Saviour-V teleports into the Sanctuary, after a long period of absence...

It's been a long while since I last came to this Sanctuary of mine. It's been gathering a bit of dust in a few places. Back in the real world, I've been having a few problems of my own.

Saviour-V grins sheepishly...

Like most people, I happen to (or at least, used to) own a credit card. And I have been a bit irresponsible with its use, by overspending on certain necessities and perceived needs, notably on uDemy and other kinds of personal training courses. In addition, I've racked up a number of missed payments on some of my personal loans.

As such, I've ended up in a debt management program, and I'm currently working hard to pay off what I owe. Not an easy thing, really.

There are a few ways that you can use to manage your debts, and one such approach I've recently read about is the ACTNI approach. This 5-step approach consists of the following:

1. Asking your credit card company to lower the fees and interest rates, if you've either made a late payment or missed one. While credit card companies do have the right to raise their rates or charge extra fees, it doesn't hurt to ask for some leeway, especially if your past payments have been on time.

2. Communicating with your credit card company. Fact is, that's something I should've done earlier, instead of foolishly believing that I could somehow squeeze through during very difficult months. If you don't inform your company (or companies) ahead of time when you're about to miss an upcoming payment, not only will it reflect badly on your payment record, but your credit card company can also pursue possible legal action if you haven't been able to keep up with payments. Talking with your company, and doing your best to come up with a possible solution, does help to soften the blow a bit.

3. Tracking your expenses. In my case, I have an Excel spreadsheet and a Gnucash file that I use to track ALL of my purchases, including credit card-related ones. An added bonus is that GnuCash allows you to categorize your spending, which will give you a rough idea about the areas you tend to spend your money on, and aid you in managing your credit more effectively.

Saviour-V touches a finger to his chin, thoughtfully...

In fact, I believe I've got about 10 years of data in my Excel spreadsheet, and about 2 years of it in my GnuCash file. As a result, I could probably tell you about how much I've spent on fuel, or about how much the price of KFC has changed over the years, in my country.

4. Negotiating better interest rates with your company. If you've been with your credit card company for a long time, you could discuss matters with them to get a reduced interest rate on your card. A reduced annual percentage rate (or APR) on your card means that you'd pay a bit less to the bank, than if you had a higher rate. In my case, the good folks at the AKPK (Malaysia's Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency) helped me to negotiate with the companies I owed, so I now pay much less to them as opposed to the monthly amounts I used to pay in the past.

5. Improving your credit score. It might probably take a while to come back from the ashes, but by working hard to repay your debts, your credit score should eventually improve. And most credit card companies tend to provide lower interest rates to those who have good credit scores.

Aside from the ACTNI approach, which I've just mentioned above, the more important thing, in my humble opinion, is that one should strive to earn more, and retain more, so that one can avoid getting boned when times get immensely tough. The general piece of advice is to retain about 6 months of your salary for emergencies, but some of us usually end up in the pits before then.

So, if you are, don't despair. It is still possible to climb out of the hole, although it will take a LOT of effort to do so. There are many avenues to increase your funds, and some unorthodox ones among them, so keep an eye out for them, and do your own research too, so you can reduce your risks and increase your rewards.

May you all be granted victory in your endeavours, folks!

Saviour-V bows respectfully to his audience, before teleporting out again...

Returning for a while...

The Blood Phoenix Sanctuary. A silent haven for a lone self-proclaimed hermit-slash-hero, known simply as Saviour-V.

The Sanctuary has lain defunct for a considerably long time, however. Much of its technology has become dusty and rusted over time. 

However, things are about to change...

An old teleport pad in the centre of the Sanctuary begins to crackle with electrical energy for a few seconds, before Saviour-V materializes!

It's been a considerably long time, hasn't it, Miss Narrator-san?

Indeed it has, Hero. I've missed you a lot.

Have you, now? Well, to be honest, I haven't let you out much in the real world, but at times, I feel like I'm in a dream that has slight shades of a nightmare.

Not a pleasant feeling, to be sure. However, you still have an audience to address, Saviour-V. I'll leave you to it, now.

Most appreciated.

Saviour-V turns to face the vid-console, and begins walking up to it, flicking a few switches to reactivate it. Slowly, it hums to life...

It's been a long time, everyone. I doubt there's anyone who's ACTUALLY here, but I figure I might as well bring this place back online, after so long.

Although I'm more on Facebook these days, I haven't truly forgotten this place. After all, this is where I once wrote about my experiences in the real world. Despite the fact that I'd wish I could remain in the Electrosphere, without being concerned too much about humanity's petty arguments.

