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Archive | January 2013

Laziness = Lost Readers

A couple of days ago I failed to download a book due to laziness. Not mine but the laziness of the author who wanted me to read their book.

I’ll explain in a moment but first – what do you think makes readers buy/download a book: the scintillating prose, fascinating characters or the intricately-woven web of the story over which the author has spent months (sometimes years) sweating blood?

Sadly – unless it’s on the basis of a review or a recommendation – the answer is none of the above.

The story is what you as an author hope readers (buyers) will enjoy once they start on your book. First, though, you’ve got to get them to pick up the book or click on it via their browser.

And that involves several factors: your name (if you have a track record), the snappy title, the stylish and enticing cover… and maybe the price. Other factors like genre, tags and placement may also play a role.

Next comes the first moment when potential readers/buyers will actually begin reading your words. And the first thing most people will read? That’s right – the ‘blurb’.

Now, like many authors I hate writing blurbs. You have to sell your book in just a few paragraphs of sufficient wit/charm/intrigue that they then do the one thing that makes sense of all those months spent shut away working on your magnum opus – to read the damn book!

So it really, really annoys me when I see indie/self-published authors putting poorly-written, lazily-edited blurbs on their Amazon pages.

On Monday I was looking at some books on free promotion and thought the title and cover of one looked fairly interesting and professional so clicked through to the book’s page on Amazon. And my heart sank when I skimmed the blurb and read the following:

‘Tom Bracewell is an economist for an investment bank when he comes home one days to find his Estonian wife Tatyana has disappeared.

But where has she gone?

And why?

Sarah Turnbull is a currency analysts who has just been hired by The Leopard Fund, a vast hedge fund run by the ruthless French financier Jean-Pierre Telmont.’

These weren’t the first lines of the blurb but I hesitated on the first line here as there’s either something wrong with the grammar or something missing from the sentence. Then I spotted the two superfluous plurals and left the page.

Sadly there are two many poorly written, badly formatted and unedited self-published books out there – which is why people like Tahlia Newland are doing such a great job trying to encourage professional standards with the Awesome Indies site.

Which is also why, having been so irritated by the sloppy mistakes above, I thought that if an author can’t be bothered to get his blurb right then I’m not going to waste my time seeing if the book itself is any better.

Sorry if I’m pontificating again and I realise this has turned into a bit of a rant. But I do feel better for it!

There’s also a harsh but simple message for all indie authors. If your blurb doesn’t hook potential readers you might as well not bother publishing.

Ha’d’wee Rite Gd Dilog

In a good story all the characters have their own voice. Just like us, they’re all individuals and they’ve each got their own mannerisms – including how they speak.

It’s a jungle out there. (From the film version of Cloud Atlas.)

But putting their words down in the way that we, as authors, want them to sound is a darn tricky process.

I was thinking about this because last night I went to a British Council training session for people (like me) who teach English as a foreign language (EFL).

As in most jobs, EFL teachers tend to stick to certain routines. We teach vocabulary and grammar and then we help students string it together so they can read and speak English. But what about listening?

One of last night’s speakers, Richard Cauldwell from Speech In Action, used the analogy of greenhouse and garden to talk about how we teach learners of English. In the greenhouse, we teach them individual words, including spelling and pronunciation. In the garden, we mix them up with a bit of grammar and intonation to form pleasing patterns.

Such as: ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’

We teach students how to say the words – with a little lift at the end to indicate a question.

But Richard’s point was that at normal speed the sentence might sound more like: ‘Wd’yuh lik’uh cuppa tea?’ (Say it to yourself fast and you might notice the ‘k’ in ‘like’ also disappears.) That’s what he calls the ‘jungle‘ of real, everyday dialogue.

However, if writing speech as it sounds – or how we want our character to sound –  can cause problems. If we fill our dialogue with elisions – the technical term for running words together, and dropping vowels and consonants – it can look at best like gobbledegook and at worst as if we’re illiterate. (Your spellchecker will also be underlining everything in red.)

I’ve tried a few times. There’s a gamekeeper in my book The Vault with a strong rural accent and I found his ‘voice’ by speaking his dialogue in my head, listening to how it really sounded and trying to approximate that on the page.

cloud-atlas-book-coverIn his superb 2004 book Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell weaves six different stories. The middle one is set in a near(ish) future dystopia where the central character, Zachry, tells the story in his own voice.

And Zachry’s voice is a version of English that has evolved: it’s more phonetic, less grammatical – and takes quite an effort to read. (If the whole book had been told by Zachry I’m not sure I’d have coped.)

Even with my old gamekeeper, I had to be careful. If I’d made his accent too strong and written it how it sounded it would have been incomprehensible. It’s a difficult balance: giving your characters their unique, authentic voice and making sure that readers understand what they’re trying to say.

Submitted And Committed

‘A few days ago we were woken up by the sound of the ground shaking. My house fell down and a lot of my things were lost but I am very lucky because I still have my family…’

Photo by Mark Pearson

Photo by Mark Pearson

Most of us take a lot for granted, whether that’s our health, the right to free speech or the fact that the buses run (mostly) on time.

We don’t expect helicopters to explode in the sky above us (Carpe Diem And All That), nor do we expect our homes to be destroyed by an unpredictable planet.

My last job in the world of PR (before retraining to be a teacher) was managing communications for a disaster relief charity called ShelterBox. It was a fascinating and challenging job. While I was there, the charity responded to everything from typhoons in the Philippines to conflict in Somalia, floods in Pakistan and hurricanes in the Caribbean.

In each case, ShelterBox sent emergency shelter and other aid to families who had lost their homes as a result of the various disasters. Back at base in Cornwall we heard all kinds of tragic stories and part of my job was to use that information to raise awareness of the charity’s work.

But one story that particularly touched my heart was about a deployment from before my time. It is the story of Siti Ayeesha, an eight-year-old girl from Java who lives through a powerful earthquake that wrecks her village and kills many of her friends.

Siti relates what happens in the video below and what makes it particularly moving for me is that it’s told in her words, voiced by an eight-year-old English girl:

This video has always inspired me. In many ways it was the motivation in 2010 when my wife and I undertook a 10,000-mile tandem bike ride to promote the work of ShelterBox. And when I published my second novel, The Vault, it was a factor in my decision that 50% of the royalties would go to the charity.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been working with an editor on a revised version of The Vault – and have just submitted it to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. And I’ve decided that in the unlikely event I win any of the prize money on offer, I’m going to stick to giving half to ShelterBox.

So, there you are: I’ve made a public commitment. No backing out now!

Breaking Your Concentration

I mentioned in a recent post that I like writing with music in the background as it keeps my subconscious from getting bored.

A lot of the time, my laptop is set to play a random compilation from the albums on the hard drive. Most of the time it works fine: songs play, I listen with part of my brain and write with another bit.

Occasionally though certain songs pop up and I just have to stop, turn up the volume and – yes, sad but true – get up and boogie round the room. This is one such culprit:

I was working on a rewrite of an old fantasy short story that I wrote about 20 years ago. But then the intro began and I knew it was break time.

Anyone else have the same problem? What gets you out of your chair?

This has nothing to do with my books and it isn’t even my picture but I couldn’t resist posting it anyway:

Snowhobbit. (C) Amelia Owens.

Snowhobbit. (C) Amelia Owens.

My 16-year-old niece Amelia is a Tolkien fiend and also has a definite artistic streak. Glad to see she didn’t get bored when her school was closed for a couple of days due to snow!

Almost Black And White

Wanted a break from editing work so went out playing with the dogs instead. Our first proper snow of the year: in the apple orchards near Canterbury.

Carpe Diem And All That

My youngest sister, Bronwen, loves Peppa Pig, Rosie & Jim and nursery rhymes. She also needs spoon feeding, can’t do anything unaided and only speaks a few words.

Peppa Pig and family.

Peppa Pig and family.

But Bronwen isn’t a little girl. She’s 50 years old and still lives with my parents, who at their ages should be relaxing in the garden they love. And, although Bron needs carers to toilet, wash, feed her etc, my parents wouldn’t dream of ever handing over responsibility for my sister.

One reason for writing this is that this morning I left Carolyn behind in Hampshire and caught the train to my parent’s place in Canterbury so I can help out for a week. That’s because my 77-year-old dad – who normally helps get Bron in and out of bed etc – has been having a run of bad luck.

My dad came down with shingles a year ago and still hasn’t got back to full health. One reason – only diagnosed in December – is a heart problem that led to his lungs filling up with fluid, meaning he couldn’t sleep properly let alone do anything strenuous like move my sister around.

