I have been a loyal Blogger fan for quite some time now (since 2003) but I would be lying if I said that I haven’t been tempted to get my own Wordpress powered blog (henceforth referred to as WPPB). Don’t get me wrong, Blogger is great but it lacks some of the bells and whistles that Wordpress and others provide.
However, I am too busy/lazy to go ahead. At the same time Blogger just gets better and better. This includes the ability to add adsense links directly into the template through a few clicks.
From time to time I found some great ways to spice up my blog. I think new bloggers might find this useful.
Lets take it from the start. I modified the generic template provided by Blogger. Some of my older friends complained that the previous font size and font colour was hard to read. So I increased the font size. I also increased the overall margin as I felt that too much space was left unused.
I was also really envious of the way that WPPB allows visitors (and the owners) to view the latest comments on their blogs. This problem was solved when I found out two great hacks – one for the Haloscan comments and another for comments on Blogger, which I promptly added to my blog template.
The problem of spam comments has reduced drastically ever since I implemented the word verification system provided by blogger
Adding and deleting links using the Blogger template was such a hassle and sometimes I would delete some links by mistake. This problem was finally solved when I signed up with Blogrolling. Now I can add (or delete) links with just a few clicks.
One particular feature of WPPB, which I really wanted was the ability to group posts into categories. One day I noticed that a blog using the feature provided by del.icio.us. And as they say, "the rest is history".
A blog comes alive with pictures. Looking around, I noticed that there were several sites where I could put up my pictures (for free) and link back from my blog.
I don’t believe in putting all my eggs in one basket. Therefore, I am using, Textamerica, Flickr, as well as Blogger itself. I really like the small Flash panel (on the right side column), which shows my most recent pictures posted up on Textamerica.
If you were a regular visitor to my blog, you would have realized that instead of the boring grey space on top, I now have a banner made up of my Flickr photostream. I noticed that some WPPB used a plugin, which allows them to display a Flickr badge of the latest pictures. I just modified this code and that’s what you see right up there.
Now, my Blog is fully powered up (well almost).
TAGS: Blogger Blogs del.icio.us Flickr Hacks new look textamerica
23 January 2006
17 January 2006
Lifestyle of Online Shoppers
Some people who read my previous post joked (off-line) that I had spent time eating and roaming around Bukit Bintang instead of listening to the presentations at the conference. They are partly right. I try to enjoy myself at every conference I attend.
However, the main reasons I attend conferences are to:
1. Listen to experts on topics of interest;
2. Present papers and get feedback from others; and
3. Network – develop professional relationships.
Two of my papers (jointly written with my wife) were accepted for presentation in the conference. I presented one while she presented another. As you can see, ours is a very symbiotic relationship – mutually beneficial.
My paper presented the findings of a study regarding the Internet oriented lifestyles of those who shop online and those who don’t - online Malaysian shoppers and non-shoppers.
The study was conducted last year and confined to the residents in some areas of Kedah and the Klang Valley (Kuala Lumpur and Selangor) of Malaysia. Respondents were internet users from both gender, aged 18 and above.
The findings were really interesting. Based on the analysis of 311 usuable responses, it was found that most online shoppers are young males who were professionals, managers or had their own businesses. They are less concerned about online security, are competent internet users and shop online because they find it fun, easy and convenient.
The study also revealed some fundamental satisfiers and dis-satisfiers of shopping online. We recommend that E-commerce companies as well as those planning to start e-commerce operations should take into consideration the needs and wants of each consumer group as well as the factors preventing them from involving in buying online.
Those companies should take steps to reduce the fears of the consumers with regards to online shopping. Improving the store reputation and brand image as well as providing specific warranties, would go a long way in improving consumer confidence.
Besides demonstrating that online shopping is convenient, safe, easy and fun, online stores must also offer other incentives and motivations. Thus, besides building consumer confidence, offering more rewarding shopping experience than what is presently available would go a long way in persuading consumers to shop online and to continue doing so in the future.
TAGS: AGBA Conference E-commerce Online Shopping Research
However, the main reasons I attend conferences are to:
1. Listen to experts on topics of interest;
2. Present papers and get feedback from others; and
3. Network – develop professional relationships.
Two of my papers (jointly written with my wife) were accepted for presentation in the conference. I presented one while she presented another. As you can see, ours is a very symbiotic relationship – mutually beneficial.
