QotW5: Is that the real "YOU" shopping?

After reading “Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community” by Judith Donath (1996), identify an online identity you own or are familiar with, show where it is virtually situated (e.g. email, blogs, forums, IM, IRC, MMORPG), and how this chosen identity establishes reputation (i.e. via what kind of interactions). Finally, show how someone else could possibly assume this chosen online identity. (i.e. identity theft)

QotW5: Is that the real “you” shopping?

What is an online identity?

An online identity is a way for other users in an established network to identify or recognize a user. The main purpose is to differentiate one user from another and also allows users to note how the member contributes to that network. Just like our identity cards that are used for recognition purposes in real life, our online identities help other users identify us and allow a community of users to recognize which members belong to their clan. The only difference is we do not really know who that member is in real life as an online identity can be faked.

While we cannot change our identity in real life, as our physical selves are tangible, we can choose to be anything in our online identity. As succinctly summarized by Wikipedia:

“Although some people prefer to use their real names online, most Internet users prefer to identify themselves by means of pseudonyms, which reveal varying amounts of personally identifiable information. In some online contexts, including Internet forums, MUDs, instant messaging, and massively multiplayer online games, users can represent themselves visually by choosing an avatar, an icon-sized graphic image. As other users interact with an established online identity, it acquires a reputation, which enables them to decide whether the identity is worthy of trust.” (“Online identity”, 2007).

Is that “You” shopping?

One area where online identities are commonly used is that of online auctions. While some people use their real names for their User Identification (UserID), this is not very advisable as packages that are sent out tend to have the seller’s address (a return address is required in case of a failed delivery) and this could mean that the seller would be easy to track down. Thus, most savvy users tend to use pseudonyms to buy or sell online.

The use of
an avatar, a pseudonym and the user's reputation
on Yahoo! Auctions

On Yahoo! Auctions, users can now place avatars near their user names to visually identify themselves. Most of the avatars on Yahoo! Auctions are a thumbnail sized icon of either a male or a female to allow buyers to see whom they are buying from or sellers to see who is buying from them. Yet, this does not necessarily mean that an avatar of a female equals to a real female user as the Internet allows users to hide behind a cloak of anonymity and the freedom to choose an identity that they want.

Reputation, Reputation, Reputation!!!

In online auctions, a user’s reputation is established via the ratings system. The rating system works by having both parties leave positive, negative or neutral comments to the ones engaged in a transaction. A smooth transaction will mean that both parties will leave positive comments on each other's page and will be rated as a "Good" buyer/seller. A terrible transaction will mean that both parties will leave negative comments about the transaction and why each party deserved a "Bad" rating. A "Neutral" comment does not leave any impact on the rating of the user. A higher rating with little or even no negative comments means that the seller/buyer is a trustworthy one. As shown in the picture below, though the seller, bratzplace, had 3 “Bad” ratings, she had 1451 “Good” comments from other users. Furthermore, she has earned a trustworthy reputation as a seller, seeing that she has many customers who have continually bought from her.

User's ratings = Reputation on Yahoo! Auctions

What makes online auctions unique is that you do not really need to know the online identity of the buyer/seller in order to engage in a transaction with the user. Donath (1996) noted that knowing the identity of those with whom you communicate is essential for understanding and evaluating an interaction. However, this is not necessarily the case in online auctions since only the online identity of the user can be seen. The reputation of the user that one is dealing with is in fact, more crucial, as money and goods are exchanged without knowing the real identity of the user on the other end of the transaction. Furthermore, effective communication takes precedence over knowing one’s online identity.

Seeing Double … elbuoD gnieeS

While it is possible to copy an identity of someone similar, it is almost impossible to assume the same identity as a popular or well-reputed seller. Yahoo! Auctions ensures that the UserID of the person does not match someone else’s and this occurs when an account is being created. This is a similar situation when we sign up for an email account. A message would usually say something along the lines of “this UserID is taken, please choose another” and the email service would provide other similar IDs with numbers at the end. For example, if I wanted the ID “hot_hunk” and if that was taken, I would have to choose others provided such as “hot_hunk15” or “hot_hunk69”.

Hence, it is quite difficult to assume another’s identity on online auctions, as the service requires one to sign up for an account with different user identifications (IDs) to differentiate users.

Phishing... is the catch of the day!