Earlier this month, he also had a large crown come out of one of his teeth and picked up a throat infection. A couple of days later, he woke in the small hours in agony and was rushed to hospital. Surgeons later removed an 8-inch arterial blood clot from his left leg.

Needless to say, my dad’s feeling a bit battered at the moment. Not sure if he’s been smashing mirrors or has offended the gods in some way but his run of bad luck seems a bit unfair. He’s a retired university lecturer, a vegetarian and while in the RAF got in trouble for handing out leaflets promoting nuclear disarmament. I mean, why pick on him?

Another reason for mentioning all this is that my train to Canterbury took me through London and past the snapped-off crane involved in yesterday’s terrible helicopter crash.

It’s a miracle only two people were killed – and incredible that the two crane drivers who would otherwise have been up there had both overslept. What makes me so sad though is the thought of poor Matt Wood. He was going to work when the helicopter hit the crane above him and he was killed.

How random is that? Flying involves certain risks, which is why pilots undergo so much training. But to be walking along in central London and have a helicopter explode above your head? A totally unpredictable end and absolutely tragic.

The randomness of ‘fate’ is exactly that. Random. It probably never crossed the minds of my parents that they’d still be looking after a severely mentally and physically handicapped daughter into their 8th and 9th decades!

My best man, Nigel, was always quite fit. He played rugby, went to the gym and came hiking in the mountains with me. In the late 90s he was also diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Sadly, his was an exceptionally bad case of MS. Five or six years ago he moved into a hospice near Oxford. He died in 2010 aged just 45.

That’s why I’ve always believed wholeheartedly in the saying carpe diem. It might seem a bit of a cliche but that’s only because it really is so important to ‘seize the day’.

Personally, I don’t think there is some deep plan to life where everything’s already mapped out. Or if there is a reason behind everything that happens then it’s way beyond my comprehension.

That’s why we must try and make our dreams come true now. Who knows what’s going to fall out of the heavens, strike us down in one way or another, or just generally mess with the neat lives we might otherwise have mapped out for ourselves?

I’ve now published four novels and one book of short stories but I don’t know if I’ll ever make a living as a writer. I doubt if I’ll ever win the Nobel Prize for literature.

However, writing is one of the passions in my life. It gives reason and purpose to a lot of what I do and think. So I’m not going to wait for inspiration to strike or for my big league publishing contract to turn up in the post. I’m going to sit down and tap these keys until some kind of story takes shape and then – once it’s proofread, edited etc – I’m going to damn well get on and publish it.

Ride, Eat, Sleep

So, is cycling an excuse to eat chocolate or chocolate a reason to go cycling? Please discuss.

Jan IOW 01

Only a few calories in this.

My next great novel had to be put aside yesterday. It was my wife’s birthday and we took our tandem across the water for a brief tour of the Isle of Wight.

It’s funny, I grew up in Hampshire and have travelled all over the world but had never made the 30 minute journey to the Isle of Wight before. (For those of you not from these parts, the IoW is the squashed diamond shape island just off the south coast of England immediately below Southampton).

Did about 40 miles of cycling in temperatures of about 2°C (max). Beautiful but quite hilly and I’m not sure my toes ever really warmed up even with two pairs of socks and shoe covers on.

Today it was -2°C outside at 10.30am so I’m quite content to stay inside with the heating on, sit at my laptop and get back to writing.

And yes, we did eat the whole bar of chocolate – and I only had slightly more than Carolyn!

Waiting to depart.

Waiting to depart.

Freshwater Bay

Yarmouth Pier

Yarmouth Pier

Promoting KDP Promotions

I’ve been publishing on Kindle for just over a year and using KDP Select to run free promotions every few months.

Success levels have varied. My highest number of downloads was during a five-day giveaway for which I did zero promotion. However, I have also used 30+ websites that take FREE submissions for Kindle giveaways and thought I’d share my knowledge with all you other indie authors out there.

Author Marketing Club

The Author Marketing Club (AMC) is very useful. Join and you have access to their ‘free submission tool’ – a webpage linking directly to 18 sites (plus one for children’s books) that list and promote free Kindle books. For the club’s homepage and link to joining instructions, click here.

The following sites linked to AMC have all listed my books at least once – those with an asterisk next to them have done so for each promotion:

Author Marketing Club*; Bargain EBook Hunter; Free Book Dude*; Indie Book Of The Day; Awesome Gang; Book Goodies; Free Booksy; EBooks Habit; Snicks List* (list on first day of promotion only).

The following sites (as far as I can tell) have never listed my promotions even when meeting their requirements:

Pixel Of Ink; EReader Cafe (nothing shorter than 120 pages); Books On The Knob; Kindle Book Promos (minimum 14 days notice); Free Kindle Fiction; EReader News Today (requires 3+ reviews); Orangeberry Free Me; Digital Book Today (requires 18+ reviews and minimum 4* Amazon rating), Kindle Book Review (minimum 14 days notice).

Other sites

Other sites that I have approached for Kindle promotions are below. Those in bold have listed my giveaways, the others haven’t. The name of each site is linked to it’s submissions page and I’ve noted any requirements of which I’m aware:

Addicted To EBooks – submit on the day only

Centsible Reads – 5 reviews with 80% average

FK Books & Tips – 4* review minimum

Free Books Daily – submit on the day only

Free Kindle EBooks – a weekly listing

Frugal EReader

Goodreads – see group forums, some with listings for Kindle freebies

Indie Book Bargains – UK site, submit on the day only

Kindle Boards – require 3+ reviews and 4* rating

Pixel Scroll – submit a week in advance

Story Finds

Super EBooks – enter details on a calendar of promotions

World Literary Cafe – join as member and list about 10 days before promotion

As you’ll see, I’ve listed more than 30 websites and forums that I’ve used to try and promote Kindle giveaways. Of these, about 16 have listed my promotions at one time or another.

There are other sites that list promotions. Some do it automatically taking information direct from Amazon and do not provide any opportunity for authors to submit information. Others list promotions but charge.

A number of the sites above take free submissions but also ask for donations or offer a guaranteed listing for a fee. (Which might be why some have never listed my books!)

What I have no idea about is how many readers look at these listings. My suspicion is that these sites are mostly used by fellow authors also trying to plug their giveaways! (My suspicion not helped by the fact that – as mentioned above – my most successful promotion was one for which I did no publicity at all.)

I also have no information about how much traffic any of these sites gets. Which is why, apart from being a natural skinflint, I’ve never paid for a listing. I don’t see the point in paying $10 for a listing on a blog just because it boasts a mailing list of 10,000 as I’ve no idea how genuine the numbers are, how genuine the addresses are – and how many are for genuine readers.

I’ve included Goodreads in my list. The site is huge and growing and probably the best place to get your book plugged other than on Amazon itself. It also includes various forums for authors, some of which provide opportunities to plug freebies. Writers of genre fiction will probably find it extremely easy to find groups that meet your tastes.

Hope this is all useful. Any additional suggestions or comments welcome.

PS. My adventure novel Pagan’s Sphinx is free for about another 36 hours! Links:

Latest Promo

My latest novel – Pagan’s Sphinx – is on free promotion with Amazon over the next five days (10th – 14th January).

Pagan's Sphinx#As mentioned previously, this one’s a bit different from my other books, which is why it’s published under the pen name William Webster.

I see this as more of an old-fashioned adventure yarn. Nothing complicated – foreign setting, ancient mystery, a bit of romance, danger and intrigue.

So if that’s your cup of tea please download a copy and enjoy.

Any feedback would be really appreciated: if you didn’t like it then send me an email and tell me why you thought it stunk, if you loved it then please put a 5* review on Amazon and tell all your friends!

Links are here:

PS. If you’re more into contemporary fiction with a story of a schoolboy battles  woven around a murder mystery then The Vault is also free for another couple of days – links are:The Vault

The Vault on

The Vault on

After these two I’ll probably give the promotions a break for a while – concentrate on getting on with the next book.


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UC San Diego’s Evelyn Hidalgo Named HR Professional of the Year

July 31, 2009  |

Evelyn Hidalgo, Assistant Dean of Academic and Staff Human Resources Administration of University of California San Diego (UCSD) - Health Sciences was named Human Resources Professional of the Year by the San Diego Business Journal. Honorees were chosen based on a number of measures, including career success, contributions to company growth and profitability, community involvement, as well as assisting in other areas of the organization.

Evelyn Hidalgo

Evelyn Hidalgo, San Diego Business Journal's HR Professional of the Year

Hidalgo was selected in the non-profit category for advancing the best possible working and learning environment striving to maintain a climate of fairness, cooperation, and professionalism throughout the organization.

