On the Internet, Nobody Knows You're a Dog...

Or that you're a 17 year-old, not a 40 year-old doing great things on your website. And making loads of cash.
Of course I'm talking about Ashley Qualls, the teen who transformed her hobby of designing MySpace layouts into a boomingly lucrative online business.
I mean, what did it take her? US$8, to be precise.
Yeah, $8 to buy a dot.com and she is a millionnaire to boot.

You see. These days you don't need to have dreams. When Ashley set up her Whateverlife website, she was not thinking about being rich. Nor did she go out of her way to be a millionnaire.
It just happened.
Her cool, hip and hugely popular website attracted an online marketing guy.
And the rest ---- was, of course, history.

But it helped that Ashley is an Internet professional. Within two years of creating Whateverlife, she dropped out of high school.
She bought a house. And yes, she was the one who helped launch the pop career of British singer Lily Allen to fame and fortune.

Yep, Ashley bears testimony to meritocracy on the Internet where greeenhorns can run money-spinning companies irrespective of funding, location, size, or experience.
And oh, doesn't she remind you that "ingenuity is ageless".

She's recruited her mum to be her manager and a few close friends to work for her after-school hours.

According to an article on Ashley:
"Her MySpace page layouts are available for the bargain price of...nothing. They're free for the taking. Her only significant source of revenue so far is advertising.According to Google Analytics, Whateverlife attracts more than 7 million individuals and 60 million page views a month. That's a larger audience than the circulations of Seventeen, Teen Vogue, and CosmoGirl! magazines combined. Although Web-site rankings vary with the methodology, Quantcast, a popular source among advertisers, ranked Whateverlife.com a staggering No. 349 in mid-July out of more than 20 million sites. Among the sites in its rearview mirror: Britannica.com, AmericanIdol.com, FDA .gov, and CBS.com.

And one more, which Ashley can't quite believe herself: "I'm ahead of Oprah!" (Oprah.com: No. 469.) Sure, Ashley is a long way from having Oprah's clout, but she is establishing a platform of her own. "I have this audience of so many people, I can say anything I want to," she says. "I can say, "Check out this movie or this artist.' It's, like, a rush. I never thought I'd be an influencer."

Well. All I can say is...YOU GO GIRL!

And now... how do I make an online fortune out of my passion for Harleys...

Go Nurin Alert!

I am thoroughly impressed with what a band of bloggers are doing in spearheading Nurin Alert, inspired undoubtedly by AMBER Alert in the United States.
Their move had arisen from the abduction and brutal murder last month of 8 year-old Nurin Jazlin Jazimin.
I am with them.
Eleven years ago, 8 year-old Amber Hagerman was abducted while she was cycling near her grandparents' home in Arlington, Texas.
She was found brutally murdered 4 days later.
AMBER Alert came out of the entire community's anger at what had happened. They pressured the local broadcasting station to help them. They got the police.
They got everyone to help under this plan.
With AMBER Alert, the police, the community, the local broadcasting station and the private sector work hand-in-hand to save a missing child.
Time is crucial so the entire community helps in the search for the child.

Time was what was wasted in Nurin Jazlin's case.
Poor child.
I wept knowing that it was her little lifeless body that was stuffed in the sports bag.

Congratulations to Rocky, Nuraina Samad, Jasni Jalil (Nurin's uncle), Tembam and Nik Farez for wanting to make a difference.

Nurin Alert -- now, this is something nobody should say "no" to.

My Good Ole Malaysian Pals

Had some friends from Malaysia over this past week and I can tell you one thing about Malaysians -- they love talking politics.
Ok. Let me be brutally frank -- they love to gossip about just anyone or anything.
I mean, do they know the Prime Minister, his wife and his SIL?
Yeah, they told me that that is how everyone refers to h i m. I know that. They call h i m SIL as though SIL are the three most obnoxious alphabets.

My pals asked me how come I know so much. And these are my pals, y'hear.

"I read the blogs and on-line news, dumbo!", I snapped.

"Malaysian blogs?", Susie asked me.

"Yeah, you dimwit," I snapped back, again.

What is wrong with these people? Don't they read blogs, I asked.
Of course, they do. But they're Malaysians and they HAVE to read blogs to know what's really going on in the country.

What's wrong with your newspapers, I asked, feigning ignorance.

"Eva, honey, You read the notorious Malaysian blogs and you don't know why we don't read the newspapers?"

They're no fools, my pals.

Back to gossipy Malaysians.
They gave details of the Prime Minister as though they are living under the same roof with the man.

