high fidelity

Top Five Reasons to Look Forward to My Return to Shanghai in a Couple of Weeks

2011-01-24T16:04:00.000-08:00

5. Fireworks for Yuan Xiao Jie

4. Catching lots of good performances

3. Helping with the preparation of materials for a course on English Renaissance Drama

2. Preparing for the Shanghai launch of Under the Ash (hopefully in conjunction with The End of the Line)

1. As always, being with friends...

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Top Five Things I'd Like to See in My Writing in 2011

2011-01-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

5. Sketching out the rest of the "fire" series

4. The completion of early drafts of 2-3 more poetry collections

3. The acceptance of 100 pieces of creative work for publication

2. The completion of "the big guide"

1. The acceptance of one more poetry collection for publication

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Top Five Things to Love About Christmas

2010-12-24T08:11:00.000-08:00

5. the fun music

4. lots of gifts to give and receive

3. lots of great food

2. the way life just seem to stop for a day or two

1. time to be with friends and family

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Top Five Reasons to Sign Up for Ameriplan

2010-12-14T08:05:00.000-08:00

5. The Dental Plan Plus package is available for individuals for the price of $14.95/month, or $19.95/month for families

4. Great testimonials at ourdentalplan.com show it to be a good, reliable service

3. The Dental Plan Plus includes a dental, vision, chiropractic and prescription discount package

2. The Dental Plan Plus plan is just one of several packages available at ourdentalplan.com — others include Total Health Package and Secure Net Plus, as well as the Platinum Plus Package

1. At ourdentalplan.com, you have easy access online to all the information you need to know about the services offered

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Top Five Things to Do in Hainan

2010-11-30T05:37:00.000-08:00

5. Monkey Island (though it's a little sad too...)

4. Tianya Haijiao and Daxiao Dongtian (I liked Daxiao Dongtian better of the two, but Tianya Haijiao is more famous)

3. Tour the Yanoda Tropical Rainforest

2. SEAFOOD!!

1. Impressions of Hainan (a Zhang Yimou show)

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Top Five Things to Love About Taishun County, China

2010-11-15T06:13:00.000-08:00

5. The ironies

4. The bugs

3. The ancient towns and structures

2. The bridges

1. The people

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Top Five Things to Enjoy in Guilin China

2010-10-24T06:10:00.000-07:00

5. The Giggling Tree Hotel (in Yangshuo)

4. Seeing the rural lifestyle of Guangxi

3. Floating downstream from Yangti to Xingming

2. The full moon over the Karst mountains covering the landscape

1. Bike riding in some of the most beautiful scenery around

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Top Five Things to Enjoy While Hosting 2 17-year-old Boys on an Overseas Adventure

2010-07-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

5. All the application of a lifetime of teaching of good manners (seriously... the two I hosted were perfect gentlemen!)

4. Food food food.... because they'll try it all!

3. Seeing the younger kids enjoy them so much and watching them all interact together

2. Watching movies and having good discussions afterwards

1. Seeing a new side to the neighborhood you live in when you visit the basketball courts every night

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Top Five Things to Look Forward to When Traveling to the US Next Month

2010-07-21T17:03:00.000-07:00

5. Extreme heat (I'll be in Houston)

4. Cheap books

3. Baseball at Minute Maid Park

2. Alaska!!!!!

1. Seeing family and friends

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Top Five Things Best Enjoyed When Really Young or Really Old

2010-07-14T16:57:00.000-07:00

5. The same story repeated over and over

4. A very slow walk

3. Large print books

2. Food in near-liquid form

1. Karaoke

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Top Five Places Where You Should Just Put the Cell Phone Away

2010-06-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

5. At a wedding

4. At church

3. At the ball park

2. When crossing the road (pedestrians)

1. Behind the wheel

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Top Ten Reasons to Visit Lighting the Web

2010-06-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

5. It's the one-stop spot to address all of your Home lighting needs (and really... wouldn't you like to be super-efficient with your time when making this decision?)

4. Online shopping is the perfect way to view all of your options for home lighting — and there are loads of options, so it could get pretty overwhelming if you don't go about it just right

3. Lighting is one of the most important, if subtle, decisions you will make in your home decor

2. The great deals on Hunter ceiling fans are pretty irresistible, and ceiling fans can continue to pay off each month by helping you save on your electricity bill

1. It's the best spot to shop on the web for all of your home lighting needs

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Top Five Favorite Street Foods to Try in Shanghai

2010-04-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

5. sweet potatoes and corn cooked over charcoal — simple, but amazingly good

4. shou zhua bing (a kind of wrap that you can request different fillings for)

3. cai bao, vegetable-filled steamed buns (my favorite of the bao zi, though the meat and white carrot and the beef bao are also quite good)

2. fen tiao

1. jian bing (pancakes)

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Top Five Ways to Enjoy Great Savings through Coupon Shopping Online