“It is gratifying to know that HR can play a pivotal role in an organization. Providing training and development programs such as A-Z training benefits the whole organization,” Evelyn Hidalgo said. “My goal was to create development opportunities for Health Sciences staff. The results show that most of those who completed this functional area training received a promotion and/or salary increase and UCSD Health Sciences has a larger pool of well prepared, exceptional employees.”

Hidalgo’s career started at UCSD as a student employee and, after graduation, she worked in Finance and Patient Care before changing her career to Human Resources 10 years ago. Six years ago she was recruited by Health Sciences. In a very short time, she implemented a number of initiatives such as developing professional training programs, creating partnerships with community organizations, and changing the role of HR from a tactical support function to a strategic function.

She serves as a member at large for the American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Business Group and was instrumental in helping that group create the first HR Pre-conference for the national meeting. She has partnered with community organizations like the American Heart Association and the Summer Youth Development Programs, which brings high school students from underserved areas of the community to UCSD and provides them with career development training, professional work experience, and a mentor. In addition, she was instrumental in bringing fitness and wellness programs to our employees.

Her recent achievements include receiving the UC San Diego Human Resources Partner Award 2008; Health Sciences Outstanding Customer Service Award  2006, 2007 and 2008; UCSD Academic Health Sciences Exemplary Award 2008; and UCSD Community Champion (Diversity Award) in 2003 and 2004.

# # #

Media Contact: Leslie Webb, 619-543-6163, L2webb@ucsd.edu

Media Contact

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25 3 Ingredient Smoothie Recipes Infographic

I just love the fruit smoothie recipes to make.Smoothies are the most important food for our healthy life. Green smoothies are the most beneficial for our health.

There are so many benefits of smoothies: they help with our digestion problems. Smoothies are the full of pure vitamins and fiber. Smoothie recipes are always easy to make. You just need the ingredients and put them in the blender, and you are done.

Previous post about Vegan Smoothies Simplified Infographic

Smoothies are also best because everyone loves it. Smoothies are the best way to get your family, kids and friends to get more greens, fruits, and even veggies in diets. Smoothie recipes are delicious, simple, quick and contain all kind of nutrients of the greens, fruits, and vegetables.

Previous post about 7 Healthy Foods that can Ruin your Workout Consider Avoiding

You can use the smoothies in your breakfasts, lunch, and dinner with no worries for everyone.

Smoothie Recipes

Written by Sarah

I am a nutritionist and instructor at several places about food and Health. I love food and along with food I am also health conscious. After doing a lot of research on food and health, I started blogging about these things to increase and share my knowledge about Food and Health with all Food lovers.

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BMG Labtech Inc

Endorse Company
BMG LABTECH focuses solely on microplate readers and offers the most diverse selection of optical detection systems in conjunction with integrated liquid handling equipment.Since our establishment in Offenburg Germany in 1989, BMG LABTECH has been committed to developing and producing high quality microplate readers and microplate handling systems. Our exceptional worldwide sales and support network including our Ortenberg headquarters, BMG LABTECH subsidiaries, Regional offices and distributors are committed to bringing you innovative microplate reader technology with the reliability and quality that you expect from BMG LABTECH.


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Support the Work of UC San Diego's Department of Surgery

With your help, the Department of Surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine is changing lives. Financial support from patients and our community is critical to providing leading-edge surgical care to thousands of people every year. Your partnership enables UC San Diego School of Medicine to continue to serve our region’s patients with the most expert care available.

Throughout this site, you will find opportunities to give to specific surgical specialties. You may also choose to donate to the Department of Surgery as a whole in order to provide support for its greatest needs. There are many ways to give, and each gift is received with heartfelt appreciation and the promise to use it responsibly.

To learn about avenues of support, such as multi-year pledges, stock gifts or estate planning, please contact Whitney Nifong at (858) 246-1561 or

Give Now

We are honored and humbled by the generosity of our community. Thank you for your consideration to support the Department of Surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

The U.C. San Diego Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization designated by the Internal Revenue Service. Our Federal Tax ID number is 95-287-2494.


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As any one tried Hoodia Pure 800

I have been taking it for about a month now, I have a very well balanced diet always have, alas my problem is

having a very hearty appetite since giving up work ! I'm very active, husband never puts a lb on.

The Hoodia as reduced my appetite but a big but I have not lost any weight since, in fact put a few lbs on ! It could be muscle I am a little puzzled tho ! I do keep a food diary so not going over my calorie allowance of 1,400, some times 1,200. I'm interested if any one else has tried it and the results !

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Join the NHS Weight Loss Plan

Join over 40,000 others on our 12-week diet and exercise plan. Keep motivated to develop healthier eating habits & get more active.

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Featured by HealthUnlocked

1 Reply

  • I tried it! Dont waste your money is all I can say. Did nothing for me. If you are doing all the right things, and you are absolutely sure that you are as active and healthy as can be and still putting on weight just go and see your doctor...there can be many reasons for weight gain and most of them are not serious. Also, perhaps you can try a different could be that your body is used to what you are already doing and needs a bit of a shake up...also, watch out for hidden fats and calories...the other day I saw a bottle of mayo that had 115cal per tablespoon!

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Profile description of DJ BENJI Warmix Music:

My passion of the platinums and the music began dice 1985, I have a discography looked for and varied VINYL (reggae, ragga, dub, jungle, hiphop, disco soul funk old school) For three years I integrated the Parisian collective SCALAWAX ( record dealer DUB WIZE), period during which we confronted in several sound UK and organized the first French clash against BLUES PARTY in LA POTERNE DES PEUPLIERS (PARIS), After this period I worked in association with ROJAH MAFFE FM (organizer of the french championships of sound system) within the framework of a weekly broadcast of 3 hours on the radio Frequency Paris Plurielle, Between 1998 and 2007 I realized and produced 18 mix tapes (K7 and CD) in the Dancehall, the reflection the best singles of moment distributed in all France at the specialized record dealers reggae and hiphop. Refusing no invitation I occurred in several clubs parisian and played almost everywhere in France (club, festivals, coffee musik). After a break the evenings start again in 2016 with a monthly residence at LE CAFE LOCAL (Bretagne). Show less

    12:40   Lady Saw - Stab Out The Meat(remix)
    17:20   Beenie Man - Girls Dem Sugar - Remix
    23:00   Shabba Ranks - 1 Man
    Mixes Analysis & Tracklisting Generation by ACRCloud

    Hip Hop
    Full Link
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Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010) Movie

Resident Evil: Afterlife
  • Release Dates
  • In Theaters: September 10, 2010
100% Like of 4 Total Votes

[ Trailer ][ Read the Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010) Movie Review ]

Starring Shawn Roberts, Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Kim Coates
Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson
4 votes, 5 / 5 avg. rating (100% score) Experience a new dimension in action horror as director Paul W.S. Anderson uses the 3D technology pioneered by James Cameron and Vincent Pace to take movie lovers on a nightmare thrill-ride. It"s been five years since the zombie virus swept across the globe, and Alice (Milla Jovovich) is still traveling tirelessly in search of survivors. When the Umbrella Corporation ratchets up the stakes, an old friend turns up to lend Alice a helping hand. Rumor has it that some survivors have found sanctuary in Los Angeles, but when Alice and friends show up they find the city overrun with zombies, and quickly realize they"ve stumbled into a diabolical trap.

While still out to destroy the evil Umbrella Corporation, Alice joins a group of survivors living in a prison surrounded by the infected who also want to relocate to the mysterious but supposedly unharmed safe haven known only as Arcadia.
Cast: Shawn Roberts, Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Kim Coates, Sienna Guillory, Wentworth Miller, Spencer Locke, Fulvio Cecere, Denis Akiyama, Nobuya Shimamoto, Peter Kosaka, Kacey Clarke, Kacey Barnfield, Boris Kodjoe, Evin Michaels, Devon Richards, Raymond Olubawale, Valerie Ruescas, Kenta William Tomeoki, Kenta Tomeoki, Shin Kawai, Mika Nakashima, Takato Yamashita, Hiromi Okuyama, Bill Blair, K.J. Duffey, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Jamie Ferenczi, Brian Jansen, Azmyth Kaminski
Directors: Paul W.S. Anderson
Genres: Horror, Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
AKA(s): Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 4: Afterlife, Resident Evil: Afterlife: An IMAX 3D Experience
Year: 2010
Runtime: 97 /
MPAA Rating: R
Awards: 2
Nominations: 8
Writers: Paul W.S. Anderson
Producers: Paul W.S. Anderson, Dave Bogosian, Jeremy Bolt, Don Carmody, Bernd Eichinger, Samuel Hadida, Victor Hadida, Hiroyuki Kobayashi, Robert Kulzer, Martin Moszkowicz
Musicians: tomandandy
Cinematographers: Glen MacPherson
Editors: Niven Howie

Movie Trailer

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When is a shirt not just a shirt?

