Friday, March 27, 2009

A Personal Essay on the Virtues of Moissanite & Why You Should NEVER Buy a Diamond

I recently got engaged, and found myself in the market for a suitable engagement ring. Over the past few months, I've done quite a bit of research on diamonds and the diamond industry. What I learned, quite frankly, pissed me off.

This site is about two very simple truths: (1) diamonds are an incredible rip-off, and (2) a little known naturally-occuring gemstone called moissanite is superior to diamonds in every essential way: cut, color, clarity, durability, fire, brilliance, and cost.

I (obviously) don't work in the diamond industry. I don't work for anyone who sells moissanite. This site is simply a personal crusade to raise awareness among high-ticket jewelry purchasers (mostly men buying engagement rings) about moissanite and its many benefits vs. diamond.

If I can prevent a single reader from needlessly dropping $6,000-10,000 on a diamond engagement ring for his soon-to-be fiancée, this site will be a success. Financial worries are the #1 cause of stress in a married relationship - there is absolutely NO excuse to start your married life by taking on that level of debt.

If you're in the market for diamond jewelry, or think you may be soon, please take a few minutes to read through this site. I hope you learn something useful.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Light FM

If you use Firefox to listen to LightFM and wonder why its not working, dont worry. There's nothing wrong with Firefox.

LightFm's live radio only
Quietly Pour Out Like Light

Image by Gabriela Camerotti via Flickr

seem to work with Internet Explorer.

How sad.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Daring Robbery in Malaysia



The current economic climate in Malaysia has bred such daring daylight robbery. Most crimes like this go unpublished because not everyone has a CCTV installed in their house.

And 90% of these criminals are foreigners - mainly the stupid Indonesians, Bangladeshis and Pakistani's who are not able to make a living in their country, coming to Malaysia and robbing Malaysians. And the stupid thing is that the Malaysian police still say that the overall crime rate has reduced.

Be very careful these days, no matter where you might be. Your house is not as safe as you think it is.

Stay away from groups of foreginers. Their no good.

Missing Girls - Please Help to Find Them




Dear Friends                                           

My sister has lost two of her lovely daughters last Sunday and we are very desperate to find them. Therefore I decided to forward out the mail to all my friends and would appreciate that you can give us some help.   
                                                           
               
My nieces' details                                   
                   
Sarah Lai Wan Jun, 13 yrs old, about 160 cm,

Cory Lai Kai Li, 8 yrs old,about 130cm 
                                           

Please forward out this mail with the pictures attached and look out if you have seen any of them. A million thanks to all.           
                                                           
               
Regards                                                 
               
Diddy Lim                                               
               
+603-96986990                                           
               

Fighting Dengue: Easy Mosquito trap


Just spread this novel method of making this trap + concoction to your friends, relatives ......will help to reduce these blood sucking killers.....


Check it out....

FIGHTING DENGUE MUST START AT EVERY HOME.

Mosquito trap (Dengue prevention)

It's just a mix of water, brown sugar and yeast:

1. Cut a plastic bottle in half, keep both parts. Can be CocaCola/Pepsi. No matter !



2.Take the lower portion of the bottle. Dissolve the brown sugar in hot water. Let it cool down to approximately 70 degF or 23 degC.

3. Add the yeast. Carbon dioxide will form after a few hours (This will attract the mosquitos)



4. Cover the bottle with a dark wrap and place the top portion upside down like a funnel. Place it in a corner in your house.



5. In 2 weeks you will be surprised by the number of mosquitos killed. Check this this link and this other link.

Please diseminate to others.


World War II Begins

Hitler's Ambitions
Adolf Hitler wanted more land, especially in the east, to expand Germany according to the Nazi policy of lebensraum. Hitler used the harsh limitations that were set against Germany in the Versailles Treaty as a pretext for Germany's right to acquire land where German-speaking people lived. Germany successfully used this reasoning to envelop two entire countries without starting a war.

