mott’s mutterings

Ah… Sex and the City! All images of Carrie Bradshaw, her clothes, her shoes, her cute lil brownstone apartment comes to mind.

Whenever one mentions New York, ultimately, that’s what I’ll keep remembering! Especially those uniquely New York-y brownstones! The other thing is the shopping! Oh! How a girl would love to go shopping there! You can actually hunt for samples and find great bargains! My husband loves to hunt for samples and odd sizes when it comes to shoes. We’re both lucky as we have fairly odd sizes when it comes to shoes. Most of the time, we would find a gem or two!

We would also love to go to the Metropolitan museum of art if we had the time. Mr.T would definitely find alot of inspiring ideas from there!

Anyway, at Travel Tours and Attractions, not only do they have a free newsletter , but you have an opportunity in winning a free GPS, if you sign up by 30th June 2008. They have online travel guides and online discounted tickets for 23 states across America.

This is absolutely un-me. I used to hate shopping. I seriously try my very best to avoid if I could. I hate it because of the crowds, the long queues when it comes to paying, the plastic bags (??!)…and just having to actually hunt for the cheapest bargain.

Now..? I’m so into online shopping. I can’t stop googling for stuff….and going into websites just to check it out. I’d check the types of payment modes they’d have..as this ia very important to me. I’d like the security of paying to a verified site, rather than just blindly paying. However, there are still ways for people in trapping your ’secured’ payment details and unfortunately, it would be hard for a layperson like me to detect, unless I have some fantastic monitoring online application.

 Thankfully, there is Shop Shield, where it helps you protect yourself from fraud and identity theft. Right now, Shop Shield is conducting a life beta test and one can sign up for free. It protects you against, Credit Card Numbers, Bank Accounts, Billing Address, Email Address and Login Information. I think that’s fantastic! There’s nothing more irritating than spending time deleting all kinds of spam from your inbox!

Every single information is fragmented and then encrypted and stored in a fortress of security systems. Apparently, they will reimburse you, up to $10,000 more than coverage your Credit Card company provides. Plus, they will provide complete and personalised victim resolution services at no cost!

Since it is free, and if you really like online shopping… I think it’s a very viable solution. Visit Shop Shield® or Click Here to Learn More. Anyway, just watch this and see what they mean.

Well, Valentine’s Day is coming up. I can’t believe it, it’ll be February soon. We just became 2008, but yet…. time is moving faster than most of us.

In any case, Valentine’s Day is not necessarily only for lovers. It’s love for everybody. Your father, mother, sister, brother, daughter, son, friend..and yes, your lover. Heh! It’s also a great day to give something to signify your affection for them. I think gifts that are practical are the best. Of course, having coupons would help save a bit of our money.

Let’s see. For my husband, he actually wanted something from Home Depot. With Home Depot’s coupons, where one can save 20-50%, so I think I might be able to find something there. For my kids, that’s easy… anything from eToys.com would help. I wonder if there are eToys.com coupons for the Wii. Heh…I sure would like to get my hands on one! For me!

It’s so close to Xmas. I had no choice but to go shopping recently, during a weekend. The maddening rush for a parking spot, the hundreds of people you’d have to go through, the kids that get enthralled by the toys and their gadgets and refuse to budge, when all you really want to do is finish up shopping!

I swear, online shopping and having discount coupons is wayyyyy easier. With Blue Nile coupon and Blue Nile’s discounts available, it’s like being in Blue Nile’s as a VIP customer. I swear, you don’t even have to carry it home with you, it’s all delivered to your doorstep! Sometimes I wonder, why aren’t we better planners when it comes to Xmas shopping. It’s probably because it’s so hard to think of a gift when it’s January! Ha ha ha!

Tomorrow will be the 1st of December, which means only one thing. A full swing of Christmas Bonanzas! Songs, Decorations, Trees, Merriment, everything to do with Christmas.

Tired as I am, I’m still thinking of great gifts to give my relatives. For the women, it’ll be easier, but for the men? Nothing says boring than Ties, Hankerchiefs, Socks or Boxers! I mean, there’s only so much ties a guy can wear!

In anycase, one idea came up and I thought of night vision binoculors! Why not? My uncle who loves to go camping outdoors, will probably love this the best! In the Aussie night, everything goes dark real quickly, so it’ll be good for him to check on his foodstock, and kids! Heh.. what a brilliant idea!  

Sometimes, it’s easy to ‘forget’ about people, in the busy hustle and bustle of our lives. Especially the older generation, do feel left out when it comes to holiday seasons. It’s actually not that hard, to show them that you’re thinking of them, during this time.

One easy way, is of course, through greeting cards. Now that Christmas/New Year is around the corner, think about sending personalized photo cards as opposed to standard greeting cards. When someone receives  Christmas cards, in their mailbox, you know that they would be feeling very happy that someone has been thinking about them. Through beautiful pictures, you can remind them that they are indeed special in your lives, and that they are loved.

Isn’t this a simple but effective way of showing you really care? 

Having a roof over your head, is probably the single most important thing any person wants. Without that roof, albeit an attap roof, you’d have to fend for yourself, survive the harsh environmental elements that nature throws at you.

After moving so many times within these last five years, the first thing I do is look for a home. A home where I can put my lil boys to sleep. This move is no different. I’ve been hunting high and low for a place to rent, to buy. I’ve been sending in applications after applications and getting rejected time after time. It is quite difficult when you’re not there itself to handle the transaction. Plus, I don’t really know any real estate agents there. I wish it was as easy as it is for buyers and sellers with Boulder Real Estate. 

We recently submitted yet another application for a home…and I’m still waiting for news on the owner’s approval. It really sucks when you don’t have a home! 

When my Grand Aunt (who is about 70) planned to visit Malaysia, her family was really happy for her. You see, the last time she came back, she tragically lost her husband. During that time, the visit was for a happy occasion, her youngest son’s wedding ceremony.

For a long time, she grieved for her husband and her family couldn’t do much to lift her spirits. However, time does heal and she told her daughter that she wanted to visit her sisters and brothers, while they were still around. However, there was another setback recently, she was becoming nauseous and she kept fainting. The doctors diagnosed it as Vertigo and told her that she still could travel, but it would be better if she had travel insurance.

Under normal circumstances, travel insurance do not cover pre-determined medical illnesses. However, I checked out this site, and it was good to see that they covered a comprehensive list of pre-determined illnesses. I will definitely forward this site to my Aunt (her daughter), for her consideration. When it comes to Age Concern Travel Insurance, do consider this, especially if you want to travel overseas.

One of the things that I would definitely install in my new villa is a stairlifts. What? My new villa? Remember my ultimate dream to check myself into a premium nursing facility home that will allow their members to purchase villas for their long-term stay.

Although I am still young, I find climbing up and down the stairs quite a burden on my knees. It hurts when I walk up and especially, when I walk down. All the years of running and pounding has taken a toll on my poor knees.

So, this is a definite must! A StairLift will help me get upstairs to my bedroom, effortlessly and quietly. In fact, if my husband does decide to join me in my villa, I’m pretty sure he’ll be glad to see a Stairlift! His knees are completely wrecked, as we speak, due to years of basketball, soccer and running. If we are lucky enough to have grandkids, I’m pretty sure they will have a good time with them! Who would’ve thought that kids could get such thrills with a practical medical aid?

*A post kindly sponsored by Value StairLifts.com .