I thought I’d share some photos of our simple yet very fulfilling meals of lately. And no, Nil and I are not on a diet!

I just want to rant!!!

The thing about being a woman with crazy hormones is putting up with equally crazy outbreaks of pimples and acne.

It’s a nightmarish cycle that I have to put up with every month because of my menses. I don’t just get one pimple popping up, I get the whole crate without a top thing (acne). Crappy really because it reminds me of all those acne treatments that I have to go through when I was a teen.

Now I have a whole bunch load around the forehead and it isn’t even time for my menses!!!!!!!1

I know I shouldn’t complain because it’s not really a lot compared to other people with serious acne issues but honestly, why can’t I ever EVER have porcelain skin?

Since summer is fast approaching where I am and the sun is out more often (it still rains though, which is good for my plants) I was wondering…do you burn or tan? If you can, share a story about your worst episode in the sun…

I remember when I was around 20, I was crazy about tans, the opposite of heaps of others who were nuts about staying white and products with skin lightening properties. I would head off to the beach when I could and once there, I would just sunbathe till I got what I wanted…with sunblock in tow, of course.

But there was this one time that I forgot my sunblock and sun tanning oil. The silly me thought that it would still be okay to bask under the sun/semi-shade. And so I did…for four hours. I ended up with a badly burnt face, chest and shoulders - wearing clothes never felt more painful and horrid…

Needless to say, I learnt my lesson well and I discovered something - just because you’re dark or brown, it doesn’t mean that you won’t burn. You still will but at a slower rate…

So yes, back to you - do you burn or tan?

I’m starved for books, specially English books.

After being surrounded by at least six boxes of books back at home, I now have problems adjusting to the lack of English books. Sure, I could always spend some cash and buy them here but the stores don’t exactly have a fantastic, to-die-for range of literary stuff.

Forget about looking for non-fiction books like those on food, crafts and what-not. Almost every single English book available for sale is a fiction and even then, it depends on what you’re after. Classics like Anais Nin? Don’t bother even looking for them!

There is the option of buying them from specialized French bookstores but still, it’s nothing like back at home. I supposed the same could be said if Nil were to look for French books in Singapore or KL. O’well…

Anyway, I could buy them online - I tried getting this pregnancy books by Mirriam Stoppard from Ebay. It took nearly three weeks to arrive. *sigh* I guess I’ll just have to cope with the drought or wait patiently for my stash from home to slowly start arriving.

I hope Mum packed in my knitting and baking books…I need them badly!

When in need of some entertainment and new friends PLUS a little bit of cash, myLot-ting is the way to go!

I’ve been part of this forum-based site for a few days now and find it great for someone who enjoys forum-ing and meeting/making friends via discussions - of course, getting paid for every post and thread you put up is a bonus… But the real deal is this - I can talk and ask about anything and everything.

Just today, I set up a thread on gardening tips for my roses and cyclamen, and got some pretty good advice from a fellow MyLotter who happens to run his own gardening business. Nifty, aye? In case you’re wondering if this is just predominantly American, no it isn’t - there are plenty of Malaysians on MyLot and I’ve already met some of them who have been there for a few months or a year already…

In case you do want to look for me, I’m over here. But seriously, if you like forums and you want a little cash on the side, do check out MyLot!

And no, I’m not being paid to write this.

Sometimes it’s terribly hard to be creative. I had this assignment once, a few weeks ago, and thought I tackled it well. Maybe too well…

What do you write when you know absolutely nothing about alcohol rehab or drug rehab centers? Sure, the place looks great, exactly like a spa and relaxation centre that anyone of us would go to if we had the cash. The horseback riding, hiking, surfing, yoga classes, massage and even acupuncture…they all sound tempting.

If you want to be an alcoholic and fly over to this great alcohol rehab place…

Y’know, despite my babbling about how difficult it was to tackle this assignment, I still managed it - ranting all the way throughout. *sigh*

I think I’ll go get a drink now…

Since it’s spring and we were getting new pots for the ginger plant that’s growing like crazy (we are cheapos - don’t want to buy a new plant and all) as well as the dahlia(s) that are starting to eat me out of “garden” space, I stopped over at Migros, the local hypermarket-like store for some soil and saw miniature roses on sale.

Now I’ve always had a thing for roses even though my first rose bush ended up as a bush more than a bush with flowers. Plus today, everyone at the morning market seem to be buying lilas (it’s to celebrate the Flower Festival, I think….) and I wanted to get some flowers of my own… So I thought, why not get a little bush of something that will bloom and then still carrying on living instead of blooming and then just dying off into nothing?

And that’s how I ended up with a peach-orange-yellow tinged miniature rose named Rosier Forever. It comes from Denmark but has little care instructions so I have to search online with this other forum that I’m part of… I hope it continues to do well…

In case you’re wondering, my cyclamens are blooming like crazy (especially the red one, I’m expecting another four flowers on top of the two that are in bloom now), my dahlia(s) is sprouting leaves like there is no tomorrow, my kalanchoe is still alive despite those shrivel-y blooms and my African Violets are doing okay (the first one is shedding off its blooms, leaves are good; the second one is thriving but the third one is all limpy now…gack!)…

I recently introduced SocialSpark a few posts back and now am pleased to announced that SocialSpark is now open to the public. Previously it was only available to PayPerPost members.

From my previous post:

SocialSpark combines online communities with market opportunities for bloggers like me who make some money out of online advertising and reviews. We are allowed to search out blogs, users and well, build networks as well as friendships.

…

You can opt for Sparks which are basically writing opportunities done in exchange for nothing or for coverage on the advertiser’s blog.

Some Spark opportunities are pretty nifty - such as writing entries about Earth Day, your pet(s) or even things like being a stay-at-home mum in exchange for blog exposure on another person’s blog.

While I enjoy checking out and even signing up for the Sparks, I am beginning to dislike the whole “wait for a slot” when it comes to post sponsorship. Basically if you want to write a paid review, unlike PPP where you just click reserve if the post is open, in SocialSpark, you have to wait and you can wait for a very very long time. I have picked a few opportunities days ago, and am still on the waiting list. Perhaps it’s because they are a little bit more picky that PPP, but still, it’s pretty annoying.

The approval process is longer than PPP - there is the automated review process and then there is the second review which can take more than 24 hours or at least that’s how it is going in my case. Otherwise, everything else is quite nicely done, and organized. While a number of people go there to earn cash, it’s nice to know that there are non-monetary opinions for those who don’t make the cut for the paid reviews and such.

If you’re planning to check out SocialSpark, don’t forget to drop by my profile here.

And yes, I’m being paid to review this!