Volume 7

Cost-Cutting Measures for Tough Times

noreply@blogger.com (LawDiv) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:08:00 +0000

Piggy Bank
Originally uploaded by pointybunny

In tough economic times such as today, cost-cutting is a must and in the long run, it does pay off, and we would feel less pain in our wallets. Being able to save up for tough times has always been a value that we should greatly cherish. For those of you who have debts to pay off, I understand that cost-cutting may be very difficult to accomplish. However, you can begin with the tiniest things in your house. Here are some which I believe are worthy of sharing.

- Electricity
– turn off appliances that you don’t use.
– unplug any idle appliances that you only use occasionally. Leaving it plugged in with the power off actually consumes so-called ‘standby electricity’. A study conducted 7 years ago(http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2001/02/09_energ.html) revealed that standby electricity can make up of as much as 25% of your current electricity bill.
– use energy saver compact fluorescent light bulbs (http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls).

- Heat
– for those of you who have separate heating units for separate rooms in your apartment of house, there is absolutely no need to heat up the whole house at the same time. You can’t possibly be in all the rooms simultaneously, so just turn up the heat of the room in which you are present.
– For those you who just have a single heater for the entire apartment or house, purchasing electric heating fans (not your traditional ceramic heaters) for separate rooms (about $40 per unit) is a great option. There are those that are deemed ecologically smart which are 1) equipped with a timer), and/or 2) able to turn themselves off once they sense that the room is warm enough.

- Dry cleaning
– it is not necessary to spend $20 for every trip to a dry cleaning shop. Go to your supermarket and get one of those DIY dry cleaning agents and pads that can clean up 6 sweaters in one bag. All you need is the dryer in the laundry room. The effect is no worse than the cleaning done by a dry cleaning shop. The best thing is: it only costs $10 for a box of 12 cleaning pads, and to clean, it costs only $1 or $1.25 (your normal cost of drying one load of laundry) as opposed to $20 for 3 pieces of clothing.

- Fresh veggies
– while fresh veggies are good for you and you definitely should consume it as part of your diet, it is not necessary to have that for every single meal. A good alternative is frozen veggies (as discussed here: http://www.volume7.com/2007/10/dispelling-nutrition-myths.html), which cost a lot less than fresh veggies, and are as nutritious.

- Public transportation for work
– Gas and toll prices are on the rise, and driving to work every day can be a huge expense. If public transportation is a reasonable option for you, try that. A monthly bus or train ticket is usually discounted and it is an effective cost-cutting measure.

- Cell phone use
– Resist the temptation to have long conversations during your daytime minutes. You can reduce the chance of maxing out your daytime minutes and being billed for the extra ones. Try to talk during the time slots when you get free minutes.

- Paying your bills…
– online, as opposed to paying it by mail, thus reducing your worries on spending postage, buying envelopes, and using up paper checks (of which when you run out, you have to pay your bank to order more!).

- Using grocery coupons. (as discussed here: http://www.volume7.com/2008/02/4-principles-to-smart-grocery-shopping.html)

- Join supermarket shopper advantage programs. Their savings can add up over time.

- Coffee addicts
– go for McD’s or Dunkin’ Donut coffees. You will actually be 1) paying less overall, and 2) paying for the coffee rather than the sugar.

- Take advantage of free sample offers
– A great site to reference is this: http://instoresnow.walmart.com/In-Stores-Now-Free-Samples-And-Trials.aspx. Free samples, when regularly collected, can add up greatly and save you a trip to the supermarket just to buy those products at a more expensive price.

Last but not least, we cannot forget about Thanksgiving. While most families now view Thanksgiving more of an occasion for reunion, roasting a huge turkey in the oven can wreak havoc on the gas bill. If you don’t have 10 people in your party and if you absolutely need to roast something to observe symbolism and tradition, roasting an oven stuffer chicken saves more gas than roasting a turkey for hours on end. This can also save you the frustration of having turkey leftovers for the next 3 weeks!

Knowing about the existence of cost-cutting measures during tough economic times is definitely comforting. To enjoy the benefits of this, we have to try them out. The effects are most likely not going to be instantaneous; however over time, they can truly add up to your savings.

Trick Safe 'n Treat Safe

noreply@blogger.com (LawDiv) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 01:27:00 +0000

Every year, Halloween officially kicks of the holiday season, and it is the moment most anticipated by children - being able to dress up in a scary costume, knock the neighbors' doors, and what's more, to ask for free candy! It is indeed an enjoyable moment, if there is no danger or injuries. What we have heard or seen on the news about kidnappings, shootings and rowdiness can be a bit intimidating for parents, precautionary measures can be taken to ensure that the children can indulge in a safe and enjoyable trick-or-treat experience.

For tricksters:

Carry a flashlight
Walk, don't run
Stay on sidewalks
Obey traffic signals
Stay in familiar neighborhoods
Don't cut across yards or driveways
Wear clothing with reflective markings or tape
Approach only houses that are lit
Stay away from and don't touch animals you don't know
If an adult is monitoring the group, stay close to his/her and follow instructions

For parents:

Children should carry quarters or their cellphones so they can call home
When possible, the group of children should be accompanied by an adult
If you buy a costume, look for one made of flame-retardant material and contain reflective tape
You must find out where they're going
It is best to contact your neighbors to inform them that your child will be knocking on their doors
Although tampering is rare, tell children to bring the candy home to be inspected before consuming anything
Look at the wrapping carefully and toss out anything that looks suspect

For treaters:

Make sure your yard is clear of such things as ladders and hoses that may pose as safety hazards for the children
Monitor and keep your pets from biting strangers
If you use candles inside your jack-o’lanterns, place the pumpkin away from where the children will be walking or standing
Instead of traditional candy and chocolate, consider healthier food alternatives like cereal bars, fig newtons, and cheese crackers
Do not mix inedible things (such as erasers, beads, plastic rings, etc) among candies, to avoid children from accidental consumption

These are just a few precautionary measures that I suggest that parents, homeowner and kids should follow. Many more tips are found on http://www.sosnet.com/Safety/halloween.tip.html. With these suggestions in mind, trick-or-treating can be as fun as ever.

Have a "boo~~"-tiful Halloween!!

Online Services I Recommend, Part VI: Document Management

noreply@blogger.com (JL) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:13:00 +0000

Nowadays people have gone paperless for the convenience of faster, easier data processing. Instead of filling in paper forms, we now have the convenience of filling in online forms. Computers can then process that data for us to manipulate in many ways.
Manual, labor-intensive processes such as hole-punching, filing, faxing, photocopying and scanning have been greatly reduced thanks to technology, allowing us to focus our time on what's essential.