The little Rosetta probe was launched over 10 years ago, and to achieve the required velocity to rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko it had to fly through most of the Solar System.

It’s well known that landing a jet fighter on a moving flight deck is tough. Landing at night, in rough weather, with no lights, that is the most stressful aspect of naval aviation. The challenge of landing a plane on a carrier at night is as daunting as the task is difficult: Working in darkness, the pilot has to bring in a jet at speeds over 150 knots, snag a cable 4 inches off the deck in a space that is roughly 20 feet wide and 100 feet long.  Close air support, air-to-air combat, nothing gets the pilot’s heart rate up like landing at night. On a moving, pitching deck.

Landing on a carrier at night is like running across your living room, leaping into the air, and trying to lick a stamp on the floor with your tongue. With the lights out.

Now, think about how hard it is to get a small spacecraft, thats traveled 4 billion miles to hit a dark, dusty comet, which is only 2.5 miles wide. That’s like someone standing in San Francisco shooting a thrown snowball in New York City with a 30.30 rifle.

Hard is an understatement.

And, to top it all off, you’re able to get a tiny probe out, land it on the damn thing, and do it all when the time it takes for a signal to get from here to there takes 28 minutes, 20 seconds. That almost 30 minutes. And the signal is traveling at the speed of light. That’s 186,000 miles per second. Per second. Let that sink in for a second. Now picture being 186,000 miles further away.

Difficult is an understatement.

This comet landing is an amazing scientific achievement by many dedicated scientists, and something to celebrate. So if your takeaway from historic occasion is that one scientist is an misogynist asshole, I think you’ve missed the big picture.

Great art work my friend!

Great art work my friend!

It seems a good friend, a woman, of one of the scientist made an outstandingly cool shirt. And Matt Taylor, the scientist in question, loves crazy shirts. And he had her cool shirt on. What a great way to celebrate. And the news cameras and media and the world went wild celebrating this amazing scientific accomplishment.

Until someone noticed what was on the shirt. Art. Art with beautiful women.

The reaction was, just to quote one example out of many, swift and terrible:

Good work, Matt Taylor, Rosetta Project Scientist at the European Space Agency, snatching the spotlight away from the technical accomplishment of your team and making it all about about your clothing choices, and for also doing it with such elan that you simultaneously denigrated all the enthusiastic young women watching the webcast. They may have been cheering at first, but then it sank in that their designated prop role is to be half-naked and posed poutingly on your shirt.

The news has been wall-to-wall coverage not about the amazing scientific accomplishment, but about a shirt.

It seems the female mind is so weak she must be protected from “art!”

Those aren’t photos of women but drawings. There also happens to be nothing particularly wrong with the female (or male) body, clothed, unclothed or partly clothed, and if some scientist wants to make recognize his good friends art, no better way than appearing on a newscast wearing that shirt. What’s perverse is getting all bent out of shape by someone’s (non-obscene) clothing choices instead of focusing on his scientific accomplishments.

There are many that are saying this is “terrible” and must not stand. After all, we must think of the young women and girls who watched that and flinched when exposed to the female form, and their dreams of being a rocket scientist were destroyed. This guy’s shirt choice could have been the LAST STRAW for who knows how many young women who were thinking of pursuing a career in science or engineering. That last little push that made them say “You know what? Fuck that. I don’t need that bullshit in my daily workaday life.”

The poor little things… they must be protected.

Just so we’re all clear, must we now destroy this, for it shows a female form?

Look, a clear example of a woman being oppressed!

Look, a clear example of a woman being oppressed!

And this, think of all the little girls!

Street art, scaring girls for life!

Street art, scaring girls for life!

OMG! The world is not safe!

There can be no freedom. Cover all with burqas.

There can be no freedom. Cover all with burqas.

NASA, ESA, all of society could clean house of every person who enjoys the human form and it still wouldn’t satisfy its the feminist inquisitors. The feminist’s point is not to just shame this one man, but to drive home the message that the media spotlight is the sole playground for the politically correct, asexual, lefty approved view and that anything or anyone who doesn’t toe that line will find no regular place in public.

To quote the awesome Instapundit:

YEAH, WELL, I DON’T REALLY CARE WHAT YOU THINK, SINCE YOU’VE NEVER ACTUALLY DONE ANYTHING OF CONSEQUENCE EXCEPT COMPLAIN: I don’t care if you landed a spacecraft on a comet, your shirt is sexist and ostracizing.

Landing on a comet is a big deal. Complaining about men isn’t. Also, we’ve been told that it’s always sexist and inappropriate for men to comment on women’s choice of attire, so why should women be allowed to criticize what men wear? This is just another sad effort on the part of losers to inject themselves into matters that are actually relevant, but in which they are unqualified to take part.

And to follow up from the editor of ricochet.com, Jon Gabriel:

Mr. Taylor then made the bad situation worse. Instead of telling these progressive puritans to go pound silicon dioxide, he issued a sobbing public confession straight out of a Maoist show trial. This guy just dropped a dishwasher on an ice cube 300 million miles from home and he’s groveling to a coven of D-list bloggers?

As long as people keep caving to the progressive puritans, the cruelty will only get worse.

Yep. Push back. Hard.

One final update 9:15 PM. Cedar Sanderson, who wrote an outstanding post here: Who will stand with me for individuality, and freedom of expression? informed me about this little tidbit of information that seems… I don’t know… important? Cedar writes, “you know what doesn’t even get mentioned? The team leader is a woman.”

Ok… another great point from this beautiful (I have no idea what she looks like but I love the way her brain works), smart, pointed woman:

It’s not women objectifying themselves that concerns me at the moment, but the cruelty and viciousness behind some of these attacks. You just made a guy who landed on a comet feel like an epic failure as a human being.

Matt Taylor, your shirt was cute and I’m so sorry you had to meet the Social Justice Warriors. They’re an ugly bunch.

For those who ever wonder why I don’t get all warm and fuzzy about the idea of living in a matriarchy, this is why. Women can sometimes have a careless kind of cruelty about them that really has no boundaries, no limitations, and no remorse.

So can men… but we’re all human. A bit different, and that’s a great thing, but human.

Semper Fi.


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Peter Pan flies in to Bishop’s Stortford

If you’re Bishop’s Stortford way – and if you believe in fairies – then the Rhodes Theatre’s production of Peter Pan, running all this week, is definitely worth a look.  It’s thoroughly charming family theatre, taking a story we all sort of know, adds a shed-load of songs, and is about as far from Disney as you could hope for.  It’s not quite a panto – although you could be forgiven for thinking so in the second half – but it’s got that same family feel to it, along with some slightly saucy jokes to keep the grown-ups laughing.

The performances were so strong, too.  Bearing in mind that the cast is taken largely from the local Phoenix Theatre School, I was blown away by not only the quality of the performances but the confidence that was coming off the lot of ‘em, even down to the littlest cast members.  The sheer energy of the Lost Boys was a brilliant foil for the bumbling grown-up pirates and the fearsome Captain Hook – all of them, of course, on the look-out for a mother.

Peter Pan - Squatting

I feel a bit bad singling any of them out, but Tinkerbell was perfect – a stroppy, jingly fairy with buckets of attitude.  Peter Pan was the right combination of charming and petulant – he’s such an odd character, Peter, but she really cracked it.  Captain Hook was funny and seriously scary – until he heard the crocodile ticking, of course.  And the crocodile was very cool.  Loved the slightly (well, perhaps more than slightly) camp Starkey, too.  And the little lad, in his plaid pyjamas, giving it his best in the song about fairies had even my oh-so-cool nearly-teen ooo-ing and ahh-ing.

Peter Pan - Captain Hook

The lighting and staging deserve a mention, too.  With the inevitable focus on performance, all that can sometimes take a back seat – but not in this production.  The set for the bedroom was gorgeous, with elements of it re-appearing throughout, bringing out that whole dream-like quality from the book.  And the use of screens and the lighting were really impressive.  The choreography, too.  The Indian dance in particular was stunning — and a real challenge as they were all brandishing huge sticks and it’s not a huge stage.

Peter Pan - Group Flying

One of the inevitable challenges of staging Peter Pan is, of course, the whole flying thing.  Yes, I know that all it should take is fairy dust and thinking wonderful thoughts but… well, especially in a small theatre like Rhodes, it’s going to take some doing.  I’m not going to tell you how they managed it – the surprise is definitely part of the joy of it – but suffice it to say, it was magical and properly creative.

