Top 10 EC droppers for Feb 2009

In terms of Entrecard dropping and stuff, this Life after Work blog is kinda being neglected since I'm concentrating on driving traffic over to my a malaysian abroad blog... and for February my drop-ability plummeted while on vaykay... so I'd like to really thank those who continued to visit and drop their ECs here despite my less than active participation this month.

My Top 10 droppers according to EC:

1. A Simple Life: Sugar n' Spice and everything nice (A 40 year old mother of two who likes to write just about anything. A baking enthusiast, a crafter and a hobbyist. This is about me, my views, my interests and my favorites.)
2. Mommy's Little Corner: Just another blog about mothers (A blog that talks about my adventures of being a wife and a mom. This blog also focuses on food, nutrition and health.)
3. moms..... check nyo: Just another blog about mothers (I’m a 40ish year old mom of two. I love to bake, cook, plant herbs (in pots cause i don’t have a garden), cross stitching, hardanger embroidery, bowling and just like any typical pinay moms i love watching telenovelas.)
4. Life's sweets and spices: ...making things a lot better (A work-at-home-mommy who loves to cook, bake and read. A frustrated chef, now a dedicated blogger. Blogging makes me happy and this is where I share my thoughts, ideas, [sometimes] feelings, my love for food and then some…)
5. The Modern Mom: for housekeeping savvies like me... (Moms like me are becoming more and more housekeeping savvy. From stretching the family budget to diy's, smart solutions and more.Being a wonder mom is now no sweat with all these wonderful alternatives.)
6. Parental Instincts (Parenting tips and information from the father of four.)
7. Lola's Diner: Sharing conversation across a virtual lunchcounter (At Lola's Diner we'll be sharing recipes and sharing conversation across a virtual lunch counter. Topics will be varied and can include current events, politics, parenting, mental health, and glbt topics.)
8. Windmill on the Hill (the man of a thousand voices talking perfectly loud nobody ever hears him)
9. 1 Blog and 2 Sides (A collection of favorite recipes that chilly and I have tried and taste great or ones we would like to try.)
10. Spicybugz World: When birds burp, it must taste like bugs (Little bit of this and a whole lot of that. My daily adventures, joys, heartaches, laughter and tears.)
    

I'm amused that I've got quite a few "mommy bloggers" dropping by ... I'm not one myself, but I enjoy their blogs, teeheeehee!

btw I usually don't do this, but this time around, the ten folks above will be receiving 100 ECs as a token of appreciation.

Cheers!
*lynne*

[Posted at 12.05 noon 1st March Malaysian time = 10.05pm 28th Feb Chicago time]

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... unclear on the concept ...

... so the other day I received an email via flickr, from someone whose photo I'd used in one of my blog posts over at my a malaysian abroad blog...

Firstly, I have to state that because I am being paid to blog there, I am very careful about where I get the images used there. Occasionally I find something at SXC, but usually I find awesome pix at flickr. I always search for images that are available via the Creative Commons license *and* that are allowed to be used in commercial derivations.

So.. the email.... In halting English, this person tried to gently inform me that I should ask for permission before using anyone's image. The email reads as follows:

Its nicer when you ask permission first before put the
photos for your blog...cos everyphotos has its copy
right....I been advice to send this email to advice you, do
ask for permission if you use others photogs for you blog in
the future. if not you will trouble.

For me Im ok, you can take it for your blog. Just have to
be extra care.

Hmmmm.... This was my own gentle response:

Hi,

Thanks for taking the time to advise me.

However, please take note that those who make their images available via the creative commons license are by default allowing use by others - that's the whole philosophy of creative commons!

From the Creative Commons FAQ:
(http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Frequently_Asked_Questions#What_does_the_Creative_Commons_.E2.80.9CSome_Rights_Reserved.E2.80.9D_button_mean.3F_What_does_a_Creative_Commons_license_do.3F)
A Creative Commons license is a signal to you that you can use the work without having to seek out the individual creator or licensor and ask for permission—provided you use the work in the manner permitted by the Creative Commons license.

