Google AdSense

Google AdSense
You should have noticed by now that there are ads appearing on the top right of my blog. Yep, I just created an account under Google AdSense and also subscribed to DCRewards.

Having been bumping around recently (or rather, not really been searching for a job yet) puts one to start thinking of various means of getting income. I mentioned in my previous post before that multiple source of income is the way to go. And if a certain hobby/interest activity you love doing actually earns you a little income, that’s like really a bonus. So I woke up this morning and decided to give it a shot.

I started off blogging as a past-time, as a means of journaling down all my life-experiences and sharing things I have learnt. I still enjoy doing so, leisurely.

I have always loved website development and I am always thrilled whenever I came across amazing websites. I used to think that one need to be well-versed in Html coding to create good websites (I've seen terrible ones), until WYSIWYG concept came into the scene. That’s like having a white piece of drawing paper in front of you so you can let your creativity run amok. I think I have an artist-heart lying dormant somewhere inside of me. I never like using standard templates, so whenever I have the time, I will modify my blog appearance bit by bit.

Adding the AdSense thingy and embedding it into my blog took me half a day, especially reading through the Terms & Condition (yes, it took me a while going through all the text + 1 tablet of panadol cuz my head spins when I read too much texts). Then subscribing an account under Dannychoo, and then subscribing to his RSS feeds and such. So it’s something you only want to try when you’ve got too much time during your weekends.

I get an average of around 7 readers (basically my closer friends) daily on my site, and I have told only between 10 – 15 close friends of my blog URL thus far. In addition, I have also checked a box in my blog settings restricting search engines from crawling my page and letting the WWW find this blog. So one might wonder why I bother adding AdSense when my blog-site readership is so low… how much can I earn?

My answer: I just want to give it a try.

Just learnt from Dannychoo’s post “Blog Monetization” that you dun just earn like a miserable 1 cent per click (I though it was like 10 cent initially), instead you get up to USD 1.75 per click. On a good day, he earned about USD 50.00, and it was further mentioned below his post that the most he had ever made through all his affiliated programs (Amazon associates, DTI, Affiliate 2.0, Rakuten Affiliate, etc) is just over USD 1,000.00 per day during Dec 2006. Yes, USD 1,000.00 per day!!! No wonder he earned enough to buy his own house and start his own company in Japan.

But that’s only if one can garner as high a readership as Dannychoo’s “January 2008 Stats” of 1.9 million visitors & 11 million page views in Jan 2008 alone… I didn’t even make it to 1,000 unique visitors having blogging for more than a year! (Then again, I believe that I will never gonna reach there if I didn’t even take the first step out. So why not now?)

So, since I am gonna give AdSense a try, I was thinking of unchecking that box restricting search engines to crawl my blog, thus opening out to the WWW and see how much more unique users will seep in. But I am stopping short of doing this.

My 2 primary concern is of that of privacy (that’s why I always think twice about posting my friend’s pictures on my blog or even mentioning their actual names), and that I wun be able to control what kinda ads Google will place on my blog page (yea, it depends on the kinda topic I post). Google will place public service ads (like donate to the childrensociety, etc) when they can't place any ads relevant to my post.

But once those ads get annoying, I will take down everything.

“If something you love doing actually earns you a little income, that’s like really a bonus..."

Singapore Car Ownership

Singapore Car Ownership

Details accurate as of 29 February 2008

For those of you thinking getting your own ride but a little clueless at the cost of maintaining one, I hope this post helps a little. The information might go outdated very fast, but the saying shall remain: “Buying a car is easy, it’s the maintaining that kills you”.

Cost to own a car = (A) + (B) + (C)

(A) Sunk Cost:
Season parking (open-air) .............. S$65 /month
ERP / Cashcard* ............................ S$50 /month
Petrol (unleaded 95)* .................... S$250 /month
Servicing** ................................... S$90 - $300 /10,000 km

*indicates fluctuations based on usage rate
**indicates dependent on servicing program and the extend of wear ’n tear


(B) Monthly Car Installments*
[(Value of Car - initial downpayment)/120 months] + Bank Interest** + many other crap

*Based on a 10 year loan;
**Depending on which Bank.

E.g. A S$53,688 Mazda 3 (1.6 auto) is asking for S$517 /mth on http://www.sgcarmart.com/


(C) Based on a 1,600cc car…
Insurance (1st time) ......... S$1,700 /year
Road Tax ........................ S$874 /year


Formula to calculate your 6-monthly Road Tax
(For engine capacity 1,000cc – 1,600cc only):

[$250 + 0.375 (Engine Capacity – 1,000)] x 0.92

E.g. A 1,500cc Toyota Vios will pay S$402.50 road tax every 6-months; so its 2 x S$402.50 = S$805 yearly.

