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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

How Women "Test" Men - How To Pass

Ever wonder why some men have such effortless success
with women? Truth is, it all comes down to having
just 1 "PRIMAL" QUALITY that attracts more women
than most men know what to do with... all without
using any "techniques", "mind games", or "pick-up" lines.
But here's the REALLY amazing thing:
right now, this same "primal quality" is inside of YOU, too.
And just by tapping into it, your whole
life will CHANGE DRAMATICALLY.

Wondering what that primal power is --
and how to harness yours right now?

Learn about it here:

Have you ever called a woman on the phone to
set up a date and she says: "Friday night? Sure.
Call me on Friday and we can talk about it..."?

Or, have you ever had a woman ask you if you're
"a player?"

Or, have you ever had a woman challenge you
about something ridiculous?

Or, have you ever had a woman call you five
minutes before a date and cancel?

Or, have you ever had a woman pout and get
upset because she didn't get her way?

Or, have you ever asked a woman for her number
and she says, "Why don't you give me your number
and I'll call YOU?"

Well guess what... you were being TESTED.

All of these are examples of common things
women do to "test" men.

On some level, the woman you were dealing with
was testing to see how much control she had in the
relationship... and how STRONG you were.

The paradox of "testing" is that if you COMPLY
with what a woman SEEMS to want, you will usually
FAIL the test.

Hey, I never said that women made sense... lol.

I was reading a great book recently called "The
Way Of The Superior Man", and inside the author
points out that a woman will often ask a man for
something DIRECTLY... but if he DOES what she
asks, she will be disappointed and ANGRY with him.

Ever been there?

So what's with this testing stuff, anyway?

Well, the answer is fascinating.

And before I tell you about why women TEST you,
I want to mention that there's a LOT more going on
"behind the scenes" when it comes to female
psychology and behavior. I believe that if you can
learn how to understand this "mating psychology,"
then you can learn to attract women MUCH faster...


p/s: i did test women frequently that was why, i knew much much thing about ( what is hidden inside their heart )

Monday, September 13, 2010

If the 'Mosque' Isn't Built, This Is No Longer America

I am opposed to the building of the "mosque" two blocks from Ground Zero.

I want it built on Ground Zero.

Why? Because I believe in an America that protects those who are the victims of hate and prejudice. I believe in an America that says you have the right to worship whatever God you have, wherever you want to worship. And I believe in an America that says to the world that we are a loving and generous people and if a bunch of murderers steal your religion from you and use it as their excuse to kill 3,000 souls, then I want to help you get your religion back. And I want to put it at the spot where it was stolen from you.

There's been so much that's been said about this manufactured controversy, I really don't want to waste any time on this day of remembrance talking about it. But I hate bigotry and I hate liars, and so in case you missed any of the truth that's been lost in this, let me point out a few facts:

1. I love the Burlington Coat Factory. I've gotten some great winter coats there at a very reasonable price. Muslims have been holding their daily prayers there since 2009. No one ever complained about that. This is not going to be a "mosque," it's going to be a community center. It will have the same prayer room in it that's already there. But to even have to assure people that "it's not going to be mosque" is so offensive, I now wish they would just build a 111-story mosque there. That would be better than the lame and disgusting way the developer has left Ground Zero an empty hole until recently. The remains of over 1,100 people still haven't been found. That site is a sacred graveyard, and to be building another monument to commerce on it is a sacrilege. Why wasn't the entire site turned into a memorial peace park? People died there, and many of their remains are still strewn about, all these years later.

2. Guess who has helped the Muslims organize their plans for this community center? The JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER of Manhattan! Their rabbi has been advising them since the beginning. It's been a picture-perfect example of the kind of world we all want to live in. Peter Stuyvessant, New York's "founder," tried to expel the first Jews who arrived in Manhattan. Then the Dutch said, no, that's a bit much. So then Stuyvessant said ok, you can stay, but you cannot build a synagogue anywhere in Manhattan. Do your stupid Friday night thing at home. The first Jewish temple was not allowed to be built until 1730. Then there was a revolution, and the founding fathers said this country has to be secular -- no religious nuts or state religions. George Washington (inaugurated around the corner from Ground Zero) wanted to make a statement about this his very first year in office, and wrote this to American Jews:

"The citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy -- a policy worthy of imitation. ...

"It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens ...

"May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants -- while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid."

3. The Imam in charge of this project is the nicest guy you'd ever want to meet. Read about his past here.

4. Around five dozen Muslims died at the World Trade Center on 9/11. Hundreds of members of their families still grieve and suffer. The 19 killers did not care what religion anyone belonged to when they took those lives.

5. I've never read a sadder headline in the New York Times than the one on the front page this past Monday: "American Muslims Ask, Will We Ever Belong?" That should make all of us so ashamed that even a single one of our fellow citizens should ever have to worry about if they "belong" here.

6. There is a McDonald's two blocks from Ground Zero. Trust me, McDonald's has killed far more people than the terrorists.

7. During an economic depression or a time of war, fascists are extremely skilled at whipping up fear and hate and getting the working class to blame "the other" for their troubles. Lincoln's enemies told poor Southern whites that he was "a Catholic." FDR's opponents said he was Jewish and called him "Jewsevelt." One in five Americans now believe Obama is a Muslim and 41% of Republicans don't believe he was born here.

8. Blaming a whole group for the actions of just one of that group is anti-American. Timothy McVeigh was Catholic. Should Oklahoma City prohibit the building of a Catholic Church near the site of the former federal building that McVeigh blew up?

9. Let's face it, all religions have their whackos. Catholics have O'Reilly, Gingrich, Hannity and Clarence Thomas (in fact all five conservatives who dominate the Supreme Court are Catholic). Protestants have Pat Robertson and too many to list here. The Mormons have Glenn Beck. Jews have Crazy Eddie. But we don't judge whole religions on just the actions of their whackos. Unless they're Methodists.

10. If I should ever, God forbid, perish in a terrorist incident, and you or some nutty group uses my death as your justification to attack or discriminate against anyone in my name, I will come back and haunt you worse than Linda Blair marrying Freddy Krueger and moving into your bedroom to spawn Chucky. John Lennon was right when he asked us to imagine a world with "nothing to kill or die for and no religion, too." I heard Deepak Chopra this week say that "God gave humans the truth, and the devil came and he said, 'Let's give it a name and call it religion.' " But John Adams said it best when he wrote a sort of letter to the future (which he called "Posterity"): "Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present Generation to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven that I ever took half the Pains to preserve it." I'm guessing ol' John Adams is up there repenting nonstop right now.

Friends, we all have a responsibility NOW to make sure that Muslim community center gets built. Once again, 70% of the country (the same number that initially supported the Iraq War) is on the wrong side and want the "mosque" moved. Enormous pressure has been put on the Imam to stop his project. We have to turn this thing around. Are we going to let the bullies and thugs win another one? Aren't you fed up by now? When would be a good time to take our country back from the haters?

