I deleted my imgur account today

So I wanted to post pictures to Reddit.. after reading that you should uploaded on Imgur, I uploaded (like what I always do on Photobucket) the image & post. Today I log on my imgur and I received 6 vote down. WTH? And some guy showing a imgur post on how to post my photo properly. Apparently these people feel my photo are personal and shouldn’t be in “public”.  Whatever and how did it get into “public” stream I have no idea. I just upload like what I would have done on Photobucket.

Come on, I was just trying to host the photo and share it on Reddit. Do you have to judge and promote “negative”?

I don’t understand why they should vote up or down anyway… this is not a social site! If it’s a image hosting site then it shouldn’t have the vote function. A proper image hosting site like Photobucket should let people upload their photos and full stop.

So since I couldn’t agree with how imgur operated, I deleted my account and the app.

25 Feb 2017

I decided to do a roundup post this week as I have so much thoughts!

Spend/Expense Tracking
I have been attempting to do a tracking many times. And I always failed as I given up after a couple of weeks. Now I decided to attempt again… which brings me to the topic!

There are 3 ways of doing the tracking:
– Paper & pen
I always keep a planner. My friend gave me a light weight Hello Kitty scheduler from Daiso Japan! I used it to record my spend (excluding food & drink). This is my first attempt using this method. Previously, I wrote on the main planner itself. The success rate is about 50%. I don’t always look at the scheduler like I would look at the planner. I didn’t build up the habit of writing it down after spending. But since most spends are online, it allows me to backdate them. But for food or drink items, I could lose the record as I don’t remember the amount. The scheduler has limited space hence there is no space to do other functions like summing up the spends. But it is good for recording cos if you write down, you would never forget. I am a very paper and pen person.
– Spreadsheet
I always keep documents at Google drive for easy editing on the go as I access different devices (work laptop, mobile phone and my own MacBook). The obvious reason for using this is not needing to carry around a notebook and changes are reflected instantly. Easy calculation like budgeting and summing up of spend can be added on to determine the budget/spend. At work, I sometimes get too busy and didn’t get the opportunity to open the spreadsheet. So the success rate is about 50% too. However, like all other digital thingy, I always prefer paper and pen. I tried using apps/online tools to build up my to do list but I always go back to the paper and pen. It helps me think better and improve productivity.
– App
App is the newly method that I just started. I do not like to rely on apps because I feel that it’s as reliable as Paper and Pen. You could record tons of stuffs and it just disappear. Actually I did have similar experience – my old blog from another blogsite which I uses for years just disappear one day. I could get the archive back. But it isn’t the same! So after that, I tried not to rely on technology if it is something I want to retrieve years later. Perhaps it is not quite applicable in this case as it is highly unlikely that you would look back after a couple of years. So my friend recommended Wally to us. I decided to use it as it look like what I was looking for. The main thing about such app is that it should be colourful so you will have the motivation to record 🙂 And well, we have mobile phone with us most of the times… except the time where you are bathing etc. So it is easy to enter the record. However, like the previous two methods, the habit has to build up. I haven’t explore the full functionality of the app yet but it seems like it allows budgeting and will notify you when you “hit” your budget.

Overall, as you can see, the success rate of the two methods that I have attempted is only 50%. I am trying a third method to see if it works better. In the meantime, I have to keep brainstorming…

Movies
I watched 2 movies yesterday and today! Yesterday, I went to the cinema and caught the Batman Lego Movie with a couple of friends. No need ask my favourite moment, but old voldy appearances really bring smiles to me. I wouldn’t mind a lego movie with the full cast. It could be a silly, lame and funny movie with thousands of references! Something for the fans to experience the wizarding world in a different way but never as a movie that we would recommend to people.

I purchased BFG Blu Ray disc 3 weeks ago at a local store. It was expensive but I wanted to test a Blu Ray disc with my new player. So the movie isn’t particularly interesting but it wasn’t too boring either. I wasn’t familiar with the original story – not quite a reader when I was young. But it pretty much covered everything. As for the blu ray disc, it is way cheaper to buy online! I am waiting for the release of Fantastic Beasts!

Audio books
I ditched the audio books temporary! It was quite hard to find a time to listen to them on weekdays. And on weekends, I have other activities. My commuting time is also quite short on weekdays. So there is no way I could enjoy a audio book. Perhaps I will reattempt them again a couple of months later. I am putting the audio book in my wish list. Maybe I should get the actual audio books rather than using YouTube.

Subscription Box
Well with my history with subscription box, I avoided them pretty much. Until recently. With my new (old) obsession with HP, it is hard not to pick up a subscription or two. Well, to be honest, I have 3! But one doesn’t seem to be shipping anytime soon. One is on its way to me, and I just subscribed to a new one last week. They are pricey in my opinion. But I am getting a couple of months to see how they goes.

And I always thought it is fun to pick up a subscription box for books. You know being a reader, it would be fun to open a box to read a book or two which you would never get. I never found the right one. They are either too boring or too expensive. But I found the perfect one. The theme next month is what I always love – Sailors, Sea & Ship. But I am waiting for more spoiler before committing to get one box.