    Austria: On March 13, 1938, Germany took over Austria (termed the Anschluss) - a contingeny specifically disallowed in the Versailles Treaty.

    Czechoslovakia: The French and the British handed Germany a large portion of Czechoslovakia at the Munich Conference in September 1938. Hitler had then taken the rest of Czechoslovakia by March 1939.

Why was Germany allowed to take over both Austria and Czechoslovakia without a fight? The simple reason is that Great Britain and France did not want to repeat the bloodshed of World War I. They believed, wrongly as it turned out, they could avoid another world war by appeasing Hitler with a few concessions (such as Austria and Czechoslovakia). Great Britain and France had not clearly understood that Hitler's goal of land acquisition was much, much larger than any one country.

The Excuse
After having gained both Austria and Czechoslovakia, Hitler was confident that he could again move east, this time acquiring Poland without having to fight Britain and France. (To eliminate the possibility of the Soviet Union fighting if Poland were attacked, Hitler made a pact with the Soviet Union - the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact.)

March 13, 1938 Anschluss - Germany annexes Austria

Sept. 28-29, 1938 At Munich Conference Germany given portion of Czechoslovakia

March 1939 Hitler had taken over all of Czechoslovakia

Aug. 23, 1939 Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact signed

Aug. 31, 1939 Nazi stage an attack against a radio station

Sept. 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland; Britain and France deliver an ultimatum

Sept. 3, 1939 Great Britain and France declare war on Germany; World War II has begun


So that Germany did not officially seem the aggressor (which it was), Hitler needed an excuse for entering/attacking Poland. It was Heinrich Himmler who came up with the idea; thus the plan was code named Operation Himmler.

On the night of August 31, 1939, Nazis took an unknown prisoner from one of their concentration camps, dressed him in a Polish uniform, took him to the town of Gleiwitz (on the border of Poland and Germany), and then shot him. The staged scene with the dead prisoner dressed in a Polish uniform was supposed to appear as a Polish attack against a German radio station.

Hitler used the staged attack as the excuse to invade Poland.

Blitzkrieg
At 4:45 on the morning of September 1, 1939 (the morning following the staged attack), German troops entered Poland. The sudden, immense attack by the Germans was called a Blitzkrieg ("lightening war").

The German air attack hit so quickly that most of Poland's air force was destroyed while still on the ground. To hinder Polish mobilization, the Germans bombed bridges and roads. Groups of marching soldiers were machine-gunned from the air.

But the Germans did not just aim for soldiers, they also shot at civilians. Groups of fleeing civilians often found themselves under attack. The more confusion and chaos the Germans could create, the slower Poland could mobilize its forces.

The term "Blitzkrieg" ("lightening war") was coined by Western newspapermen to convey the rapid and mechanized German attack on Poland.
Using 62 divisions, six of which were armored and ten mechanized, the Germans invaded Poland by land. Poland was not defenseless, but they could not compete with Germany's motorized army. With only 40 divisions, none of which were armored, and with nearly their entire air force demolished, the Poles were at a severe disadvantage - Polish cavalry were no match for German tanks.

Declarations of War
On September 1, the beginning of the German attack, Great Britain and France sent Hitler an ultimatum - withdraw German forces from Poland or Great Britain and France would go to war against Germany.

On September 3, with Germany's forces penetrating deeper into Poland, Great Britain and France both declared war on Germany.

World War II had begun.

A Brief History of World War 1

Origins of World War 1:
European politics in the early twentieth century were a dichotomy: many politicians thought war had been banished by progress while others, influenced partly by a fierce arms race, felt war was inevitable. In Germany this belief went further: the war should happen sooner rather than later, while they still (as they believed) had an advantage over their perceived major enemy, Russia. As Russia and France were allied Germany feared being attacked from both sides and had developed the Schlieffen plan to deal with it: a swift looping attack on France designed to knock it out early, allowing concentration on Russia.After rising tensions, the catal
British and French prisoners at Veules-les-Ros...

