Pinky Problem

So my laptop died on me yesterday. It started late Sunday evening, when Pinky first began showing ailing signs. I was hoping they would go away soon but the next day saw her condition becoming worse.

I was frantic with worry mostly because I was working on a very technical, very long-winded translation on final expense insurance quotes and seniors burial insurance. I'm so used to translating insurance brochures but this burial insurance for funeral topic requires specific terms from those I am accustomed to. This means I would basically spend a big portion of my work time researching and utilizing insurance dictionaries online. With Pinky being sick, I'd not be able to do much work online and by then, she was already freezing every few minutes and I'd have to restart her again and again before getting connection.

Honestly, how could I focus on Funeral Consumers Alliance when all I could think about was poor Pinky gradually but surely dying from her yet to be identified disease? I was also busy salvaging whatever data I could before Pinky stopped breathing for good.

Worrying about my pending insurance job plus the frustration of trying to diagnose Pinky was taking its toll on me both physically and mentally. If there's such a policy to protect one from mental stress caused by computer problems; I'd send in my insurance application immediately! Pinky was almost dead by then and I was overwhelmed with stress and practically in tears!

Anyway, I was worried all day and tired from staying up all night so after saving my data, we rushed Pinky to the PC Clinic yesterday.

The diagnosis so far is that my Windows OS seems to be malfunctioning; cause yet to be determined. I left Pinky behind at the clinic and I hope to receive some good news. The bad news however is that she is also suspected of having a hard disk infection, which I'm hoping against hopes, turns out to be negative. I do appreciate all your well wishes for my pretty pink baby on Twitter and I hope to get back online full-time soon.

-FC Scoreboard points for my first THREE commenters-

MONICADAVIDTEKKAUS

News from the Hospital

Good morning! It's Sunday and I'm feeling good because my baby is coming home today! I always miss him when he's not around so I'm looking forward to B's arrival later tonight.

Yesterday was an exhausting day. I spent the whole day at Subang Jaya Medical Centre visiting my mom who has been admitted for a nerve-related condition. She's currently undergoing physiotherapy and is supposed to remain in the hospital for a week. Fortunately, the condition appears to be manageable and we hope it will not lead to severe effects like paralysis.

Thank you to everyone who sent their well wishes my way and I'm happy to report that it's looking positive for my mom. I did ask her about the financial aspect of the hospital stay seeing that a week in SJMC will undoubtedly cost my parents a bomb! Thank goodness she is covered (at least partially) by her health insurance so I'm hoping the final bill will not give my Dad a heart attack when he sees it!

Insurance plays a vital role in my life too. As a freelance copywriter, I am responsible to pay for my own health insurance. So every month, I have to prepare a certain amount of money for this purpose. My premiums are paid on a monthly basis but lately I've been thinking of making things easier with an annual payment. That way I don't have to worry about forgetting my monthly premium by getting it out of the way with an annual payment. So peeps, please remind me to call my insurance agent one of these days!

For my US friends and your other insurance needs such as Business Insurance, Business Insurance by state, Auto Insurance, Life Insurance and more, you may want to check out Local Insurance. As the Web's Largest Network of Local Insurance Agents, LocalInsurance.com is managed by a team of insurance experts who provide regional insurance resources for those in need.

Aside from basic service, you can also find out all the insurance information you need in your area; specifically the insurance laws and requirements for your respective states. By connecting you directly with professional insurance agents in your state of residence, you will be accorded with efficient personalized service to help you shop for the best insurance rates whilst tailoring your insurance policy to meet all your needs. Sounds great? Happy surfing and happy Sunday too!

-FC Scoreboard points for my first THREE commenters-

LADY JAVA
ELAI
DEBBS

Mad Mariuca!