However, the other way to assume someone’s chosen identity is to have access into that user’s account. One method is by “phishing”, where it is a type of deception designed to steal your valuable personal data, such as credit card numbers, passwords, account data, or other information (Microsoft, 2006). A user logs in into an identical page set up by hackers and with the available information, the hackers could easily log into the user’s account and change the password and secret question so that its original owner would be declined access to his/her account. The hacker could then wreck havoc by using that account to bid on items and not pay, leading to negative ratings left on the user’s account. Thus, users should be careful when logging on to their accounts and check that the page has anti-phising ware. In Yahoo!’s case, a sign- in seal consisting of a picture or a text seal could be uploaded to the user’s account before logging in. This sign-in seal is only accessible through that particular computer so as to deter “phishing” activities.

Yahoo!'s Sign-In Seal

Online banking is also a popular service that most auctioneers use to pay for their purchases. Banks have to think a step ahead of phishers as services involving money are highly susceptible to phishing and fraudulent activities. Banks such as DBS iBanking have introduced a second layer of security. This second factor authentication (2FA) uses a security device that generates a unique dynamic security PIN to act as the 2FA for validation and authentication purposes.

Use this to access your DBS iBank!

While there are no foolproof methods to ensure that no one will assume one’s online identity, one should be vigilant in handing out personal information online and also check to see that the page is encrypted and is up to date. Never enter personal information into suspicious looking websites that offers “too good to be true” contests and be wary of emails or anyone asking for your credit card number or passwords online.

References

Donath, J.S. (1996) “Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community” Retrieved February 16, 2007 from http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/Judith/Identity/IdentityDeception.html

Online identity. (2007, February 15). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 18, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Online_identity&oldid=108207999

Microsoft (2006, September 14). Recognize phishing scams and fraudulent e-mails (Article posted on web site Microsoft Corporation). Retrieved February 18, 2007, from http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/email/phishing.mspx

.: This entry was awarded the Special Mention for Week 5! :.

QotW4: To give and to (indirectly) receive

After reading “The Economies of Online Cooperation” by Kollock (1999), identify an “economy” that you participate in (or with which you are at least familiar), and show that it is a gift economy.

QotW4: To give and to (indirectly) receive

In today’s day and age, where one tends to receive rather than give, it is hard to imagine that altruism exists. Yet it does in exist in the online community in the form of a gift economy. Such an economy benefits users of the online community and reciprocity is not a must, though it is highly encouraged.

What is a gift economy?

According to Rheingold (1993), he noted that a gift economy is one where help and information is offered without the expectation of any direct, immediate quid-pro-quo. This can occur where free help and information could be given out to complete strangers that one may never see.

There is a difference between transactions in gift transactions and commodity transactions. In a gift economy, gift exchanges do not involve explicit bargaining or demands that the gift be reciprocated, but a relationship in which there is only giving and no receiving is unlikely to last. In contrast, a commodity transaction is on where no obligation exists after the exchange is consummated (Kollock, 1999). Furthermore, the individuals who exchange gifts in a gift economy are part of an ongoing interdependent relationship. In a commodities transaction, the individuals are self-interested, independent actors (Carrier, 1991). Furthermore, it is also interesting to note that gift economies are driven by social relations while commodity economies are driven by price (Kollack, 1999). Thus, initiating and maintaining social relations is a key concept as to why gift economies exist. As noted by Bell (1991), gift economies increase the range and diversity of one's social network.

Gift Economies are Public Goods

Gift economies exist as users share similar interests and have nuggets of information to share with others. People who need help also head to avenues such as forums to seek information. In this sense, a forum could be considered a public good. Kollock (1999) noted that one person's consumption of the good does not reduce the amount available to another. Secondly, it is to some degree non-excludable in that it is difficult or impossible to exclude individuals from benefiting from the good. Therein lies the question as to who would produce such goods. Yet, there are certain motivations as to why people contribute to gift economies.

Why people contribute to gift economies

There are several reasons why people contribute to gift economies. The 3 main reasons as noted by Kollock (1999) are reciprocity, reputation and a sense of efficacy.

1. Anticipated reciprocity

One possibility is that a person is motivated to contribute valuable information to the group in the expectation that one will receive useful help and information in return (Kollock, 1999). Indeed, some observers (Wellman & Gulia 1997; Rheingold 1993) have reported that individuals who regularly offer advice and information seem to receive more help more quickly when they ask for something.

2. Reputation

The next possibility is concerning the effect of one’s reputation, which likely improves when one frequently and willingly contributes to the community. Kollock (1999) reported that if this is the concern of an individual, contributions would likely be increased to the degree that the contribution is visible to the community as a whole and to the extent there is some recognition of the person's contributions. Such recognition of the person’s contributions would lead to feel that he has a stake in that community that he shares with others, thus, it motivates him to share whenever possible.