Image via Wikipedia

yst occurred on June 28th 1914, when Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian activist, an ally of Russia. Austro-Hungary asked for German support and was promised a 'blank cheque'; they declared war on Serbia on July 28th. Russia mobilised to support Serbia, so Germany declared war on Russia; France then declared war on Germany. As German troops swung through Belgium into France days later, Britain declared war on Germany too. Declarations continued until much of Europe was at war with each other. There was widespread public support.

World War 1 on Land:
After the swift German invasion of France was stopped at the Marne, 'the race to the sea' followed as each side tried to outflank each other ever closer to the English Channel. This left the entire Western Front divided by over 400 miles of trenches, around which the war stagnated. Despite massive battles like Ypres, little progress was made and a battle of attrition emerged, caused partly by German intentions to 'bleed the French dry' at Verdun. There was more movement on the Eastern Front with some major victories, but there was nothing decisive and the war carried on with high casualties.Attempts to find another route into their enemy's territory led to the failed allied invasion of Gallipoli, where Allied forces held a beachhead but were halted by fierce Turkish resistance. There was also conflict on the Italian front, the Balkans, the Middle East and smaller struggles in colonial holdings where the warring powers bordered each other.

World War 1 at Sea:
Although the build up to war had included a naval arms race between Britain and Germany, the only large naval engagement of the conflict was the Battle of Jutland, where both sides claimed victory. Instead the defining struggle involved submarines, and the German decision to pursue Unrestricted Submarine Warfare (USW). This policy allowed submarines to attack any target they found, including those belonging to the 'neutral' United States, which caused the latter to enter the war in 1917 on behalf of the Allies, supplying much needed manpower.

Victory:
Despite Austria-Hungary becoming little more than a German satellite, the Eastern Front was the first to be resolved, the war causing massive political and military instability in Russia, leading to the Revolutions of 1917, the emergence of socialist government and surrender on December 15. Efforts by the Germans to red
A British trench near the Albert-Bapaume road ...

Image via Wikipedia

irect manpower and take the offensive in the west fail and on November 11th 1918 (at 11:00 am), faced with allied successes, massive disruption at home and the impending arrival of vast US manpower, Germany signed an Armistice, the last Central power to do so.

Aftermath of World War 1:
Each of the defeated nations signed a treaty with the Allies, most significantly the Treaty of Versailles which was signed with Germany, and which has been blamed for causing further disruption ever since. There was devastation across Europe: 59 million troops had been mobilised, over 8 million died and over 29 million were injured. Huge quantities of capital had been passed to the now emergent United States and the culture of every European nation was deeply affected and the struggle became known as The Great War or The War to End All Wars.

Technical Innovation:
World War 1 was the first to make major use of machine guns, which soon showed their defensive qualities. It was also the first to see poison gas used on the battlefields, a weapon which both sides made use of, and the first to see tanks, which were initially developed by the allies and later used to great success. The use of aircraft evolved from simply reconnaissance to a whole new formed of aerial warfare.

Modern View:
Thanks partly to a generation of war poets who recorded the horrors of the war and a generation of historians who castigated the Allied high command for their decisions and 'waste of life' (Allied soldiers being the 'Lions led by Donkeys'), the war is generally viewed as a pointless tragedy.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Malaysian Indians: Another Decade of Insignificance

With Samy Vellu retaining his post as the leader of Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) for the 11th term, there goes the hope of Malaysian Indians of every achieving something in Malaysia.
IMG_0810

Image by photek via Flickr


Under Samy's leadership, Malaysian Indians have lost a lot of ground compared to the other races. The biggest slap to Samy came in the last election when he lost his parliamentary seat when his own constituent elected the opposition.

People were just fed-up of his empty promises and the fact that he is a Yes-man to UMNO. He is also notoriously known for stopping other Indians from becoming full fledged Ministers in the Cabinet. He wishes to be the only Indian minister in Malaysia. This is in fact a common trait by most Malaysian Indians. They envy the success of fellow Indians and will do all they can to bring the other Indian down.

