Robert K. Tanenbaum - Hoax

If you've never read Robert Tanenbaum's 16th book, HOAX, don't bother. This novel has the dubious honour of being the worst book I've ever read. To call it crap would be too kind to it.

I have heard of Robert Tanenbaum's books, and they are supposed to be really good. So, a few months ago, when I saw Hoax at a book warehouse sale, I grabbed it.

And boy, have I regretted that purchase. Three quarters of Hoax is devoted to rehashing after rehashing of Butch Karp, a New York Assistant District Attorney, and his wife's personal history that has no bearings on the plot, and the retelling of events from the different characters'  viewpoint that has no relevance to the story, nor do they move the plot along. It's amateurishly-written, something you might expect a Form Three student to write.

When I finally finished the book, I went on the internet to see if it was just me, or if others felt the same. What I found surprised me.

It appears that Robert Tanenbaum is not the real writer of the previous 15 books. The real writer was his cousin, Michael Gruber, who has since split from the partnership and branched out on his own. The general consensus was that either the real Robert Tanenbaum can't write, or the new writer hired to replace Michael Gruber can't.

No wonder it was such a torturous read. If you want to punish your enemies, make them read Hoax!! 

The Part of American Idol Finale That Was Censored in Malaysia

Curious at how Kara Dioguardi's dress was suddenly opened and she was grabbing it close after her "duet" with Katrina "Bikini Girl" Darrel? I was. I was sure our censorship board was at work again.

And I was right. If you wish, you can view the complete footage here --->  huffingtonpostdotcom.  

How Well You Know Your Husband

I've been tagged again, this time by Lupie. So, here are the questions, and the answers.

Q1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what's on the screen?

A: CNN News -  who needs to know what's happening in our own country?

Q2. You're out to eat, what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?

A: He's not a salad person, he prefers fungus. Any type except the ones that grow under the bathroom doors as no one has ever harvested them for cooking yet.

Q3. What's one food he doesn't like?

A. Assam laksa. He subscribes to being PH balanced.

Q4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order?

A. Kopi Nga Lak (White coffee, large)

Q5. Where did he go to school?

A. Mother's Backside Smells Methodist Boys' School

Q6. What size shoes does he wear?

A. 7

Q7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?

A. Sports & antique cars. Err.......toy ones because we can't afford the real ones. 

Q8. What is his favourite type of sandwich?

A. Tuna, because he can't imagine eating an ikan kembung (mackerel) sandwich. 

Q9. What would this person eat everyday if he could?

A. Blackie the cat....he thinks our cat's thighs would be juicier and tastier than chicken drumstick.

Q10. What is his favourite cereal?

A. Any type except the sweet varieties. He doesn't want to sing "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth".

Q11. What would he never wear?

A. Pantyhose

Q12. What is his favourite sports team?

A. None

Q13. Who did he vote for?

A. Do you mean virtual votes, wishful votes, imaginary votes, or online votes??

Q14. Who is his best friend?

A. His better half.

Q15. What is something that you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?

A. Answer this tag. :)

Q16. What is his heritage?

A. Nothing comes to mind.

Q17. What is his favourite colour?

A. He likes all colours except pink.

Q18. What is his habit?

A. Smoking

Q19. What is he proud of?

A. His ability to add ONE with ONE and get the answer ELEVEN

Q20. Lastly, do you think he will read this?

A. YES!!!  

And I am passing the tag to......CELENAAAAAAA!!!!!!! hahhaha

My New Look....Ever Changing for Better Reading?!?!

I tend to get bored easily and I AM bored with the same old look of my blog. To amuse myself, I devoted today to revamping the look of this blog. 

To make wading through the numerous posts here easy, there is a Search button on the top right hand corner now. It's as good as having a google search engine right inside the blog. Try it! 

So.....what do you guys think? Am I ever changing for better reading, or do you prefer the old look?  :)

The Big Bad Book Sale 14 - 18 May 2009

Big Bad Wolf Books is having The Big Bad Book Sale, and the books are sold at rock bottom prices. All brand new (not used) paperback novels are going for RM8 each, with some as cheap as RM5. 

