Where is your photo now?

Following my blog entry last week about the possible mis-use of personal information on the internet, I read a story on the BBC today that backs my claims.

The Smiths from the US were shocked to find that their family photo had been flashed across a billboard in Prague, the Czech Republic advertising delivery services offered by a grocery store. The Smiths had used that picture on their Christmas card and it was also on their family blog.

The owner of the store thought the picture was "computer generated". Somehow, it didn't matter to him/her that the people in the picture were unknown to him. It didn't matter if they were not Czechoslovakians. They were a good-looking family.

Being in the publishing business has taught me to be careful about copyright infringements. I remembered having to pay US$800 for a picture of a girl holding a brightly-coloured balloon for a cover picture. The picture library charge differently according to the use, like for a magazine cover or for a story in one of the pages, for instance.

Some people think that content on the Internet is free for all. Copyright protection is one thing; intrusion of privacy is another. 

So if anyone sees me or any member of my family on any newspaper, magazine, website or darn it, anywhere else other than here, please please, let me know.

Working those muscles

For a week now, I've been working out after putting the kids to bed. My little routine includes skipping, toning using free weights and some stretching.

I haven't worked out since winter. Okay, this may not be a good excuse because I see Finns jogging in the snow... Anyhow, a little exercise is better than none.

Just yesterday, Estelle announced happily that we are having another baby because her mummy's tummy is big. She's not convinced there isn't a baby inside. This just reinforces my will to work out more regularly. 

Tonight, we watched a second episode of Family Fat Surgeons on Discovery channel. This reality series follows the father-and-son team of bariatric surgeons and their patients. One of the main categories of bariatric surgery is the reduction of stomach size so that the patient eats less and feels full more quickly.

Our first time watching this series some days ago, patient Alan was so big he could not move. He laid in bed, couldn't go to the bathroom and his mom wiped him down if he needed a bath. Drs Davis hoped to reduce half his body weight (150 lbs!) after the surgery. 

While I was in the shower, HG told me they featured a patient who had undergone the surgery some time ago and had lost a lot of weight. So much so that as the fat receded, her skin began to sag. What used to be her tummy was now folded over and hanging around her knees. She needed cosmetics surgery because she had difficulty cleaning areas between the skin and infection set in. While her bariatric surgery was covered by insurance, the now much-needed cosmetics procedures would not be.

As for me, I just want to carry on wearing the clothes in my wardrobe. I am happy simply to fit in pre-pregnancy outfits. Well, only those that don't look like they are already 8 years old... I had to throw some clothes out since fashion has moved on.

This week, I feel less lethargic and skip my afternoon naps. The muffin top looks like it lacks baking soda. Summer is almost here - it's still spring in Finland - and I think it's a good idea to get ready to show some skin. 

But I love my food. I'm munching on strawberry filled chocolate as I type. I don't need to be thin. Fitting into my usual clothes is good enough. 

How safe is the Internet?

In one word: not.

You may recall that I made an entry some months ago about our sauna experience. That was the first time the kids tried out the hot and steamy sauna.

I have removed the pictures from that blog entry. Several days ago, I noticed a referral to my blog from a photo library website. The key word search was for "family" and "sauna". Pictures shown from these words ranged from posed pictures by tourist-related websites to portable saunas. There were also pictures of naked women. 

A couple of weeks ago, a search for the words "naked", "kids" and "sauna" ended at my blog. The IP address is one of those phantom ones where you can't tell which country or computer the user is at. I cringed.

Any and all information posted on the Internet is available for all to see. There is really little one can do to stop people getting to know you better without you knowing.

For instance, some time ago, I was reading a popular Singapore blogger's blog and saw a picture of a cute girl. I clicked on it, thinking it might be the blogger's daughter, or it might be someone from his family. The click led me to a Flickr account of someone I know, someone who is probably not related to the blogger. 

I'd basically clicked on a Flickr advertisement,  gave Flickr some hits, brought the blogger some income and viewed my friends' photo album. My friends probably don't know I had seen their pics, or for that matter, anyone else who had intruded into their privacy.

Maybe someone can let Adrian and Jasmine know I think Cherise is pretty cute...

The sanctity of my privacy is the main reason I am not on Facebook or MySpace or other social networking sites. Thus, I hesitated to blog, and now that I do, I find myself thinking through sensitive issues and content that are appropriate for broadcast.

I often worry about identity fraud. I am careful about where and how I throw paper trash, making an effort to shred bank statements or personal documents. A credit card statement, for example, contains my name, address, card number and how much I had spent. A thief with intent can easily gather information from my trash. Combine these with information available on, for example, Facebook, and birth dates, spouses, family or work add on to the profile.

You might think I am paranoid but there are already cases of people who have lost their ID cards or passport and subsequently found themselves with empty bank accounts or changes to security systems linked to their ID numbers. In this age where personal information is easily available on the Internet, building a personal profile from scratch is not difficult.