Tip: From July 2008 onwards, road tax will drop by 15%, hence the new formula for calculating your 6-months road tax for the 1,000cc – 1,600cc category:

[$250 + 0.375 (Engine Capacity – 1,000)] x 0.782


WHAT'S GOOD?
Below are some of my personal preference (in order of preference) which I think suits young working adults; doesn't go too hard on the pocket, fuel-economy, and gives a sporty image.

For detailed pricing and specificaions, please proceed to the following sites:
sgCarMart.com
Carma.com.sg


SUZUKI SWIFT 1.3 (A) S$50,900 @ S$491 /mth
SUZUKI SWIFT SPORT 2007 1.6 (A) S$65,000 @ S$626 /mth


MAZDA 3 1.6 (A) S$53,688 @ S$517 /mth

HONDA JAZZ 1.4 (A) S$59,000 @ S$569 /mth

DAIHATSU TERIOS 1.5 (2WD) (M) S$56,300 @ S$543 /mth
TOYOTA YARIS 1.5 E (A) S$56,388 @ S$543 /mth

NISSAN MARCH 1.4 Comfort (A) S$55,500 @ S$535 /mth
SUBARU R1 (658 cc) (A) S$47,888 @ S$462 /mth
TOYOTA VIOS 1.5 E (A) S$53,388 @ S$515 /mth



FAILED
I was so fed up with Mitsubishi's website. It suxs!

MITSUBISHI COLT 1.5 Elegance (A) S$57,988 @ S$559 /mth
Fancy any ride?

DRAGON BALL ONLINE

MMORPG: DRAGONBALL ONLINE
ドラゴンボールオンライン
Information quoted from: Wikipedia
Pictures from: Official Japanese Dragon Ball Online Website
Video from: Youtube
Story
Dragon Ball Online is set in Age 1000, exactly 216 years after (孫悟空)Son Goku left the 28th (天下一武道会)Tenkaichi Budokai to train (魔人ブウ)Uub in Age 784, in Dragon Ball Z. During this period time, a number of notable events have occured, including the appearance of a (魔人)Majin race, the arrival of what appear to be Yardratians in the Southern Galaxy, and most recently, a gulf forming in time.[4] The Earth has also been divided into pieces by a villainous organization known as the Dark Eye (闇の目玉, Yami no Medama?), which is lead by a mysterious individual.

It is worth noting that Dragon Ball Online ignores the events of Dragon Ball GT, and even appears to contradict some aspects of the anime (for example, the Yardratians, who did not appear in the manga, look completely different in DBO and the Dragon Ball Z anime). Due to the high level of supervision from Akira Toriyama, as well as the involvement of Bird Studio and Shueisha, DBO may actually be considered the true, canon continuation of the Dragon Ball manga.

Gameplay
As with other MMORPGs, players control a character avatar within a persistent game world, where they will be able to explore the landscape, search for the Dragon Balls, train to compete in the Tenkaichi Budokai, aspiring to become like the warriors of legend, as well as interacting with NPCs as well as other players. As in most MMORPGs, players will be able to obtain money and experience which will allow them to level up and obtain new abilities. Players will also be able to participate in "Timemachine Quests", in which they will receive guidance from (特南克斯) Time Patrol Trunks (タイム・パトロール・トランクス, Taimu Patorōru Torankusu?), in order to travel back in time and take part in notable aspects of the Dragon Ball history.[5]

To date, three playable races have been announced: Human, Namekian, and Majin. Players will also be able to create their characters as children, allowing them to age over time, much like characters in the Dragonball series. A wide variety of skills appear to be able, including energy attacks such as the Kienzan or the (龟派气功) Kamehameha. Players will additionally have access to weapons, including gloves, guns, and staves.[6]

Here's what appears to be its official trailer:

Will you play this game?

Characters Design

CHARACTERS DESIGN
KANU UNCHO - Ikkitousen
[関羽雲長] - 一騎当千

I have no idea why sculpters and designers of Kanu Uncho like to design her attire to be so revealing most of the time... No doubt Ikkitousen has excessive fan-service, Kanu Uncho is one of the most powerful character in the Ikkitousen series and is the most serious amongst all. So the way they designed her to look like, really tarnishes her image.

Below: When I first picked up interest in figurines, this Kanu Uncho from Griffon Enterprise is the first I came across. Huge 1/5 scale, long beautiful hair, and a very detailed fachion. But, Kanu Uncho doesn't wear cheongsum, the boots doesn't suit cheongsum anyways, and her facial expression just didn't make the mark.

Below: this version's also from Griffon Enterprise; looked nicer, pose is good too, just that the sailor fuku uniform has a weird greenish tone to it. The facial expression didn't make the mark anyways....

Below: Also from Griffon Enterprise... Failed; Kanu Uncho never behave like this...

