And he is infinitely patient and I am not.

Four killed, one injured in South Beaver Accident

Four people were killed and one person was injured in a collision between a car and a pick up truck in South Beaver late Saturday night.  According to a report from WPXI, the accident occurred a the intersection of Routes 51 and 168.  The cause of the crash is being investigated by South Beaver police.

Intersection accidents remain a significant danger to American drivers.  A simple error by one driver can cause a collision between vehicles at significant speeds, resulting in death or serious injury to those involved.  For more information on car accidents, please visit my Beaver County Accident Attorney website.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Accolades for Maruti Ritz

* Ritz is rated No.1 in autocar’’s giant hatch test

* Ritz is an all-new car with better interiors, more space and better ride quality says overdrive

* The tall boy design ensures an airy feel all around. The knee room by the small car standards is generous says overdrive

* Inside the Ritz is genuinely path breaking says BSmotoring

* Smooth, slick and precise, a great car to drive. CNBC Awaaz

* Smooth and refined drive, peaceful cabin, ample space, class leading fuel efficiency- says car india

* Ritz wins the challenge Overdrive challenge of Hyundai i10 Vs Maruti Ritz

* Ritz is the zigwheels best large hatch


RX7 FD3S Mazda used car import from Japan to Germany

We received news from our customer. He import modified RX7 FD3S model from us, and He received his car ! Congratulations !   Enjoy Rotary engine sports car, Mazda RX7 is great fun biturbo ( twin turbo ) powerful car.

For Germany customers, We can arrange shipping to Bremeharven port, shipping method is by RORO car carrier ship. If You are interested in importing Mazda RX7 or other model Japanese used cars, please feel free contact us.

Moving

The day came when the big truck my father rented was loaded with all our furniture, clothing and toys.  It was really going to happen.  We were leaving the only place I had ever known as home, the only place I had friends, the only place I ever wanted to be.

As the car and truck were being unloaded at our new home in Kent, NY I pulled out my hoola hoop and did a few tricks with it.  Across the road there was a young girl riding a pony in the orchard.  I imagined that she would think we were circus performers because of all the amazing things I was doing with the hoola hoop.  I don’t think she even noticed us.  Later, I found out she was a neighbor and her name was Cathy.  She was a bit of a tom-boy and a year or two younger than me.  There weren’t very many kids on our road and most of them were girls so we didn’t have too many neighborhood baseball games like we did on Post Avenue.  The houses were so far apart that walking to each one for Halloween was out of the question if a boy wanted to get a lot of candy.  A half mile down the road was a family operated dairy farm.  Just before the dairy farm was the house where Cathy lived with her parents, sister and brother – and the one with the large black snarling dog that would chase you if you were riding a bicycle to the dairy farm.

From an upstairs window we could see a thick deep blue line that was lake Ontario.  Our house was two miles from the shoreline and a drive just past the dairy farm still gives a nice view of the lake.  Once I started attending school, I learned that about a half mile north of us was a boy my age who lived on a small farm.  We became pretty close friends over the years.  He didn’t have anyone else as close as me so I guess it was by default.  His name was Chuck.  His father was a plumber or something and his mother was a teacher.  He had an older brother who was the same age as my oldest brother, Dale.  He also had a younger sister, Connie.  They were a nice hard working family.  All of our new neighbors were hard working it seemed.

The home my parents bought was sitting at an intersection of two country roads.  The road we lived on was two miles long.  The mile we didn’t live on was still a dirt road when we moved in.  To the west of us, and on that dirt road was another house at the intersection.  Mrs. Lee lived there all alone.  She was a nice elderly lady who would invite me into her home, give me milk and cookies and talk with me for a while.  I always liked her.  I liked her even though she once advised me to stop cracking my knuckles.  According to Mrs. Lee, she had done the same thing when she was young and now her knuckles were large, swollen and painful.  I thought how good it would be to have big knuckles.  I didn’t stop cracking my knuckles, but I should have.  Mrs. Lee always had something nice to say.   She smiled a lot and was always friendly.  A good number of years later she was staying in our home as my mother cared for her during her last days on earth.  She was a nice old lady.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Murphy’s Law #4

HIS Car

Murphy’s law is an adage that broadly states: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

Are you freaking kidding me? Is about the only thing I can say about this one.   I have been so good about starting the Husband’s car at least once a week. He harasses me about starting it and honest to goodness, I really have been good about it.

It’s parked up on the top side part of our driveway.  Our next door neighbor’s are putting in some cement right next to where the car is parked.  So I’ve told them when they needed it moved to let me know and I would gladly move it so they can get the wheelbarrow up where they need it to be.

So today was the day.  I started the damn car last Friday.  It’s been 6 days.  My parents were here, they can vouch for the fact that I started the car and that it did in fact start.

So just a bit ago, I went out to start it.  I was chatting with the neighbors.  They were giving me a hard time about when I was going to wash it.  The Husband is religious about washing the cars.  He does it at least every other week.  I don’t wash cars.  So they haven’t been washed in the seven weeks he’s been gone.  His car is filthy.  You can barely tell it’s black, it looks more tan with the dirt coating on it.

Anyway, I put the key in and tried to start it.  Nothing.   I tried again.  Nothing.  It was not turning over for anything. Seriously, it’s been SIX days since I started it.

So the neighbor moved his car over, jumped the Husband’s car and I moved it to the other side of the driveway.   Not sure what I am going to do now.  I don’t want to leave it where it is.  Our driveway is on one nasty slope and I don’t want it sitting there for the next three months.  But going and getting a new battery doesn’t like much fun right now either.  UGH!

Mazda to bring new subcompact to Canada

In an interview with Mazda Motor Corporation president and CEO Takashi Yamanouchi, the Globe and Mail quotes the Mazda boss confirming that the subcompact Mazda2 (Demio in other markets) will be sold in Canada.

“I’ve just decided,” Yamanouchi told the Globe and Mail.

