Exactly 1.5 years ago I was organising a family party and thought it would be a good idea to have a chocolate fountain. At that time, the prices of these fountains were still rather high (almost $200), and I didn't want to keep a piece of equipment that would not be used often. Therefore I found someone (online of course) who could rent chocolate fountains, including the special 53% dark chocolate, a pack of marshmallows and some bamboo skewers for $55 per week. I have seen chocolate fountains in restaurants before and they look beautiful and taste yummy. However I... Continue reading

How much premium would you pay for unique designs? The Design of Everyday Things is an interesting book which discusses smart designs as a competitive edge. Shopaholics like myself cannot resist fanciful and unusual designs and will buy based on the 'wow' factor. If simple daily household items can attract a second look from us and tempt us to use them, then the design must be considered a success. I came across 2 such items today. They are not must haves, but certainly nice to have. 1. Reloading tomato sauce gun This can be used at theme parties, restaurants, picnics,... Continue reading

A friend of mine is getting an iPad2 as mother's day gift from her 12 year old daughter! This lovely little girl has been craving for the iPad since it was launched in April 2010. She worked hard around the home and saved her earnings, and traded her iPod but still could not save enough. When she finally received a cheque as Easter gift from a family friend, she thanked God for the miracle and announced that she now has enough to buy mum an iPad2! My friend is so lucky to have such a wonderful daughter who is worth... Continue reading

Classical recordings that we used to buy in the shops are now avaialble for download online. Free sampler. Buy only what you like. Buy a track or the whole album. Free to join and browse. Continue reading

Many people are inspired by Timothy Ferriss's The 4-Hour Workweek to break away from the traditional '9 to 5 regularly paid job' and 'be your own boss'. But how does one deal with the irregular workflow (and thus income) and still build a tidy nest egg to weather all storms? I stumbled across a book that aims to provide urgently needed advice to help the free spirited warrior: The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers, and the Self-Employed: The Only Personal Finance System for People with Not-So-Regular Jobs The title said it all. Although it is written in the American context,... Continue reading

It's the festive season again, and the perfect shopping reason! Whether you like it or not, it is inevitable to be engaged in some form of obligatory gift shopping at this time of the year. But think about the crowd, the traffic, the stress of indecision, the energy expended in lugging your purchases from one end of the mall to another and back again, in search of that one last item .... Maybe I am getting old, but I just don't look forward to Marathon shopping in the Mall any more. Online shopping is the logical option for the time... Continue reading

I love to buy and collect books. Since 1999, I started to switch to e-books and audio books, with Microsoft's ebook Reader and audible.com on Pocket PCs (windows mobile devices). At about the same time I discovered mobipocket.com and soon after that ebooks.com, fictionwise.com and eReader.com. I was spoilt for choice. Visits to the bookshops were replaced by browsing online, round the clock. I would never buy a hardcopy book if the electronic version was available. In the past couple of years this blissful existence was interrupted by a new development in Digital Rights Management. Recently I found 8 out... Continue reading