I say right now. Let's each of us make a statement by donating to the building of this community center! It's a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization and you can donate a dollar or ten dollars (or more) right now through a secure pay pal account by clicking here. I will personally match the first $10,000 raised (forward your PayPal receipt to webguy@michaelmoore.com). If each one of you reading this blog/email donated just a couple of dollars, that would give the center over $6 million, more than what Donald Trump has offered to buy the Imam out. C'mon everyone, let's pitch in and help those who are being debased for simply wanting to do something good. We could all make a huge statement of love on this solemn day.

I lost a co-worker on 9/11. I write this today in his memory.


"The man who speaks of the enemy / Is the enemy himself."
-- Bertolt Brecht

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

6 Daily Habits For Living Longer.

Do you eat breakfast everyday? Do you always take the stairs? Whatever your daily habits are, there’s no denying that they impact your health. Even though the things we do as part of our daily routines might seem small, over time the small things can add up. So, by keeping your daily habits healthy, you can literally add years to your life.

Here are six daily habits for living longer.

1- Always opt for exercise

Technology exists to make our lives easier, but it doesn't always make us healthier. Daily exercise, however, is a definite boon to health. In fact, studies suggest that daily exercise can add up to three years to your life. Although finding time for structured exercise can be pretty much impossible for many guys, the good news is that opportunity for exercise is everywhere -- just be creative. Whenever you can, walk to work. You don’t even have to walk the whole way. If you take public transit, just get off a few blocks sooner and enjoy a stroll. If you live or work in a high-rise building, just take the stairs. It’s really that simple.

2- Eat a healthy breakfast

Including breakfast in your daily routine is a great healthy habit for living longer. Over the years, researchers have found that those who eat an early morning meal are less likely to be obese and get diabetes compared with those who don’t. Breakfast-eaters also report feeling better both mentally and physically. All in all, it seems that eating breakfast is a great and healthy way to start your day. To get the full benefits of breakfast, though, the Mayo Clinic recommends a meal with carbs, protein and a small amount of fat. The key is to keep your meals varied to ensure you get a good mix of nutrients, so spice up your breakfast diet every once in a while.

3- Get enough sleep

A lack of quality sleep can shorten your life. At least that’s the conclusion drawn from a number of studies conducted over the past decade. Although it’s not entirely clear how many hours of sleep we really need, failing to get at least seven hours of sleep or only sleeping at odd hours appears to heighten the risk of major illnesses including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. But it’s not just a lack of sleep that can be dangerous; a lack of relaxation can leave a lasting mark as well. We all know that stress and anxiety are killers, and so it follows that finding ways to relax each day can be a lifesaver. Whether it’s classical music, massage therapy or meditation, whatever you use to relax will most certainly add years to your life. It may even help you sleep better.

4- Brush and floss daily

Flossing can add 6.4 years to your life, says Dr. Michael Roizen in his book The RealAge Makeover. Although that estimate might be a little far-fetched, the thinking behind it is probably pretty sound. The reality is that poor oral hygiene can lead to nasty gum diseases like gingivitis and periodontitis. These inflammatory diseases can actually lead to a narrowing of the arteries, a common cause of cardiovascular disease. By simply brushing and flossing daily, we rid our mouths of the bacteria that cause inflammatory gum disease and save our heart a little bit of trouble.

5- Stay in touch with friends

There’s an old saying that says a good friend is cheaper than therapy. Oddly enough, researchers now hold this to be true, though it’s not just about friends; any social network, whether it be through church, a sports club or cooking class, can positively impact your physical and mental well-being. Social networks can provide us with useful information, like encouragement to go see a doctor; they can give physical support, like helping us run errands; and they can provide emotional support, like listening to our problems to help us overcome depression and anxiety. All of these seemingly minor perks can literally add years to our lives.

6- Stay hydrated

Our bodies are nearly 70% water, so it should come as no surprise that water is essential to maintaining health and prolonging life. We use water to regulate body temperature, protect our joints and organs, and to help transport oxygen to cells. But in order for water to keep our bodies in check, we need to make sure that its levels are constantly replenished. The solution is simple: hydrate. Although the common prescription of drinking eight eight-ounce glasses of water per day has been called a myth, the message isn’t necessarily a bad one. As long as you hydrate frequently, from various sources, not just water, you’re probably in the clear.

making daily habits count

Many of us are set in our daily routines. We eat the same meal, wear the same clothes, take the same route to work, and work the same old job. But what we sometimes fail to recognize is the huge impact that our daily routines can have on our health. By making just a few small changes here and there -- and sticking to them -- you can add a significant number of years to your life. Although change isn’t always easy, it can be done. Set small goals, ease in changes one at a time and it won’t be long before you notice a positive change to your health and mood.

p/s:wink wink

Monday, August 30, 2010

How To Become An Alpha Male

I went out with one of the few guys at my office that are naturally good with women. I got to our meeting place and saw him standing outside, and I thought: “Man, this guy looks like James Dean”. His posture was upright, but relaxed, he was wearing a badass fitted black jacket with pockets and zippers, his hair loosely dangling over his forehead, and a cigarette casually stuck in the corner of his mouth.

If I were to learn how to become an alpha male over again, I’d probably model myself on that dude. Here’s why – and what you can learn from it.

Complete authenticity

The funny thing is, you wouldn’t immediately consider my colleague the most effective chick magnet. He is introverted and his voice is hard to perceive, especially with his Dutch accent. But once he talks to the ladies, they fall for his charm. That’s largely because he doesn’t make even the slightest effort to be something he’s not. Many would consider a quiet voice and an introverted, monosyllabic nature as a shortcoming they’d have to “fix” to get better with women. Not him.

What he does instead is amplify his personality to the fullest. He has figured himself out long ago, and he has learned to fully BE that person. If you learn one thing about being an alpha male, then make it this: never pretend.

Take control

Get one thing down: my friend, this is your life. To go anywhere, you have to LEAD.

Make conscious and deliberate decisions about all your actions. You know that everything you do or think will have an impact. Reaching for the carrots and hummus instead of the chips in the supermarket is a conscious decision, so is taking a boat trip with your friends, trying a new bar, hosting a house party, or talking to a woman you fancy. On the street corner. In broad daylight.

Leading means making decisions. You can steer your own life with deliberation, but your leadership becomes most evident in your social circle. If you set up a house party and invite all your friends over, it will have an immense impact on the way they perceive you: you are the host, the organizer, the social hub. The leader of the party.

Get some cool music, drinks, set up a flirty, fun vibe, and get everybody to bring their own friends. And make sure there are girls in the mix.

Appearance of an alpha male

The classic “alpha male” exudes physical and mental dominance. A technique like teasing (and I will give you another one in a minute) will often suffice to establish a fully “alpha” aura. Yet, by tweaking your looks, you can amp up the effect a lot.

Go to the gym and shape up. The shape you’re in makes an immense difference for your whole personality. A well-shaped body will not only look better, but automatically have a better tenure just by its tension. We have written so much about this in our other articles, I won’t go into more detail here.

Get the best clothes and accessories you can. If you don’t have a friend with good fashion sense, start reading magazines for inspiration, and to find a look that suits you. There are a lot of great clothes out there, but you have to decide what you, as an individual like. Three pointers:

- Put special effort into your shoes, they’re the first thing many women look at! They should be polished and pointy.
- Clothes should be fitted to flatter your body. Don’t just buy random shapeless shirts and jeans.
- DO NOT wear shirts with jokes and funny lines on them. Believe me. Don’t.

