Not quite everything you wanted to know

Well, whaddaya know? I have been tagged for the first time ever by Simon. It's a tag on my blog habits, which promises to be quite fun to do (Thank God it's not the photo tag I saw over at pinkpau's blog! That one really faint kaw-kaw). It's not tabloid fodder (haha!) so therefore the title of "Not quite everything you wanted to know (or not know) about rinnah".

1. What is your blogging name?
I am known as rinnah, and if I can't register that as my user ID then it's ryarin. Both are completely made up names, btw.

2. When did you start blogging, exact date?
For this blog : January 02, 2007. I had originally intended to start from January 01, but got sidetracked by something else (I can't remember what). But I'd been sporadically blogging at Multiply.com before then.

3. What was your first blogpost title?
The very boringly titled "New Year Resolution". I think I've gotten better at creating funky titles, no?

4. Which post do you feel is the best so far?
Blogging and me. Because writing this post really felt good and was an honest expression of how I felt (and still feel!) about blogging. Kinda apt post for this tag, don't you think? *grin*

5. Who promotes / is the source of inspiration for you to blog?
Me. Ahahaha. I'm kidding, but there is a bit of truth in that answer. I get inspired to blog for myself, because I want to have a record of how I change even as I age. It's interesting to look back at my first few posts and remember how I felt and what was I doing at that point in time.

6. When do you usually post entries?
When I feel like it. LOL. Sometimes I post 2 - 3 entries a day, sometimes once a day, or once a week. I blog when my muse is active. But nowadays, I'm trying to make my posts more... complete. So I might take a few days or a week to craft a single entry to my desired perfection.

7. Where would you prefer to be when you are blogging?
Ideally, at a cozy cafe, curled up in a comfy armchair, jazz music playing in the background, a cup of warm (not hot!) Irish cream flavored latte at hand, watching society go by. But then again, I might be too comfortable to do much blogging there! Lawl.

8. Have you met other bloggers? Who?
Yup, the list is here. But there's still so many of you, you and you whom I haven't met yet! Let's make a date this year, okay? *wink*

9. How many entries do you make in a month?
On average, I'd say about 25? entries. Not counting sponsored posts, of course.

10. Would you reveal your face or your family in your blog? Why?
No. This is a strictly anony-mouse blog. Hahaha. If you want to see my face, meet me in person. Or ask someone who's met me before what I look like. Or go stalk my Facebook. *grin & wink*

11. Would you promote the concept of blogging to your friends? Why?
Only if they're the IT savvy type who loves the Internet. Heck, I can't even get them onto Facebook, much less blog!

12. Would you feel restless / guilty conscience / incomplete if you didn't blog for a month?
Actually, I feel kinda restless if I don't blog for a few days. And incomplete too, so how do you expect me to not blog for a whole month? You've gotta be kidding me... ... ...

And how do you blog? Let's hear it from...
Chev
Paris Beaverbanks

Switchfoot will be in town!

I just found out today... Switchfoot is going to be in Malaysia!!! For the first time ever, too. I so badly want to go!!!!!!

If I hadn't confirmed my Lake Toba trip, I would have gone for it, no hesitation. But now... I gotta wonder... will my February and March budget hold up? Theoretically, no. :o( Gah.

How I wish... that someone would sponsor me tix to go. Guess I'll just have to settle for listening to Gone over and over and over again. *cry*

I got mentioned in a publication!

Remember this post?

Well, I got an email from Edward Mischaud this morning telling me that his dissertation on Twitter has been published by LSE (his university), which means he's completed his MSc in Politics and Communication. Plus, he scored a Distinction on his dissertation and got the highest mark in his class. Woot!

Edward was kind enough to send me the link to his dissertation so I could read it, and I am so pleasantly surprised that my little contribution by completing his questionnaire is mentioned 7 times over 3 pages. (Yes, I counted. Lawl.) Turns out that spending that short while helping a fellow student is worthwhile after all. *big grin* And my blogging experiences just get richer and richer.

Makes me feel all energized to start Twitter-ing again. Twit twit two whoo!

IT'S. BACK.