2010-04-29T17:39:00.000-07:00

5. Check out all the great products you can purchase at good savings with your Sears coupon code

4. Canvas on Demand's coupons will give you lots of places to enjoy savings on your photography needs

3. Find great savings on shoes and clothes that you can buy with your Zappos coupons when you shop online

2. Make use of Amazon coupons for all your online shopping needs

1. You can even enjoy savings for hosting your website when you use these

2010-04-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

5. Guests coming to visit me have finally motivated me to do so

4. Seeing the changes to Beijing since the Olympics in 2008

3. Where else can you soak up this kind of history?

2. Great Wall (even though I've been there before, still very cool)

1. Terra cotta warriors

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Top Five Things to Love About Arthurian Legend

2010-04-14T10:33:00.000-07:00

5. Men pledging loyalty to another man's wife... and getting praised for it

4. Jousting is pretty cool, no matter how you look at it

3. There are so many different versions, how do you know they aren't all true, in some way?

2. The Questing Beast

1. The notion that there is something so good that you know you can never attain it, and yet feel it worth spending your life seeking it all the same

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Top Five Reasons to Look Forward to the May Holiday

2010-04-07T22:33:00.000-07:00

5. What's not to like about a holiday?

4. It should be quite re nao here this year, with all the extra stuff going on in Shanghai

3. Warmer weather is slowly making its way here, and should be in full force right about that time

2. Opening of the World Expo

1. Two additional days off!

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Top Five Obstacles to Regular Blogging

2010-03-25T03:06:00.000-07:00

5. the intrusions of real life

4. laziness, pure and simple

3. labor-intensive projects that seem to keep popping up (which pay better than sitting in my pajamas blogging)

2. difficulties getting onto the site from some locations (hopefully addressed now!)

1. a very erratic schedule

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Top Five Ways to Make a Some Spare Change on Your Blog

2010-03-20T03:02:00.000-07:00

5. Nuffnang, for Singapore bloggers

4. Pay Per Post, though I have had trouble getting their system to work since they made some changes

3. Google AdSense, of course

2. Blogsvertise is not as consistent as I wish it were, but it does bring in a little trickle of income for me (admittedly, part of the consistency problem has been my travel schedule)

1. AdBrite is where I do best

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Top Five Reasons it's Great to Get Back to Shanghai

2010-03-15T02:49:00.000-07:00

5. Lots of work and work opportunities to catch up on

4. Getting a little down time to get caught up on rest and reading... and even blogging!

3. Watching the arrangements for the World Expo as that comes together — it's going to be FUN!

2. Hitting all my favorite eating spots here

1. Spending time with friends here — 4 months + was too long to be away!

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Top Five Ways to Improve as a Pianist

2010-03-11T02:46:00.000-08:00

5. Look for a "for dummies" book (and no one is really ever over-qualified for that, are they?)

4. Teach yourself — my niece did, though she eventually signed up for piano lessons, and improved dramatically upon doing so (she's really good now!!)

3. Find a qualified teacher in your area and sign up for piano lessons in your own home, or at a music school

2. Get into a really prestigious music school where you can spend 8 hours a day doing nothing but practicing the piano (I'm not being sarcastic — sounds like a great life to me!)

1. Sing up for piano lessons online at yokewong.net, where intermediate piano students can learn all sorts of useful skills to improve as a pianist

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Top Five Things I Love About Chinese Culture

2009-11-23T16:43:00.000-08:00

5. Chinese tea, in all its varieties

4. The centrality of the language to everything thought and done

3. Chinese gardens and architecture

2. Its complex thought system

1. A long, rich, varied tradition contained in its literature, art, and all other cultural artifacts

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dark 'til dawn

2009-11-11T23:06:00.000-08:00

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Top Five Reasons to Visit Hubpages

2009-11-09T03:03:00.000-08:00

See my thoughts on:

5. The Fill in the Gaps 100 books blog for readers

4. The Five Elements in Chinese Thought

3. The Ingredients of Good Haiku

2. The dark 'til dawn series of collectible art pieces released by decollection (and using 30 of my haiku)

1. Cyborg Chimera, my newly released book from Sam's Dot Publishing

Top Five Reasons to Visit Christian Fiction Online

2009-10-28T21:55:00.001-07:00

5. It's a new site I'm starting that aims to feature Christian fiction book reviews

4. I'm working toward having a very broad range of short reviews of Christian fiction titles

3. There will be books that are marketed as Christian fiction, as well as stuff that is not, but that is still of interest to Christian readers

2. There's a lot of bad writing out there that sometimes keeps you from finding the good stuff, and reading a review first might help you not waste too much time on the bad writing

1. You can submit your reviews for inclusion, as I'd like to increase the number of titles reviewed and the number of people reviewing each title

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Too Many Reasons....

2009-04-05T21:00:00.000-07:00

There are just too many reasons to love my new flat to list them all here.
So, you can check at my Tai Shan blog for an idea.

