free e-books

read an article in the papers yesterday.
it seems that authors giving away their books on the internet have seen an increase in print book sales.

for one author, Cory Doctorow, giving away complete novels (in fact most of his works are available in almost all conceivable formats, represents not a loss in revenue, but instead generates awareness. The enemy of new authors is not loss of intellectual property, but rather obscurity and anonymity.


Do check the site out, i've downloaded his latest novel, "Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town" and an earlier novel "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" in Adobe PDF format (now to find the time to read it...).

Leading paranormal, pseudoscientific and supernatural investigator, James Randi, has also put the contents of his work "An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural" on the net as well. Although the contents can't be downloaded onto the desktop, this e-version includes additional illustrations and more instances of his wit (which might not have made it past the copy editors of the print edition).


Have a great weekend everyone!

once a month, regardless of whether i need it...

People who lived in the middle ages smelled pretty bad.

Observe the fact at hairboutique, "Baths were actually considered unhealthy during the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance. Queen Elizabeth I supposedly bragged, "I take a bath once a month, whether I need it or not.""

Lucky times have changed and we take showers or baths once or more often a day (unless i'm out in the jungle...)

the weirdest thing is that each of these cleaning products have their own domain name and website. i guess it means they've made their mark.

after years of experimentation with various cleaning products, i've coming up with my cleaning trinity.

they are:

Dove: Ok, I admit it. the 1/4 moisturising cream gets me. too lazy to apply moisturiser when i was overseas, this is a godsend.

smells good, my skin ends up soft, it's liquid soap, so it's easy to apply and wash off.




----

Head and Shoulders: I've never really figured out how well this "anti-dandruff shampoo" actually works because i've never really used any other shampoo.

ah well, the shampoo is a cool blue though.




---

Cetaphil: Cetaphil to me is the king of all cleansers.

Have you ever used one of those Japanese facial cleaners that's supposed to be really effective?

I have and they work as advertised, too well in fact. at the end of my face wash, it feels like every iota of moisture has been ripped off my screen. Especially since I have sensitive skin, i've found that Cetaphil is really good because it's dermatologist-tested to be hypoallergic and has some moisturising properties as well.

Besides, the fact that it's actress Teri Hatcher's preferred cleansing product can't hurt as well.




There you have it, the holy three for me.
go forth and cleanse!

sundays after sundays after sundays

sunday has to be one of my favourite days. (not that there are that many to choose from)

it's one of the few days where i can sleep the whole day away without feeling (too) guilty about it.

and for those who might be inclined to skive the housecleaning duties, it's the perfect time to make a batch of cookies or ice-cream.

although i know i probably should catch up on work that's been piling up throughout the week, my three most popular things to do on sunday include:

1) Ironing: yep, there's nothing like ironing 30 work shirts at once (especially when i realise there isn't anything left in my wardrobe on monday, except my 'old uncle' work shirt). i would put a picture here, except that i've worn it already and its current condition is not 'photograph-able'.

2) Sleep: as in regenerative unconsciousness, not as in the other sleep. there's nothing like making up for a couple of frantic 4 hour nocturnal 'naps' in the midst of meeting project deadlines during the week.

Some of signs that tell i'm really tired:
a) an 'out of the body' experience while i'm awake, and feeling detached from my body.
b) experience 'lag' (or 'internet latency') between the time i am thinking of doing something and my body actually doing it.
c) feeling really really exhausted, but being unable to fall asleep when i'm in bed.

yep, i definitely feel more 'alive' after these naps.

3) eat: the quintessential singaporean pastime, to scour the papers and magazine and find the next foodies paradise before the other foodies find it.

the secret i've found is to go for dinner at 630pm (6pm if possible), because the half hour headstart could save about 1-2 hours of waiting time.

if going for lunch, head out to the place at 11am.

i hate crowds when i go shopping. the same applies to eating too.

--
collateral damage

What's a sign of how productive my week had been?

My 'to do' list:

Observe 'exhibit A"



Looks busy doesn't it?
lots and lots of things to finish up.
the thing though is that the producitivity is measured by the number of things completed, rather than the number of items listed.

as for this week....no comment!

--
TS Eliot

Friends can be quite strange sometimes.
I can't always figure them out.

A friend once came to my house and as I was giving him a house tour, he came to my home office, looked at me and said "TS Eliot, The Wasteland".

I can't for the life of me figure out what he's talking about.

talk about your weirdo freaks...