By keeping things digital (and even online) we can now access our data from anywhere. We no longer need to lug around piles of reports and spreadsheets. We can easily share documents online for collaboration, allowing your team to always have the newest copy of your work. Finally, with that transition we may have saved a tree or two!

I have been using Google Docs for over a year and I have been very pleased with it. Their newly-added support for PDF documents made online document management a breeze.

Google Docs

From Wikipedia: [It] is a free, Web-based word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation application offered by Google. It allows users to create and edit documents online while collaborating in real-time with other users.

Pros:

No cost.
Web-based, you can access your documents from anywhere.
You can import/export Google Documents from/to Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files.
You can collaborate on documents with others in real-time.

Cons:

~~They do not support PDF's.~~ (They now support PDF's)

Below is how I utilize their services:

Spreadsheet:

To keep budget.
To calculate expenditures among my flat-mates, so at month-end I know exactly how much I owe.
You can embed your document onto any web page. See example here (link http://www.hongkongbakery.net) where I used as a bakery's menu.

Word processor:

To draft itineraries before vacations.
To clip magazine articles and share with friends.

Budget Travel 101

noreply@blogger.com (LawDiv) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 02:02:00 +0000

Given that you have a substantial number of vacation days to spare, and don't want to spend a fortune traveling expensively, think about budget traveling as an option. Budget traveling can be extremely fun, and can be accomplished regardless of whether you are contemplating a road trip to a location well within your vicinity, or as far as a destination half the world away. Below are a few things to bear in mind when considering the feasibility of budget traveling:

1) Think about how much time you have for your vacation. Set the threshold at 7 days. If you are taking off for more than 7 days, you can consider farther locations that require a substantial amount of flight time. It is imperative to realize that travel time can take up a huge chunk of your vacation.

2) If you are traveling to a destination for the first time, borrow a travel book or two from your nearest public library, and bring them with you on your trip. Books published by Frommer's, Eyewitness, and Lonely Planet provide a very comprehensive overview to what you need to learn about your destination. The maps and "what to eat" sections are extremely helpful in providing some insight as to the proximity of specific tourist areas, and the kinds of cuisine you can expect to see.

3) Perform internet research on the modes of public transportation that are available. Public transportation in most international cities are priced within reasonable range, and surely can be a cheaper alternative to renting a car. Renting a car can be a frustrating experience if you are not familiar with the local traffic laws, driving on the opposite side of the road, seeing traffic signs written in a language OTHER THAN what you can understand, and the ruthlessness of local drivers. Furthermore, taxi drivers may take advantage of foreign visitors by not turning on their meters and overcharging a for short trip.

4) Aim to NOT dine at 5-star restaurants for every meal. Instead, try the most down-to-earth local cuisine. What's better than experiencing the most local of local foods? It's cheap, it's unique, and it demonstrates your courage to try new things. This is not to say dining at high-end eateries is a sin. Do it sparingly. Set a quota for yourself (and your budget) for the frequency of dining at mid-range to high-end restaurants. A high-class meal once in a while will not hurt you.

5) Book your flight and hotel on one of the internet travel websites available, such as Expedia, Priceline, or Travelocity. Most of these sites offer a cheaper price if you book your flight and hotel together as a single package. Making flight reservations directly via the airline and arranging your accommodations directly with the hotel can break your wallet before you even leave home.

6) If you still have your student ID from college or grad school (given that it has not expired, or it doesn't have an expiration date printed, AND the way you appeared in your photo still looks like the way you look today), bring it along. Most cities offer student discounts in famous museums and other various visitor sites. Discounts can range as much as 60% for students. Always ask the ticket seller if there are student discounts available. You might be in for a pleasant surprise.

7) Always establish a budget for yourself as to how much you are willing to spend in one day. Most travelers use their credit cards overseas and tend to forget how much they have overspent until it's too late. Remember, credit cards purchases are not free-for-all. They have overseas transaction fees (around 3% of your purchase cost) as well as exchange rate fees.

Hopefully you can find these reminders together as a guideline for your budget traveling. Rising oil prices and global inflation have caused many to resort to closer travel destinations or better yet, no traveling at all. But if the traveler inside you is ready to go on another adventure, don't stop yourself. You can definitely take heed of the above reminders, in order to plan a cheap and enjoyable vacation to a faraway location without draining your bank accounts.

Safety Precautions for Summer Pet Care

noreply@blogger.com (LawDiv) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:58:00 +0000

Chupa
Originally uploaded by joelny

The summer months are an ideal time of the year for us to enjoy panoply of activities. While the sun and the heat provides us with the energy and motivation to seek fun outdoors, our pets no doubt feel the same way too. Those of us with house pets tend to let our little friends join in the fun as well. However, there are some precautionary measures to prevent the fun in the sun from ending up into a trip to the vet’s.

1) People with dogs and other ‘walkable’ pets have to ensure that the temperature of the pavements/roads is not too hot for the paws/feet to burn. If you believe that in 95 degree weather, the ground is hot enough to fry an egg, then it will definitely fry up your pet’s paws as well.

2) Try to limit pet exercise to early morning or in the evening, thereby staying away from the hottest hours of the day.

3) Pets should stay away from direct sunlight. Hamster and bird cages should be placed away from windows that receive harsh sun rays. Like humans, animals can get sunburned and heat stroke. This is especially true with pets that have relatively light-colored noses as well as light-colored hair on the ears.

4) Do not leave you pet in the car. The car interior can reach as much as 120 degrees, causing your pet to likely suffocate, suffer heat stroke, heat exhaustion, faint, and die.

5) Avoid excessive pet exercise, as it will cause the animal to perspire excessively, losing more water than its body can ingest, resulting in dehydration.

Constantly check on your pet to see if there are any symptoms of heat stroke or heat exhaustion. Look for signs of heavy panting, lethargy, lack of coordination, etc. - basically any sign of abnormal behavior.

If your pet shows signs of heat stroke, your first move should be to lower its body temperature immediately with the following methods:

* If possible, move the animal into the shade or an air-conditioned area, where there is cooler temperature and less sunlight.

* Apply ice packs or cold towels to the head, neck, and chest or immerse it in cool (not cold) water. For pets in cages, placing ice packs under the cage or beside it will also work.

* Let your pet drink small amounts of cool water or lick ice cubes. You can also fill up the water bottles with filtered water straight from the refrigerator. Your pet will enjoy licking the cold condensation off the bottle’s exterior.

* If nothing else works and there is no sign of improvement, you must take your pet to a veterinarian.