Although I still have 14 unread books from my last purchase at another book warehouse clearance sale, I went to this book sale as I heard from Vivien that Dewey The Small-Town Library Cat That Touched The World is going for only RM8. 

The book is a very touching tale of how a tiny, half frozen, frost-bitten 2-month-old kitten was found in the library of a small town, and how the town adopted it. I've been looking for this book at every book clearance sale, but unfortunately, it was always sold at its orignal price of RM34.90.

Dewey's face & colour reminds me of my late Brownie, Blackie's brother.

If you haven't been to the book sale, you might want to check it out.  It's really a bargain. More details at http://www.bigbadwolfbooks.com/

It's My Birthday And I Got The Tickets!!!! :)

This afternoon, when I checked my email account, I found this message from Nuffnang:-

Dear Nuffnanger,

Congratulations as you're officially invited to attend the Premiere Screening of Ghosts of the Girlfriends Past due to your fantastic blog post written. 2 tickets have been reserved under your name which will entitle you to bring along ONE (1) guest to the premiere screening.

However, due to regional orders from Warner Brothers, the movie has been rescheduled to be released on the 30th of July 2009 instead of 4th of June 2009. Thus, our Premiere Screening for the movie has to be rescheduled to a later date as well.

We'd like to inform you that the Premiere Screening will now be held on the 23rd July 2009 instead of 2nd of June 2009. Details as follows;

Date: 23rd July (Thursday)
Time: 9pm
Venue: TGV One Utama

Please accept our apology for this delay and thank you for your understanding. We'll remind you of the screening again a week before to ask for your confirmation of attendance. Should you not be able to attend the screening on the 23rd July 2009, kindly inform us by writing to audrey.lai@nuffnang.com .

We are looking forward to see you at the Premiere on the 23rd July!

Yay!!!! It's great to be a gay cat!!! Lol. 

Thank you, Warner Brothers and Nuffnang, for a great start to a beautiful day. I can't wait to watch the movie. :)

What A Magical Holiday....Thanks to Genting

Being a member of Genting World Card gives you certain benefits such as a special invite on your birthday. And in addition to their Happy Birthday special invitations, members also stand a chance of being randomly picked to be invited to a night's stay at one of Genting's hotels plus a magical show.

So, if you're not a Genting World Card member yet, hurry up to the mountains and apply for one. Membership is FREE and it's for life.

Now, what got me so happy was that this year, hubby got a random invite at the same time as I got my Happy Birthday special invite. Combined, we got two nights' stay at Genting!! An excellent way to spend one's birthday, don't you think?

Included in the birthday invite was:-

1) One night's stay at Resort Hotel, deluxe room.

2) A ticket for two to Dreamz show --- we got upgraded to PS1 tickets, which put us very close to the stage. Yay! :)

3) A complimentary dinner for two at Be A Star Karaoke that included 2 hours' free karaoke session. We had a great time shouting and screaming to Linkin Park, Bon Jovi, Guns N Roses, Queen & Beyonce, albeit off-pitch (and off-timing, too). Lol.

We've seen previous seasons of Dreamz, and while the last one was more stylistic, this new season offered some interesting delights. It's worth checking out, especially the globe that has 5 motor riders inside. I kept expecting them to crash into each other as they literally flew from one side of the globe over another rider to land on the other side.

After the show, we stayed back for a photography session with the white tiger. We were last in line, and by the time our turn came, the tiger was getting irritated and a llittle bit unco-operative. It growled and kept rising up from the floor.

After asking permission from the tiger's handlers, we stroked it trying to pacify it, but that only made it more irritated. Hmm....I wonder why Whitey the tiger (its name is Yubuz or something that sounded like that) didn't like being stroked while its cousin, Blackie the cat could be pacified with strokes.

Anyway, the photographers had to take a quick shot as the tiger rose from its position, resulting in a less than sharp picture of the tiger.