Despite all of samy's failings, ignorant Indians have yet again elected him simply because others were afraid to run against him. It is well known that if someone were t run against Samy for the presidential post, he would be sidelined from the party for years to come. This is how MIC runs. And this is why MIC has lost the respect of the Malaysian Indians, who now have no choice but to opt for PKR. Even then, with PAS as a partner, Malaysian Indians are afraid of the Hudud law.

The only thing a Malaysian Indian can do is to migrate. This is what the Chinese are doing. Mark my words, Malaysia will become a fully Islamic state in the next 50 years as the number of Indians and Chinese diminish. Their all moving out, slowly, but surely.

What was once a great country, now thanks to fanatic Muslims, is becoming a graveyard.

Xabi Alonso

Liverpool footballer Xabi Alonso.

Image via Wikipedia


After Xabi Alonso's sterling performance with Liverpool all throughout this season, will Rafa Benitez still off load him in favour of Gareth Barry?

I think it will be a huge mistake for Rafa to offload Alonso for Barry. While Barry make work harder than Alonso, its Alonso's sublime passing skills that allows Steven Gerrard and Torres space and time to run into dangerous openings.

With that in mind, I hope Rafa makes the correct decision at the end of the season.



Thursday, March 19, 2009

How to Cheat at Video Games

While cheating at video games robs the fun of gaming, there are cheat codes built into these games. There must be a reason these games come with the cheat codes - I guess their meant to be used.

Check them out: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/how-to-tech/how-to-cheat-at-video-games.htm

Best Stress Reliever - The Difference Between the Sexes

Facebook has a quiz on the Best Stress Reliever and true to our differences, all my male friends and I share a correlation while my lady friends are on the other extreme.

The difference between the males and the females is that males consider sex very high up in the list of sex relievers while I am sure its not even in the top five on the womens list. I dont know what the women listed but I am sure talking and shopping must be highly rated as men avoid these two as best as we can.

Google Offers Gmail 'Undo Send' Feature

Posted by Thomas Claburn, Mar 19, 2009 07:45 PM

Google (NSDQ: GOOG)'s Gmail Labs now offers yet another way not to send a message.

First there was Email Addict, a Gmail Labs experiment designed to force obsessive Gmail users to take a break after 15 minutes and to block access to instant messages.

Then there was Mail Goggles, which requires that Gmail users answer simple math problems before allowing them to send messages, in order to prevent e-mailing while intoxicated.

Gmail Labs also includes a Forgotten Attachment Detector, which will prevent messages that mention an attachment but don't actually include one from being sent.

And on Thursday, Google added Undo Send

3
, a Gmail Labs experiment that prevents the transmission of an e-mail message for five seconds, to allow e-mail authors time to change their minds.

"Turn on Undo Send in Gmail Labs under Settings, and you'll see a new 'Undo' link on every sent mail confirmation," explains Google user experience designer Michael Leggett in a blog post. "Click 'Undo,' and we'll grab the message before it's sent and take you right back to compose."

Leggett warns that Undo Send won't recall a message that has already been sent, it simply holds messages for five seconds to allow time for second thoughts.

Google has even dug up some metrics to justify the addition: A company spokesperson pointed to a study showing that 87% of executives reported they have mistakenly sent or received an e-mail or other electronic message.

Google launched another Gmail Labs addition


on Wednesday: the ability to preview YouTube videos, Picasa and Flickr links, and Yelp reviews from within Gmail messages.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Save The Planet on March 28, 2009



Save the planet. You can do it.

Switch off your house lights at 8.30 pm, Saturday, March 28, 2009.

Everywhere around the world, every country will be doing the same in their own time zone.

Make a difference.


How to Combat the Dealy Aedes Mosquito (Dengue, Chikunya)

Mosquito Control Technique

A female mosquito of the Culicidae family (Cul...