While it would appear to the average consumer like a simple decision, with no subcompact model yet offered on the Canadian market, it appears that the brand’s executive team has wrestled with the decision for some time.

“There has been a lot of discussion about that,” added Yamanouchi. “There is concern it would cannibalize Mazda3 sales. We need it to be incremental.”

Dealer pressure to offer variety to its buyers eventually won out, critical in a market that sees 50-percent of all passenger car sales comprised of subcompact and compact models.

No body-style has been spoken of, although a hatchback is expected. Such a move would also help differentiate the model from Ford’s Fiesta, which is built on the Mazda2 architecture. Ford may offer a hatchback too, but for the time being has only announced a four-door sedan variant.

Why Canada and not the US? First, Mazda’s share of the Canadian market equals about 5-percent, whereas the brand doesn’t even convert 2-percent of American buyers to the zoom-zoom way of life. Part of the automaker’s success is a general penchant for smaller more economical vehicles in Canada, something Mazda does very well. The need for entry-level models is critically important in Canada, so much so that automakers have gone to great lengths in order to satisfy the unique Canadian demand.

Acura has long made a rebranded Honda Civic now dubbed CSX, while Volkswagen reincarnated the previous generation Golf and Jetta models with City monikers and dropped their prices significantly in order to get in on the action. Toyota brought its Yaris to Canada first, dubbing it Echo Hatchback before the current Yaris became available on both sides of the 49th parallel, while Pontiac’s G3/Wave and the Suzuki Sprint+ variant have been part of Canada’s small car staple for years. Even smart’s fortwo first made it in Canada before taking on the US. So why haven’t other automakers caught on?

Oftentimes there are good reasons for car companies to abstain from a booming market segment despite what looks like an obvious error in judgment, and the reasons often include safety and/or emissions regulations not being met. Such issues have kept Ford’s Ka and Fiesta from entering North American markets, as well as Mitsubishi’s Colt subcompact, just to name a few. When it came time for Mazda to redesign its popular Mazda2 hatchback, the Canadian division made sure its needs were considered so that the brand could gain a footing in one of the fastest growing automotive segments in the country.

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Study: Most of Our Study's Are Pointless, Including This One

Dodge City, KS– United States researchers have unanimously found out that the majority, nearly 60%, of the country’s research is irrelevant and rather pointless. “I was surprised, but I wasn’t at the same time. I mean, some of our research is beneficial to Americans…It’s not like we’re getting paid to do the pointless research,” researcher Doug Melhouse said while winking and obviously not realizing that the media can see him. “But in our defense, I’m sure there are people who want to know that Honda drivers are the smartest,” Melhouse continued. A media member responded by saying that the car doesn’t choose the person and the type of car that the person drives doesn’t determine intelligence. Melhouse replied by saying “shut up.”

“Should we [the researchers] be worrying about meaningful research like cures for cancer and other life threatening diseases?…Of course not,” Melhouse stated. “We want to research interesting things like, ‘what is the most popular brand of stoves people own’ and ‘what are homosexual’s favorite sex position.’ Things such as that is vital information.” Before the media could ask Melhouse another question, his boss called him and declared that they are conducted another study; presumably about ‘how often do people say stupid things aloud’ with Melhouse being the main source of the study.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Buying Used is Just as Good as New!

You don’t necessarily have to sacrifice quality to save money. An easy way to save some money is to buy used. For some reasons, there may be things you would want to buy new, like a computer for instance, but there are also many things that you can buy used and still get great quality!

•Phones. Want an iPhone or new blackberry but don’t feel like spending all the money? Get a refurbished one! They are just as good as new and can save you a lot of easy money. I know someone who bought a refurbished iPhone and it lasted longer than my brand new one!
•Textbooks. Are you a college student in need of multiple books for class? Chegg.com is a great site to buy used books for cheap! They also buy books back after you use them for a class. Take advantage of their great services.
•Cars. Although the smell of a brand new car may be appealing, the price of it is not! When looking for a new car, don’t opt out of buying used. Consider this; as soon as you drive a vehicle off the lot, the price drops. Let someone else take on the burden of the initial cost of a new car. Then get it just a year old and save a few thousand dollars!

Have other ideas? Share them now!

Bloody Volvo drivers

Volvo has never had a classy image in my mind. I’ve always seen Volvo owners to be old balding men, and this clip i found only confirms what everyone thinks of Volvo drivers… Useless! This doesn’t count for the new Volvo C70 in Maidstone driver though… over taking buses during rush hour and going backwards up one-way streets is considered an art to some people.– some say he’ll be the next Jenson Button.

How to check manual transmission

How to check manual transmission

First, check for oil leaks. There should be no leaks.

Manual transmission test drive: Use more caution when test driving someone else’s vehicle – the mirrors, the driver’s seat, etc. may not be adjusted properly for you. First, get use to brake pedal feeling, adjust the mirrors, driver’s seat, and learn all the controls of the vehicle. Proceed to drive only when you sure it’s safe.

Now, (with caution – safety first!), shift the transmission lever into neutral. Apply the parking brake. With the engine idling, press the clutch pedal all the way, hold it down, and listen for noises. Then release the pedal and listen for noises again. There should be no loud noises at either positions.
The next step is the test drive.
Try to drive the vehicle at different speeds in all gears, one by one. Every gear should shift smoothly and easily without any noises or jerks. While driving at the second or third gear, try to press down sharply on the accelerator pedal for an instance. The clutch should not slip.
If you feel any slipping (e.g. the engine rpm increases but the speed remains the same), the clutch most likely has to be replaced.
Try to drive with acceleration and deceleration – there should be no grinding, whining or humming noise under any condition. All the gears should shift easily and noiselessly.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

I had a car.

