Friday, April 06, 2007

Some Adjustment

Hi friends,

I'm sorry for not posting anything in the past few days: Several reasons are

- My eyes are too tired to face the laptop as I've been staring the monitor for 9 - 10 hours at work doing my monthly reports. When I reached home at night, my eyes are already very weak to blog. Watching TV or focusing my eyes to read the newspaper also add some stress to my eyes. My wife have covered me by posting the Guatemala Earthquake incident. But she too have her own commitments and are only capable to cover me once in a while. That's why associating with a guess blogger is important and can ensure continuous flow of our blog content. I'm planning to do so. Anybody want to be a guess blogger?

- I'm in process to switch from blogger to WordPress platform. This blog domain is http://zaki-yamani.blogspot.com. If you go to http://zakiyamani.com, you can see my new WordPress blog, but it's not ready yet, simply because the reason mentioned above plus I have to learn and explore WordPress. I need to get a new WordPress theme that can suit my taste and look nice and pleasant for readers. That may take some time to establish.

- Here comes the new weekend and we're heading to my in laws house in Kuantan. Hence, I'm not going to be able to do some blogging or other internet activities. There's no internet line connection in the house. There'll be some cyber cafe but I must check on the availability of my time to do so. Meeting family and relatives, chatting and keeping up to date, that's the reason of us heading there this afternoon. The last time we went there was last January.

Wrapping up: I hope you can wait and hold on. In a few weeks time (few weeks because I'm a part time blogger!!! a full time engineer...) , I'm pleased to the fact that of switching to my own WordPress blog having my own domain name and my own email address: zaki@zakiyamani.com. Hmmm...I like it.....

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Photo of the day - A sinkhole in Guatemala


GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala - A 330-foot-deep sinkhole killed at least two teenagers as it swallowed about a dozen homes early Friday and forced the evacuation of nearly 1,000 people in a crowded Guatemala City neighborhood. Officials blamed the sinkhole on recent rains and an underground sewage flow from a ruptured main.

The pit emitted foul odors, loud noises and tremors, shaking the surrounding ground. A rush of water could be heard from its depths, and authorities feared it could widen or others could open up.

Rescue operations were on hold until a firefighter, suspended from a cable, could take video and photos above the hole and officials could use the documentation to decide how to proceed.

The dead were identified as Irma and David Soyos, emergency spokesman Juan Carlos Bolanos said. Their bodies were found near the sinkhole, floating in a river of sewage.

Their father, Domingo, was still missing, according to disaster coordinator Hugo Hernandez.

Monday, April 02, 2007

Malaysia Stock Exchange Investment Blog

I've mentioned earlier in post that I'm working on stock trading investment. I've just invested in a company last Friday. I prefer not to reveal the amount of units that I've purchased and the company. Some tips (trusted information) said that the particular company's stock price will increase up to 200% (based on the project awarded by the government), but we don't know yet how long will the process takes place. I just hope, I'll get some damn good clean profit of at least 10% or more in 1-2 weeks time. I've already injected a couple thousands MYR in my trading account. I plan to invest in another 1 or 2 companies.

In conjunction with that, I started another blog in March entitled SAHAM 8993, which will share some informations, tips and updates related to the Malaysian stock market. I don't have much knowledge about the trading and investment industry (I'm still fresh, green and virgin!). Therefore, my colleague who has been successful in accumulating substantial wealth will be the main contributor for the blog. I hope it will be informative for those who want to learn, or already indulged in the industry and want to get hot tips and latest news on what's happening in the Malaysian stock exchange.

