Friday, April 30, 2010

Pink is A Happy Color in Many Places

Good morning "Pinkies" and welcome to my Pink Saturday post. As always, please thank the beautiful Ms Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for organizing and hosting this fabulous event, each and every Saturday. Please remember to go and check out her blog, and see the complete list of Pink Saturday "Pinkie" participants, and take the time to go and visit some of them. You will find the pinkest of "Pinkies" right here at Pink Saturday.









If you are a follower of my blog, then you know that last week I spent in Maryland with my precious friend Marydon @ Blushing Rose. She is truly my sister. We are both attached at the hip for life.  Marydon had the most wonderful schedule all planned out for me to see the best of everything. Let me tell you pink is in abundance there. But one of the most interesting places to find pink I am sharing below. Who would have thought?





We went on a tour of the home of Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower our 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He and Mamie Eisenhower retired to the place where they had spent much of their post-war time, a working farm adjacent to the battlefield at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. In 1967, the Eisenhowers donated the farm to the National Park Service and since 1980 it has been open to the public as the Eisenhower National Historic Site. Pinkies just take a gander at the pink that was awaiting me there.












First down the hall, their bathroom. Look at the monogrammed towels for Mamie and Dwight. Pink trash can with fringed edging and the same on their monogrammed hamper. Even notice the pink weight scale in the pink. Yes Mamie loved pink. Notice the little pink hairbrush left on the sink area.











Now the bedroom. Love the pink satin bedspread. (If you look closely you will also see the headboard was pink. So elegant.) Even the drapes matched with the beautiful pattern. Notice the beautiful pink lamp with trim on the bedside table.











Even the little settee at the foot of the bed was made of the satin pink. Isn't it exquisite? Now pinkies you have got to share with your hubbies that even Presidents aren't afraid of pink. Love it.



  










Next, came the linen closet. Look at all the pink. Loved the pink towels, notice there is another pink quilt on the top shelf. Even towels with pink roses.  On the third shelf from the top, on the left, I noticed they even had a few with eyelet trimmed in pink. Yes Mamie did love pink.













Down the hall was one of the guest bedrooms. Mamie has the most beautiful rose patterened curtains and  bedspread, and just take a look at the pink dust ruffle. So very elegant. The lamp once again pink, with pink trim on the lamp shade. Notice the red carpet. They had lots of red carpet.










And lastly, I know it isn't pink, but just look at this exquisite dining room. It is red which pink does come from, so I just had to share. The chairs are so elegant, and feast your eyes, if you haven't already, on the beautiful chandelier. I fell in love with it. Isn't it exquisite? I can just imagine all of the dinner parties that were held here, and all of the famous guests that dined here. Just look at the beautiful pieces of the glass collectibles on the shelves, and I loved the tea set.





I hope you have enjoyed your tour with me today. I only shared the pink with you, but there were so many other beautiful rooms in this home. (Please click on the link at the top to Blushing Rose, as Marydon is sharing the other parts of the house tour today). I felt like royalty as I walked through. If you ever get the opportunity, and you are in the area, you must add this tour to your schedule. Thank you Marydon for taking me. I had the time of my life.














And lastly, I wanted to share one of the beautiful bouquets that Marydon had designed by a local florist, for our Maryland tea that she hosted while I was there. She loves pink and ofcourse lavendar is one of my favorite, so she had the two combined. Aren't they just beautiful?













Thank you for stopping by my little piece of heaven, here in the desert that I so love to call home. Country hugs and much love,








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You're Beautiful...









Today Sweet Marydon, known to the blogging world as Blushing Rose, as I sit at home sick, I was looking through our vacation together, and came across these pictures of you. They make me smile, give my heart happiness and just fill my soul with joy. My cup truly runneth over with LOVE.  I cannot thank you and Harold enough for the wonderful time we all shared.  Memories to last me a lifetime, and a SISTER forever and to eternity. I love you.


 







Here is a profile. Incase you didn't know this about sweet Marydon, she luvs hats. Pink ofcourse is her favorite.  Oh what fun we had trying them all on. She is my kind of gal. We so laughed this week together.











"You see sweet Cherry Jelly, I told you red was not my signature color."  I disagree though, she sure looks beautiful to me. The lady in red, yep the lady in red.











"Excuse me? You are asking how much for this beautiful summer hat?"  Aren't the daisies just devine? I love it. Oh Marydon sweetie, you are just so beautiful. I have never seen a lady who wears hats quite this well.












"Oh Cherry Jelly, where are you? Come quickly and see what I have found now? It is absolutely devine, don't you think?"












BINGO!!! Yep BINGO!!! Believe it or not, Marydon won the first game of the night. I had not played BINGO since Oklahoma, and when I asked if we could go, yep you guessed it. Harold and Marydon took me to play BINGO. We laughed so hard, we probably missed a few we should have dobbed. What a wonderful evening we had. Incase you are wondering, Marydon won a whopping $38.00 for this BINGO game. It bought up breakfast and lunch the next day. We are still laughing about it today.





I hope you have enjoyed my little post this afternoon. I am battling pneumonia from the change in climate. I cannot go outside, and I can't talk without coughing horribly, so I decided to sit and post a thank you to my sweet Marydon. I love you sweetie. Thank you again for the wonderful time we shared. I cannot wait for the next one.





As always, thank you for stopping by my little piece of heaven, here in the desert, that I so love to call home. Country hugs and love...