In the case of your [image], I came across it when doing a search for Creative commons licensed images that allow commercial use. The condition of attribution was fulfilled with linkbacks to both your photo's page in flickr and also to your flickr profile (just like how flickr does it if you use the "blog this" button); the share alike condition was not applicable since I didn't alter/transform the photo.

Perhaps whoever who advised you to email me might need to refresh their memory on what creative commons is all about?

:)
*lynne*

Okay right?

Then came the response:

thats ok for me, first thing in my mind..have to ask
permission first..before you take...haha..althou its set to
creative common.....just my 2cent....will let someone take
your things if he or she never let you know? rite? haha....

I don't know if it's worth it to continue the "conversation" ... because obviously the whole concept of Creative Commons is lost on this person. It ALLOWS people to "take your things"! Permission is granted by default!

If this person is uncomfortable with images being used without permission, then by all means change the copyright info to "all rights reserved"... as far as I know that is the default copyright setting in flickr, so having gone in and changed that to CC indicates understanding of what Creative Commons is all about, and that permission is granted to use the images!

I've always made it a point to inform people whose images I've used on a malaysian abroad about it, as a comment to the photo, with a link to the blog post so they can see and get back to me if something disagrees with them.

So far no negative feedback, until this weird "your use of my photo is okay but in general don't take without asking" admonishment.

So... what do y'all think? Can't have your cake and eat it too, right? I'd appreciate your opinions on this.

*lynne*

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loathing

With all the meet-ups, there have been plenty of photos taken, and some of them are now on various pals' albums on Facebook.

I see the photos and i absolutely l.o.a.t.h.e. the sight of me.

I am not exaggerating.

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DOLLHOUSE!

From an update in my Facebook feeds:

Buffy creator Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku's new FOX show "Dollhouse" earned a total of 4.7 million viewers and a 2.0 share of adults aged 18 to 49 this past Friday.

But the show didn't stop there, "Dollhouse" has become a major hit on iTunes, passing "Battlestar Galactica" as the store's number one purchased download yesterday. It's also one of the five most popular episodes available on Hulu right now.

Make sure you join the millions of others and watch the premiere episode of DOLLHOUSE -- now at your own convenience! Search "Dollhouse" in the iTunes store or visit Hulu directly and watch it for free: http://www.hulu.com/watch/57885/dollhouse-ghost

... ummm... oooops, I was supposed to remind Kosh to record Dollhouse for me... oh well, I suppose once I'm back I'll explore this hulu thingy and watch it there :)

Any other Whedon fans out there? Did you watch? Did you like? Despite "Faith"? LoL!!

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another round of "lynne needs" ...

Okay so I'm going to be responding HERE to some of those memes going around Facebook! Here's one I (over-)did a while back (October 2005!), that I didn't mind revisiting :)

Vic, this is for you :)

What Lynne needs, according to google:

1. Lynne needs two men to testify that she is indeed single
2. Lynne needs to grab hold of her musical schizophrenia
3. Lynne Needs More Attention Starting Now
4. Lynne needs to put the smack down on daughter
5. Lynne needs our prayers...
6. Lynne needs tunnel vision for trial
7. Lynne needs to be released from her computer and sewing closet so she could show her sewing talent to others
8. Lynne Needs Your Votes
9. Lynne needs to look into other less expensive alternatives
10. Lynne needs to stop with the excuses, and not even talk about this subject to us fans
11. Lynne needs to go on "The View" and talk about what a selfish little bitch Britney is
12. Lynne needs an interpreter so I'm here to help

Heh.

What was #7 over 3 years ago is now my #1... but but but I'm NOT single?! Well, depends who you ask... hmmmm... :p

Anyone interested? Play along! Consider yourself tagged :)

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Architect/Designer wanted!!

(I am just passing the word along: the organiser is a friend of mine)

We are looking for an architect to design our home and will be hosting a competition to select the architect. Would very much appreciate it if you could go through your rolodex/contacts list/facebook and think of any friends, acquaintances, relatives, friends-of-friends/relatives/acquaintances who know an architect or an architecture student (yes - its open to students too!) and pass this email along to them. Please feel free to check out our blog which has the details of this competition.

www.yearningbamboo.com

This blog has been created to document the competition, design and finally build of our home.

