Meet Blackie My Master

May I present my master, whom I live to serve................

Blackie: That game with the string was fun. Time to sleep now. Nite-nite.

Blackie: Sleeping, sleeping, slept........snooore.........

Blackie: Hehehe! I've taken over the dressing table, too.

Maxis Takes The Cake!!!

Maxis truly believes in jumping into the bandwagon. The company not only subscribes to the ideology of self-service, it embraces it like a dearly beloved brother.

What had got me so riled is that while its broadband service has got from unsatisfactory to unacceptable (it disconnects every few minutes), it has now gone a step further. It has gone into "incommunicado" mode.

The Maxis hotline used to put a caller on hold until a customer service staff is free to answer the call. But for the past 2 days, it's just a toot-toot sound I hear. Frustrated, I did all the usual technical trouble-shooting I know and at last, a Maxis homepage popped up on my screen.

Like a thirsty woman lost in a desert, I quickly drank in the message...............

[Quote]

No more walking to a Maxis center, or calling the Helpline! With this new, convenient, and comprehensive support tool option, you will now know everything you need to know about managing your own broadband account, on-line! Jump start your broadband experience now!

[End Quote]http://www.maxis.com.my/maxisbb/selfhelp_index.asp

Well, well, Maxis, I salute you. Way to go. No personal touch customer service is the best policy. Less stress for your staff translates to less manpower turnover, eh? But what about your dissatisfied customers? Or we don't count in the grand scheme of things?

My Version of Salmon Teriyaki

Went to Jusco yesterday to get some fish. I was shocked to see that the price of red snapper fillet has been raised yet again. It's now RM33.90 a kg. I selected 2 small fillets and had them weighed. Imagine my horror when the Jusco staff handed it back to me with a price tag showing RM16.99. I might as well buy 2 salmon fillets for that price!!

Looks like it's going to be salmon teriyaki for dinner. It's the only way I know how to cook salmon fillets, by the way.

Marinade it for at least 2 hours in the fridge with:-
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
A sprinkle of paprika powder
2 tablespoons of Kikoman Teriyaki Sauce (original flavour)
2 tablespoons light soya sauce
1 teaspoon lime or lemon juice, whichever I have in the fridge
1.5 teaspoon sesame oil
(combine the marinade well, and rub it on the salmon fillets)

To cook, heat a frying pan or wok, and pour the salmon and marinade into it. No oil used for frying a fish?! Well, I'm one of those who are quite health conscious, so I avoid using oil where possible.

I like a bit of gravy on my rice, and so do my hubby and mummy. This means I need quite a bit of gravy to go round, which the recipe above does not yield.

To make extra gravy, just make an additional portion of the marinade above, and add some water to reduce the saltiness. Remove the fillets from the frying pan, then heat up the gravy. When it's heated through, pour it on the fillets.

Yum-yum!!! Pat-pat myself on my shoulder.

Got a first comment!!!!

Wow!!! Got a first comment yesterday. Someone is reading this drivel, after all. Thanks, Bina, for visiting this much ado about nothing blog. Muah-muah to you, Tiger, Lulu and her babies, too.

A Tale of Two Catz

One which knows how to use the human toilet,
and one which falls into it while fooling around.

This photo credit belongs to Karawynn Long, URL below.

Blackie checking out the human litter box.

Hmmm.....plants.....munching time......

SPLASH!!!! Oops, down, down, we fall.

Credits:
First photo on the top belongs to Karawynn Long at http://www.google.com.my/imgres?imgurl=http://www.karawynn.net/mishacat/photos/mtoiletfront.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.karawynn.net/mishacat/toilet.shtml&h=340&w=240&sz=9&tbnid=HOit16QizA0J::&tbnh=119&tbnw=84&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcat%2Bon%2Btoilet&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=3&ct=image&cd=1

How to deter over-zealous sales people

Do you venture to hypermarkets with trepidation because you're hounded by extremely zealous sales people pushing credit cards at you? These sales people do not take "no" for an answer and they descend on you like vultures going for the kill the second you step out from the check-out counters.