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Photo of the Day - Man Down, Goal Down

Losing 1-0 to Blackburn, Manchester United also lose defender Nemanja Vidic to injury (a dislocated shoulder). However, Manchester United managed to won 4-1 after scoring 4 goals in the second half. Goals by Paul Scholes (61), Michael Carrick (73), Ji-Sung Park (83), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (90). What a fantastic match! GettyImages

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Sunday, April 01, 2007

Photo of the Day - Run Around The World

In this file picture, Robert Garside runs on a beach in Kochin City, in the southern Indian state of Kerala 20, April, 2003. More than three years after he finished an epic journey across six continents, Garside has been officially recognized as the first person to run around the world.
On Tuesday, he will become the first person recognized as having run around the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Garside traversed the world over five years and eight months, crossing 30 countries on six continents and covering more than 30,000 miles(48,000Kms).(AFP/File/Ravi Raveendran)

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Saturday, March 31, 2007

Brand New Nokia E90 Coming Soon

Why have a separate notebook and mobile phone when one device can do it all? Well, almost. The Nokia E90 Communicator is the latest in the company's line of fold-open smartphones with QWERTY keyboards and come with wealth of connectivity options, including both quadband GSM and WCDMA (with 3G and HSDPA for high speed internet on to go), WiFi connection for hotspots and proper HTML browser (use FireFox for clearer, faster and better browsing). You can stay connected with E90 where ever you are.

If you need to do work or blogging!!!, E90 allows users to open and edit office documents which runs on Symbian OS v9.2 so you can expect a level of application sophistication close to a notebook PC.

And furthermore, there are two colours to choose from, cool black (excellent choice for your corporate husband and boyfriend) and hot red (suitable for your wife or girlfriend). E90 will be available soon. Check out more from Nokia.com.

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My Chemical Engineering World Blog Position in Search Engine

I wanted to search and check the position of my Chemical Engineering World blog (another blog that I owned which is more technical) in Google and Yahoo. To my surprise, Chemical Engineering World is at position at #4 in Google and #1 in Yahoo search when I search using "chemical engineering blog". The same blog appeared at #4 in Google and #8 in Yahoo when searched using "chemical engineer blog". I'm very pleased with the present blog's position so far, but I must improve the position of it in Google search engine.

In addition to that, Chemical Engineering World blog position is at #144 (page 14) when I searched using "chemical engineering". It is a more general term/key word that most people would search when seeking information about chemical engineering. I give up searching the blog's position at Google because I cannot find it until page 37! I definitely need to improve on the position when using this broader keyword (chemical engineering) in those search engine.

In order to have better position in the search engine, we have to include/mention the keyword repeatedly in our post, if possible in the title as well. The more keyword we have, chances of having a better rank in the search engine is higher. Then, I will always ping the blog from Technorati to refresh my blog content.

Conclusion: Ultimate goal is to be #1 in Google and Yahoo search engine for the keyword - "chemical engineering".


Chemical Engineering World at #4 in Google
(search using "chemical engineering blog")


Chemical Engineering World is at #1 in Yahoo
(search using "chemical engineering blog")

Chemical Engineering World at #4 in Google
(search using "chemical engineering blog")

Chemical Engineering World is at #8 in Yahoo
(search using "chemical engineering blog")

Chemical Engineering World is at #144 in Yahoo
(search using just "chemical engineering")

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Tuesday, March 27, 2007

A Part Time Blogger Concept

I go to work very early in the morning, and return home when it is already dark. Everyday, I arrive home and have a wonderful home cook dinner prepared by my wife (I'm lucky that my wife's cooking is marvelous and she loves cooking for me). I play a little bit with my three beautiful kids. Sometimes they're noisy playing around and sometimes they quarrel with each other. Well, they're just small innocent kids.

Before taking shower, I'll switch on the laptop and modem. After shower, praying, having dinner, I sit at the table with my right hand initially maneuvering the mouse. My eyes are laser focus reading emails and my favourite blogs. After about an hour or two, both of my hands are one the keyboard, posting something for the two blogs that I maintain (this blog and Chemical Engineering World). I will try my best to post on a daily basis for each blogs with such a limited time. To be frank, it is easier for me to post in Chemical Engineering World because of the daily working experiences and continuous learning process that I gained as a chemical engineer in an oil processing factory. However, posting for this blog, is quite a challenge. Actually I can post a lots of things happening around me, my family, friends and community. However, I don't want to be stressing too much on my personal story because I fear the readers will be bored with it. I plan to be more focus on the content for this blog and I want my readers to benefit from it big time. Therefore, I have decided to narrow down this blog scope to 'blogging tips', 'making money' and 'anything that linger in my mind'. Let me explain the concept of the blog.