Saviour-V sighs slightly, removing his helmet, as the vid-console fully activates...

Although I've left Dilog Training & Services / Malaysia Airlines Engineering Training Centre as of October 2015, my road has been, and still remains, unclear.

After many years, Malaysia's longest ruling party, Barisan Nasional, has finally fallen, and a new party known as Pakatan Harapan has taken its place. Although "Harapan" usually means hope, there are some who doubt that it practices what its name means.

However, this is beyond me.

The familiar visage of Ahmad Rizudin is revealed at last, after many years. Age has been slightly vicious to him, fortunately...

What is more of an immediate priority is picking myself up and making the most out of my existence thus far. Where once I was quite the altruist, now, I'm a bit cautious at times about exercising goodwill, for there are many deceivers in the world.

However, I hope that my next set of changes will improve and strengthen me, before my time is done.

I shall post more often, later on hopefully, to remind me of what needs to be done, and for others to take lessons from them.

Ahmad Rizudin puts his helmet back on, activates a few buttons on his wrist-communicator, and a few seconds later, a beam of light that was once Saviour-V / Ahmad Rizudin shoots through the ceiling.

Our hero shall return, soon enough...

Saviour-V teleports into his Sanctuary once more, after a long period of absence...

OK, so I hedged out. But that's because I've been busy making money from various places. Among these is a place called Platinum Lounge.

Like myLot, which is another place I'm with, these guys pay for participating in their forums and contests. Although myLot doesn't have any contests yet.

It's worth noting that PL here pays via PayPal, and that you get paid twice in a month, provided you happen to have a certain rank that is high enough to get paid.

Enter the PL points system. Points can be racked up through participation in PL, and notably through adding new friends who join up and become active participants. The more points you get, the higher the rank you'll be in, and the more you'll get paid per cycle.

Here's my referral URL, in case you're interested:

http://www.platinumlounge.com/user/register?referrer=SaviourV

Having said that, PL was also nominated for the 2nd Annual Open Web Awards, presented by Mashable.com. If you'd like to vote for Platinum Lounge, I've added a widget below just for that.




Feel free to put a few votes in, to make Platinum Lounge one of the best sites to be.

Saviour-V grins, and teleports out of the Sanctuary...

The Blood Phoenix Sanctuary's silence is disturbed by the familiar sound of a teleportation beam appearing within a nearby teleportation capsule. As the beam solidifies, the familiar outline of Saviour-V can be seen, and our hero steps out from the capsule...

I believe that I've been away from this place for a long time. A lot of things have happened these days. Let me begin with one of the most important ones.

Saviour-V clears his throat, before continuing...

My laptop's been stolen. Back on the 9th of September, sometime around 18:30, I accidentally left behind the driver's seat of my car while I went window-shopping in the city of Shah Alam. Two hours later, I found my rear left window broken, and my laptop gone.

As a result, I've lost about 4 years of data, memories, and contacts. All these were within that laptop, and its loss pains me to no end.

Now, while I know it's my fault for being careless enough to leave my laptop in plain sight, I am quite cross at the fact that I'm not the only person to lose something precious that way. In fact, even with the necessary precautions, many other people have lost their precious items nonetheless.

While tracking down the criminal is pretty close to impossible, I hope and pray that he or she gets caught someday, hopefully in my grasp, so that I may exact revenge for the sake of everyone who's lost something to the thief (or thieves, depending).

Thievery has degressed from a private annoyance to an outright public annoyance these days here in Malaysia, and it's not just the stealing of belongings that makes my blood boil; the level of corruption here in Malaysia is another case of stealing, except that it's from ALL of its citizens, as opposed to single individuals.

Which brings me to point #2. Anwar Ibrahim, one of our ministers, has commenced a direct psychological assault on the ruling Barisan Nasional (Unified Front) government, claiming that he has enough support to take over control of Malaysia. Personally, I hope he has what it takes to rule this country, should he succeed. There have been a number of bloodied pages in the history of this country, and such stories should be brought to a more peaceful end.

Having said both points, these days, I'm working on increasing my personal funds. More online, than offline. Expect a couple of banners in the next few days, as well as a few changes...

A signpost, thrown from the darkness, flies through the air, whacking Saviour-V on the back of his head...

Ow. What's this?

Rubbing his sore head, Saviour-V picks up the offending projectile, and reads out its message: "YOU SAID YOU WOULD DO THAT AGES AGO! WHY AREN'T YOU UPDATING ANYTHING?"...

