Gimme A Break

One of my favorite cities in the US is San Francisco. I’ve been there a number of times but somehow never grew tired of the place. There’s always something new to see there.

The crooked rollercoaster streets and the views they offer of the ocean fascinate me. As students, we didn’t have much money and everything was budget. Amazingly, it is still possible to visit lots of places without breaking the bank.

I love the houses just across from the Palace of Fine Arts. They’re just like the ones in the movies. My college roommate and I, both movie freaks, found a new pastime in looking into people’s homes as we walked along the street at night. It was fascinating, as if we were actors in a movie looking in.

We spent hours at Fishermen’s Wharf, walking around the stores, eating and looking at the sea. I found the best clam chowder right there on the wharf.

If I could find Cheap Flights and the time to get away, I would go there in a second. SideStep seems to be the online destination for great travel deals. Love the clean-cut design and easy navigation. Great idea too to have links to travel blogs for first-hand peeks at places before you travel.

• oh, clam chowder, wherefore art thou?
• why would I pass up on cheap flights?
• travel guides for your holiday travel
• stress-free holidays
• the footsteps of Pirates

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There was a time in my teens when I just couldn’t wait to open the papers every day to the astrology page. Although I didn’t believe the half of it, I found them fun to read and even more fun waiting for the predictions to happen.

Not that they always did. But then, there was always tomorrow with its new predictions and the day after to see if they’d turn out.

It was a wierd ritual but nevertheless one that kept me entertained when school got routine and good books hard to come by. It was an easy enough thing to give up though. It’s pure entertainment.

• of acne and nagging
• how to reduce back-to-school stress (1)
• why read the news?
• 5 reasons I don’t read the news
• re-reading old books

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Don’t you just hate it when you think you’ve got everything you could possibly need to get your spanking new laptop running, and then you find your network cables missing, gone from where you left it last week?

I know this is a big big hint that I really should get organized. Either that or that I shouldn’t buy a new laptop when my old one is still alive and kicking!

The point is I couldn’t find them and I can’t find a spare anywhere in this house. So I’m a sitting duck. Grr!

• the walking flower pot
• enough with the stick shifts, already!
• a mouse is not an animal?
• make a list to save money
• the shopping duck

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One of my friends is a freelance interior decorator. She has, what her clients call, “a eye for the unusual” which is great because you don’t want your home looking like all the other homes on your street.

Of course, not all of her clients appreciate her sense of daring creativity. Many of them are pretty fussy about their lighting being stiff and no-nonsense (read: boring! to many of us).

She goes to great lengths to source her exotic lighting fixtures from all over the world, from online stores like Farreys which carry many fine art lamps and fan fixtures. I just wish she’d sprinkle some of her magic decorating dust on my home .

• let there be light
• drop me a light
• that elusive carry-all bag
• she’s waving a Rejuvawand now
• a home lived in

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Australia is a very popular holiday destination because of its proximity to Asian. Sydney and Melbourne are a good night’s sleep away.

It’s all very convenient as accomodation is not much of a problem. It’s fairly easy to find reasonably cheap hotels in Melbourne.

I prefer hotels in Melbourne that are centrally located - just a hop, skip and jump from the cultural centers, restaurants, walks and ethnic markets. Just be prepared for the moody weather which seems to have a mind of its own.

Even for procrastinators, you can still find Accomodation in Melbourne if you do your bookings last minute. So no more excuses.

• the tale of three Aussie cities
• the French connection
• so who wants to go where again?
• travel guides for your holiday travel
• VP of this family

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A friend of mine is devastated that his son has been in and out of drug rehabs and shows no signs of wanting to turn over a new leaf. He’s concerned that if he continues like this, he may end up overdosed or worse.

Although my friend has said time and again that he’s just going to give his son one more chance, it’s hard for us as parents to stand by and watch our kids headed down the wrong path in life.

I really hope things work out for them. He’s always been the best father he can be. It’s a shame his son turned out this way.

• an Angelina Jolie
• smile, you’re on hidden camera!
• offering the carrot
• full of initiative
• be the guide, not the judge

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This seems to be the time for warehouse sales galore. I’d be going to every single one of them if not for the inherent crowds and impossible parking.

The great thing about these sorts of sales is the variety that you sometimes cannot get at your regular malls.

I’ve come across brands, products and designs that I’ve not seen before. I’m guessing that things like winter clothing (it’s summer all year here!) and the odd crotchless panty may be export item overruns that the manufacturers wanted to dispose of quickly and cheaply.

The prices and variety make for very interesting shopping. That’s why people flock there and leave with truckloads of stuff! Beats me!

• the weekend warehouse sale
• big family mentality
• buying in bulk
• living slimmer and healthier
• we got a new sofa

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My washing machine sounds like a train. I called the service guy hoping to get it repaired. But I gather he’s not keen to take the job.

Never mind, maybe it’s time to scour the net and do a price comparison with what’s available offline. In fact, this is how most people go about looking for big ticket items.

Krillion.com has changed all that. They’ve got a database of millions of local search pages which will lead you directly to a store near you.

Say, you’re looking for Kenmore washing machines. You do an internet search and turn up real-life actionable localized results. This means you can jump into your car, drive straight to the dealer that came up in your search results, pick out your Kenmore and have deliver it. Easy peasy.

• kid-safe search engine
• monday blues
• chase and be chased by the paparrazzi
• in search of a dishwasher
• buying a used car

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I had a couple of slices of dory fillet left from Fish Week lunch. So I decided to make another of our favorite lunch menus - tomyam noodles.

Tomyam is a sour spicy Thai soup that goes yummiliciously well with noodles, rice or just on its own. I love it fiery hot but usually tone it down to suit my lunch brood.

My special version has tons of meatballs, fishballs, button and shiitake mushrooms, fish fillet and whatever veggies I can find to dunk in.

• hurried tomyam soup
• lunches
• want to live to be 125? try this!
• wild woman
• fish week

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I have wanted a cordless phone in the house for the longest time. My rationale is pretty simple. Cordless Telephones are so convenient especially for a busy mom like me.

I’m not tied to a spot and I can just hang the phone on my shoulder and go about my chores around the house. I know I should really get a cordless phone but I haven’t had a chance to look around yet.

• cordless phone challenge
• teaching teens about money
• green cleaning
• how to reduce back-to-school stress (1)
• stand back or butt in?

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