Image via Wikipedia


                        
The mosquito control technique but instead of using Lemon Fresh Joy, i used Kuat Harimau Lemon flavoured dish wash liquid (Yellow bottle and about RM2.80) and..... it actually works.

Thanks to my friend. It's cheap and non poisonous like Ridsect of Fumakilla and the others.
Finally, found this simple home tip:- You have a lot of mosquitoes in your bedroom? Try this.

Mosquito Treatment: So you don't like those pesky mosquitoes.

Here's a tip that was given at a recent gardening forum by MARDI on 3rd February 2009 at KLCC Convention Centre. Put some water in a white dinner plate and add a couple drops of Lemon Fr R Set the dish on your porch, patio, picnic table, park bench, or other outdoor area. Not sure what attracts them, the lemon smell, the white plate colour, or what.

BUT ... mosquitoes flock to it, and drop dead shortly after drinking the Lemon Fresh Joy/water mixture, and usually within about 10 feet of the plate.

TRY IT--- it works just superb! It may seem trivial, but it may also help to control mosquitoes around your home,

(Especially in areas where the West Nile virus is reaching epidemic proportions in mosquitoes, birds, and humans)
Pass this on to anyone who likes sitting out in the evening, or when they're having a cook out.

Monday, March 16, 2009

The Screws Are Tightening in Malaysia

Watch the Malaysian political scene carefully. Promiment Opposition members are being detained. This is the shape of the country under the next Prime Minister.


Saturday, March 7, 2009

Road Closure in KL Today

Stay away from Kuala Lumpur today, especially Jalan Raja, which is closed for some stupid function. The traffic jam on the roads leading to it was massively heavily.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Meet Agnes Lin, Singaporean Bimbo



Probably a distant cousin of Paris Hilton, has the looks, gave up the brain!

Are You Blacklisted from Travelling by the Malaysian Immigration?



Believe it or not, close to 650,000 people are blacklisted by the Malaysian Immigration. Out of it, 500,000 Malaysian are barred from leaving the country for varies offenses while the rest 150,000 are foreginers barred from entering the country.

Check your status here http://www.imi.gov.my/semak.aspx

Dengue Fever Remedy



I would like to share this interesting discovery from a classmate's son who has just recovered from dengue fever. Apparently, his son was in the
critical stage at the ICU when his blood platelet count drops to 15 after 15 liters of blood transfusion.

His father was so worried that he seeks another friend's recommendation and his son was saved. He confessed to me that he gave his son raw juice of the
papaya leaves. From a platelet count of 45 after 20 liters of blood transfusion, and after drinking the raw papaya leaf juice, his platelet
count jumps instantly to 135. Even the doctors and nurses were surprised. After the second day he was discharged. So he asked me to pass this good
news around.

Accordingly it is raw papaya leaves, 2pcs just cleaned and pound and squeeze with filter cloth. You will only get one tablespoon per leaf. So
two tablespoon per serving once a day. Do not boil or cook or rinse with hot water, it will loose its strength. Only the leafy part and no stem or
sap. It is very bitter and you have to swallow it like "Won Low Kat". But it works.

*Papaya Juice - Cure for Dengue*

You may have heard this elsewhere but if not I am glad to inform you that papaya juice is a natural cure for dengue fever. As dengue fever is rampant
now, I think it's good to share this with all.

A friend of mine had dengue last year. It was a very serious situation for her as her platelet count had dropped to 28,000 after 3 days in hospital
and water has started to fill up her lung. She had difficulty in breathing. She was only 32-year old. Doctor says there's no cure for dengue. We just
have to wait for her body immune system to build up resistance against dengue and fight its own battle. She already had 2 blood transfusion and
all of us were praying very hard as her platelet continued to drop since the first day she was admitted.

Fortunately her mother-in-law heard that papaya juice would help to reduce the fever and got some papaya leaves, pounded them and squeeze the juice
out for her. The next day, her platelet count started to increase, her fever subside. We continued to feed her with papaya juice and she recovered
after 3 days!!!