Pebble
I used Pebble for a short while 1-2 years ago? Then things got chaotic when I have far too many watches (4 to be exact!)… I always forget to charge and then, I kinda forget about it and wear regular watch. I have been trying to sell them off but it wasn’t easy. Pebble as many would have know has been sold off. The support from the new company would be for a year. So Pebble watches are kinda “devalued”. Well, I don’t sell things to earn an living. I have my regular job so I rather not sell it if people are looking to snag a cheap deal from this. Unfortunately for these people, I don’t need quick cash. Anyway I decided to start wearing it instead. I started with the original which is the first watch I have. And I have been enjoying it. It has been easier to monitor the battery level with just one watch. I probably going to use it until it officially die. Maybe I will rotate it with Pebble Time as it has colour! And it is so much easy to customise with your own watch face. I am not super concern about the support after a year. Pebble has a huge market of user. so I am pretty sure someone from the internet will comes up with something for everyone. I would be glad to pay to get things going.

 

 

 

 

Review – Hot Topic

Shopping from Hot Topic is less straight forward than most websites. I know about Hot Topic for years but never try to buy anything. I used to think they are quite expensive. But they seems to be running promotions more often. So I was having a bit of extra money, so I decided to try to buy something. I want that Ron’s Sweater Funko anyway! It seems to be much more expensive everywhere else!

I was having problem checking out my cart. I tried both payment method – Credit Card and Paypal. The customer service wasn’t helpful. Firstly, they told me to talk to bank. Obviously, the problem doesn’t come from the bank. I was able to shop at US sites (Amazon, Etsy etc) often. And I never have a problem. I was so frustrated that I accidentally got my Paypal account locked out.

Paypal. I have to talk about them. I have been a customer since 2000. I set up back then due to the ease to transact on eBays/now defunct Yahoo auction. But gone were the days that I shop anything from eBay.  I now uses it to pay for my newspaper suscription. Their customer support gave me 20bucks  Wow. I mean I never recieve free money from any customer support before! LL Ban’s customer service gave me a giftcard but it’s not quite the same as actual money isn’t it. The money was used to offset a thinkgeek order. Super happy!

And last week, I finally managed to place my orders. So I found the problem. It’s obviously an technical issue.

First attempt was placed using an US address (for shipping) and billing address is indicated as my own.

Second attempt was placed using my own address (for shipping) and billing address is the same. And it went through!

Same card was used. So obviously they have blocked it to ensure that it go through unless it’s the same address. This is abit silly if you asked me. Some people might want to send stuffs to their office. I used to do that often. However, I am not sure if the same restriction applies when you are using different US addresses. So I wrote back to the customer service and tell them to fix this. But they never get back to me. The last email was they would let the relevant people know (The tech people maybe..).

The reason why I placed order and ship it directly is that they were running promotion – 50% off international shipping. The shipping cost (after 50%) is much affordable but still it’s not comparable to the saving I would get from using a forwarder!

It was shipped using DHL but it isn’t as fast aTs the regular DHL. It took 12 days to arrive as it stopover at Germany (!!) before flying over. Nobody was at home as usual but I got a little note to collect from Popstation. Popstation is my favourite way of collecting parcel as it would be available there immediately. And it is always somewhere nearby! So, I ran off to collect the parcel when I saw the note!

Overall, the shipping is efficient although it isn’t fast. The shipping cost is only worth it if there is promotion.

They enclosed hot cash for to entice me to spend again at their website. I might if I could get to send my stuffs to the forwarder. 

Organising, decluttering and Minimalising

Recently, professional organisers are in the news. Who are they – In short, they help clients to organise and decluttering. Some clients paid them for their service and advices. Some have no idea what to do about the mess and want to be organise! Hence, they decided to engage an expert!

I wrote about Decluttering 101 about 2 years ago. It is not 101 tips but it is a good 23 pointers to get you started.

I am not against getting professional advice or help. But most of the stuffs are pretty much common senses. Throw what you don’t need or never use for a long time. Organise the rest by using plastic containers etc. Keep things to a minimum. And don’t buy things you don’t need. Most people have a problem (Myself included) because they are attached to their belonging… and likes to shop for things.

Professional organiser/expert are good for the first use. But they are not to help everytime you have a mess. It’s all about habits. Those professional organsier/expert mainly (?) gives tips on keeping your stuffs organise. BUT I don’t think they actually provide the root cause of the problem. In the first place, if you don’t have so much stuffs, you wouldn’t have the mess to deal with. So at the same time, CHANGE your habits! For e.g. do not go to the malls for window shopping as you know you would end up buying 1 or 2 things. Find other activities to do – walk at the park!

So organising and decluttering should conclude with a minimalising!

Hufflepuff pouch

I love to buy stuffs from Etsy. look at what just arrived two days ago…

😀 it’s handmade! Not sure about the licensing etc but it’s great for showing my hufflepuff pride! 

First look at my new wand

Yesterday (v day:D) I received the wand from The Noble Collection!

