Virtual Gift Cards from Bookswim

Thinking of birthday or holiday gifts ? Why not give Virtual Gift Cards from Bookswim. Aside from giving someone a great gift that they will never forget, you have the opportunity to win one of two Sony Blu Ray players that will be given out.



BookSwim offers virtual gift cards which are the perfect gift for those who love to read. Whats more, Bookswim is giving incentives to customers who purchase gift cards between now and December 31, 2008. Read the incentive details below :

INCENTIVES TO BOOKSWIM GIFT CARD PURCHASERS
a. You will receive a $5 gift card to be used by you for every $50 gift card purchased. Similarly, for every $100 gift card you buy, you will receive your own $20 gift card.

b. Additionally, 2 lucky winners will receive a $299 Sony Blu-Ray Disc Player. One entry for every gift card purchase.

c. You are helping the environment by having a tree planted in honor of your gift. Your tree helps balance out new book paper production through a partnership with Eco-Libris.

Click this LINK for more details about this offer.

HK's Peak Tram

If you want to have a fun and cool short ride up an extremely steep mountain slope, then be thrilled by a ride, take the Peak tram. Pulled by steel cables, the tram climbs 373 meters (about 1,200 feet) up the slope of a mountain to the Peak Tower terminus. Its so steep that the buildings you would pass by look like its leaning at 45 degree angle. Choose to be seated on the right side of the Peak Tram as you have better view. There are some intermediate stations in going up to the Peak Tower terminus. To get off in one of these stations, you would need to press a button found in the middle of the Peak tram.



The Peak Tram Station could be found in Garden Road, Central near St. Joseph building and you can reach it in either of the following ways :

1. Take bus 15C from Central's Pier 6

2. Walk from Central's MTR Station Exit J2, walk along Garden Road which is in between The Bank of China building and The Cheung Kong Centre. The walk to the tram station would takes about 15 to 20 minutes.

Note that during public holidays or weekends, queuing for the Peak Tram may take about 30 minutes.

Peak Tram Operating Hours: 07:00 to 00:00 daily
Frequency: Every 10 to 15 minutes
Website: http://www.thepeak.com.hk

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Firststreet USB Turntables

For Boomers and Beyond

This unique USB turntable allows you to convert your old vinyl collection directly to CD or MP3 quickly and easily. It plugs directly into your computer using the included USB cable. In addition, it comes complete with dustcover, and all cables are included.

Tips in securing your passwords or PIN

Nowadays, its quite common to have so many passwords to keep as every time you register to have a new email account perhaps would require you to register and have a unique password for that particular email account. What if you have 5 or 15 accounts for your email, blogger accounts to gaming site accounts, most probably you would be using a pattern in order to remember all these passwords. Aaaahhhh PASSWORD, the most vital info in todays computer age. From using our ATM card PINs to logging to your favorite friendster account, passwords keep your personal information from people who are privy to steal your personal information. Yet the vast majority of people who accesses the internet uses the same passwords for different sites that they have registered.



Here's some suggestion that you may apply to secure your password or PIN use.
a. Give careful thought when creating your password whether it is for online gaming site or your email account. Passwords keep your data private.

b. Never choose anything obvious information such as your name, address or date of birth, spouse name or your child's name.

c. Never use the same password for multiple web sites or accounts

d. Passwords that include the combination of letters and numbers such as 'rx8c64m39' are more secure. Having an alpha-numeric passwords ensures that no one could easily guess your password and hackers will likely move on to try to find other less secure accounts, but again, avoid those easily-guessed alpha-numeric passwords such as '5678lisa'.

e. If you write your password on a piece of paper, ensure that you keep this piece of info in a safe place. Your best bet is to have a password management software that will help you secure ALL your passwords from. Password management softwares operates on a simple concept, all your passwords are contained within it, protected by a master password. Most of these password management programs utilizes 128-bit encryption to keep data secure. Now you only have to memorize ONE complex master password.

f. Do not let other people know of your password or PIN. Not even to your boyfriend or girlriend, if he or she does not have business in accessing accounts, its safer to keep your password to yourself.

g. Change your passwords once in a while.