I had been dreaming about buying a car for quite some time.Wanted to have the latest model, with State of the art music system,Radial Dial,air -conditioned , automatic gear et al.I slogged, saved ,borrowed and bought one.
The joy of owning a car and showing it off to others was a thrilling experiece.
Time went by.
Every day I had to attend to the car to maintain it;ihad to crawl in the rush hour; find parking space, often the parts needed replacements;needed to renew insurance; has to plan loan repayment,had to avoid parking tickets.
It was too much.
I appointed a driver.
I was not sure as to when he shall report sick;nor could I anticipate when he will involve the car in an accident;nor how he would gyp me on gas.
I had to worry about loan repayments .
One fine day I decided to do away with the car.
No longer I needed to worry about the car, its maintanence, gas bills, loan repayment,no worries on finding a parking space,no fear of Police on Parking tickests,no question of managing a driver.
I am free.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

So long, old friend...

They came to pick up my car today since I couldn’t drive it anywhere. The ignition was lying on the floor in pieces.

I’m guessing it was the last time I ever get to see my car. It’s 17 years of age and probably not worth repairing. To me it is, but since it’s in the hands of the insurance company (and the auto repair shop) I don’t get my hopes up. The guy who came to pick it up thought the insurance company would give me money for it and let the car go to automobile heaven.

Sad really. Aside from the damage to the steering wheel and door lock, the car is in great shape…

The Mess of it all - Going Green

“Going green” is not always as easy as it sounds…if it ever did sound easy.

I live in an established house in suburbia and climate change was a burden to me and I wanted to do something about it…

1) A veggie garden. I wanted to stop buying vegetables that were grown thousands of miles away from where I live, or ones that are grown local but have petro-chemical fertilisers and insecticides all over them. There are some local semi-organic growers, and we use them when we can, but we began to plant the occasional plant in the backyard, then we dug up almost half of the backyard for this purpose. We used old roofing tiles from the rubbish dump to make raised beds and use all organic (mostly made in the back yard) compost. We made a chook pen and bought 3 chickens. The pen was also made from rubbish from the tip bits. This season we have spread into the front yard and have planted melons and pumpkin around the front rose bush. We already have olive, apricot and nectarine in the front along with a bunch of flowering native trees to attract bees and birds. We have a nice pond running on a solar pump in the back that attracts frogs, birds and all sorts of nice visitors. The upside of this is … well obvious, the downsides are, less yard for kids play (we have 3 girls under the age of 13). But this has forced them out into the parks and bush lands with friends and neighbours – so that’s not bad! The garden is very water intensive so…

2. A Water Tank. In Perth, Australia it gets pretty dry! We have major water restrictions at times and vegetable gardens are water intensive. (So is making bio diesel, but we’ll get to that later). So we found a spot that had an ideal spot for a 5000L water tank (after removing a Date Palm). We catch only the water off the patio roof, and this is enough to fill the tank to overflowing numerous times over winter. WHY DONT THESE BECOME LAW FOR EVERY HOUSE BUILT AROUND HERE!! What we have discovered is that 5000L used for the washing machine and the garden and washing bio-diesel does not go far at all. It is only just the end of our Australian winter and a few weeks into Spring and the tank has only about 800L left. I would dearly love to install a couple of others to be honest! Maybe even dig up what is left of the backyard and put in a 10 000L underground one!

3. Biodiesel. Much talk about this alternate fuel is on the internet and in the media. Just the other night on some current affairs programme I saw a guy I know from Perth here talking about running his old Nissan on straight Vegetable Oil. I had been reading about how to convert used vegetable oil into Biodiesel for a while when I attended the Sunfair in 08, an alternate fuels fair at the University of Western Australia. I met a group selling the “BioMaster” processor. I grabbed 3 mates to put in $1600 each, which well and truly paid for itself in a short amount of time. We make sure we only use oil that has already served its original purpose and would otherwise be thrown out or turned into pig food…or women’s cosmetics  There is too much deforestation and ‘take-over’ of existing crop for the purpose of bio fuels for me to ever justify buying new oil for the purpose of making bio fuel.

This is where the mess of it all comes in…The process of collecting used cooking oil from the back of a restaurant or sports complex etc is rather ugly. I used to hate that used oil smell that wafted up my nose if I rode past the back of the fish and chip shop as a kid, now I loath it! Take last Monday for example. I had to pick up a couple of hundred litres from one place and about 180 from another, and maybe 50 from another.

Place 1 – For some reason unknown to me mould had developed over the whole thing, it was disgusting. Bits of old fish and chicken floated around the open drum and when I tried to extract it all with my pump an old cloth got sucked up. I got as much as I could, oil dripping down my arms and on the floor. I climbed back into our nice family car, oil on the floor, steering wheel and door handles and gear stick!

Place 2 – As usual someone had left the lid open and it had rained, there was so much water mixed in with the oil it was almost worthless, again the pump jammed with some unidentifiable deep fried object and I got frustrated and moved on with only 100L and wondering when I would get back to properly clean out this drum!

Place 3 – easy, clean golden used oil, love it!

I got it all haf way home and was at the traffic lights when a pedestrian called out that I had liquid (oil) running out from the back of my trailer. I jumped out to see that one oil container had fallen over…the only one I had not fixed the lid on well  I kept going, leaving a small trail of oil all the way to my house. At this point I did a silly thing. I removed the trailer, the oil rushed to the end and ran out all over the road, my drive and into my garage as I pushed the trailer in there. For 4 hours yesterday I scrubbed everything with Glycerol (a handy waste product of Biodeisel that is a soap base). This did not work as the brick paved drive and road are porous and soaked it all up. The stain from the oil mixed with Glycerol is all down my street and the smell is wafting through my open office window as I type this.

My shed has never been the same since I installed the plant over 18 months ago, everything I touch around the house has a greasy mark on it, I have bundles of oil covered clothes that stink and I am constantly wondering where to pour all this waste water and glycerol, 2 by-products of the process. Some of the Glyc goes good in the compost.

In the meantime, I have a pretty environmentally clean car (not perfect, but better than normal diesel. I have more money in the bank as this process is cheep. I have a hobby that I quite enjoy and a couple of guys who have been on the journey with me that I enjoy a quiet beer and chat in the shed with while we play with chemicals.