Ahh, yes. Well, work's been keeping me busy, for the most part. But at least now, since my laptop's gone, I've got enough motivation to get things improved down here. Just need to keep my spirits up.

Anyway, if anyone still reads this, and still remembers my email, pass me a message and tell me how you are, so I can create a new list of contacts to replace the one lost with my old laptop.

Cheerio!

Saviour-V steps back into the teleportation capsule, and the lid of it closes. A few seconds later, what was once Saviour-V becomes a beam of light, which shoots out from the top of the capsule, and into space.

Ladies and gents, Saviour-V has officially teleported out, for the time being, that is...

Saviour-V teleports into the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary...

There are certain individuals who have gained notoriety for lying. Surprisingly, such people remain free, and unbound by justice. Such people will eventually be punished, sooner or later.

There are also some people who deliberately lie just to save their own skins, because of something embarrassing. And I am quite ashamed that a few of these were once my friends.

"The truth will set you free," as one popular saying goes. Unfortunately, these individuals chose to disregard that advice. One person chose to lie to ensure that her secret life would never resurface. Another person led on quite a bit, but would provide no rationale for her actions.

And I have known these two for a long time now. In fact, when I was feeling down recently (and with this development, I still do), these same individuals would not come forward and admit their sins.

All that I desire is honesty, but I've been lied to by many people, time and time again. Hence the reason why I'm tempted to let God take my life in order to see if they can still maintain that facade for as long as their lives will allow.

Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, I propose a wager: one with my life on the line. I predict that my life will be ended either by the end of July, or on August 2008. However, as for how my life will end, I leave it to God to decide.

I have some fear of death, but I hope that my death will bring a few people to their senses. I have a number of my own sins, and I'm quite prepared to pay the price for them. I know that direct suicide is wrong, so I leave it to God to judge if I should live or die by that time.

Now, if God chooses to keep me alive after August 31st, 2008, then that would be a sign, hopefully, for those individuals to either apologize, or knock some sense into me.

We'll see. The bet is on, ladies and gentlemen. Place your bets.

Saviour-V teleports out of the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary...

Saviour-V teleports into the "German Deli iMBiSS" shop in Ara Damansara, and glances around...

As I'm sitting here, typing out this entry, one of the patrons here is currently enjoying the "Double-Biss" Meatloaf with Cheese - the star of tonight's review.

Back during my previous visit, I was told that this particular item was a Big Mac killer in terms of size. And, having seen and tasted that particular hot sandwich, I conclude that the Big Mac does NOT stand much of a chance taste-wise, although, price-wise, it's much cheaper.

But I digress. At RM 11.80 (before the 5% government tax), this is the second-most expensive German sandwich that GDI has, next to it's Smoked Duck Breast Sandwich (at RM 15.80 before the 5% tax).

However, the taste of this meat-carrier - and I've got to admit that there's lots of meaty goodness in this one - is very nice. A pity that I coated it in mustard halfway through the meal, for this is one of those burgers (well, it's a sort of burger, actually) that tastes real nice without any extra sauces.

Saviour-V notices more customers entering the establishment...

Of course, some may say that there's too much of it to go round, and indeed, there is. Two German meatloaf pieces, plus cheese, carrots, pickles and sauerkraut, sandwiched together between two halves of a much larger burger bun than the Big Mac's got. A sure winner in my book, if you ask me. Plenty to go round.

But enough talking, ladies and gents. Don't just take it from me - go and check out the place yourself!

Here's the address, by the way:

German Deli iMBiSS,
D-G-31, Block D,
No. 31, Jalan PJU 1A/20B,
Dataran Ara Damansara,
47301 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan.

By the way, this is just off the road from the old Subang Airport. Instead of going over the flyover leading there, take the lower route, then turn right and go straight into Ara Damansara. Avoid the left turn and keep going straight, and look out for a number of shophouses with blue roofs, and a sign to the right that leads into them.

This is just before the traffic lights, so once you spot the sign, go right, and keep going straight. Just after a Chinese restaurant on your left, you should also spot GDI on the same side less than a few metres away. It's open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., but later on, they'll keep it open till 10 p.m.

If you need directions, I'll post up a proper map later. Cheerio, people!

Saviour-V grins slightly, before he teleports out of the GDI, as its lights come on for tonight's visitors...

Saviour-V teleports in, and checks out the Internet for a moment, before turning to meet his audience...

Just thought I'd share a little mini-review here. NFP. In other words, not for profit. Although some profit wouldn't be a bad idea, heh.

