Are you trying to find that perfect gift for grandma or grandpa? Giving the gift of a prepaid call card Christmas is a sure way to bring a smile to the face of just about anyone including grandma. Whether you’re here or abroad, there’s no better way to get in touch with loved ones and friends than using prepaid calling cards.

Why Use Prepaid Calling Cards? Several reasons:

1) You no longer need to rummage for quarters or tokens (and find out you don’t have any!)

2) You can say goodbye to operator-assisted collect calls and hassling your friends with your call fees.

3) You don’t have to deal with hotel surcharges for the calls you make while travelling abroad anymore.

4) Per-call or per-minute rates are actually a lot cheaper.

5) You can manage your call times better and make sure that you don’t get too carried away with your international conversations.

Prepaid cards are self-explanatory. They are call cards previously loaded with a particular monetary value — $5, $10, $20, $100, etc. — which you can consume to phone anybody at any place. A $20 card, for instance, often affords you 100 minutes of talk time, depending on the prepaid card producer. Some other prepaid calling cards can also do more than just give you ample talk times, like a limited connection to the Internet.

Prepaid calling cards may either be operated via a dialing code or via a swipe system. You can purchase such cards as they are, or charge them to your credit card (for reloadable types).

What Prepaid Calling Cards Are the Best?

With the multitude of prepaid calling cards that are available in the market today, it’s easy to fall prey to the frauding types. To make sure that you’re getting good value for your money, buy only from reputable brands like Kasamore. To determine which is the best, you can read reviews about them on the Internet; just don’t make the mistake of getting such reviews from the prepaid calling card companies respective websites, because, well, no smart company would post ill reviews about itself on its own home.

Ask around for referrals. If you notice that a certain card seems to be more disseminated than the others, ask the seller about it and its sell ability. If the card is his or her most sellable brand, then it’s likely that many people are satisfied with its service.

Ultimately, the only way you can fully find out about a certain prepaid calling card brand is to try it out for yourself. Prepaid calling cards offer a lot of advantages than disadvantages, but if you don’t get the right one, then it would be a waste of your money. Read up first before buying

Give the gift of communication this holiday season to your grandparents. Kasamore prepaid calling card can be a real lifesaver in an emergency situation. You may even want to consider picking up a new one for yourself when you go to purchase one for your grandparents. After all, with the tough economy beating you down this year you deserve to treat yourself to a new prepaid calling card

…in ya life!  Thank me later…mmmmm

We forget almost 80% of what we learn each day.

Santa House – Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through December 20th

From Explore Chicago:

“Jolly Old St. Nick will again grace the plaza with his holiday cheer in his Midwest satellite workshop on Daley Plaza! Visits with Santa Claus start on Wednesday, November 25 at 6 pm until 8 pm.

Visit Santa on Daley Plaza for Free! Take your own photo or have your photo taken compliments of Underwriters Laboratory and download it at www.safetyathome.com/photos”

Hours are from 11 am – 8 pm, and Santa takes a break each day between 3 pm and 4 pm, presumably to call Mrs. Claus. In case you don’t see him in time, there is also a truncated Christmas Eve appearance by Santa from 11 am – 4 pm.

1555 Wabash is located in Chicago’s South Loop, just minutes from Daley Plaza and everything else the city has to offer. There has never been a better time to buy than right now, so click here for more information or to schedule an appointment to view a beautiful 1555 Wabash condominium!

Image courtesy of Flickr user @tofsrud

SE POATE INTIMPLA ORICUI
Anonimus

Sotia lui Berlusconi a cerut ieri o pensie de intretinere de 3,5 mil. de euro/luna! Pe luna, n-am gresit! Aflu ca, de fapt, ei erau despartiti,  de 7 ani si ca, ea avea pe altcineva.

Acum imi explic eu de ce Berlusconi a putut aduce acasa “escort”, adica prostituate de lux. Afland ca de fapt, fiecare se descurca cum putea, nici nu mi se mai pare asa de mare crima lui Berlusconi!

El, un condensat de Patriciu, Vantu si Voiculescu, a varsat in contul casei familiale, 30 mil. de euro si a replicat ca mai mult de 200-300 mii de euro pe luna nu-i va da.

Sunt stupefiata. Aflu ca sotia lui isi facea manichiura la Paris pt.ca la Roma nu gasise manichiuriste la inaltimea pretentiilor ei.

Pai, cine suntem noi ca sa-i putem judeca? Dar mai ales, intelege?