I’d not been to the Rhodes Theatre before, either.  It’s a bit of a drive from me, to be honest, but it’s a little gem.  There’s all sorts there — the art gallery looked fab — and the cafe and bar area was great to hang out in beforehand.

I took my eldest – he’s 11, just started secondary school, knows everything – and he actually loved it.  I’d worried that it might be a bit too ‘little kid’ for him, but he was laughing away with the best of them, booing Captain Hook, and clapping his hands to keep Tinkerbell alive.  (Don’t tell him I told you, though.)  He even managed to admit it was ‘pretty cool’ when I asked him what he thought of it.  My youngest – 5, needs no convincing to believe in fairies – would have loved it.

It’s not on for long, and judging by last night’s audience, I can’t imagine there are loads of tickets left.  But if you can get to see it, do.  It’s proper old-school family theatre – no references to the telly, no celebs, no ‘bringing it up to date.’  And when some of those little lovies make it big, you’ll have a story to tell about how you saw them first, back in the day, in Peter Pan.

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PzKpfw II Sd Kfz.121 Ausf.F

Country of origin:Ukraine
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Panzerkampfwagen II was operated by three men crew composed of driver located in the front of the hull, commander/gunner and loader/radio-operator in the turret. Commander sat on seat in turret, while the loader stood on the turret’s floor. The communication between commander and driver was by the use of the voice tube. Communication equipment consisted of FuG5 USW receiver and 10-watt transmitter, which gave the tank advantage on the battlefield over most of the opponents. Early models had rounded nose plate replaced by two angled armor plates joined at 70-degree angle. Also, early models carried 200l of fuel and starting with Ausf F this was reduced to 170l. Tanks sent to North Africa were modified with tropical ventilation and filtering system to operate in dusty and dry climate - Tropisch (Tp). Many Panzerkampfwagen II tanks were retrofitted, reworked and up-armored during their service to keep them operational longer creating hybrid variants.

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HollyBaby! Busy Mom Jennifer Lopez Holds On Tight To Her Little Boy Max!

Tue, June 29, 2010 3:46pm EDT by 2 Comments

J. Lo flew down to Miami for a quick trip… and just look at her adorable luggage!

Jennifer Lopez, 40, was seen walking the streets of Miami on June 28, with her usual entourage — her body guard, nanny and her two precious bambinos, two-year-old twins Max (pictured) and Emme. And even though the group was having a lovely stroll in the sun, it looks like J. Lo had her hands full with her fidgety little boy!

Little Max looked anxious to get out of her arms and run free — what a typical male. Still, despite having to carry her squirming child (and what appears to be a heavy purse) in the Miami heat, she didn’t even break a sweat. She was looking great in her high-heel wedges, and cute shorts.

Kudos to you, Mama Lopez!

Click here for more on Jenny From The Block!

  1. Exclusive! Barack, Michelle, Britney & Even Bill Make ‘DWTS’ Dancer Dream List!
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Mr. Maurice Van den Heuvel

Partner, KPMG in the Netherlands

KPMG in the Netherlands

Maurice has more than 15 years’ experience working as a management consultant in the financial services sector. Within KPMG’s advisory practice he focuses on Insurance looking at the intersection between strategy and execution, and business and IT. Maurice is a member of the Insurance management team in the Netherlands and part of several account teams. Before returning to KPMG in 2009 he worked for National Nederlanden from 2006 to 2008 as a member of the management team and was responsible for growth, cost reduction and increasing customer satisfaction through digitalization, process standardization and value chain integration. Maurice started his career with Nolan, Norton & Co. (NNC), previously the strategic consulting practice of KPMG consulting in the Netherlands. At NNC he had been involved in several strategy projects, business cases, cost reduction programs and a merger between health insurance companies.

Areas of expertise

Advisory Economic and commercial Financial Services Innovation Insurance Management Consulting Mega trends New business models Risk Consulting Strategy

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IFRS 9 Impairment – ITG clarifies implementation issues

IFRS 9 Impairment – ITG clarifies implementation issues

This IFRS newsletter reports on the latest discussions on impairment of financial assets.

KPMG IFRG Limited (UK)

Related content

KPMG IFRS Newsletter: IFRS 9 Impairment publication image: rusting hull of a ship on a beach

We report on the third substantive meeting of the ITG in December 2015.

The new expected credit loss model for the impairment of financial instruments has triggered a variety of implementation issues.

At its third substantive meeting – in December 2015 – the IFRS Transition Resource Group for Impairment of Financial Instruments (the ITG) discussed a number of issues that were submitted by stakeholders.

For more detail on the ITG’s discussions, read Issue 3 of our IFRS Newsletter: IFRS 9 Impairment.

December discussions at a glance

ITG members provided useful clarification on a number of challenging practical issues. Some of the main points on which ITG members appeared to agree were as follows.

Incorporation of forward-looking scenarios The objective of IFRS 9 Financial Instruments is to achieve an unbiased and probability-weighted estimate of expected credit losses (ECLs). Therefore, when incorporating forward-looking scenarios, an entity should consider the range and probabilities of different outcomes.
Scope of paragraph 5.5.20 of IFRS 9 The Chair emphasised that the exception in paragraph 5.5.20 of IFRS 9 was meant for a narrow set of circumstances. It is relevant where there is an inter-relationship between the drawn and undrawn amounts that are not distinguished for risk management purposes.
Measurement of ECLs for charge cards A charge card agreement might include no commitment to extend further credit.
Period over which to measure ECLs for revolving credit facilities When determining the period over which an entity is expected to be exposed to credit risk (when applying paragraph 5.5.20), an entity should consider the credit risk management actions that management expects to carry out and that serve to mitigate ECLs.
Inclusion of cash flows expected from sale of a defaulted loan in the measurement of ECLs An entity may include cash flows expected from the sale of a defaulted loan in measuring ECLs.

Next steps

For each issue submitted, the IASB will consider what action – if any – is required.

Currently, no further physical ITG meetings are scheduled. However, the Chair indicated that the ITG will continue to exist, and should stand ready in case any subsequent issues for discussion emerge.

The Chair said that stakeholders could continue to submit questions, and that a decision would then be taken on next steps. One potential outcome would be the publication of educational material.

Find out

Visit our IFRS Newsletters page for access to our latest newsletters on a range of major IFRS topics, including financial instruments and IFRS for banks and insurers.

And go to our IFRS – Financial instruments hot topics page for more on these and other aspects of financial instruments accounting under IFRS.

About the ITG

The purpose of the ITG is to:

  • solicit, analyse and discuss stakeholder implementation issues;
  • inform the IASB about those implementation issues, which will help the IASB determine what, if any, action will be needed to address those issues; and
  • provide a public forum for stakeholders to learn about the new impairment requirements from others involved with implementation.

The ITG does not have standard-setting authority, and its purpose is to advise the IASB.

ITG members include representatives from banks and audit firms. Certain IASB Board members and representatives from the Basel Committee and from the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) are also observers at the meetings.

The meetings are chaired by an IASB Board member. The ITG’s agenda papers, prepared by the IASB staff, are publicly available and all meetings are held in public. Minutes of the meeting will also be made publicly available.

© 2017 KPMG IFRG Limited is a UK company, limited by guarantee. All rights reserved. KPMG IFRG Limited, registered in England No 5253019. Registered office: 15 Canada Square, London, E14 5GL, UK.

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Fitness, Health, Salt Lake City

Change begets progress

July 12, 2015

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about how change is often necessary for progress in any facet of life. While change can often be exciting, at times it can be downright frightening because of it’s unpredictability. I have been thinking a lot about how I need to shake up my eating and fitness routine, because I have once again plateaued and I am not seeing the results I want. So frustrating but I am determined to reach my goals instead of sitting and whining about them. All I can do is push forward and see what works and what doesn’t.

change begets progress with the skinny bitch collective

I have slowly initiated change over the past few weeks; the purchase of my Polar heart rate monitor watch being one of them. I was curious to see how hard I was working and it has been so insightful. It has shown me that my cardiovascular is nowhere near as good as I thought it was and that I really need to step up my cardio game. I was actually really upset to see how high my heart rate was getting during my workouts, which sounds so silly, but it is disappointing when you thought you were much more fit than you actually are!

change begets progress with the skinny bitch collective

 The Skinny Bitch Collective (The SBC)

 In terms of fitness, I have decided to try out The Skinny Bitch Collective (SBC) series, which is a training regimen created by Russell Bateman who trains the likes of Ellie Gouldman. As much as I love Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Program, and will continue to use it, I think it is high time I try something a little different to challenge my body in a new and fun way. Alongside my new training program, I will also be switching to a higher fat and protein, and lower carbohydrate style of nutrition in order to see if this helps me achieve the changes I am looking for. Remember guys, I am all for having a healthy and balanced lifestyle but I am also up for experimenting to help bust through those pesky plateaus!

change begets progress with the skinny bitch collective

I am excited for the next few weeks and will of course keep you posted on my thoughts on the SBC. If any of you would like more information on it, comment below and I will see if I can create a post about it which summarises what it is all about and what the training style is like.