My paper presented the findings of a study regarding the Internet oriented lifestyles of those who shop online and those who don’t - online Malaysian shoppers and non-shoppers.
The study was conducted last year and confined to the residents in some areas of Kedah and the Klang Valley (Kuala Lumpur and Selangor) of Malaysia. Respondents were internet users from both gender, aged 18 and above.
The findings were really interesting. Based on the analysis of 311 usuable responses, it was found that most online shoppers are young males who were professionals, managers or had their own businesses. They are less concerned about online security, are competent internet users and shop online because they find it fun, easy and convenient.
The study also revealed some fundamental satisfiers and dis-satisfiers of shopping online. We recommend that E-commerce companies as well as those planning to start e-commerce operations should take into consideration the needs and wants of each consumer group as well as the factors preventing them from involving in buying online.
Those companies should take steps to reduce the fears of the consumers with regards to online shopping. Improving the store reputation and brand image as well as providing specific warranties, would go a long way in improving consumer confidence.
Besides demonstrating that online shopping is convenient, safe, easy and fun, online stores must also offer other incentives and motivations. Thus, besides building consumer confidence, offering more rewarding shopping experience than what is presently available would go a long way in persuading consumers to shop online and to continue doing so in the future.
TAGS: AGBA Conference E-commerce Online Shopping Research
16 January 2006
AGBA Conference
Regular visitors to my blog would have realized that I had mentioned about attending some conference in my previous blog post and a few enquired on how it went. I decided to write a long post about it.
It was the 3rd Annual World Congress of the Academy for Global Business Advancement and was held from January 4-6 in Kuala Lumpur. Titled “Business and Entrepreneurship Developement in a Globalized Era", it was jointly organized by AGBA and University College of Technology & Management Malaysia or Kolej Universiti Teknologi & Pengurusan Malaysia (KUTPM).
The KUTPM people did a great job considering that they had to organize everything in such a short notice (I won’t go into the details). Congratulations to everybody involved in organizing the event, especially Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Zainul Fithri. You were a wonderful host.
Besides the quality of papers presented and the number of participants, the venue of the conference plays a big part in deciding its success (or failure). Well, the conference did not fail in any of the above aspects.
The conference was held at the Carlton Convention Centre (FYI, the centre is located on level 1 to 3 of the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur). Most of the participants were staying at the JW Marriot (both hotels are owned by the YTL group) next door.
And of course, I would have to describe the food. We were given free lunch vouchers and were free to eat at any of the 13 restaurants at Starhill Gallery’s Feast Village (on floor LG). Despite the fact that we had limited choice from a set menu (for conference participants), I really enjoyed the food.
On the first day, we ate at Tarbush, which serves Middle Eastern (read Arab) cuisine. Not bad. They were really great to come up with a vegetarian dish for me. Next day, it was Indian food at Vansh (from the Rang Mahal Group in Singapore). Their food was the tastiest and had the most choices. On the 3rd day, my wife was craving for Steak and so we decided on Jake’s Charbroil Steak. I was wondering what I would eat there but surprise; they came up with something vegetarian for me. We also tried out My Thai, which as the name suggest serves Thai food. Was a bit disappointed with the poor service, maybe due to the large number of customers there.
I would have loved to try out the offerings at all the places but unfortunately so little time and only 3 coupons....
Maybe it was the food or the ambiance but I loved the place. Renowned Japanese architect, Yuhkichi Kawai designed the entire place in collaboration with the YTL Design Team. I didn’t take any picture, as I was busy eating. If you go there, CHECK OUT THE TOILETS. They are out of this world.
More about the conference later.
TAGS: AGBA Conference Feast Village Hotels KUTPM YTL
It was the 3rd Annual World Congress of the Academy for Global Business Advancement and was held from January 4-6 in Kuala Lumpur. Titled “Business and Entrepreneurship Developement in a Globalized Era", it was jointly organized by AGBA and University College of Technology & Management Malaysia or Kolej Universiti Teknologi & Pengurusan Malaysia (KUTPM).
