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I once fell out with a friend because of a dispute over electricity bills.

I was sharing a flat with her while we were studying in Australia. Well, she rented the flat, then sub-let it to me, providing me a room, meals and home necessities for a fixed monthly rate.

We lived together uneventfully for a few months, then winter came and she suddenly said she needed to increase my rent.

I think it was because she saw me using my fan heater a lot, to chase the cold away.

I can understand the increased cost of heating a room, but at that time I got really angry. It was a substantial increase, plus I was already beginning to feel annoyed about her thriftiness around the house. The meals she provided were so small I was starving half the time and had to buy my own food and groceries.

So it was the last straw for me when she tried to increase my rent when it wasn’t part of our agreement. I told her I was going to move out. She said, fine, but I still had to pay the rent for the remaining few months of our agreement.

We finally came to a grudging compromise. I paid her for an extra month and moved out immediately. We were never friends again after that.

All that bad blood just because of increased electricity usage!

Maybe if I had been as thrifty as her and had just worn more clothes instead of using the heater so much, she might not have asked for more money, and we would have continued to be friends.

Well, I think, we tend not to be overly conscious about using excess electricity when we’re not the ones paying for it. My dad was paying for all my expenses in Australia, so I didn’t feel the pinch. I don’t know about that ex-friend of mine. Maybe she had to pay for her own stuff or maybe she was just kinder to her parents’ bank account than I was.

Nowadays, I’m more careful about using too much electricity, although I’ve never had to pay for it. I do realise that someone has to pay for it, so I should be nice and help them save money.

Like, I try not to keep the air conditioner running all day. I turn off the lights when I don’t need it. I know I can do more, like not keep my PC running 24/7. But that’s something I have to work on getting used to cos I like having my PC on and ready at the drop of a hat.

Just learnt something useful: Leaving your PC on overnight (around eight hours) costs an extra $15 a month for electricity. That’s not overly much but it’s $180 in a year! Think what I could do with the money!

Okay, it’s my dad’s money. Maybe he can buy a new… um… microwave oven or something? Well, I don’t know. It’s hard to imagine what my parents would want to buy cos they seem to have everything they need already.

Oh, and did you know that you can save about $665 a year by using a fan instead of an air-conditioner?

SIX HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIVE DOLLARS.

Well, okay, I really can’t stop using my a/c in hot, humid Singapore. But that’s just a nice thought, isn’t it?

So, why am I talking about electricity?

Because electricity tariffs are up by 3.3% this year. Stupid oil prices keep going up and up and up! So annoying.

But it’s quite exciting to learn that we can save literally hundreds of dollars every year just by adjusting our lifestyle a bit here and there.

Like, turning off the switch at power sockets when done using appliances.

Like, upgrading to energy-efficient appliances.

Like, not putting hot food in the fridge.

So many things we can do.

Would be so nice to have a few hundred dollars in savings each year, right? Maybe go on a cheap holiday as a reward!

Alright, maybe you already know all these facts. Maybe you’re an expert.

Maybe you can win a $250 Best Denki voucher each week by proving it!

Here!

It’ll take only a few minutes and it’s very easy to play. Just help Mr Tan save on electricity costs by turning off his appliances or buying energy-efficient ones for him!

It would help if you looked at some energy saving tips here first.

Loads of helpful nuggets can be found there. They’re fun and interesting to read!

Well, okay, I’ll leave you to it. Shall stop blogging now so I can turn off my computer and go to bed. Must save energy!

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I’m really glad I made it a point some time back not to be greedy and lust after freebies. Because you never know when threats might lurk behind such freebies.

I’m sure some people still don’t know about the notorious iPad scams that surfaced in early 2010, so let me talk about it a bit.

After Apple announced the launch of the iPad, ads suddenly started appearing all over the Internet inviting people to sign up to be iPad beta testers, after which the tester would get to keep the iPad.

Scam #1:

Scam #2:

Scam #3:

Scam #4:

There were more like these.

They were all scams.

There never were any free test iPad sets.

Scammers profitted from these in a number of ways.

For one, victims were asked to key in their e-mail and password so that the company could access their contact list and send invites to all their friends to receive free iPads.

(You’d think people ought to know by now NEVER to give their passwords to anyone!)

For another, victims were asked for their phone numbers, which were then used to subscribe to a phone service that automatically added USD10 to their phone bill every week, until the victims realised it and manually opted out of the service.

