Email Sign Offs

Has anybody else got stuck at the end of an email because they didn't know what to put on that line above their name? I just did. It took me a minute to write the email and nearly half and hour to end it.

I must have so much time on my hands tonight that I'm pondering the various meanings of email sign offs. My usual is 'regards'. If it want it to sound a tad warmer, I use 'take care'. If its just meaningless emails on Facebook then I probably put a 'cheers' on the end or just not have anything before my name.

But when I really think of it, they sound a little fake. I would genuinely like to say 'Have a nice day!' but I always think that the other person would just assume that I don't really mean it. So, I leave that off. For my own fun, I would like to just stick a 'Live Long and Prosper' permanently before my name but that would make people think I'm odd.

It turns out that there are plenty of articles on this topic. The funniest site I stumbled across was this list of email signatures :


1. Warning: Dates in Calendar are closer than they appear.

3. Give me ambiguity or give me something else.

4. I.R.S.: We've got what it takes to take what you've got!

5. We are born naked, wet and hungry. Then things get worse.

6. Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot.
He who laughs last thinks slowest!

7. Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.

8. Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.

9. Artificial Intelligence usually beats real stupidity.

10. Hard work has a future payoff. Laziness pays off now.

11. "Very funny, Scotty. Now beam down my clothes."

12. Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be happy.

13. Consciousness: that annoying time between naps.

14. I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it.

15. Better to understand a little than to misunderstand a lot.

16. Where there's a will, I want to be in it.

17. Okay, who put a "stop payment" on my reality check?

18. We have enough youth, how about a fountain of SMART?

19. All generalizations are false.

20. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

21. C program run. C program crash. C programmer quit.

Weird Websites

I finally got the chance to sit down with Saturday's paper today. Yes, each Saturday, I buy it and hope that I will somehow get through the whole newspaper before the next Saturday arrives. Anyway, in amongst horrible news about nail bombs and confusing news about the carbon tax, I came across a readers poll of the 20 Weirdest Websites. Ironically, I buy the real newspaper so that I don't only read the short online versions of the news but the snippet about the weird websites provided a link for me to get the full details online.

It was a little disappointing to find that some of the links didn't work but of those that worked, there were several amusing ones. Here are my favorite:

The Gallery Of "Misused" Quotation Marks
This one was my favorite. I'm no expert at the English language but I'm always on the look out for incorrect uses of words or typos. (By the way, I missed the photo op in Sydney but we were at a restaurant and they had a seafood dish, 'Fillet of God', on their menu).

At One Million Giraffes one person bet another person that they could collect pictures of one million giraffes. Initially, I didn't think very much of this site but upon closer inspection, there are many interesting giraffe photos here. I think I'd describe this site as amusing rather than weird.

I found this to be the funniest - I Hate Tom Cruise. You have to go visit here and read through all the entries.

Anyway, for the full listing, click here. Some of the sites are just bizarre and useless (like this one) and others are a little sick. You be the judge.

Solve the Rubik's Cube - Check!

I've had a one track mind for the past few days. I've been twisting and turning the Rubik's cube any chance I get. And now, finally, I can solve it. YAY! I'm definitely not a speed solver (I think the record is something around 10 seconds) but I am getting it solved. Anyway, I learned the technique online at this site.

I enjoyed the challenge with the cube and now I'm going to try to learn chess. Online of course. Its been such a long time since I've learned something (I'm not talking about learning things to do with parenting) that I forgot how much fun it is. Chess is something that I have zero knowledge of. I don't know how the pieces move or what the rules are. All I know is that people say "Check" when they are nearly winning and "Checkmate" when they actually win.

So why chess? I'd like to say that my sole motivation is to learn something new. But, its also because I want to teach Aaron (eventually). I don't want to come across as one of those mothers who are over eager about making their children brainy but I do want to do fun things that will help his brain develop as well. Chess might teach him strategy and I did hear that its fun as well. Right?

Anyway, if chess isn't fun enough, I'm also trying to learn how to juggle.

Any other suggestions for things I can learn on the internet?

Phew! Internet is BACK

Yesterday's internet connection was so frustrating. I'd have it one minute and then lose it the next. It was sick like this the whole morning and then by afternoon, it was gone. Richard rang up and was told that the construction workers building a flyover in town had accidentally severed the main fiber optic cable. Now why was it on/off in the morning. Did they saw slowly into it? Who knows? Anyway, its back and I'm relieved.

Loss of connectivity made me think of a conversation I had with my friend who recently moved to Shanghai. She's complaining that the internet speed is extremely slow there and directed me to this line from Catshanghai to describe what it was like:

Using the Internet in China is like being constipated with someone else’s bowel.


I had a good laugh at that and realized that I actually have it good here in Palembang. Before moving to Indonesia, Richard and I were obsessed about finding a way to live and work in China for a while. I know I now live in a somewhat 'backward' little town and Shanghai is a modern and exciting mega city but maybe living in Palembang is better for me after all....for now.

With my current lifestyle, as in the one where I stay at home all day with Aaron, the internet has become an indispensable part of my life. We have no friends or family here so the Internet is a HUGE part of my social life. You may think thats sad but I enjoy it and it suits where I am now.

There is also Google where I go to for all my medical questions. Yes, it does feed my paranoia but its the most knowledgeable doctor I know here. More seriously though, the internet came in very handy last year when Aaron broke out in a rash all over his body. I was able to take photos of this and email it to his pediatrician in Ipoh. I did take him to a local doctor too but they have a tendency to over prescribe. So, the Ipoh doctor was able to look at the problem and then let me know which of the multiple drugs prescribed needed to be taken. He also gave me a long email explanation on allergies and babies.

YAY! For the Internet!