But let me tell you this. I need a bigger bit of land and a bigger shed Which makes my footprint bigger I know, but this is getting ugly and the neighbours are only just smiling still – it stinks around here!

It’s fun to live greener and these ways are not the only way we try, we/I catch public transport a bit, we only have one car and a scooter. We catch excess water in buckets to flush toilets where possible, we carbon offset flights when we travel for what that’s worth…or is that just a guilt offset for using such a big carbon emitter(!!??) we compost a lot and feed every bit of food stuff to the chickens! We do a bit here and there, hoping that others might ‘catch the bug’ too. But with 2 working adults and 3 kids in all sorts of activities, it makes for a constant messy active ongoing campaign, but – you know, I think its worth it.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

4409 -- REPO PIRATE CONFRONTED

This video is not advocating that you not pay your bills. This video is about a crop of Pirates coming up that are stealing property without judgments from a court of law!

The video should be titled car-pirate confronted because the bank has to have “lawful possession” in order to repossess something.

If you study banking you will come to realize that the bank NEVER loaned you anything….

Your signature created the funds which is a data entry credit. If you never payed the bank a dime they did not lose anything. Its a hard concept for people to grasp but it is true.

This jack ass and his company have access to ALL personal information via his ALPR license place recognition software. I confronted this Car Pirate because he would not leave the neighborhood and was acting like a jackazz. These people STEAL cars all the time. You can’t take someones property without due process of law.

They steal cars all the time without a judgement from a court of law.

Piece of advice:

If a tow company EVER tows your car go down there and demand the property at once and request them to send you a bill.

If they do not then call the cops and the police will make sure the tow company turns over your property.

Even the cops know it is theft!

Here is the scoop on the repo thief:
TDLR006234773012CT
single cab F350
Unit #12
616-677-5100

http://www.renrecovery.com/

SOURCE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWvLzUu0ipg&feature=related

Iata noua Alfa Romeo Milano

Alfa Romeo 147 a fost votata Masina Anului in 2001, insa vremea sa a trecut. Producatorul auto italian a lansat MiTo, model ce inlocuieste versiunea cu trei usi a lui 147. Acum, italienii muncesc din greu pentru a scoate pe piata inlocuitorul versiunii cu cinci usi, pe care l-au numit Milano. Alfa Romeo Milano.

Dupa luni intregi de speculatii, fotografii…

Citeste mai multe despre Alfa Romeo 147 pe auto.ro.

Nissan Qashqai - the perfect car for small families?

When you are looking for a small family car, there are many things to consider – reliability, comfort and space are all very important – but one of the first things you will think about is safety. One carmaker with a reputation of building safe, reliable cars bursting with character is Nissan, and one of their most popular models, the Qashqai, has been voted the safest small family car by NCAP. In 2007, the Nissan Qashqai became the first car ever to score a maximum 37 from 37 points for adult occupant protection. The Qashqai also scored four out of five stars for child protection, and two out of four for pedestrian protection – both of which stack up well against its competitors. It was noted that safety features such as double seatbelt pretensioners ensured that the driver’s forward movement was very limited, keeping the knees and thighs well away from the dashboard.

So, the Nissan Qashqai is tough, agile & sophisticated – just what you need when you want a small family car. Efficient, powerful engines deliver smooth performance and plenty of power in every gear. And the great thing is that it’s at home both dodging the city traffic or exploring the open road – perfect for the daily school run & family days out.

Beautiful Love

.. w o r k i n g  h a r d  f o r  t h e  m o n e y ..

i think things are finally starting to turn around. i was out of whack for a while there and it was very disconcerting. but i’m starting to feel like myself again which is always a good sign. i still feel like i need a change though. i might be getting a second job here soon. i need a car so bad i could scream. and by then i’ll have to pay for the insurance and possible future car issues. fun stuff right? man i hate growing up.

today’s song is Beautiful Love by The Afters

i heard this first on Fuse, big surprise right? the weird thing was it was a music video of clips from some MTV reality show. i can’t remember the name cause i was more focused on the music. anywho, the lyrics are great. i love how humble, and honest they are. it’s one of my favorite love songs and has a pretty good repeat record on my ipod. it’s also just an all around great band. give them a try when you get the chance.

far away
i hear your beating heart
all alone
beneath the crystal stars
staring into space
what a lonely face
i’ll try to find my place
with you

what a beautiful smile
can it stay for a while?
on this beautiful night
and make everything right
my beautiful love
beautiful love

larger than
the moon my love for you
worlds collide
as heaven pulls us through
the secret of the world
is written in the stars
i’m carrying your heart
in mine

what a beautiful smile
can it stay for a while?
on this beautiful night
and make everything right
my beautiful love

maybe a greater thing will happen
maybe all will see
maybe our love will catch like fire
as it burns through me
maybe a greater thing will happen
maybe all will see
maybe our love will catch like fire
as it burns through me
maybe a greater thing will happen
maybe all will see
maybe our love will catch like fire
as it burns through me

what a beautiful smile
can it stay for a while?
on this beautiful night
and make everything right
what a beautiful smile
can it stay for a while?
on this beautiful night
and make everything right
my beautiful la la la la la la
la la la la la
my beautiful la la la la la la
la la la la la
my beautiful love

Sunday, October 11, 2009

belum tua dah sakit...