Crazy, right?

In fact, there were even scamming websites that pretended to warn people about free iPad scams, then go on to invite people to sign up with their company to receive free iPads, providing impressive-sounding (but bogus) reasons to explain why theirs aren’t a scam like the others.

People who fell for that ought to be spanked, I think. You can’t believe that people will fall for it, right? But they do. And they will continue to, unless they read this following message!

FORTUNATELY…

There’s now protection against these kind of scams, and more.

Even if you think you’re really savvy, I think it’s still good to have protection just in case you have an off-day.

I have always been careful but, a couple of years ago, I still contracted an MSN virus by unthinkingly clicking on a stupid link supposedly sent by one of my friends.

I wish I had used the right protection then!!

So, here are a few facts everyone should know:

• Today, there is one threat online every 1.5 seconds.
• By 2015, this number will be increased to 7 threats per second. (Estimated figure.)
• Just visiting a malicious website is enough to allow viruses into your PC.

The solution to all these problems is simple. Get an Internet security software to protect yourself.

Now, I know what most people are going to say. They don’t like these software because their PCs get slowed down and they get interrupted in the middle of work or playing games or something.

So, then, the solution is…

Trend Micro Titanium!

This global Internet security leader has made every effort to provide maximum protection without the inconveniences.

Using the Trend Micro Cloud Security Technology, users are only required to download 20% of signature files (as opposed to 100% for other anti-virus software), which are updated frequently and unobtrusively. All Internet threats are identified at the cloud before even reaching users’ PCs.

In layman’s terms, this just means that TrendMicro Titanium will not slow down your PC because it uses less memory while offering maximum real-time protection against current and future threats. Virus definition files are updated frequently without you even knowing or feeling it.

• Lowest in memory.
• Best in protection (detection rate) against latest new threats which are created every 1.5 seconds.
• Test results are conducted in a live environment with Internet connection turned on. This is more accurate as 92% of new threats come from the web.

So, who needs this software? Everyone, I think. Following, I present you a scary list. I mean scary considering that scams and viruses are lurking in every corner in our lives.

Top 5 threats we are vulnerable to:

1. Banking Trojans
2. Botnet Warfare
3. Personal Data Theft
4. Targeted Attacks using e-mail
5. Search Engine Poisoning

Trend Micro Titanium addresses all these threats and more. I’m sure we all know the importance of having proper protection!

Now, besides protection, what’s equally important is also the usability of the software. I found it easy to install and once there, it just sat there quietly and did its work without bothering me.

Well, unless it was to inform me that I was about to do something dangerous that would potentially infect my PC.

Besides all that, here’s something else that might interest you very much.

Would you like to enjoy a private movie screening where you can invite up to 63 friends?

YES VERY MUCH!

If you answered yes, which I’m sure you did, then here’s your chance to win one such luxury!

All you have to do is Like the Trend Micro Singapore Facebook Fan Page.

Then click on the contest tab to answer a simple question, then follow instructions!

It’s really fast and easy, just like how installing Trend Micro Titanium onto your PC is also fast and easy!

So, good luck with the contest (if you win, you will invite me to your screening, right? :P) and make sure you’re using the right protection, always!

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I’ve been travelling quite a lot this year and am already making plans for several more trips in the coming year.

So, my main concern is always mobile connectivity. Can I get a prepaid data card for my phone? Or should I rent a phone with a data plan? How will I get the locals to understand what I want if I can’t speak their language?

Or should I just use data roaming? Can my phone data roam in that country?

It is quite a chore finding answers to these questions. Sometimes, people tell you different things because they’re not too sure themselves. And, sometimes, you find out too late that what you thought would work doesn’t work after all.

So, I wish I had found this website that offers “Practical Answers For Your Digital Life” sooner.

JustAskGemalto.com is this one-stop Q&A site where you can find answers to all your digital and IT queries. If the answer you want can’t be found, just ask, and an expert will answer your question!

Here’s a useful Q&A I found for travellers:

All pertaining to a digital lifestyle, especially with an emphasis on online security, the website offers seven categories of Q&A:

• Travelling
• Communicating
• Surfing
• Health
• Personal Data
• Buying
• Working

I think it’s especially useful for the generation of users who didn’t grow up in today’s network-connected world and don’t feel safe engaging in activities or transactions on the Internet.

