Entries from January 2008 ↓

When you are tagged not once but twice in the same day by two lovely bloggers (Giddy Tigers and Rinnah) you have no choice but to do it or face the … um… consequences

What is your blogging name?
Paris Beaverbanks is my name, being cute and fluffy is my game!! *acts twee*

When did you start blogging, exact date?
What? How to remember… February 2004 on my first ever blogspot blog and on here it would be 12 March 2007.

What was your first title?
Hello Hello! Inane but was appropriate. I’m only using this blog as reference.

Which posting do you feel is the best post so far?
Every single post is a best post in my book and every new post only gets better. But the one the search engines love the most and gets the most Google hits is my write up on the opening of Pavilion Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur. Go figure.

Who promotes/is the source of inspiration for you to blog?
My source of inspiration comes not from a person but is from daily events - what I see, where I go, what happens to me on a personal and non personal note. As readers have noted, not even a car wash can stop the way this fluff filled mind works.

When dya usually post entries?
Whenever I feel like it. I aim for once a day, usually in the morning before the work day begins but it doesn’t always work that way.

Where would you prefer to be when you are blogging?
At a computer of course!

Have you met other bloggers? Who?
Yes - Beetrice (we met to exchange various little gifts) and I’ll be meeting Tine soon (at her wedding! Since she has no idea what I look like… um… do I go up to the blushing bride and say “Hi, I’m Paris”? Thoughts on a comment please )! Um… Pink Elle is counted too right?

How many entries you made in a month?
I try to post every week day but sometimes don’t make the cut so assuming that a month has 4 weeks I’d average 15-16 posts a month.

Would you reveal your face or your family in your blog? Why?
Not my whole face no. I value my privacy. I did reveal that I bear a slight resemblance to Lawrence of Arabia.

Would you promote your friends to blog? Why?
Only if they were already interested. I tried encouraging people to blog and pen their thoughts but if the self interest isn’t there they’ll never get beyond “Hello World!” They never did!

Would you feel restless/guilty conscious/incomplete if you didn’t blog for a month?
Honestly yes, but it depends on what else is happening that month e.g. I’m getting married or I’m on holiday somewhere wifi-less having the time of my life or just doing too much to fit in blogging - unthinkable!

Define blogging.
Thoughts transcending borders

Here’s my Ang Pau for you tagees!

Not even fruits escape the mysticism and significance of the Chinese New Year. Since the Chinese like everything bright, new, clean and prosperous, I now bring you the Chinese New Year Prosperity Fruits!

I knew about the pumpkins, although I’m unclear on the significance. Might it be in the Chinese name? Might it be in the bright orange skin? These pumpkins are small (unlike Halloween pumpkins where larger = better) and bright orange and as far as I know, inedible. They are just put on altars or placed as decorative pieces and dry out after a spell. You have to admit they look really cheery sitting on the table with the kum (mandarin oranges) and a red ribbon tied around its stalk.

Last weekend, I saw these strange looking fruits at the fruit store.

They look to be a type of gourd but gourds that come in very strange shapes. They have irregular angles and protrusions and come in strange yellow, green and orange colours with black tips. Does anyone know what these are when they are at home, and what is their significance for the Chinese New Year?

Anyone?

When you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all….

~ Thumper, Bambi ~

… Pussy Willows make an appearance… and

… Curly Lucky Bamboo get snapped up by the dozens.

This year, I’m not quite sure what possessed me to primp up the house in time for the coming Chinese New Year. I don’t usually go for the oriental look but I decided to make the effort anyway with more kitch to come! And in line with ridding the house of the previous year’s bad chi I’ve been scrubbing and cleaning and clearing for weeks now, and am finally on the home stretch. *whew* I’ve thrown out a lot of rubbish and de-cluttered many parts of the house - true to all feng shui principles.

I got all of the above at my newest hangout/obsession - Ikea! I did a little survey and found that Ikea’s prices of RM16 for a bunch of 12 pussy willow stalks was reasonable. In the city at flower wholesalers, they are going for RM20 for 10 stalks and they did not look any fresher nor prettier. The curly bamboo (which brings to my mind dragons) were RM1.90 a stalk.

And since I was at Ikea, I finally succumbed to what I affectionately refer to as a “dead animal” LOL…

Its a shaggy sheepskin rug for my bedroom, to greet my toesies in the morning when I get out of bed. Ah… bliss… though I don’t think India likes it very much

After my last open letter to Citibank, I did not expect to have to rant away again so soon about Citibank’s appalling service.

I just received a “courtesy call” from a telebanker who tried to get me to sign up for a credit card balance transfer. This basically entails me transferring my card balance from another credit card to my Citibank card at a “lower interest rate” and “small administration charge”. This adds up and I’m not stupid so I said no thank you not at this time.

Then he said “One other thing” (reading from a script?) and asked if I wanted to make use of their auto-billing service where I use my credit card to automatically pay my bills every month. Again, I said no thank you.

And here’s the clincher:

He said “So, how do you pay your bills every month?”

At which point I got really pissed off and I said “I think that is a private matter don’t you think?” I mean, why assume I pay bills at all? Maybe I have a sugar daddy who pays all my bills for me? Or maybe I’m just a traditional soul who traipses off to the post office every month to queue with the masses to pay my bills? Or maybe I just don’t pay my bills at all until I receive the red letter threatening to cut off my electricity, telephone, sewage service…

I mean, I try to be polite to these telebankers because I know they are just doing their job. But hell, Citibank, at least put your staff through some form of training first before unleashing them on the unsuspecting public!! If only they are as diligent in following up on my replacement card as they are in trying to make me sign up for programmes.

*grumble*