Below: This is from Griffon Enterprise as well.... failed too. I was like "What's the point? You put a nude girl with tan-lines there with her panties halfway down, and a sailor fuku uniform beside her, and you expect us to take it that its Kanu Uncho??!!".

Below: Also from Griffon... pose is nice but sleazy... wierd color, and too 'shiny'; fail.

Below: This beautiful version is from GOODSMILE company. Their designs are one of the best in the market so far. Pity she's in lolita clothing and not her standard sailor fuku uniform; I dun like alternative attires. But this is definitely a good buy.

Below: designed by Yamato, there was a scene where Kanu Uncho's was defeated, with her clothes severly ripped from the fierce battle (thats where the fan-service kicked in), and she was captured and restrainted under heavy chains... Beautiful piece, but erm... too "Adult" doncha think?

Below: Both versions below are also from Yamato... Fail. You dun just get any long haired girl in sailor fuku uniform to pose with a fachion and call them Kanu Uncho. Double fail.

Below: from Musashiya... poor facial expression, pose is tasteless; Fail.

Below: This version's from Taki Corporations... Nice pose, the color of the uniform is almost right... but there's just too much exposed breast (why can't she wear a bra / tube or something?!). Its just not appropriate to place it on display.

Below: Both versions below are also from Taki Corp. You dun just get any long haired girl to pose with a fachion and wear any shit attire and then call her Kanu Uncho! The pose is so unsightly! Double fail!!!

Below: My eyes bled when I see this version! Also from Taki Corp., the fellas who designed this and approved for its mass production ought to be dragged to the square and be stoned to death. This is like Sadako coming out from the well and cosplaying Kanu Uncho. My eyes~~

( > , < )

Below: From Orchidseed, this version is just sweet~~~ if I ever need an extra paper-weight in my office, I'll get this to hold my papers in place.

Below: 3 versions below are all from Orchidseed. They named it as Kanu Uncho... sweet enough although I didn't like alternative attires. But these can pass off as any other ordinary girl in any anime. Do you like these?

Below: from ALTER, another of the few good brands (like GOODSMILES) in the market, this version is the best version of Kanu Uncho in her standard attire thus far. Pose + Attire +Facial expression + color = win. Only bad point is that bit of fan service from her very short skirt and a little exposure here and there... didnt make my mark for home display... ( > , < )

Below: Finally, chanced upon this beautiful figure on Dannychoo's "Bishoujo Figure" post. Definitely possess the "Woo!" factor. Made me eat my words when I said I didn't like alternative attires; this Kanu Uncho in a Miko attire is gonna bring down the temperature in my room by alot from her cool factor. Probably gonna get my hands on this figure if I have no other place to spend money on... I wonder when the pre-order is gonna begin... guess I am gonna break that 'Archers-only' collection rule.

Aussie Beaches...

This post is made for Honda. Chap's heading south for studies the next 2 years and was wondering how's the beaches there for surfing...

So... I went digging out photos taken some 7 years ago... when I was studying for a short course in Australia... apologies for yellowish photos.

(Below: Behind me, lifeguard has collasped the "flags" and taking them in, I am sitting with the other flag; 5pm, knock-off time, swim at your own risk. My advice: Swim between the flags. I didn't and I regretted it.)

Beach there is HOT in summer. The sand is so scorching I've got to keep my slippers on while walking along the beach.

(Below: This ain't no desert, its the beach... long wide beach...)

Surfing? This is the place... further left to the beach where I was at, the waves are stronger.

while the next area where the waves are milder, are crowded with swimmers...

(Below: That's my classmate, Cheryl, standing at approx. 1.65m; took the waves with her to compare the size of it...)
To Honda: That's about the photos I took then. Enjoy yourself in Aust., and sorry I didn't go to the nude-beach... maybe you can cover that part and bring some photos back...

Updates...

Just done designing my new banner above... Nice? Been dying to create one for a long time but I lost my CS2 when I reformatted my laptop months back.

School semester starting today, and will be heading for my evening class this evening. Taking Organisational Behaviour and International Marketing this sem. Die die must complete my degree by end of this year... sick studying already...

Life's pretty realistic out there; minimum requirement is a degree if you wanna land yourself in a decent pay job. Moreoever, if you're trying to get yourself into any Govt job in Singapore, get paper qualifications as high as possible, then apply, sure get in. Working experience is worthless in the Govt sector.

Mum's been telling me how her church-friend's son went to sign-on as Police, the 2nd time, get a lump-sum payment of 20k for a 4-yr contract, and got married+buy flat+applied for a Finance-course using that amount. (Then come out and became the most irritating people - Financial Consultants). Then mum asked me if I ever considered doing this line. That's like selling myself. I laughed it off. Hell no.

Been bumping around for a couple of months now and probably had too much time thinking over my life and learning too much things at a time. Priority is completing my studies, then get a decent pay job, earn enough capital to start my own business. Reservist is coming in March, and that will set me back by 3 whole weeks, but earn meself a GOOD TAN. Hopefully by the end of the in-camp training, I have found a job.