Research has shown that pets provide a beneficial impact to the owners’ lives, resulting in lower blood pressure, a more positive outlook on life, and a boost in immunity. But the presumption is that your little friend has to be in its best shape. While not all of us pet owners can afford expensive summer spa treatments for our pets, taking heed of the above tips can help make them become happier bundles of joy during the best times of the year.

Online Services I Recommend, Part V: Scheduling / Time Management

noreply@blogger.com (JL) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:53:00 +0000

Google Calendar screenshot 1
Originally uploaded by joelny

It is always important to achieve our 3 "E"s. It takes work to maintain a good work-leisure balance while keeping track of our daily activities, upcoming social or professional events, as well as our many other projects in life.

My calendar now serves as a tracker for all of the aforementioned activities, as well as my short-term "To-Do" list. With the help of technology, my calendar should achieve the following:

1) Portability
A major advantage of bringing your calendar online is that you no longer need to carry your daily planner (Yes - if you have your 3 MIT's defined, you shouldn't need a daily planner).

2) Collaboration with peers/friends
You can share your online calendar so others can check your schedule before setting up appointments. A "global reminder" can also be placed for each guest.

Here is the online calendar service that I recommend:

Google Calendar

Google's web-based service lets you access your calendars from anywhere; and their support of multiple calendars brings scheduling to a whole new level. The user interface is swift and responsive, as is the case with most Google products. I can also share my calendar with others so scheduling for a group event (e.g. a dinner appointment) becomes effortless.

Online Services I Recommend, Part IV: Online Storage / Backup

noreply@blogger.com (JL) — Fri, 23 May 2008 02:44:00 +0000

Off-site backup for Dallas companies
Originally uploaded by alexmuse

Everyone must have had some experience, one way or another, on losing their computer data. Backing up your data is essential - if a file is of no significance to you, you wouldn't have stored it in the first place.

I used to burn backup CD's/DVD's quarterly and thought that was sufficient. But what if your discs get scratched? What if your house/apartment burns down? Your computer AND your discs get incinerated, and you still end up with no way to recover your files. And what if you are at work, and you need access to some files at home? Do you wait till tomorrow to finish work?

Online backup works like this:

1. You download a program that runs on your computer in the background (takes very little space).

2. You then choose what folders and when to back up.

3. On your first backup, the process will make a full copy of your selected files to the Internet (this may take hours).

4. On subsequent backups, only updated/new files gets automatically uploaded, which takes a significant less amount of time (mostly just 30 seconds), and you always have the latest copy backed up.

With online backup being so cheap (or even free), burning discs just isn't worth your time anymore. Most online backup solutions let you either access your backed up files online, or restore files of your choice and E-mail them to you in matter of minutes.

Below are two online backup solutions that I have tried and loved:

Mozy

An online backup tool that allows both Windows and Mac users to back up their data to an off-site server. The free version lets you store up to 2GB of data on their servers. The files are encrypted with your own key, so not even Mozy or the government can decrypt your files without your key.
They also provide unlimited backup for $4.95 per month (as of today).

Amazon S3

Another online backup solution by Amazon. I ran over 2GB so I moved from Mozy to Amazon. They charge you by the amount of space you use ($0.15 per GB as of today). I back up all my photos, documents and web sites, as well as documents on my parents' work computers in Hong Kong with Amazon. I do not back up any MP3's, drama series or movies, as they just aren't important enough for me to back up.

My bill with Amazon runs for about $6 per month, and I have been very pleased with Amazon's service.

Online Services I Recommend, Part III: Money / Finance

noreply@blogger.com (JL) — Mon, 19 May 2008 03:46:00 +0000

Yodlee
Originally uploaded by revistaegm

Ever since 4th grade I have started tracking my money in various ways. I started with using a corner of my school notebook, to utilizing an Excel spreadsheet I downloaded from PFblog.com (I still love this spreadsheet to this day), to trying Microsoft Money. Although all are good ways to track my income and expenditure, they all involved a good amount of data entry. If I am getting those numbers from the bank/credit card/brokerage web sites anyway, why do I have to enter them again? It's time-consuming and is prone to my human errors which may mess up my budget. That was when I started exploring online financial services. There are quite a few out there: Yodlee, Wesabe, and Mint, to name a few. Yodlee is the first one I tried, which satisfies my need.

Yodlee MoneyCenter

A free, popular web application that allows you to manage your finances online. I have been using it for a year and am very happy with it.

Pros:

Connects to all your bank, credit card, and 401(k)/IRA accounts and automatically calculates/updates your net worth, spending, budget, etc.
Connects to your rewards accounts (e.g. credit card cash-backs, hotels, airline mileage, etc.) so you can keep track of your points.
Sends out E-mail alerts when your account balance goes below, or exceeds a certain amount. Also works if you want to be reminded when your hotel reward points qualify for a free night's stay.
Provides useful reports so you know where you've been spending too much.

Cons:

You need to give Yodlee all your accounts passwords. Yodlee works for major institutions such as Citibank, Bank of America, Fidelity, Chase, etc. and they have sufficient security measures to let users sleep sound at night.

Online Services I Recommend, Part II: Bookmarking

noreply@blogger.com (JL) — Wed, 14 May 2008 02:43:00 +0000

you
Originally uploaded by mansszat

Importing and exporting the "My Favorites" folder used to be one of the monthly steps I have to go through, fearing that I might lose any valuable reads. With social bookmarking, that's no longer a concern: I store my bookmarks online and can access them easily from my browser, on any computer. And with the social element of bookmarking, I can find others who have the same article bookmarked, and browse their collection of relevant articles.

Del.icio.us

A social bookmarking service now owned by Yahoo!.

Pros:

Responsive interface.
Bookmark tagging: Bookmarks are no longer confined to the folder system. (bookmarks can now belong to multiple categories, e.g. McCormick & Schmick's can be organized under both "Wine" and "Dine" tags).
Bookmark portability: No more worrying about finding bookmarks at home when you're at work, and vice versa.
Gives you access to the latest, most popular bookmarks from the del.icio.us network. Find out here.

Cons:

Your bookmarks become public. If you want your bookmarks to stay private, you can selectively "un-share" them as you bookmark.

Online Services I Recommend, Part I: E-mail / IM

noreply@blogger.com (JL) — Wed, 07 May 2008 23:42:00 +0000

MacBook outdoor at the Oedernalm
Originally uploaded by ecker

In the age which people are accustomed to living in a flat world and getting information in a finger-snap, everyone is after a "portable lifestyle".