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Top Five Reasons to Look Forward to a New Flat

2009-03-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

5. Better condition of the house looks like it will mean much less hassle

4. Quieter neighborhood, and newly refurbished

3. An ideal location, within a few short minutes of my friends' homes

2. A little more space, and much better renovations

1. Much better apartment, and at the same price as the old dumpy place I'm living in!!

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Top Five Reasons to Make a Turn-Around Trip to Hong Kong from Shanghai

2009-02-28T18:27:00.001-08:00

5. When you need your passport stamped, you've got to leave the country anyway

4. It's one of the cheaper options for getting away

3. In the winter time, the weather in Hong Kong can feel so nice in comparison with Shanghai's

2. Shopping (if you are into branded stuff anyway)

1. Good food

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Top Five Fun Moments Ushering in the Year of the Ox in Singapore

2009-01-30T20:10:00.000-08:00

5. Being reminded that success is there for anyone willing to work hard

4. Seeing fireworks over the tops of the buildings at Chinatown on New Year's Eve

3. Enjoying the atmosphere at both Chinatown and the River

2. Having friends and family call from overseas with New Year's wishes

1. Spending a few days relaxing with friends and family before heading overseas for another 3-month stay

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Top Five Reasons to Look Forward to Chinese New Year

2009-01-17T15:44:00.000-08:00

5. Wearing new clothes every day

4. Hearing all the loud, happy songs

3. Hearing all the nice words on everyone's lips

2. Good food

1. Good friends

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Prayer Blog

2009-01-08T16:58:00.001-08:00

My blogging friend has started a new blog called Prayer Corner. You can go there and request prayers, "no strings attached."

Stop in if you are needed a prayer offered on your behalf.

Also... watch this spot, as I plan to begin posting more regularly soon! (Sorry for the hiatus; it's been hectic lately!)

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Top Five Things to Do Online Today

2008-12-08T07:46:00.000-08:00

5. Flirt with strangers in some seedy chat room, if you are into that sort of thing

4. Pay bills, if you are a more efficient type

3. Look for parenting tips, if the kids are giving you trouble

2. Enjoy some online games, if your parents are giving you trouble

1. Visit my newest blog, Tai Shan — it's for everyone

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Top Five Tips For Travel in Fujian

2008-11-27T01:02:00.000-08:00

5. Apparently a lot of foreigners who travel there don't speak the language, so a little ability goes a long way

4. Xiamen is an especially nice city, clean and full of polite people, but in some of the other places within the province, you can't expect quite the same thing

3. Beautiful weather!!!

2. Lots of fun places to visit, so don't miss out

1. Be prepared to get fleeced, even if you know what you are doing in China

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Top Five Things to Enjoy About Studying Ancient Chinese Literature

2008-11-22T02:08:00.000-08:00

5. It never hurts to find a new form of self-torture, right?

4. There are loads of things in modern culture and language that find their roots in ancient Chinese literature, and seeing the connections can be lots of fun

3. The use of language in ancient Chinese literature can really give you a different perspective on the modern language

2. The poetry is quite beautiful, and very different from both modern poetry in Chinese and all English poetry

1. At those rare moments when you do "get it," it is a really good feeling!

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Top Five Things to Look Forward to About a Trip to Fujian Province

2008-11-19T02:05:00.000-08:00

5. The nice weather! (sorry... getting cold in Shanghai)

4. Visiting my friends "old home" with her family will be fun

3. Wuyishan sounds like a great place to visit, with all kinds of fun outdoor activities

2. The Hakka villages at Yongding look amazing — it should be lots of fun visiting the round houses there, seeing the unique culture and architecture in the villages

1. It will be LOTS of fun seeing the place with my godchildren and their family!

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Top Five Memorable Lines from Songs by the Police

2008-11-16T08:32:00.000-08:00

5. "And they're only going to change this place / By killing everybody in the human race / They would kill me for a cigarette / But I don't even wanna die just yet"

4. "There is no political solution / To our troubled evolution / Have no faith in constitution / There is no bloody revolution

Our so-called leaders speak / With words they try to jail you / They subjugate the meek / But it's the rhetoric of failure

We are spirits in the material world"

3. De Do Do Do De Da Da Da

2. "I guess you'd call it suicide / But I'm too full to swallow my pride"

1. "Once that you've decided on a killing / First you make a stone of your heart / And if you find that your hands are still willing / Then you can turn a murder into art / There really isn't any need for bloodshed / You just do it with a little more finesse / If you can slip a tablet into someone's coffee / Then it avoids an awful lot of mess /

Now if you have a taste for this experience / And you're flushed with your very first success / Then you must try a twosome or a threesome / And you'll find your conscience bothers you much less / Because murder is like anything you take to / It's a habit-forming need for more and more / You can bump off every member of your family / And anybody else you find a bore

Now you can join the ranks of the illustrious / In history's great dark hall of fame / All our greatest killers were industrious / At least the ones that we all know by name / But you can reach the top of your profession / If you become the leader of the land / For murder is the sport of the elected / And you don't need to lift a finger of your hand

Because it's murder by numbers one two three / It's as easy to learn as your ABCs"

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Top Five Things to Know About Singapore Life

2008-11-13T19:08:00.000-08:00

5. It is not part of China

4. The weather is always nice and warm, year-round

3. "Kiasuism" is a funny thing.... at least at those times it is not absolutely irritating

2. There is a masterful blending of languages and cultures in Singapore, and yet a good deal of insecurity felt over it (even though it is actually a beautiful aspect of Singaporean life)