It’s Ron’s! So far I have been really happy with the wand. I was having a bad day yesterday so I didn’t really examine the wand yet.

I also purchased a replica wand (Ron’s too!) from China. So I’m going to write a post to do a comparison!

Wands are expensive

I don’t want to be mean. But honestly, some people are just so ridiculous!

So I posted an advertisement asking if anyone is interested in getting their Pottermore wands. I am getting someone in US to crave it from wood and it takes few weeks blah blah…

Someone responded and show me her pottermore wand and ask for quotation. I asked her what is her budget?
She told me she is fine with anything below $10.
I mean come on….Are you kidding me?
I told her “you can’t even get a plastic wand with that amount“…Which so true.
Whether it’s licensed or non-licensed wand, even the plastic wands will cost more than 10bucks.
This is wood. real wood.
what do you expect?
I am pretty sure I mentioned the part about hand making by hand. What? You think you can just pick a branch from the park and make it into a wand?
And I am quite sure 10bucks can’t  even pay for the shipping. Honestly.

I mean it’s fine if you can’t afford it etc. But you have to realistic right. If you can’t afford it, then don’t even ask. Time waster. I blocked her immediately.

Horrible train experience

For a longest time, I was quite lucky to have missed those train issues. Sometimes I got into the subsequent trains and it was more crowded than usual. But yesterday, I find myself caught in the middle of a train fault.

So my train was moving towards the station with the train fault. I was stucked in the train for 25 mins or so. Finally it reached the platform after the delay. To my horror, the platform is packed full of people. When I wanted to get out, nobody want to give way and wanted to push their way to get into the train. I have to push myself through the crowd. Horrible! I know everyone is anxious to get to work. (Actually what is the anxious? You are already late. So no matter how “fast” you rush, you wouldn’t get there on time anyway!) But why can’t you just let people out? Furthermore, you should always give space for people to alight instead of occupying the whole platform. Having said that, the staffs could have manage it better. Staffs should be deployed to stop people from going into the platform. They tried to do that after that. I saw people waiting downstairs. But better crowd control should be implemented. I don’t think anyone appreciate being push on a Monday morning!

I saw an colleague after that and we decided to walk to the office (thanks god it is only 15 mins walk away!) as the buses are full as well.

I have something urgent to attend to and didn’t have time for breakfast. Horrible day!

Audio books

Im now listening to the audio books. It is my first.

Frankly speaking I don’t really like audio books much. Okay, maybe because I am using YouTube. So it is kinda hard to pause and re-play.

I misses details very often. E.g. when my mum walk in and start saying something immediately. If it wasn’t for the book (Yes I am listening to Harry Potter of course :D), I would have not understand what I have missed at all. The accent also caused me to miss some words. Over the years, I started to understand accent better but I still sometimes miss things.

But it’s a nice to have it on background while you work around your room – e.g. organising and have a quick nap. I slept 15-20 mins while Hagrid/Harry visit diagon alley.

Anyway I intended to purchase the audio books few months later. But it is so expensive…. Hence, I am using YouTube to get the feel first.

Curb your spending

I had an discussion with a friend last week. She commented that she spend a lot on food every month (To be exact, she claimed that she spend $800!)

So I started digging into her habits and realise this…
1) She don’t eat simple breakfast like breads, cereals etc. Instead she goes for fast food chain. They are nice. But they are also pricey!
2) She eat snack and buy drinks during her lunch.

She claimed that she tends to spend a lot on food as she spend food outside on weekends. But after we (me and another friend) shown her the breakdown she is still not convince.

Irregardless of the expenses you incurred on weekends, the obvious problem is the spendings on weekdays.

1) Keep to simple breakfast. Bring your own is always the best. Buy one loaf of bread and you can last you and your family for 3-4 days. If you are sick of plain ones, get those with multi-grains (Healthy) or chocolate!
2) Do not buy snack o drinks.

If you get hungry in the afternoon, bring your own snack from supermarket like chips and eat a bit each day. Bring your own drinks. Those from the supermarket are more than 50% cheaper than getting drinks. Yes they are tastier. But if you really want to save up, you should cut back on this. I buy drinks occasionally as a treat for myself. Not a everyday drink.

Another obvious problem with this friend is the ability to curb her spending. In order to curb, I always suggest to find out how much and where your spending goes to. So you can try to write down your spending in a small notebook or use your mobile phone. Usually I would exclude food and transport as these are essential things and I don’t spend a lot on them either. Then from there, you can try to track for a month or so. Then you will know where majority of your spending goes to and try to cut down! For e.g. if you buy a lot on clothes. Probably its time to start a ban on buying new clothes. You do not need so much new clothes anyway.

An alternate method which I find useful but a painful to implement is to budget your cash everyday. Every sunday, separate your cash into ziplock pack/pouches for each day of the week. Bring one pack each to work everyday. Then keep your credit card somewhere safe. Then you wouldn’t overspend because you do not have the money to! At the end of the week, if you have extra cash, then you can give yourself a treat or save it for next week. However, this method will only work if you are using actual cash and going a fix place for lunch. I didn’t have much success with this because it was hard for me to separate the cash.