Honestly yours,

Thank you for all of your support! For more Honestly Fitness, check out my InstagramFacebookTwitter & Pinterest and don’t forget to subscribe!

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Local Roots Food Tours

Branding + Website

Exploring the restaurants, chefs, architecture & history that make the Sacramento region an amazing culinary destination.

We were delighted to take on the Local Roots brand after trying their incredible offering of tours. The logo was inspired by passport stamps, as guests travel to different locations trying new foods. We captured the energy and playfulness of the brand with a bright and minimal color palette, a fun tomato icon, and hand-made elements.

We were also excited to reinvigorate the brand with fresh photography intended to capture the Local Roots lifestyle, its destinations and unique feel of each tour. We wanted the visuals to convey the concept behind the food tours – the combination of food, beverage, history, architecture, culture and accessibility. The tours are suited for people of all ages and palates, to which we wanted to convey with bright, colorful and approachable lifestyle photos.

Influencer Tour

The Local Roots Tour brand refresh was far more than a logo design; we helped breathe new life into this already amazing business. To raise awareness of the brand refresh, we invited select key influencers from around the region to take part in an exclusive tour. As each tour is a truly unique experience for each guest, we set out to create handcrafted, hand-stamped, addressed and delivered invitations to each influencer that reflected the unique experience of the tour itself.


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Saturday, October 30, 2010

Will Hong Leong Bank in trouble?

Below are some figures showed in Hong Leong Bank Berhad annual report 2010.
Loans, advances and financing    RM 38,555,670,000
Fixed deposit                             RM 41,089,439,000
Short term deposit                      RM 28,623,253,000
Cash on hand                             RM 15,682,086,000

What can you see from here?

Fixed deposit + Short term deposit + cash on hand = RM 88,394,778,000
If we use all the deposit + cash on hand divide with Loans, advances and financing, it gives 2.2
Which means RM 2.20 back up for every single RM 1.00 borrow out.

Is it HLBank play too safe of it? why they need so much money to back up in the bank?
This definately will erode HLBank profit margin. It will be more risky if market suddely goes wrong and some of the loans turn into bad debt, then HLBank will face a big problemm at that time.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Bought Success

Today bought Success at RM 1.17, I have noticed this stock a long time ago and I know it is fundamental wise. I buy it just because one of the fundamental Sifu is calling to buy it also, then I decided to follow it as well.It is call follow the wind~ :p

Equilibrium theory

We are born in the equilibrium world, everything at the end will come up at a balance point. When the market over-run, at the end, it will burst; When the market underperformed, then market will start to catch up; When something over supply, then the price will drop because demand is low; When supply is low but demand high, then the price will up until the supply can fulfill the demand.

When some new thing come up, there must be something to overcome it at the end. We are not need to too optimise on something and also not need to too depress on something. Human are born to adapt the life in this Earth. This theory can be apply at anywhere. No matter on market, relationship, finance, new rule and so on.

When the market bull run, always be careful about it, because it will turn down back; When the market bear run, prepare well your bullet, because the market will definitely come back in one day~

When politician announce some new policy, do not argue it if your argument cannot change the fact, what we can do is find out what can we do to suit the new policy. We are human, we have a brain, we should use it to find out is it any chance for us to get benefit from this new policy.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Sold out supermx

Sold out Supermx at RM 4.79 with profit around 1k.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Warisan Tower??

Do you all remember when is the time World trade centre, New York is completed? It was at year 1973, and the market crash was started at the same year 1973.

Do you all remember when is the time Petronas Twin Tower, Kuala Lumpur is completed? It was at year 1998, and the market crash was started at year 1997.

Do you all remember when is the time Burj Dubai, Dubai is completed? It was at year 2009, and the market crash was started at year 2008.

What all these story tell?

When is our next tower "Warisan Tower" finish build? It will be completed at year 2015.
What do you think the market at that time?

When there is a bloom in market and everybody start to spend money to build luxury building, but it always end up a sorry~

Friday, October 22, 2010

Market condition~

Today I went to public mutual branch, when the time I walked in, I was surprised by the scene there. It was full of people there, a lot of the agents were helping their client to submit their investment form. Is it a kind of sign of the market bubble now?

I still remember there is one story about the clean shoe boy said when the auntie also rush to buy share, then you have to be bewared~

But I think the time is not reach yet, because no aunties yet to tell me to buy share now... :P

Thursday, October 21, 2010

What are the difference of loan interest between fixed rate and compound rate?

When bank offer you a loan by saying that the interest rate is fixed, is not compounded, should you be happy and excited?

Many of the people might think fixed rate is more benefit to us and it is not compounded, so the interest we pay should be less, but actually you are paying more with the fixed rate loan.

When bank offer you a fixed rate loan, the interest is actually charging on the lump sum of the amount. Lets say you are borrowing RM100,000 with 10% fixed rate interest, then actually you are paying total RM110,000 and divide into 12 months (RM 9,166.67 per month).

But if you are taking a compound rate with 10%. You only need to pay RM8,791.59 (total RM105,499.08), which means you are only paying 5.5% instead of 10%.

How can it be? Actually the magic behind this is, with taking the compound rate interest, the interest rate is charging on the amount that you not yet to pay, however with the fixed rate interest, they are charging you on the lump sum that you borrow. Below are 2 figures that show you how the fixed rate and compound rate work.

Figure 1: How the fixed rate works

Figure 2: how the compound rate work

So next time, when you see bank offer you any attractive rate, try to ask them, how they charge on the interest first.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Should we refinance our house to do investment?

Our latest BLR is 6.30% and of the house loan offer by bank are BLR - 2.00%, we need to pay 4.3%.

Lets us assume house loan rate fix at 5%, by borrowing RM100,000 at 5% interest rate with 20 year tenures. You are need to pay RM859.96 and total RM7,919.47 in one year. If you manage to use the RM100,000 to make a return of 8%, then you are safe.

So should we refinance our house to get a loan and invest in somewhere else? It is depends on how much return you can get back from your investment.

Lets us consider some bad scenarios, what if BLR go higher? then how much is the return that we need to survive?

Assuming Borrowing RM 100,000 and loan tenure is 20 years.
5.0% house loan rate, you need to pay RM 7,919.52 per year (=8.0%)
5.5% house loan rate, you need to pay RM 8,254.68 per year (=8.3%)
6.0% house loan rate, you need to pay RM 8,597.16 per year (=8.6%)
6.5% house loan rate, you need to pay RM 8,946.84 per year (=9.0%)
7.0% house loan rate, you need to pay RM 9,303.58 per year (=9.3%)

It is unlikely for house loan rate to go higher than 7.0% unless it is on bull market, if so, then your investment should be able to make more than it. So if you able to make a return from your investment more than 10% per year, you are actually using bank money to make money and this is how the rich doing.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Proton Inspira

The first model is proton + misubishi new car model "Inspira",
the second model is mitsubishi car model "lancer".

Are they look like the same? lol~
Proton is very smart in this way,
use back mitsubishi engine and car design to reduce design and production cost.

Are our country car designer lack of capability to design a new model?

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Dividend update @ 17/10/2010

Received dividend from
Rcecap RM 732 (1 Oct 2010) and
XDL RM 300 (6 Oct 2010)

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Alam Maritim Resources Berhad @ 16Oct2010

Long time didn't update Alam Maritim Resources Berhad.
Its latest action is one bonus issue share with every two existing shares which translate to 254.2 million new outstanding shares listed in bursa. Together now with total 762.7 million outstanding shares.

Its latest Jun 2010 quarter result showed revenue registered at RM 67.4 million, which is almost flat with Mar 2010 quarter result (RM 66.8 million)

The business seems yet to improve and its latest EPS is 2.2 cents, which gives PE 12.52 at current price (RM 1.10).

The price is not attractive yet, I will stay away and wait again~

Friday, October 15, 2010

Hong Kong Trip part 1

HongKong is really an amazing place to visit~

I was amazed by their transportation system at the first day I arrived Hong Kong, you can see all the taxi around you and you can just as easy as wave your hand to hire one. Their taxi are all running with meter bill, so you are not need to ask for the price from them. It is fair enough, unlike malaysia, we have to ask for the price first before taking taxi.