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this is gonna raise Kosh's eyebrows...

... but that's what he has to deal with, with a wife who is at heart Asian :)

My assignment this evening or tomorrow is to hunt for Mok Yee (black fungus) [my assignment immediately upon posting this is to check if there is a crock pot anymore in the apartment!]. You see, I was talking with Sunny (I *think* that's the pseudonym I assigned, a long time ago), catching up, and my father's health was discussed. She recommended Mok Yee to help clear the arteries for him. And since it's supposed to be good for reducing cholesterol in general, I might as well try it on myself, and if there's a (desired) effect, I might coax Kosh into giving it a try.

I know, I know, a Western medical practitioner, trying Eastern/Oriental herbal medicine? Blasphemy!! :p

Any folk who have tried it for themselves? On the 'net, I see just the same text being quoted over and over again, so that kinda detracts from credibility, IMO.


(posted 18 Feb 2009 9:45 pm Malaysian time)

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Sometimes, you need an second back-up...

In 2006, when I was stuck here in KL for 6 months due to red tape and paperwork, I kept myself busy by going through and listing every. single. book. in every. single. box. I had in storage. Plus knick knacks. Plus all sorts of stuff. One copy stashed on my mother's computer. Another copy on my external hard drive.

you know what's coming, right?

... guess whose external hard drive was discovered, last month, to have somehow lost everything stored on it?

And...

... guess who has gotten a new PC and has no idea if the data from my account on the old PC got saved anywhere?

*sigh*

I don't know if I want to bother redoing everything.

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In KL!

The Chicago to Kuala Lumpur journey was surprisingly painless, despite:

1. ... assuming my flight was leaving from the International Terminal. Turns out because the flight was being run by United, I needed to go to Terminal 1. Nvm, lots of time...

2. ... being told to use the self check-in once I get to the correct terminal, only I can't get it to work, so I'm shown to another queue, takes longer than it should but finally get to the counter. Then it takes forever for the United person to figure out my name, even when I pointed out where my "last name" began on the passport. He insisted my first name was my last name. Grrr.

3. ... the little adventure when getting back from our post check-in brunch! Because I had 3 hours to kill before I needed to be at the gate, as planned Kosh and I went out for a bite to eat. NOTE TO SELF: do NOT go to the O'Hare Oasis on I-294 from the airport unless you are heading back into town. Because, yikes, there was no easy way to turn around to get back to the airport from there! Since we had lots of buffer time, our little adventure on a forced southbound I294 to 64 then turning around to get back in the right direction wasn't as stressful as it would have been in any other circumstances!

4. ... forgetting to take my 3-1-1 bag out when going through security. No one called me on it. I hear it's all too common an occurance. I don't want to think about the implications. (*lynne* buries head in sand)

5. ... finding someone sitting in my aisle seat once I board the plane. She insisted hers was the aisle at first - she probably knew otherwise but was hoping not to have a neighbour, or that I wouldn't mind switching with her. Helloooo? She was this rather large woman, no way I'd want to be trapped against the wall, window or no window! Thankfully the plane was less than half empty, so once the doors closed, I moved to the row behind me, and she moved from her window seat to "my" aisle with profuse gratitude. Yeah, whatever.

6. ... the underside of the armrest that protruded into my back as I tried to sleep across just 2 seats (the plane had a 2-3-2 seat layout).

7. ... being served baby food for breakfast. I usually order lacto-ovo vegetarian meals when I travel, and the lunch/dinner meals was great, a sort of colorful couscous with baba ganoush and lentils. Breakfast was applesauce and bread. I was gazing longingly and jealously at others who had yogurt and a danish pastry :p

8. ... once again having to point out where my last name begins when at Amsterdam, because, hey, once again, they had no idea how to figure the Malaysian passport / name / whatever. Grrr!