Don’t take sh!t from others

Stop accepting when others walk all over or abuse you. Figure out your values and ideals, and then make friends with the idea that they’re actually worth a damn (I have to admit, that was a tough one for me).

Look, whatever you consider important for yourself, and right, IS actually right within your reality. If somebody steps on your boundaries and principles, don’t let them do it. Refuse to comply. Again: this is your life. You run it. Why?

Because alpha males do.

The above advice is to get you started as you learn how to become an alpha male. Find yourself, define your principles, values and boundaries, and then start BEING that person and LIVING that life. There’s a lot more for you to discover, but if you start adapting these skills and features, you are well on your way, and you will see from other people’s reactions how your assertiveness is working. From there, you can figure out a lot of stuff on your own by listening, judging results and tweaking.

p/s : aummmm!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Modeling Advice And Tips For A Modeling Career


A modeling career doesn’t necessarily guarantee that you will achieve a supermodel (a model who is known by everyone worldwide) status, and if you don’t become an instant millionaire, that doesn’t mean that you aren’t a successful model either. There are many different types of models and the pay scale varies for these jobs.

Determining why you want to be a model can prevent a lot of mistakes and ensure that you are in the field for the right reasons. Most successful models have a natural passion or affinity for fashion.

They love the idea of wearing and modeling various outfits, and having their hair and makeup professionally done, for work related purposes. Your personal style will have an impact on your modeling career and it is important to make sure that you will feel comfortable surrounded by the world of fashion.

You will also need to look at your personal characteristics and traits. If you are shy, introverted, or prefer to be alone most of the time, a modeling career might not be the best choice. Models are scrutinized, looked at closely, and photographed.

They must present self-confidence, yet at the same time, be willing to change any manner of their appearance for their career. If you have difficulty with people looking at you, and do not like to be the center of attention, you might find that a modeling career is not the best choice.

p/s:he3

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Understanding Prostate Cancer - Symptoms


What Are the Symptoms?

There are no warning signs or symptoms of early prostate cancer. Once a malignant tumor causes the prostate gland to swell significantly, or once cancer spreads beyond the prostate, the following symptoms may be present:

  • A frequent need to urinate, especially at night.
  • Difficulty starting or stopping the urinary stream.
  • A weak or interrupted urinary stream.
  • A painful or burning sensation during urination or ejaculation.
  • Blood in urine or semen.

These are not symptoms of the cancer itself. Instead, they are the symptoms of the blockage from the cancer growth within the prostate and surrounding tissues.

Symptoms of advanced prostate cancer include:

  • Dull, incessant deep pain or stiffness in the pelvis, lower back, ribs or upper thighs; arthritic pain in the bones of those areas.
  • Loss of weight and appetite, fatigue, nausea, or vomiting.
  • Swelling of the lower extremities.

Call Your Doctor If:

  • You have difficulty urinating or find that urination is painful or otherwise abnormal. Your doctor will examine your prostate gland to determine whether it is enlarged, inflamed with an infection, or may have cancer.
  • You have chronic pain in your lower back, pelvis, upper thighbones, or other bones. Ongoing pain without explanation always merits medical attention. Pain in these areas can have various causes but may be from the spread of advanced prostate cancer.
  • You experience unexplained weight loss.
  • You have swelling in your legs.
p/s: prevention is better than cured !!!!!!!!!!!!

Pronunciation Guide

antibiotic (AN-tee-by-OT-ik)

bacteria (bak-TIHR-ee-uh)

benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (bee-NYN) (pross-TAT-ik) (hy-pur-PLAY-zhee-uh)

cystoscope (SISS-toh-skohp)

ejaculation (ee-JAK-yoo-LAY-shuhn)

intravenous pyelogram (IVP) (IN-truh-VEE-nuhss) (PY-el-oh-GRAM)

prostate (PROSS-tayt)

prostatitis (PROSS-tuh-TY-tiss)

radical prostatectomy (RAD-ih-kuhl) (PROSS-tuh-TEK-tuh-mee)

transurethral (TRANZ-yoo-REE-thruhl)

urethra (yoo-REE-thruh)


P/S:HOW BOUT ARNOLD SWANGGGER??..SEE I EVEN DID THE MISTYPE..

The Benefits of Tea






Much has been written and said about the amazing health benefits of tea. So much in fact, that it's often difficult to separate fact from fiction. What are the scientifically recognized benefits of tea? The following is a brief synopsis of the latest findings.

Aging
If you are the type to fret over the appearance of wrinkles, age spots and other signs of growing old, oolong tea may be the answer to your worries. In a recent experiment carried out jointly by researchers from the US, Taiwan and Japan, mice which were fed tea displayed fewer signs of aging than mice that were fed water. The Straits Times, Sept. 24, 01

Allergies
The wonder cup just got even more wonderful. Green tea, rich in antioxidant treasures that protect against heart disease and cancer, now shows promise as an allergy fighter. In laboratory tests, Japanese researchers have found that the antioxidants in green tea, block the biochemical process involved in producing an allergic response. Green tea may be useful against a wide range of sneeze-starting allergens, including pollen, pet dander, and dust. Prevention, April 2003

Arthritis
Green tea catechins are chondroprotective and consumption of green tea may be prophylactic for arthritis and may benefit the arthritis patient by reducing inflammation and slowing cartilage breakdown. The Journal of Nutrition, Mar 2002

Green tea may be useful in controlling inflammation from injury or diseases such as arthritis. Boston Globe, April 26, 99

Bone Strength
Tea flavonoids may be bone builders. A report in this week's Archives of Internal Medicine looked at about 500 Chinese men and women who regularly drank black, green, or oolong tea for more than 10 years. Compared with nonhabitual tea drinkers, tea regulars had higher bone mineral densities, even after exercise and calcium-which strengthen bones-were taken into account. U.S. News & World Report, May 20, 2002

Cancer
"Tea is one of the single best cancer fighters you can put in your body," according to Mitchell Gaynor, MD, director of medical oncology at the world-renowned Strong Cancer Prevention Center in New York City and co-author of Dr. Gaynor's Cancer Prevention Program. The latest tea discovery? Strong evidence that both green and black tea can fight cancer-at least in the test tube-though green tea holds a slight edge. In a new study, both teas kept healthy cells from turning malignant after exposure to cancer-causing compounds. Prevention, May 2000

People who drink about 4 cups of green tea a day seem to get less cancer. Now we may know why. In recent test-tube studies, a compound called EGCG, a powerful antioxidant in tea, inhibited an enzyme that cancer cells need in order to grow. The cancer cells that couldn't grow big enough to divide self-destructed. It would take about 4 cups of green tea a day to get the blood levels of EGCG that inhibited cancer in the study. Black tea also contains EGCG, but at much lower concentrations. Prevention, Aug 1999