3. Sense of efficacy

The third possibility is that the person’s valuable information has an impact on his virtual surroundings. If a sense of efficacy is what is motivating someone, then contributions are likely to be increased to the extent that people can observe changes in the community attributable to their actions. It may also be the case that as the size of the group increases; one will be more motivated to contribute because the increasing size provides a larger audience and a potentially greater impact for one's actions (Kollock 1999).

Forums as gift economies

Forums can be considered as an online gift economy. People with similar passions cluster around a community and share valuable information. In one forum that I have to come to know of (http://www.flowerpod.com.sg/), it is an example of a gift economy where many females head to and share information on new products that they have tried-and-tested, places to check out, salons to avoid, et cetra. Such information is a treasure trove for women who rely on the information of others to know the best places and bargains. Speaking of bargains, this forum also has weekly/monthly sprees that allow members to consolidate their overseas purchases and this saves them shipping costs as they buy in bulk.

Flowerpod is considered a gift economy as it not only provides higher rankings for regular members who share information (a form of recognition), but also increases the range and diversity of one's online social network.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a gift economy is an economic system where an exchange of good and services does not explicitly require reciprocity. This system may end have having free riders but different motivations to contribute implicitly result in more people wanting to contribute for the good of the public. Forums are an example of gift economies and other online communities are other forms of gift economies too, as the broad reach of the Internet allows information to be widely shared and can be easily maintained by the users.

References:

Bell, D. (1991). Modes of Exchange: Gift and Commodity. The Journal of Socio-Economics 20(2): 155-167.

Carrier, J. (1991). Gifts, Commodities, and Social Relations: A Maussian View of Exchange. Sociological Forum 6(1): 119-136.

Kollock, P. (1999). 'The Economies of Online Cooperation; Gifts and Public Goods in Cyberspace" Retrieved February 6, 2007 from http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/kollock/papers/economies.htm

Rheingold, H. (1993). The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier. New York: Addison-Wesley.

Wellman, B. & Gulia, M. (1997). Virtual Communities as Communities. Communities in Cyberspace: Perspectives on New Forms of Social Organization, edited by Peter Kollock and Marc Smith. Los Angeles: University of California Press.

QotW3: File sharing - Why users should pay and why content creators should lower prices

How can we accommodate both the interests of content creators and the public good? What technical and social structures are needed to do so?

QotW3: File sharing - Why users should pay and why content creators should lower prices.

The Straits Times, February 3 2007, Review

With today’s broad reach of technology with the Internet, songs are easily available for free. All that is required is the program to download songs and a suitable Internet connection speed to upload/download songs. By simply typing in the song title or the song artist, one could find many different users to download from. As such, many users regularly download songs off the Net for free, much to the dismay of the recording industry.

File sharing is perhaps the most common online activities (Oberholzer-Gee & Strumpf, 2005) where users can upload/download music off the Internet and pass it around through Peer-to-Peer websites such as OpenNap, LimeWire, KaZzA. While this may seem cost effective to most users, the industry has been complaining of failing sales due to file sharing. Claiming that file sharing was the culprit, the recording industry started suing thousands of individuals who share files (Oberholzer-Gee & Strumpf, 2005, p.2). Such an event also happened in Singapore, where seven homes were raided by police as part of a crackdown on the illegal downloading of copyrighted music from the Internet (Ramesh, 2006).

Yet, Oberholzer-Gee & Strumpf (2005) reported that file sharing allows users to learn about music they would not otherwise be exposed to. This learning may promote new sales and from my perspective, is true to a large extent when friends recommend one another songs that they enjoy listening to. Granted, this may not be a legal way to share files but what other methods are there to share music in a legal manner? Furthermore, Litman (2003) suggested that anecdotal evidence indicates that untamed digital sharing turns out to be a more efficient method of distribution than either paid subscription or the sale of conventional copies. Thus, the recording industry should have looked into this avenue as a means of dissemination of music from newer or popular artists, rather than sue those who support them. Distribution via the Internet is one of the most efficient ways to reach a large potential client base, without the need for packaging or a physical space to sell the products. The amount of money saved could then be used to promote their music to the diverse market online.

Furthermore, based on the findings of Oberholzer-Gee & Strumpf (2005), they found that file sharing had only a limited effect on record sales. “Although we find some evidence that top albums sell fewer copies as a result of P2P, the economic impact is small, less than 10% of sales even for the most popular releases” (p.36). In addition to their findings, Rob & Waldfogel (2004) noted that for hit albums, which sold more than 2 million copies since 1999, they find no relationship between downloading and sales. However, an interpretation from both studies suggested that piracy does not affect hit albums but hurts smaller artists (Oberholzer-Gee & Strumpf, 2005, p.6). Such an impact meant that independent musicians should have more privileges over the use of copyright laws as their sales were on the decline from music downloads. Thus, music lovers should pay for their downloads, or risk having newer musicians leave the industry if the latter deems the industry unprofitable.