1. There are constant attempts to paint a pretty picture over even the most unpleasant realities

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Top Five Bloggers to Visit When You Can Use a Laugh

2008-11-10T05:52:00.000-08:00

5. Random Access Babble

4. Mattress Police

3. Chris Wood

2. Irrelevant Cheetah

1. Pinhole

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Top Five Nerdy Spots to Visit in Shanghai

2008-11-07T05:47:00.000-08:00

5. Xiao Xiao, on Fuxing Lu near Mao Ming Lu, at least when there are events on

4. Ke Center

3. Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center

2. M-Art on 50 Moganshan Lu, and even more, the alleys winding back behind this spot

1. Creek Art, especially for the weekly poetry open mic

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Top Five Reasons You Might Like to Purchase the November 2008 Issue of Scifaikuest

2008-11-04T08:39:00.000-08:00

5. Scifaikuest always maintains a high standard of quality for the poems that appear there

4. The work in the magazine is usually just the right combination of thought-provoking and amusing

3. Scifaikuest does an excellent job of mixing in various minimalist-type poems, and not just straight scifaiku

2. It is one of my favorite reads every quarter

1. I am the featured poet in the Nov 2008 issue of Scifaikuest, and I'd appreciate you picking up a copy!

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Top Five Places to Watch for News About Markets for Speculative Poetry

2008-11-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

5. I do a regular update at my main blog

4. Spec House of Poetry blog

3. Expressions newsletter at Sam's Dot Publishing

2. SFPA website

1. The Genre Mall is a great place to find whatever you are looking for

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Top Five Reasons to Visit Creek Kitchen

2008-10-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

5. The neighbourhood is really interesting

4. The art displays downstairs are nice

3. The atmosphere is fantastic, all set up in a warehouse-turned-art-gallery like it is

2. The food is good

1. Because the poetry & music open mic (English mostly, but Chinese is welcome too!) every Wednesday night at 7:30 is lots of fun!

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Top Five Reasons to Hate Having a Bicycle Stolen

2008-10-26T08:25:00.000-07:00

5. Because it is a hassle to replace it

4. Because the thing was locked up after all

3. Because you don't like the thought that someone can take it from right in front of your gate

2. Because even if it was free, given to me by a friend who had never ridden it (given to her by a friend who had never ridden it), it was mine!!!!!

1. Because even if it was lousy and rusted, it was

MINE!!!!!!

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Top Five Reasons to Prefer Cycling to Running

2008-10-24T23:25:00.000-07:00

5. The perfect blend of body and machine... it is like being a cyborg prototype

4. It is easier to adjust to whatever weather conditions might crop up

3. It is easier to vary your route, and see different things each time you are out

2. You can cover much more ground

1. It is much safer to cycle on Shanghai roads than to run

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Top Five Things to Love About Mythologies

2008-10-20T19:05:00.000-07:00

5. The heroic deeds

4. The obvious dangers into which the protagonist walks so innocently

3. The funny messes people can make of things

2. The layers and layers of meaning

1. The ease with which they set up a black-and-white world that works

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Top Five Foods Not to Be Missed in Shanghai

2008-10-17T02:29:00.000-07:00

5. Xiao long xia (the shell fish that are in season in the spring)

4. Hairy crab

3. Duck's tongues

2. Xiao Long Bao

1. The pancakes that you'll see cooked at the stalls along the roadside (don't mistakenly think this are sweet; look instead for something spicy, and ask for extra chili)

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Top Five Memorable Lines from Dashboard Confessionals Songs

2008-10-14T22:45:00.000-07:00

5. "But this new diet's liquid / And dulling to the senses / And it's crude / But it will do"

4. "Turning to you is like falling in love when you're ten "

3. "And I am flawed / But I am cleaning up so well / I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself"

2. "I heard about your trip / I heard about your souvenirs / I heard about the cool breeze, in the cool nights, and the cool guys / That you spent them with / I guess I should have heard of them from you"

1. "Don't send me signals that are mixed / I can't read your rolling eyes"

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Top Five Mind Games to Play with Yourself When Running a Long Distance

2008-10-11T04:18:00.000-07:00

5. Fill your iPod with an hour (or however long you want to run) of good running music and see who lasts longer, you or your music

4. Set a goal, then make yourself run just a little further than that goal

3. Listen to a good audio book and you'll be surprised how fast the miles pass by

2. Keep repeating to yourself something that you want to memorize — a poem, a passage from a book, something like that

1. Find someone already running on the track when you get there who is clearly a little stronger of a runner than you are, start running when s/he begins a new lap, and see how long you can run before s/he catches you

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Top Five Difficulties Involved in Splitting Your Time Between Two Home Cities

2008-10-08T07:02:00.000-07:00

5. Some expenses need to be paid in advance, so you might have several months' worth of bills all at once

4. Midnight flights

3. Getting everything in order to allow you to be gone from one place for an extended period

2. Not leaving any loose ends in one place or the other (though it is almost sure to happen)

1. The repetition of all the rest of the disadvantages can make it really add up

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Top Five Reasons it is Fun to Make Your Home in Two Cities at the Same Time

