Monthly Archives: December 2010

A lesson in age from heavy hauling

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When people say that growing old is all in the mind, they’re lying. On the contrary, it is the mind that finds it difficult to accept the concept of aging. I unfortunately learned that particular lesson the hard way.

You see, the other day, I was doing some heavy hauling at home. Because my husband was out on a meeting, I didn’t have anyone to help me move things in the house. When I decided to clean the space behind the cabinets, I tried to push the whole cabinet to the side using my whole weight. Unfortunately when it finally budged, it tipped over and fell, breaking a vase and a few other things. Amazingly though, the whole thing was still intact. The hinges and the doors were fine.

I tried to clean everything up – shards, and all. When I finished, I was left with the problem of how to put the cabinet right side up again. Unfortunately, I didn’t want to take out everything inside because that would mean a whole lot of additional work, so I tried to lift the whole thing. I wish I hadn’t though, but I did. However, since we weren’t exactly residing close to any freight forwarder or freight companies (not that I would muster the courage to explain what happened), I felt like I had no choice but to redeem myself and put everything back in order.

Unfortunately, my body wasn’t as young as I thought it was. I strained some back muscles doing the lifting, but I did put the cabinet back. The worst part was explaining what happened to my husband.

Food Photos

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Friends have been asking what camera I use because they like the pictures of the food I post here in my blog. After reading several digital camera reviews and upon the recommendation of my photo enthusiast friends, I decided to get a Panasonic Lumix LX3. I am very happy with it, and I still have to learn my way around it. I know it will be better if I learn how to control its settings better!

Gourmet Shoes

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Lest you think that Gourmet shoes are a pair of edible shoes, you are mistaken. Gourmet Footwear is a footwear and apparel brand that blends Italian and American culture. These veterans in the footwear industry have fused together the sophistication of Italian style with the ruggedness of American style to create sneakers that are stunning, understated, and original. My son actually is asking for new shoes so I think I am getting him a pair of these sneakers.

PCI compliance: Is it necessary?

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In response to the controversy about PCI compliance being a law, I can’t help but give my own view about the whole matter.

First, as a consumer and a loyal cardholder, I rely on credit cards for my regular transactions – groceries, bills, and other stuff. These cards are my constant wallet companions. And because I use them on a regular basis, I am also obliged to pay for them. No matter how difficult it seems sometimes, I always make the deadline. So on behalf of all the other loyal cardholders out there who keep their obligations, don’t we deserve the same effort from these credit card companies when it comes to securing our usages free and safe from criminal activities? We use the card so don’t we at least have the right to be protected?

Second, penetration testing, network security assessment, and all the other procedures required by PCI compliance are meant not only to protect credit information of consumers and cardholders, but they’re also meant to secure card transactions and the rights of both the merchants and the credit card companies too. So why should it be refused? In the end, even if will entail a great cost and some huge changes, it will ultimately benefit all of us, right? So why do we hesitate?

I say, if you don’t like the changes, don’t use the cards. It’s that simple.

Birthday Party Decorations for Adults

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Now that Christmas is just a few days away, the Christmas party season is in full swing. There are numerous Christmas parties happening left and right; it is not surprising that party decorations and supplies are in high demand.
A friend will be celebrating her birthday in a few days and every year, she would often find herself competing with other Christmas parties. Thus, it has been her habit to make her birthday parties unique and different. She is asking for my help this year and unfortunately, we have not decided on any particular theme. We hope to buy party stuff like birthday party decorations this weekend so we have been researching for ideas for decorations that will be appropriate for adults. Below are just some of the things we have researched.

• Candles and lights. One option we are considering is having the party devoid of all decorations except for lots of candles and mood lights.

• Chocolates. Since my friend loves chocolates, she also suggested a chocolate party where everything will have chocolates in them, including the decorations.

• Winter. Since we do not have winter here, it is a great opportunity for everyone to experience this season by having a winter-themed party. We are going gaga just thinking about decorating the venue.

The Importance of Employee Drug Testing

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Employers regard pre-employment drug screening as a critical safety issue in the workplace with most of the Fortune 500 companies doing it. The use of drugs is pervasive in some cultures and extends on to the workplace. This robs companies of millions of hours of productive work and disrupts employee morale. Companies have a right to expect and obligation to promote a healthy, productive and a safe workplace. The use of drugs and alcohol can adversely affect these interests.

Some of the reasons employers require pre-employment drug testing are:

• Customer or contract requirement compliance

• Federal regulations compliance (e.g., Department of Defense, Department of Energy, etc.)

• Federal and state regulations

Usually, the drug testing kits used in screening is the urine test kit which uses the 5 panel diagnostic tool. This already tests for the five commonly abused drugs – cocaine, marijuana, opiates, PCP, heroin.

However, there are more reason why a private company for example would require one:
1. For the safety of the company and its employees.
2. Helps In Effective Hiring Decision Making
3. To Reduce Absenteeism and Promote Productivity in the Workplace
4. Reduces Disciplinary Actions
5. Prevents Losses Due To Absenteeism, Theft, and Fraud

Pre employment drug screening is absolutely essential. An employee’s background check is always considered as the first line of assurance in the hiring process.

Traits that Come with Security Guard Jobs

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Security guard jobs are some of the hardest jobs to keep. Not only do guards need to be properly trained and certified, but they also have to have certain traits that would enable them to perform the strict duties that come with being one.

Adaptable
I remember a friend of mine once told me that he’d be lucky to stay in one place for more than year as a security guard. He said most companies follow a certain policy that allows them to keep security teams for only a certain period of time. This policy works to protect investments by eliminating familiarity between employees and with the facilities. This means security guards have to able to adapt quickly to changes in shifts and locations.

Patient
Compared to sales assistant jobs, there’s not much work involved with being a guard. However, this is a double edged sword, because not having a hectic routine means a lot of waiting time. According to my friend, it takes incredible patience to stay focused on your job for hours especially if nothing exciting happens.

Quick and alert
Despite not having much to do, security guards have to be alert all the time. Just as it is the manager job to run the company, it is the security personnel’s duty to keep the place safe. He said exciting things may not happen frequently, but when they do happen, a lot of people’s lives usually depend on how fast the security guard acts.
He says it may not be the most lucrative work out there, but somebody has to do it. I’m just glad it isn’t me.

Yummy Homemade Food

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We had a mini-family reunion with my mom’s side of the family. Her brother was home for a week on a business trip and my grandmothers hosted a simple get-together in their ancestral home. I had fun catching up with my cousin’s wedding plans, my aunt’s growing hobby of making jewelry that she bought jewelry making tools already and my uncle’s insurance company.