Why, then, are people unwilling to pay for music despite the lawsuits from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)? One main reason is because the music online is FREE. Despite downloads being illegal:

An April 2004 survey revealed that 88 percent of children between 8 and 18 years of age understood that P2P music downloading is illegal. Unfortunately, the survey also discovered that 56 percent of the children surveyed continue to download music anyway. So while many music fans are aware of the "stick" of lawsuits, they seem relatively unintimidated by it.” (Lohmann, 2004).

Furthermore, in a survey conducted by Rob and Waldfogel (2004) found that albums purchased in the store were valued at $15.91. In contrast, respondents’ willingness to pay for albums they downloaded was only $10.66, a value below the average purchase price of a CD. Hence, people would be more willing to pay had the prices been lower for each album. It may seem that the record industry would earn less if each album was cheaper but it would also mean less users would download for free off the Internet (which would leave them nothing) as the albums are now more affordable.

Another alternative is to purchase music at Apple’s iTunes Music Store (http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/). A song sells for US$0.99 and users can buy as many songs as they like. This was one method where music lovers could legally purchase music without having to worry about RIAA knocking at their doors. Apple was a great success in the eyes of the recording companies. It was the most successful of all the authorized music services and sold a total of 100 million downloads in its first 15 months of operation (Lohmann, 2004). However, Lohmann (2004) also noted, “While the authorized music services are attracting a modest number of customers, it is also clear that they together account for a trivial percentage of the total number of digital music files being downloaded today”. Thus, even if Apple iTunes was a viable alternative to illegal music downloads, there was no way it was able to compete with the combination of all the peer-to-peer (P2P) networks that provided free music.

The next viable solution would be to tap into the large P2P networks and try to make money where the large client base is. Furthermore, the laws of copyright are not involved. Lohmann (2004) noted this simple concept of “voluntary collective licensing”:

The music industry forms one or more collecting society, which in turn offer file-sharing music fans the opportunity to "get legit" in exchange for a reasonable regular payment, say $5 per month. So long as they pay, the fans are free to keep doing what they are going to do anyway -- share the music they love using whatever software they like on whatever computer platform they prefer -- without fear of lawsuits. The money collected gets divided among rights-holders based on the popularity of their music…more freedom to fans to share their favorite music, the deeper the global catalog of available music.

Furthermore, this gives music fans a more pratical plan and a chance to pay for their music, without costing them too much. $5 a month for an infinite amount of songs is a better deal than a $10.66 album where you probably only want two songs or having to pay 99 cents per song could cost a user around 20 dollars for 20 songs in a month.

In conclusion, music lovers should pay for their music, as it is only fair to the musicians, whose careers depend on sales from their supporters. Not paying for their work is almost the same as not paying a lawyer’s legal fees after consultation, which is considered a crime. On the other hand, content creators could come to a compromise to reduce their albums’ prices or engage in voluntary collective licensing. Either way, lowering their prices would leave them in a better state than having billions of users worldwide download their music for free.

References:

Litman, J. (2003). Sharing and Stealing [Electronic Version]. Retrieved February 2, 2007 from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=472141.

Lohmann, F., (2004, September 29). Is Suing Your Customers a Good Idea? [Article posted on Web site Law.com]. Retrieved January 31, 2007, from http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1095434496352

Oberholzer-Gee, F., & Strumpf, K. (2005). The Effect of File Sharing on Record Sales: An Empirical Analysis [Electronic Version]. Retrieved February 2, 2007 from http://www.unc.edu/%7Ecigar/papers/FileSharing_June2005_final.pdf.

Ramesh, S. (2006, October 9). Police raid 7 homes to track down illegal downloading of songs [Article posted on Web site Channel NewsAsia]. Retrieved January 31, 2007, from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/234608/1/.html

Rob, R., & Waldfogel, J. (2004). “Piracy on the High C’s: Music Downloading, Sales
Displacement, and Social Welfare in a Sample of College Students.” NBER working paper 10874.

.: This entry was awarded the Special Mention for Week 3! :.

Next time please O-P-E-N your eyes!!!!!

Poom!!!! Someone banged into my dad's car when we were waiting at a intersection on the way home.


OEi, to that guy who bang into my dad's car, please OPEN your eyes next time and LOOK IN FRONT before u put your foot on the accelerator!