2008-10-05T06:58:00.000-07:00

5. A break in routine is always nice

4. If a good show (concert or play) doesn't come to one of your homes, perhaps it will come to the other

3. The food doesn't get boring

2. The change in weather can be nice

1. You'll appreciate the good side of each home more (the old "absence makes the heart grow fonder effect")

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Top Five Songs for Cynics

2008-09-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

5. "Cynical" (sorry, couldn't help it)

4. "Can't Stand Losing"

3. "Hopeless"

2. "It Ain't Necessarily So"

1. "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"

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Top Five Ways to Feel You've Wasted a Day

2008-09-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

5. Sleep 'til noon (well, some days that doesn't feel wasted!)

4. Play video games

3. Go into a chat room and spend hours with people you will likely never encounter again

2. Encounter computer problems that seem that they can't be fixed, only to figure out that it was a minor issue that could've been easily settled right away (and I've certainly done that enough times!)

1. Wait in line for an hour to do something that takes about 5 minutes to complete (like, say, apply for a visa at the embassy)

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Top Five Reasons to Run on the Road Instead of at the Stadium

2008-09-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

5. All the inclines make it more challenging

4. It is cooler on the road than in the stadium

3. On the road, the people you might meet are so preoccupied with what they are doing that no one notices what a lousy runner you are

2. At certain times of day, the road is actually less crowded than the stadium

1. The scenery is way more interesting

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Top Five Memorable Lines from Karel Capek's Play Rossums Universal Robots (R. U. R.)

2008-09-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

5. DOMIN: The papers are full of paid ads, all the rest is nonsense.

4. HELENA: And this is what I shouldn't tell anyone?
DOMIN: No one in the world.
HELENA: It's a pity this is already in all the papers.

3. HELENA: It is said that man is the creation of God.
DOMIN: So much the worse. God had no grasp of modern technology.

2. HALLEMEIER: All of a sudden one of them goes and breaks whatever it has in its hand, stops working, gnashes its teeth — and we have to send it to the stamping mill. Evidently a breakdown in the organism.
DOMIN: A flaw in production.
HELENA: No, no, that's a soul!
FABRY: You think the soul begins with the gnashing of teeth?

1. DOMIN: If you were to read them a twenty-one volume encyclopedia they could repeat the contents in order, but they never think up anything original. They'd mike fine university professors.

A runner-up:

DOMIN: From a practical standpoint, what is the best kind of worker?
HELENA: The best? Probably one who — who — who is honest — and dedicated.
DOMIN: No, it's the one that's cheapest.

R. U. R. is a very funny play, written in 1921, about the robots' attempt to take over the world. The word "robot" entered our vocabulary via this play (it is from the Czech, meaning "slave.")

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Top Five Cycling Sites in Singapore

2008-09-17T16:49:00.000-07:00

5. East Coast Park is the best known, and with the extended path, it is really good, though East Coast Park itself is way too crowded on the weekends

4. The paths in the West are not perfect, but not too bad either

3. The path near Bottle Tree Village in Sembawang is not bad, but getting more crowded; on the other hand, it is also being extended now and might be very nice when it is done

2. Changi Beach

1. The full network of paths in the East is hard to beat

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Top Five Things to Love About Arcade Fire

2008-09-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

5. Weird choices of instrumentation that really work well together

4. Achingly good vocals

3. Previously undreamt-of harmonics

2. Driving rhythms that almost made the band crack this list

1. Lyrics packed with a subversive cynicism that never falls into rebellion for rebellion's sake

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Top Five Places to Find Good Travel Writing

2008-09-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

5. Peregrine Online isn't the best writing around, but I recommend it for obvious reasons

4. Budget Travel (a Frommer's publication) is great for those of us who love to travel, but have yet to inherit a fortune

3. I don't go to a new place without first checking the appropriate Lonely Planet guide

2. Action Asia is probably my favorite travel magazine ever. It has great information about adventure travel in Asia.

1. Galavanting is an travel ezine for women that I have recently come across — it might not be exactly what you expect when you hear "for women." Just check it out and you'll see.

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Top Five Reasons Not to Fly Over 40,000 Miles in Less Than a Week

2008-09-06T03:53:00.001-07:00

5. It might be harder to list 5 reasons one should fly over 40,000 miles in less than a week than it is to list reasons why one should not

4. You don't get to see anything that way, since nearly all the time is spent flying

3. Airline seats are not particularly comfortable when they function as beds

2. Airline food is not particularly suitable for human consumption

1. Jetlag squared

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Top Five Ways to Get the Word Out via Blog Ads

2008-09-02T10:27:00.001-07:00

5. Anything other than comment or trackback spam, both of which (along with any other sort of spam) are very uncool

4. Find all of your friends who blog and see if you can buy ad space from them

3. Browse good blogs and contact their webmasters yourself

2. Use a 3rd party company

1. Book ad space direct with good bloggers (like me!) who are willing to work out fair packages for hosting your ads (you can send your request for ad space on this blog, or any other blog I own, via this online form)