Well, I have been hounded, and I've found a couple of ways to deter these people.

1. Ask to borrow money from them. They'll flee from you faster than you can say Mumbo Jumbo.
2. If you have bought a 10kg bag of rice, ask them to carry it to your home first, which is 3km away. There's no need to let them know your car is sitting in the car park. They'll disperse like flies being swatted at the thought of lugging a 10kg bag of rice for 3km.
(The credit for these ideas goes to my cousin, Sheryl. Thanks, Sheryl.)

Cintan Mee, Maggi Mee dan SODOM MEE

The Americans are facing an economic "stagflation", a term coined in the 1970s when recession happened at the same time as inflation, counter to what we learned in economics class (thanks, Sheryl, for this educational bit of news).

The Australians, a number of them, anyway, are facing the mortgage and credit card repayment woes. Some of them could not pay their monthly loans and are evicted from their homes.

In Malaysia, prices of goods are going through the roof, and many people are badly affected by the price hikes. Properties are being foreclosed and auctioned off, too. However, the difference lies in how we Malaysians face this setback.

Instead of being worried by day to day living, we are being entertained endlessly by a live soap opera. It is none other than the alleged sodomy case against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, our former deputy prime minister.

His story reads like a best-selling Harrold Robbins novel. Check out the latest update in The Star.

Maxis Broadband SUCKS!!!

Maxis has never been able to provide satisfactory broadband service on the best of days. But lately, for the past 3 days, the service level has dropped from unsatisfactory to downright unacceptable.

Every few minutes, the internet connection would drop and I have to switch off and on the modem to reset it. This is totally unacceptable, as even dial-up service does not drop every few minutes.

I will not be surprised if Maxis becomes history one day!

Chuckie My Car

Let me introduce you to Chuckie, my car. Yes, horror of horrors, I am one of those who gave their cars names.

It is a Proton Wira, 1.6XLi. I bought it in 1996, and it has served me well until recently. Nowadays it vibrates a lot when it's idling, or moving at less than 10km an hour. My mechanic said that the mountings need to be replaced. Sigh. Money flying out of the window.

I guess I have to get it done soon, or the vibration might cook me alive when I'm in the car.......isn't that how food is cooked in the microwave oven? The insides of the food vibrates and generates heat until the food is cooked from inside to out?! YIKES! Chuckie is cooking me!!!

Sagebrush Crafts

I love their hand made natural, facial soaps and lip balms, while my hubby loves their shampoo bars. No chemicals are used in their products.
What I like about their facial soaps:-
1. Very mild and gentle, yet cleanses thoroughly.
2. Does not cause a dry, stretched feeling on my skin.
3. My face feels smooth and moisturized after using their soaps.
4. Best of all, NO breakouts or rashes, despite my sensitive skin.

What I like about their lip balms:-
1. Very smooth, natural feel.
2. No waxy feel or smell.

What my hubby likes about their shampoo bar:-
1. His hair has a very soft, silky feel.
2. Easier to comb and style as compared to other shampoos.

They also have other products like candles and lotions which we haven't tried yet.

Credits:
Photo taken from www.sagebrushcrafts.com

Cats - The Musical

When I was studying in London, I had the opportunity to attend some of the plays and musicals that are so popular there. One of my favourites remain Cats, a musical based on T.S. Elliot's poem. Here are some video clips that I found in
YouTube. Enjoy.......

Phew! At last!!!

At long last, I am posting in my blog!! Yeah, yeah, big deal, there are zillions of blogs out there, you say. But are you aware that to get started is the hardest? I created this blog eons ago, and had no idea what to write!!

I am just an ordinary, dispensable speck of life on this planet. I need inspiration from an ordinary being like me. And now, at last, I got that much-awaited inspiration.

And the credit goes to Bina, a member from http://www.kitten.com.my/forum who keeps a very interesting blog at http://sillylupie.blogspot.com. Thanks, Bina, for the inspiration. I owe you one.