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"Sons of God" our Creator and Mankind by Jordan Maxwell

The one who created are all around us,
The one who created us that came from the stars,
Preparing us to expect their arrival,
While the minds of many filled with illusions,
I plead you to wake up and smile.

Jordan Maxwell has been a true inspiration to me through his research and philosophies. Just wanna say thanks a lot. Do catch his interviews and documentary by searching his name on the blog.

Forbidden Knowledge - Part 1 of 9

Forbidden Knowledge - Part 2 of 9

Forbidden Knowledge - Part 3 of 9

Forbidden Knowledge - Part 4 of 9

Forbidden Knowledge - Part 5 of 9

Forbidden Knowledge - Part 6 of 9

Forbidden Knowledge - Part 7 of 9

Forbidden Knowledge - Part 8 of 9

Forbidden Knowledge - Part 9 of 9

Lambo sewa, Fendi sewa, Rolex pun sewa....

Kita rilek sikit di hujung minggu ni, jangan masuk bab bangsa, politik dan polis.

Nak cerita kehidupan di negara Singapura yang mengaku mewah dan yang terbanyak jutawan US-dollar di dunia.

Saya ni dari keluarga miskin. Lepas tu kerja jadi wartawan.
Jadi ada harapan juga jumpa orang atasan yang berpengaruh dan kaya raya.
Walapun orang ni semua tahu kami sang wartawan manusia kelas biasa, tapi orang segan juga sebab takut kami tulis perkara negatif tentang mereka.

Apabila saya campur dengan orang yang hidup di kayangan ni, saya tak pandai nak mengukur kamu ni kaya ke tidak, dari tahap atasan atau dalam longkang seperti saya.

Tapi rupa-rupanya, untuk mereka yang suka bersosial, tak begitu.
Mereka, kata orang tu, pandang atas bawah nak tengok status kita.
Mereka boleh tahu kasut kita mahal ke atau (yang saya gemar pakai) harganya S$70 sepasang, made in China.
Baju mahal Versace, Armani, atau (yang saya pakai setiap hari) dibeli kat Jusco di Datuk Keramat, Ampang AU3.


Jadi amacam nak dilihat sebagai belonging to the Glam Set?
Kalau tak mampu beli, maka kita boleh SEWA beb!




1) Kita semua tahu bahawa kereta memang boleh disewa.
Tapi baru saya tahu ni - kereta mewah pun boleh disewa (saya ke sana sini naik MRT atau teksi).
Baca di sini.
Boleh sewa Lambo dengan harga S$3,988 (RM9,100) untuk 24jam.
Baru ada Gaya, Mutu, Keunggulan.
Tapi kalau tersalah pandu, kena kejar abang polis, lepas tu ditembak dari belakang.... Opocot! Termasuk salah bab.

Tapi sang kereta tu benda besar, saya tak terkejut ia boleh disewa. Sebab mungkin kat Malaysia pun dah ada orang buat.
Tapi di Singapore, anda boleh sewa benda kecil-kecilan yang mewah juga.



2) Beg mewah.
Adoi. Ini untuk orang pompuan: misalnya wartawan tak tahu malu, nak jumpa Datin hidung tinggi.

Maaflah, saya dulu membesar kat Singapore dan menetap di Malaysia tak pernah dengar benda ni.
Saya pun selalu campur dengan makcik gi kenduri, takkan dia nak sewa beg Coach atau Longchamp (GAMBAR)?
Rupa-rupanya ada banyak kedai sewa beg mewah ni.
Di sini ialah salah satu daripadanya di Singapore. Kata rakan ada banyak kedai sewa beg ini.
Ish ish ish.
Beg Fendi tu cantik kot - tapi sewanya S$54 (RM124) seminggu. Atau RM17.70 sehari.
Kan lebih baik aku beli beg tiruan kat Petaling Street, lepas tu lebihnya buat makan nasi lemak?


Lepas tu, tak puas hati juga? JAM TANGAN pun boleh disewa!!!
Saya ada tiga jam tangan lux - Tag Heuer, Oris dan Cartier. Semuanya dibeli di Mangga Dua, Jakarta dua tahun lalu. Tiruan. Hahaha.




3) Tetapi untuk jumpa CEO, dan nak tunjuk aku ni dah sampai kat langit, boleh sewa jam tangan lux, di sini.
Ianya kedai menyewa jam mewah pertama di Singapore.
Eeks Rolex tu sewa seminggu S$254 (RM584)!
Tapi kena bayar deposit S$5,000 dulu!!!
Kalau calar atau rosak, mampoi.


Itulah tuan, puan.
Pada saya ini semua bermakna cara hidup berpura-pura di Singapore ni dah melampau.
Tapi masing-masinglah.
Asal dia tak paksa saya sewa Aston Martin (GAMBAR) nak ke pejabat dan kena sewa jam Breitling (GAMBAR) kerana nak jumpa menteri.

Kita buat hanya yang termampu. Bodohkan diri buat apa.

Embracing Rejection


Design from our Ye Olde School Video that was part of a rejected book concept
COPYRIGHT MARGOT POTTER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED!

I helped to coordinate a teleclass yesterday with editor Julie Stephani from Today's Creative Home Arts magazine. She is an accomplished woman with a wealth of information to share and the class was fascinating. It was all about creating and presenting effective proposals, which is something everyone needs to know. You can have all sorts of grand ideas, but if you can't organize them and present them in a way that other people can understand, chances are your grand ideas are going to remain ideas. The pitch is everything and having a good pitch and knowing to whom you need to pitch it is key. This class got me to ruminating about today's blog post.

