Blog Sidebar at Bottom

30 September 2009

Blog's sidebar appears to be pushed to the bottom sometimes.


This seems to be the problem with my blog where the sidebar is pushed to the bottom. This only happens to different users however, as I used Firefox and viewed it myself and nothing's wrong. When I went to Carmen's site, it appears to be normal! It also happens when you use different internet browsers. So I've been trying to overcome this little layout problem. It seems that there are 3 common causes of this problem.


- Correcting the width of the sidebar.
- Reducing links / pictures.
- Repairing broken codes.


The first problem seems to be out because the width is 274, my Cbox is only 200. However, to be safe, I changed the width of the Cbox to 180. Second might the problem, as sometimes pictures exceed the width, commonly when I link images through Photobucket instead of uploading to Blogger. Broken codes is plausible, but for now I don't see anything. Some say it's because of a comment code which is not closed or opened. I checked my template, but I already knew because this template doesn't support comments! So that's not the case too.


Please report to me or screenshot if you can when you face the problem where the sidebar in my blog appears at the bottom. I will try to fix it.

[Notice] - Blog's Layout

29 September 2009

There seems to be a problem with my blog's layout.

Deric messaged me and told me that my layout has a problem. The sidebar appears to be right at the bottom of all the blog posts, which is extremely ugly. This is a problem faced by Evo as well, and he managed to get it back to normal by using Internet Explorer. It seems that the blog's layout is not compatible with Mozilla Firefox, Safari and possibly other internet browsers.

Due to how this world is full of Firefox users, the blog's layout will be changed sooner or later for readability. Here's what Deric said about the one who created the template! =P


Deric: your layout is an IE fanboy, not compatible with firefox or safari also


Indeed. So for all other blogs, make sure your template is compatible with all internet browsers for good readability. Bad layouts are always an eye sore. I will update the layout once I found a suitable one. Carmen Leong, if you're reading this, your blog's template seems to have the same problem when I was viewing it, probably not compatible with Internet Explorer?

How To Reduce Pimples

28 September 2009

Wash, wash, wash! It ain't going away!

Some of us, including myself are having a hard time trying to reduce our pimples on our faces to look good and confident! So here are a few little tips you can take. Take note that some of the tips here may not work for certain individuals, so try and see what's best for you.


Cleansers
These are the good stuff that cleanses your skin to reduce blemishes and stuff. Mainly, cleansers come together as toners and moisturizers as well. The most effective medication against pimples are benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. You do not have to wash your face with cleansers for 5 times a day. Once or twice a day would suffice. Keep in mind that the oil on your face (sebum) is the cause of the pore blockage, but it also plays an important role in protecting your skin. The more you get rid of it, the more sebum is produced, not good.


Here is a little example of a product from The Body Shop which is nice.


Tea Tree Foaming Cleanser


A decent product which does the job for you. Just squirt out some foam and apply it onto your face. Contains salicylic acid and tea tree oil. You can probably buy it in Malaysia for around RM40.



Acne Balm / Cream
A very well known product for pimples is Oxy and it is widely used because of its strength. I must advice that Oxy is very strong and not everyone could be used to its product. It's main ingredient is benzoyl peroxide and aids pretty well with clearing up your pimples. I recommend Oxy 5 Regular Strength, but use according to your own tolerance. Do not try to apply to much of this as it will really make your skin dry out and sometimes sore.



Oxy 5 Regular Strength


Besides that, you can also try Hazeline Snow, which is a moisturizing cream. It is used more for dry skin and can be used on acne scars. It makes a nice skin care product too. And yes, it is old school, but it's good.


Hazeline Snow Moisturizing Cream



Knowing Food Intolerance / Healthy Lifestyle
Certain people have a kind of food intolerance that causes acne breakout. If you know that certain food causes increased acne breakouts, then try not to consume it too much. Lastly, live a healthy lifestyle by taking your vegetables, exercise and get enough sleep to be able to fight those bacteria badguys!