At any time, from any place:

We want the same instant communication;

We want access to the same information and news;

We no longer have to be restrained in the office, and can perform
work of the same quality from anywhere;

And if we choose to get away from work, we want to share work materials with delegates without hassle, so they can pick up from where we left off.

What, you haven't noticed lately that more and more applications have migrated online? Read on!

Here on Volume7, I am going to write a nine-part series on online services that I have tried and would recommend. Please check back here often for updates.

Part I: E-mail / IM

We have communicated from writing letters, to calling on cell phones and sending faxes, to sending E-mails and instant messages (IM), to updating each other by blogging and even micro-blogging (i.e. your Facebook status). To me, this is not just about speed and convenience, but also how technology has enabled us to easily organize and "remember" these interactions. Instead of flipping through letters and voice mails, you can now easily search through your E-mails and find any conversation you had with anyone, on any topic.

What I look for in an E-mail and an IM service is the portability of communication, and the accessibility of my past conversations. I cannot afford to lose important conversations on IM, especially since IM has become one of the main platforms of communication and delegation at work.

Based on the above criteria, I recommend the follow services:

Gmail

Free web-based E-mail service.

Pros:

Simple, responsive, clutter-free (read "image-free" and "ad-free") interface.
Strong junk mail filter.
Provides you with a secure protocol (if you log-in via https://www.gmail.com) so when you're at work or on a public computer, no one can tap in and read your mail.
Lets you label your conversations into multiple topics of relevance.
You can effortlessly search through your E-mails with Google's well-known search capabilities.

Meebo

Meebo is a web service that lets you simultaneously log-in to various IM services such as AOL, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo, etc.

Pros:

No downloading necessary, your IM runs on the Meebo web site.
Keeps chat history online (which is search-able) for your review from any computer.
Lets you chat on a secure protocol (https://www.meebo.com) that keeps your conversations secure.

Cons:

Does not support MSN personal messages (if you like them).

The 3 “E”s to Living Life

noreply@blogger.com (LawDiv) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 03:01:00 +0000

In a world in which there are more expectations and more desires to living a good and comfortable life, it can be difficult to establish a benchmark to which one can definitely say “I feel that my life is a fulfillment”. With the endless tasks that we have to do and the people that we inevitably encounter, we often come across comments like “this isn’t effective” or “there has to be a more efficient way to doing this”. Are efficiency and effectiveness synonymous? What about adding an element of “efficacy”? Contrary to popular believe, these words represent quite different concepts.

“Efficiency” modifies the process in which a task is accomplished. It can be the speed of the process, if that contributes favorably to achieving a result, or it can be the quality of procedures within a defined process. You can be fast in typing a document, but the end document might be full of mistakes and typos. The process of typing fast cannot be deemed “efficient”, as you will have to conjure up new process (in other words, typing slower) to result in an error-free document. The amount of time spent in typing and retyping certain doesn’t make the process any efficient.

“Effectiveness” describes only the end result. You can spend one whole day to make a a piece of steak that is extremely tender and delicious to anyone. The “deliciousness” element is the “effectiveness”, but spending a whole day making steak might not be the most efficient manner. If life is full of effectiveness at the expense of efficiency, you will definitely need more than 24 hours in a day.

“Efficacy” is a concept that is used more in analyzing a drug’s therapeutic effect, but a deeper scrutiny into the word can render it applicable to looking daily life. The concept measures the ability of a process to achieve what ever goals that the process is designed to do. It is not indicative of any other elements such as ease of use. With the steak example above, we can illustrate the subtle difference. The efficacy in spending an entire day making steak is that it is delicious to all. However, whether the steak becomes tender during the cooking process does not contribute to its efficacy. Instead, the tenderness that occurred creates the ease of cutting through the cooked steak, which has nothing to do with whether the meat becomes delicious. The meat can end up being delicious but tough to cut, a situation in which efficacy is not sacrificed.

In life, the ideal is to achieve a balance of these 3 concepts, which I am calling it the 3 “E”s. There is certainly no benefit if any task is effective, yet inefficient with no efficacy, or if a process ends up being efficient with ineffective end results. It maybe a struggle in the beginning to categorize every task you perform. However, you will know when you have successfully balanced these 3 concepts to your life when you have sensed endless fulfillments and satisfaction.

Surprise!!!...or Not?

noreply@blogger.com (JL) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 03:06:00 +0000

Birthday cake
Originally uploaded by Ingham

Lately I have been invited to a colleague's surprise birthday party, which requires her total obliviousness beforehand. Keeping secrets is no challenge, as I am not known to be a spoiler; however, the uneasy moment comes when you finally greet her "good night" at day's end, while pretending that you have other plans. What a dash of sadness and disappointment on someone's birthday, when all she was anticipating, was a simple "by the way, happy birthday" from you.

The situation transpires further when another colleague asks her out for a drink, and surprise! - everyone, including you, shows up at the bar to celebrate. While the party became merry and wonderful occasion, is it really going to undo the disappointment inadvertently done earlier? While it might be easy for us to disappoint and surprise someone later, there is no guarantee that the negative sentiment generated from the earlier disappointment can and will be surpassed by the joy of being surprised later on. In my opinion, these two elements may not completely set-off one another.

While there is nothing wrong with surprise parties, I think it is equally remarkable to announce the party beforehand, and let the birthday boy/girl know something is being fabulously planned, and have him/her stay delighted up to that moment. A sense of joyous expectation surely does not need to be a function of disappointment.

4 Principles to Smart Grocery Shopping and More

noreply@blogger.com (LawDiv) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:59:00 +0000

Anybody who would love to save a lot more money on groceries, toiletries, or other household items can make extremely good use of coupons. They sound like a fantastic money savings tool but sometimes it can become a headache, as one thinks about the huge array of coupons available and the mental calculation in terms of how much one can *potentially* save. All of a sudden you will find yourself being tempted to buy that goat cheese sauce from X-brand which you have never (ever) used, just because you found a coupon that can save you 50 cents on a $5 bottle. Better yet, after a full work day, you are too exhausted to even think about the act of clipping coupons when there is a full booklet of it sitting on the countertop.

So you may think that you don’t have time to research on what coupons are available, nor the chance to use all the coupons before you; however, a few tips can help your coupon-searching process become short and painless. The real focus is determining what you need and not to use coupons for the sake of using them, leading you to possibly overspend.

1) Set aside a shopping budget – As an absolute first step, force yourself to calculate and determine how much you are planning to spend on a particular shopping trip.