As for Resort Hotel, I think it could do well to include a sign in Chinese in the lift. When we stepped inside a lift, we found that the guests there were standing around asking each other if the lift is spoilt. The lift doors didn't close and they couldn't activate the floor buttons.

What they didn't know was that they had to insert their card key into the slot below the floor buttons to activate the lift. There was a sign in English just below the card slot, but I guess they either can't read or had never used a card-accessed lift before.

The room we stayed in

Related posts:

Spot Check At Uncle Lim's

Up In The Clouds & RM600 Richer

Slot Machine Tips

48,000 Cars Went Up To Genting in Two Days

Chinese/Cantonese Opera Sung In English

Has anyone ever heard a Chinese or Cantonese opera being sung in English? If you haven't, these two videos are worth checking out. I find them quite amusing. 

Enjoy...........

I Can Relate To Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Warner Brothers Pictures is giving Nuffnangers a Special Screening for GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST two days before its release in Malaysia. In order to get this invitation, we have to write a post on how we can relate to the movie.

So, wiithout further ado, let the story begin.

When I was one month old, I vowed to love and be faithful to this kitty.  Let's call her "Marmalade". However, when I grew up, I forgot about my vow to "Marmalade" and was available to any beautiful dames that called.

This was my harem of wives and girlfriends. That was me in the centre, surrounded by my harem.  :)

However, having a harem had its hazards, particularly if you're a handsome cat like me. Every single female wanted a piece of me......and the result was......

Yeah! I looked ugly and was even voted as the ugliest cat in the world. 

I would have remained that ugly except that one day, my slave turned on the computer and I saw the picture of "Marmalade" and I when we were young. 

I hurried over to Auntie Lupie's home where "Marmalade" is.....BUT, discovered to my horror that "Marmalade" has now grown up and is actually a boy, called Ginger a.k.a. Beckham. 

Oh well, love is blind, and being gay isn't a crime. Also, my coat has grown back. It's good to be gay!! :D

How to know if your cat is ill

While surfing the net yesterday trying to learn more about themometers and reading a cat's temperature, I found that a better, more accurate thermometer is a pet rectal thermometer. A human thermometer may be used for the same purpose, but may not be as accurate as the rectal thermometer.

A cat's normal body temperature is between 38 and 39 degrees Celcius (according to the vet) and a higher temperature necessitates a visit to the veterinarian. Here's how to take your cat's temperature reading in a safe way.

1) Hold your cat firmly (I held Blackie in a sitting down on all fours position) facing outward and lift its tail to expose the rectum. If using a mercury thermometer, remember to give it a quick shake with a flick of the wrist to "reset" the thermometer. 

2) Insert the thermometer slowly and carefully into the rectum. Wait for 2 minutes if you are using a mercury thermometer (no wonder it didn't work initially as I only waited 30 seconds).

3) Remove the thermometer and read the temperature.

Blackie is Better!

Thanks so much, everybody, for your concerns and sms asking after Blackie's well-being.  We truly appreciate it. {{{hugs}}}

Blackie is eating now, but his fever is still there. It hasn't gotten worse, though, so I think he should be okay soon.

39.8 - Blackie's Temperature Reading

So sorry for not updating earlier, but I've been busy with Blackie. Lupie dear, thank you very, very much for your concern. Blackie and I really, really appreciate it. {{{hugs}}}

Hubby had to help me extricate Blackie from his hiding at 12 noon today as Blackie is still not his normal self. We took him to Gasing Veterinary Hospital to see a Dr. Prem, who was recommended by Jimmy as the regular vet we go to at Cheras (it's a government vet) is not opened today, and we were not confident to try out new vets after hearing some vet horror stories where they charge you an arm and a leg and killed your pet in the process.