Entry ni bukan pasal orang atau manusia… pasal mobil (kereta) aku.. 2-3 bulan ni dah beberapa kali dia buat hal… first masa sebelum pose… enjin mati tgh jalan… kete lain byk plak kat blakang, nasib baik aku tak panic sangat… smpat hidupkan n terus ke wokshop terdekat… cek punyer cek, pomen tu kate ok jer… siap tuning balik. Then aku terus  ke Muar, esoknyer jadi lagi…ahh sial… last2 aku bukan bonet n check sendiri… rupenyer vacum hose aku pecah… itu pasal ler timing aku cam haram.. (sib baik aku ade sikit ilmu pasal enjin kete ni). Repair n ok…

Mase bulan pose plak, sistem gantungan kete aku kong… antar kedai lagi. Tiga drpd empat gantung “ori” aku dah jiun… Solution… tukar baru sumer skali, aku beli cap GAB… pergh best gila (sesuai ngan duit yang keluar)…

Sehari seblum raya plak (esok nak balik kg ni)… dia buat hal lagi, kali ni takle start… sumer ok jer aku tgk… tapi takle start gak… puas aku kerjakan smpai pagi… pun takle gak… Pukul 8 pagi (lebih kurang)…aku dah siap pack barang dalam kete, aku tolak sket kete aku ke blakang n try start (tawakal jer)….huhhh lega, bole la pulok..tamat kat situ.

Lpas raya plak…(baru2 ni jer), wife aku bwk  kete pi kerja… time nak balik kul 9 malam dia call aku kate enjin tak hidup… dgn pantas aku start kete lagi satu, bawak jumper wire n aku jumpstart… ok.

Esoknyer wife aku bwk pi wokshop, buat overall check-up…hihihi, altenator ok but batt aku completely out of the ring, K.O….Solution, tukar batt dry cell… settle.

So far so good…. kete aku byk berjasa pada aku… thanks alot..jgn merajuk lagi. Gua sayang lagi kat lu…

Zubai

Sure Honey

There were a group of men working out in the gym when suddenly a phone lying down on a table began to ring. A man briskly walked up to the table and picked up the phone and put it on speaker while he was still working on with dumbells. A chirpy woman spoke on the other end saying – “Honey, I saw this lovely silk scarf but it’s a bit costly – 100$. I wanted to ask you if I can buy it”. The man asked – “Honey, do you really like it?” to which the woman answer yes. Then the man said – “Sure Honey! You can buy”. And the woman said – “And Oh! I saw this beautiful fur coat. Its 1000$ though. Will it be okay if I bought it?” The man asked – “Honey, do you really like it?” to which the woman answer yes. Then the man said – “Sure Honey! You can buy”. And again the woman spoke – ” I saw this beautiful red ferari in the showroom today, the same model that I was talking about the other day, I really love it… Can I…?” The man quickly said, “Sure Honey! Place the order”. By this time all the men in the room stopped working out and were looking at this man with wide open mouth. And now the woman said – “Honey, that banglow that I had dreamt of… it’s on sale… You know how much I loved it…”, the man replied, “Sure Honey, go ahead, we can buy that”. The woman quickly said, “Love you so much” and the man put the phone down. The whole gym was silent. The man slowly turned around raising the phone high up on the air and said, “Guys! May I know whose phone is this???”

He's All Set

Today was car day.  I bought my son a used Mitsubishi from a guy who was trying to re-coop the payoff from his ex-wife’s car.  She apparently had a boyfriend that smoked and he just wanted the car out of his life.  We traded cash for car and headed directly to the tire store for some new tread.  Then it was on to Pep Boys for floor mats, wiper blades and air freshener.  It’s needed air freshener. After scratching several scents we passed on the new car smell and leather and settled for pure and simple pine.  Next stop, home for a more thorough inside cleaning.  We scrubbed and wiped and found lots of loose change under the seats before we vacuumed.  Finally a stop at the car wash for sparkly clean finish.

Monday I’ll finish up with the paperwork as we head down another fork in the road.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Vagina – Fatherhood - Mental

Michelle Duggar has been pregnant 113 months of her miserable existence with a scant 18 months between squeezing out a fresh one.  Obviously, with that many children around the kids can’t help but hear daddy screw mommy every few hours.

Husband / sperm factory Jim Bob (not kidding that’s really his name) is a former state legislator who served in the Arkansas House of Representatives and is now a real estate agent.

They claim not to be leaching off tax payers for money.  Of course they get plenty of hand outs from the evangelical Christian movement called Quiverful. 

"Quiverful" as in bitch laying there quivering full of cum.

Bad news for the girls in Tontitown where they live.  They freely admit discouraging their boys from using condoms.

Good news for the boys in their community.  Michelle and Jim Bob’s daughters are sure to become cum receptacles just as soon as they reach puberty.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

My Friend's Integra STOLEN!!!

One of my best friends, Allen, got his DC2 Acura Integra stolen!


Car was last seen in the Pheasant Creek subdivision in Northbrook, IL the evening of October 6, 2009. It was parked outside an apartment complex, and when he walked out around 2am on the 7th, the car was gone.

Description of car:
- Silver 1996 Acura Integra LS (has GSR wheels)
- No badges front or back (residue will be there)
- Skunk2 Shift Knob
- Aftermarket CAI
- Gutted Rear
- Black Leather Interior
- Smells inside

The authorities have been contacted. If you see this car please contact Allen or the Northbrook PD.

NBPD: (847) 564-2060
Allen: (847) 322-0505

I’ve been reposting this on almost all the forums I’m on.

Please facebook, twitter, blog, repost on other forums, etc. about this.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

A bit of a blank...

I think since the weekend, I have been drawing a bit of a blank and “blankly” doing several things.  Be it a matter of coordinating the buses for the Children’s Ministry or even a simple email which I had to send out, I found that I was a bit too absorbed into the “doing” that I didn’t really take a step back and do some of the “thinking”.  And I think because of that, I was drawing a bit of a blank when it came to this posting.  I had been busy with coordinating the buses for Sunday and I left the big picture at the back of my mind.  Now what is going to happen for this coming Sunday?  I have now got to think about continuity for the buses.  I had been busy following up on various areas of a major project I am working on at work and I left the big picture at the back on my mind.  Now the main meeting is tomorrow and I found myself scrambling and preparing for it earlier.  I guess we all have to take some time.  Time to rest.  Time to think.  Time to execute (and sometimes “execute” people).  Haha!