Cholesterol
Tea can lower 'bad' cholesterol levels. Researchers at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland, asked test subjects to eat low-fat, low-calorie prepared meals and drink five cups of caffeinated tea or caffeinated and non-caffeinated placebos that mimicked the look of tea. Levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol dropped 10 percent among the test subjects who drank tea. Vegetarian Times, Jan 2003

Heart Disease
Drinking black tea may lower the risk of heart disease because it prevents blood from clumping and forming clots. In a recent study, researchers found that while drinking black tea, the participants had lower levels of the blood protein associated with coagulation. Better Nutrition, Jan 2002

Better to be deprived of food for three days than tea for one,Ó says a Chinese proverb. Research is showing it may just be true. Dr. Kenneth Mukamal of Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center reported that out of 1,900 heart-attack patients, those who drank two or more cups a day reduced their risks of dying over the next 3.8 years by 44 percent. Newsweek, May 20, 2002

Weight Loss
Trying to lose weight? Reach for a cup of green tea instead of a diet beverage. Compared to the placebo and caffeine, green tea extract consumption produced a significant 4% increase in 24-hour energy expenditure. If you consume 2,000 calories per day and don't gain or lose weight (you're in energy balance), an increase of 4% would translate roughly into an 80-calorie daily difference. Over a year, this could result in 89 pounds of weight loss. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Nov 1999

Recent evidence shows that in the battle of fat loss, green tea may be superior to plain caffeine. According to a new study, green tea appears to accelerate calorie burning - including fat calories. Researchers suggest compounds in green tea called flavonoids may change how the body uses a hormone called norepinephrine, which then speeds the rate calories are burned. Joe Weider's Muscle & Fitness, April 2000

Loose vs Bags
Tea made from loose leaves has more antioxidants than tea bags, which tend to have lower-quality, powdered leaves. Prevention, April 2003

Black vs Green
Black tea is turning out to be just as healthful as green tea. Univ of California Wellness Letter, March 2002

One cup of black or green tea has more antioxidant power than a serving of broccoli, carrots, or spinach. Prevention, Aug 1998

Decaf Tea
Tea decaffeinated using a natural CO-2 process retains 90% of its cancer-fighting properties. Prevention, Feb 2000

Java junkies, perk up: Substituting tea for coffee will cut your caffeine intake by more than half. Prevention, May 96

White Tea
White tea appears to have more potent anticancer qualities than green tea. Reuters Health, March 30, 2000


p/s: no wonder,i could feel that im young mehahahaha

1 of 3 Secrets Of Meeting Women Online

Remember this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! guys!!!!

Women are always INTERPRETING everything you
say.

In other words, they want to know what things
MEAN.

When you say, "I'm a great guy" in your
profile, a woman reading it says to herself,
"yeah, right... If you were a great guy, then you
wouldn't need to SAY it. You're probably a loser
who WISHES that he were a great guy."

On the other hand, if you write a "Cocky & Funny"
profile that talks about how picky you are and
that you're trying this online dating thing as a
last resort because all the attractive women you
meet bore you... then a woman will think to
herself, "Ah ha! A challenge! I'll bet you that I
can get his attention...".

p/s: follow meeeeee

Monday, February 22, 2010

The Amazing Race Asia 4 Audition

  • Date: Saturday, 6th March 2010
    Venue: North Court of The Spring Shopping Centre, Kuching
    Time: Registration starts from 11am
  • Date: Saturday, 13th March 2010
    Venue: Orange Wing LG2 of Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall, Petaling Jaya
    Time: Registration starts from 11am
  • Date: Sunday, 21st March 2010
    Venue: Central Atrium of Queensbay Mall, Penang
    Time: Registration starts from 11am

2 Ways to Apply

  1. Personally submit your application package (including completed application form, photo, and video) at the booth
  2. Stand a chance to impress the judges in 3 minutes (audition will also be filmed)

p/s: i wanna go for the audition!!

Monday, February 8, 2010

55 Essential Articles Every Serious Blogger Should Read

http://www.matthuggins.com/55-essential-articles-every-serious-blogger-should-read/

After blogging for some time now, I’ve encountered countless articles that have truly helped to refine many aspects of my blog. This includes the visual structure, layout and types of advertising and affiliate programs utilized, plug-ins implemented for ease of use, search engine optimization and overall productivity, and much more.

Many of these articles would have been helpful before starting my own blog, but I also doubt that I would have been successful in putting most of these tips to use right away. Like me, I’m sure many of you are always looking for ways to improve your blogs. And since blogs are constantly growing and changing, it’s always a good time to do whatever you can to make your blog the very best.

With that said, here are 55 essential articles I’ve come across that have positively influenced my blog decision-making and will undoubtedly help you too. I’ve also included a select few of my own past articles that are of relevance in order to “pay it forward.”

Blogging Basics: Getting Started
Can You Make a Living Blogging? (Graywolf SEO)
Five Beginner’s Blogging Tips (John Chow)
The First 7 Days of Blogging (Pronet Advertising)
Put on Your Game Face (Pronet Advertising)
How to “Announce” a Blog (Blog Traffic School)

Building Meaningful Content
How to Use Social News Aggregators as a Source for Content Ideas (Dosh Dosh)
5 Ways to Building a Better Blog (Pronet Advertising)
Bring Your A-game to Write for Blogs (Freelance Switch)
What Are You Learning from Leading Edge SEO Bloggers? (Graywolf SEO)
How Great Headlines Score Traffic (Copyblogger)
10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas that Work (Copyblogger)
Declaring War on Blogger Apathy (ProBlogger)

Increasing Traffic & Retaining Readers
How to Market Your Blog in 2007 (ProBlogger)
21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic (SEOmoz)
Five Steps to a Truly Unique Blog That Attracts Readers and Revenue (Copyblogger)
10 Simple Ways to Retain Blog Readership (Matt Huggins)
How to Get Traffic for Your Blog (Seth Godin)
10 Effective Ways to Get More Blog Subscribers (Copyblogger)
How to Develop “Stickyness” to Your Blog (Blogging Tips)
A Very Simple Way to Increase Your RSS Subscribers & MyBlogLog Community Members (Dosh Dosh)

Linkbaiting, SEO, & Social Networks
12 Different Types of Links and How to Get Them (Stuntdubl)
101 Ways to Build Links in 2006 (SEOBook)
66 Ways to Build Links in 2007 (Brandon Hopkins)
Getting Noticed by A-list Bloggers vs. Getting on Digg Front Pages (Digital Inspiration)
Do You Digg This Headline? (Copyblogger)
Why Too Many Little Icons Can Easily Distract Your Visitors (Pronet Advertising)
How to Generate Targeted Site Traffic Without Search Engines (Scoreboard Media Group)
Linkbait, Reports of My Death Are Greatly Exagerated (Graywolf SEO)
SEP Advice: Linkbait and Linkbaiting (Matt Cutts)
Blogging SEO Basics (Matt Huggins)
Search Engine Optimization for Blogs (ProBlogger)
8 Simple SEO Tips for Blogs (JohnTP)
How to Enhance Your Blog’s SEO and Attract Relevant Traffic in One Easy Step (Technosailor)
Is it OK to Write for Digg? (Copyblogger)
Get Your Blog Out of the Google Supplemental Index (Not So Boring Life)