Va reamintesc ca a mai izbucnit un scandal politic acum o luna, cand guvernatorul provinciei Lazio a fost filmat acasa la un transexual cu cocaina pregatita pt. prizat, etc.

Ei bine, intre timp, un alt trans a murit in conditii suspecte. Computerul care, in urma incendiului fusese udat, a fost recuperat si ieri ziarele scriau ca politia a gasit cca. 60000(!!!) de “file” cu filme compromitatoare la adresa altor oameni politici. Sa inteleg ca e la moda sa te duci la trans. Si cum este scump, numai oamenii politici isi pot permite!

Astazi, in timp ce curatam un mar, la auzul ultimei noutati, mi-a scapat cutitul din mana. Cica, politia ar fi in posesia unui filmulet, din alta sursa, facut tot in vederea santajului… Personajul principal, de data aceasta este senatoarea Mussolini, filmata in timp ce se gasea intr-o situatie nepermisa cu un alt om politic si care, evident, nu era sotul ei!

Deci amorul este esenta miscarii…si nu petrolul asa cum stiam noi…

Tot astazi, un ziarist comenta, depasit de multimea evenimentelor ca, pana la Craciun, ne vom distra copios si astfel vom uita de prea anemica putere din portofele.

Am scris, toate astea, gandindu-ma cu frica ca, poate, si ai nostri, aspiranti damboviteni la noutatile occidentale, vor tenta, daca n-au si facut-o deja, la aceleasi aberante relatii interumane date de prea multa imbuibare si lipsa de orizont. Si de instructie, si de bun simt, si de multe alte lucruri elementare…

Nu pot insa sa nu constat ca numai saracii ii critica pe bogati si, niciodata invers.

Oare de ce?

Okay, so you want to read, but, let’s say you don’t want to fork out the dough for a book you may not like, or finish. So what do you do?

I’ve found three sites (I know there are more, but these are my favorites) that can get you books for free. That’s right, bucko. Free. (Please don’t talk to me about electronic readers, they’re just another gadget to spend your money on. I know if I buy one it will end up sitting along side my Palm Pilot. Another great invention without much staying power. Hey, you’ve already got your computer, laptop, whatever, why not just use it?)

Okay, first site is Project Gutenberg. It has hundreds of books you can download for free. Always wanted to read A Christmas Carol? Yeah, it’s there. And so are 30,000 other free titles. And you can download in a variety of formats.

Next up is Google Books. (What can’t Google do? That’s a whole other topic. Books, calendar, conversions, translations, etc., etc. Google is freakin’ amazing.) You’ll find all kinds of books, and magazines too(okay, old magazines from your doctor’s office, but still), all scanned and ready to read. A bit more diverse in selection than Project Gutenberg, and a little different feel because these are the scanned pages of books, not just reprinted text pages. Very cool.

My personal favorite, however, is Daily Lit. Daily Lit recently went completely free. A smart step, especially with the competition from other sites, mainly Google Books. The selection isn’t as good as Google or Gutenberg, but here’s the thing: Daily Lit will send you an excerpt from a book every day by e-mail. That way you can read a page or two every day and keep up with the book. And that’s what I like the most. I’m more likely to read consistently a small chunk at a time when it’s spoonfed to me this way than I am trying to tackle one of the classics on my own.

So when people say reading books is dead, well, they’re completely fucking wrong. I’m reading more than ever and I don’t need a $400 electronic reader to do it.

Of Birthdays…

My blog had it’s first birthday on December 5th.  Which actually translates to a years worth of blogging for me.  It’s been a lot of fun and I’m so glad that I started.  I already enjoy looking back on things.

WordPress does a great job of keeping track of blog statistics…So here are some interesting facts about my blog:

Number of Post:  210
Number of Comments: 197
Number of Views: 8,460
Average Visitors Per Day: 30-50
Most Popular Post: 162 Views

Something that I find interesting is that I get somewhere around 30-50 visits a day. Usually a comment from my best friend. Occassionally one from my Mom or my girlfriends Alison & Julie. I’ve also gotten comments from PB, Nicole, Stacy and my sister-in-law.

BUT…What about the rest of you? I don’t expect a comment everday, but I wouldn’t mind knowing who all is reading! Especially if you have a blog that I can return the favor to!

So…How about as a birthday present to my blog…You leave me a comment to let me know you’re reading?!?



ATENTIE !!!!!!!!!