We meet again, Mr. Cowell. And have I ever told you that I watch American Idol solely for your snarky comments and oh-so-deadpan expressions? (Do wish you would lose the man boobs though. And you don't seem to change your shirt at all.) Whether or not the producers are keeping you there for the entertainment factor of seeing how many people you manage to piss off by just being that cynical British guy. (Oh yeah, I forgot to add - sarcasm sounds so much better in a Brit accent than continuous "Yo dawg!" or "I love you. You can sing!" remarks.) Your taste is sometimes debatable (I think!), but I've come to recognize that those judgment calls you make come from an industry point of view. Sometimes a person can sing but just isn't marketable to the masses. And I think America should listen more to your advice. If they had, Melinda Doolittle would've been season 6's winner, not Jordin Sparks. (But to tell the truth, I hated it when you picked Katherine McPhee in season 5. Case of your eyes over-ruling your ears?) Then again, if I had to listen to as much bad singing as you do, I'd probably end up like Miranda in The Devil Wears Prada. Hah! But please, no more Ryan Seacrest ribbing anymore, ok? I had enough of it last season. And no Paula episodes! (Although she is the one who initiates the smooches, and not you.)

Lest anyone begins to think that this post is starting to vaguely resemble an application to the "I Love Simon Cowell fanclub", let's move on to the more interesting parts, shall we? Like how this show is supposed to find the best and the brightest singing talents in America, but also unearths all the weirdos along the way. (Seriously, with voices / looks / bad personality like that you expect to be the next Idol? Dream on la...) Or like how the show should be really about who sings best and not about who has the most marketable personality and biggest fan base. And how the human mind still judges others based upon the outward appearance more than on true singing talent. But it's not all bad.

There's the human element in it all that makes it soooo... compelling to watch. The tear-jerker tales (anyone still remember Kellie Pickler from season 4?), the super-inflated egos (that would be Scott Savol, season 3 I think), the embarassing breakdowns. The intense competition, the camaderie of contestants as they get closer to the goal of being the ultimate Idol. The emotions felt when a deserving contestant goes home. The unfairness of it all when a weaker one stays (like how Kevin-what's-his-name-aka-Chicken-Little). Being swept away by the songs they sing well and shuddering at the bad caterwauling of poor song choice. All of which feed our human appetite for two hours every week in front of the television. It's time I don't begrudge the idiot box.

Now, can anyone tell me why they scrapped Malaysian Idol? Huh?

rinnah plays at being a mechanic

Warning. Really air-headed, fluffy-istic, bimbo-ish post ahead. This is rinnah as you've never seen her. Lawl.

Over the weekend, my baby car gave me a shock by refusing (initially) to start. I valiantly resisted the urge to panic and start bawling call AAM or some other car rescue service but just sat there turning the key over and over again like how you see in the movies, "Start, d@mmit!" Okay, so I didn't actually swear. Lawl. Three or four false starts later, the engine finally caught on and started. Phew! Disaster averted for the moment.

Deciding that prevention is better than cure (and not wanting to wait until something worse happened), I sought several opinions from the male species, all of whom said I should check the battery water levels before doing anything more drastic - I thought that I had to immediately change my car's battery. Just a check sounds simple enough, right? Not when you're an automobile mechanically challenged female. Ahahaha. I do declare that I only know how to drive my car and fill the tank and take it for the occasional car wash / service. I don't ever touch (nor even look at!) the innards of my car. That's what mechanics are for, right? In situations like this, I first look helplessly at Dad, but this time, I had to get down and dirty with my car myself. (Where's the boyfriend when you need one? *grin*) Okay, topping up battery water didn't sound like too Herculean a task since I'm not entirely inept at the handyman game (I do know how to wield a hammer and screwdriver if I need to). How hard could it be?

I started off like a real know-it-all, eschewing to read the manual or guide on how to do it. Roadblock number one. The fluffyheaded, bimbo side of me neglected to find out that there was a catch under the hood of the car to release it. So when I gingerly popped the hood... it wouldn't open, of course. How hillbilly! *blush* A few minutes later and this time with manual in hand, I finally figured out how to get the hood open. Geez.