I'm not putting your pic in my blog as I respect your privacy. Please pay attention next time... Your car was perfectly fine! And my dad's car was not! Thanks for making my dad head down to the car repair center on your behalf.
And wear your stupid sandals properly when you drive... were u driving barefoot? You BETTER NOT be!

I was surprised that my dad didn't show his anger to that stupid driver. I'm proud of him! :P

COM 125 Week 2: Online auctions

Introduction

Online auctions are a recent phenomenon that has increased in popularity due to the expansion of the Internet, which has enabled transactions online. An online auction is essentially an Internet-based version of a traditional auction – without the fast talking auctioneer and fellow bidders being in different physical locations (Miller, 2003). Some examples of online auctions are eBay and Yahoo! Auctions. eBay remains the largest online auction with 49.7 million registered users as of mid 2002 (Miller, 2003, p.8).

How did eBay came about?

Pierre Omidyar in his Silicon Valley house started online auctions on Labor Day, 1995 (Cohen, 2000, p.5) when he tried to sell his laser pointer. Back then, eBay was known as AuctionWeb and was made in a rather simplistic fashion. Although his personal site was considered an idea that would not work, within a few years, Omidyar was worth $4 billion and the company he founded, eBay, was the most successful e-commerce site in history. Once a tiny auction site overrun with Beanie Baby listings, today eBay is a commercial powerhouse where millions of users buy and sell everything from antique pickle jars and record albums to Ford trucks and $40 000 computer servers (Cohen, 2002).

eBay Headquarters in San Jose

Why online auctions are so popular

Everyday, millions of people purchase long-lost treasures or everyday items at bargain prices. They are able to make money out of items that they no longer require and have fun doing so (Gralla, 2000). People buy and sell varied merchandise through an auction website (such as eBay or Yahoo! Auctions) and such transactions can be made with other users worldwide. Hence, the popularity of online auctions continues to flourish as it enables ordinary people to become instant businessmen. Furthermore, it allows consumers to conveniently purchase an endless variety of goods at a price that they want. Such an event was possible when online auctions came about.

How online auctions thrive: The business model

The business model that online auctions center on increases its attractiveness to the sellers as it allows an instant business to be set up. From the seller’s perspective, its attractiveness is centered on low start up cost, potentially high sales volume and freedom from “geographical constraints” (wikipedia.org) with the help of the Internet. Such advantages make it easier for an entrepreneur to set up a business online. Unlike a store, its low operational cost stems from not requiring a physical space since storage can be done at home. It also does not require any employees and this saves on labor costs. With the broad reach of the Internet to allow quick movement of goods, an exponentially large consumer base can also potentially raise prices and increase profits. In addition, online auctions allow the seller a greater flexibility to sell alternative items should his current stock of goods be sold out. Thus, this allows the seller the option to diversify his products. Furthermore, an effect of cumulative causation occurs when the large pool of customers attracts more sellers to sell their wares and this in turn attracts more potential bids from buyers (wikipedia.org). This increases the value of the business model and hence, attracts entrepreneurs to online auctions as compared to a brick and mortar store.

Reaching to the common masses

The growing popularity of online auctions can be seen with the convergence of two unlikely worlds in terms of technology. With the help of the Internet, online auctions have attracted the most unlikely sellers online. One case study to show the convergence of two unlikely worlds with the help of the Internet is that of Sungei Road and eBay. Sungei Road, an open-air flea market, is home to a large collection of second hand and collector’s items that remain unsold for some time. At first glance, eBay and Sungei Road are worlds apart in terms of the level of technology used by the respective businesses. However, they share the similarity of being a market place for used goods and collectables. Through the word of mouth, some of the peddlers have jumped on the bandwagon and have listed their wares on eBay. These middle aged men who have peddled their wares on Sungei Road for over 10 years learn how to list their items in the hopes of tapping into the large pool of potential customers online rather than the handful of customers who usually browse through their items on sale. Those who resort to selling through the Internet claim to do so as “collector’s items” tend to sell slowly at Sungei Road (The Straits Times, July, 2005). This shows that even those who are computer illiterate are willing to learn how to apply technology to their livelihood in the hopes of improving their sales of second hand goods. By incorporating technology with their business, these peddlers are empowered with the ability to keep track on their inventory and sales and it makes it easier for them to increase their chances of engaging in more transactions.