The first step to taking an idea and creating an effective pitch is research. I can't understand how people don't seem to have the vision to research their way to being sure that their idea is fresh and timely and marketable. It always baffles me how creatives can live in a bubble of creativity and forget the business part of the equation. Yes, your idea may be the most brilliant idea ever and your work may be exceptional, but if it's been seen before or if it's too far ahead of the curve or if you can't tailor your work to suit the current style, it's not going to sell. Success is being in the right place at the right time with the right idea. (I'm of the mind of having as many great ideas stored up as possible so I'm ready when the right time and right place occur.)

Even if you have a great idea and a great pitch and you've done the research and you feel it's timely and you present it with conviction and panache, sometimes the answer is no. In fact, often the answer is no. If you give up after the first no, you're not made of the stuff it takes to be an entrepreneur. I've pitched and reworked and repitched ideas multiple times until finding the right fit. If Hemingway had given up after his many, many rejections we'd have missed out on some mighty fine literature. In fact, some of the most treasured literary masterpieces met with a slew of rejection letters before finding a publisher who had the vision to take them on. Authors like Dr. Seuss, Beatrix Potter, Rudyard Kipling, H.G. Wells, Nabikov and many, many others were presented with sound and stark rejection letters over and over again. It was their belief in their ideas and their tenacity that resulted in their success. I truly believe that there is no real failure if you make the effort. You live, you learn, you grow and if you keep throwing stuff at the wall eventually something is gonna stick.

So even if the answer is no, don't hesitate to ask why and take that advice for what it's worth and keep on swinging. Keep fine tuning, keep doing your research, keep working on your presentation so that when the right moment arrives, you'll be ready. Think about how you can repurpose your ideas, maybe break them apart and use them elsewhere, like I did with my mixed media necklace above in our video. Sometimes no is the best word you can hear because it will force you to take a good hard look at what you've got and that can result in the changes you need to succeed next time. I keep a file of rejection letters, some of them have ended up being quite ironic and I've even ended up working with and for the people who rejected me at a later time in another capacity. I love when that happens! Sometimes no means, not this time or for this project. If you didn't give it a shot, you'd not be in their mind for another time and another project.

You can't just rely on your artistic talent. There will always be people more talented than you. That's a tough pill to swallow, but it's a humbling one. What do you have that they don't? How can you use the talent you have along with your smarts and your street savvy to market you and your big ideas successfully? That's the question you need to ask yourself every single day.

Love
Madge

Peta minyak Sarawak-Brunei - Blok 'K J'

Mengenai Abdullah Badawi dituduh memberikan Brunei block minyak kepada Brunei.

Malaysia menamakan kedua blok minyak itu, L dan M.
Tapi Brunei pula menamakannya Block K dan Block J.
Eeks, Blocks KJ (?).
Ah kan, ah kan.
Buat lawak saja.

Official Brunei map of the once-disputed areas:
http://www.petroleum-unit.gov.bn/oil_gas.htm
Yang warna pink dan biru muda tu.

Insider pun ada peta yang lebih kurang sama, tapi dari pandangan Malaysia:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/61745


----------------------------------------

TAMBAHAN 12TGHMLM

This is a chronology of the issue which I compiled for my newspaper just now.
History, my dear friends, is very important to give us an insight of the future.

1890s - Sarawak’s ‘White Rajah’, Charles Brooke, took over Limbang district from Brunei. The cession is disputed by Brunei which regarded the transfer as annexation by Sarawak.

1979 - Malaysia publishes a map which indicated all deep-sea territorial waters off coast of Brunei belonged to Malaysia.

1995 - Negotiations began, and went on for 38 rounds over the years.

2003 - Malaysia and Brunei awarded petroleum production-sharing contracts for four exploration blocks in South China Sea to different companies in the disputed area. Following the dispute, both countries stopped drilling in the area.

March 2009 - Tun Abdullah Badawi signed Letters of Exchange with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in Bandar Seri Begawan. Mr Abdullah later told reporters Brunei has dropped its claim over Limbang. Brunei a day later denied that Limbang was discussed during the meeting with the Sultan.

April 21, 2010 - US company Murphy Oil Corp said it was informed by Malaysian national oil firm Petronas that its contract for Blocks L and M has been terminated as these were no longer part of Malaysia.

April, 29, 2010 - Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad claimed in his blog that Mr Abdullah has caused Malaysia to lose at least US$100 billion dollars in oil revenues by losing the two blocks.

April 30, 2010 - Mr Abdullah in a statement said his Cabinet ministers had agreed to the deal. “Sovereign rights to the resources in this area now belongs to Brunei,” he said.

(Source: March 2009 report in The Star)

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Secret Ideology and Hidden Message on TV, Movies, Adverts, and Music

See if you can figure out whats going on... An ignorant person or kids perception toyed about. Just some of a few videos I found rather questionable. Seek out the light!

Sony Ericsson advertises the Antichrist Idea.


Nike TV Advert Reveals NFL Star Athlete is a Reptilian.


Interbreeding Aliens With Gallagher.


Horned Demon Needs Human Energy = Seat; “Love & Worship the Beast”.


You Could Be One Less... With The Gardasil Vaccination.