Then came roadblock number two. I didn't see anything remotely resembling a car battery. I mean, where were all those easy to open screw tops on that boxy-shaped thing shown in the manual? (Note: The drawings in Perodua's manual are not entirely accurate...) Furthermore, superhero me had decided to conduct this experiment... in the night evening, with only the porch light to guide me. Ish. And I wish that car manufacturers would just decide on a standard placement and layout of the engine. Like batteries should always look like this and be placed on the left side of the engine compartment. That would make life so much more simpler! But I digress. Some hemming and hawing later, I realised why I couldn't find my battery. Because it didn't have the six screw tops! Duh. Instead, I found six black plastic circles that looked like sunken in screws. Double ish.

Grabbed a screwdriver from the toolbox and attacked the screws one by one. I just learned from this experiment that there's a maximum and minimum level of battery water. Thing is, I didn't know how much to put because for the life of me, I couldn't see the levels in the dark! How very blonde of me to do so. *vacuous giggle* Unscrew, squint, squirt, squint summore, squirt a bit more, screw. Repeat x 6. I was starting to feel quite accomplished... then poof!

I dropped one of the black plastic screw thingies (the last one) into the innards of my car. Argh! Into one of those hard to reach places to boot. (Bad pun, I know. The engine's in the hood, not boot.) Poke, peer, dig, scrape, all in vain - I couldn't get the screw cap out. Triple ish. Why can't the battery makers make simple screw tops that attach to the battery so this doesn't happen? Because they're probably not female, that's why. A few efforts later, I managed to knock the screw into a position where I could force my hand into a narrow gap and filch it out. Potential tragic-comedy averted. Can you imagine how embarassing it would be to call a mechanic and go, "Uh, I was trying to top up my battery water but I went and lost the screw cap inside the car engine." THAT would have sealed my fluffyheaded female status.

Oh, but you can tell how much of a blonde at heart I am from the above and the fact that hey! I managed to injure myself yet again in this episode. Yup. I don't know whether I scraped my hand filching the screw or if I accidentally got some battery water on my right hand - it turned red (inflamed) and swelled up (minimally) in places across the back of my hand. Aiyayaiyayai! And that resulted in me spending the next 20 minutes standing in the kitchen with my hand in running cold water until the swell and redness went away.

End of adventure.

And to pre-empt your questions:
~ Yes, I did make sure that all the screws were properly tightened back on.
~ No, I didn't overfill my battery with an overdose of battery water.
~ Yes, I am going to learn more about my car, but only under great impulse (like you have to make me do it kicking and screaming all the way)
~ No, I don't intend to take up mechanics as a part-time job. LOL!

And finally...

Wheeee! I need to learn how to pump air into my car's tyres next! Anyone wanna volunteer to teach me? ROTFL. (Actually, I'm serious about this. Ahahaha.)

I'm sure you're now scratching your head and going, "Liddat also can blog about it ah? Got nothing better to do meh?" Actually, ya lor. Cannot sleep mah. Lawl.

Change your vision, change your outlook

Lately my mother has been wondering if she should get a new pair of spectacles made. She has a pair of multifocals that she uses for everyday use, but she complains that it's rather hard to read and she'd rather read without her specs on. Funny how it's only problematic for reading. Maybe it's time to get her a pair of prescription eyeglasses just for reading? If that's the case, then here's a Great Discovery: $ 8 Zenni Optical Rx Eyeglassess. Hassle-free shopping online plus a wide selection of frames too, like the one above. And while I'm at it, maybe I can get a pair of sunglasses for myself too.

I is going on holiday!

Wheeeee! *rinnah does a hop / skip / jump combination all around the room* Sheesh. All this excitement over boarding a little red plane over the sea to our neighbor country that smokes us out every year. So jakun, hor? *grin*

But yeah, I'm finally going to get to go on my first-ever flying overseas holiday (Singapore doesn't count because I went there by car. Lawl). \(^.^)/ Hear me squee! Ahahaha.

And where am I going? Here, take a sneak peek...

Gorgeous, isn't it? Heaven on earth is what this place has been called, and I can't wait to go camera-trigger-happy there. Okay, so I have to hold my horses for another two months. *sigh* I'm hoping that things will work out (family wise) so that I can peacefully and joyfully go on holiday...

So, anyone know of what's good to see, do and eat in Medan and Lake Toba?

What floats your resolution boat?

I'm back! Miss me? *grin & wink*

Well, if you've been reading my spin long enough, you'd know that I love clean slates and fresh starts. Therefore, it goes without saying that I would, naturally, make a resolution or two (or twenty. Lawl.) for the year 2008. Well, this year I wasn't thinking of publishing my resolution list, but the Giddy Tigress made me do it! Ahahaha. Based on the four categories below, I would definitely say that I'm a Type-A personality. Uh. I mean Type 1. Duh!