Building a Community
5 Simple Ways to Encourage Blog Participation (Matt Huggins)
10 Techniques to Get More Comments on Your Blog (ProBlogger)
10 Quick Methods to Increase Blog Comments (Legal Andrew)
Top 5 WordPress Plugins That Help Increase Comments (JohnTP)

Blog Monetization
8 Tips to Optimize AdSense Units (Daily Blog Tips)
Google AdSense Tips, Tricks, and Secrets (Graywolf SEO)
Why AdSense is Not Suitable for All Blog Topics (ProBlogger)
Make Money from Your Blog (Matt Huggins)
Six Powerful Blog Strategies that will Rapidly Increase Your Affiliate Referrals (Dosh Dosh)
10 Tips for Using Affiliate Programs on Your Blog (ProBlogger)
10 Ways to Make Your Blog More Attractive to Advertisers (ProBlogger)

Miscellaneous Blogging Advice
27 Lessons Learned on the Way to 3000 Visits a Day and 2200 RSS Subscribers (Pick the Brain)
10 Ways to Become a Better Blogger (TechRepublic)
101 Steps to Becoming a Better Blogger (LifeHack.org)
The 5 Deadly Sins of Blogging (Pronet Advertising)
10 Blogging Mistakes to Avoid (John Chow)
10 Reasons Why Blogging is Like Dating (Romance Tracker)
6 Lessons Britney Spears Can Teach You About Blogging (Kumiko’s Cash Quest)
Why Everything You Think You Know About Blog Architecture is Wrong (Pearsonified)
Help! I’m Addicted to Checking My Blog’s Stats! (ProBlogger)

p/s:hmmm

Thursday, February 4, 2010

7 Highly Paid Jobs in Malaysia

In the course of my profession in the recruitment industry, I have had the opportunity to collect and gather information and data on the range of salary and compensation for different job levels and industries. Over the years, it becomes clear to me that some professions or specializations are earning higher income than the others.

How high? For an employee your age, is an income which is tripled or quadrupled your current salary high enough?

Technically, you should know that ‘C’ level jobs (the CEOs, CTOs, CFOs, COOs and so on…) are earning the highest income of all. For example, the CEO of OCBC Bank might be earning RM20,000 monthly and the CEO of the Genting Group could easily be earning more than RM40,000 per month. These are not inclusive of other benefits and perks.

But you know, these people are considered experienced, evergreen or even ‘old’ to some extent, whose ages are nearing the retirement threshold. They would have probably been working for 18 years or 25 years. And this is not the kind of positions and professions I am talking about.

I am talking about a much younger generation, where some people with less than 10 years of experience can get a whopping RM10,000 per month. In fact, they may be your age now, but your income is considered peanuts compared to theirs.

I have compiled the information, and I have come to a conclusion where these people can be grouped into seven different categories.

These are the seven specializations:

1. Sales

To some people, this will be obvious, but some others are still oblivious to this fact. Yes, without doubt, sales is one of the highest paid professions not only in this country, but in the world. What kind of products to sell? It could be anything – services, products, insurance, unit trust or other investment tools.

If you like the job, and consequently perform well, then you will be on top of the world. Normally, salesman will be compensated in the form of basic salary and commission schemes. The basic salary may be small, but the commission is proportional to the sale you make. The more products you sell, the more commission you earn.

The more customers you get, the more sales you bring in. Hence you get more income. In other words, as long as you can sell, the sky is the limit. A successful insurance salesman with a client base of about 100 people will earn a handsome income reaching five digits in a month, and will continue receiving the commission for a number of years.

One of the things I realized about this profession is that the longer you stay in the business, the more rewards you get and the easier your job becomes. The most difficult part is always at the beginning.

I have a close friend who is a Sales Accounts Manager for an IT company handling a portfolio of major corporations including IBM, Maxis, Hewlett Packard, DiGi and others. He is now in his early 30s and is having a prosperous career with his monthly commissions (excluding his basic salary) exceeding RM10, 000.

One day, I asked him, “What is your secret?”

He answered,

“There really is no secret. I started this job with this company 8 years ago as a struggling salesperson. My company was selling all sorts of products and solutions but our products were failures one after another. Nevertheless I kept on trying and I bulldozed through things and we corrected our mistakes along the way. I did not make a single commission until my FOURTH year in the job.

Today, I spend very little time looking for clients, as they will come looking for me. The commission I am receiving today is enough to enable me to reach my goal to retire in 5 years time and open up my own business with the funds I have.”

2. Certified IT Network Engineer.

For those who are in the IT field, this is where you can capitalize. Certification is considered necessary for you to be recognized by the prospective employer on your competency level in your field.

The most common are perhaps the MCSE (Microsoft Certified System Engineer), MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) and CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate). But because there have been too many people enrolled in these certifications, the market for professionals with MCSE, MCP and CCNA certifications are easily available, hence your pay will not differ much.

You will provide yourself with a good foundation to grow with those certifications, but they won’t immediately skyrocket your income. But if you upgrade yourself to a more niche area, and enroll yourself for CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) and CCIE (Cisco Certified Inter-network Expert), then you’re ready for a fast track income.

Not many people in Malaysia are willing to go the extra mile to get these certifications, due to the very specialized and relatively complex nature of the course.

In mid 2004, while working with one recruitment firm, we were assigned to place an IT expert in one of the IT companies listed in the Bursa Malaysia. This IT expert must have a CCIE certification. We managed to talk to six to seven possible candidates.

At the final round of the listing, there were only two suitable candidates left, and in order for the company to get the final short listed person to join them onboard, they had to pay him RM12,000 salary per month, tripled of what the guy was earning that time. And he was only 27 years old. Now can you tell me how long you need to work before you can get such an income?

3. Foreign language speaking executives and professionals.

Malaysia is now well known among the multinational and foreign corporations as an excellent place for setting up Shared Service and outsourcing centers.

“AT Kearney ranked Malaysia as the world’s third most attractive location for Shared Services and Outsourcing (SSO) – behind India and China.”

Shared services or outsourcing center is a place where major processes, including customer service support, payroll, account processing, IT infrastructure related and others are integrated and managed in one place.

For example, companies like SCICOM, VADS, IBM, EDS, VSource, Hewlett Packard and Atos Origin are well known to providing IT and customer service support to their clients. On the other hand, some other major companies like Shell, DELL, DHL and BASF have their own shared services and processing centers.

As a shared or outsourcing centre, the support provided not only cover the operation in Malaysia, but also abroad, including China, Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, Thailand, US, Europe and others. If you can speak Mandarin or Cantonese you may have only a little advantage as there are plenty of people in Malaysia who can do so, but what if you have proficiency in Japanese, Thai or German?

If you can speak the said languages, and you have a background in Accounting, Business or IT, then you have a niche area to zoom into. You could probably be hired to support an Account Payable division supporting the Japanese worldwide users, or maybe handling requests and customer service relating to PC and hardware problems for users in the Thai language.

And because of the scarcity of people who can speak Japanese, Thai or German, companies are willing to pay high salaries for these people to join them.