Blackie has a fever at 39.8 degrees Celcius. Dr Prem said that if the fever is above 40 degrees Celcius he would be really concerned and would do some blood tests. But as it's below 40 degrees, and especially since he's an indoor cat, he gave me some antibiotics and asked me to monitor Blackie's temperature. He said Blackie's fever should be down in two days' time, but if it should climb up any further by tomorrow morning, I am to call him and take Blackie back to the hospital where they would have to do some blood tests.

Blackie only started to drink some warm water and ate 3 small cubes of Angel Salmon Sashimi (his favourite treat) a few minutes ago. He wouldn't touch his food, and wouldn't eat more than the 3 cubes, despite my persuading him to.

But, that said, I am happy as he has not eaten or drank since his breakfast at 7am yesterday morning. 

I'll be trying to tempt him to eat and drink more, by continuously changing his water (he likes warm water) and bringing it to him, hopefully he'll eat and drink again.

My current problem is, I have no idea how to take his temperature. I bought a thermometer from Guardian pharmacy this afternoon, but the reading on the thermometer does not change despite my ah.....sticking it up poor Blackie's butt.  

Has anyone taken a temperature reading of their pet before? If so, please advise. From how Dr Prem did it, it looked easy enough, so I don't know why I couldn't get a reading on the thermometer. *puzzled*

Blackie Behaving Weirdly

I was out for a bit today, and when I came home in the evening, close to 7pm, Blackie did not come out to greet me at the door. I started looking for him, but couldn't find him. My mum then told me that he has been hiding in his hidey hole since morning. 

She said that Blackie has not eaten or drank any water since he went into hiding. She tried to get him out to feed him, but after he got out of his hole, he froze. looked up and around him, eyes widened in fear, and rushed off to hide again. My mum described it like as if he saw something that she couldn't see.

Anyway, it's now 12:31am, he popped out for a short while just now, but wouldn't eat or drink, and is back in hiding again. He has never been like this in his entire life, so I'm really worried about him. I even offered him salmon, but he never even came near to the food.

I can't extract him out of the hidey hole unless some hefty furnitures are moved. What could be wrong with him? I'm sure he's starving by now, but he is not confident enough to come out to eat. I wonder what happened to trigger this unusual fear. My mum has no idea, as she spends most of her time in her room watching telly. *worried*

Britain's Got Talent - Season 3 Episode 2

While Susan Boyle is an amazing singer, Mama Trish is weirdly amusing. His real name is Peter Coughlan. Check him out!  :D

For the convenience of those of you who missed my earlier post on Susan Boyle, check her out at http://blackie007.blogspot.com/2009/04/britains-got-talent-2009.html

Swine Flu: What it is, how to fight it

Picture source: Parkway Health Primary Network

The article below is extracted from:  http://tinyurl.com/d9fb4n

Swine flu: What it is, how to fight it
By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY

It's a common respiratory ailment in pigs, but this strain appears to be a subtype never before seen in pigs or humans. Here are answers to questions you may have about swine flu.

Q: What is swine flu?
A: It's a common respiratory disease in pigs that doesn't usually spread to people. When pigs catch this flu, many get quite sick, and 1% to 4% die, according to the World Health Organization. In the past, people have sometimes caught swine flu if they worked directly with pigs.

Q: How is this swine flu virus different?
A: This strain appears to be a subtype not seen before in humans or pigs, with genetic material from pigs, bird and humans, according to WHO. Unlike most cases of swine flu, this one can spread from person to person, said Richard Besser, the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at a White House press conference Sunday. One of the confirmed cases in the USA caught swine flu from a spouse, who had been to Mexico.

Q: Were pigs the carriers of this virus?
A: It's closer to say that pigs were the mixing bowl for this virus. Birds can't pass bird flu to people. But pigs are uniquely susceptible to getting flu viruses that infect birds. Experts have long worried that a pig would catch a bird strain of the flu and then the virus would mutate inside the pig to a form that could also infect other mammals. That may be what happened in this case. Pigs can also be infected with more than one influenza virus at a time, allowing the viruses to share genes, called "genetic reassortment," creating new & potentially much more virulent viruses.