Image credit: indrayam

*Start Copy Here*

When it comes to New Year’s Resolutions we seem to fall into four categories: 1) be quite serious about them, 2) be flippant about them, 3) do it because we feel pressured to, or 4) do not do them.

So, the purpose of this little game is to let us know which category you are in. Copy from *Start Copy Here* through *End Copy Here* and post it. Before *End Copy Here* tell us who you are, your site(s) (with link) and your New Year’s Resolution, or not.

Then tag as many others as you like, from one to your entire blogroll, your choice.

If you like, create an intro paragraph to your post that also acknowledges who tagged you.

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS:

Juliana – Juliana’s Site - My New Year’s resolutions are looking for a part time job, keep blogging, and learn to cook and bake.

Michelle - Rusin Roundup - 1. Learn to be happier and accept myself for who I am, 2. Is to lose about 25 lbs., and 3. Is to stop smoking.

Karen - Grow Rich Along With Me - My resolution for next year is to achieve $3K per month passive income by the end of 2008.

Mel - Attitude, the Ultimate Power & Complain Complain Complain - “I don’t need no stinking resolutions.” I never hold to them anyway so why frustrate myself by starting them now.

Sandee - Comedy Plus - I don’t need no stinking resolutions either. Years and years ago I did them because everyone else did, but not once did I follow through. Why set yourself up for failure?

Lynda - lynda’s loft - My resolution is to see resolve to that which needs resolution. Like Mel and Sandee, I feel that resolutions give us more stress, however, being a person who sets goals each year, isn’t that the same thing as a resolution??? Goals vs. resolutions? Goals are more general and allow for more time to complete them, a resolution requires a mind-set and immediate action, which is not always feasible… Well, that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it…

Amelia - Amel’s Realm - This is a list of my New Year’s Resolution:
1. Health: Continue exercising twice a week, eat enough veggies and fruit, have enough rest, take vitamin C regularly and women’s multivitamin during my period.
2. Spiritual: Improve my Daily Bread reading routine and my prayer life and learn more from God’s Word.
3. Financial: Continue to make money online (my goal is getting €100 per month at least), be more creative in writing posts, and save most of the money.
4. General Life: Continue to learn Finnish AND practice it as best and often as I can, try out more baking and cooking recipes, continue to maintain and share positive thoughts, continue to learn to control my thoughts, continue to learn to catch myself before I start complaining and count my blessings instead, continue to stop and cherish all the little moments in life that oftentimes go unnoticed, and continue to feed my inner child and last but not least, continue to ENJOY my life thoroughly.

Trinity - Rooms of My Heart: My New Year’s resolutions in simple and fast way will be blog less and spend more time with my children and read more good books. I want to start studying about global warming and blog it…

Max - MAX - My New Year’s resolutions are to dedicate more time to my friends; to finally be able to read “Der Spiegel” in German; to be calm when organizing my marriage; to go one last time to my favourite club and dance the night away; and continue to be happy!

Eric - Speedcat Hollydale - I love chicken. Problem is that I really never get to have enough chicken! My New Year’s resolution is to enact “Chicken Tuesday”. On this day I will eat only chicken, blog about chicken, and promote chickens all over the world. (hormone free) Join me, won’t you?

Marzie - Mariuca & Mariuca’s Perfume Gallery - My resolution for 2008 is to enjoy a healthier lifestyle and to expand my Perfume Collection.

Sindi- Life Is A Roller Coaster - My resolution is to complain less, pray more and be a little more thankful for what I have.

Judy - Sugar Queen’s Dream - My New Year’s resolution is:
To take better care of my health.
To eat better, well at least 3 meals a day, I’m lucky these days if I stop for one meal a day….
To help make the world a better place to live, I love the human race, but think there’s always room for change.
To be generous until it hurts.
To live each day as if it’s my last.
To make a book of our personal family recipes and traditions for each of my 3 my children, so that the traditions and family cooking can be passed on in my family line long after I’m gone and finally…….
To help more with the local Human society, Animals like little kids can not fend for themselves so it’s up to each of us to take care of our pets and to step in and care for all animals…..
I hope that through me I can encourage my Children to be better adults and in turn to raise the Children they have or will have, to be good people with good, sound & solid values…. Peace!