4. Oil and Gas – exploration and offshore operation.

Exploration and offshore operation jobs have its own risk, and not surprisingly those who are in this area are highly paid. Normally the job is carried out by the contractors for major oil operators e.g. ExxonMobil, Shell, Petronas or others. For example, Schlumberger is one of the established vendors who carry out exploration for Shell, Petronas and other oil operators.

Be advised that you need to be flexible enough in terms of the working location because as the projects vary from place to place, you could end up doing exploration in any part of the world.

This could be in Africa, Emirates, Asia or any others. If you are interested in working in this area (of course, you need to have a basic background in Oil and Gas), you can go to Oilcareer website at www.oilcareer.com to see the availability of high paying jobs.

5. SAP

Another niche area is in IT. SAP is a growingly popular and robust application that provides users with the ability to interact with a common corporate database for a comprehensive range of applications. It manages and supports wide range of functions including financial, asset, cost accounting, production and materials, warehousing, human resource, plants and database archiving.

Major corporations in Malaysia are using SAP as part of their system, including IBM, Microsoft, Accenture, Infosys, Shell, British American Tobacco, Hewlett Packard and others. As a SAP personnel, depending on your area of competency, you could be manning the support function for SAP applications, or be in the hands-on programming.

For instance, competent SAP personnel with 4-5 years of experience can easily be earning RM5,000 to RM6,000 monthly.

6. Telecommunications.

Nowadays the demand for telecommunication expertise is increasing. This is mainly due to the hostile competition between the telco players. New technologies and solutions are provided as the years go by. The development of 3Gs and Wimax, for example, has created a niche and high demand of expertise.

Major telco players in Malaysia like Maxis, Celcom, MiTV and DiGi outsource the setting up of radio frequency and telecommunication infrastructure for their vendors. But this is not limited to telco companies in Malaysia only. Other international players are also growing and leveraging the implementation to their vendors and contractors.

These vendors will charge the companies a good deal of money for the contract or projects they carry out. This, in turn enables them to pay the workers huge sums of money, normally in US dollars. You will get an even higher compensation if you work for short term contracts and projects, e.g. 3-6 months.

The jobs may be a bit volatile with EPF contribution and other normally given perks in a full time job unlikely to be covered, but the contracts are renewable, depending on the availability of other projects.

For example, I know at least 5 people who work with a telco vendor completing projects for Nokia all around the world that are getting a DAILY salary of US250. They are working for 3G roll out projects covering the planning, testing, implementation and optimization of radio networks. Now, imagine, if you get paid daily for a 3 months project in Germany. Subtracting weekends, that’s 22 working days per month.

So 22 days x USD250 x 3 = a whopping US16,500, equivalent to (roughly) RM59,400. Isn’t that a lot?

7. Analyst programmer with a software house.

A software house provides and manages IT infrastructure to major institutions e.g. banks and financial services, oil and gas companies and many other major corporations. Now, if you’re attached to any of those software houses which provides services to their clients regionally or worldwide, chances are you will be engaged in overseas projects.

A normal analyst programmer may be getting a basic salary of merely RM3000 to RM3500 per month, but you will get additional allowance (a lot!) if you are posted overseas. Normally, if your projects are abroad, you will be paid a daily allowance on top of your basic salary. Top software houses will pay a staggering amount of US100-200 daily for your overseas assignment.

Now imagine, if the project lasts for two months, how much is your coup there?

Again here, this area needs expertise in specific IT areas and systems e.g. implementation of credit card related applications using languages like COBOL, UNIX, AS400 and others.

The article is an excerpt from the book The Malaysian Job Seekers’ Dilemma.

p/s:i seee!!!!

Monday, February 1, 2010

IPad Can’t Play Flash Video, but It May Not Matter

Web designers — and a fair number of Web users — noticed something missing from Steven P. Jobs’s demonstration of the Apple iPad Wednesday. On some of the Web sites he displayed on the tablet computer’s screen, blank squares appeared where video or animated content would normally be displayed.

The holes, observers correctly assumed, meant that the iPad would not display videos, animations or any other features created using Flash, a type of multimedia software made by Adobe. Flash is one of the world’s most ubiquitous applications, appearing on 98 percent of all computers. YouTube videos run on it. It is what animates millions of graphics and advertisements on Web sites around the world. Adobe says the technology supports nearly 75 percent of video on the Web and 70 percent of online gaming sites.

But Apple’s support for Flash has been flagging. While Flash is present on nearly every Apple desktop and laptop computer, the company decided that Flash would not be used on the iPhone. Apple has argued that the Flash technology is too slow and unduly taxes laptops and netbooks. The company also has concerns over Flash’s vulnerability to viruses and other malware, as well as the way Flash-based content can voraciously consume battery life.

Adobe, unsurprisingly, disagrees — and has its own theory about why Apple remains hostile to Flash. Adrian Ludwig, group manager for the Flash platform product at Adobe, said he believed Apple’s opposition was a way for the company to control its iTunes system. “I think it’s pretty clear that Apple wants to regain control of the content consumers see online and the content Apple offers for their devices,” Mr. Ludwig said.

But concerns over the lack of Flash in the iPad and iPhone may be short-lived. Many online video sites have been experimenting with a new video format, called HTML5. Unlike Flash, which is a downloaded piece of software that can interact with a computer’s operating system, HTML5 works directly in a Web browser. And although this new video format does not work in all browsers, it will allow iPhone and iPad users to enjoy more Web-based video content.

In addition, the patents surrounding HTML5 are owned by a group of companies; Apple is a part of that group.

YouTube announced this year that it was testing the new format for select videos. In the past, YouTube videos were encoded in Flash, but were re-encoded for the iPhone.

The popular video-sharing site Vimeo.com is also experimenting with new platforms, based on comments from its online community. “We received a tremendous amount of feedback from our users saying that they wanted to have HTML5 as an option for their videos,” said Andrew Pile, vice president for product and development at Vimeo, an online video service. Mr. Pile does not see this new format replacing Vimeo’s Flash-video inventory, but will instead offer it as an option for its viewers.

Other video sites, including Blip.tv and Flickr.com, Yahoo’s photo and video-sharing Web site, also hope to start experimenting with alternatives to the Flash video platform in the coming year.

But migrating the entire Web to the new format will not be fast, or easy. Flash has all the advantages any entrenched technology enjoys and remains the standard multimedia language for a vast majority of developers and programmers. And while HTML5 may help standardize Web video, it does not necessarily address the needs of other types of online content created in Flash, including animated advertisements and online gaming.

Andrew Frank, research vice president at Gartner, believes it is impossible for Apple to maintain a walled garden around the content and advertising people consume on the iPad. Mr. Frank said, “I think we’re a long way from the iPad having enough influence on the advertising market to affect the decisions and process around online display advertising.”

But even if the standoff between Apple and Adobe continues, these advances in Web-based video mean that iPhone and iPad users will start to see fewer blank squares online.

p/s:wtf

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Mobile broadband networks need to become smartphone-friendly fast

FOLLOWING the highly-anticipated announcement of Apple’s iPad on Wednesday, it is safe to say that smartphones and tablets connected to mobile networks are going to be the focus du jour.