* If you don’t have the patience to calculate to an exact dollar amount, an estimate that is wisely conjured up is fine as well. Surprisingly, a huge number of people walk into supermarkets or drugstores without any budget in mind. This can dangerously lead to overspending and regrets later on. Using coupons with this mentality will make things worse as you will mostly likely give in to the temptation of buying something you will never use, just to convince yourself that you have actually saved money. Instead, this is no different than throwing money away. Never do this to yourself.

2) What happens when you get the overwhelming feeling of “Oh my god, there are too many coupons and I cannot possibly use them all?”

*Face the harsh reality: There is no way you can use them all. If you have a shopping list or any idea on what you plan to purchase on a particular trip, look ONLY for the coupons or discount vouchers that relate directly to items on your list. This can potentially narrow down the wide selection of grocery coupons available to those that are truly meaningful to you, thereby reducing the amount of time you spend in clipping coupons blindly.

3) Find out if your supermarket or store has special sales.

* If it does, then try your best to match your coupons with items that are already on sale. Often supermarkets have special sale prices on items for which you also have a manufacturer’s coupon. These offers can be combined in many cases, which can save you up to 50 or 60% on the item’s unit price.

4) Having a one-stop shopping trip in which you are able to purchase everything on your list is nice. But being able to use coupons on different sale items offered by different stores will be even nicer.

*If you have 2 or more grocery stores (of comparable size) within close vicinity, take a few minutes to walk around in those settings, and you may find you have a coupon for ABC brand of dishwashing liquid, but it may not be in Store 1; however, the same item in Store 2 a few blocks down is selling it at a 3-for-1 sale price. It would definitely be worth the trip to use your coupon at Store 2 alongside the sale price for that item.

Once you have perfected the 4 steps above, you will pretty much have a good idea on the kinds of items you need to purchase on a regularly basis, and you are now ready to clip coupons in advance. If you believe the act of sitting down and clipping coupons is a mundane task, try to do it while you are watching television, or listening to the radio, or simply doing it while having a conversation with someone. It doesn’t require much brainwork to perform the act of clipping coupons, and if you can add some color into that task, you will start to feel that clipping coupons is actually not that time-consuming after all.

Actively be on the lookout for deals by reading the weekly circulars and subscribing to coupon sites, like www.coolsavings.com, or www.wireddeals.com (if you are a fan of online shopping) – the former of which can allow you to join the membership for free and browse an endless selection of coupons, only to print the ones you really need. At the same time, don’t forget to keep your coupon package clutter free by reviewing them on a regular basis and throwing out the ones that have already expired. This will ensure that your supply of coupons is updated, useful, and meaningful. You can now be on your way to enjoy the same quality of life on a huge discount.

新年、新願望、新計劃 New Year, New Wishes, New Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (JL) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 03:58:00 +0000

中國人常謂「新年新願望」。新年之際，不少人會回顧過去一年於工作，學業上的豐功偉績、與親友的關係、健康狀況等等，再於未盡完善的地方上訂立新年願望。

與其用「願望」來描述，我覺得英文裡的 New Year Resolution （新年計劃）更為貼切實際。「願望」並不包含計劃、努力，與實踐。而「願望」在隨時隨地都可以立。「計劃」可複雜多了，它往往包括了訂立短期及長期的目標、達標的策略，甚至達標後的打算等等。

大家可否想過「計劃」為何一定要是「新」的嗎？我們每年訂立新年計劃，在新的一年理應要努力實踐。回顧過往幾年的計劃，如有久久未能實踐的，請務必要找出原因。是推動力不夠，還是願望已經不太實際，不妨拿出紙筆，寫出要實現計劃的理由，和實現的方法。

在此祝大家新年快樂、身體健康！

Re-inventing Your Thanksgiving Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (LawDiv) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 03:57:00 +0000

As Thanksgiving is just around the corner, everyone’s minds would start to reel over a super long weekend holiday, massive department store discounts, and of course, the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. A full blown Thanksgiving dinner is more like a feast rather than a meal, consisting of a 30-lb. roast turkey, numerous high-calorie-full-of-carbohydrate side dishes, and endless alcoholic beverages. Wow. This is too much food for one day – even if one decides to skip breakfast AND lunch.

As family units get smaller and people become busier, not to mention that there isn’t enough time nor budget remaining at year’s end for such a huge feast, the preparation of Thanksgiving dinner (if you decide to adhere to the ritual and celebrate) can become an extremely stressful project. There are plenty of alternatives available that can make your Thanksgiving dinner just as enjoyable, but stress-free. Here are some variations among the many:

1) There is absolutely no need to roast a huge turkey, unless you are going to feed the whole town. Yes. If you are wondering why use turkey, this is the primary purpose. The decision to use turkey originated with Abraham Lincoln in 1863, when he nationalized Thanksgiving as a public holiday. Because one turkey could feed more people simultaneously, that’s what he used to send to his soldiers, instead of chicken.

Therefore, chicken was the original food of choice. For those of you spending Thanksgiving with only 5 or 6 people in a cozy kitchen, and you can make this your own tradition. Go for an ‘oven-stuffer’ chicken and prepare it the same way as you would a roast turkey. The flavor can surpass that of a turkey, due to chicken meat being more tender and easier to absorb the flavor and juices; it takes significantly less time to cook; and you won’t be stuck with leftovers that last you till Christmas. Think turkey salad, turkey sandwich, turkey stew, turkey everything.

2) For vegetarians and for those who feel less obliged to eat meat during the holidays, you can try “Tofurkey“, which is fake turkey made of wheat gluten, tofu and other natural flavors. It is high in soy protein and substantially lower in fat content and cholesterol, while mimicking the elongated, stranded texture of white meat turkey. Tofurkey can be accompanied with regular turkey stuffing and cranberry sauce as delicious side dishes. However, depending on which brand of Tofurkey you decide to purchase, the overkilling of wheat gluten as the main ingredient can render the texture a little bit on the ‘rubbery’ side.

3) For the ultimate carnivores who think more meat is never enough, you might have faced with a choice to (literally) kill 3 birds in one stone and attempt the so-called Devil’s Main Course — the “Turducken“, a chicken stuffed in a duck stuffed in a turkey. However, this alternative is not recommended, as it is enormous, extremely high in calories (about 800 calories in a tiny serving!), sodium, fat, and only about 2% (about 0.6 grams) of dietary fiber from the 3 birds combined.

The choices of what to prepare for a Thanksgiving dinner are endless, if one decides to deviate from tradition. Stuffing yourself like how you stuff your bird(s) is hardly an enjoyable experience at all. Likewise, watching your loved ones stuff themselves is not all that rejoicing either. As health experts advocate, eating has to be done in moderation, and one can still adhere to the traditional notion of a celebrating the occasion with a decent Thanksgiving dinner by not over-indulging in food. Being creative and having the courage to re-invent is always favorable, and it can end up being the better means to achieve the same ends.