1.  Yesterday, I had back-to-back-to-back-to-back meetings.  The first meeting started at 9am and the last one ended at 630pm.  Thank God I survived them!! 

2.  Yesterday was also the day in which I put a booking down for my new car   Yeah!  If all goes well, new car next month!!  I really thank God for my agent who is helping me with the sale of my current car and also the purchase of my new car.  Within a very short period, she had managed to help me find a buyer for my car, and that really helped with the purchase.

3.  And although I had so many meetings yesterday, I just have to be thankful that I was able to still have a decent lunch and have about an hour (throughout the whole day) to clear some of my work.

4.  This week is also my eldest daughter’s school examinations week.  So far so good, she says.  Praying for the best results   Thankful that she is honest with us on her schoolwork and that she puts in her utmost in effort

5.  I was so died tired yesterday that I overslept this morning.  Yaaay!  Praise God!  Thanks for the extra sleep!    Haha!

6.  I find it such a blessing to be able to come home from work and see the family enjoying each other’s company at home.  And especially the huge “Hi Daddy!!” greetings I get when I step into the house   Brings all kinds of warmth into my heart.  Indeed, home is where love is

7.  And finally, I thought of this song this morning.  Enjoy – “Ai No Corrida” by Quicy Jones.

KESEPAKATAN G-20: Tata Kelola Baru Perbankan

Selasa, 6 Oktober 2009 | 03:00 WIB
Oleh Krisna wijaya

http://cetak.kompas.com/read/xml/2009/10/06/03004819/tata.kelola.baru.perbankan

Salah satu kesepakatan penting pertemuan para pemimpin G-20 di Pittsburgh, Amerika Serikat, adalah disetujuinya rekomendasi The Financial Stability Board, yang beranggotakan menteri keuangan anggota G-20, kepada para pemimpin G-20. Secara garis besar, rekomendasi FSB yang berkaitan dengan perbankan adalah kesepakatan terus melakukan regulasi.

Tujuan utama deregulasi adalah menjamin dilaksanakannya prinsip kehati-hatian dalam mengelola perbankan.

Sekalipun prinsip kehati-hatian sudah banyak diregulasi, tampaknya dengan belajar dari krisis keuangan yang terjadi masih dianggap belum cukup.

Kenyataan menunjukkan, setiap terjadi krisis keuangan yang diikuti dengan krisis perbankan justru bebannya ada di pemerintah. Atas dasar itu, regulasi yang akan dilakukan fokus kepada masalah kecukupan modal, tata kelola likuiditas, dan kepengurusan utamanya berkaitan dengan kompensasi.

Sekalipun kecukupan modal berupa rasio kecukupan modal (CAR) pada umumnya telah memenuhi standar yang diberlakukan, tetapi masih dipandang belum memadai sehingga harus mempunyai cadangan penyangga permodalan yang memadai, baik saat kondisi bank membaik maupun dalam kondisi memburuk.

Upaya memperkuat permodalan bank dilakukan melalui berbagai pendekatan, yaitu selain secara nominal, regulasi permodalan juga dikaitkan dengan kualitas dan struktur permodalannya. Misalnya, permodalan yang berasal dari saham disetor dan laba ditahan akan ditingkatkan porsinya. Sementara definisi permodalan lainnya akan direvisi.

Hal lain yang juga akan diatur adalah hal-hal yang berkaitan dengan pembagian dividen, pembelian saham kembali, serta kompensasi bagi pengurus bank.

Segala kebijakan yang berkaitan dengan ketiga hal tersebut harus mempertimbangkan kemampuan bank untuk menambah kecukupan modalnya.

Selain permodalan, hal lain yang direkomendasikan adalah masalah kompensasi bagi para pengurus bank, yaitu direksi dan komisaris. Ini merupakan hal baru dalam regulasi tata kelola perbankan, di mana masalah kompensasi ikut diatur dan dibatasi secara ketat dan tegas.

Bisa jadi, hal itu direkomendasikan atas dasar fakta yang ada, yaitu sering dijumpai banknya bangkrut, tetapi pengurusnya tetap atau bahkan bertambah kaya.

Sistem kompensasi untuk pengurus bank tidak hanya didasarkan pada kinerja, tetapi juga akan dikaitkan dalam konteks manajemen risiko secara keseluruhan. Misalnya, jumlah kompensasi, seperti gaji, bonus atau tantiem, dan fasilitas lainnya, seperti opsi saham, akan dikaitkan dengan tingkat kecukupan modal.

Hal lain yang juga akan diberlakukan adalah asas transparansi dalam sistem kompensasi baik kepada publik maupun regulator.

Bentuk kompensasi selain harus terbuka juga disertai kriteria yang jelas dan memenuhi prinsip tata kelola perusahaan yang baik agar implementasinya efektif. Masalah kompensasi akan menjadi obyek pengawasan yang disertai sanksi apabila ada pelanggaran.

Kesiapan

Dengan memerhatikan rekomendasi tersebut di atas, diperkirakan industri perbankan nasional dalam waktu dekat harus banyak melakukan penyesuaian sehubungan dengan semakin ketatnya prinsip kehati-hatian.

Menghadapi kondisi tersebut, pada awalnya tentu akan menghasilkan suatu trade off karena dengan semakin ketatnya peraturan yang dituangkan dalam sistem dan prosedur akan ada kecenderungan produknya semakin sulit dijual.

Masalah kecukupan modal barangkali memerlukan perhatian ekstra, mengingat sekadar memenuhi kecukupan modal sesuai dengan Arsitektur Perbankan Indonesia masih banyak kendala.

Pertanyaannya, apakah dengan semakin tingginya persyaratan kecukupan modal tetap dianggap menarik bagi pemilik untuk tetap memiliki bank? Sekiranya dianggap tidak menarik lagi, lantas apa jalan keluarnya, mengingat solusi merger masih banyak kendala.