About a month ago, a German convert by the name of Ludwig Gaisbauer, better known here as Nazrin bin Abdullah, came up with the novel idea of bringing German cuisine to the Muslim masses here in Malaysia. This came, by the way, about 5 years after he came up with his business establishment, GERMAN DELICATESSEN SDN BHD.

Now, that outlet's been churning out plenty of bratwurst - fine chopped meat sausages - as well as a few other interesting German dishes off late. In fact, I discovered the place purely by accident today.

How, you ask?

Saviour-V grins slightly...

Well, I happened to be the invigilator for one examination at work today, and once the examination was over, my gaze fell upon a leaflet on the table, proclaiming "German Deli iMBiSS - Original German Bratwurst". I picked up the leaflet, and turned it round to view the menu, and while the sausages looked rather appetizing, I spotted a handwritten comment: "no pork?"

Thankfully, there was a URL in the leaflet, and I've confirmed that yes, it's halal all right, so it was open season for sossies! Called up a colleague, and by lunchtime, both of us were busy munching on a few choice dishes there.

The first item we both tried was the Reuben Sandwich - my colleague's idea, in fact. This particular version contained beef pastrami and Mr. Ludwig's home-made sauerkraut, in addition to a few choice vegetables. The slightly sour taste of the sauerkraut complemented the taste of the pastrami, giving it a rather mature flavour, and Mad also provided his approval of this sandwich. It's worth RM 9.80, not including 5% tax.

Next up, we each had the set meal - a single sausage served with a choice of 2 side dishes. Mad chose the Spicy Beefi (RM 10.50 before tax), along with Buttered Corn and Sauerkraut, and a mushroom sauce to go with his meal, while I had the Jalapeno Chilli Fire Kracker (RM 9.80 before tax), served with Vegetable Rice and German-Style Mashed Potatoes, and black pepper sauce.

Mad's sausage was more "meaty", according to him, unlike the "average 1901 hotdog," as he so eloquently put it. In fact, the mushroom sauce complemented his meal perfectly. "You could smell and taste the rosemary and other spices in it," he said.

As for me, the Fire Kracker WASN'T as explosive as I thought; while I expected it to be particularly spicy, it came up a little sour, but I figure that my choice of sauce kind of dampened its spiciness a little. I'd honestly say that this particular sausage has a somewhat mature sourness.

Having said my fair share about the food, I must say that the place is well-decorated. More in the fashion of a fast-food outlet, as sausages are, but the colours chosen for the floor tiles and walls are quite inviting. The chairs were comfy, too.

The service was relatively all right. I'd say that at least they took our orders on time, but the cooking time must've taken them a bit. I guess that my only complaint would be the lack of more dishes on the menu.

All in all, the place is quite a nice place to dine in, and it's also good if you want to grab an item and scramble back to the office in a heartbeat. However, if you have gout or anything else that can ruin your enjoyment of their main dishes, you might as well enjoy the strudels they've got, instead.

Out of 10 stars, I'd give the establishment an 8. It's a great place to go, but go easy on the processed meat.

Saviour-V bows, and teleports out...

Alarm bells ring out in the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary, as Saviour-V teleports in...

Ladies and gentlemen, for those of you who don't already know it...as of today, Malaysia's fuel prices have officially gone up.

Notably, if you're a petrol user, like myself, you can say goodbye to the old price of Ringgit Malaysia 1.92, and curse the government for their new price of Ringgit Malaysia 2.70. And we thought that new price would've shown up in August, not this early!

Needless to say, the prices of other things will go up, and things will get hairy. Sure, we know that Badawi (Malaysia's Prime Minister) lost his first wife to disease at one point, but he's been far too wishy-washy since then. Heck, I think he must've been fickle way before his old wife died.

And the people are suffering. If things are not properly handled, I foresee a possible large-scale riot within my own country. And when that happens, anarchy will be the order of the day.

I shudder to think of that outcome, yet I feel that I may need to lead this riot if it comes. In my humble opinion, BADAWI MUST GO!

Saviour-V teleports out of the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary...

Saviour-V teleports into the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary, and places a golden orb on one of the pedestals in the hallway....

I never thought I'd say this, but I've received something quite precious, and yet, I don't know what it means. That golden orb is symbolic of this.

Saviour-V glances at the golden orb, before turning his attention to those present....

One of my former Blood Phoenixes, codenamed Pearl, contacted me back on Wednesday, the 28th of May 2008, and revealed some rather interesting details about herself, to put it mildly. However, I still don't know why she mentioned all that.

Perhaps there is something more to her words and actions that I can't figure out just yet, but I'm hoping that she'll explain everything to me soon enough.