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Top Five Ways to Enjoy a Trip in Malaysia

2008-08-29T10:04:00.001-07:00

5. Find a good deal on a very expensive resort and live like a king, without having to sell off half your kingdom in the process

4. If you like sand and sun, go to the beach; if jungles and mountains are your thing, visit the highlands

3. Find a secluded spot and enjoy the quiet time

2. Rent a car and enjoy the drive

1. Go with good company, and anything will be fun

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Top Five Solo Artists: Music You Can Run to

2008-08-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

5. Eric Clapton (for reasons, see note on Sting)

4. Sting, but only because I'd take him anywhere

3. 许巍 (Xu Wei), even though some of the tunes are rather mellow, they tend to move along at a nice pace for the long run

2. Tracy Chapman is a surprisingly good companion for the long run

1. No one is better company on a long run than David Gilmour, and "Take a Breath" has to be one of the best running songs ever

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Top Five Bands: Music You Can Run to

2008-08-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

5. Maroon 5's music is usually fast-paced with a strong beat, making it good to listen to while you run

4. The Black Crowes has quickly become one of my favorite things to listen to while I run

3. I enjoy listening to Rush, because the powerful lyrics can often engage the mind and keep from boredom on a long run

2. Pink Floyd, just because it is Pink Floyd

1. Led Zeppelin is hard to beat when you are looking for company on a long run

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Top Five Ways to Show Appreciation to Your Favorite Blogs

2008-08-20T17:12:00.000-07:00

5. Visit often

4. Comment while you are there

3. Put them on your own blogroll

2. Link to their entries in your posts

1. Recommend your friends for inclusion in Alltop's directory

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Top Five Things to Look Forward to in the Next Few Weeks

2008-08-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

5. One more big lecture, then done for the semester!

4. The Major League Baseball season is moving to its most exciting stage

3. I've got a stack of to-be-read-ASAP books looking at me, and they look promising

2. More Olympic coverage (especially the track and field events!)

1. My upcoming road trip to Malaysia

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Top Five Things to Love About a Long Weekend

2008-08-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

5. Taking a little time to play doesn't mean you have to sacrifice time from other things... like sleep

4. Sleeping in is a very, very good thing

3. Good food and good fun shared with good friends

2. Lots of excitement wherever you go on a holiday weekend

1. Time reserved for friends and family

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Top Five Things to Enjoy About the Olympics Opening Ceremony

2008-08-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

5. The general excitement of it finally being in China

4. How much creative thought went into the planning of this event

3. Starting at 8/8/08 at 8:08 pm (again — how Chinese!)

2. The amazing fireworks

1. The kung-fu style flying torch-bearer (nice surprise!) and the video images of those who carried the torch before him

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Top Five Things to Know About Blog Problems

2008-08-05T06:51:00.000-07:00

5. Generally speaking, it is not fun to encounter any problems when maintaining a blog

4. Pretty much the worst feeling is when your server for some reason or another doesn't allow you access to your site

3. No matter how bad the problem, the resolution is a great feeling

2. Blogging problems = 0 sleep

1. "Problem" is just another name for an opportunity to make positive changes

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Top Five Things to Miss at Jurong Entertainment Centre After it is Torn Down in October

2008-08-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

5. The cinema

4. The video gaming room (not my favorite spot, but the kids I've taken there at various times always like it)

3. The (recently refurbished!) food court

2. The spaciousness of the place

1. Ice skating

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Top Five Things to Know About Lucky Plaza in Singapore

2008-07-31T02:27:00.000-07:00

5. It's the place to go if you don't mind knock-off items that look pretty close to the designs of the original products

4. If you don't like hearing the words "copy watch?", avoid Lucky Plaza

3. It is still possible to get cheap electronics there

2. If you aren't good at bargaining, disregard point #3

1. If you can't pass off as a local, disregard point #3

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Top Five Reasons to Visit ERoom Service

2008-07-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

5. There are all sorts of Modern Bedroom Furniture at eRoom Service that you will want to browse through before deciding what suits you best

4. Whether you are looking for furniture for the kids' room or your own, you'll be pleased with what you see

3. You're sure to find just the right Modern Platform Bed that you've been looking for when you shop at eRoom

2. And it's not just bedroom furniture, but there's also great furniture for the living room

1. And if you are looking to refurnish the dining room, you'll love what you see at eRoom too

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Top Five Things to Love About Al Purdy

2008-07-25T00:37:00.000-07:00

5. One of the most brilliant Canadian poets ever

4. He's a well-traveled man

3. There's a breadth to his work that is really quite impressive

2. The best words to describe his sense of humor are "wry" and "dry"

1. Science fiction + good poetry = lots of fun

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Top Five Reasons to Use Funetics for Your Kids

2008-07-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

5. It is one of the best tools you will find for teaching preschool children

4. Not only is it a phonics-based reading method for young learners, but it is really fun!

3. There's afree trial available before you buy, and a very reassuring no risk guarantee when you purchase the program to use Funetics with your children