Java Is Everywhere: Illumination, Brain Cancer, Connected Spiritually not Technologically Monitoring Control.


PUMA Illuminati Commercial.


TV Advert - I Am One Of The 63336.


Selling the New World Order in Great Britain Security System and Data Banks.


Illuminati TV Spot - Flu Inside Job: It Will Happen Again! Search Vaccine on the blog.


This Is The Way They Want Our Children!?


The Pedohilic AD, Vodafone. What are they thinking!


Tom and Jerry Satan Worship.


McDonald's Egypt.


They Are Not Invisible, Can YOU Find em?


Draco Aliens Loving Human Flesh, Yam, Yam.


Zanussi Ridiculing Alien Abductions And Crop Circles.


Coca Cola Illuminati Message.


Occult tricks in T.V Advertising - Illuminati.


Part I HULU: An Evil Plot to Destroy the World: Enjoy (Superbowl Commercial).


Part II HULU: An Evil Plot to Destroy the World: Enjoy.


Part III HULU: An Evil Plot to Destroy the World: Enjoy.


Rhianna, Umbrella, Eye of Ra and the Masonic Triangle.

The Doors Live Concert Hollywood Bowl - 1968

1:02:21


The legendary rock group, The Doors, were at their musical peak when this concert footage was taken. Filmed live at the Hollywood Bowl in the summer of 1968, Jim Morrison and the band perform an extended version of "Light My Fire," plus ten of their other most love songs, taking a standing room only audience on an aural journey of mystical worlds and psychedelic experiences.
The legendary rock group, The Doors, were at their musical peak when this concert footage was taken. Filmed live at the Hollywood Bowl in the summer of 1968, Jim Morrison and the band perform an extended version of "Light My Fire," plus ten of their other most love songs, taking a standing room only audience on an aural journey of mystical worlds and psychedelic experiences.
The Doors BiographyThe Doors were a four person musical band of the 1960s and early 1970s, consisting of Jim Morrison (vocals, b. 1943 d. 1971), Ray Manzarek (organ, keyboard, b. 1939), Robbie Krieger (guitar, b. 1946) and John Densmore (drums, b. 1944)
The group started in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, after a meeting between UCLA film school graduates Morrison and Manzarek. Morrison sang Manzarek some of his poetry and song lyrics including "Moonlight Drive." Manzarek was already in a band called Rick And The Ravens while Krieger and Densmore were playing with The Psychedelic Rangers, but knew Manzarek from shared meditation instruction. The latter two, along with a female bass player, were rapidly recruited and the band took up a number of club residences first at LA's "London Fog" and later the "Whiskey-A-Go-Go".

To fans of the Doors, the music included socially and politically charged lyrics mostly written by Jim Morrison. The jazz drumming of John Densmore, the swirling keyboards of Ray Manzarek, whose left hand played the parts typically associated with bass guitar, and Robbie Krieger's guitar playing, which showed the influence of flamenco, Indian, the blues and classical music, combined to form a distinctive sound.
The band took their name from a line in a book by Aldous Huxley, The Doors of Perception, which was in turn borrowed from a line of poetry by the 18th century artist and poet William Blake: "If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it truly is, infinite."

The Doors quickly earned a reputation as an entertaining live act. In one known incident, at a 1969 concert in Miami, Florida, Morrison allegedly exposed himself. Misdemeanour and felony charges were brought against Morrison. The misdemeanour charges stuck. The incident remains inconclusive. Jim Morrison said, "I wasted a lot of time with the Miami trial. About a year and a half. But I guess it was a valuable experience because before the trial I had a very unrealistic schoolboy attitude about the American judicial system. My eyes have been opened up a bit."

In 1971, Morrison died in mysterious circumstances while living in Paris, leaving some fans believing that Morrison faked his death in order to escape the spotlight. The remaining Doors continued, Manzarek replacing Morrison as singer, and released two more albums, Other Voices and Full Circle. The band was very successful with all four original members.

In late 2002, Manzarek and Krieger revived the Doors, recruiting singer Ian Astbury of The Cult, as well as drummer Ty Dennis and bassist Angelo Barbera, both of the Robbie Krieger Band. The Doors are remembered for shamanistic live performances. Some people of the "establishment" thought that they were just more American rock music rebels. Jim Morrison said "I like any reaction I can get with my music. Just anything to get people to think. I mean if you can get a whole room full of drunk, stoned people to actually wake up and think, you're doing something."

Their ongoing popularity is tallied by continuing sales of their early work
Source from: Classic Rock Lyrics

Telaga minyak US$100b M'sia jatuh ke Brunei?

Tak payah saya nak tulis banyak.
Isu ini dah meletup pun - rockybru, marahku, ~penarik beca, anilnetto, melayu bersatu.

Jika Dr M betul, ia bermakna Abdullah AlBadawi telah menghadiahkan Brunei dua telaga minyak bernilai US$100 bilion/RM320 billion.
Tanah di Limbang tak dapat pun.
Ceritanya di chedet.

Sedih. Malu. Tapi tak terperanjat.
Kata seorang rakan wartawan kanan di KL: I am not surprised anymore. I don't have the energy anymore to get angry with these things.

Don't have the energy indeed. Energy (minyak dan gas) dah dihadiahkan kepada jiran Melayu yang dikasihi.
Kita lihat dulu, sebab mungkin Dr M tersilap kata kot.

