I received a phone call last night from my good friend. She desperately wanted to know what birthday present to get for her boyfriend next week. Sometimes when we are forced to get a gift not once a year but also during other times like anniversaries and Christmases, we truly are stumped for fresh gift ideas.

Coincidentally, last week, I was surfing the internet for a gift for my friend whose birthday falls in September and I have decided to get him a digital picture frame.

I think a digital photo frame would be the perfect gift for my friend’s boyfriend since he is an avid photographer as well. Digital frames are great for people who take a lot of photos and videos because there is no need to hook up the computer or process and print the photos. Just slot in the memory card from the digital camera or camera phone and view from there. There is no more wastage on printing poor photo shots since we could view them as if from the digital photo frame.

My friend was delighted to know there is such a thing as a digital picture frame as she has never heard of it before and she agrees that it makes a great gift. Hah! She should thank me!!

Whether you’re a student, a working mom or already have a steady job, part-time jobs may just be the best fit for both your life and financial needs. And there’s a good chance there’s a job out there that fits your interests.

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It’s frustrating to know that your company could be more efficient. You know that there are better ways to keep track of inventory, incoming orders, and the warehouse in general, but don’t know which to choose.

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My friend heard that I am contemplating taking a vacation and he told me that one of the most important things about preparing to travel is to get a travel health insurance. Well, to be honest, if he did not mention that, I would not even have thought about it.

I subsequently read up on this and found that actually, most of our existing health or medical insurance are useless out of the country. Whoa, that is really risky! I don’t know how many people know about this and I am pretty sure that there are plenty of people who travel without insurance. It is a pity that they are not duly compensated due to ignorance when something unfortunate happens during their travel.

While doing my research, I came across the website, All Aboard Benefits, which offers international travel health insurance that is valid worldwide. I think one thing that we should be aware of is that there is a type of insurance called trip cancellation insurance where the traveler will receive reimbursement benefits should the trip be suddenly cancelled due to poor health, poor weather conditions or other factors that caused the trip to be interrupted or totally cancelled. This surely provides peace of mind to the traveler knowing that all is not lost should something like this happen.

In any case, if you are planning a trip out of the country, you should plan your insurance coverage as well.

None my friends whom I got to know in adulthood believe that I do not have a college degree. They think I am pulling their leg but why should I downgrade myself? If I do have a college degree, I would have been proud to let others know, of course, unless I got it through warming the seat!

It is all the more ironic that unlike my friends, I do not have a degree education when both my uncle and aunt are prominent educationists in the country! What is that about the black sheep in the family?

In my own defense, it was not as if I did not study hard enough. I did aim for a university degree when I was in high school. Everyone was saying how it is THE only goal we should set for ourselves to reach and that having this coveted piece of certification would open up so many opportunities for us.

Having two educationists in the family means that my siblings, cousins and myself would be getting free study tips each time there was a family gathering. They did not just taught us how to study for a degree but how to score, how to get a first class degree. Naturally those were the times that I don’t have fond memories of because nobody wants to think of books during the holidays!

I put it all down to bad luck. Well, I really studied hard and even obtained rather good grades but before I managed to even enter university, my family went into financial distress and almost went bankrupt. When things became such, the family was in the verge of breaking up, there was no money and we did not even know when the next meal comes from, education was the last thing on my mind.

I had to go out to work, to earn, to support the family in whatever way I could. Being the youngest, I suffered the most because my brother and sister were already completing their tertiary education, and since I haven’t started yet, it seemed as if I have the least at stake.

Till today, I have a chip on my shoulder because society looks at people like me, people without a university degree, differently. Many people think that we are incapable of performing at work. I don’t think it is true because we do have worldly knowledge that we gained from working young!

…. it’s time to bite Kate! I have forgotten to do so in the last session, what with all the bad stuff happening over at the home front. So, things like this sure slip my mind.

But this time, I remembered! Well, I wanted to post this yesterday and then thought that I should post it on Saturday because it is still Friday over in Kansas. I have set my cell phone with different time zones:- Kuala Lumpur (my time zone), Tennessee (my sister’s time zone), Hong Kong, New York (Paul’s time zone) and Florida. As my list of foreign friends grows, I would have to make way for some of their time zones as well.

Sometimes I use WorldMate where everything is preset and what I need to do is just select the City. Too bad they have four slots only. I could also key in the cities on my own phone but it’s quite tedious.

Anyway, I am so tired, because I went to bed past 3am and set my alarm clock at 6am. What crazy hours I keep! Dreams also no chance to come!

I believe the dentist is one of the most feared men. I get all jelly-kneed just going there but I do want to keep a beautiful set of teeth so I force myself there every six months but that does not mean that I like to be there. My perspective changed when I found a very friendly and caring dentist who understands all my unreasonable fears and provides me with all the options that are available to me.

I told my sister about the local dentist but my sister told me to check out one of the Beverly Hills dentists instead, by the name of Dr. Maddahi. To say the least, I am impressed with Dr. Maddahi’s website. It is very classy and does not look like the website of a dentist. At least the homepage does not! Hahah!

Browsing through the website, I am further impressed with the dental works that could be performed so that every one could enjoy a beautiful smile. I certainly do know of people who are seriously in need of dental implants and while we have thought that it is painful and expensive, looking at these Before & After photos make us think that it is worth the trouble.

Really, I am beginning to think that there are many things that could be done on my own teeth to achieve a more beautiful smile.