"And did you know that SIL named his newborn after the angel, Gabriel....Jibreil or something, which is the Muslim version?", Sam asked.

"What's wrong with that?" I asked.

"Dunno. Don't seem right. That's what my Muslim friends tell me," she replied.

But, if that's forbidden, wouldn't SIL and wife know that? Hmmmmm.

So, tell me, when's the elections, I asked.

"Whenever the PM's people feel that it's a good time. That means when the people have forgotten what a lousy PM he is," reasoned Susie.

That's a good one. I wonder when that will be.

Told you, Malaysians think they know everyone intimately!

D'Ya Want Me.... and Ma Kids?

Just met Pete, a hunk of a guy who is madly in love with my good friend, Lisa.
He is single, rugged and real cool.
Lisa is single but has a son, Adam.
I like Pete because he has no qualms about getting into a relationship with Lisa.

I wonder how many Malaysian men out there would be okay with this. With having a serious relationship with a single mom.
I asked Bob, a Malaysian, whether he'd fall for his wife, the way he did, if she had a child.
"Nope. No way," he remarked.

Why ever not? We're talking about Bonnie, the love of your life, for God's sake!

"Yeah.... but if she had a kid, no way."

What about just going out with her?

"Maybe..."

What! Go out and sleep with her and that's it?

You mean guys would go out with single mothers, bed them and then ciao, baby?

I asked Pete.

He loves Lisa. With or without a kid or many kids.

"Why are you asking, Eva?"

"Dunno, Pete. Stupid question, ain't it?"

Yeah. Stupid question.

Tagged

I had a good mind to ignore the tag set on me by Ms Nuraina Samad.
Is this tagging a Malaysian blog preoccupation or what? I've seen it in predominantly Malaysian blogs.
And it sure seems like a chain letter. Ooh. I hate chain letters. Always curse the person who sends me one.
I know I can throw it away. But what if.....??

But I reckon Ms NS must like me for tagging me!

I'm supposed to tell you what I keep in my handbag, purse and favourite room and what I'd like to do most and what I am currently doing.
Really! Why does anyone want to know? I thought it's something a cranky shrink wants to know just to find out what kind of weird person you are.


5 things in my handbag/bag :

my purse
my cellphone
my lipstick
car and apartment keys
condoms

5 things in my purse :

cash
driver's licence
bank ATM/supermarket/credit cards
photos
a piece of paper listing important numbers (just in case)

5 favourite things in my favourite room (my bedroom):

my gorgeous big bed
books
dressing table
study table
PC
old/ancient persian rug

5 things I would like/love to do :

learn dress-making/tailoring
design clothes
drive a Formula One
ride a Harley across America
get that perfect man

5 things I'm currently doing :

re-reading Hemingway
learning to cook
planning to re-arrange furniture in my living room
planning to watch a good movie
planning to go fishing

That's it?
Yeah.....

What Price Red Hot Passion

I thought the South Americans were more understanding of lust and passion, even among married people. Adulterers.
Of course, they are also understanding of the equally passsionate revenge exacted by the bruised party on his or her philandering spouse.
But that's very Latin.

Times they are a-changing. Adulterers' days are numbered. Hahaha, My blog-sister, the Witch, loves this kind of stories, I am sure.
Sorry, Witch, but your Antonio is one philandering lover. You just can't see it. Sorry, I am digressing here.

According to Reuters, in Bogota, married Colombians who are screwing around will be punished.
They will either be fined or be made to do community work. Woohoo!!

But moi? I think they ought to be whipped!
I am all for lurrve and passion and great sex. If you happen to be married, well, I aint gonna lay the moral line on ya.
You know what you're doing. It is wrong but it's your life.

As a matter of principle (heck I do have one, eh?) I don't do married men. Just don't. But I won't judge you if you are an adulterer and happen to be my friend.

Just that if you get caught, you oughta be whipped!
That will teach you for shagging someone's spouse! And for getting caught!

The good Colombian senator Edgar Espindola said he made the proposal "in an effort to protect family values and shield children from broken homes".

"I believe a lot of my companions are going to support this initiative," Espindola said on Tuesday. "This project should motivate Colombians to reflect on the importance of
of the marriage, the home and the importance of family."

Well, I'll drink to that!
Such noble intentions. Such a noble effort.

Now, if I were a local authority in Colombia, I'd start listing the work needed to be done. I bet there'd be more than enough convicted adulterers to do the job.

Read here for the story.