My shopping site needs a name

Some time back I was talking about coming up with an online pet store. I'm now in the midst of thinking of a suitable name for it. I want the name of my store to bear the same web address so I guess I should start with checking whether the names I come up with are still available on the world wide web.

I've already found a site to do my domain registration so all I need to do is narrow down my list of names and hope that my favourite name is free and available. This site that I'm planning to buy the domain from is rather inexpensive. There are so many of such services out there but this particular one has convinced me to buy from them.

It has a host of other services available too. Most likely I will take up a package and just pick up whatever else that will be necessary for my little pet store. This is going to be a fun business!

Do cats eat less as they age?

I'm not sure about this...I've noticed my 3 girls have seem to cut down on the amount of food they normally take in. Is it because of age, or are they just sick of the food? It can't really be the latter because I make sure I change the flavour with each bag of cat food that I purchase. Could it be because they're upset too? Or is it that their tummies and appetites have just gotten smaller?

I haven't weighed them for a while already, too. The last they visited a vet was more than a year ago. They had their vaccination done at home so they weren't checked on their weight. I feel that they have gotten a little light when I picked them up...which is not surprising seeing that they didn't eat as much nowadays.

I'm not too concerned at the moment because they don't appear to be ill. But if they keep cutting back on food continuously, maybe it's time to have them checked on. You reckon?

Getting lucky in the new year?

When the Chinese New Year dawns upon us in just a matter of a week from now, we will enter the Year of The Rat. I looked at my Chinese Zodiac sign's prediction for the new year and it seems to say only good things. Apparently, luck is on my side too!

Maybe I should try my hands at playing a game or two at a casino on days which are said to be my "lucky days". But I'm not one to play blindlyly as I am very careful with my money.

So before i put any bets on the table, I'll do a little study of the many casinos out there. I found a blog that writes about the different casinos, their style of games and what my best odds are playing on whichever site I choose.

It's got some useful articles and for a newbie like me, it'll definitely help to find the most suitable online casino and games. Now here's what I call smart betting!

Be a smarter online bettor

I'm one who's not gamed to bet. I'm lousy at it, probably because I don't think to think too much. I hate losing money too so it's rather stressful for me even if I lose just one bet. That's why I've never been to a casino.

A friend of mine is hooked on gambling. She used to visit her regular casino almost every weekend. But since the price of fuel has gone up, she has decided to cut down her trips because it's rather far.

Since then she has started gambling online. She finds this even better since she can bet anytime of the day, everyday! I cautioned her about placing her bets online but she assured me that she's done enough research about the sites she plays at.

She uses the service of a website called Pro360.com that reviews and ranks different online casinos available. She finds the information provided to be useful as it saves her time to gauge whether a particular online casino is suitable.

This site reviews a total of 75 online casinos at the moment. Besides ranking them, the site also shows the ratings of the casinos by players themselves. All these independent reviews and ratings are more definitely very beneficial to new players. At least now I don't have to worry about my friend playing on non-suitable sites.

Cool baby gift

Having a new baby in tow, my shopping radar have now expanded to include the baby department. I'm always looking for a reason to buy stuff for the baby, but then again why should I need a reason? My baby deserves all the gifts in the world!

While looking for unique baby stuff, I saw this site that offers Personalized Baby Gifts and was immediately hooked! I get to create a gift specially just for my little one, and no one else will have the same! What caught my eye was this special photo blanket.

Now all those beautiful pictures we took of baby will have some use other than being placed in frames. It gives me even more reasons to snap even more pictures now!

Even though baby is too small now to appreciate the gift, I'm sure he'll grow up to like it as much as I do. We'll just have to make sure to was it gently so that it remains in good conditions in the years to come.

Smorty sounds good?

The first time I heard the name Smorty, I thought it sounded very cute. If I get another pet, I would consider the name Smorty!

But on a serious note, no, Smorty isn't a name of any pets I've known. It's a service that connects bloggers like me to advertisers who want their products and services reviewed. It's a great way to advertise on blogs these days. Approved users of Smorty are given varied opportunities and it's completely up to bloggers whether or not to accept the topics to be written on.

Whilst advertisers find a great avenue in advertising, bloggers too have a great way of making a little extra money. The more popular your blog, the higher paid you can be. I'm hooked on Smorty right now. If you want to try out blogging for money, I highly recommend you to check Smorty out. Go and see it for yourself!

Piper does miss home!

Last night the princesses came home after almost 2 weeks of boarding. They made a fuss at first, probably because it's hot in here compared to the air-conditioned boarding. But they got readjusted soon after dinner!

I could tell that Piper was really happy to be home. She went round and round the house, up the stairs and under the tables and sofas, refusing to let me get hold of her. When I finally caught up and held her in my arms, I could feel her heartbeat beating so rapidly.

This morning when I woke up, I went to take a look at them. They were all happily snuggling up against each other, still half drowsy with sleep. Ahh...such gentle babies :) Isn't life just so pretty?

Time for a new laptop

Just two weeks ago, MR came to town for a 2-week stay. He brought along his laptop that needed servicing because it won't power up anymore. When we probed further about the possible reasons why it's not functioning, he then revealed that he had dropped the laptop! No wonder.

We brought it to the technician and after checking the damages, he quoted us a bomb to have it fixed. We thought it might be a smarter move to buy a new laptop than to fix the badly broken one.

So we shopped for laptops in the IT centers around town as well as from online vendors. We found a site that sells very reasonably priced laptops that also come with accessories and such. It's got a variety of brands available and what's best is that I can compare prices with just a click of my mouse. I don't even need to get out of my home to shop!