2. Thousands of children have used the program to learn to read. Yours can too!

1. It is the perfect thing to do when getting ready for kindergarten, and exciting year for any child

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Top Five Reasons to Drink Tea in the Middle of the Night

2008-07-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

5. Tea actually doesn't have as much caffeine as many people think, so it shouldn't keep you up

4. There are so many different types of tea to choose from that you should never get bored with it

3. Tea is excellent for one's health ("seemingly endless" is the term used to describe the number of benefits in the video below)

2. Because The Tea Party at Sixth Avenue in Singapore is just one of the nicest places to hang out, and the tea is good

1. How often do you get a night out with the girls, without the kids?

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Top Five Reasons to Call National Relocation

2008-07-12T16:42:00.000-07:00

5. You can find a choice of Arizona home inspectors, and you can even submit your company for listing too

4. The Scottsdale home inspectors are ready and waiting to serve the needs of customers in their area

3. You can also find plenty of informations about schools in the area of your choice

2. The site offers an extensive list of information about neighborhoods around the country, allowing you to access all sorts of information before you purchase your property

1. You will find top-notch home inspectors in every part of the US, ready to serve the needs of home owners and prospective home owners

Top Five Things to Love About Midnight Movies

2008-07-12T06:04:00.000-07:00

5. Even the most mundane activities are an adventure, if they are conducted in the dead of night

4. The scary ones are scarier, the funny ones funnier, and the sappy ones sappier when seen in the middle of the night

3. It's usually a good way to avoid the crowd

2. It's fun to make the trip home late at night on the more or less empty streets

1. Leaving the kids at home in bed while you go out to play

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Top Five Reasons not to Fall Asleep Before the Laundry is Done

2008-07-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

5. Surely no one else is going to finish the job for you

4. It doesn't take that long to wash a load of clothes, does it?

3. Why put off till tomorrow what you can do today?

2. Clothes left wet overnight never smell very good the next morning

1. If it just so happens that the washing machine leaks, it is going to be a bigger and bigger mess the longer it takes you to realize that it has leaked....

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Top Five Reasons to Visit About Coolness

2008-06-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

5. There are some pretty funny things there, for those days when you need a chuckle (and who couldn't use at least one a day?)

4. Just in case you run out of prank ideas, you'll find one or two more there

3. There's even some cool stuff for nerdy types

2. And how about a look at some dumb things people do? (That even comes with a video!)

1. Ahem.... I think the name speaks for itself

Check out the blog about coolness for some good laughs and good times!

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Top Five Things to Love About Overnight Activities for Kids

2008-06-14T16:49:00.000-07:00

5. What could be better than packing up a bunch of stuff to take with you for a very short stay?

4. It's always healthy to do something different from your routine activities

3. The kids will love you for it

2. There's nothing more exciting to a kid than staying overnight with his/her friends

1. The effects — typified by a general grumpiness and lack of focus — stay with you for several days

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Top Five Things to Love About Pringles

2008-06-08T05:29:00.000-07:00

5. There are more flavors now than I care to count

4. Crispy, salty, and absolutely no food value

3. Easy to carry without crushing them, thanks to that can they are packed in

2. Easy to keep fresh in that nifty resealable can they come in

1. Speaking of the can, it is a great container for your ashes... when the time comes

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Top Five Reasons to Visit Seattleluxe

2008-06-07T07:08:00.000-07:00

5. When you visit Seattleluxe.com, you'll find more choices than you ever dreamed possible for your mailboxes

4. Perfect mailboxes might sometimes go unnoticed, but an ugly one never will

3. Mailboxes can beautify the space in which they stand

2. Good mailboxes protect homeowners from identity theft and all the problems that brings along with it

1. Seattleluxe.com has an incredible range of mailboxes for both commercial and residential use

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Top Five Things I Don't Like About the New Prince Caspian Movie

2008-06-06T07:46:00.001-07:00

5. It's a little too violent for its target age group

4. While I expect a departure from the original telling of the story, this one is way off

3. It is basically not well plotted, with a action-only orientation

2. The High King of Narnia in a brawl in a crowded Tube Station???? Come on!

1. Aslan becomes a side story to Peter's invented story (and hey, there might be some sort of commentary in that, considering the spiritual import of the original books)

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Top Five Reasons to Visit the Genre Mall

2008-06-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

5. You'll find some excellent fiction works

4. Gothic Press has a lot of speculative poetry, including several collections by Bruce Boston, one of the most prominent names in the field

3. There are loads of great anthologies there

2. You'll find all sorts of surprising odds and ends there

1. One of my own favorite publishing houses, Sam's Dot Publishing sells lots of titles there

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Top Five Reasons to Visit Camelback

2008-05-19T04:34:00.000-07:00

5. They have fantastic Table Top Displays for your trade show needs

4. The printed backdrop draperies really look great

3. You'll find all the pipe and drape you need at Camelback Displays

2. When you visit the site, you'll find the best banner stands around

1. You won't find a better place to locate trade show booths that allow you to display your wares to the best possible advantage

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Top Five Reasons it is Good to Be Home After 3 Months Spent Overseas