Convergence of technology: I-mode and the acquisition of Skype by eBay

Online auctions will continue to flourish due to improvements in communications and information technology. This improves the ability of sellers to tap into a larger potential customer base as well as improve customer relations. The acquisition of Skype (a peer-to-peer Internet telephony software) by eBay highlights that modern technology ensures transactions through online auctions are becoming less of a hassle when both parties communicate (Today, September 2005). With the acquisition of Skype, improvement in communications can be made since the buyer is unable to physically deal with the seller and vice versa. Communicating effectively and efficiently plays an important role in the way businesses are carried out today. It plays a crucial role in online auctions since buyers have to purchase items that cannot be inspected beforehand. Thus, transactions can be speeded up as eBay ensures that bidders and sellers have a cheaper and a more convenient way of talking to the other party about payment and delivery issues. With Skype, it aids in further reducing any potential misunderstandings.

The improvement of technology in mobile phones also allows one the convenience of purchasing any item online. “In Japan, when student Gilda Su wanted to purchase a skirt, she simply whips out her mobile phone and taps a button. After a few seconds, the screen brings her to a “live” auction website where she can bid for clothes” (The Sunday Times, October 2005). The use of such cell phone Internet services called i-mode is beginning to pick up around the world, and soon it will not be necessary to confine oneself to a computer to access online auctions. Such convenience saves one time and the hassle of making a trip to the mall. Hence, advancement in technology and improvement in communications exemplifies that budding entrepreneurs have various way to expand his operations and reach out to the diverse audience.

References

Cohen, A. (2002). The perfect store: inside eBay. Boston, USA: Little, Brown and Company

Chia, V. (2005, September 22). More Stress in a ‘Smaller’ World?. Today, News Comment, p. 3

Gralla, P. (2000). Sams teach yourself today e-auctions: Bidding, buying and selling at eBay and other online auction sites. Indianapolis, Ind.: Sams.

Miller, M. (2003) Absolute beginner's guide to eBay. Indianapolis, Ind.: Que Publishing.

Online auction business model (n.d.) Wikipedia.org. Retrieved November 19, 2005, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_auction_business_model

Siew A. (2005, October 23) And, Yes, call too. The Sunday Times, Think, p.28

Tsang, S. (2005, July 12). Sungei Road bargains on eBay. The Straits Times: Digital Life, p. 3-4

(Mr Lim,

I'm sorry about the indenting and erratic large and small headings. There seems to be a problem when I copy and paste from Word to Blogspot. I've tried to make the Referencing indenting regular but it doesn't come out right. I can send you the original version on WORD. DOC if you prefer that option. Thank you!)

Botak Jones food review follow up!

This space is to share with you all readers that someone from my class went to try out Botak Jones in Clementi! Yup, the food there was good too. Pity I wasn't there. But here are some pics!

Disclaimer : These pics belong to Ren Hao....

Ren Hao's Lunch - Fish and Chips! Yum! :D

Good American Food at a cheap price! Whoopee@!

Waiter, there is a FLY in my soup!!!!

.: Morning breakfast :.

.: WarNing! Eat at your own PeriL! :.

Yep, there was a LIZARD in our refreshments during NTR Class B in the morning! A lot of girls were squealing away and the guys tried to act macho by knocking at it outside the box. KY tried to use a penknife to poke at it... but it was done outside the box...

Btw, this is not KY.
JT was assisting me in photographing the event... Thanks! :D

KY, if you are reading this, no use lah!!!!! U shld put your hand INSIDE the box n poke it, not knock with the penknife outside the box! HAHAHA!

When my dad saw the pics, he asked, "How come they are serving lizards for breakfast? Must have tasted nice and squishy."

I think this must have been a "nutritious" meal, since it was served during Nutrition class!..
~*Hmmmm....... Let me calculate the fat content, carbohydrate value and protein amount in that STINKING LIZARD!!!!~*

.: YuMmY! :.

Oh yea, if you thought I lost my appetite over this, you're wrong... On the contrary, I had a heavy lunch consisting of chicken chop and cream of mushroom! *Weeeeee!!!*

Dracula's shop...

Blood Galore!

This shop is somewhere in Raffles Place...

Er, if anyone knows what this shop sells, let me know? Just leave a comment aka Sad Tango.... Thanks! :P

!~Library Rocks~!

Yea! No doubt about that! - Me, the nerd!

After SGH, headed to the Library @ Orchard to attend a talk. I couldn't get a seat, so I did other things in the library instead....

Vernetta Lopez and Jessica Seet....

... entering a large audience!

To my Lovely Girls, here is your....

.: Motion that you both wanted! :.

Nitez!

Another simple day in my simple life.... NOT!

I've finally dropped COM 300. Why I dropped it? I can't handle the workload and other reasons...

