M.A.L.A.S spell

I'm under wicked MALAS spell right now.. no, it has been two weeks already. HELLPP!!!

The joy of giving

First and foremost, a question: if you give someone something, would you expect them to keep or to use? For instance, a water container or a towel or a mug? Do you really expect the gifts to last a lifetime?

The most thing that I like when comes to giving is the look on the recipient face. You'd find joy and honesty and sincerity. And of course if I give something, I do expect the recipient to put it to good use. And if it breaks or wears out or not in the form when it was first given, I'm grateful for they really put the gifts to good use. Nothing ever last in this world anyway.

If in case you are thinking of the appropriate gift for me at this moment, it would be a KitchenAid mixer.

Uhmmm just so you know why I raise this gifting issue, I actually recently accidentally broke a mug given by a dear friend who bought it when she was in Sydney, year 2000. This incident happened just about a month after I accidentally broke another mug bought by a dear friend too when she went to Hong Kong for holiday. Although I paid for it but the fact that it was one of my precious collection of mugs, it was indeed a great loss. Both of the mugs were indeed a great loss. Just so you know.

The Confession of an Addict

Hi everyone, my name is Naora Aida and I am an FVaddict.

Remember back in December last year I wrote about how my children got hooked up playing the online games over at facebook and how I vowed I wouldn't go near those games for fear that I would end up become an addict? Well... I am now, a complete addict, a hard-core e-farmer and I need rehab. If you haven't noticed, it's been nearly ten months since I last updated this page. And to tell you the truth, it has been ten months too that I haven't kept in touch with my college mates either. And while I'm busy with my farm online, busy decorating and re-decorating the farm, it's been that long too that I haven't tended to my actual, real garden.

At first, it was normal farming. Plant, wait, harvest and plant again. Then the levelling up. Then I found out about mastery whereby after completing 3 stars of planting each crop, you are awarded with a mastery sign. Objective? Just for showing off. So, I worked hard for mastery, there are more than 20 types of crops then. Later, when the creator came up with a themed farm, I fell for it too. Not long after, I got hooked with collecting foals and calves and breeding them too. Hah!!! Don't you find it interesting? You can breed. I guess breeding is really my forte... just look at the 5 mini-mes I have. This was when I started to use FVC (FVcash) appropriately. Before, as the FVC increases, I randomly buy stuff from the market. Then, I started saving up so that I could buy rare horses and cows for breeding and later sharing them with neighbours, especially for those who collect like I do. These animals were priced ranging from 14 to 22 FVC back then. Only recently they have marked up the prices of these animals. Screw Z!!! I have stopped breeding since.

Anyways, this is embarrassing and so cheap-O but who cares. So I find ways to get the cash without having to spend my real money. When they introduced a game bar that came with a free 35FVC, I, at the same time, created 3 aliases for my farm. Plain pathetic!!! I know... but what do I care, at that time every effort seemed all worth it. I enjoyed spending every penny of the cash. As the cash depleting, in fact I had only 1FVC left in my 'account'.. I became

lucky when they replaced the barn that they took away from my farm with a 100FVC. That was the highest cash I got the entire time I was playing this game. It surely didn't look like I were to give up the farm completely any sooner although the idea did cross my mind a number of times. I became lucky the third time when they compensated me with another 38FVC when the survey I participated which promise a 3FVC reward wasn't working. THIRTY EIGHT!! Wow!! Come to think of it, I may have earned nearly 600FVC throughout the year. Whoa... rich, eh? Hey, before you make any judgement.. do you know how much is the price for just 1FVC? Almost RM1, you know that. And you know what I can get with 1FVC? NOTHING!!! At one point, I was quite annoyed for the price they put on the market but then again, as long as I don't use my real money... I'm happy. Just aim for items you can buy using your free coins.

Oh... I can rant about this over and over and over again but seriously, I need to break away from this game.

I really need to stop. My deadline? New Year 2011.

P/S: The above was written in September 2009

Therapy Fruits

I personally think hobbies are for rich people or people with extra money. They really are darn expensive, don't they?

I was at Leisure Mall the other day.... well, that wasn't really where I was supposed to be actually. It was somewhere nearby the Mall and I ended up there - partly lost, mainly on purpose. Tell me, who can resist a shopping mall? And I stumbled upon this needlework shop aka cross-stitch haven. Just the kind of shop I was looking for.... errr that was sudden!! *OCD attack alert*. And in an instant, everything I saw was affordable. The charts, the threads, the needles, in fact every single thing they have there that I decided to buy 3 charts at the same time. The owner said charts may not be available all the time but threads do. Since the chart I picked has another two similar designs which, according to her, would look fantastic on the wall with all three designs put together, I actually succumb to the suggestion. Just look at these charts I know you would agree. I completely have lost my mind as I know the time that I have right now would be gone once school reopens. Not to mention my other work-in-progress. But what is done is done.