I’m sure everyone knows someone like that!

Then again, even for those who did grow up in this environment, it’s always a good idea to be knowledgeable on these matters to protect yourselves better

JustAskGemalto answers questions clearly and offers advice on safeguarding our online identities and personal information.

Now, my advice to you is to check out the site and answer five simple questions for a chance to win an Apple iPad as well as other attractive prizes!

One lucky person has already won an iPad in the first contest. Contest #2 is now running and the winner could be you!

The contest will run till Dec 25, 2010, so go get your entry in before it’s too late!

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The End!

I created this comic using screenshots from my own game in Granado Espada. I hope you enjoyed it even if it’s kinda silly.

Of course, the game isn’t anywhere near as silly as my story. It’s a very stylish game with a great soundtrack that inspires while it immerses you in the environment.

Into its fourth year now, Granado Espada has just released another expansion, Version 5. It’s like a totally new game with a whole new map set in the period between the 1500s and 1700s.

I must say I enjoyed the game a lot more than I did when I first played it three years ago.

I used to not like the fact that you had to control three characters at once, even though that’s supposedly the selling point of the game. I guess I’m the kind of person who likes to focus on one thing at a time.

But I actually enjoyed it this time. It does help that you can defeat an encounter because you have two other party members with different skills you can either control manually or set on auto mode so they fend for themselves.

After three years, Granado Espada is still one of the top grossing MMORPGs in the region, with about a million registered players (280,000 in Singapore alone).

Besides the three-character feature, I think players love the beautiful designs of the costumes and equipment, as well as the world itself. There are also very frequent events and activities to keep things exciting. Sometimes, players are also allowed to contribute to designs and content!

If you haven’t tried Granado Espada, this new expansion can be played as a new game. You don’t have to have played the older versions in order to enjoy this one. Of course, you’ll need to spend a bit of time exploring and learning all the features from all the NPCs scattered around town, but you have to do that with most games, anyway.

If you’re not new to Granado Espada, you’ll probably love the new stuff in this expansion.

A new land — Castilla Island — brings with it new quests, monsters and missions as well as a new medal system for prominent bragging rights.

A new roulette system for item rewards which ensures fairness in loot division.

Valeria, a new recruitable scout NPC with better recovery and longer range healing. Sister to Princess Gabriela, leader of the Royalist faction, Valeria was confined in the deepest part of Prison de Jaquin since birth. She’ll be very useful in PvP battles and raids!

Premium recruitable NPCs are now free! You have to earn them through completing quests, but that’s still better than paying money for them, right? Time to get those dudes you’ve always wanted!

New expert stances that deal higher damages.

The best thing of all is that this game is totally free to play!

Download the Granado Espada client here and you’ll be on your way to many hours of fun!

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THE HOOK
Awesome food and great company all day long!

THE CHALLENGE
Nine hours of nonstop eating morning till night! Can you last?

THE CATCH
You’ll have to put up with crazy antics from event hosts and, sometimes, loopy bloggers like Sheylara, while trying not to snort food out your nose due to excessive laughter, while at the same time trying to eat as much as you can.

I was just joking. We’re not going to force feed you while inducing you to laugh; we’re not sadists, obviously, but the food is free-flow and you might want to get your money’s worth.

As one participant said, he’d gone with a 3000cc stomach ready to conquer all the innocent (but delicious) little foodstuff!

This guy in the picture isn’t the one with the 3000cc stomach, though. Just using this pic here because it’s a convenient illustration.

Anyways.

SAFRA has started up a new club for food lovers and the Bitez Food Trail is one of the ongoing activities that members get to enjoy.

I was invited to the inaugural trail although I was only present for the second half of it, together with DJ Mario from Power 98.

The first half was presided over by DJ Charmaine (also Power 98) and food blogger ladyironchef.

I suppose attending only half of the food trail was quite enough for me. I don’t know if I could have survived all six stops. Then again, at the same time, I can’t help feeling rather bummed that I missed out on so much great food.

The first thing that ladyironchef and Charmaine got to enjoy was a great American breakfast at Breeks (Changi Airport). I so love American breakfasts!

Their second stop was dessert at Crowne Plaza. How could I have missed this?!!

Billy Bombers was the third stop, which I also missed, which was sad because I love Billy Bombers.