As for now I am speechless.

CSN Stores Giveaway WINNER!!!

Copyright Dover Books 120 Degas Paintings

I'm happy to report that I'm feeling semi-human today. That's something upon which to hang my jaunty beret!

Blogger has decided to type my blog in Hindi unless I post in HTML mode. Super. Yesterday it arbitrarily switched me over to Blogger in Beta which made it impossible to upload photos. I was able to switch back, but I suddenly no longer have the ability to size my photos. Gosh Blogger, what fun filled fantastic pain the fanny feature will you fling at me in the future? I can hardly wait to find out.

The anticipation is killing me.

I wanted to announce the winner of the CSN Stores contest! Irene Lenihan of Flight of Fancy Creations blog...you won! Please email me at margot@margotpotter.com so I can connect you with the folks from CSN and you can collect your prize.

Thanks to everyone who left comments.

Hi ho, hi ho,
Madge

A WOMAN AND A FORK

29th,April,2010


Thursday


7P.m


Dear Friends,


Good Evening!


Yesterday we had the first heavy showers!I was on my way visiting my friend.She was my neighbour and before I leave for Thrissur I meet my relatives and friends.Thunder and lightening started accompanied by heavy down pour!Wow!The maddening smell of mud!The raindrops falling on the leaves and white flowers!I was enjoying the rain!It was fun sipping hot tea and having jackfruit ada and chakka varatiiyathu![the sweet made from jackfruit].There was power failure but nature was so generous with cool,cool breeze.

Today,Iwant to share a mail with all of you!I found it really impressive and inspiring and so thought of sharing with you.

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live.
So as she was getting her things 'in order,' she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain
aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like to read and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.Everything was in order and thePastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.''There is one more thing,''she said excitedly.'What's that''?came the Pastor's reply.'This is very important'the young woman continued.'I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand''.The Pastor stood looking at the young woman not knowing quite what to say.''That surprises you,doesn't it''?the young woman asked.''Well to be honest,I'm puzzled by the request''said the Pastor. The young woman explained.''My grandmother once told me this story,and from that time on I have always tried to pass along this message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners,I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared someone would inevitably lean over and say,''Keep your fork''.It was my favourite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate
cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!' So, I just want people to see me there in that casket
with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you to tell them: 'Keep your fork ..the
best is yet to come.' The Pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye. He knew this would
be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven
than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience
and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming. At tAt the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand.. Over and over, the Pastor heard the question,
'What's with the fork?' And over and over he smiled. During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation he had
with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. He told the
people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it
either. He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.
Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed.
Cherish the time you have, and the memories you share .....
Being friends with someone is not just an opportunity, but a sweet responsibility.
they do remember,
every time they pick up a fork.!
And just always remember.....keep your fork! The Best Is Yet To Come!

Let us always live with this beautiful thought!It makes us dream higher,makes us realise sky is the limit!

When depressing thoughts seem to get you down,put a smile across your face and Thank GOD-you are still alive and still around!

It's Anu signing off...............

I am leaving for my summer holidays to Thrissur-the land of temples and elephants.The life style is going to change with the time table of Amma and Nanda!You will get to know!:)

Be kind and good to people around,

Wishing you a wonderful and peaceful night,

Reminding Anu loves you dilse,

Will be getting back to you through posts:)[from thrissur]

Good night and sound sleep!Sweet dreams too!

Sasneham,

Anu

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Is AirAsia behaving like a spolit child?

People like me support AirAsia when it started out to give us lower fares for the long-protected Singapore-KL route several years ago.
Fares that once cost S$400 or RM800 return, have now been halved - if one were to book about 2weeks before the actual journeys.
I wrote about this a couple'a weeks back here.

Since then we have Jetstar (Qantas) and Tiger (SIA) from Singapore, and Firefly (MAS) from Malaysia also offering lower costs flights Sing-KL.
All well and good.


But today, look! AirAsia is again playing the role of the spoilt child.
It seems to be pushing people around to get what it wants.
It got badly bruised for the ill-conceived (let me just call it stupid and egoistic) plan to build an airport to actually rival KLIA, at Labu in Negeri Sembilan.
All in the name of competition, lowering costs for users etc.

I called it Airport Labu Labi. Hahaha. Kerja bodoh nak menjahamkan negara sendiri dengan menggunakan nama rakyat.
Everybody condemned it, including Dr M. And myself, egs here, here and here.
They got hit on the nose and go-stan.


And we of course remember that AirAsia at one time agreed to fly rural routes in Sabah and Sarawak, but suddenly - less than a year after doing so - passed these back to MAS after finding them not profitable.
Not unexpectedly, someone in government quickly approved it (during Pak Lah's time). See how AirAsia nicely explained it all away - the money-losing routes, taxpayers please take over.
"On 26 April 2007, the government has announced for Malaysia Airlines to take over the operation of rural air services from FAX and gave assurance that any loss will be borne by government."

I was shocked. But like every other shocking issue in Malaysia, everyone moves on quickly. Semua orang mudah lupa.


NOW, they are at it again.
I have been watching closely AirAsia X's push to muscle into MAS's territory.
Two weeks ago, when PM Najib Razak was away in Washington, suddenly AirAsia seemed to have leaked news that it has received go-ahead to fly KL-Seoul.
Eh, tak ada government announcement pun!

