Puteri’s World

When I saw that headline on the online version of the UK Telegraph, the first thing that came to my mind was, “Oh no, I hope I don’t have that disorder!”

When I read the story further the description of the person who had the disorder did not fit me.  Phew! According to the story, sufferers spend “unhealthy amounts of time playing online games, viewing pornography or emailing” and they even forget to sleep! Games? Porn? Emailing? Nah, not me! Blogging is my thing! Reading the news is my thing!

But I could spend a lot less time in front of my computer though.  I should spend more time exercising and getting myself in better shape!

Doug sent me a link to show me how to build a “wok-fi”. What do you think?

The metal strainer used for the “wok-fi” is easy enough to find.  The only problem is the USB extender cable.  My laptop does not give out enough power/current to go through even a 1.5 meter cable.  Like I mentioned in my previous post, the message I got was “Device Unknown”.

I did some research and found out that there is such a thing as a USB repeater cable.  This cable will boost the energy running through the regular USB extender cable.  I doubt I will be able to find the repeater cable in any of the computer shops in town.  But who knows, eh.  I will check out some of the computer shops in town and see if I can find a USB repeater cable.

For now, I am using my brother’s new laptop and it does a far better job of picking up the city’s free wi-fi signal.  Hence the more frequent updates on my blogs!  :wink: 

Last April my in-laws went on a cruise some where in Europe. I don’t exactly know the details of that cruise except that they enjoy that particular cruise so much that the one that they took in April was probably their third one.

Doug and I have never been on a cruise any where even though we’d love to check out the European Cruises and maybe even go on one of those cruises that his parents seem to enjoy so much.

It might be a while before we can go on any European and Mediterranean Cruises but an Alaskan Cruise might be a possibility in the near future. It’s a lot closer to us being on the West Coast and if we find a good deal during an off season we might go on one. We’ve been spending a lot of our vacation time and vacation budget visiting my parents in Malaysia and we’ve talked about doing something different next year.

Cruises from New York might also be a possibility. I’ve never been to New York and a visit to the Big Apple and take a cruise from there does seem attractive! It’ll be fun to just go along the Eastern seaboard up the New England coast and the Canadian coast. The cruise packages along that route don’t seem too expensive and that seem like a good introduction to a cruise vacation for us.

Maybe next year, eh!

This was what my youngest brother rigged up for me to help boost the wi-fi signal reception! It seemed to work for a while, and the next day, alas, the wi-fi signal was as weak as ever!

A pot lid wrapped in aluminum foil and my wi-fi adapter sitting on that lid. The power from the laptop was too weak for a USB cable extender. Otherwise that pot lid would have been hung from a high window and I am sure the wi-fi signal received would have been stronger!

The signal received seemed quite impressive at first. Too bad it did not stay that way! Today I had to borrow my oldest brother’s laptop which seemed to do a far better job at picking the wi-fi signal with his built-in antennae, er, what exactly is that thing called? Modem?

I sure do miss my DSL connection back home in California!

I have been having some success at picking up some wi-fi signal on my laptop from my old bedroom in my parents’ house. The problem is that the signal is so weak that it comes in and out and it can be very frustrating when you are trying to read something online or post a blog entry! I have given up using the slow-as-snail dial up connection.

Today I bought a USB extender hoping to use it to hang my external wi-fi adapter from a window. Since the signal that that adapter picks up is so weak, hanging it a little higher on a window might help with boosting the signal a bit. So I have been told!

And that was not the only thing I have been told. I was told to hang my adapter in the middle of an aluminum foil wrapped metal strainer or even in the middle of a pie tin! Unfortunately I have not been able to test if indeed the method works because the extender that I bought received a “windows does not recognize the USB device” message! What the heck?

I took the USB extender back to the shop from which I bought it and exchanged it for another one. I thought maybe the one I bought earlier was defective. The replacement also received the same kind of response from Windows.

So I am stuck. My internet connection is still iffy … big time frustration! Tomorrow I’ll go back to the shop and bring my wi-fi adapter with me so the technician at the shop can test and see if he can find a USB cable that will work with the wi-fi adapter.

It’s been a while since I have been faced with such lousy internet connection. Not since my early days of the internet using a slow modem, slow dial-up and slow computer processor!

Early in the week, I met an old friend whom I had not seen in several years, at a coffee shop. Her comment about my appearance was that I still looked the same old slim self. Naturally I was pleased by that observation!

Not very many people are able to stay slim especially after they have reached a certain age or because of their poor eating habits. In a 2001 BBC news report the number of people who are obese in the UK has tripled in the last 20 years and if the current trend continues one in four adult will be obese by 2010. That does not seem a very encouraging figure, does it?

Some take control of their weight problem by undergoing laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding surgeries. Others prefer not to go under the knife and rely on the help of prescription Diet Pills.