The second I was shocked was their escalator speed, it is very fast until I almost fall down from the escalator at the first step I step on it, I used to go to Singapore before this, but I think Hong Kong escalator speed is faster than Singapore speed. The reason why Hong Kong and Singapore need such a high speed escalator is because they need to serve the high dense population in their country. Malaysia should be followed them as well especially in high dense population places like KL central.

The third shock was the speed of their Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system, the MTR system is so perfect and their speed is so fast. If you want to change the railway, you not need to go out to the MTR station and change it likeMalaysia, all you need to do is just walk a few steps to get another railway and all are in air-conditioning. Normally we are used to wait for monorail or LRT about 4 to 7 minutes, and 15 to 20 minutes for KTM (sometime wait 30 minutes also can't get it), but in Hong Kong, the time you need to wait is just about 1 to 2 minutes (sometime I am not even have a change to sit down to take a rest, then the train already arrive). I am not sure how long is the train, but I judge it is atleast 4 to 5 times longer than our LRT.

So imagine our Malaysia LRT in your mind now, then now imagining another railway which is moving 4 times faster, 4 times longer, the escalator speed 2 times faster, not need to walk out railway station to change the train, all air-conditioning, all the people are using touch n go (they called "octopus card")~is
How it looks like? lol~ is it scary?

Will blog up another view in next post. Time to search for food~ :p

Is it look yummy?

Thursday, October 14, 2010

HongKong & Macau Trip

Hi all, I am back from my HongKong and Macau Trip~ What a wonderful trip, really widen up my view..

Will blog it up what i see in the trip later~

Friday, October 8, 2010

Watta Holdings Berhad

Watta Holdings Berhad is a Malaysia-based company engaged in investment holding and the provision of management services. The Company has three segments: Trading, which is involved in the marketing and distribution of automotive batteries and related products; Services, which is involved in the marketing and distribution of telecommunication equipment and related products, and Investment holding. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, the Company has four subsidiaries, namely Watta Battery Industries Sendirian Berhad, Syarikat Perniagaan Leko Sdn. Bhd., Watta Energy (M) Sdn. Bhd. And Mega Meranti Sdn. Bhd.

From its last 5 years earning record, company registered 4 continuous financial years lost from year 2005 to 2008, but achieved a earning at year 2009. Is it mean the company already recover and back to business?
Hold a second, lets us look at its revenue. Revenue was decreasing continually since year 2005 to 2009.
What this mean? This mean there are something wrong with this business, either they cannot compete with market or their products are not demanding anymore.

Remarks: Above statement is my personal point of view, it doesn't recommend any sell or buy.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

What is money?

Money is nothing if you do know how to spend it~

Money is something if you know how to earn it~

Money is everything if you know how to use it~

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Weird Market, weird analysts, weird "investors"

Do you all ever notice, when a company do well in a single quarter year, all analysts mark up the target price of the company, and when a company show a bad result in a single quarter year, they turn down their target price.

How can a business be valued just from a single quarter year result? Will you go and buy a business, and tell the current boss "hey boss, today your business seems terrible and no customer at all, I think your business worth nothing! I think I buy it from you at 50k! (actual worth 100k)".

What do you think the current boss will answer you? He must think you are crazy~

But this is actual how the market looks like, the market analysts and those so called "investor" are judged a business by just a single quarter year result or is it any theme play on this industry.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Benjamin Graham golden word #1

"An investment operation is one which, upon through analysis promises safety of principal and an adequate return. Operation not meeting these requirement are speculative~"

Blog Archive

Please note that all data given are merely blogger's opinion. It is strongly recommended that you do your own analysis and research before investing.


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Jovelyn Palas

Housekeeper in Toronto

Hi, I\'m a hard working, patient, compassionat, & honest person. If you are interested of my services, please call me at 416-725-.... Thank you & God bless. I've been working as nanny for 15 years & Housekeeping is one of my primary duty. Cleaning the floors, kitchen, bathroom, doing laundry & organizing or tidying up in the house.

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Chelsey Smith

Residential Cleaning Service

Housekeeper in Baton Rouge

At C&M Cleaning Service we specialize in residential cleaning. The dynamic duo is trustworthy, reliable and professional, and will provide a helping hand at an affordable price. If you need extra help around the house, we have you covered!! We offer several different packages to fit your homes needs. For additional information regarding pricing and services, please email serious inquiries to "" or call/text 225-257-...

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Amy Dawson

The Davenport Maids

Housekeeper in Belpre

Now accepting new clients in Belpre and surrounding areas. Commercial and residential cleaning service. Take a break and let us take care of the cleaning. Free estimate 740-629-...

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Where Will You Be Dining Tonight?

Updated on July 1, 2009

When you dine out, do you eat at a chain restaurant?

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Stuck In A Routine

So, you’re on a family road trip and you’re starving. Your gps informs you that if you get off of the highway at the next exit, you’ll have your choice of several restaurants. As you pull off of the highway, you see a bunch of chains and one family owned eatery. Though you’re intrigued by this restaurant, you decide to play it safe and go to one of the chains. You have just made a bad decision. I will explain why in the following ten reasons.

  1. Familiarity Isn’t Always A Good Thing

    One of your kids is a notoriously picky eater. For some reason, he adores such and such dish from the chain you are now stepping into. As you’ve never tried ordering him the same dish from a different place, you keep going back here. Or let’s say you’ve never been one to stray from a routine. Your family has always gone to this particular restaurant for all special occasions. Now that you have your own family, you still go here because it’s familiar. When you’re on vacation, it is the time to try out different places and push yourself out of your comfort zone. By going to this restaurant, you are just paying a different meal tax for the same thing. While you’re away, dare to be daring. In other words, fight the urge to go to your comfort restaurant and force yourself to give the family owned place up the street a try. You may be surprised at what it’ll do to your taste buds.

  2. Same Seating Chart. Different State.

    Nearly all of the restaurants that I have been to that belong to a particular chain are built the same way. This means that a party of five will always be seated in the same style booth in the same style room regardless of where the restaurant is located. On the other hand, if you go to a non-chain restaurant the hostess is more willing to let you pick where you want to sit. You aren’t automatically placed in the booth in the back because your child may talk too loudly. You are more often than not welcome to sit at that table by the window that your spouse was eyeing from the parking lot if you would like to. At these family run restaurants, there is no district manager that trains hostesses to place people into molds.

  3. Such Service!

    On a related note, I’ve found the service in chain restaurants often leaves something to be desired. As they work in the same environment that you are eating in, they are stressed and the smile they are wearing is probably fake. They usually are working at the restaurant not because they like what the chain stands for, but because it pays the bills. You will find that at a family run restaurant the servers are polite and charming. They are not rushing you out and understand that you may want to linger longer than you probably should. They are usually a member of the owner’s family and understand that bad service reflects badly on the ones they love. For this reason alone, I would pay more to dine at a family run restaurant than a chain restaurant any day of the week.

  4. Is This Food?

    No matter how deeply you wish it, the food that is pictured on the menu of a chain restaurant will never look that way on your plate. The cooking staff is underpaid and either doesn’t have the knowledge or doesn't have the time to prepare your food the way they should. At a family run restaurant, the food may cost more, but it will be worth every penny. The chef takes pride in the food he puts out usually because he owns the restaurant. I rarely leave one of these restaurants regretting that I stopped in.

  5. The Specials Aren’t Special

    When you order the special of the day at any chain restaurant it most likely is beginning served under this same title at every other restaurant in the chain. It is usually made a special and priced more reasonably because the chain is trying out a new item and wants you to be their guinea pig. The same cannot be said of most family run restaurants.

  6. Questionable Clientele

    I do not consider myself to be a snob. However, it is clear that a certain group of people tend to gravitate towards chain restaurants. These people are usually loud and obnoxious. Worse though, they treat their server like a slave. They believe this restaurant to be the best of the best because they have never ventured elsewhere. They wouldn’t think of going to a non-chain establishment because they know they would get tossed out. I realize that not all customers are like this and that such customers do wander into family run restaurants too. Yet, I usually only encounter them at chain restaurants and, once you meet one, you know it right away.

  7. Extreme Wait Time

    As chain restaurants are everywhere and are familiar to nearly everyone, the wait time is unthinkable should you want to dine at one on the weekend. Lucky for people who enjoy non-chains, the wait time is quite a bit shorter. People seem to forget that quality food is an option when chain restaurants are present.