If you read the news reports here and here, there was not a single government official talking. Just like magic: Hey, we've got it, thank you people.
X's argument: If we didn't get Seoul and Sydney, we will be screwed because we are buying big air planes already. To me, it is obviously a bad idea to plan big when you wanna screw other people who might not like to be screwed and would fight back, like the incumbent national airline MAS.

X is saying it MUST HAVE Seoul and Sydney routes because the planes have been ordered. So please everybody, kowtow to them and say Yes.
Ini bukan zaman PakLah, when you have special ears to get things done your way.

AirAsia and its international sister AirAsia X are very good at playing this media game and using the rakyat's name to get what they wanted.
I apologise for being blunt.
Today, X's boss gave an interview to Insider to - again, using the rakyat's name and competition - get the Sydney route. See here.

Ong Tee Keat (half-out-the-door) Transport Minister, chided X and its elder sister.
Why?
Tee Keat didn't say it clearly. So let me tell you Singapore's experience.



IMPORTANT FOR MALAYSIAN TAXPAYERS


Singapore has only one national airline, SIA.
It controls SilkAir and has a stake in Tiger (34.4 per cent)

But you don't find the smaller sisters killing the elder sibling by asking to fly into the same routes.
SIA's brand is to fly into the capitals and big cities.
The rest do the other routes.
If you want to come in, open up other routes, brader.
If big sis already flies to Seoul, you ask to fly to Busan or other cities in Korea.
If big sis got routes to Sydney and Perth, you ask to fly other routes in Australia lah.

When Tiger and SilkAir fly into KL and Penang, SIA has to scale back - due to the nature of the limited awarding of landing rights. But these are no more the main routes for SIA, anyway.
If you ask a country for a certain number of landing rights a week, you got to reciprocate with a certain number for them to fly into your country.
The rights are not an infinite number.
Everybody knows SIA as the national airline of Singapore.



X now seems to want to be the SECOND national airline for Malaysia.
This will erode MAS's standing as the national airline and weaken its brand, I feel.
Does a small country like Malaysia need a second national airline that is controlled by private shareholders (not taxpayers)?
Unlike MAS, AirAsia and X profits will go to its shareholders' pockets only.
MAS, owned by government through Khazanah Nasional, will make profit for taxpayers. You and I.

X's argument is valid: Fares will become cheaper for the rakyat!
The part it did NOT say is this: MAS is a national carrier, still majority-owned by the government, ie taxpayers.
If say 10,000 people fly that route, say Sydney, a week, that is MAS's profit.  Taxpayers untung besar.
But if X goes into the same route, and lower costs, it might get a few thousand more people to fly, but it will also eat deeply into MAS profits and passengers.

Open competition is good, but as Tee Keat alludes, you got to protect your national interest in certain areas, not the interest of private shareholders.

Just like the Labu Labi idea. National interest should come first.

LET's put it another way: Petronas carries the Malaysian flag in the energy market globally, when it comes to drilling and branding overseas.
But even if other local champions, eg Petra or Crest, want to muscle in by bidding for oilfields overseas, that is not so bad.
And then we have banking, where, for example, Maybank and CIMB both have banking units in Singapore and in Indonesia.

But the airline business is a different kettle of fish.
Landing rights given by one country to another are limited.
Petronas and Crest might both come into a country and open up its businesses without much restrictions (especially in a market-driven place like Singapore).
And Maybank and CIMB can both have Indonesian bank stakes because there is no limit to their presence (subject to some Bank Indonesia rules), unlike the dishing out of landing rights.


IN POLITICAL TERMS

Whether you are from BN or Pakatan, everyone wants to see healthy finances from the national airline. MAS went through a bad patch for long years and now has been on the mend.
Whether BN remains in power or Pakatan takes over in 2013, or a mixed equation of any sort, surely no one wants a financially-bleeding government-controlled company at a time when the budget deficit is already so high.


Finally, do not think for one moment that I have become an AirAsia hater and a MAS lover. Readers of this blog might remember that I basuh MAS cukup-cukup just months ago for running a poor service out of India.
And believe me, without Tony Fernandes, MAS would be fully asleep and comfy in its Sing-KL routes.
Hail to AA, X and Tony.

But I feel there is something that is not quite right here.
Well, I can still change my mind! So, tell me.

Attack of the Pollen Monster




Gentle Reader

I'm afraid Madge is down for the count this week.  The pollen has been relentless.  She is resting and hoping to be back in the saddle soon.  No need for medical advice, believe you me she's tried it all and soon she's going to get some real help.  It's spring in the Northeast Corridor and even folks who don't usually have problems are miserable.

Until next time...craft on with your bad selves!

Snork.

xoxo
Madge's Personal Assistant
Okay...really Madge

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

We Are Off To Arlington Cemetery ...









Buttercup - Buttercup Counts Her Blessings, Marydon - Blushing Rose, and myself went off to the Arlington Cemetery for our Sunday tour. Buttercup came down from New York for the Saturday tea party. I was so thrilled to meet the beautiful lady behind the blog. She is absolutely gorgeous in person and a walking book of knowledge. I so enjoyed my visit with her. Like any visit, there is never enough time. If you haven't visited Buttercup, please pop over and say hi.  You will be so blessed believe me. After visiting my post, click on Marydon's link and go see another piece of our trip we shared together. We thought it would be fun for you all to blog hop back and forth. And we are off.