If I were overweight I would try out prescription diet pills like Acomplia or Reductil in conjunction with regular exercise and a new eating habit before I would go for anything as drastic as a surgery!

As with any prescription medication, these diet pills are not without their side effects. Therefore, anyone who intends on taking these pills should consult their doctor or complete an online consultation form if buying these pills online. The safest place to buy these medication online would be from places like The Online Clinic, a healthcare provider, whose activities are regulated by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency.

There are many benefits to losing those unwanted pounds, not least of which is the reduction in the risks of heart diseases, stroke and Type 2 diabetes.

Let’s all work towards staying healthy, eating healthy and keeping off those unwanted pounds!

I thought my internet connection woes were finally over when I managed to catch some free wi-fi signal from the upstairs patio of my parents’ home. But after one blog post the connection seems to be fading in and out.

I don’t really know what the problem is. My brother does not seem to have any problem receiving the signal from the free wi-fi service provided by the city. Could my problem be with the USB Wi-Fi adapter that I have plugged into my laptop? Do I need one that picks up the wi-fi signal a lot better? I might have to check out one of the computer shops and see what they have that could be better than the one I am currently using.

This morning Doug asked me if I had heard the latest news. What latest news, I asked. About Tim Russert, he said. The last time I connected to the internet was last night, and there was nothing on the Drudge Report that said anything about Tim Russert’s death.

Boy, am I sorry to hear his passing of a heart attack. I used to watch Tim Russert’s Meet the Press every Sunday. Until I decided to stay in bed till I am ready to get up for church, that is. This election cycle, I refused to watch any of the Sunday news show. I just cannot stand the fawning by the media over Barack Obama!

Anyway, I am sorry to hear of Tim Russert’s passing. Television has lost one of the fairer television interviewers in the country.

Rest in peace, Tim.

I was watching a program on TV two evenings ago, and it was a program that showcased some of the more beautiful homes in the country. I sighed as I watched the show and wished I had as much money as the owner of the beautiful home that was featured. If one had an unlimited budget to furnish one’s home, one would indeed furnish it with the best furniture, the best fittings, and the best Lighting.

The owner of the beautiful home featured on TV had a very high ceiling in her living room and she chose a beautiful crystal chandelier to hang from that high ceiling. According to her, the chandelier was the best Indoor Lighting to light up that particular section of the house. Indeed it looked beautiful and appropriate for such a majestic looking room.

I did not watch the TV program till the end and therefore did not find out what kind of Outdoor Lighting the owner had chosen for the large patio area of her beautiful home. I am sure her choice would have been appropriate for the theme of her patio.

I may not have as beautiful a home as the home owner featured on TV but that doesn’t mean I can’t do up any room in my house and fit it with the most appropriate lighting for it. I am planning on re-doing my kids room and furnish it with items more appropriate for their tastes and current interests.

I can see my kids choosing one of the lamps in this picture for their night stand. My five-year-old daughter who is into teddy bears and ballerinas will find it hard to choose between the teddy bear lamp and the ballerina lamp!

Doug and I are planning on doing an Asian room in one of the rooms of our house. There are some really pretty Asian inspiration style lighting at LightingAtWillowGlen.com and there are three or four that I especially like.

Indeed, I do not have to have a home as large or as fancy as the one featured on TV in order for me to furnish it the way I like it!

Boy, am I late or what with my entry on the American Idol results show! Blame in on poor internet connection and being out of the country!

I totally missed the results show because when the show was on I was flying across the Pacific Ocean bound for Hong Kong. I did not know who the new American Idol was and did not find any American Idol news on any of the newspapers I read on the plane.

But on the last leg of my journey, I was pleased to see this on the front page of one of the local Malaysian newspapers!

My favorite contestant, David Cook, was the new American Idol! Woohooo! After the “knockout” comment by Simon Cowell during the finale night, I was quite pessimistic about David Cook winning the show.

I am very happy that his fans voted in droves to give him the comfortable lead of 2 million votes to ensure his win of the competition. Woohoo! Finally, a rocker is an American Idol!

Last night was the finale of the Dancing with the Stars series. I am hoping that Kristy Yamaguchi will win the competition. She deserves to win because she is a far superior dancer to the other two male finalists! And she scored perfect scores on both dances! Way to go, Kristy!

I can almost kick myself though, because I missed the time frame for voting!! By the time I made my calls to vote, the voting was over! Arrgghhh! I cannot wait to see the results show tonight!

I just hope that the finale of American Idol will not take more than an hour! As to American Idol, I am rooting for David Cook!! I will make sure I hit the redial button to vote for David Cook. I don’t know if that is going to be enough to counter all the votes the young girls will be giving to David Archuleta!

Too bad, I will be no where near a TV to watch the 2-hour American Idol results show tomorrow. I will be flying over the Pacific when the show comes on. So, so disappointed not to be able to see my favorite Idol crowned the winner!