Berkaitan dengan masalah kompensasi, pengurus bank seyogianya disikapi bijak dan rasional. Kompensasi bankir Indonesia dari besaran maupun jenisnya masih sangat jauh dari apa yang diterima bankir di Eropa maupun Amerika Serikat.

Ironisnya, dari sisi tanggung jawab dan ketidakpastian hukum lebih berat dirasakan para bankir nasional, apalagi bankir- bankir BUMN.

Di luar masalah kompensasi, secara teknis tata kelola yang baru untuk perbankan nasional tak akan menghadapi kendala berarti. Hal ini didukung adanya keharusan dari Bank Indonesia sejak dua tahun terakhir menerapkan manajemen risiko, baik konsep maupun orangnya, berupa kewajiban mempunyai sertifikasi. Pertanyaannya, sampai sejauh mana perbankan nasional telah melaksanakannya secara disiplin dan bagaimana pengawasan implementasinya.

Krisna Wijaya Pengamat dan Praktisi Perbankan

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Sunday, bloody Sunday.

Today has been a mixed bag and so I have decided to unload my brain and pour the slops out here.

In fact today began very well, we went for a walk on the chase. The beloved and I do love the walking and today’s was a belter because we began with breakfast at Springslade Lodge. We sat in the sunshine and listened to the birds sing before setting off on a walk to collect leaves for the kids in beloved’s class. Is there anything more wholesome than walking through the thick, newly browning forest? We felt as though we were the only people on earth. Until that is, the horse trekkers thundered over the horizon. I may be exaggerating but there were probably a million of them and they were all in daring mood as they shook the ground beneath our feet. There is something quite humbling about feeling small next to other animals; I don’t think people have that feeling enough and we grow ever arrogant for want of it.

If I was as talented as my lovely friend Jo then you would be furnished with lovely photies of our walk but I am not so you will have to trust me when I tell you that it was breathtakingly beautiful out there.

Invigorated by fresh air and the like we decided to pop to Homebase to get various bits and bobs that seem to have quickly become our whole world. I must confess to loving this sort of thing. We walked the aisles looking for screws and a towel rail and I bought some autumn feed for the lawn as it is browning a little around the edges. I love how those places smell, it is like wet wood and chemicals that you ought to ask your dad for help with.

It is full of rare moments of human connection. At the stand where the lawn feed was, I was looking at the various brands and varieties and there were several other men who were older than me. They were the sort of avid gardeners whose facial hair has taken on the appearence of the plants they tend so carefully in a kind of human/plant symbiosis. These were real garden men and I immediately felt uneasy; if I picked the wrong feed they’d know I was a sham.

Feeling distinctly queasy I reached for a tub of my chosen potion and looked gingerly around for their reaction. A man in a green bodywarmer whose face was nearly totally obscured by thicket-like facial hair gave me an almost imperceptible nod and I knew I’d made the right choice.

I know what you’re thinking, this does sound like a good day. I’d had a nice walk and then had my status as a man reinforced. Loaded with armfuls of home improvement supplies we strode to the car.

I felt good, like nothing could stop me. The sun was shining and I was listening to the soundtrack to Desperado. Things were fine.

On the road home, on a dual carriageway, the cam-belt snapped in the engine of my car.

If you’ve just sighed/slapped your forehead/muttered a swear-word then you’re either a mechanic or you’ve had this terrible thing happen to you. If you haven’t then you are a lucky sausage indeed.

Allow me to digress to bring those of a non-engineering background up to speed. In your car, the engine is really a large connection of clattering, exploding metal objects all thrashing about with their own agenda. In order to make sure that your engine doesn’t smash itself to pieces; a cam-belt is there to keep all of the components in harmony with each other.

Imagine an orchestra; the cam-belt is the conductor keeping all of the instruments in time and out of each other’s way. Now imagine what would happen to Beethoven’s Ninth if the conductor had an angina attack midway through. There’d be trombones all over the shop and frankly, you’d ask for your money back.

This is exactly what I thought as my rapidly conking-out car crawled to the side of the A460 near to Sainsbury’s. It was a disaster and one that will cost me quite a bit of money.

We sat on the crash barrier and waited for the RAC man to arrive and I felt like poo. People reminded us that we were sat on a road by beeping at us as they hurtled past. I waved at some of them and if it was you then I hope you waved back. I couldn’t see of course as you were doing 80mph but in my naive way I’d like to believe that you did.

Eventually, and not before I had to wee in a hedge, an angel arrived in the form of an RAC man. He was brilliant and towed me to the garage where my car now waits to be made better.

So, if you are looking for a car then I have one that I’ll let go for a very reasonable price, it is a…

Hmm maybe I’ll keep it a secret.

T3

Limousine Hire For Airport Transfers

There could be any number of reasons why you would need an airport transfer limousine hire. It could be a honeymoon, getting married, a stag night with the lads, a hen night with the girls, corporate event, business trip or maybe a well deserved holiday. One of the key issues with any trip abroad is how you are going to get to the airport. You could get a taxi, however if you have a large party one taxi will not be enough. You could get a train but then you will be hoping against any delays. Or you could drive but then you run the risk of an inevitable hold up. For a reliable, efficient, professional and relaxing airport transfer limousine hire the obvious choice has to be in a limo. The limo will arrive on time at your door, many can carry your luggage or at least arrange for a van or people carrier to take it whilst following on behind and it will drop you outside the airport without any need to wait for one of those annoying buses. And on the return flight home you can rest assured that the limo will be at the airport waiting to ferry you home in style.

Limo companies operate nationwide covering all major UK airports. Therefore if you need limo hire London to Heathrow or limo hire Glasgow to Glasgow International airport this will not be a problem. The size of your party will determine the limo you need to hire. For a small party of say eight people you have a choice of any limo but to keep cost down the best choices are the traditional stretch Lincoln Town Car, Chrysler C300 Baby Bentley limo or Hummer H3 limo. For larger parties of up to 20 people a 4×4 limo such as the Hummer H2 limo , Jeep Excursion limo or Lincoln Navigator limo is recommended. All the limousines will arrive with complimentary bubbly and on board entertainment such as TV, s, DVD players and CD players guaranteed to get you in the mood for you trip abroad.