The KUTPM people did a great job considering that they had to organize everything in such a short notice (I won’t go into the details). Congratulations to everybody involved in organizing the event, especially Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Zainul Fithri. You were a wonderful host.
Besides the quality of papers presented and the number of participants, the venue of the conference plays a big part in deciding its success (or failure). Well, the conference did not fail in any of the above aspects.
The conference was held at the Carlton Convention Centre (FYI, the centre is located on level 1 to 3 of the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur). Most of the participants were staying at the JW Marriot (both hotels are owned by the YTL group) next door.
And of course, I would have to describe the food. We were given free lunch vouchers and were free to eat at any of the 13 restaurants at Starhill Gallery’s Feast Village (on floor LG). Despite the fact that we had limited choice from a set menu (for conference participants), I really enjoyed the food.
On the first day, we ate at Tarbush, which serves Middle Eastern (read Arab) cuisine. Not bad. They were really great to come up with a vegetarian dish for me. Next day, it was Indian food at Vansh (from the Rang Mahal Group in Singapore). Their food was the tastiest and had the most choices. On the 3rd day, my wife was craving for Steak and so we decided on Jake’s Charbroil Steak. I was wondering what I would eat there but surprise; they came up with something vegetarian for me. We also tried out My Thai, which as the name suggest serves Thai food. Was a bit disappointed with the poor service, maybe due to the large number of customers there.
I would have loved to try out the offerings at all the places but unfortunately so little time and only 3 coupons....
Maybe it was the food or the ambiance but I loved the place. Renowned Japanese architect, Yuhkichi Kawai designed the entire place in collaboration with the YTL Design Team. I didn’t take any picture, as I was busy eating. If you go there, CHECK OUT THE TOILETS. They are out of this world.
More about the conference later.
TAGS: AGBA Conference Feast Village Hotels KUTPM YTL
15 January 2006
09 January 2006
I Flew on the Lat Plane
This is the "Lat plane" and is AirAsia's 17th Boeing 737-300, featuring characters from famous Malaysian cartoonist, Datuk Mohd Nor Khalid's (better known as Lat) work.
"Everyone reads Lat. The Lat characters portray the colourful lives and unique blend of our multi-racial society. We can’t think of anyone who can portray us better than Lat. Everyone reads Lat, everyone can fly on AirAsia."
– Tony Fernandes, Group Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia Sdn Bhd
The flight was right on schedule. I departed from Kepala Batas airport last tuesday 3rd of January at 12:20 pm and reached KLIA at 1:15 pm. Their service is really improving.
Related links: Airasia welcomes 17th Boeing
Tags: air asia boeing cartoon
02 January 2006
Not My Day
There are some days when everything seems to go your way. On the other hand, there are some days where nothing goes right. Today was such a day.
It started well enough. Everything was going on as usual. I had some work at Alor Star and went down to my car.
I noticed something on my car wiper – a ticket for parking illegally. It was the first time I received a ticket even though I have parked at the same spot on several occasions. That was not a good sign and I said my prayers before setting off.
At Alor Star, my luck got worse. I found that the office was closed for lunch. Last month I had gone at the same time and they were still open. A sign of worse things to come?
Spent nearly an hour at the canteen downstairs. Ate a bun and drank orange juice and killed time reading my documents again and again.
Finally went up around 2:00PM. I was shocked to learn that the lady I was supposed to meet was on leave. The guy in her place was very friendly but of no help at all. He led me to a small room and asked me to wait for another officer to attend to me. So I waited. 5 minutes, 10 minutes tick, tock. After waiting for nearly half and hour, I have had enough and went out. The guy apologized profusely and went to look for the guy supposed to deal with me.
The guy came, sat down, took my documents and asked me to call back the lady tomorrow.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
At the car park, the parking attendant was eagerly waiting for me. She was saying something so fast I couldn’t understand. Then it finally sunk in. A lady had reversed her car onto mine. I ran to my car. There was a small dent in the rear and my bumper was in a bad shape. Lady drivers! Fortunately, the lights were undamaged.
I was so angry but my Yoga breathing techniques came in handy and I took long deep breaths. It took quite an effort to control myself from screaming.