... ... yes, I have listed eight points, I've yet to reach Malaysia at the end of this list, and yet I call the journey painless!!? Okay, I admit I'm either weird or very very patient! :)

Stay tuned for more mundane minutiae in the next post :D

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Fitness Friday: Jillian Michaels

Workouts this week have been different.

Kosh's sister introduced us to 30-day Shred, by Jillian Michaels. I don't watch The Biggest Loser, but it seems she's one of the trainers. Her workout combines arms and legs, and is a tightly-scheduled 3 sets of 3 mins strength, 2 mins cardio and 1 mins abs each, plus warm-up and cooldown.

It's not bad. And it's a pretty good workout for its 20+ mins.

Thing is, after hitting the gym for about an hour for so long, doing just this 20 feels like a cheat, so yesterday I hit the gym afterwards, doing 30 mins of my walk/jog, plus 3 sets of lat pulldowns.

I'll be doing Jillian and the gym today, too. Maybe I'll even try Level 2?! :D

Overall, though, I'm not "feeling" the burn (or, shred, i suppose, LoL!) as much as I would like. Have you tried the workouts by Cindy Crawford? THOSE leave my glutes a-quiver :D

How 'bout you? Is there an exercise video / fitness guru you like/use often?

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The Postcard/Link Exchange of 2009!

If you remember, back in 2007, I came up with the idea of sending bloggers a postcard from Malaysia and Switzerland, in exchange for some linky love.

I quite enjoyed that little exercise, and now that my quick hop back to Malaysia is ON, I've decided to give the postcard/link exchange another go.

Full details can be found over at a malaysian abroad.

I look forward to your participation!

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better late than never - another round of the interview meme!

A few years ago, this interview meme went around the blogosphere, and I participated here and here. It's making its way around again: I did one round over at a malaysian abroad recently. I had also requested an interview from Kapgar back in December, and he sent me his questions, but somehow, I didn't notice the email until a few days ago. Sorry Kapgar!!

So here we are.. better late than never... yet another iteration of the Interview Meme!!

1. Malaysia and the United States of America get into a knock-down, drag-out, full-on street brawl to the death and you're a witness to it. A vendor comes by and offers you a giant foam finger to stick on the end of your hand to show your support during this time of turmoil. Do you pick the one that says "Malaysia" or the one that says "U.S.A."? Be honest.
Honestly? I'd be too grossed-out to even compute the offered finger.


2. What's the drunkest you've ever been and what did you do while trashed?
Oh my, where so I start??! LoL! So many tales from college life. But there's one more recent one: back when I met Kosh's parents for the first time, his father fixed me some deceptively strong Fuzzy Navels, so much so that I was half passed out in the bathroom fighting puke urges. And when my future FiL poked fun at me for not being able to hold my liquor, in my drunken haze, I. flipped. him. the bird.


3. What is the one thing you've seen your fellow bloggers do that you would never, ever consider doing yourself on your own blog?
Soliciting dares on how to mark my birthday, then actually DOING those dares! I'm in awe of Karl and his jumping out of a plane thing, but some of the other dares? No friggin way!


4. What is the strangest e-mail or comment you've received as a result of your blogging? How did you respond?
Good question. Nothing comes to mind, really. Does that mean I have a really large comfort zone and thick shielding?


5. List your top five sick-day, stay-at-home movies.
Firstly, I would probably curl up with a good book before I would watch a movie. I'm wired a little differently, LoL! But I suppose I would take a gander at the following movies:
- Rocky Horror Picture Show
- Shock Treatment
- Galaxy Quest
- Nightmare Before Christmas
- any of the LoTR movies - but only when I need to fall asleep, LMAO!

= = =
Want in on the fun? You can be a part of it by following a few simple steps:


• Leave a comment here on this post and ask me to interview you (you'll need to give an email addy!)
• I’ll respond within 1-5 days with 5 questions directed to you (I’ll tailor questions to uniquely you by going thru your blog)
• Answer the questions on your blog and link back to this post
• Invite others to participate by re-posting these steps
• Once you’ve posted your interview, drop by here again and leave the permalink in the comments. I’ll post a link to it here.




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