Go for Skin Care Treatment
Going to these places lets you know the type of your skin and the best ways to overcome your acne problems quickly. It might be costly, but this seems to be one of the quickest and more effective ways of treating acne. They have all the equipment and the right skin care products that work really well. They will teach you how to take good care of your skin.

Darkness and Light Update

27 September 2009

The latest version of Darkness and Light for Warcraft III is out!



New version of Darkness And Light is out!
From the creators, NuevoEvo and RailKill

Long waited Darkness And Light is here, this map is now updated with lot of new features, items and bug fixes. Download is now available!


Main changes
- Added 2 new heroes, Arina and Ireine
- Anti magic system, which allow player to cast anti magic instantly. (This system might remove due to delay when casting)
- Fixed most of the bugs.
- Most of the items are now added, including CRA items.
- New custom hero voice.
- Added Durahan (Creep)
- Balanced hero attack damage and armor.


Download Link

Note: You must have Warcraft III: Frozen Throne installed and patched with at least version 1.24b, else the map will not load. You can get the latest version of patch here.

How to popularize a blog?

23 September 2009

Blogging! We blog because we want to write what we want, and let others see!

Yes, we write whatever we want, but how do we attract more people or traffic to our blog? Here are a few simple steps for your blog to be a tad more popular.


How to Increase Traffic
1. Have a good blog title and post title.
A good blog title can consist of the following:
- Easy to remember.
- Relevant to the topic you're going to write.
- A theme or category for the whole blog including the posts and layout.

Post titles should consist of the following:
- Start most titles with How to... or Why... if it's an instruction or a snippet to help others.


2. Write compelling content.
Do not create a totally personal blog or it will not attract any traffic at all as many people in the net have no interest in viewing your personal life except your friends and family.

Write something that has benefits to other readers, when they search for ways to overcome their problems, your posts might be indexed in the search. Write something good, something original and make sure you have correct grammar and spelling for better viewing. Usage of bombastic/rhetoric words can be a way of attracting the reader's attention, while usage of casual words can be more easily comprehended by most readers. Your choice.


3. Submit sites to search engines.
By default, Blogger automatically submits your site to Google if you allow it to. You can go to Yahoo! or Ask.com as well as many other popular sites with search engines to submit your website. Your site will be indexed in a few days, weeks or maybe months. Websites such as Google or Yahoo! will prompt you to add their Crawler codes in your HTML coding. Crawlers are little robots which access and collect information from your site to be indexed. You could do this by selecting the META Verification method when it asks you, and just copy and paste the code into the HTML field.


4. Backlinking.
You could ask your friends to link you in their blogs. This increases your blog/page rank and is more likely to be indexed when searched in most search engines. The more backlinks you have to your blog, the better. Speaking about that, I have not linked my friends because I haven't decided what other widgets to add. I'll add up the links soon.


5. Swapping your blog titles with post titles.
By default, the titles of your post pages in your blog appears to be like this.

YourBlogName: PostTitle

This is not as good because the main article's title is at the back, which is not likely to be indexed easily when lined up with other sites which have the keywords in the title right away. Look at the titles in my blog, they're swapped. To do so, just edit your HTML coding.

Find the title code and replace it with the following code.





Publish your blog and the changes have been made!


6. Do not include too many advertisements in blog.
Avoid including pop-up advertisements or those that block part of your screen unless you click Close. Many users do not like those type of advertisements and it is best that you put the advertisement to one side in your blog rather than all over the place. A neat layout with proper sections for advertisements will increase readability and makes your blog look better.

Note: Having advertisements or not does not influence most of the traffic in your blog, but just be sure not to over-do it.


7. Answer questions with your blog link.
Many question sites such as Yahoo! Answers have people asking around for help. If your blog has a related content, answer the question with your blog link in it. This will allow the asker to visit your blog for clearer information as well as other users who would like to know when they read the question in that site. This also helps in the indexing as some of the questions are found in the Yahoo! Answers directory.