Dispelling Nutrition Myths

noreply@blogger.com (LawDiv) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 02:55:00 +0000

Given that the world has grown to become more and more health-conscious and more aware about the environment, the kind of foods that people choose to consume reflect such mentality as well. In the past, supermarkets would categorize foods into the main groups like “meats,” “fruits,” “vegetables,” “dairy,” etc. With the expansion of the working class, which began about two decades ago, fewer people resorted to cooking full meals. The result was the emergence of “frozen foods ”. Analogize that phenomenon with the health-conscious trend that is becoming mainstream, and it is natural to believe a new category of foods should emerge.

Indeed. “Health foods” is what we have. This category is extremely broad as it includes all the foods that the general public deems as relatively “healthy”. Note the presence of the word “relatively”. A meal can always be “healthier” than another, but it can never be objectively and absolutely “healthy”. Health foods can be meaty, fruity, it can taste like fried chicken, or it can just be bland like water.

Nothing can ever be absolutely healthy. Even too much water can be detrimental to anyone, let alone foods. While health foods can produce desirable effect in bodies, one still has to heed some common myths and misconceptions.

· Baked or reduced-fat?

In store aisles, we see more and more snacks labeled as “baked, not fried”. While baking the snacks produces less saturated fat, one should still caution. The products that usually announce themselves as “baked, not fried” are mostly high in fat content to begin with. If a product is already high in fat, then baking it can reduce the fat content, but it can still be quite high. The same concept goes for “reduced-fat”. Reduced-fat foods are mandated to have 25% less fat than their full-fat equivalents, but the reason why such foods can be fat-reduced is that their original fat content is very high. So, pay attention to some reduced-fat foods and think for a minute whether they are as healthy as you might think.

· Fresh or frozen?

Our parents have always taught us the idea of eating “fresh fruits and veggies”. If you live on a farm, maybe the freshness is warranted. But if you are purchasing veggies from a supermarket or anywhere that is far away from a farm, they might actually have been harvested for a significant amount of time (weeks or even months) before they arrive at your fridge. Nutrients would be lost along the way. Freezing, on the other hand, occurs right after harvest, and the process extends the shelf life of fruits and veggies with the use of carbon dioxide and ethylene oxide. Thus, more nutrients can be retained until your defrosting.

· Sugar sweetener, sugar substitute, or fruit juice sweetener?

The advent of aspartame as a sugar substitute calmed nerves for a while, but as more scientific research reveals the detrimental sides of sugar substitutes, people turn to another alternative. Fruit juice sweetener. The name means what it says: using the sugars within fruit juice concentrates as a substitute for sugar or aspartame. However, just because fruit sugars come from fruits do not make them any healthier. A human body cannot distinguish between regular sugars or fruit sugars – they are identified to the human body as one and the same – plain old sugar. So don’t think you can OD on fruit sugars thinking you will never gain weight.

· Fat-free salad dressing?

Salad dressings without an ounce of fat actually can obstruct the body’s absorption of lycopene and beta-carotene (which are abundant in salad veggies). For effective absorption to take place, you need some fat to go with the process. Think lubrication, or fuel for a car. However, that doesn’t mean you can start bathing your salad veggies in blue cheese or Caesar dressing. Try adding a small amount of cheese, nuts, and some olive oil for the magic.

· Chicken Noodle Soup for the sick?

Research reports have confirmed that chicken noodle soup does carry the necessary nutrients and the fluids craved by a sick body — well, only if they are home-made. Home-made chicken noodle soup is usually relatively low in fat, rich in carbohydrates (which provides the sick body with energy), and fiber. Chicken noodle soup sold in the canned food section are usually high in sodium (sometimes as high as 450 mg per serving!) which can cause further dehydration. In an age in which soy sauce is sodium-free, having a bowl of salt-filled chicken noodle soup defeats the purpose it is serving.

· Going organic?

Organic means that the produce is free of manufactured chemical pesticides and fertilizers, but that doesn’t mean that the farmers cannot use ‘organic pesticides’. Both kinds of pesticides are the same in chemical composition that can have the same effect on human bodies when ingested. Hence the risk is still there. Moreover, an organically grown tomato maybe healthier than a regular tomato, but think organic plantains fried in organic peanut oil. This is no different than regular plantains fried in regular peanut oil. Peanut oil, by nature, is high in fat and distilling it from organically grown peanuts doesn’t make it a healthy ingredient.

Too much of anything is never beneficial. The key to consuming the right amount of foods is to read the ingredients and the nutritional facts. Many people rely too much on the package label which often says “Fat Free,” “Organic,” or “Reduced-Fat”. Health foods with such labeling are a great alternative; nonetheless, determining content per serving should be an additional mandatory step in getting the right amount that your body can tolerate to function more efficiently.

Peaceful minimalism: How to live a decluttered life

noreply@blogger.com (JL) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 02:57:00 +0000

Imagine waking up one day in an apartment free of clutter. You don't have a long list of tasks to do - it is already simplified to the barest of essentials. You only have three essential tasks that are the most valuable to you, and several smaller ones that you can knock out in 15 minutes. Won't you just start to feel the calm and joy that enter your heart?

Do all these sound too good to be true? We usually don’t have time for what’s important to us, instead, we make time for what we really want to be doing, and doing things we’re passionate about. However, all we seem to have is an ever-growing list of tasks that we can never completely wipe out.

It isn't hard to live a simpler life - one in which you enjoy each activity, one in which you are content rather than just rushing to finish things.

To live a simpler life, let's start with looking at the 2 major areas where our lives are cluttered:

Mind clutter

Tips to a clean mind:

Apply the 80-20 Rule (the Pareto Principle).

I find the Pareto Principle very true: Let's be honest - we spend 80% of the time with 20% of our acquaintances, and about 20% of our effort generates 80% of the results. To achieve more, try focusing on 20% of the tasks that give us the most results, rather than the other 80%. List on a piece of paper 4-5 things that really give you value and that you love doing. Then evaluate everything that is going on in your life, and identify which ones are in line with the 4-5 most important things you have listed.

Define your MITs

This extends from the 80-20 Rule above. Define your 3 most important tasks every morning (or the night before). Then devote all your energies to accomplish them.

Focus, focus, focus.

Block out interferences (i.e. Personal E-mail, blogs, RSS feeds, stocks) when you are working. You only need 10 minutes in the morning, and 10 minutes at night to check your E-mails and digest the information. Check your personal E-mail/favorite blogs/RSS feeds in batches. And do not watch stocks 10 times a day unless you are a full-time day-trader.
Physical clutter at home

Too much junk at home becomes a psychological weight on ourselves.