Not getting any younger. I know that working off for someone for a monthly-pay is never gonna get me far. Multiple sources of income is the way to go, and starting my own business is definitely what I wanted to do. I had too much ideas but no capital to run. No business will run a losing business, that means it will definitely earn money; its just a matter of how fast and how much + dun make stupid business mistakes.

Sick of the cost of living in Singapore. Been thinking of getting a working VISA or PR in Aussie. My cousin in aussie works part-time packing carrots in a supermarket - 2 carrots in a pack, and she earns like A$14/hr. Damn! In addition, with 300k I can get a nice little bunglow in Aussie that comes with a little garden and a garage, but its only worth a 3 room HDB flat here in Singapore. And with 40K, I can get myself the kinda Toyota Rav4 I am driving now, but I can only buy a Kia Picanto in Singapore! Wtf~

(Below: a little house in Southern Perth @ A$280k, mango-tree not included)

Better still, work in Japan. So I most likely am gonna sign up for JLPT by next year. Also realised that I currently have no rice-bowl-skills. By "rice-bowl-skills", I refer to skills or work you can do, and that most people can't but are willing to pay you to do. Example are playing musical instruments. A musician will never go hungry since he can always go busking in the streets for a daily earnings.

So I was like thinking, what interest me and is a rice-bowl skill? I chose 3D-graphics designing, so I am picking up 3D studio max myself, and polishing up my Photoshop skill. Gonna slowly build up my portfolio and focus on characters-design. Hopefully can moonlight a bit doing freelance. Its like a hobby, and when a hobby earns some income, its a bonus.

So what's my plans for the next few years? As of now, I am adopting a flexible mindset, no solid plans yet since situations are still changing around me. Dad's birdnest breeding in Indonesia is working out, so he's gonna need my help. But what about my job? I dunno yet. People who go around telling others they have plans set out for the next 10 years are bullshit. You never know what will happen 5 years down the road. I believe one has got to be adaptive to situations, but must possess enough rice-bowl skills to tide you over any changes.

As far as I know now, I want to succeed in life.

Photoshop CS 3 Extended: Cracking it

Photoshop CS 3 Extended: Cracking it
Disclaimer: Posting these information does not mean that I have downloaded an illegal version of Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended. It also does not mean that I support Piracy. I just find this informational and decided to share it.

Adobe Photoshop Creative Suite 3 Extended, what's the fuss about it? Watch the flash video (loads extremely fast!) on Adobe's homepage of the various professionals using it and see why. My favourite is the Web-designer's story. Click here.

Don't be surprised to find 2 editions of Photoshop CS 3. The Photoshop CS 3 Extended version could do much more than what the standard version could, which includes the below:

1. 3D visualization and texture editing
2. Motion graphics and video layers
3. Movie Paint
4. Measurement and data
5. DICOM support
6. MATLAB support

The full list of comparison can be viewed from the chart here.

Unfortunately for many designer-wannabes, this Adobe software shatters dreams... its retailing on Adobe's homepage @ USD 1,285.00 (ex. tax)!

SO... there is this Internet community out there, whom the rich calls them "Pirates", while the poor calls the "Saviors", that is up to some shenanigans...

Familiar with Bit-torrent? Yes, tracker sites like Mininova or ThePirateBay are already flooded with lists offering free versions of Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended... including KEYGENS.

However, problems are rampant with regards to trojan virus embedded in those keygens, fake torrents, people claiming it works 100%, complaints that its the standard edition instead of the extended one, complaints saying that it doesn't work, complaints that the program crashes their computers, advices about meddling with the registry or overwriting certain files, advices on changing computer dates, installing and uninstalling again, and many other problems...

Basically, getting a trial copy of Photoshop CS3 Extended is easy, but getting it to continue working after the 30days trial period is the main question many poor people out there are trying to figure out without infecting their precious computers with any trojan virus.

Oh come on, its USD 1,285.00 ONLY mah... Buy Original lor...

Anyways, recent news went around that the MKDEV Team has cracked the trial program and successfully removed the 30days countdown that prevents trial users from continuing using. Google for it and one can easily find the CRACK on the Internet.

Anyways, curiosity got the better of me and I "researched" further into the forums... turns out that downloaders are all compliments and thanks over this "Crack" by the MKDEV Team; no complaints at all.

Seems like its still the usual saying: "Piracy Rules".
Felt like trying out Photoshop CS 3 Extended for yourself? A 30days trial version is available right from Adobe's homepage here. You got to registered an account first though.

Ah, just a reminder, I got my copy as a bundled software from the Genius graphics tablet I bought recently. Most details in my previous post.

Well, now I got Photoshop CS3 Extended on my laptop... working PERFECTLY...