8. Ping your blog to build ranking.
A blog ping is just a small code being sent to a server with your blog name and URL in it. The more you have, the better your blog ranking would be. Add ping to sites such as Technorati, Google Blogsearch, Blogstreet and so on. It is simple and direct, and will only take minutes.


9. Updates and notices.
Be sure to update your blog frequently, at least once a week. Readers tend to go to other sites when they're too tired to await updates from your blog. Frequent updates will keep readers coming back for more information they would like to discover.


10. RSS Feeds
RSS or Atom does help. Encourage readers to subscribe to your feed. Feeds allow readers to receive immediate updates from your blog and they could view it easily anytime! Put the RSS icon in a more obvious place so readers could click with ease. Feeds are good because they work with mobile phones/PDAs too.



Closure
Sitting alone doing nothing will not get your blog to be popular! In the current world, building traffic and higher ranking for your blog is difficult and requires a lot of work. Be sure to search more about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques.

B-boy Spirit

19 September 2009

B-boying, my dance, my passion.


Notorious IBE 2008: B-boy Event


Two days ago, there was a b-boy jamming session in D'artiz Studio somewhere in town. Due to how I was sitting for my examinations, I couldn't dance. I thought if I couldn't attend this session, I wouldn't have dance for another 2 weeks! So on that day itself, I was in KL, rushed back home and went to the studio, despite I was an hour late.


How I Started
I remember how I started b-boying. It was the influence from a classmate 2 years ago, Timothy, which brought me into this dance. Before I started, I thought dance was just an activity as a substitute for exercise or as an eye candy to entertain almost anyone. But b-boying is all about expression and passion, is about what you want to do and how you want to do it. Every dance set is different and it is the way how b-boys portray their own way of dancing. B-boys dance almost anywhere, not because they want to attract attention or entertain others. It is because they want to dance and it is their passion.

Powermover
When I started, I was going directly into this. Powermoves, which are moves that use momentum and mostly upper body strength. Being able to variate powermoves and link them into other powermoves is actually very difficult. I was focusing on these purely when I started, without realizing that this is a DANCE, not some ACROBATIC SHOWOFF or GYMANSTICS.

Style
After nearly a year dancing, I then realised that power does not beat style. This dance is all about how you express and how you KILL the beats with your very own style. There's no point in linking a million powermoves, but they are all off beat. It defeats the purpose of a dance. It sure impresses the audiences, but it's just a display of skill, not dancing. I went more into style, and I knew if I want to hit the beats, I need to know the music. I searched high and low for all common breakbeats to know the music. However, due to my powermoves, my body is more stiff. When doing powermoves, your body must be stiff and locked, so you will not lose the momentum as well as balance.


The Jamming Session
I reached the studio at around 8.00pm and I saw my friends, Bboy C2, Max, and Soul Crew. I also saw the D'artiz members whom I battled and met last time, which brings memories. It started off with a cypher. Now what is a cypher? Cypher is a circle where any b-boy can come in one at a time to show off their own moves and jam together. Then there was 1-on-1 battles. In the end, there was a team/crew battle. Soul Crew were one team, and the rest of us were in the other. So here's the line up anyway.

Soul Crew + 1
Bboy Soulless
Bboy SoulEnd
Bboy Jien
Bboy Wind
Bboy Flying Star
Bboy Soft (From D'artiz, traitor!)

D'artiz + Crewless
Bboy Error
Bboy MAX 1
Bboy Move
Bboy C2
Max
Bboy Lemoney

We had lots of fun, especially when you get praised for doing a dope set, and get cheered when you do your thing! Battles are always the bomb, which gives all the hype and style because in a battle, most of it is freestyle. There is no way you can possibly follow a previously choreographed set so exact because you actually need to listen to the music and follow it and the timing is crucial. The cheering and how others point out your mistakes just makes you want to improve and dance to your best. Good luck b-boys and b-girls! Hope you all carry out your own style and flavour, present it to everyone and express your feelings! Don't stop dancing!