Until then, all I can do is hope and pray for the best.

That aside, I'll be submitting this blog for approval by either Helium or Smorty, or both if I feel like it. I need to get my funds up, and ReviewMe's been rather quiet lately.

Saviour-V teleports out from the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary, as usual....

Saviour-V teleports into the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary, and notices the dust covering most of the vital equipment therein....

Does anyone actually visit this place anymore? The thing is, a lot of new things have happened. Almost put my current job in jeopardy, but I've now got something different up.

Well, hopefully, I'll be getting this place back up again. Wish me luck, people.

Saviour-V grins, and teleports out...

Saviour-V teleports into the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary, looking slightly dazed....

Ladies and gentlemen, I should like to inform you all that sometimes, Life DOES have a tendency to flash in front of your eyes at important points in your life.

Case in point: Monday, 21st January 2008, 23:45 hours.

I was driving home from a business meeting in Petaling Jaya that night, and it was just after I took a brief catnap in a petrol station about 15 minutes before that fateful time.

I decided to take a shortcut to avoid the second toll-gate and head back to Klang quickly, so I went through the underpass and headed through to the road that led past PUSPAKOM, the place where I first obtained my driver's licence 8 years ago.

And just before I got to the traffic lights that led to the shortcut to Klang, I accidentally fell asleep for a few seconds. THEN, I saw the container truck, and slammed on the brakes too late.

Apart from the jarring shock that wiped out my sleepiness, I was surprised that I managed to survive, because when I saw the looming container, I was going "This is it, I'm really going to die this time!"

The fact that I didn't die proves that God still loves me, I guess....because this is the 3rd sleepiness-related accident I've had, and the 1st that actually involves someone else's life (well, more like MY life, that is...).

But TS&D (that said and done) one still has to stay in the fight. Wish me luck, ladies and gentlemen.

Saviour-V teleports into the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary, humming "Still Alive" by Jonathan Coulton, from the game "Portal"....

Saviour-V teleports into the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary, and the ReviewMe Monitor immediately slides out from its panel JUST as he materializes in the teleportation chamber....

Right. This is a bit rushed, and ordinarily, this is something I wouldn't do, but I'm doing it just for the sake of appreciating art. Today's item on review is...

Saviour-V glances at the ReviewMe Monitor, which, after a few seconds, displays the item in question....

...poker chips. Courtesy of American Gaming Supply.

According to the review description, this place provides a variety of poker chips and tables. Customized poker chips are the norm, rather than the exception here, so if you want your poker chips customized in any way, these guys should be able to help you out.

These guys also specialize in Paulson poker chips, which, as they say, are the best in the world. Even though I'm not a poker player, I do have to admit that those chips are quite well-made.

Apart from these, there are also accessories and tables designed for other card games, such as blackjack and craps. I have to admit that one such item, the "Round 61 inch Furniture Poker Table With Dining Top" would appeal to those who like mixing business with pleasure; it most certainly does have that potential.

Regretfully, I did not have the funds to make a purchase from them. So I don't really know if these guys ship their products to other countries as well. However, it is possible to e-mail them at Sales@AmericanGamingSupply.com to ask for a few quotes and ideas.

Also, American Gaming Supply has a 24-hour online ordering service, so you can place an order at any given time, as long as you have the funds to afford what you've ordered.

The ReviewMe Monitor, having served its purpose, slides back into the hidden panel....

And that concludes my review. But don't take the word of a non-gambler; go and check out the place yourself, and draw your own conclusions from there!

Saviour-V grins, as usual, before he teleports out of the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary....

Saviour-V teleports into the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary, with a rather downcast look on his face....

Ladies and gentlemen, it pains me to have to say this, but we don't officially have a review. Even after I sent an e-mail to the client, earlier this week, asking for a review copy for the Rostam: The Comic Book, which is at the following link:

Rostam Comic Book

...I received nothing in return, and therefore, I cannot provide you all with a proper review.

What I can tell you is that Rostam, the comic book based off a centuries-old poem called the Shahnameh, basically tells the story of a valiant warrior of the same name.

And as with all ancient stories that involve a hero, there's the usual rogue's gallery of those that wish to put him down for the count, a sorceror among them. And, I have to admit that the comic is well-illustrated, as the preview pictures in their gallery go, although the lack of speech bubbles makes it difficult to understand what's going on.

But seriously, without a proper review copy, I can't tell you guys much about this comic, so I sincerely apologize. I was sincerely looking forward to writing this review, but the situation was out of my control.

Bowing in apology, Saviour-V teleports out....