Q: Can you catch swine flu from eating pork?
A: No, according to WHO. Pigs coming in to slaughter facilities are monitored for flu symptoms, and those that are ill are not allowed to enter the food supply. Cooking also kills the virus. People who work with pigs, however, can catch the virus. The Department of Agriculture is conducting tests to confirm that the food supply is safe, said Janet Napolitano, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Q: Is there a vaccine against swine flu?
A: No, but government scientists could try to create one, according to the CDC. "We've identified the virus," Besser said. "Should we decide to manufacture a vaccine, we can work toward that goal very quickly." CDC scientists don't know if this year's flu vaccine offers any protection.

Q: What about antivirals? Can they prevent swine flu?
A: This strain of swine flu does appear sensitive to the antiviral drugs Relenza and Tamiflu, but not to amantadine, or Symmetrel, and rimantadine, or Flumadine, Besser said. With normal seasonal flus, if taken within the first 48 hours after symptoms appear, antivirals can help people recover a day or two sooner. Doctors sometimes prescribe antivirals to household members of people with the flu to prevent them from getting sick.

Q: What are the symptoms?
A: The most common symptoms are fever, fatigue, lack of appetite and coughing, although some people also develop a runny nose, sore throat, vomiting or diarrhea, according to the CDC.

Q: What should you do if you have these symptoms?
A: Stay home from work or school, to avoid spreading your illness to other people, Besser said. Don't get on an airplane. People should call their doctors to ask about the best treatment, but should not simply show up at a clinic or hospital that is unprepared for their arrival.

Q: How can people protect themselves?
A: As always, people should wash their hands frequently, Besser said. In the past, the CDC has said there isn't conclusive evidence to support using face masks. Surgical masks are designed to prevent the wearer from spreading germs, but may also catch large respiratory droplets if someone sneezes nearby. In a 2007 statement, the CDC said these masks could be worn if someone needs to go to a crowded place, such as a grocery store, for a short time. N95 respirator masks filter out 95% of particles to prevent the wearer from breathing them in. These must be fitted properly around the nose to create a seal, so they can make breathing difficult.

Q: What does it mean for the government to declare a public health emergency?
A: While the declaration "sounds more severe than it is," Napolitano said Sunday, it will free up funds and allow health officials to use medications and tests that aren't normally used. The government also issued a public
health declaration during recent floods in North Dakota and Minnesota, she said, and noted that the government often issues such declarations when hurricanes are approaching. The federal government is also releasing 25%
of the 50 million doses of antiviral medications in the nation's Strategic National Stockpile, Napolitano said. The Department of Defense is also making 7 million doses available.

Q: Why has the virus been so much deadlier in Mexico, where 1,300 have become ill and more than 80 people have died, than in the USA?
A: "What we've seen in this country is not anywhere near the severity of what we're seeing in Mexico," Besser said. Doctors don't yet know why cases have been milder in the USA, where only person has been hospitalized, although 20 cases have been confirmed, Besser said.

Sepang Gold Coast

Prodded by CazzyCazz's post in February this year, we finally managed to check out Sepang Gold Coast a few Sundays ago. 

So, what is Sepang Gold Coast? Any connection to The Gold Coast in Australia? No. Sepang Goldcoast is a 4621 acres of seafront land mixed development project spanning 22 kilometres out to sea.

The entrance from land

It is a mixed development with residential, retail and restaurants, in the shape of a palm tree. The "trunk" of the palm tree is Sepang Walk, and will be lined with retail shops. If you missed the last water cab from the ferry terminal to your home, it is a long walk to your villa at the top of the "trunk". If you live here, you certainly do not want to stay out too late into the night.  

Golden Palm Tree Water Villas

The Water Villas kind of made me nervous about pirates, though. It is easily accessible from the sea if you have boats, ships or yachts.

Easy access by pirates or tsunami

The actual Palm Tree under construction

A closer look of the construction

Although the "trunk" and "branches and leaves" aren't ready yet, the base of the trunk is. There are a few restaurants where you could eat and enjoy the sea-breeze or sunset.  

