Writing notes

Caitlin likes to write little notes simply for fun when she comes across some writing material. Most times, she writes love notes for us with the three words or substitutes a drawing of a heart for "love". Of late, her heart has taken more character with a face and a bow on top. She'll then stick them on our doors or walls.

Just an hour ago while I was working at the computer, I noticed she was busy writing something. She only asked me how to spell "care" so I told her. She then surprised me with what she had written. I must say it was a "proud mummy moment" when I saw it. It said "Tank (thank) you mum for taking care of me and I love u. Caitlin"













I asked how she got the idea to write me that message and she replied with her somewhat sly but sweet smile (just like the one in the pic below): "From my brain."

Okay, mummy is "duh".... Actually I thought she got the idea from some TV show. Well what can I say? Now I'm assured she has a brain and a heart, two very vital organs literally and figuratively...!

I Don't Want To Nap

That's the title of a new blog which I just created two minutes ago. I hope you (and your kids) will join me on this roller coaster ride to "Nonap Land"....

We'll see where this ride will take me!

Get your prescription glasses online

I came across this site: Zenni Optical: Sell Rx Glasses $8 with case! and found it pretty interesting.

If you are too lazy to visit your optometrist and prefer armchair shopping, check out Zenni Optical. It offers you a wide range of stylish frames with the option of single vision lens, sunsensor, bifocal and progressive lens. They also offer tinted sunglasses lens and a children's selection.



As for the frames, you can choose easily with just a click of your mouse from their range of stainless steel, titanium, rimless, half rim or full rim ones.



All of Zenni's orders, including their $8 ones, according the them come with anti-scratch coating, full UV protection, quality hard case, microfiber lens cleaning cloth and full guarantee.

Their shipping and handling charge is only a flat $4.95 per order, no matter how many pairs of glasses you purchase.

This post is sponsored.

What I have to do to get a discount...

and I am not talking about shopping here. It sure looks like this week, I'm getting the hassle of a speeding ticket that commensurates with my 21 years' driving experience.

Last week I received a speeding ticket in the mail for doing 23km/h more than I should have on a highway which, according to the police, is limited to only 90km/h. Well, I didn't notice the speed limit sign and somehow I've always assumed that most highways here are limited to 110km/h.

So in order to put my driving record back on track and also to ensure that I can renew my car road tax next month, I jumped into action on Monday. I went to a police station which I'm familiar with (in Petaling Jaya), took a number and waited. When my turn came, I asked if the fine of RM300 could be reduced. The police officer said it could, up to 30%, only if I make an appeal at the police headquarters of the district that issued the ticket.

The HQ of the Subang Jaya district which issued the ticket is located at Bandar Putra Permai, near Taman Ekuine (Equine Park), a new property development off Seri Kembangan, near Serdang, on the way to Putrajaya (the new government hub), through heavy traffic, past old mining town of Seri Kembangan which has about 2 or 3 sets of traffic lights and one-lane roads on each side, after which you go through more windy one-lane roads packed with buses, cars and lorries.....summary, some god-forsaken place.

Yesterday, armed with a map, I ventured into Bandar Putra Permai and found the police HQ. I thought it would be just a straightforward process of submitting the ticket, requesting for a reduction, pay up and be done with the whole thing. I was wrong. I had to fill up an appeal form giving the reason for my speeding and was told to call before visiting them the next day to complete the process.

This morning, I called and they said my appeal has been approved (50% discount luckily!) but the 'boss' has yet to sign it. Try later at 4.00pm to come and collect the signed approval letter they said. There goes my plans this morning to put this behind me. I'm not free in the afternoon so it looks like it'll have to be Friday as I'm not free tomorrow morning either.

What surprised me further is that I cannot pay the fine at that HQ itself. Instead, I have to go to another place located in a mall in Puchong to make payment....

I fail to understand why the Malaysian police force systems and processes is not fully integrated considering that the country hails itself as developed, with "e-this, e-that", blah, blah, blah...

In summary, to get my speeding fine reduced from RM300 to RM150, I would have driven a total of around 80km to and from Petaling Jaya, Putra Permai and Puchong, visiting the police four times, and spending a total of about 4-5 hours on the road and at their offices. And I hope that's all I have to go through. I will find out for sure on Friday.

Their motto (in Bahasa Malaysia) is "Mesra, Cepat Dan Betul" (Friendly, Fast and Right). Well, I give them a passing mark for Friendly, but for Fast and Right, I'm not so sure.

Check out Wikipedia if you want to get more general info about the Polis Diraja Malaysia. The official website is in our national language.

Building your own online shop

Online shopping has come a long way. In the early days, if you wish to set up an online shop, you'll probably have to either write your own shopping cart software or find a clever individual or company to do it for you.

It has now become a necessity and a norm for business owners to offer an online alternative to their customers. A shopping site can be set up very easily nowadays with more and more e-commerce software companies now offering quick, easy and affordable services.

Ashop Commerce is one such company offering a web-based turnkey e-commerce solution. It is a web-based solution which does not require any software installation. According to them, thousands of successful merchants in the United States, from novices to professionals, have chosen to use Ashop Commerce.

Ashop Commerce allows a 10-day free trial without a credit card requirement. The software enables business owners to accept credit card payments, customise the design of their site, update contents easily and quickly at an affordable monthly fee.

Its full service also includes technical support and customer service. It is securely hosted, integrated with all major banks, payment gateways and third parties including PayPal.

I tried out one of their demo stores for a test drive of what the software can do. The site admin functions were pretty clear and user-friendly and allows you a lot of flexibility to manage your online store easily. Just by a few clicks on its clearly-labeled menu, you can check your sales, customers' names, products purchased, payment mode and status and tracking numbers. You can also check your inventory, product prices, change your store front theme and view statistics of your site such as page hits, visitor traffic and even a chart detailing the countries you are doing business with.



It sure looks like anyone can start an online shop now with such easy-to-use and affordable shopping cart software from Ashop Commerce. Their packages are priced from as low as $39.95 a month to $189.95 a month.