How Do I Learn?
If you have interests in these street dance genre, or in b-boying, you could always register for a class at any studio such as D1 Productions or D'artiz. Or you could learn like me, through Internet. Youtube has lots of tutorials. Search for Toprock and so on. Learn more about b-boying through the various sources in the Internet or even Wikipedia. Go to Bboy.org! Even Nico learned it before, so you could too.




Love,
Nicholas.

SPM Trials 2009 Physics Tips

13 September 2009

Tips for SPM Trials 2009, Physics.

The following are the tips for the SPM trials of 2009. Take note that this is just a forecast and spotting questions may not lead you to success!

Paper 2
Sound Waves
Half Life
Light (Lens)
Heat (Evaporation)
Electric (Circuits)
Archimedes' Principle
Bernoulli's Principle (Aerofoil)
Elevator (Acceleration and Weight)


Paper 3
Voltmeter
Acceleration (F = ma, based on trolleys/toy cars)
Light - Graph of UV against U + V



Love,
Nicholas.

Benefits of Jigsaw Puzzles

12 September 2009

A game of Jigsaw Puzzle - one of our common hobbies.

Nico and I used to play lots of jigsaw puzzles together through the Internet. Even now, we still have this common favourite of doing jigsaw puzzles together.



Solving puzzles of each other could be much of an amusement for us.



Benefits
1. Encourages socializing, co-operation and teamwork.
Doing puzzles together are a good way of communicating with each other on ways solely to solve the puzzle. Eventually you will talk to one another about the puzzle, and the strategy to completing it. Teamwork applies as each of you will do the puzzle separately and join it all together in the end to be quicker.

2. Encourages concentration and patience.
Solving jigsaw puzzles that are really challenging especially when all the colours seem alike would be extremely difficult and frustrating for the impatient. These tough puzzles encourage you to look precisely at the pattern and texture of each jigsaw piece to match with another.

3. Source of entertainment and quality time.
The interest in games such as jigsaw puzzles which are suitable for all ages make a very appropriate activity for the family as well as anyone. Spending quality time with family and friends will enlighten anyone and create a blissful mindset among themselves.


Somehow, Nico always solves puzzles quicker than me.



Overview
The qualities that puzzles can inculcate in you gives you a rough guide on how to handle your challenges and mindset in your life. It shows us how to gather our concentration and focus in viewing a certain challenge, spotting and putting the pieces together through meticulous observation in our life. Our mind is like a puzzle, and we need to put the pieces together in the right place, to face the right thing and not ranting over useless matters where you think you could not overcome. Our life is like a series of games and puzzles. Solve. Overcome. Get over it. Enjoy.

Patience makes everything clearer for anyone. Those who do not practice patience are fools.





Love,
Nicholas.

Free Calls in Malaysia

08 September 2009

This is not a hack, this is VOIP!


Recently, Nico had used a whole lot of her savings just to phone me. When I heard the amount of money she used, I was simply flabbergasted. I immediately started to look for ways to overcome our problem, and here it is!





Flekx is a VOIP Provider which is offering totally free calls to Malaysia!



How To Get Started
1.
Go to Flekx and register by clicking on Create A New Account at the left side of the website.

2. Type in your full phone number (e.g. 60165105664) as your username.

3. Fill in the rest of your personal details.

4. An e-mail will be sent to you for further instructions. Follow it closely.

5. Download the Pangolin software, which the link is provided in the e-mail.

6. Configure the Pangolin software with the details in your e-mail.

7. Start making calls to Malaysia!



Dial Plan
These details are taken from Flekx website itself.