Although hiring a limo for an airport transfer may seem extravagant it can sometimes work out cheaper than a taxi, particularly with a large number of people that are all chipping in. But it often adds to the experience of the holiday/stag night/hen night abroad and at least you know the limo will arrive on time.

For Hire a limousine visit @ www.gerrardbeacon.com

Article Source: ezinearticles.com

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Journey to Kuala Selangor

Assalammualaikum.

Since this is my first post, here, it doesnt mean that i will tell everything about myself.

i mean, NOT YET. i will, but another time.

well, what i wanna share with you guys today is our journey to kuala selangor aka sikin’s house for open house raya aidilfitri.

moving at 11 am, we met at baiduri’s flat and waiting for sikin to pick us and for nik, faris n friend as they ride their own motorcycles and we’re in the car. we were 6 in the car (honda civic), sikin and qayyum in front. ilyas, me, nora, and remy at the back.

at first, we glance OMG how we’re gonna sit at the back? but nahhh… we dont mind as long as we can eat ^_^

took the path through jusco, oil station and etc took hours and hours. in our mind, aduh sakitnya bontot punggung ku~

traffic jam, zigzag roads n ways made all the dizzy out. the sign board of kuala selangor shown 54 km more after we were on the road for almost 1 hour. nik and frens ride like “mat rempit” style and we laughing all the way. for nik, he trust it all the way by looking at his motorcyle’s meter. but then, he dissapointed. its not that 54! its all lie lie lie sign. hahaha~

along the journey, there’s alot of sitting ways we changed so we can sit properly at the back. lyas and nora move abit infront, me and remy abit downward and changed it again and again. nora’s leg at there, mine at there, hands at there, and so on. a lot of ways! =p

sleepy, tired,  everything were on mind. crossing bad roads and finally we arrived.

“Masuk, masuk… duduk la ye. bz cket baru balik meeting x sempat nak masak…”

her mother is a teacher, just got back from meeting and now we have to wait for the meal. me and nora wanna give a hand in the kitchen (kami ni perempuan girls need to help in kitchen). but sikin refuse saying that we just need to sit. so we just nodded, and sat at sofa watching tv.

what a great smell coming from the dine room, we went to the room, and nora said “EEE laksa la…”  aunty said “bukan laksa…bihun sup…x sempat la nak masak rendang sume tu. maaf ye”

we ate and wow its spicy. remy and lyas ate twice… < i bet they were really hungry.

hours later, few of aunty’s students came to the house. about 20 student. rides motorcycle. they had to sit on the floor because not enough sofa. finally, looking at the situation, sikin spoke out and said maybe we can hangout out and drop by to watch movie.

YUP, we were watching the movie. and its called JIN NOTTI. bought outside beverage is all people always done, so do us. me and nora bought alot of it at supermarket and finished it while watching it.

sequence(sit): qayyum,sikin -space- lyas,me,nora,remy,other peoples

the movie was interesting as peoples all keep laughing. i give it 4 star~

quite tired, and we decide to go back after the movie. the weight of 6’s in car is quite heavy because the car kept on the BUM.

and i can say that all todays TIRING, LONG and LONG WAY JOURNEY to MORE THAN KUALA SELANGOR itself is quite interesting with all laugh in the car and “love is in the air”.

to qayyum, saja nak kacau2 kamu… hehe.

hahhahaa cheers~!

^_^

Thursday, October 1, 2009

New York City To Get Smart Parking Meters

Old Fashioned Parking Meters To Be Replaced With Smart Meters

Mayor Bloomberg announced yesterday that he wants to make the parking experience for New Yorkers more user friendly.

Specifically, he studying and testing “smart parking meter” technology which will allow motorists to see a map of available parking spaces within a given area, accept payment from a cell phone, and send a text message when time on the meter is about to expire.

These plans are part of a larger overhaul of the NYC parking system which will also include reducing alternate-side-of-the street parking, lowering scofflaw penalties, and increased sensitivity training for traffic enforcement agents.

In an Op-Ed piece to the Daily News, Mayor Bloomberg asks “Who said that parking in New York had to be so hard?”.  Of course, cynics like City Controller William Thompson, called this a stunt to pander to voters in an election year.  Thompson has a point.  It is common for voter-friendly initiatives to get introduced by incumbents during an election year.  One could ask why weren’t such measures introduced years ago?  On the other hand, at least, City residents get a “gift” once every four years.

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Calendarul 2010 Miss Tuning, imagini incendiare

A aparut la orizont calendarul Miss Tuning pentru 2010, al carui personaj principal este frumoasa Martina Ivezaj, castigatoarea titlului Miss Tuning 2009. Pentru a-si pastra caracterul nobil, editia tiparita a calendarului va fi limitata la numai 1.500 de exemplare.

Peisaj exotic, cadre incantatoare, dar …

Vezi galeria de poze cu fetele din calendarul Miss Tuning pe Auto.ro.

*CRUNCH* Ooops...

So my efforts at learning to drive have hit a small snag, mostly due to me hitting a large truck.

I was with my dear friend Rob last night. We were going to Best Buy. I was driving. I parked the car, and was unsatisfied with how it was sitting. So I backed up and slowly drifted into a better position. Then I hit the brake, or rather, the accelerator.

*crunch*

It was a low-speed collision with the large truck in front of us. It didn’t do any damage to the body of the truck or the car, though there was some fluid leaking from the car (later determined to be from a hydrolic motor mount, whatever that is).

Anyhow, Rob left a note for the truck owner, and hasn’t heard back from him/her, so presumably all is well there. We were both pretty rattled and neither of us slept well last night.

Hopefully we’ll be able to continue with the lessons soon, but if we don’t, well, that’s ok. I don’t need more surprises like last night!