Blogging tips
: I'll be discussing and sharing blogging tips that I learned and experienced all this while as a part time night blogger. It may cover areas such as increasing traffic, SEO, marketing, link exchange and much more. I'll be doing some link love with other established bloggers around. I welcome some link exchange as well. Just mention it in the comment area and we can be in a win-win position. Ultimate aim is to improve our blog rank.

Making money: Everybody wants to make money. Hence, I'm going to share my journey on making money online via blogging, affiliate marketing etc. I'm new in the industry (just discovered and began blogging last August), but thank God, I already received my first Google cheque last two weeks. My wife had a big smile on her face after the discovering the cheque. She already bank-in the cheque on my behalf. Now, I'm on my way to receive my second cheque. I noticed making money via blogging has an exponential effect. I could still remember how difficult it was for me to learn editing html, script code etc without any help. I went through it by try and error. Well, I'm still learning. It's a continuous process. This is part of the 'making money online'.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I'm now involve in the stock market investment. This is a great and fantastic area to make big bucks. However, again, we need to learn the market, formulas, tricks, technique and networking with other traders and brokers to get early and accurate information. There's a risks in stock market investment. Therefore, we need to be cautions on our decisions in buying and selling stocks. This is part of the 'making money off-line'. More of the off-line making money stuffs are to be grabbed out there. I'll share some of them in this blog later.

Anything that linger in my mind: This is the portion where I'll post whatever I'm thinking. It can be personal experiences, family outing, movies, vacation, food and beverages and many more. Sometimes, just posting about blogging tips and making money could be boring. Why not I include some piece of 'anything that linger in my mind' to spice up the world!

As I end this post, my wife is already asleep. She's exhausted and not feeling well after a very hectic day. Marsya, my first daughter has already slept as well. Ikhwan and Alya are still actively awake! For your information, it is already 1.05 am in the morning. I've been the laptop's best friend since 8.30 pm just now (that's why sometimes my wife complaints...). Tomorrow, I'm going to wake up at 6.00 am and drive to work at 7.00 am still being sleepy (the distance between my home and my work place is about 50 km and usually it took my one hour to reach there).

I can say this is my daily routine as a part time blogger, in progress to be part time stock market investor and full time chemical engineer. Not to forget, a full time husband and father. I'm tired and sleepy but I could not sleep without posting to this blog. OK, now that I've completed this post, I want to have some sleep. Adios!

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Monday, March 26, 2007

Getting Traffic To Your Blog

There are tonnes of techniques driving traffic to your blogs. Just google the keyword "increase traffic", or "traffic tips", or others, you name it, you'll get hundreds of blogs and websites teaching you techniques to increase traffic. Some of them give out free tips, free e-books, free newsletters, and others. Most of the time, there are too much to read and digest (if you don't have all the time in the world). Even if you are given 24 hours a day without sleeping, there are still too much of informations to learn and absorb, and our fatigue eyes could not stand staring the monitor.

