We live in "Interesting times"!

I know one of the issues for people in Malaysia trying to access Malaysia Today (even the new site) is the blocking of the site at government instructions. So, below please find some instructions to get around this, and future, blocks. Give it a try first, and if you find it is working for you, please feel free to pass this information around. I have tried it out and had no problems. Note, this is for Windows users, but I'm sure Mac users would also know how to update their DNS server ids..... And if you want more information, Google for "openDNS" and you will get all the info you want!

Method 1:
1) Click START in the Windows Bar, and choose "Control Panel" from the pop-up menu.
2) The Control Panel window will open. Double-click on "Network Connections"
3) The "Network Connections" window will open.
4) Right click on the relevant icon that represents your method of connection to the Internet
5) From the menu that pops up, choose PROPERTIES
6) This will open up a small window, in which you will see a list of items which would include things like "Client for Microsoft Networks", "File and Printer Sharing...", etc. Scroll down that list and select "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)", and then click on the PROPERTIES button just below.
7) This will open another small window with two or more tabs. Normally it should show the GENERAL Tab, and on this there would be 2 sections - one for IP addresses, and one for DNS servers. (Note, sometimes it is not the General tab, it could be the Networks tab... )
8) Click on the "Use the following DNS server addresses" option (the little button on the left of that option should be selected).
9) Enter the following data into the PREFERRED and ALTERNATE DNS Servers
Preferred: 208.67.222.222
Alternate: 208.67.220.220
10) Click OK, the window will close
11) Click OK on the Properties window and it will close.
12) Try it now!!! You may have to reboot, but most likely not.

Method 2:
1 - 4) Double click on the network connection icon that shows in the windows bar
5 - 12) same as Method 1.

If any problems, just re-do all the above steps, and when you get to step 9, just select "Obtain DNS Server address automatically", and that will revert you to your original settings.

Good luck!
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We spent last weekend in KL - managed to squeeze in some time to meet up with friends whom we have not seen for a VERY long time, Friday dinner with parents and sister and family, but we also had to run all our usual errands - mostly to do with our condo units and clearing mail boxes, paying bills, et al.

Tonight Husband is off to Houston for meetings... flight departs at 2am(!!), arriving back in KL very early on Saturday morning - this is better than his original schedule where he wasnt arriving back till next Tuesday! Mind you, since I wasnt actually expecting him back till Sunday at the earliest, I had gone and scheduled lots of appointments (CPF, Pedicure, dinner, etc) for Saturday, and now he is back on Sat! Hopefully he will be awake enough to join me for the dinner if nothing else.

Nothing else for now. Till next time... have a good life.

An efficient Govt dept!!!!

Yep, believe it or not, there IS one!

I took my Sis-in-laws advise, and Husband and I drove to Melaka on 23rd Aug to do my passport renewal on 24th Aug (Yes, Sunday... Yes, they are open in Melaka). Anyway, first of all, we had the pleasure of taking our 2 gorgeous nieces and extremely tall and handsome nephew out for dinner on the 23rd. Went to an Italian restaurant in one of the main hotels in Melaka. The food was VERY good (the bread was FRESH and EXCELLENT).. but BOY was the service SLOW!! We had to remind them several times to get us the bread, and it still did not turn up until Husband got hold of the manager. The warm water that I asked for tasted like vegetables had been washed in it, and it took forever to get the drinks we ordered - AND it took forever to place our order. BUT, when the food did come, it was truly excellent, and silence reigned supreme while we enjoyed every bite. Nieces #1 and #2 decided to have dessert and ordered the house speciality - the Tiramisu. And, suffice to say, if YOU ever order that Tiramisu at that restaurant, then make sure it is your FIRST course, not your last one - as it comes in a martini glass the size of a bucket - and I am NOT kidding you!

Sunday 24th Aug morning, my brother took me to the passport division. Got there at 8.30am, and it took till 9.30am to get a form, fill it up, wait for my number to be called to submit the form, then wait for my number to be called again to pay for the passport. Then they told me I could get my new passport at 10.30am! Phew! Anyway, headed home first - had breakfast, read the papers. Bro and Sis-in-law went to the hospital to do their rounds, etc, and then around 10.30am Husband and I went back to the passport office. Got there just before 11am, and lo and behold, my passport was ready and it took all of 1 minute to hand in the receipt, get my passport, sign for it, and head out. I am STILL impressed by the speed of delivery. So... if they can be so efficient, what on earth is stopping all other govt departments in Malaysia from being equally efficient? Is there a different breed of people staffing the passport division? What? Whatever it is - KUDOS to the passport division!!

We stayed for lunch at Melaka, as it was nephew's birthday (16 already! Man, time flies past!), and then headed back to Singapore, where we had the pleasant surprise of getting through Singapore immigration in "only" 25 minutes. It is kinda ironic that Singaporeans used to complain about how slow Malaysian immigration is at the Checkpoint and 2nd Link, but now Malaysian immigration is super fast, and Singapore immigration is incredibly slow. I wonder why as well - as it is NOT like Singapore to have ANY govt department that is not super-efficient.

Well folks, that is it for now. Till next time... have a great life.