In summary, make your passwords unique and as complex as you can manage to remember. The better they are, the less you will have to worry about the security of your private personal data - the perfect password is only good as long as just YOU know what it is.

Photo credit : John Shakespeare / www.theage.com.au

6 years old Little Dreamers - Amy and Angelo

I was able to watch the finals of Pinoy Dream Academy Season 2 last week and was awed by the two 6 years old contestants Amy and Angelo who were both musically talented. These 2 contestants are really great. In fact, Amy Nobleza from Las Pinas City was invited to guest on the award winning talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show. So after Charice Pempengco and Arnel Pineda, this time a 6 years old girl name Amy will show the world that Pinoys really got talent.

Here's some video clips I've got from YouTube.

PDA Little Dreamer AMY singing "what's love got to do"


PDA Little Dreamer ANGELO singing "I want to break free"

Ngong Ping 360

Ngong Ping 360 is a scenic cable car ride which transports people from Tung Chung MTR station to the Big Buddha and vice versa. If you have ever been in a ski gondola before, the experience is quite similar. Each Ngong Ping cable car can fit up to 17 passengers.



From Tung Chung MTR, the cable car would rise dramatically on top of body of water and one could view the skycrapers of Tung Chung likewise riders of the Ngong Ping would enjoy the great view of HK Chep Lap Kok Airport with full view of airplanes which are taking off and landing. The almost 6 kilometer journey ends in Lantau Island where one could enjoy the panoramic views of Lantau’s mountainous terrain and the ocean beyond. Ensure to get ready of your digital camera to capture the great views on your journey. Near the Lantau Island station is a rustic Chinese village wherein tourist could fancy shopping for souvenirs. The place have it's own charm in spite of a lot of tourist visiting the village.



In going back to Tung Chung MTR, there's a long queue on the cable car as hundreds of people are waiting to get on, especially on weekends or public holidays, but luckily, the line moves quickly. Waiting time may last for about an hour.

Daddy, may I please borrow $25?

Here's an email I received today which I would like to share. Its definitely worth to read it.

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: 'Daddy, may I ask you a question?'

DAD: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the man.

SON: 'Daddy, how much do you make an hour?'

DAD: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the man said angrily.

SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'

DAD: 'If you must know, I make $50 an hour.'

SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.

SON: 'Daddy, may I please borrow $25?'

The father was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.'

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.

The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think:

Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.

'Are you asleep, son?' He asked.

'No daddy, I'm awake,' replied the boy.

'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the man. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $25 you asked for.'

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you daddy!' he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.

The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.

The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.

'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the father grumbled.

'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied.

'Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to

have dinner with you.'

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love.

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

Tips for those wearing Orthodontic braces

For those wearing braces or other orthodontic appliances, keeping your teeth and gums clean may be a bit more difficult and tedious, but the resulting smile will be worth the effort. If you wear braces, here's some Do's and Don'ts for you to follow :

Braces Do's
a. After meal, brush your teeth. If you can't brush right away, rinse your mouth (and removable appliance) with water.
b. Floss every day. Your orthodontist can give you a floss threader if you're having difficulties.
c. Chew only sugarless gum.
d. Call your orthodontist if anything is loose or broken.

Braces Don'ts
a. Don't miss your orthodontic appointments. Missed or delayed appointments mean you'll have to wear your braces longer.
b. Don't eat hard, sticky or chewy foods, crunchy foods.
c. Don't chew on pens, pencils, ice, fingernails or anything that might break your braces.

Shiny clean teeth and fresh breath are good reasons for practicing good oral hygiene, but the most important reason is that keeping your gums and teeth clean and healthy will help you keep your teeth throughout your life. Although some diseases and conditions can make dental disease and tooth loss more likely, most of us have a great deal of control over whether we keep our teeth into old age. Wouldn't you rather be chewing with your own natural teeth?