But what I'm saying here is hobbies are expensive. Take for instance my cross stitch pattern. A single pattern costs me 8 bucks each. Well, that's a good pattern. Simple ones 5 bucks.. then again, who wants a simple one for something that you love to do aka hobby when the difference with the good one is only 3 bucks? Then along comes the 'condiments' - for a yard long thread which you use merely 6inc (in some cases below 6inc), you pay 1.50 although you get to keep the remaining part for as long as you live la. MEMBAZIR!!! But then it comes back to the things you love to do... so you compel. The cloth is about 88 per metre but you only need half a metre which depending on charts, you only use some 30% of it, unless you have 3 charts which in my case. My point is when comes to hobbies, you just pay whatever price for it.

Of Farm and Ville

I received a lot of invitation to be neighbours with my FB buddies in the highly addictive game of FarmVille. And since it is dangerously addictive.... I kept my distance, reason being I will be as insanely addictive as the game. Until recently when no. 2 is seriously into this game and no. 3 and no. 4 are watching and beginning to realise that this game, in fact all games featured in FB for that matter, is far more interesting and fun than those games they have encountered on the internet. Left with no choice - ha ha ha, like I lack control or is it because I am also curious myself how the game is played and how almost 80% of my FB buddies have become serious farmers since - I let them play using my FB. And they are SOOO hooked right now.

Now, not only I have Farmville, I have Fishville, Petville, Cafeville... (err or is it Cafe world?) in my account. All these ville are maintained by no. 3 and 4 with the help and guidance as well as advice from no. 2. What great farmers they would be! The positive side of this I hope they will understand how money works. And be more giving than receiving - both virtually and presently. Uhmm I really do hope so you know.

Leaving on a train

Hari tu kitorang balik kampung naik keretapi. First experience la untuk budak2 ni... semua excited gila. Walaupun menempuh berbagai cabaran ketika nak beli tiket ketapi tu... iye la, first attempt tiket habis... second attempt, counter tiket dah tutup... third attempt nak balik train 8.30 pagi tkde sapa pulak yang bangun... and finally fourth attempt, tiket ada tapi kelas satu je pulak.... nak tak nak pegi gak le. Abih dah memasing 'berbondong2' bawak beg ke stesen sentral tu kan. Lagi pun sian la plak tengok budak2 ni excited gila... sampai no. 1 pun terlebih excited. Unsangkarable!!!!!

Perjalanan okay la... train delay kat sejam gak. Pukul 7 baru sampai kampung. Kononnya esok tu nak balik naik ketapi gak le... malangnya tiket plak habis. Cite apa, cuti sekolah kan... mesti abis nye! Nanti plan nak naik ketapi gak le bila balik kampung lepas ni.

Emotion Rollercoaster

I am glad to announce to the world that I have finished my third book this month only. Yeah, you read it correct...... within. a. month!! By this I don't mean I have written 3 books.... I have only read, okay. Despite my whining about the endless housework that I have to do, how limited my time is to spend on hobby.... I have managed so far 3 books in November only. heh heh heh super achiever!!!!! And don't be surprised, I keep on adding. Again... reading not writing.

This last book that I read was My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult. It's a definitely page turning book, hardly putdownable that I kept reading while nursing no. 5 (and I swear I could've kept reading it while doing the housework too if I could) and it took me 3 days to finish the whole book (although that still couldn't break my record for finishing Jane Green's To Have and To Hold within 24 hours). It is indeed a good read and highly recommended. And I can't agree more with all those fantastic reviews of this book. I really loved reading this book. Towards the end, I was crying uncontrollably - if you must know how good this book is.

I think that crying part probably was mainly hormonal. You see, it was an unexpected and twisted ending and was sad too but to have me crying uncontrollably was something that I believe have to do with the hormones. These days, I am easily swayed by emotions - anger, sad, happy, down, up - whatever. But seriously, this isn't like me at all. Alright, I do have moods swing some time but not like this. It's definitely the hormones doing.

Come to think of it again, the weight gain these past two months must be the hormones doing as well. Don't blame me... when the hormones take control, there's not much that I can do.