The potential of the smarter, more mobile and ever connected global tribe, however, can only truly materialise if we ensure all elements are in place to deliver the smartphone-friendly experience.

The start of 2010 registers 25% – or 1.7 billion people – of the world population as Internet users. Closer to home, Pyramid Research expects Malaysia’s mobile penetration rate to increase to 133% by 2014, with broadband data services accounting for 45% of all mobile revenue, driven by increases in adoption of mobile broadband services and mobile data applications .

According to a Gartner estimate, the sale of smartphones is estimated to grow 33% year 2010 (y-o-y) while the overall smartphone sales are forecast to reach 43% of mobile devices by 2013.

In Malaysia, IDC expects to see a growth in the adoption of smartphones in 2010, predicting a growth of total smartphone shipments of 19.8%, hitting 1.8 million units. According to the technology research firm, smartphone shipments are predicted to make up 30.1% of the total mobile phone shipments sold in Malaysia .

The wide range of applications is expected to create huge traffic growth that is expected to double each year for the foreseeable future. This begs the question of our networks’ readiness to cope with this explosion in traffic growth and deliver the always-on, always-connected experience.

To get an impression of impact on the network load, viewing a YouTube video on a smartphone uses as much network capacity as sending 500,000 SMSes simultaneously, according to a leading European service provider.

The service providers have on hand both an opportunity and a challenge to capture the booming mobile broadband business. On one hand, the burgeoning demands on mobile broadband networks present an opportunity to improve profitability of mobile broadband end-user relationships. But before that, service providers need to tackle the issues of customer-centricity and efficiency of their networks.

Service providers require a holistic approach to capitalise on this prospect of creating sustainable and economically viable customer relationships.

Service providers need to study how to optimise networks to deliver the best end-user experience. If a user is using mobile broadband on a network that is not smartphone-ready, the experience is either equivalent to unplugging and plugging in a fixed connection to your computer every few seconds, or your battery drains very fast.

Some smartphones automatically turn off their antenna to save battery life as soon as the user ceases to send or receive any information, so that the next link you click or the next app that asks for data from the “cloud” has to establish a new connection, also called “signalling”.

Every time that happens, the smartphone experience is marred and wastes capacity on the service providers’ network.

Other challenges presented by the advent of the smartphone and its network requirements which can be addressed include load sharing techniques, which allows service providers to support peaks in traffic and reduce operational experience when traffic is empty.

On a broader level, the evolution to IP and all-IP architecture will help service providers to reduce total cost of ownership, whilst enabling them to react dynamically and fast to changes in end-user behavior.

The combination of always on applications, mobility and the growth of smartphones and mobile computing devices like the iPad will increasingly test providers. It is imperative for Malaysian service providers to become smartphone-friendly in order to cope with the real mobile broadband experience that end-users demand.

p/s:i will buy one!! for sure

Friday, January 29, 2010

The Apple iPad

The self-confessed Apple fanatic on why the launch of the company's new tablet will change everything......

Well bless my soul and whiskers. This is the first time I've joined the congregation at the Church of Apple for a new product launch. I've watched all the past ones, downloaded the Quicktime movies and marvelled as Apple's leader has stood before an ovating faithful and announced the switch to Intel, the birth of iPod, the miniMac, the iTunes Store, OS X, iPhoto, the swan's-neck iMac, the Shuffle, Apple retail stores, the iPhone, the titanium Powerbook, Garageband, the App Store and so much more. But this time I finally made it. I went to San Francisco for the launch of the iPad. Oh, happy man.

The day had special resonance. In front of his family, friends and close colleagues stood the man who founded Apple, was fired from Apple and came back to lead Apple to a greatness, reach and influence that no one on earth imagined. But a year ago, it is now clear, there was a very strong possibility that Steve Jobs would not live to see 2010 and the birth of his newest baby.

With revenues of $15.6bn, Apple is now the largest mobile-device company in the world, Jobs told the subdued but excited 600 people packed into the Yerba Buena Cultural Center for the Arts theatre. A few more triumphant housekeeping notes followed and then we were into the meat of it. Well, the whole event is available to be watched online, you don't need me to describe it. He picked up an iPad and walked us through. Afterwards I was allowed to play with one myself.

I know there will be many who have already taken one look and pronounced it to be nothing but a large iPhone and something of a disappointment. I have heard these voices before. In June 2007 when the iPhone was launched I collected a long list of "not impressed", "meh", "big deal", "style over substance", "it's all hype", "my HTC TyTN can do more", "what a disappointment", "majorly underwhelmed" and similar reactions. They can hug to themselves the excuse that the first release of iPhone was 2G, closed to developers and without GPS, and that cut-and-paste and many other features that have since been incorporated. Neither they, nor I, nor anyone, predicted the game-changing effect the phone would so rapidly have as it evolved into a 3G, third-party app rich, compass- and GPS-enabled market leader. Even if it had proved a commercial and business disaster instead of an astounding success, iPhone would remain the most significant release of its generation because of its effect on the smartphone habitat. Does anybody seriously believe that Google, Nokia, Samsung, Palm, BlackBerry and a dozen others would since have produced the product line they have without the 100,000-volt Taser shot up the jacksie that the iPhone delivered to the entire market?

Nonetheless, even if they couldn't see that three billion apps would be downloaded in two years (that's half a million app downloads a day, give or take) could they not see that this device was gorgeous, beautifully made, very powerful and capable of development into something extraordinary? I see those qualities in the iPad. Like the first iPhone, iPad 1.0 is a John the Baptist preparing the way of what is to come, but also like iPhone 1.0 (and Jokanaan himself too come to that) iPad 1.0 is still fantastic enough in its own right to be classed as a stunningly exciting object, one that you will want now and one that will not be matched this year by any company. In the future, when it has two cameras for fully featured video conferencing, GPS and who knows what else built in (1080 HD TV reception and recording and nano projection, for example) and when the iBook store has recorded its 100-millionth download and the thousands of accessories and peripherals that have invented uses for iPad that we simply can't now imagine – when that has happened it will all have seemed so natural and inevitable that today's nay-sayers and sceptics will have forgotten that they ever doubted its potential.

"What can I do with it that I can't do with a laptop or an iPhone?" they might now be objecting. "Too big for my pocket, not big enough for serious use. Don't see the need. It's a solution looking for a problem."

There are many issues you could have with the iPad. No multitasking, still no Adobe Flash. No camera, no GPS. They all fall away the minute you use it. I cannot emphasise enough this point: "Hold your judgment until you've spent five minutes with it." No YouTube film, no promotional video, no keynote address, no list of features can even hint at the extraordinary feeling you get from actually using and interacting with one of these magical objects. You know how everyone who has ever done Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? always says, "It's not the same when you're actually here. So different from when you're sitting at home watching." You know how often you've heard that? Well, you'll hear the same from anyone who's handled an iPad. The moment you experience it in your hands, you know this is class. This is a different order of experience. The speed, the responsiveness, the smooth glide of it, the richness and detail of the display, the heft in your hand, the rightness of the actions and gestures that you employ, untutored and instinctively, it's not just a scaled up iPhone or a scaled-down multitouch enhanced laptop – it is a whole new kind of device. And it will change so much. Newspapers, magazines, literature, academic textbooks, brochures, fliers and pamphlets are going to be transformed (poor Kindle). Specific dedicated apps and enhancements will amaze us. You will see characters in movies use the iPad. Jack Bauer will want to return for another season of 24 just so he can download schematics and track vehicles on it. James Bond will have one. Jason Bourne will have one. Some character, in a Tron-like way, might even be trapped in one.