Now Mr. Country Wings gave me specific instructions to go and see Audie Murphy's burial place. He was the most decorated American soldier in World War II, and one of Mr. Country Wings favorite western actors. So, here I am DH, just for you.










One of the beautiful gardens we passed along the tour.











I was so honored to be able to stand and watch the changing of the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was one of the most moving moments I have ever been privledged to observe. I couldn't wipe the tears fast enough. It tugged at my heart.










Here Buttercup and I stand in front of the tomb. It is such an awesome site.










Just me and my shadow.











Here I am at the eternal flame of President John F. Kennedy. It was put out one time by accident when a Catholic school group doused it with Holy water. A quick thinking guard quickly relit the flame with a lighter. The current flame burns in the center of a 5-foot circle of granite at the head of the grave. If it is ever extinguished, a flashing electric spark near the tip of the nozzle relights it instantly. And occasionally, the flame is shut off for maintenance.













Look at the beautiful scene behind me. You can see everything from this hillside. I found it to be quite breathtaking. Marydon and Harold, thank you so much for sharing this beautiful piece of history with me. I couldn't have asked for better guides than the two of you. You are the BEST.



As always, thank you for stopping by my little piece of heaven here in the desert, that I so love to call home. Don't forget to go and visit Marydon at Blushing Rose and see another piece of our time together. Memories to last a lifetime. Country hugs,


































































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Kontroversi besar di dua pulau Indonesia

1) BATAM

Minggu lalu, saya terkejut apabila terbaca News Flash ada protes dan riot/pergaduhan besar di pulau Batam di Indonesia. Menjadi berita besar dalam akhbar saya.
Kerja saya monitor berita Tenggara Asia dan Asia Selatan (India,Pakistan,Afghanistan.SriLanka), jadi jika ada apa-apa berlaku kami di Foreign Desk cepat dapat tahu agar dapat muatkan dalam akhbar.

Batam ialah pulau yang sangat popular di kalangan warga Singapore. Hanya kira-kira satu jam naik feri - 20km di selatan - ia terletak di kepulauan Riau.
Rakyat Temasek yang gemar sun, beach and sea selalu ke sana. Banyak hotel-hotel yang murah.
Untuk pak jantan pula, mereka berholiday di sana dengan niat lain.
Dan industri-industri yang mahukan tanah dan gaji pekerja murah, mereka membuka kilang besar di sana, termasuk banyak syarikat dari Singapore.

Ini bermakna Batam menjadi competitor kepada Johor - di Johor ada tanah murah dan pekerja bergaji rendah, dan ada Desaru, tapi di Batam lebih murah lagi gaji pekerja, sewa tanah kilang dan harga bilik hotel. Makan seafood pun murah.
Ini kata orang, saya sendiri jejak di Batam sekali saja - mungkin 20 tahun lalu - kerana nak melawat pulau lain, nak tukar bot. Tak masuk Batam pun, hanya di feri terminal.
Masa tu adik saya nak kahwin dengan minah di sebuah pulau tak jauh dari Batam. Namanya Pulau Mongkol (betul Tok Sakmongkol, bukan saya buat lawak! Tak percaya Google 'Pulau Mongkol Riau'). Sekarang adik ipar saya tu dah jadi warga Singapore, anak dua.

Begitu ramai warga Temasek ke Batam sehingga matawang di sana - malah di banyak pulau-pulau di Riau - bukan rupiah, tetapi Singdollar.
Mereka tak suka nonton TVRI tetapi Mediacorp Singapore (samalah orang Johor ketepikan RTM dan TV3, nonton Mediacorp dan Channel News Asia).

Dan beberapa buah pulau dekat Batam menjadi tumpuan ramai warga Kota Singa.
Singapore sama saiz dengan Perlis. Tapi Perlis ada 450,000 penduduk, Singapore ada hampir 5 juta, jadi orang rimas apabila hujung minggu ramai calibut ke JB atau Batam.
Ada lagi pulau-pulau dekat Batam yang popular dengan Singaporeans kerana banyak resort tepi laut- Bintan dan Karimun. Saya pun tak pernah sampai, sebab lebih suka ke Langkawi, Penang atau Melaka. Nak makan seafood ke pasar tani Pasar Melawati di UK, Ulu Kelang.
(Hidup Malaysia!)

Jadi apabila saya terbaca sebuah limbungan kapal telah dibakar dan pergaduhan besar berlaku di Batam, dan 21 buah kereta dibakar, saya amat terkejut.
Polis terpaksa intervene dengan senapang dan riot gear menyelamatkan para pekerja India dan yang bukan Indonesia.
Apa yang berlaku ialah seorang supervisor di limbungan itu, seorang warga India, katanya menegur seorang buruh Indonesia dengan berkata warga Indonesia 'semua bodoh'.
Waduh Pak. Cari maut itu.
Dia kena bantai, mereka membakar dan terbalikkan 21 kereta, dan membakar warehouse serta membongkar pejabat.

Ceritanya dan gambar di sini, sini dan sini.

Pemerintah Singapore pun khuatir sebab banyak industrinya terletak di pulau itu - Batam saiznya sama besar dengan Singapore.
Mujur isu ini dah reda, limbungan (shipyard) dah dibuka semula.



2) BALI

Kini ada kontroversi baru.
Juga melibatkan pulau peranginan, Singapore dan orang India.

