Dec
4th

Here’s a tip mainly for the non-Asians:

If you’re ever invited to an Asian engagement / wedding / baby-shower or any celebratory events hosted by Asians, BRING CASH AS GIFTS!!

Let’s face it, Asians love money and we are greedy bitches. Some people will talk think shit about you if you bring gifts instead of cash. Well, I’m exaggerating because we’re not unappreciative assholes but it’s just a custom for some families.

Why do we want cash as gifts?

• You’re helping pay for the event and your seat [at the reception].
• We’re picky. We want to choose our OWN blender… not one that you picked out.
• Do we even want a blender?

It’s a win-win for both parties; you don’t have to go through the headache of gift-shopping and the host gets cash to cover the cost of the event and some more. It may not seem as personal as a gift, but it’s way more practical, and frankly, I don’t give a shit that a gift has more meaning. That friend’s attendance should be enough meaning anyway, right? *failed attempt at trying to cover personal greed*

We usually give $100-$200/person and obviously a lot more if it’s family or good friends. If you don’t have a red envelope (lai-see), a regular envelope with your [family] name on it is fine so they know who it’s from.

I’m not sure about all Asian ethnicities this goes for most Chinese and Vietnamese people. They might understand if you’re not Asian, but if you are, you should know better (unless your family is white-washed). Hyukhyukhyuk. BUT I think if I were to go to a non-Asian wedding, I’d probably go buy a gift instead too.

So you’re invited to my wedding, I don’t want nuttin’ but $$$. Money makes the world go round… not a dozen toasters and tea sets THAT I DIDN’T WANT IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Do you/your family prefer cash or gifts?

[EDIT] We don’t use gift registries because our parents and relatives usually don’t know what the heck that is. And it sounds like you give a lot of money out but when it’s your turn to host a party, you’re going to get lots of it back in return.

Aug
23rd

Blogging to me, is a strong source of therapy and self-discovery. Have you ever thought of starting a personal blog? Well it’s never a bad time to start!

• Don’t start a blog solely to make money if it’s your first. Try starting a casual/personal blog first to see how you’ll like it first because it can only be successful if you really enjoy writing and not treat it just as another “job.”
• Write for your readers AND yourself but don’t feel like you have to hold yourself back from what you want to say because it is your blog.
• We all know bloggers are narcissistic to some degree but don’t try to be funny if your not. And please don’t classify yourself as a “humor blogger” because the best humor bloggers are the ones who are natural witty writers and don’t need to tell the world they are funny (eg. Dooce).
• Don’t pretend to be all nice and sweet if your not because that’s boring! We all hate arrogant people but I think it spices up a blog (just don’t overdo it). Some people’s blogs get popular because of their cocky personalities but I shall leave them unnamed (even though I enjoy reading them too). I’m not saying you should be arrogant but don’t be afraid to show your true personality.
• It’s okay to be bi-polar once in a while. It makes things interesting.
• I mentioned this before, but it’s worth another: blog in conversational tone!! It would avoid your entries being skipped through out of hundreds of other blogs we subscribe to because it’s quick and easy to read.
• Reply to your commentators! You don’t have to reply to ALL of them because time is a luxury but if he/she repeatedly comments on your entries, it’s courtesy to say a little thank you.

More blogging related entries?

Apr
21st

Dec
10th

This is somewhat related to my previous entry, Recipe for Successful Personal Blogging. Here are more of my biggest peeves related to blogs (design/function-wise):

• “Continue reading” or “read more” links are annoying! I only use it from time to time, for example if an entry contains a lot of images but it annoys the hell out of me when blogs use this link for all their entries. I know it’s a matter of personal preference but I like having all content laid out in front of me so I can just scroll rather than click (I’m lazy). Screw the excerpt… give me the whole thing! If you run a popular blog and loading time is an issue for you since you don’t want new visitors to wait, then that’s understandable… *whiny voice* but I still find it extremely annoying and I find that I don’t visit blogs with that horrible link unless it’s super-omfg-awesomeness like Smashing Magazine.
• Blogs with only one entry on the index page. Same comment as above: give it all to me at once! This works for information blogs but definitely not for personal blogs because their latest entry maybe zZzzz; I’d leave right away without checking out the archives if quality entries do exist. Shame.
• Clutter is overwhelming and intimidating. When I visit blogs with 2-3 sidebars filled with content, links, advertisements and everything you can imagine, I tend to get overwhelmed and end up leaving because I don’t have time to dig through that mess! Note, the culprits are usually design/tech/business/etc. blogs. The key is to use keywords, list main/popular categories, the top blogs in your blogroll and then put everything else on a separate page. I know you want the visitor to see all you have to offer [and all the ads you want them to click] but don’t scare them away by showing them too much! Tease them and they’ll come crawling back for more. That sounded dirty, didn’t it? But whatever, when Big Bird says it’s true, then it’s true.
• Tiny fonts and tight line-spacing… WTF are you thinking?! I know I said this a billion times but this is one of my biggest peeves; you need to make your writing legible for your visitors! If I go blind reading your blog, I might just sue you… but then I don’t think I’d be there in the first place. The culprits are usually blogs who still think it’s 2003. Remember that trend when all personal blogs was doing that 8pt Arial + tight line-spacing thing (this is where I look away and hang my head in shame).
• Billions of pictures? Please use thumbnails! Or resize them. Or organize them in a way so they don’t turn the face of your scrollbar into a microscopic grain of sand. Or reduce the number of entries that appear at once. Or this is a case when you should use the annoying “continue reading” link.

I can list a billion more but I’m going to “tease” you guys so you come crawling back for more next time. Kidding. I use to be guilty of some of these but I’m still learning.

What do you guys like in the design of a blog and what annoys you?

May
28th