There's much to like, of course. The physical beauty and classy build quality, as in anything designed by Jonathan Ive. The shockingly low price — $499 for the basic model. The contract-free, unlocked nature of the 3G version. But there are two chief reasons for its guaranteed success.

1. It is so simple. It is basically a highly responsive capacitative piece of glass with solid-state memory and an IPS display. Just as a book is basically paper bound together in a portable form factor. The simplicity is what allows everyone, us, software developers, content providers and accessory manufacturers to pour themselves into it, to remake it according to the limits of their imagination. I'll stop before I get too Disney.

2. It is made by Apple. I'm not being cute here. If it was made by Hewlett Packard, they wouldn't have global control over the OS or the online retail outlets. If it was made by Google, they would have tendered out the hardware manufacture to HTC. Apple – and it is one of the reasons some people distrust or dislike them – control it all. They've designed the silicon, the A4 chip that runs it all, they've designed the batteries, they've overseen every detail of the commercial, technological, design and software elements. No other company on earth does that. And being Apple it hasn't been released without (you can be sure) Steve Jobs being wholly convinced that it was ready. "Not good enough, start again. Not good enough. Not good enough. Not good enough." How many other CEOs say that until their employees want to murder them? That's the difference.

I have always thought Hans Christian Andersen should have written a companion piece to the Emperor's New Clothes, in which everyone points at the Emperor shouting, in a Nelson from The Simpsons voice, "Ha ha! He's naked." And then a lone child pipes up, "No. He's actually wearing a really fine suit of clothes." And they all clap hands to their foreheads as they realise they have been duped into something worse than the confidence trick, they have fallen for what EM Forster called the lack of confidence trick. How much easier it is to distrust, to doubt, to fold the arms and say: "Not impressed." I'm not advocating dumb gullibility, but it is has always amused me that those who instinctively dislike Apple for being apparently cool, trendy, design-fixated and so on, are the ones who are actually so damned cool and so damned sensitive to stylistic nuance that they can't bear to celebrate or recognise obvious class, beauty and desire. The fact is that Apple users like me are the uncoolest people on earth: we salivate, dribble, coo, sigh, grin and bubble with delight.

No, I don't have shares in Apple. I came so close to buying some as an act of defensive defiance in the early 90s when every industry insider and expert in the field agreed that Apple had six months to go before going bust. But I didn't. If I had done I could now afford to buy you all an iPad. Yes, I do like and have tried to champion OpenSource software. How can I square that with my love of Apple? I'm complicated. I'm a human being. I also believe in a mixed economy and mixed nuts. I love our NHS and the National Theatre, but I also love Fortnum and Mason and Hollywood movies. "Apple," Steve Jobs said, "stands at the intersection of technology and the liberal arts." This statement confused non-Americans who are not familiar with the phrase "liberal arts" but I think shows the fundamental cultural seriousness of Jobs and Apple, which in turn explains their huge success and impact. He might perhaps more accurately have said that Apple "stands at the intersection of technology, the liberal arts and commerce".

You may or may not be in the queue for an iPad in March, April, May or June. Or you may decide to stay your hand for version 2.0 or 3.0. But believe me the iPad is here to stay and nothing will be quite the same again. You should know, however, that plenty of industry commentators disagree with me. They have pronounced themselves less enthralled. It is perfectly possible I will be proved wrong about its enduring, game-changing place in the landscape and that people will gleefully rub my nose in this blog in two year's time. I'm certainly not wrong about how soul-scorchingly beautiful it is to use though. And that, for me, is enough.

p/s:sexy,sleek,slim n slender like my new gurlfren LOL ^_^

Regular sex prolongs life

People who have frequent sex are generally healthier. Most health benefits seem to be linked to penile-vaginal intercourse.

Frequent sex may also bring longer life, fewer coronary events, lower blood pressure. Nardini and her husband, a professional photographer, initially decided to have sex like bunnies with the hope that all the activity might help them overcome his-and-her bad habits: cigarettes and chocolate, respectively.

And indeed, the nightly trysts did help. But they also found, unexpectedly, that frequent sex made them feel better in other ways, too.

Nardini says they both slept better and had more energy, and she didn't get a cold or the flu all month as she usually does in the winter.

"Sex doesn't seem at first glance to be the cure for what ails you, but there's so many health benefits of having more sex," Nardini says. "Anyone can be better served by having more sex."

In fact, the experiment was so successful, the couple plans to have daily sex in January, too.

Researchers have long known that not only is sex fun (when done with the right person, of course), but that people who have frequent sex tend to live longer and have healthier hearts and lower rates of certain cancers.

These studies also show that men with an active sex life have healthier sperm, and sexually active women have fewer menopause symptoms.

A healthier heart

In a British study, people who had intercourse twice a week or more were less likely to have heart attacks and other fatal coronary events.

Those who had sex less than once a month had twice the rates of fatal coronary events, compared with those with the highest frequency of intercourse.

Lower blood pressure

In a study published in the journal Biological Psychology, people who had sex more often tended to have lower diastolic blood pressure, or the bottom number in a blood pressure reading.

Brody's experiment, in which more sexually active study subjects had markedly less dramatic blood pressure spikes when they were put under stress, also supports the benefit.

Lower risk of breast cancer

A French study found that women who have vaginal intercourse not at all or infrequently had three times the risk of breast cancer, compared with women who had intercourse more often.

Lower risk of prostate cancer

A Minnesota study found that men who'd had intercourse more than 3,000 times in their lives had half the prostate cancer risk of those who had not.

While it's not clear why this would be true, studies have found that men who had more intercourse tended to have better prostate function and eliminated more waste products in their semen.

"These differences could conceivably impact prostate cancer risk," Brody writes in his article.

Pain relief

Whipple and others have conducted studies suggesting that more sexual activity helps relieve lower back pain and migraines.

A slimmer physique

A study of healthy German adults revealed that men and women who had sex more frequently tended to be slimmer than folks who didn't have as much sex.

Sex burns 50 to 60 calories per encounter, Whipple says, so sex three times a week for a month would burn about 700 calories or the equivalent of jogging about seven miles.

Better testosterone levels

A group of men being treated for erectile problems saw greater increases in testosterone when, along with the treatments, they had frequent sex.

Specifically, men who had sex at least eight times per month had greater increases than those who had sex less than eight times per month.

* Fewer menopause symptoms Menopausal women in Nigeria experienced fewer hot flashes when they had sex more frequently.

Brody says this may be because sexual activity c helps regulate hormonal levels, which in turn affect r the symptoms of menopause.

Healthier semen

In three studies, men who had frequent intercourse had a higher volume of semen, a higher sperm count and a higher percentage of healthier sperm, compared with men who tended to participate in other sexual activities.

p/s:^_^ are u ready