Tips to a clean home:

Apply the 80-20 Rule, again.

We wear our 20% most favored clothes 80% of the time, we use 20% of the spices we like most on the spice rack, etc. - you get the idea.

Spend a weekend to declutter room-by-room.

Start from one room to another. Take everything out from your closets and storage boxes. Have the item been used in the past 6 months (except seasonal clothings)? If the answer is yes, put them back nicely. Otherwise, consider donating them, or tossing them. Then sit back, look at the clean room, and appreciate your effort.

Avoid purchasing organizers/containers.

They will only give you excuses to store more clutter. Reduce clutter, not organize them.

Clip magazines.

Toss the articles when you have adopted the ideas into life. Of most magazines, only a few pages are useful - just clip them instead of keeping a whole pile of magazines.

Avoid buying items that serve just one single purpose.

Buy items that multi-task (i.e. NO mango splitter, or asparagus pot)

Soon you will no longer see rooms like the ones shown below:

Separation of Church and Trusts?

noreply@blogger.com (LawDiv) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 02:54:00 +0000

Since the earliest recorded history of churches, whether it is the Church of the Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, the Anglican Communion, or the Roman Catholic Church, the functions of churches exceed beyond the realm of preaching the word of God. To maintain their very existence, churches rely on various sources of funding - the few that come to everyone’s mind include clerical fundraising events and private donation from the religious devotees. Nontheless, a significant source of funding has always been overlooked. Churches, from the Middle Ages when feudalism was the main economic impetus, have functioned as modern-day investment trusts - in particular, real estate investment trusts or REITs.

Churches originally preached ‘virtues’ of poverty and shunned material wealth. However, churches saw the necessity to accumulate vast amounts of money to establish other churches (in hopes of truly spreading the faith) and to maintain a religious community. With the onset of gifts and bequests from wealthy ancient Roman families, along with the Emperor Constantine’s toleration of Christianity, the wealth of churches greatly increased. Somehow, that wealth can deplete if gifts and bequests stopped. There had to be other ways to guarantee a constant flow of income to the church’s pockets. The way to do it was to buy and invest in land.

Feudalism was all about fiefdom, land-owning, and maximizing profits from work that was performed on the land, to the land, and of the land. Prior to separation of church and state, European monarchies were essentially the backbone of the churches. Monarchies conquered land and distributed land parcels to feudal lords, who in turn, discovered a panoply of ways to cultivate the land in order to generate profits, both to pay tribute to the royal family, and to support the church. The ultimate owners of the land were feudal lords, often knights at the monarch’s service, received their so-called ‘income’ from the king. This pattern illustrated the close relationship between the churches and the land which they indirectly owned, thereby creating a skeletal framework of a real estate investment trust. The knights are the investors/beneficiaries, while the churches/monarchies are the land trust owners. The knights and their vassals held land ‘in trust’ for the church, generating profits from land operations.

Modern day REITs are modeled after mutual funds to provide for a structure for investment in real estates, in which investors, as the trust beneficiaries, are eligible to receive 90% of the REIT’s income. Recently, churches have also openly created investment funds as well as joined forces with other REITs to provide mortgage financing and develop rental properties. While the concepts of chuch and state can be separable, the concept of ’separation of church and trusts’ isindispensable, and can never be dispensible in the near future – as long as churches are preaching the word of God with a sprinkle on the side for profitable investments.

In Praise of Globalization: American Eateries with Asian Inspirations

noreply@blogger.com (JL) — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 02:44:00 +0000

Over recent years the U.S. landscape has been flooded with new and authentic - if not completely true to their roots - tastes from not only China and Japan, but also other corners of Asia. Here in New York City we have Morimoto’s (featuring Iron Chef star Masaharu Morimoto) and Buddakan. P.F. Chang’s China Bistro is located not far away in West New York, across the Hudson. These are mass entrepreneurial concepts that package Asian cuisines to be especially palatable, which has stunned the restaurant industry with their rapid growth.

A careful look at these restaurants reveals some interesting facts:

Morimoto’s and Buddakan are both owned by Stephen Starr’s Starr Restaurants Organization.
P.F. Chang’s annual report (10-K) reveals a Board of Directors composed solely of non-Asians.

What’s behind all these new concepts that fuse Asian cuisines with American ownership, upscale decors and service? Globalization and the imprint of Asians migrating to North America should no doubt be credited - but there are more.

The Asian flavors have been a big draw for certain demographics in America. Diners who prefer healthy choices have gravitated to the clean, simple, yet assertive flavors of many Asian cuisines. The adventurous palates of the younger generation seem to be driving some demand too.

Sweet and sour pork, egg rolls, and egg foo young aside, customer service creates a huge impact on popularity, customer loyalty and hence the long-term success of a business. Take a comparison between local Asian take-outs and their upscale alternatives and one will immediately notice the difference in their business approach. The former focuses on quick service and inexpensive meals, while the latter focuses on customer satisfaction and the restaurants’ atmosphere.

Traditional Asian eateries are often limited by the specific types of cuisines they offer. A Szechuan-style restaurant would focus on spicy dishes; and by serving a Shanghainese dish such as soup dumplings, they lose their “identity”. The advantage that the modern, upscale Asian restaurants have is that they are no longer limited by these boundaries. Without these boundaries they often bring eccentric eating culture (such as Dim Sum) to the curious American diner. Their menus include a wide range of selection such as Kung Pao Chicken from China, sushi dishes from Japan, as well as Phở from Vietnam. And don’t be surprised when you see New York Style Cheesecake on their menu!

Globalization and the ever-expanding international economic system have caused there to be a McDonald’s on every corner in Beijing. There was even once a Starbucks inside the Forbidden City. With globalization came these modern, upscale restaurants that bring us the most exquisite flavors from each cuisine.