Saviour-V teleports into the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary, just as the hidden panel opens to reveal the ReviewMe Monitor....

Heh. Just thought I'd call it that. Anyway, for all you motorcycle builders out there, today's review is dedicated to you. Although it's more a mini-review, at the moment.

Saviour-V grins as the ReviewMe monitor turns on, and after a few moments of the "DOWNLOADING..." message, it beeps and displays the current review's subject...

Building A Custom Chopper Frame

Simply put, this mini-course is meant to focus on 9 common problems that most motorcycle builders face when building their rides. This course is free, but you'll need a valid e-mail address to receive each part of this course.

As of right now, I've only gotten 1 out of 9 parts, but I expect more in the next few weeks. But to whet your appetite, let me share that first lesson with all of you:

The ReviewMe monitor flickers briefly, before displaying the information in question...

"Problem #1: What is the difference between common pipe and tubing?

A: This is also a very important and critical issue. There is a significant difference between pipe and tubing. The mechanical values are very different.

· Pipe is measured on the ID (inside diameter).

· Tubing is measured on the OD (outside diameter).

Even though most pipe is rated to withstand a great deal of internal pressure, its molecular structure is too brittle to be bent without damage. Weakening common pipe may also fracture if not cut properly and is often difficult to weld. On the other hand, most tubing is suitable for cutting, bending and welding. These are necessary factors when choosing a material to build a motorcycle frame."

The information stays up for about 5 minutes, before it is erased...

Hope that little tip will give you an idea of what to expect. However, if you want more information on how to actually build a bike, visit Custom Choppers Guide.

Round there, you should be able to buy a few DVDs that can provide you with enough information to start building your meanest machines. Toughness and leanness not guaranteed by me, though.

Anyway, have fun.

Saviour-V grins, as usual, before teleporting out of the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary, just as the ReviewMe Monitor slides back into the hidden panel....

As usual, the monitor that Saviour-V uses for his reviews is still as he left it...just as he teleports in....

Right. Review #5 on the cards comes from the Annie Books Series.

Unfortunately, given my work in real life, I've not been able to contact them personally for a full review PDF, so I'll only be working with the two sample chapters from their book "A Prairie Day With Anne".

But I will provide a little background on Anne. Anne's a fictitious character created by Michelle Fattig, who wrote this book, and many others on Anne. And the reason? Like Anne, Dr. Michelle has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), and her books explain life from the eyes of a child with ADHD.

Ironically, I've got ADHD myself, although I sometimes like to think that I don't have it.

But enough reminiscing. Here's the URL for the sample chapters (Chapters 12 and 13):

Sample Chapters from A Prairie Day With Anne.

As for what I think of those two chapters, I'd say that Dr. Michelle's portrayal of Anne is quite similar to my own ADHD-addled past as a child. Like Anne, I went through a few periods of insecurity and impulsiveness, and even now, I sometimes slip into them from time to time. And yes, I used to get taunted for being different, back in my younger days.

Saviour-V smiles slightly....

Dr. Michelle seems to have done a good job of explaining things from a kid's point of view, but since I've not had the time to pick up the PDF from her personally, I can't really be sure if she's managed to capture the many aspects of a person living with ADHD. I will admit that the chapters I've managed to review are relatively well-written, though. They're also quite lightweight, which may help kids enjoy Anne's story on their own, and allow parents to briefly explain things, too.

I'll go out on a limb here. I believe that this book is worth a good read for kids with ADHD, and for parents trying to help their children make sense of their gift. Heck, ADHD's not a calamity, just that it makes one a little more special in terms of thoughts and actions.

Of course, feel free to peruse the Annie Books website, and draw your own conclusions from there. And with that, I bid you all adieu. You guys have been a wonderful audience.

The monitor on the wall slides back into the panel, and the panel closes shut. Satisfied with this, Saviour-V teleports out...

Inside the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary, a hidden panel on one of the walls opens up to reveal the monitor that Saviour-V usually uses for his reviews, but strangely enough, the person in question isn't in the Sanctuary...

A-HEM.

Oops. Sorry, he's here.

And rightly so, Mr. Narrator. Got in here through the underground entrance a while back. Anyway, I figured I should change my usual reflex and NOT teleport in like I usually do. And review #4's up.

Saviour-V picks up a glass and fills it from a nearby water dispenser, before glancing at the monitor....

From XZIST Games, I give you the review for their game: People Shooter.