Amazing but it's true. It's believed one's body would be overheated when one is down with dengue and that also caused the patient to have fever
papaya juice has cooling effect. Thus, it helps to reduce the level of heat in one's body, thus the fever will go away. I found that it's also good
when one is having sore throat or suffering from heat.

Please spread the news about this as lately there are many dengue cases. It's great if such natural cure could help to ease the sufferings of dengue
patients.

Furthermore it's so easily available.
Blend them and squeeze the juice! It's simple and miraculously effective!!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Flood, Flood, Flood in Kuala Lumpur


For a city, Kuala Lumpur sure has a disgraceful reputation. For once, its becoming unsafe - crime is rising although the authorities are saying everything is well in order.

Secondly, the traffic in KL is getting worst. What used to be a 45 minute drive to work now takes me a full 90 minutes!

Lastly, heavy rain causes traffic to come to a grinding halt in the city. Even with the so called advance Smart Tunnel system to drain the water out of the city, it still floods in KL.

Watch the video in this blog post to know the extent of the flood. On normal days, you can hardly see the water at all but today, water nearly overflowed from the river.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Malaysia politician: Non-Muslims can use 'Allah'

The Associated Press
Published: March 2, 2009


KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: The leader of Malaysia's Islamic opposition party says non-Muslims should be allowed to use the word "Allah" to refer to God, questioning a government ban that has been criticized by Christians as a blow to freedom of religion.

Nik Aziz Nik Mat, the influential spiritual leader of the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, said that a verse in the Quran in which non-Muslims of Mecca call their God "Allah" supported his point.

Nik Aziz's comments, made Sunday, were reported by the national news agency Bernama and the New Straits Times newspaper. His aide, Mohamad Saiba Yaacob, confirmed the comments to The Associated Press.

Nik Aziz's views are an unexpected boost for Malaysia's Christian minority, who have gone to court to challenge a 2007 order banning non-Muslims from translating God as "Allah" in their literature. The government says its use would confuse Muslims in this multiethnic, Muslim-majority country.

Christian groups say the ban is unconstitutional, arguing that the word "Allah" predates Islam and Muslims do not have an exclusive right to it.

The ban was aimed against the Malay-language edition of the main Roman Catholic newspaper in Malaysia, the Herald, which is read mostly by indigenous tribes who converted to Christianity decades ago. The Herald's Mandarin, English and Tamil editions do not use the word "Allah."

Earlier this month, the government issued an order allowing Christian publications to use "Allah" provided they print a statutory warning that it is for non-Muslims. But last week the government rescinded the order, saying it was a "mistake."

It appeared the government had succumbed to pressure from Muslim scholars and groups that are more hard-line than the Islamic party headed by Nik Aziz.

Nik Aziz said he is only giving his opinion as a Muslim scholar, and will let the government decide whether to ban the word.

"I will not interfere in this," he was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times daily.

The government is unlikely to heed Nik Aziz's opinion because he's an arch political rival of the ruling coalition. Also, it is not clear how much influence he has among Muslims outside the four states where his party has done well in recent elections.

For many Christians, the ban symbolizes their eroding religious freedom under the Muslim-Malay dominated government, while for many Muslims, a lifting of the ban would be seen as a blow to Malay supremacy in the country.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Watch How Stupid People Can Be!



Everyone's heard of Twitter - it's a social thing where you can keep up with friends activities once they update their profile with a Tweet (a small blurp you write to let the world know what you're up to).

What irks me is how much people suck up to others hoping some crumbs will fall their way.

Look at this: http://twitter.com/socrateslife

Someone created a profile for his dog and guess what - there are 82 people following the life of a dog!!

Actually, their kissing the dog owners ass by following the dog - you have to give face to the dog owner right, especially when he's some Internet hotshot. And these 82 people are waiting for this hot shot to throw some crumbs along their way for following his dog.

I guess sucking up happens everywhere, doesn it?