I hate to start the New Year by whining and moaning over bad service but this is way overdue and I can no longer hold back my frustration and anger! :(

Firstly, I understand being a blogger has its ups and downs and one can never be truly content with every programme available online. I totally get that it takes time and patience for me to get what I want from a particular programme, especially if it's a big established name. I am also not that impatient of a person so I do accept the leeway you require in responding to my requests and what not. What I fail to understand however is the amount of time some programmes require in conveying their response to me. Despite several times following up on my issue at hand, I am still left out in the cold with nobody to entertain my ticket. It pisses me off when I am made to wait unnecessarily. I am not asking for much and a short response will suffice to let me know the status of my situation.

If you must know, I am referring to Blog Explosion. Ironically, the one programme that made me happy previously is now causing me much grief and anger. I understand that BE is an established programme, with many members to fend for but seriously, don't they care enough about a loyal member like yours truly? I have been a BE supporter since last year and was enjoying my membership by getting to know other new blog members and participating in their many interesting games like Blog Rocket and Battle of The Blogs. Not only was I an active member but I enjoyed my stay at BE very much, even spreading the word on them in my effort to send more referrals their way, 173 to be exact!

My problem began when I finally purchased my own domain back in November last year, which saw me having a new URL for my blog. I immediately wrote to all my blog programmes, which I am members of to let them know of my current scenario. Most of them were really efficient and responded almost immediately, making the new URL change for my blog without fuss. I did the same thing for BE and edited my blog URL under my BE account. When I did that, my account was immediately put on hold and though I am still a registered member, my status was set to waiting for approval. This means I still hold membership but am not eligible to enjoy certain BE features. I was a little baffled especially since I have already been accepted prior to my new URL, so what's up with the waiting list? It's not like I'm submitting an entirely new blog for approval!

So I waited for weeks, all the while missing out on the fun my BE buddies Roxy, LJ and Debbie were having without me! When there was still no response, I sent BE a ticket, explaining to them my situation again, hoping that this would at least get their attention. I informed them that I'm merely requesting for a new URL change and to please approve my account so I can get back into the swing of things with my other friends at BE. It has been more than a month since I sent in my ticket and today, I checked my status again for the hundredth time only to see that there was still no response! :(

Seriously, how long does it take for them to change my old URL to the new one? Are they really that busy and find it impossible to respond to my query and request, despite my loyalty and love for BE prior to this predicament? As it is, they rejected MPG for no real reason, and now they want to keep me in suspense over my pending account? How much longer do I have to wait? More importantly, will I have the patience to hold on? I have a good mind to cancel my so-called membership with BE as I am not feeling any love from them at all! What's the point of being a member in a prestigious program only to have them mock me this way? :(

I am really pissed off right now thinking about my predicament with BE. Now why can't they take note of other programmes or companies who do provide excellent customer service and respond to customer queries or complaints in a jiffy like Autonet Insurance for instance? A leading provider of high quality insurance products, I hear they provide the best insurance deals online AND excellent customer service for their customers. Apparently you can find any type of insurance here to meet your insurance needs. From travel and home insurance to pet and business insurance, you will be able to decide on the best one for your personal or family needs. With dedicated professionals to help you secure a great deal and a 24-hour claim line for easier and faster communication, your full satisfaction is guaranteed here. Now that's what I call customer service, giving your clients or members in my case, exactly what they want with no wait or delay! If anyone is looking for insurance right now, feel free to give them a visit yeah? :)

As you can see, Mariuca is not a happy camper today. I hate waiting and this is one day too many! Oh by the way, I am also pissed off with another program I joined online for refusing to pay me for an article I did for them, despite the 3 emails I have sent them! And this payment was due middle of last year mind you but I am already spent from my venting on BE here, so I will save that story for another day. Right now my full focus and anger is reserved solely for BE! Now who wants to cheer me up? ;)

Posted at 5.15 AM

Cat Insurance for Benji

When we first brought Benji home, I thought he was the cutest little thing I've ever seen. I was so entranced by this tiny creature that was filled with curiosity as he slowly made his round, sniffing every corner of our home. Benji also seemed to get along fine with our first cat Chubbster, so it looked like everything was going great.