This 9 MB executable seems to have been written in C (an old programming language that's still used today, by the way), and personally, it can be a resource hog if you don't have enough RAM to support it. In fact, on a 512 MB RAM-filled laptop, the graphics and textures started to glitch up after the 3rd time playing it, before the game crashed.

The premise of this game's simple, although it's not really for the kids. Of course, I wouldn't really recommend it to the adults either, unless you guys have a good sense of humour. In my case, after a few playthroughs, I think I've a good sense of boredom.

In People Shooter, you have to kill people (obviously) who happen to be throwing themselves off the walls of a castle. You do this by left-clicking on them to shoot them, for 200 points each. You get 8 bullets, which slowly replenish themselves when you're not shooting, but you can also shoot the ducks that randomly wander in from the sides of the screen. Shooting a duck once gets you a bullet back and 50 points, but a second shot causes them to explode in a flurry of feathers, and gives you 5 more bullets and 100 points.

If you fail to kill a person before he hits the ground, not only does he make a nasty mess on the ground, but the bar on the left of the screen will fill up with blood. And the more you miss, the more it fills up. When it's fully filled up, it's game over, because "the hell reserved for suicide victims becomes full and blows up".

Fortunately, to keep some space cleared up in Hell, the flying demons (more like flying rejects from Hell's processing labs) that fly in from time to time can be shot, which reduces the blood inside the bar.

However, given that there are far too many targets and not enough bullets, one is forced to rely on both skill and luck to survive this relentless onslaught of lemmings.

Personally, my biggest gripe was the fact that there were no power-ups to make killing a breeze, or to slow down the pace of the falling people. Worse still, that bullet limit is a problem, because you can't really reload your gun unless you kill a duck, and you won't get more bullets unless you use two bullets to kill one. So running out of ammo is a big problem.

In any case, the game's mildly entertaining for the first 5 minutes or so, but given that it doesn't have much variety, it gets boring and more difficult after that time-frame.

Of course, I think there are far more skilled players than me, so feel free to download that game, and beat my high score of 12,000 points or so, with a mouse and a touchpad. And have fun, more importantly.

Saviour-V grins, and teleports out...

Saviour-V teleports in, again...

In case you're wondering, work and writing reviews don't always mix well together, so when I teleport out, it's usually to get some work done. Without further ado, I bring you review #3:

SwitchPlanet.com

The premise behind SwitchPlanet.com is simple: What if us humans exchanged items we had for items that we need? Sounds good, in a way.

Basically, if you want something, you'll need a certain amount of switchbucs (no, that's not a typo), which are earned from trading items that other people want from you. Additionally, you can "buy" switchbucs by donating a small sum of money towards Switch Funds - SwitchPlanet's initiative to help charitable organizations such as the American Cancer Society and the American Red Cross.

The idea is sound, but there are a few limitations.

The first of these is WHAT you can trade. Right now, you can trade DVDs, CDs, computer and console games, and books. However, they are planning to conduct trade in other things, such as clothing and consumer electronics, in the near future.

The second is WHERE you can trade. To be exact, this site seems to be geared to residents of the USA and Canada. Not to bring up an issue, but I believe it would be nice to accommodate people of other countries in this initiative. If most of the issues related to trust (not to mention postage charges) are ironed out, that is.

That aside, a third issue relates to how much switchbucs one actually needs to obtain to trade with someone else. Although I've not been able to conduct any trades, given my current location, the founder has tried his best to co-ordinate efforts to prevent over-valuing of items, from what I've managed to determine from the SwitchPlanet.com forums (and the switchbuc calculator on the site)

To summarize, this is an OK idea, but it will require more effort to become the best idea. There are teething pains, no doubt, but I believe that SwitchPlanet has the right idea. It will take time, though.

Anyway, I'll conclude the last two reviews tomorrow. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

Saviour-V teleports out, as the monitor slides back into the hidden panel...

Saviour-V teleports into the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary again, as the monitor blinks once more...

Review #2: Backgammon

This comes courtesy of Play65.com, and unfortunately, the log-in issues of this program are much worse - I've only managed to log-in once, and I've never been able to log in again, even after changing usernames. Fortunately, no spyware, adware, trojans, or the like, are present.

The similarities between Play89's online pool and Play65's backgammon are in the interface, and what you can do. In other words, you can either play for fun money, or for real money.

Tournaments are a given, as usual, but I didn't manage to check them out, so I can't really say much about them.

The same old message comes out if you're a Malaysian player that's TRYING to relog-in to the game:

"Sorry, but we cannot accept players from your country."

Here, I'd say that the guys at Play65 should try to accomodate players from any location in the world, or limit gameplay to a certain degree. Or something.