Other things you could do at Sepang Gold Coast are archery, bird-watching or simply sleeping on the beach.

Archery

Bird-watching

It takes two to rock the baby to sleep  :)

Or, just stretch out and sleep if you don't feel like talking to the wife  :)

Some Funny Pictures From Pakistan

My uncle forwarded me some funny photos today, and here's a few that I found hilarious. Enjoy.... :)

Neno's Award....Thanks!

Lazzybunny has forwarded me this award to cheer me up, after a rude awakening by some less than scrupulous business people. Thanks, LB, that's very sweet of you.  :)

The award came with this mission :

* As a dedication for those who love blogging activity and love to encourage friendships through blogging.

* To seek the reasons why we all love blogging!

And it comes with some rules!

* Put the award in one post as soon as you receive it

* Don’t forget to mention the person who gave you the award

* Answer the award’s question by writing the reason why you love blogging

* Tag and distribute the award to as many people as you like

* Don’t forget to notify the award receivers and put their links in your post

Why i love blogging?

Hmmm......got to put on my thinking cap for this lor.......oops, cannot find my thinking cap, will my broken glasses do??? 

Broken glasses on and thinking.....still thinking.... :D

Ok...got it! I love blogging because:-

* That's the only time I can put on my glasses and express my intellectuality.

* It's great to be connected to other pets, and to share tales of our exploits or of our slaves.

* It's quite eye-opening, to read and learn about things that the mainstream media would never publish, that is, from those blogger friends who blog about life's happenings.

* And lastly......my blog serves as my diary, useful for recalling events or situations in my life....yeah, it's my extended memory cells..... :)

And this award is forwarded to these friends whose blogs have never failed to put a smile on my face:-

1) Sillylupie

2) Celena's World

2) A New Love Found

3) An Accidental Travelogue

4) CazyCazz

5) BabyZee

Now that's out of the way, let me stop my slave from using the toilet. 

Yeah!! She has nowhere to place her feet, hehe. 

Removing Wu Travel

I am removing Wu Travel banner from my blog as they have yet to pay me. When they approached me to place their banner ad on my blog, they said they would pay me within TWO days of my putting up the banner ad.

More than a week has passed --- it's almost two weeks now, and they have yet to pay me. I've emailed Stella twice, and there is no reply from their side.

This is so different from the beginning, when they wanted their ad on my blog. They respond within a few hours, but now, after having placed their banner ad on my blog, they have chosen not to reply my emails.

So....Stella and those in Wu Travel, I have removed your banner ad until you deposit the money into my Paypal account.

Updated on 31 August 2009
Still no reply nor any payment from Wu Travel. They know about this post, but I guess they have chosen to remain mum.

Unanswered questions from day one which should have warned me:-
Claim #1: They said even if those that came from my blog did not buy on the spot, but bought from them later, they can track because of the cookies they placed in the person's computer.

My question: How do you track that when most browsers removed all cookies when you close the browser?

Claim #2: Even if the cookies are removed, they can track by ISP.

My question: My ISP code changes each time I log online. The modem resets and look for the next available ISP. Also, when you switch internet services, you'll have a completely different ISP. So, how do you counter this problem of the same user not having the same ISP all the time?

Blackie's Onboard Signs

Two packages awaited me today when I opened my mailbox. They are gifts from Clement, a friend in Penang who makes onboard signs and sells them on the internet.

The first one is a DIMB Petfinder Award. To find what this award is, check out this link.

Custom-made Onboard Sign

This second one is a private bet between Clement and myself. We had a private game and if Clement won, I would buy him a drink when he visits KL, and if I won, he would give me a Black Label Limited Edition.

Black Label Limited Edition

Aren't they beautiful? So, if you guys see a car with either of this sign, you know it's me behind the wheel. Just give a short, soft honk and wave at me, yeah?  :-)

If you'd like to order these signs, just visit Clement at www.petmysite.com