  8. Mysterious Fine Print Of Coupons

    Have you ever gone to a chain restaurant with the purpose of using your 2-4-1 coupon only to find when the bill comes that one of the entrees didn’t qualify? I have the worst luck at chain restaurants. They will have sent me a coupon for something and, when I try to use it, the waitress will call over her manager to inform me that somewhere in the fine print it says that this transaction can’t be completed. It’s so frustrating to eat nasty food only to find out you have to pay for it. Though coupon misunderstandings do take place at family run restaurants too, the owner usually honors the coupon because he/she values your business and has no one to answer to, but themself.

  9. Do You Feel Sick Too?

    Without fail, when I dine at a chain restaurant, I get sick. I don’t know if it’s undercooked food or an unpleasant dining experience, but the bathroom becomes my best friend from digestion on. The same is rarely said of family operated establishments.

  10. Are You SURE You Don’t Want A Drink?

    Though many of the chain restaurants do it, TGI Fridays is the worst. During my college years, the hostess would open the menu to the alcoholic beverages page and make a suggestion. Being that I always had to drive along way home (and because I’m cheap), I rarely ordered a drink. Not to be preachy, but I think these chains, in their lust for money, either are unaware of or don’t care about drunk driving statistics.

As you may surmise, when I’m given a choice between a chain restaurant and a family run one, I always pick the latter. While I do see the price difference between the two types of restaurants, quality is worth a little extra. The next time you’re given a choice, I suggest you try out a local favorite. If you don’t like it, I give you permission to go back to your normal routine.

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100 Whey Protein By Optimum Nutrition - The Best Flavour

Updated on May 21, 2012

There are literally a dozen flavours to choose from when it comes to 100 whey protein by optimum nutrition, but which is the best flavour? Sure, you're going to make some nice lean gains thanks to the high protein and low carb and fat ingredients, but this article is focussing on something equally as important - taste!

You wouldn't want to be drinking three glasses of sand every day, so you've got to be sure that your protein supplement comes up to scratch in the taste buds department! When you consider that your whey supplement is a cheaper alternative to those expensive and tasty high protein foods like steak and fish, there's got to be some motivation to drink it! So let's take a look at what optimum nutrition offers us in the way of flavour.

What Are The Optimum Whey Flavours?

As I mentioned, there are 12 different flavours to choose from, so there's got to be at least one that you'll like! 100 whey protein by optimum nutrition offers more flavours in just one product than any other protein supplement. The flavours are:

  • Banana Cream
  • Caramel Toffee Fudge
  • Chocolate Malt
  • Chocolate Mint
  • Cookies And Cream
  • Delicious Strawberry
  • Extreme Milk Chocolate
  • French Vanilla Creme
  • Mocha Cappucino
  • Rocky Road
  • Strawberry Banana
  • Tropical Punch

So What Is The Best Optimum Whey Flavour?

After trying each and every one of these flavours (I know, too much time on my hands), I'd narrowed it down to three main contendors. The first of which was the simple and original, extreme milk chocolate. Secondly, it had to be the French Vanilla Creme. Last, but not least was the Mocha Cappucino, which was a funny one since I'm not much of a coffee drinker. So let's take a closer taste test of all three!

Extreme Milk Chocolate

I was bracing myself for this one to be a bit too rich, like drinking liquid Tiramasu. I just couldn't see a sports company getting that chocolate flavour just right, but boy was I wrong! This stuff tasted fantastic and just as good as any milkshake with ten times the fat. Since these shakes were so lean, I found it nice to garnish the froth with a little dark chocolate shavings. Okay, so this is a protein shake, but when it tastes this good you can forget that altogether!

Score - 9/10

French Vanilla Creme

100 whey protein by optimum nutrition had already captured my interest with a few other shakes, so I had high hopes for the classic vanilla flavour. I still felt a little concerned by the overly restaurant like name though - French Vanilla Creme? But that's when it hit me - the optimum nutrition team weren't trying to lead you on, these shakes actually tasted gourmet! The vanilla was just right, not too sweet and with a natural taste - not some artificial plasticy affair.

Score - 8.5/10

Mocha Cappucino

As I've said, I'm not much of a coffee drinker and I'd never tried the stuff cold until now. But dang this milkshake was creamy and had a nice little coffee aftertaste - not overpowering as I initially suspected. I'm still not the greatest fan of coffee, but I really enjoy my coffee protein shakes!

Score - 9/10

I've now chosen to buy the smaller 5 lb tubs so that I can grab myself both chocolate and coffee depending on how I feel. So there you have it, the best optimum protein flavour is a tie between chocolate and coffee. This is just my opinion though, so have a try for yourself until you find a flavour you really like!

Optimum Whey Discussion

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Mesothelioma: Causes, Signs and Treatment

Updated on January 3, 2012

Mesothelioma is a disease in which cancerous cells are found on the mesothelium, a protective membrane surrounding most internal body organs. The mesothelium consists of two layers, one surrounding the organ immediately, the other giving rise to a sac around it. A lubricant is produced between both layers, making it more easier for certain organs to move against neighbouring structures.

Exposure to asbestos had been revealed to be the major cause of mesothelioma. As such, those working with asbestos will run a greater risk of contracting mesothelioma.

Secondary exposure to asbestos from family members working in places of high asbestos concentration and bringing with them back home the fibers settled on their clothings, skin and hair, accounts for a small percentage of mesothelioma patients.

Smokers exposed to asbestos are also more susceptible to developing mesothelioma than those who do not smoke.

What is Asbestos?

Due to its supposed resistance to temperature fluctuations, electrical and chemical damage, asbestos is used for a broad range of purposes, namely construction (especially during the World War II, at which point large quantities of asbestos were involved in the process of building ships to wrap and line the pipes, boilers, certain parts of the engine and turbine), as insulation for homes during the winter cold and for electrical appliances with a heating element as well, such as toasters, ovens, refrigerators, dryers.

Inhalation of asbestos fibers is commonly attributed to serious illnesses, namely malignant lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis. Lung cancer occurs in the lungs themselves and is defined by the individualized nature of its tumor masses, making it easier to supplant all cancerous tissue within sight, whereas diffuse malignant mesothelioma is characterized by a large interlocking web of tumors invading a tissue area; in the case of pleural mesothelioma, the mesothelium lining the lungs, giving rise to a blurred, and eventually dissolved, boundary between the malignant and healthy portions of tissue, which is what makes treating mesothelioma all the more arduous.

Asbestosis is a type of pneumaconiosis due to asbestos inhalation. It is identified by the embedding of asbestos fibers into the inner lung tissue and the resultant scarring, leading to a condition delineated by hardened areas of lung tissue, known as fibrosis. Those areas will as a result be unable to carry out their roles in gaseous exchange.

Types of Mesothelioma

There are four types of mesothelioma:

  1. Pleural mesothelioma, the most common type of the disease, making up approximately 80% of all cases of mesothelioma. It afflicts the pleura, the protective membrane surrounding the lungs. Symptoms include chronic chest pains, chronic coughing, fever, weight loss.
  2. Peritoneal mesothelioma, occuring in the stomach's peritoneal membrane, and accounting for about 20% of cases of mesothelioma. Symptoms include abdominal pain, night sweats, weight loss, nausea, fatigue, anaemia.
  3. Pericardial mesothelioma, found in the pericardium lining the heart. accounting for only about 5% of cases of mesothelioma, with approximately 150 reported cases in medical literature. Symptoms include chest pains, chronic coughing, irregular palpitations (arrthymia), fatigue, night sweats, difficulty in breathing (dyspnea).
  4. Testicular mesothelioma, the rarest kind of the disease, occuring in the tunica vaginalis lining the testis. Till now, no recognizable symptoms could be found on those afflicted by testicular mesothelioma.

Approximately 2000 to 3000 cases of mesothelioma are noted every year in the United States.

Three times more men are prone to contracting mesothelioma than women,considering occupations involving work with asbestos namely plumbers, welders, construction workers, power plant workers consist mostly of men.

The latency period of mesothelioma, in which no symptoms of the disease could be observed, is about 20 to 50 years.

Due to its exceptionally long latency period, mesothelioma is diagnosed at an average age of 50 to 70 years.

The relative 5-year mesothelioma survival rate, defined as the percentage of patients who managed to survive 5 years after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, is approximately 9%

Treatment of Mesothelioma

Considering there is virtually no known cure for mesothelioma at present, most patients resort to traditional treatments which include:

  1. Surgery: Surgical removal of the mesothelioma tumor.
  2. Chemotherapy: Involves usage of chemical substances to alleviate the pain endured by the mesothelioma patient.
  3. Radiotherapy: Usage of high-energy radiation to eradicate targeted cancer cells.

One or a combination of two of the treatments listed above (in other words, a dual therapy) may be prescribed to treat mesothelioma as a means of both removing the cancer cells as well as lowering the disease's likelihood of recurring by destroying any remaining cancer cells.

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