Anyway, I just returned from SGH and it seems that I have to undergo surgery for my feet! My mum was utterly shocked and so was I! Having the need to reconstruct both my feet isn't the nicest thing to hear in the afternoon. AHHH!!!! The doctor seem nonchalant about the whole incident till the point of laughter..

Me: So, Should I wear Birkenstocks?
Doctor (in his nonchalent Indian Accent) : Birkenstocks? What's Birkenstocks? Is that a Brand?

AIYOH!!!!!!

Guess it will be done in 2 yrs from now? Haha, long way... Thank goodness!

~~~

My bloggie was featured in class twice in Class A and B! Mr Lim showed the "COM 125 Class B - Caught in the Act" post and called it "Sus-veillance". I have no idea why that name.... He mentioned something about "Bottom-up feedback" rather than "Top-Down approach" to Feedback/Surveillance.

Hehehe! :P

Foodie Review #2 - Botak Jones: You Da "Ang moh" of Ang Mo Kio!

After watching Chua Enlai's "Heartland Getaways", decided to try out Botak Jones that was featured in Ang Mo Kio! His stall is at Blk 608, Ang Mo Kio Ave 5.




In terms of quality, I would rate it 5 stars! The portion was huge too! I was still full during dinner time!

The Food there is good and cheap! :)

Service - Excellent! We had 3 of the staff come up to ask us how was the food and they seem to serve with pride. Impressive service for a hawker centre!

Oh yea, they do catering services t0o... Possible to cater for events such as b-day parties! :) They also have one stall in Clementi, 2 blocks from the MRT stn.


Minus point - This hawker centre in AMK is super hot! I really suggest going on a cooler day or ordering ice lemon tea or cold green tea for refreshments! The queue was around 10 min as there were many families there. In fact, 80% of patrons at the hawker centre were patronizing Botak Jones's Stall! Cool!

No sunsets... for another day!

So sorry, there are no sunset pics for now. Rain's coming (and so is the singer - RAIN!!) every evening before the sun sets! But I do have pics of the flooded playground. This time round, the teenage boys were happy frolicking in the muddy waters... Maybe dirty water is nice to play in!

Splish...

... Splash!

Excuse me... Cld you call me back later? I'm in Heaven right now!

Had a great lunch at this hawker centre opposite Hong Lim's Speakers Corner in Chinatown! This stall sells great Vongole! So I want to recommend this stall to you foodies out there! It's called Pasta Express #02-42

This is the Best place for Vongole coz it's cheap! I've been looking for the best places for this dish and the best places and prices are as follows:

1) New York New York, City Link Mall - $13.90 before taxes
Best place to have this dish, but rather expensive and the queue can be quite long. Sigh!

.: their menu :.

2) Hong Lim Complex Hawker Centre - $4.50
Cheap and Good, hence, I'm blogging about it! :)

3) Al Dente, Great World City - $21 after taxes
The freshest and largest clams but it's SO expensive for a plate of noodles and clams. The first time I ate there, the noodles were undercooked. Had to tell them to cook it longer the next time I was there. Totally NOT worth eating here....

4)Bakerzin, Vivocity - $17.05 after taxes
-The first time I ate this wonderful dish was when there was a Bakerzin at One Fullerton. (*Now replaced by Starbucks) The Cook did it to perfection back then!
-However, they shifted to Vivocity. The noodles done by the new cook were overcooked and there was little taste of the white wine sauce... Waste my $$$!!!
-Oh yea, Bakerzin DOES NOT serve free water. Either buy drinks or BYO!

5) Pasta Mania, Bugis Junction $ 7.25 (used to be $6.90 but they are NOT absorbing 5% taxes anymore)
Worse of the lot! No taste of white wine sauce (you can smell the white wine if a fair amount was used) and it was so oily! For that price, I shld have eaten at Miss Clarity's at 5 Purvis Street instead! Sry Mel mel! :P
Redeeming factor: They serve water! Lolx!

Conclusion: For cheap and delicious Vongole, No. 2 wins!

.: Tuck In! :.

Hope this review and pics helps you all looking for this dish!

Oh yea, I bought 2 boxes of Vongole... burp!! :)

Saving Money & Mother Earth

When I attended Yoga Class this morning, some ladies around me were telling each other of how they got scrap material to make their Yoga bags.

You may think that they were penny pinching aunties but hey, what impressed me most was that their bags were really beautiful! (*Sorry, no pictures for this.. I din dare ask them to let me photograph their handiwork!) One was a pink floral bag and even had pockets for a mobile phone while another did a Velcro strap for her Nike Yoga mat. Innovative@!

Hmmm... I can't even sew a bag like them and save money! Instead, most of us (myself inc.) resort to buying bags for the mats. The more I thought about it, the more I wonder why there is so much rubbish around us. Simple. We don't reduce, reuse, recycle. We simply buy more stuff instead of making our own, leading to wastage of resources that could have well serve other purposes. These ladies had sewing capabilities that made them proud of their unique handiwork. Maybe I just didn't know how to sew a bag but when I thought about it, it was possible to learn how to.