Adrian - First Time Dad - My New Year’s Resolution for 2008 is to be a better father…now I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions because I never keep them but this one I better keep! Happy New Year to one and all!

Colin - Life - New Years Resolution? No way…Better to achieve more throughout the year rather than pander to the whims of a one day ‘wishful thought’

Mauro - 1 Million Love Messages - My resolution for next year are: 1. Change my job (maybe work online). I’m really unhappy in the actual one. 2. Dedicate more time to my family and girlfriend… maybe start to get ready for our wedding 3. Work hard in 1 Million Love Messages and reach 2500 Love messages (or more) in the end of 2008.

MidgetManOfSteel - Mental Poo - To get out of dealing with people who I have no desire in helping at the job I’m doing…catch the eye of someone who can see that I can write and be funny…and get my own ticket to happiness from my humor….and a Ferrari. While I’m doing this, I resolve to get a Ferrari.

Stacy - My Thoughts - My New Year’s Resolution for 2008 - Is to be more understanding to my children and to other people, Not to curse at others while I am driving, try to eat right and exercise, try to volunteer in my community, and to believe more in my spiritual side.

Jason - DatCurious.com & DatMoney.com - Although, I normally don’t do New Year’s Resolutions (because I find it as an excuse to actually do something I should’ve already been doing), this year I will plan on giving back to the blogging community, especially my audience. I’m not sure how I will do it yet, but I definitely will.

Kesa - Little Aussie Cynic - My New Years Resolution is the standard….. to finally get off the smokes and to loose 8kg…. both which are possible just difficult…..Happy New Year to you and yours….Aussie

Ann - A Nice Place in the Sun - “To let the rest of my life begin as soon as possible.”

Wen - Little Paces - I want to sleep early to reduce my haggard and tired complexion. To blog better than last year and hopefully can save money from paid post so that we can immigrate to Australia. To spend more time with my children. To be able to bake.

Giddy Tiger - Giddy Tigers - I resolve to fulfill my resolutions to cook more often, to reignite my reading hobby and to spend more time with my loved ones and with God.

Rinnah - It's all about the spin... - Wants to lose that niggling 5kg aka 10 pounds... again - and keep it off!

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And, I would like to know what your New Year resolution dos or donts are:

Narrowband
May
L B
Misha
Angeles

Hello 2008!

Woot! We've stepped into 2008 and I hope that you're finding that this year is gonna be kinder and better to you than the last. Without further ado, here are the successful chuppers for the month of December...

1st - No doubt about it, it's LB!
2nd - It's the ever constant Angel!
3rd - Back to uni KYH!

Congrats to them and also to these people...

4th - Mistipurple
5th - May
6th - Chen
7th - Zewt
8th - Adrian & Misha
9th - Eastcoastlife (Woot! New chupper!)
10th - Giddy Tigress
11th - Mudpie, Narrowband, Tine & Simon
12th - Wennnn
13th - Paris Beaverbanks

**********
After much thought and deliberation in 2007 (gawsh, that sounds like ages ago, eh?) I have decided to make major changes to my blogging life. Thank you for all your feedback to my questions in this post here and the following is what I've decided.

~ I will be moving the major part of my blogging to my own domain and not publicizing it beyond this post. If my readers follow me there, they follow me there. If not, I don't mind too, because...
~ My blogging style at my domain will still be me, but with a much more personal spin. So there will be happy / thinking / emo posts and will be much less light-hearted than Blogspot.
~ I am not shutting down Blogspot, but will keep it for funny stuff / tags and memes / sponsored stuff. *grin* The writing style will still remain the same here anyway and will probably consist of shorter posts.
~ THHC still remains open here, but there may be less posts to chup on since I will be cutting down on the frequency of my posts.
~ Also gonna be commenting on fewer blogs - due to time constraints and other things. But I still love all of you!

It's not exactly a blogging sabbatical nor retirement, just a reprioritizing of my life. I've come to realize that I was over ambitious (what was I thinking to have nine blogs? *faints*) and close to running risk of burnout. So, that's that.

Hope to (still!) see you all in the new year.