It was only later that night when we realised that Benji was not eating. Whenever we lead him to his food bowl, he'd completely ignore it and stare silently at his food. Refusing to eat or drink, he would remain still, almost statue-like and would not budge until we picked him up. We initially attributed it to discomfort in adapting to his new surroundings but his condition persisted throughout the night. He was also very clingy and looked almost vulnerable, like we do when we fall sick.

The next day, we took Benji to our neighbourhood vet where we were assured that he was merely acting up due to his new environment. He was sent home after a worm shot but his condition worsened and he became extremely listless and could barely walk. We started to panic then as we supposedly purchased a healthy kitten, but all the signs were obviously showing otherwise.

We decided to rush Benji to Healing Rooms pet hospital in Subang Jaya for a second opinion. As it turned out, Benji was suffering from a type of feline condition with a really weird and long name, which I still can't recall until today. If left untreated, he would not have made it for another night! With much reluctance, we left him behind for observation and treatment. He had to be put on drip since he wasn't taking any food or water. We visited him the next day and I snapped this picture using my phone camera, which is why the quality is rather poor. One of his legs had to be shaved to accommodate the drip and he had to use a collar to prevent him from chewing the tube. Benji looked miserable and was meowing desperately for us to bring him home, poor baby!

After 3 nights at the pet hospital, we were allowed to bring him home with a clean bill of health. His treatment came up to almost RM400 but we were just relieved to have our baby back that we didn't bother much about the cost. Our happiness was short-lived however as he was attacked by another condition several weeks later; a skin problem, which led to some serious fur shedding and unsightly patches on his skin. This time, we had to take him for a weekly medicated wash, which including consultation cost us minimum RM70 per visit. This amounted to a very high sum in the end but since Benji was showing gradual improvement, we continued his treatment for several months. Benji was rather moody and depressed during this period. Notice the red patch on his nose?

By the way, when he was younger, Benji's eyes were a beautiful shade of blue. We noticed his eyes gradually changing color after a while and enquired about the possibility of his disease causing this change. The vet assured us that this was not the case. Usually when eyes change colour, it is due to age and genetics but this would normally occur before 6 months old. It is normal for this to happen but you can of course have your cat checked by the vet to ensure there are no major malignancies that are causing this pigmentary change.

Our little scare with Benji really opened our eyes to the fact that caring for cats is a major responsibility that could get quite costly, especially if you're handling Persians like me. Aside from their food, vet bills and grooming maintenance, there are emergencies where you need to be financially ready for. If we had some form of pet insurance for Benji back then, perhaps we could have saved a bit of money. Apparently, there are insurers who provide pet protection such as Autonet HGV Insurance Group. Besides the usual car, truck, home and travel insurance, Autonet HGV Insurance Group also offers Pet Insurance at unbeatable prices with a money back guarantee. They will gladly give you a refund if you can find another cheaper pet insurance with equal coverage. Covering both cats and dogs, this pet insurance will definitely give pet owners added peace of mind knowing that their hefty vet bills will be covered should something happen to your furry friend. So if you're a pet owner who'd like to find out more on the exclusions and coverage provided, do stop by Autonet HGV Insurance. You can also get a quick online quote for a tailored pet policy, according to your pet's needs and requirements.

Today, Benji is a healthy, chubby cat with beautiful brown eyes. His favourite pastime is lazing around and snacking. We love the fact that we have our own little Benji tale to tell our friends; we tend to get so dramatic when relating the story on how we almost lost Benji when he was a kitten. From a scrawny looking thing that was so sickly at one point, Benji has grown into our chubbiest cat with the longest and healthiest coat of fur. In fact, he just turned 2 a few days ago so Happy Birthday Benji! We love you and hope you'll remain healthy and fluffy forever! :)