After talking with the attendent, I learnt that the lady was in a hurry because her kid had been hospitalized and I cooled a bit after hearing that. She left her name and the place she worked at but no telephone number and left a stupid request – to meet her at the same place tomorrow.
So I directly went to her office, got her office number and left my name card with the officer in charge there and also left a message telling her that I couldn’t keep the date tomorrow because I had to go Kuala Lumpur.
I drove back to my office extra carefully,(well below the speed limit) after that – you never know what might happen next.
Finally reached my office safe and sound. However, if you think that is the end of my series of unfortunate events, then you are wrong.
I am going to present a paper at the 3rd Annual World congress of the Academy for Global Business Advancement (AGBA). The 3 day event with the theme “Business Entrepreneurship Development in a Globalized Era” is going to be held at the JW Marriot Hotel in Bukit Bintang.
The problem was that my application was approved only yesterday and I haven’t received the letter in Black and White till today – something that is going to keep me up all night. The secretary assured me that it would be in my pigeonhole by tomorrow morning. Also learnt that I have to pay the conference fees from my own pocket and claim for it afterwards – another hassle.
Drove to my friendly neighborhood travel agent to book tickets for tomorrow but when I got there, they had closed for the day. I had actually anticipated that.
So went back to my office and booked online on Airasia.com. God bless them.
I am an optimist . “It could have been worse” I told myself.
What a day! What a day!
Tags: personal conference air asia
It started well enough. Everything was going on as usual. I had some work at Alor Star and went down to my car.
I noticed something on my car wiper – a ticket for parking illegally. It was the first time I received a ticket even though I have parked at the same spot on several occasions. That was not a good sign and I said my prayers before setting off.
At Alor Star, my luck got worse. I found that the office was closed for lunch. Last month I had gone at the same time and they were still open. A sign of worse things to come?
Spent nearly an hour at the canteen downstairs. Ate a bun and drank orange juice and killed time reading my documents again and again.
Finally went up around 2:00PM. I was shocked to learn that the lady I was supposed to meet was on leave. The guy in her place was very friendly but of no help at all. He led me to a small room and asked me to wait for another officer to attend to me. So I waited. 5 minutes, 10 minutes tick, tock. After waiting for nearly half and hour, I have had enough and went out. The guy apologized profusely and went to look for the guy supposed to deal with me.
The guy came, sat down, took my documents and asked me to call back the lady tomorrow.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
At the car park, the parking attendant was eagerly waiting for me. She was saying something so fast I couldn’t understand. Then it finally sunk in. A lady had reversed her car onto mine. I ran to my car. There was a small dent in the rear and my bumper was in a bad shape. Lady drivers! Fortunately, the lights were undamaged.
I was so angry but my Yoga breathing techniques came in handy and I took long deep breaths. It took quite an effort to control myself from screaming.
After talking with the attendent, I learnt that the lady was in a hurry because her kid had been hospitalized and I cooled a bit after hearing that. She left her name and the place she worked at but no telephone number and left a stupid request – to meet her at the same place tomorrow.
So I directly went to her office, got her office number and left my name card with the officer in charge there and also left a message telling her that I couldn’t keep the date tomorrow because I had to go Kuala Lumpur.
I drove back to my office extra carefully,(well below the speed limit) after that – you never know what might happen next.
Finally reached my office safe and sound. However, if you think that is the end of my series of unfortunate events, then you are wrong.
I am going to present a paper at the 3rd Annual World congress of the Academy for Global Business Advancement (AGBA). The 3 day event with the theme “Business Entrepreneurship Development in a Globalized Era” is going to be held at the JW Marriot Hotel in Bukit Bintang.
The problem was that my application was approved only yesterday and I haven’t received the letter in Black and White till today – something that is going to keep me up all night. The secretary assured me that it would be in my pigeonhole by tomorrow morning. Also learnt that I have to pay the conference fees from my own pocket and claim for it afterwards – another hassle.
Drove to my friendly neighborhood travel agent to book tickets for tomorrow but when I got there, they had closed for the day. I had actually anticipated that.
So went back to my office and booked online on Airasia.com. God bless them.
I am an optimist . “It could have been worse” I told myself.
What a day! What a day!
Tags: personal conference air asia
01 January 2006
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