涼鞋配襪可以獨領風騷嗎？

noreply@blogger.com (LawDiv) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 02:48:00 +0000

前兩個禮拜在台灣的聯合報網頁上看到美國總統布希穿著 C-字頭的名牌橡膠涼鞋（英文名稱：sandals）佩深色短襪，被大眾批評他「俗」、老土、等等。這就讓我想起，涼鞋配襪子的組合可不可以有朝一日獨領風騷？答案是：絕對可以的。

當我們批評某個人的穿著為「土」或「沒品味」時，是否想過「土」的定義是什麼呢？是不是沒人穿就被視為「退流行」，甚至會惹人笑柄？如果時尚是要靠名人宣傳大眾的話，那任何名人（不管是超級模特兒，政商名流，電影明星，甚至是政治人物），只要是家喻戶曉的，都能有在大眾的淺意識裡改變對潮流的看法。有人力帶動，自然就會有追隨者。涼鞋配襪也是如此。這款早在80年代就流行過的東西，難道以後就不能流行嗎？

近幾年來，時尚界流行「復古風」，60年代及70 年代的配件與服裝大量地重現在年輕人的身上。超大的太陽眼鏡、喇叭牛仔褲、領子不規律的過長T-shirt、還有，有小腰身的男裝襯衫，都大肆流行。但是似乎大眾可以接受的復古仍是有點挑剔，復古的範圍裡仍有「禁地」。涼鞋配襪就是其中之一。如果現在打開電視機或翻開服裝雜誌就到處看見模特兒或明星呈現涼鞋配襪的畫面，我深信這款組合絕對能由「俗又有力」演變成「又酷又in」。

是不是美國總統就沒資格做服裝時尚的先驅？看看相片裡的他，穿得多休閒，多舒服？現在大衆標榜穿著以舒適爲重；由於每個人對舒服的定義不同，這就自然會有包羅萬象的搭配方法。是否能夠成爲時尚界的領導風潮就要靠大家的慧眼了。任何穿著和搭配都獨領風騷的潛力，走入平民化 – 涼鞋配襪也不外乎如此。

Massage - the new drug

noreply@blogger.com (LawDiv) — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 02:44:00 +0000

Have you ever walked by a salon, massage parlor, or spa, and wondered “why are people paying money to buy a massage and back rubs?” Massages are likened to be addictive like drugs. Once you have it, you want more. It makes you relax, yet it can also be painful to the point that you’d be cursing out whoever is present in the same enclosed space as you do, but still, you are more than willing to take on that challenge. What’s with the love-hate relationship that we have towards massage? Is it because, in our innate primitive self, we like to get a natural high from being pinched?

“Massage” comes from the French verb “masser” (to touch), which comes from the Arabic word “massa” (to stroke), which derives Semitic roots. So there goes that ‘touching’ element. The scientific definition is “manipulating the soft tissues of the body to have a special effect. Its objective is the restoration of functions, release of tension, and the re-establishment where it is desirable.” Hmmm…feels good just thinking about it, isn’t it? The concept has a long winding history; here are some dates in the Massage Hall of Fame:

3000 BC – Earliest records came from the Chinese. Hieroglyphics depicted female witches using massages for healing diseases. In Chinese medicine, massage was known as “推拿” (pronounces, Tui Na - literally meaning “to push” and “to pull”).

2500 BC – The Egyptians created ‘reflexology’ – the stimulation of nerves for healing.

1800 BC – The Indians followed with the Ayurvedic (or Ayurveda), an art of life that includes massage techniques, ‘healers’ for ailments.

776 BC – The first practical use of massage in the Olympic Games, in which athletes massaged prior to their sporting events, as a form of relaxation.

460-380 BC – Hippocrates became a devotee to the idea that the body has power to heal itself, as in, using friction to treat bodily sprains and dislocations.

581-906 AD – Tui Na has spread profusely to what is modern day Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and the Muslim Middle East. It was used then as a major therapeutic procedure in pediatrics and orthopedics.

Modern day deviations of massages include the Swedish Massage, the Japanese Shiatsu, Aromatherapy, Deep Tissue Massage, Foot Massage, the electric massager, the massage chair, the Jacuzzi tub, and who can forget the Erotic Massage? (for a more comprehensive list, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massage) The sense of pressurized touch facilitates the renewal of cells, releasing emotional tension, and builds intimacy. It can also improve blood circulation, among all things.

Massages has become not just an element in human life; even animal salons now sell kneading and pet massages as part of pet care regimens. The world has finally come to celebrate the power of touching, and breaking loose the shackles that made it such a taboo for as long as the human civilization has been in existence. Knead your way into the kaleidoscope of life!

Introduction and Backgrounder

noreply@blogger.com (JL) — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 02:41:00 +0000

We are a mix of young professionals from vast backgrounds with a passion to read, learn and write. Anything goes for inspiration - current events, history, humor, wellness, health, food, observations from the streets, etc., across various cultures.

The purpose of this blog is simple. A lot of unanswered trivialities in life’s corners remain unanswered. Rather than having recurring thoughts about questions in which we either are too lazy to look for answers, or simply hoping that someday, somewhere, someone can just tell us the answers, we have decided to embark on our own quest for answers — and share them with you. This blog is not meant to be an ultimate challenge to Wikipedia. (OK - a little too ambitious here, but…)

Along the avenue of answer searching, there no doubt will be some ’sounding off’. We think sharing pieces of writings isn’t fun if all that were written about are objective factual occurrences. People read gossip magazines and newspaper columns for the point of view disclosed. Hence, we are believers in sharing our opinions; why we see some laws of nature function the way they do; why the existence of certain infrastructures ultimately defeat the purpose of their very existence; and why everyone finds certain phenomenons in life fun and interesting, and therefore, worth attempting.

As to why we name this site Volume 7, we invite you to join us in thinking out at loud volumes. A loud, constructive voice is never bad. Through our site we will help you discover new content and interest insights on seemingly trivial matters. And for those of you with something to share with us, you can voice out and share by commenting on our posts, or becoming a guest poster by contacting us.

Volume7.com is based in New York, a region known for creativity. We welcome you to contact us at any time with feedback, suggestions or anything else that you can think of.

Volume 7

Cost-Cutting Measures for Tough Times

Trick Safe 'n Treat Safe

Online Services I Recommend, Part VI: Document Management

Budget Travel 101

Safety Precautions for Summer Pet Care

Online Services I Recommend, Part V: Scheduling / Time Management

Online Services I Recommend, Part IV: Online Storage / Backup

Online Services I Recommend, Part III: Money / Finance

Online Services I Recommend, Part II: Bookmarking

Online Services I Recommend, Part I: E-mail / IM

The 3 “E”s to Living Life

Surprise!!!...or Not?

4 Principles to Smart Grocery Shopping and More

新年、新願望 、新計劃 New Year, New Wishes, New Resolutions

Re-inventing Your Thanksgiving Dinner

Dispelling Nutrition Myths

Peaceful minimalism: How to live a decluttered life

Separation of Church and Trusts?

In Praise of Globalization: American Eateries with Asian Inspirations

涼鞋配襪可以獨領風騷嗎？

Massage - the new drug

Introduction and Backgrounder

新年、新願望、新計劃 New Year, New Wishes, New Resolutions