But I was also relieved that I was assigned the second leg since that meant I was able to sleep in a little later. :P

My first stop was Mushroom at Macritchie Reservoir. I hadn’t been to the reservoir since my secondary school days when we went there for cross-country running practice. It was very nostalgic.

The cafe offers snacks and a variety of local meals.

This fourth stop was probably designed to serve as a pleasant break for participants after three stops of rich food. Here, we were served light bites such as chee cheong fan, siew mai and fried mushrooms.

It was yummeh! I wouldn’t mind going back there again. It’s a very peaceful, scenic place. Nice to set up a laptop there and do some writing while enjoying yummy snacks!

Mario and I were given a fork and a spoon to carry like a team banner of sorts. It’s made of wood so it’s heavy! But it was all qute hilarious. I liked walking around holding a giant spoon!

Next was Old Chang Kee. I so love Old Chang Kee! We were allowed to take anything we wanted from the stall!

That could possibly have been the happiest day of my life, offered all that food in unlimited amounts. But I didn’t eat much because I was supposedly there as a celebrity guest so I had to maintain a glam image instead of looking like a glutton, right?

No, actually, I didn’t eat much because I was suffering a mild tummy upset from having eaten something wrong the night before. That’s Murphy’s Law for you.

On the bright side, the involuntary restraint was probably a blessing in disguise. It did help me maintain a semblance of a glam image (I hope).

What would have happened if I had gone with my full eating capacity!!

(I heard that the organisers are thinking of inviting me for the next food trail, so my “glam” image is going to be placed at risk because I’m sure I won’t be having a tummy upset the next time.)

As it happened this round, I ate very modestly and coquettishly. I’m sure everyone thought I was very ladylike and dainty.

So there.

Here’s a group photo that I cut up a bit. Otherwise it’ll be like the one above where you can’t see anyone because everyone’s faces are so small, lol. Sorry, the rest of you who got cut away. =(

The last stop was the most fun! It was at NYDC Holland Village, where we had the Great Elephantcino Challenge!

Or, rather, I was forced to participate in it, lol. Mario and I had to team up against two other contestants to be the first team to finish the great Elephantcino drink at NYDC.

Unfortunately, cold drinks have never been my strong suit. In fact, drinking has never been my strong suit. People who know me know that I’m a camel and I drink very infrequently.

So, after drinking for ages, I really thought I was already halfway through but when I held up the mug to look, I found I had hardly made a dent. What an impossible challenge!! For me, at least.

23,846 hours later…

Darn bottomless mug!!

Mario was a real pro, continuing to maintain his role as emcee, entertaining the audience with his jokes even while being a contestant himself. So, between his having to work the crowd and his useless camel of a partner, we were totally creamed.

Don’t think the mug looks so small or what, okay. It is very difficult can??! It’s so freaking cold you can’t feel your mouth after like 10 seconds!

Anyway, the two winners won SAFRA vouchers which can be used at various participating stores in Singapore! Whee!

I guess it was quite a fitting end to a gluttonous affair!

Oh yeah, NYDC fed us till bursting point. There were buffalo wings (really awesome, my favourite), pasta, sandwiches, potato wedges and cheesecake! Craziness!

Oh, wait. It wasn’t exactly over yet.

After the six advertised stops, we were treated to a last bonus stop at a gelato cafe at SAFRA Mount Faber.

THAT was a great end! The gelato was awesome!! I’m going back for more! The cafe is situated in a big store that sells sporty clothes and equipment, so I was able to go shopping while eating my gelato! Heh.

Still eating my gelato during the last group photo shoot of the day…

Before I end this post, let me try to entice you into joining the next food trail. Wait, do I need to entice you even? I’m sure you’re very, very enticed by now. Can you resist such fun and yumminess?

Be a member of the Bitez Club by SAFRA!

For a minimal membership fee of $30 a year, you’ll receive a Bitez card which entitles you to discounts and birthday treats at partner restaurants all year round. Also, you’ll be able to sign up for the next food trail (and the next one and the next one…) and enjoy the same thing I did!

Click here to find out more about Bitez!

If you’re not convinced yet, watch this video summary of our experience!

There are two more videos at the SAFRA Facebook fan page. Watch ladyironchef’s egg eating competition and my Elephantcino competition in motion!

Or, if you’re not the video-watching type, go check out the fan page for tons more photos of the event.

Perhaps I’ll see you at the next food trail, eh?