Hence, I include some of the vital strategies/tips to increase traffic to your blog which I borrowed the some of the original content from Seth's Godin blog. Well, those are just 25 basic stuffs not to be missed out for bloggers.
  1. Learn enough to become the expert in your field.
  2. Break and announce news.
  3. Be timeless... write posts that will be readable in a year.
  4. Be among the first with a great blog on your topic, then encourage others to blog on the same topic.
  5. Share your expertise generously so people recognize it and depend on you.
  6. Encourage your readers to help you manipulate the technorati top blog list.
  7. Be snarky. Write nearly libelous things about fellow bloggers, daring them to respond (with links back to you) on their blog.
  8. Share linklove and expect some back.
  9. Include polls, meters and other eye candy.
  10. Tag your posts. Use del.ico.us.
  11. Do email interviews with the well-known.
  12. Answer your email.
  13. Use photos. Salacious ones are best.
  14. Encourage your readers to digg your posts. (and to use furl and reddit).
  15. Post your photos on flickr.
  16. Encourage your readers to subscribe by RSS or to email.
  17. Include comments so your blog becomes a virtual water cooler that feeds itself.
  18. Highlight your best posts on your Squidoo lens.
  19. Point to useful but little-known resources.
  20. Write about stuff that appeals to the majority of current blog readers (eg. blogging/gadget).
  21. Have relevant ads that are even better than your content.
  22. Write posts that each include dozens of track backs to dozens of blog posts so that people will notice you.
  23. Utilize forum. It's a great package to maintain your readers.
  24. Give credit to those that inspired, it makes your writing more useful.
  25. Ping Technorati. Or have someone smarter than me tell you how to do it automatically.
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Thought For the Day

A close colleague of mine at work that I respect email a very meaningful thought (below). After reading it, I felt connected and could relate myself to the message. I believe everybody reading it will feel the same. As we grew older, our physical/body keep changing slowly, progressively, but our self remains the same. Sometimes, we wonder and think, am I for real? Is true I'm already 20 years old? or 30 years old? or 40 years old? When I'm going to die? How will I die? I already have 3 kids, but yet sometimes I act like a child? But I am still my self. And I shall remain like this even after having grandchildren. In this short life, we should live in a meaningful way. We should be good to ourself, family, relatives, friends and communities. We should live happily even though we don't have everything we desire. Sometimes, we struggle financially but we still have a wonderful family to support and love us. We are still ourself!

"Suppose there is a plate, tumbler and spoon made of silver. Their names and forms are different, but silver is common to all of them. Names and forms change but silver remains unchanged. Likewise, a child becomes a boy, then a man and later on, an old man. The form keeps changing but the spirit remains unchanged. Do not repose your faith in the body, which constantly changes. Body is like a water bubble; mind is like a mad monkey. Do not follow the body, do not follow the mind. Follow the conscience. Conscience is the “Self”. Have total faith in the “Self”. You are bound to face problems if you rely on the body, the mind and the senses. However, so long as you live in this world, you have to discharge your duties using your body and the mind as instruments."

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Sunday, March 25, 2007

Transformers Movie Teaser

Transformers Movie

I went to the cinema with my wife today, just the two of us, alone. Nowadays, it's difficult for us to watch movie because our three kids are still small to join us. Luckily, we have a good and trusted maid to take care of them while we were out. We don't have any movie in particular to watch. We just went there, scan through the movie listing, and decided to watch a Malay movie called "Mukhsin".

However, a teaser theatrical triller shown before the movie (Mukhsin) really caught my attention. The sound effect, stunt, action and fire power made me wonder what movie is this?
To my surprise, it is Transformers the movie and it is not a cartoon. Transformers was my favourite robot cartoon series since I was small. I always watched and sketched most of the robots. My robot heroes back then were Hot Rod (race car), Blaster (stereo cassette player), and of course Optimus Prime (commander of the heroic Autobots).

It's going to be a super great movie and I know it definitely will be simply because Steven Spielberg is the man behind it. The movie is going to played this July and look forward watching it.

When Transformers The Movie cartoon was played in the 1986s, I immediately grab hold of the video and watched them repeatedly. My guess, I have watched the cartoon movie almost 30 times or more. I even have the DVD now at home (which I borrowed from my younger brother), and my 5 year old son is always playing it. I believed, he has been watching it for more than 10 times already. Like father like son!