For Klang Valley Numbers(Numbers starting with 03):
Omit the 03, dial the
number directly, eg. for 03-78808808, dial just 78808808.

For other
Malaysian Numbers(Numbers starting with 04,05,06,07,08,09):
Include the area
prefix, dial the number directly, eg. for 04-6888808, dial 047688808.

For
mobile numbers (numbers starting with 01):
Dial the number directly, eg. for
012-7689090, dial 0127869090.


Summary
Flekx provides free calls from your computer to computer or to any phone available in Malaysia!
Flekx does not support 010 Digi Numbers for now, they will update their services soon.

Start now by visiting http://flekx.com!


Love,
Nicholas.

SPM Trials 2009 Biology Tips

07 September 2009

The following are the tips for Biology in SPM Trials 2009.

Take note that this is all just a forecast and it may not be exact! Spotting questions will not always bring you to success! You could use this as an extra boost.

Paper 2
Section A
Cell Structure - Organelles
Homeostasis
Growth
Blood Circulatory System

Section B
Digestive System
Dynamic Ecosystem

Section C
Reproduction
Inheritance

Paper 3
Anaerobic Respiration - Yeast
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (Experiment)


Thanks to Xuan Xu for the tips.


Love,
Nicholas.

Long Distance Relationship

06 September 2009

Tips for keeping a long distance relationship going.

Long distance relationships can be very painful and harsh to go on with your partner. Here are a few simple tips though.


Short and Simple Tips
1. Always trust your partner.
You cannot see your partner, and you might not know what your partner does, but just trust your partner. There's no point doubting your partner for cheating on you while you don't know anything. Just believe your partner and hold strong to your relationship as promised.


2. Always keep in touch.
Always keep in touch to make the distance seem shorter. Tell your partner about the little things that you did everyday, it means a lot and it keeps your partner happy. There are many means of communication such as e-mails, phone and so on. If your partner is living somewhere far away with a different time zone, you could pick a time where both of you are free or just send e-mails.


3. Build a strong relationship.
You might have been always missing your partner and have been waiting for years just to meet your partner, so you need to have a very strong plinth in your relationship, which you can continue to build. Let your imagination run wild! Send gifts, e-mails, letters, cards, drawings, play online games together, anything that you can think of to be romantic. Record your stupidity while expressing your love in public, or create an abstract/poster about how your love started and how the story goes up until now. Remember, every single thing you do, your partner will like it that's for sure. Go crazy over each other and stay away from other attractions.


4. Sacrifice and commitment.
Don't be a coward and start sacrificing some time or take risks to contact your partner, or at least send a mail. Love is all about commitment and sacrifice, and you're bound to do it. No matter how busy you are, a simple call would suffice, even if it is for a few minutes. It's always better to call and chat about everything you do, crack some lame jokes and make yourself comfortable. Understand your partner, and always give some time for each other. Do things to attract your partner. (Girls always love to be chased)

5. Understanding.
Understand each other, and solve all problems in your relationship. Do not argue about the same thing over and over. If you see a problem, say it, and work it out together. Couples are a team, and both of you are at the same level. A team must always work together.




Love,
Nicholas.

Chocolate Muffin Recipe

04 September 2009

~Chocolate Chip Muffin~

Ingredients
  • Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix (500g)
  • 3 Eggs (160g)
  • Water (120g)
  • Corn Oil / Butter (196g)

Method

1. Leave the oven on at 190°C before baking. (Preheat)

2. Add 500g of chocolate chip muffin mix, 3 eggs and 120g of water.

3. Beat the mixture for 5 to 10 mins.

4. Pour the butter into the mixture and fold it till the mixture is smooth.

5. Then let the mixture rise for 10 to 20 mins.

6. Fill the mixture into muffin cups.

7. Use a toothpick and cut a cross in the middle of each muffin.


8. Lastly, lower temperature to 175°c for baking. (15-20mins)

Fresh chocolate chip muffins baked to perfection!