Felt slightly ashamed not helping Mother Earth conserve her natural resources... :( Sorry!

Rule #1: Don't act so surprise when people dun buy

I went to Mondo at Far East Plaza today, intending to buy the same pair of pumps that Christabel had: GORGEOUS Navy Blue Brocade Pumps with a gold ribbon in front! (*guys: this just means that the covered shoes were sewn using a Chinese embroidery method! Hahaha!)

Christabel told me the shoes were on offer - they still have 20% sale so the shoes were $15.90. Used to be $19.90. Quite cheap! :)

However, when I tried the shoes on, they didn't look so good on me ... so I took them off and returned them to the saleslady. She said, "Ah?! You not buying ah!?"

What should I have said to such a comment?

The Rain in Spain falls mainly on the Playground!

Wanted to place some sunsets pics but it was flooding around 5pm instead! And it was hot in the afternoon!

So no sunsets.. but pics of floods! Surprisingly, the flood was so bad at the nearby playground but the kids still had a good time jumping in the murky waters. Reminds me of Vivocity, where the pond on the 3rd Level has "turned" into a swimming pool, with no chlorine-pump system. EWWW!!

<: Joker trying to pull his friend into the "swimming pool" :>

Okay, there were no kids in the pic..
By the time the camera took a clear shot, the kiddos went home for dinner... Dang!


.: CaR In FLooD :.

Hope for Good weather tmr!

Video Class COM 125 B - Caught in the Act!

Mr Kevin Lim recorded a video of us while he was teaching! It felt very scary - we have never been on "video" mode before but I guess we will get used to it over time. (I HoPe!!)

This is how it looks like from the audience's perspective: -

.: The Device - Beware of your every move being caught on CCTV! :.

Black Friday - Companies leave the Red (debt) and go into Black (profit) after Thanksgiving

Using a 24 inch Mac (right) and another monitor to get ready to BUY on Black Friday!

I found the concept of Black Friday rather interesting, with nifty marketing tactics used to entice buyers (or bidders) to BUY BUY BUY! Even if the person doesn't win the bid, he/she may choose to buy another things. (Like the 1 carat diamond earrings going for US$350? Ooooooh!)

A great Business Model! :P

Damien Rice "9 Crimes"

I have been listening to this song for a few days (plus the whole of today!) and would like to share it with you. It's Damien Rice "9 Crimes". It has a haunting element yet it sounds soothing. I Love the piano playing in the background! Wanna Thank my friend who introduced this song to me! *Winks* - you know who u are~!



Leave me out with the waste
This is not what I do
It's the wrong kind of place
To be thinking of you
It's the wrong time
For somebody new
It's a small crime
And I've got no excuse

Is that alright?
Give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright?
If you don't shoot it how am I supposed to hold it
Is that alright?
Give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright
Is that alright with you?

Leave me out with the waste
This is not what I do
It's the wrong kind of place
To be cheating on you
It's the wrong time
but she's pulling me through
It's a small crime
And I've got no excuse

Is that alright?
Give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright?
If you don't shoot it how am I supposed to hold it
Is that alright?
Give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright
Is that alright with you?

Is that alright?
Is that alright?
Is that alright with you?
Is that alright?
Is that alright?
Is that alright with you?

No...

A Simple Song based on a 70's movie about a boy befriending a balloon... I know it doesn't make sense but let's face it: How often does our life really make much sense at times? I guess not always...

Going, going, gone!

Today was another round of class for the 1st week. Not much happening so I'll just add in some pics for COM 242.

We had to choose our topics to present and it was a mad rush for those who submitted their name list by a millisecond late as their wanted topics were already chosen! Talk about the need for speed! Haha! :P

Chiong ah! Chiong ah!!

"And Marshall McLuhan shall be presented by.... "

I've also a short video about the whole rush but I have no idea how to upload videos... Sorry! Will figure a way out when I learn more about blogger!

And today's sunset.....

Sunset on 17th January 2007

I really apologize about the 2 previous sunsets... The pics are 3 years old! But if you want to catch great sunsets, catch them when the day was unbearably hot in the afternoon! And this year with the El-Nino, I think there will be some really Hot Days!

Cheers and Enjoy the pics!