Incepand de sambata, un hacker, care semneaza Simon Ashton si transmite de la adresa <simon25@hotmail.com.uk> a invadat Internetul si inca nu poate fi neutralizat.
Daca deschizi mesajul lui, el poate intra in calculatorul tau si a tuturor contactelor tale, poate afla ID-urile si parolele, poate scrie mesaje in numele tau si a contactelor tale, sa faca operatiuni financiare etc. Treptat, poate goli folderele si astfel pierzi date pastrate pe calculator. Transmite urgent aceasta alerta tuturor contactelor tale, ca daca vreunul din ei deschide mesajul acestui hacker, atunci acesta va putea intra si in calculatorul tau. Sper sa nu o patim si noi.

So things have started improving for me since that last post, and it hasn’t even been 3 days! I do realise that the struggle is far from over and the self-imposed 4-month probation period still stands but I have to say that a few things have begun looking up. I was literally sighing with relief all day yesterday.

I cannot believe it’s December. Of 2009. Wow the entire year went fast. I’m nearly done with 2009 and I’m glad about that. I was thinking, as I like to do, that I’ve had a really rough time for a long time now and I almost wrote 2008 and 2009 off as the toughest years I have had so far. But upon further reflection, I’ve come to the conclusion that the last two years have contained equal amounts of some of the most incredible and miserable moments of my life. I hope I learned something.

I know I’ve been terrible at updating this thing and I’ve come close to stopping altogether so many times because I just couldn’t be bothered to write anything. I was sifting through a shitload of drama and planning and going through all levels of elation and despair and in the intensity, I probably unlocked a few more (sorry I just unlocked a new level in this game I’m playing and I couldn’t resist throwing that in). And I’m really bad at sharing private internal things. I’ve always been more comfortable sorting myself out and figuring out sustainable solutions before talking about it. I’ve been a lot less strict about that lately. Probably because I was suddenly out of my comfort zone and had to do without my regular support network of amazing friends.

This year has found me challenging a lot of my habits, thoughts, values, long-held beliefs and informed conclusions drawn from past experiences. Maybe it was insane leaving a stable, steady job and the feeling of being comfortably settled into life. Maybe it was foolish that I exchanged it all for debt, destitute studentry, a ridiculous amount of rejections, crucial but sometimes numbing settling-into-a-new-life exercises, MANY oh-so-very-many painfully awkward and probably stupidly dangerous situations…I know I know, I’m totally glamming it up. I think I wanted to shake things up because I knew I was stuck somewhere I didn’t really want to be and I was uninspired.

Yes, it’s been a fantastic schizophrenic run so far. I suppose we all have to go through something like that at some point in life. I think it makes me feel like my life is filled with some kind of purpose. Opting out of what would normally be considered a good life and buying into what would normally be dismissed as puff of smoke fantasy. You know, you push yourself to keep going and when you get there – POOF – nothing’s there. Marty challenged this the other day and I was a bit bothered with his devil’s advocate questions.

Anyway while I do think that there is more excitement (and probably more drama) in store for me in the future, I think it’s safe to assume that I have a few “peaceful” months to recover and re-strategise a successful bounce back into life.

This summer is when things will turn around, I can feel it. I know it’s a bit too early to be saying this but BRING ON 2010!

When I want to know what time it is, I look at my watch.

Then, sometimes I’ll ask myself  ‘will I need a jacket when I go outside?’ My instinct at that moment is to check my watch again.

The temperature outside is never on my watch.

Why do I do that?

They actually make watches for people like me – people who check their watches for the temperature.  The problem is that these watches provide the temperature in the location that you are standing (I would assume…). Usually I don’t care about the temperature in the place I am standing – I need the temperature for the next place I am going.

I need to break this habit.

Some of you should have already listened to this bomb. It’s Timbaland’s new shock value. A lot featuring, some known featuring like Nelly F or One Repuyblic, some new like Miley or Katy P…
I choose 2 songs his album for this music monday.
the first one is “Morning after dark”… An awesome HipHop
still RNB sound…
The second one is “Marching on”, a featuring with One Republic.

But you have to check out Katy’s Featuring!!! “If we ever meet again” Shoot the shit, you’ve just earn a third video =)

Enjoy! And get the album!

Here are some tentacles for my lovely mother’s boyfriend.

And here goes my first love-related poem published in this blog. Well, to be more percise, it’s about a failed love. A quite sarcastic one, I must say. Hope you like it though.