Seorang filmaker warga Singapore berbangsa India bikin filem 'Cowboys In Paradise'.
Filem belum ditunjuk pun, tapi gazeknya ada kat Youtube, jadi orang Indonesia dah nonton, lalu mengamuk.
Ia menceritakan gaya hidup gigolo di pantai Bali.
Gazek di sini (tak perlu khuatir, tak lucah).

Sedangkan isu ini bukan isu baru.
Terkejut dan rasa malu, pemerintah Indonesia terpaksa tangkap golongan lelaki di pantai Bali ini.
Lagi orang marah!
Cerita Cowboys in Paradise tu di sini, sini dan sini.

Ini macam filem Malaysia 'Remp-it'. Benda tak seberapa, tapi jadi mainan media, maka filem pun laris.

Kalau gitu, saya pun nak bikin movielah, agar cepat kaya.

Nama movie ialah 'Saya pun Kuda Melayu'.
Cerita tentang kisah dua ekor kuda - seekor bernama 'Hulu Selangor' dan seekor lagi 'Sore Loser'. Kahkahkah.
Cukuplah tu, nanti orang kata saya penyokong BN pulak.
Pada saya kalau dah kalah tu buat bertenang, brader.
BN kalah nipis di Manek Urai, tak sibuk pun ejek-ejek pemenangnya.
Mereka terima.
Pandang ke depan - untuk Pakatan, kenapa pengundi Melayu lari.
Untuk BN - jangan happy sangat. Lebih kurang 20 peratus saja Cina yang sokong kamu. Dan 54 peratus India.


Selamat malam.

ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts: Sparkle and Shimmy Earrings


ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts: Sparkle and Shimmy Earrings
Margot Potter for ILoveToCreate
“Mom crafted, kid approved.”



Avalon just got her ears pierced this year, so it will be a while before she can wear anything that swings and dangles.  Still she’s been observing my jewelry box with a glint in her eye. Teens love bold jewelry and these earrings fit the bill.

These feature the new Katiedids™ components my friend Katie Hacker created for Beadalon. They have empty chambers that can be filled with a variety of items. I don’t know why I thought wired tinsel when I saw these, but Aleene’s Platinum Bond Glass and Bead adhesive made quick work of this project. You can whip these puppies up in twenty minutes or less, which is the perfect project if you’re an impatient crafter like me! Try filling the chamber with fibers, crystal chain, regular chain, gemstone chips...just be sure you thread the head pin through so you can turn them into fun jewelry components.



Materials
Aleene’s Platinum Bond Glass and Bead Adhesive
4 Katiedids™ 1” open center circles
2 10mm black faux pearls
2 10mm acid green moonglow Lucite rounds
Wire sparkly tinsel
2 silver plated or sterling ear wires
4 thin gauge silver plated or sterling head pins

Tools
Wire cutters
Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers


1. Cut tinsel to fit half of chamber. Repeat four times.


2. Thread the wire through the holes in the edge of the components and the center bead and back through.
For the green beads, you need to leave equal amounts of wire exposed on both sides, for the black beads bring the head pin flush to the bottom of the component.




3. Place a thread of glue into one of the components. Gently place tinsel into glue, compressing into chamber on either side of center head pin, repeat with second piece of tinsel. Repeat for all four components. Allow glue to dry.

4. Use round nose pliers to create loops at the top and bottom of both green bead components. Bend wire flush to component at a 90 degree angle, grasp wire end with round nose pliers and form a loop. Cut off excess wire with wire cutters.

5. Use round nose pliers to create wrapped loops at the top of the two pearl components. See my YouTube Channel for a video on how to do this.

6. Attach pearl components to the bottom of each green component. Attach the ear wires. Adjust loops so earrings hang properly.


Monday, April 26, 2010

We Spent A Day In Amish Country...






Marydon and I took off early each day. After a wonderful breakfast, this particular morning, we headed off to PA. and into Amish country. I had never seen any Amish people before, and they are quite lovely. I loved the childrens' faces. They were so enjoying this particular afternoon. These two were on their way to a corner grocery store. They stopped to look for cars before moving onward. Isn't the little boys face just precious?










And off they go...










This was a scene at the corner grocery.

They would pull right up, tie up their horse to the hitching post,











and then head on inside the store. I thanked this Amish gentleman kindly for allowing me to photograph him. He looked at me, and went inside the store.










Look at the beautiful horse. I love the sound of the clop, clop on the roads as they passed by. I could tell they were quite used to curious onlookers as they passed by. The sound will be forever etched in my heart. I fell in love with this countryside.










This particular gentleman was scooting along the sidewalk.










When we got up beside him, we noticed he had a baby in his basket. If you look closely you can see the whisps of hair on the baby's little head. It was precious.








Marydon and I were headed down another road, I looked to my right, and this gentleman was plowing his field with a 6 mule team. The wind was blowing, I could hear the clank of the mules harnesses as they were moving along the field plowing. Clank clank, clank clank.








They got to the end of the field, he gracefully turned the team with the plow and headed back down to plow another row. Is this not the most beautiful scene ever?







Clop clop, clop clop, here comes another carriage. This particular one was driven by a woman.








And ofcourse a day could not be complete without several loads of laundry. I loved this picture.



I hope you have enjoyed your tour of the Amish countryside. I have over 700 pictures to share off and on. Stay tuned for my next tour. So much to share.



As always, thank you for stopping by my little piece of heaven, here in the desert, that I so love to call home. Country hugs and love...









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