In any case, if you're looking for a quick chance to relax during a lunch break (and perhaps make a little cash on the side), you could give this a try, but if you're Malaysian, expect some frustration.

NEXT!

Saviour-V teleports out again, while the monitor begins retrieving data for the next review....

Saviour-V teleports into the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary, as usual...

OK, marathon review time. First of five. Not much to say.

Saviour-V notices the hidden panel open, and nods at the title shown by the monitor that pops out of it...

Our 1st review in this marathon line-up:

Online Pool

To be exact, this comes from Play89.com. Basically, you download the executable (no spyware, trojans and nasty stuff, thankfully), start it up, register at the log-in screen, and you're ready to go.

Saviour-V sighs momentarily...

Of course, there is no utopia. In the case of Play89 (and in the 2nd review, Play65), when I tried re-logging in a second time, I got the following message:

"Sorry, but we do not accept players from your country."

Strangely enough, I got in OK the first time. So, I make another account, and log in. OK the first time, but again, when I leave for lunch, and try to log in with the new account, I get that same error message.

Which brings me to a quick question: are Malaysian players not allowed to play, even for fun money, or is there something wrong with this system? Because there was absolutely no question related to the nationality of players when I registered.

Oh, well.

As for the game itself, if you're familiar with Yahoo! Pool, you can choose a room to either watch a game in progress, or play a few. And if you're playing for fun money, you'll get it replenished if you hit zero dollars; a luxury absent from real money games.

There's also a few tournaments you can participate in, and receive real money from, even if you're playing for fun. Although I've not participated in them myself.

The truth is, this is OK if you want to pass the time, but Malaysian gamers like myself would have trouble enjoying this a little because of the log-in issue. I really do hope that a more reliable system comes up.

OK, next!

Saviour-V teleports out of the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary, while the monitor begins retrieving data for the next set of reviews....

Saviour-V walks out of the Blood Phoenix Sanctuary's Dining Hall, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief...

Lunch was good. Let's see if this next site is better, comrades!

The monitor's display flickers for a moment, as the URL for the next review appears...

I have to admit it, das war UNERWARTET.

Saviour-V grins slightly...

Translation? "That was UNEXPECTED." Which is what I will say for my review offer for Freegames24.de. Their offer? "Onlinespiele", which translates to "Online games". Roughly.

Now here's the catch. They expected an English review, for their German site.

Saviour-V doubles up with laughter...

Well, since a Saviour must be prepared for anything, here's the review, with some translations in a few key places.

First off, a Google translation of the main page:

"Welcomely on the side for free on-line plays and Onlinegames.

On Freegames24.de you find a good selection of Onlinegames, which can play you directly in your Browser. All Freegames is editorialally examined and tested. They need only one java or flashfähigen Browser and already can it loose-go. There are neither a electioneering programs nor expensive memberships. All on-line plays published here are directly playable without registration. To simply times briefly forget ideally for lunch time or around the everyday life.

Much fun when playing wishes Freegames24.de."

Translation? Lots of online games that you can play in your browser, with no memberships, registrations, or the like. Just as long as you have Macromedia Flash and Java loaded up in your browser, you can play them.

And not all of the games are in German. One gem in particular is Wings Of Fury, which is a remake of an old Amiga game of the same name. In it, you pilot an American plane, raining havoc on the Japanese in the period of World War 2.

Getting back to the site itself, the games are arranged in sections, with the top games making it to the main page. There's "Action", "Arcade", "Brettspiele" (board games), "Geschicklichkeit" (skill-based games), "Klassiker" (classic games), "Strategie" (strategy games), and for a list of all games, "Onlinespiele" lists down all the games, regardless of category. A crude design, but effective.

Saviour-V yawns slightly...

As for the games themselves, there's more Java-based games than Flash ones. And not all of them are enjoyable, for some seem to be too simplistic. Of course, if you need a quick diversion, simplicity is one way of doing it.

There's about roughly 60+ games in this site, but it seems like there hasn't been anything recent as of this time. That might change, though.

I'd say that this site is relatively average. Some design points are there, notably in the way the information is structured, but I think that this site needs more games that happen to be a bit more challenging. Also, since English-speaking visitors are expected to visit this site, a rough translation and explanation of the site would be helpful.

So, just like the other site I reviewed previously, this particular one is AVERAGE. Not too little, and not too much. And yes, there's room for improvement.

Saviour-V grins slightly...

Anyway, visit the site, and have a bit of fun on your lunch break, people!

Saviour-V teleports out, as the monitor swivels back into the hidden panel...