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Saturday, March 24, 2007

Google Checkout Referal

Now, in addition to AdSense, AdWords, Firefox with Google Toolbar, and Google Pack, you can now refer your users to Google Checkout through AdSense. Checkout gives your users a faster, safer, and more convenient way to shop online.

Every time you refer a user to Google Checkout, you make a little money. It's a simple process that includes all of three steps:

(i) You place the Checkout referral button on your site.

(ii) Someone clicks on the button, signs up as a buyer with Google Checkout using a valid U.S. credit card, and completes a purchase of at least $10 through Checkout within 90 days. (The current $10 minimum purchase corresponds to existing $10 promotion for new buyers, so this amount may change in the future.)

(iii) You earn $1. Please note that Checkout referrals are currently only available for U.S. publishers (which means a lot of publishers around the world including me could not yet take this opportunity), and Google Checkout is currently only available for buyers with a U.S. credit card. We hope to make both Checkout and Checkout Referrals available in more countries soon.

It costs nothing to sign up (in fact, you'll even get a $10 bonus) and it'll make shopping online a easier. For more information, please read Jack Chou post in Inside Adsense: Referals, Now with Google Checkout. As a publisher outside U.S., we look forward to use Google Checkout.

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Friday, March 23, 2007

Making Money by Investing

I finally met my broker yesterday after work. The broker was a young man, aged 24, majoring in business administration, recently graduated from Multimedia University, a private university in Malaysia owned by Telekom. He explained some basic stuff about the stock investment market as well as some regulations related to it. I listened tentatively and asked few questions to ensure I really understood everything. He was very helpful and well verse on the industry (or maybe I'm fresh and still green?!).

When asked, how much am I willing to invest? I answered, as a beginner (still new and plenty to learn and absorb), I'm ready to gamble (not the correct word); invest MYR 2,000.00 (that's after discussing with my secretary and accountant, which is my intelligent wife). That figure is not that much, but it's still valuable money that we can use for paying off some of our accumulated debts (ops...did I talked too much?). I'm going to bank-in the money this weekend to my stock account and will further decide on which company to "take over!!!" ha ha....

I hope, with some research and a little bit of luck, I can gain some profit from the stock market. Wish me luck and pray for me.

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Learn Website Traffic From The GURU

"I'm having very poor traffic",
"Nobody is coming to my site",

"I'm frustrated with the number of unique visitors coming to my blog"
,
"How can I increase my traffic?"


Can you associate the above statement with you? If yes, you need to check out HarpZon. This is the ultimate blog discussing about "IDEAS AND TIPS TO INCREASE WEBSITE TRAFFIC". I stumbled upon Harpzon about three weeks ago. It is a brand new blog packed with various information on techniques to improve website and blog traffic. In addition to that, Mitchell Harpz, a 24 year old good looking lad, a successful entrepreneur (interspire.com), a dedicated owner of the blog, discussed and shared some of his personal life and blogging experiences. Check out how tasty his breakfast was and some healthy tips which is practical to follow.

For a new site in the blogging world (can be considered blogging industry now!!!), I must say I'm impressed with the number of readers Mitchell managed to attract. In fact he is very generous to compile and give out a free copy of "Blogging Traffic Blueprint". I downloaded the blueprint, comprehend and digested it yesterday. I highly recommend the Blogging Traffic Blueprint for any bloggers having burning desire for better page rank and a flux of traffic.

Mitchell has also introduced a cool and brilliant concept called link love. He gives opportunity to other bloggers to review his blog (positive or negative....anything will do..) and in return, he will provide a back link to the reviewer's blog, which will somehow help to increase traffic.

Harpzon is now one of my favourite blog that I must read everyday (exception if I'm going outstation or vacation or my modem is spoilt). I cannot afford to miss any new multiple content published daily by him. I hope Mitchell will continue posting quality fresh content that will benefit and enriched his loyal hungry readers like me. And I wish him more and more success in future.

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