We've shortlisted a couple of laptops from this site to recommend to MR. It might be hard for him to make a choice because they're all good!

The girls are coming home today!

While I was in Japan, I sent the three furry princesses out to boarding. I've been back for a day now but I couldn't pick them up as the place was closed yesterday. I'm so excited about picking them up later today to bring them home. I'm hoping they're as excited as me too to be coming home! :)

Now it's time to pick up some of their favourite treats!

Better home for the ones you love

It's never easy to have to find another home other than our very own to house a loved one. But sometimes, it is necessary and maybe even a better solution for our loved ones. Especially so when our loved ones need special care and attention and we're unable to provide that due to work commitments.

If you are ever in such a situation where you need to find nursing homes for your loved ones, here's a short cut way that's reliable. Check out information on different types of homes, read true stories and search through the database to find suitable homes on a website provided by Bettercaring.

You can gather lots of information on this site by reading its reviews and related articles on various topics. There's also a discussion area and you definitely won't be going on this path alone when there is a ready group of people in the same situation.

Hopefully it all works out for the best interest of everyone...

Online fun

Are you a fan of online gaming? If you are, here's some good news. A friend of mine was telling me about a particular website that should be every bettor's first stop before you settle on an online casino and place your bets blindly. Visit Top USA Online Casinos to check out which are the recommended online gaming websites that accept US players. It's a reliable site that many bettors have found to be useful.

Top USA Online Casinos is a great guide that provides users with ratings and reviews of the best online casino and poker operators, bonus and payout rates, etc. If you are going to bet your hard earned money, you might as well get some trusted information on whichever sites you plan to play on. After all, it's free for all!

The reviews are thorough and the ratings given are independent. Now what are you waiting for? Go check it out, take your pick and may you be lucky and win lots!

Where's my Pretty gone?

A couple of months back, we had to give Pretty up to another family who had more time for her. We had our hands full with the arrival of our first baby and as a result, we couldn't give Pretty the time and attention she rightfully deserves. So when a family of dog lovers wanted to take her home, we were glad for her.

A few weeks after she left us, we turned up at her new home unannounced, giving her a surprise visit. She recognised us still and came running to greet us. She still remembered the little tricks she was taught and she seemed delighted to see us. We were very happy too to see that she was well taken care of.

But a few more weeks later, the family called up to ask if anyone else wanted to take Pretty as they couldn't cope. We didn't have anymore good candidates and thought of asking friends to see if they knew of any dog lovers in search for canine company. Before we could get around to it, the family called to say it was all settled, that they had given Pretty to a relative.

I was quite upset with that because we don't even know how Pretty will be treated. Of course they assured us that the relative is a dog lover and will take good care of Pretty but I just didn't feel comfortable. The last we heard, Pretty had been neutered. We wanted to visit but thought she might be too weak and needed rest. So we decided not to excite her too much with our presence in a time when she needs to recuperate and rest.

I still think of her often and wonder how she is. I miss her and hope to see her again soon. I hope my prayer will be answered and that Pretty has found a loving home.

Come shop with me!

I've always liked to shop online. Though many people in this part of the world aren't comfortable with the idea, I find it convenient and relatively secure. I've also been toying around with the idea of starting an ecommerce business of my own selling some pet accessories.

In my research, I've done some checks around for a reliable shopping cart software and found the one provided by Ashop Commerce to be affordable, efficient and easy to use both as a shopper as well as a seller.

As a seller, I get a lot of convenience in using this ecommerce software. Firstly, it's all web-based so there is no hassle of installing a whole bunch of software. I tried the demo and found the usage of the shopping cart to be very intuitive, so it saves me time in learning to use it. It also has some additional tools to help me in marketing. With all these thrown in for my ease of use, I find the price to be very reasonable.

Now just let me get all my cat goodies together and ready to roll!

Emergency cash

It's amazing how prices have crept up on just about anything! Cat food prices have been going up steadily for a while now and there aren't many alternatives I can turn to. My three little furries only like that one particular brand, so I gotta stick with it even when they have become more expensive.

I've also been sending them for boarding a lot lately due to my travels. The cost of it makes me shudder but we have no one else to help take care of them while we're away. Travelling is already an expensive affair, their boarding actually adds to the expenses!

I've heard of payday loans and thought it may be a good way to help bridge my finances. It's a fast way to get some cash and it's also very convenient and secure through the internet. I like the fact that I can apply for a small amount which is what I need, so that I am not tempted to spend all the extras!

Gifts for everyone

I'm currently on vacation in Japan. Japan is full of cats! Be it the famous Hello Kitty or the Fortune Cat. I saw lots of interesting cat stuff too, cute outfits, treats and playthings. I was tempted to buy some for my furry ones until I remembered seeing some discount coupons for a whole lot of toys and treats at Only Natural Pet Store. So I'm holding off buying them here in Japan until I get my hands on these coupons!

I also have hundreds of pictures to develop from this trip and plan on using Snapfish because I spotted some pretty good deals there. There's also free delivery if I have a large order. The last I checked, there are over 200 photos taken already! Just can't wait to see the lovely pictures.

The tour guide who has been bringing us around Japan has been a lot of fun. I thought of buying something for her as a thank you gift. Some jewelry from Things Remembered would be nice for her. Other than jewelry, there are also other gift items with discounts up to 70% so I'm quite sure I'll be able to pick out a good buy there.

Hopefully I'll have enough of cash after I'm done with this trip...there's still a lot of shopping to do in the next few days!