2008-05-14T04:42:00.000-07:00

5. The tastes of home when you sit down for a meal

4. A nice hot shower in your own bathroom

3. Sleeping in your own bed

2. The big "Welcome home" sign the kids are holding up to greet you

1. Making it home just in time for a 9th birthday

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Top Five Ways to Generate Traffic to your Website

2008-05-06T01:46:00.000-07:00

5. Engage the services of an SEO-writer to help get some hits in search engines

4. Submit your site at every directory you can find (or hire someone to do it for you)

3. Visit loads of chat rooms, blogs, etc., and comment intelligently

2. Spread the buzz when you Buy Reviews from Sponsored Reviews (If you are a blogger, you can sign up to do reviews too)

1. All of those tips are only useful if you consistently write good content for your site

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Top Five Bands to Get the Blood Pumping

2008-05-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

5. Maroon 5, though their most recent album isn't my favorite

4. Green Day always has something with a little "oomph" to it

3. The Black Crowes

2. Rush, if you like to think while you get the blood pumping

1. Led Zeppelin is still hard to beat

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Top Five Things that Frustrate the Diligent Blogger

2008-04-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

5. Writer's block

4. Real life, when its demands interfere with blogging time

3. Comment spam

2. A flood of ad offers coming in at once, being both preceded and followed by a "drought"

1. Proxy issues that prevent you from accessing your own blog, as well as those of your fellow bloggers

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Top Five Things to Miss About Singapore When on an Extended Stay in Shanghai

2008-04-08T03:12:00.000-07:00

5. Singlish

4. Warm weather, all day every day of the year

3. "Teh gao" (great — I shouldn't have mentioned it — now I will really be craving it...!)

2. These two:

1. Friends and family (oh come on! you knew that had to rank #1)

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Top Five Things to Do on a Lazy, Rainy Weekend

2008-04-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

5. Finish homework (I know, boring... but it has to be done)

4. Sleep in really late

3. Catch up on the DVDs you've been meaning to watch

2. Catch up on some reading

1. Enjoy a nice long dinner with friends, followed by a late night at the tea house

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Top Five Reasons to Continue Language Studies

2008-03-22T20:52:00.001-07:00

5. Language learning is always ongoing, so there is always plenty more to learn

4. If you can get the opportunity to do it in an environment where the language is used every day, you'll be shocked how quickly you can improve

3. It never stops to slow down life's pace and think about the things we say

2. Every language you know just opens up new opportunities

1. Newly acquired language always opens up a new way to see the world around us

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Top Five Things to Do on Your Birthday

2008-02-26T06:52:00.000-08:00

5. Sleep in

4. Clean house (well, it has to be done, whatever day it is)

3. Take a day off from normal responsibilities

2. Receive phone calls and well-wishes from friends

1. Enjoy a nice dinner with good company

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Top Five Things to Love About Chinese New Year

2008-02-06T17:21:00.000-08:00

5. The lively atmosphere — noisy songs and bright lights

4. The red packets!

3. The good food

2. The fresh start on a new year

1. The reunion with family and friends

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Top Five Reasons to Love Cycling

2008-01-28T21:41:00.000-08:00

5. You can go really long distances in a day by the power of your own body

4. Part of the thrill of it is being in the environment, instead of cut off from your surroundings inside a vehicle of some sort

3. There are some really cool bikes around these days that make cycling a real pleasure

2. It's good for the environment, unlike most vehicles you can travel in

1. The feeling of freedom is too much for words

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Top Five Reasons to Own a GE Dishwasher

2008-01-20T16:16:00.000-08:00

5. A GE dishwasher is always a better alternative to washing dishes by hand

4. An owner of a GE dishwashercan be sure s/he has an appliance that will last for a long time

3. A GE dishwasher is not only a good visual addition to the kitchen, but it runs quiet and smooth

2. A GE dishwasher is efficient and economical

1. When you own a GE dishwasher, you have one of the best kitchen appliances money can buy

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Animal Planet's Top Five Extreme Leaders

2008-01-16T05:10:00.000-08:00

5. Elephant matriarch

4. Elephant seal bull

3. Female naked mole rat

2. Queen bee

1. Termite queen

Don't you just love Animal Planet???

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Top Five Australian Holiday Spots

2008-01-07T23:28:00.000-08:00

5. There are many popular beaches and fishing holes in Perth, so book one of these fine perth hotels before you make your trip to the area

4. Don't miss the harbour front in sydney' it's a great site to visit

3. For great visits to churches, wineries, and the Murray River, find one of these great hotels in adelaide for a great price

2. There's a real surfer's paradise in Australia's Gold Coast, so you will surely want to check out the hotels in surfers paradise before you make your way Down Under

1. When you visit Gold Coast, there's loads to do at the theme parks and beaches, and it's a shopper's paradise; so check out these hotels in gold coast today

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Top Five Ways to Improve Your Mind in the New Year

2008-01-01T16:28:00.000-08:00

5. Visit a guru on top of a mountain in a remote location and soak up all the wisdom he has to offer

4. Take a class at your local college

3. Travel widely

2. Learn a new language

1. Join a blogging book discussion

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