***
It’s good to know I meant nothing to you,
That what we had was never true.
It’s good to know that you never cared,
That you never bothered of being fair.
It’s good to see how blind I was,
How you made me see result as a cause.
It’s good to know that I was the only one to fight,
And not have a doubt that you’re there by my side.
It’s good to know you’ve let me down,
And never cared if I smile or frown.
It’s good to know you never understood me,
Who I was, I am and I hope I would be.
It’s good to know that we’ve made a mistake,
That I’ve lost everything that I put at the stake.
It’s good to know that I was used and played,
Fooled, ignored and severely betrayed.
It’s good to look at my heart’s new scar,
And to finally know who you truly are.
***

Chicagomag.com recently published an article on 30 great places to eat in Chicago for under $30. Click here to read the full article. As for restaurants near 1555 Wabash, here’s an excerpt from Chicago Mag’s article on Cuatro, a Nuevo Latino restaurant at 2030 S Wabash.

“At Cuatro, the seviche of hearts of palm, white asparagus, and avocado tastes so good you won’t miss the usual seafood versions. An outsized yuca-meal-crusted trout filled with spicy rock shrimp yields a gold mine of flavor, but you should still be up for warm plantain crêpes around sherried baby bananas in dulce de leche with pistachio praline ice cream. The set menu, available Tuesday through Thursday, includes $5 caipirinhas and half-price wines on Wednesdays—and also on Wednesdays, every diner’s favorite letters: BYO”

If you’ve been thinking about making the move into downtown Chicago to be close to all the food and entertainment the city has to offer, 1555 Wabash has beautiful condos on the near South Side of the Windy City. For more information and to schedule an appointment for a showing, click here!

I need your help.  I’m planning my 2nd annual Holiday Game Night for the 12th.  I’m looking for tasty appetizers to serve my guests.  So if you have a special something that folks are always asking you to bring, hit the comment section.  I’m looking for great taste, presentation and easy/quick preparation.  Help me out and I’ll hook you up. 

The recipe (s) I use will win a little thank you from me.  Lurkers please feel free to get in on this one. 

Some tips
- I don’t cook pork or scanvengers

- Anything too exotic will go over my head and I’ll probably get   discouraged looking for the ingredients

- The party is around 7pm and I’m expecting roughly 25 ppl

You’ll have until Friday to contribute your recipe.  Thanks!!

Yep I’ve seen it lately…

I rated the first chapter with a 3,5/5. The second movie is a 2/5 max.

I was disapointed by this shit. No passion, no real action, no real romance… Just a swinger girl who’s been caught in a love triangle. Yeah, I forget that she’s only 18 in the film but c’mon, teens are that silly? The dialogue was cheesy and poor. It felt like some soap opera for teenagers. There was so much teenage angst in this movie that it will make your teeth hurt.The film lasted 2 hours. But it was like the double sitting in the dark… Sign of bore?

The only good thing I can remember is Edward sister… Alice. She’s hot as hell… I’ve already noticed that in the first chapter but in this one, she’s quite good with the acting…

So, you will go and watch this film cause twilight is more than a film for teens, it’s a real phenomenon.

Is it true that every second chapter of a film will mostly be a shame?  This one surely is. Nothing but maybe a setup for the next chapter cause honestly, it’s nothing but an empty box…

If you’re the kind of person who spends endless hours in the cereal aisle because you just can’t seem to decide which cereal to get, then the handy flowchart from “What Should I Eat? Cereal Edition“  is just the handy  guide you need!

Even cereal mascots need therapy sometimes…

So which cereal do you like?  Favorite Cereal Mascot?

My tea for the moment: I’m trying out STASH’s Mangosteen Green Tea.  According to the box, It’s a green tea that “blends naturally sweet and slightly citrus mangosteen  fruit with juicy pear flavor.”  Mangosteen which is referred to as the “Queen of Fruits” in Asia also has a touch of Matcha which is speical green tea used in the Japanese tea ceremony.

On December 7th, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese military. The surprise maneuver (one Japan and the Axis powers would eventually come to regret) officially brought the United States into World War II. 2,403 Americans were killed on that day.

In remembrance of the 68th anniversary of the attack, The City of Chicago will host Chicago Remembers Pearl Harbor at 11 am on Monday, December 7th at Navy Pier. The ceremony will take place at the Lakeview Terrace (east end of Navy Pier). Admission is free, so help honor those who fought in the face of extraordinary odds 68 years ago. Click here for details on the event.