So please be careful about what you post on the internet. This is advice I give myself.

Cheap accommodation in Singapore?

In today's Straits Times, there was a report of unauthorised sub-division of housing units at Grangeford Condo in Singapore. 

The proposal is a simple one: each housing unit is divided into more units to increase rental yield. For instance, a 3-bedroom unit may fetch S$3,000 a month. But if the same unit is partitioned into 2 1-bedroom units, or more, and each is then rented at, say, S$1,800, viola! The landlord can now earn more with the same resources.

What has this got to do with me, you might ask.

When we were in Singapore in March, we needed an apartment for the 4 of us. Serviced apartments, like Somerset or Frasers, were out of the question since monthly rates start at S$4000, not including taxes. I also wanted a kitchen to prepare meals for the kids.

As we trawled the internet, we came across advertisements for "cheap apartments in prime locations". A friend shortlisted some for us.

Starting at S$1,500 a month, we could choose from an assortment of 1-bedroom apartments near Orchard Road and Holland Village. Some came with kitchens and/or attached bathrooms. Our friend explained that some condominium estates had gone for en-bloc sales and residents have moved out but they were not torn down and rebuilt due to poor economic prospects. The units were then sub-divided and rented out on a short-term basis. 

We opted for a 1-bedroom apartment at Holland Hill equipped with a kitchen. Each apartment is fully furnished with a sofa set, TV, internet connection and a queen-sized bed. We were told that the washing machine, refrigerator and microwave oven were brand new. At S$1,800 a month, it was a bargain in expensive Singapore.

When we arrived in Singapore, we found that we had checked into a house of horrors. 

Our "apartment" was one of two in the original unit. Upon entering the main door, we shared a common corridor with our "neighbour", a family who essentially lived in another bedroom. The apartment was musty and dirty. It did not have a window, except for a balcony in the bedroom which was kept closed to keep out insects. 

Our bathroom was a tiny toilet and a shower which was recently installed. We asked for cooking utensils since we couldn't be stuffing these into our luggage and the estate management agreed to provide these. Alas, on arrival we got a kitchen without gas nor utensils and cutlery.

Despite dust balls rolling on the floor, the estate management (Ideal Accommodation, the same company managing Grangeford) insisted that the apartment was cleaned. My poor Estelle had horrible insect bites on her legs. I couldn't tell if they were by bed bugs.

After I kicked a huge fuss, the manager agreed to have my unit cleaned. Imagine my surprise when the manager herself turned up in the evening with cleaning equipment! So she and her friend cleaned up the place in under 15 minutes - this was after arriving 1 hour later than we had scheduled.

The estate had a security guard whose working hours were 6 pm to 6 am, but he went home (or to sleep) early on certain nights. I believe only one cleaner was hired for the whole estate, whose responsibilities were to empty the garbage bins every day. The estate, in general, was hardly kept.

After spending many years travelling, I'd hardly had to deal with jet lag. This time, I had trouble sleeping at night and getting up in the mornings. My family could hardly believe the hell hole we got ourselves into. 

Three weeks later, I was just glad to get our S$1,000 deposit back. The manager glanced around the room and that was the end of the "inspection". I guess the apartment was deemed clean and ready for the next tenant.

When my friends in Finland asked, "How was your trip to Singapore?" I could not bring myself to say it was great. We enjoyed catching up with our friends and family but Holland Hill cast a long and dark shadow over us.

I had a draft of this experience in April but it was deleted afterwards. I'd thought I leave the past behind instead of shaming the housing company, which I had every intention of doing during those sleepless nights. Three months on, I can put aside emotions to report and comment on a current issue.

A resident living in Chinatown wrote to the Straits Times that his block had many apartments converted into multiple units or dormitories. The lifts break down often, bringing inconvenience and possible danger in case of emergencies or fires. Overcrowding poses a clear and present danger should Singapore have a pandemic, like the H1N1 flu. 

Although S$1,800 a month is not a small sum for a 1-bedroom apartment, it was the most viable option for us. We weren't hoping for a luxurious temporary home, just somewhere neat and clean where we could rest. 

We wouldn't try this sub-divided apartments again, if this arrangement is still available. The police is coming down hard after complaints from the public. 

Where, then, can we stay next time we go to Singapore? Room rates are too high, sometimes even higher than parts of Europe.  We had considered going for a one-week holiday in Thailand because the costs, including airfare, came up to around the same if we stayed in Singapore. 

What options are there for reasonably-priced short-term accommodation in Singapore?

Spring Gardening

It's really hot in southern Finland this week. For the past few days, we've been having 25ºC afternoons but standing in the bright sunshine, it sure feels hotter than 25.

Two weeks ago, we received a notice about an event on 28 May. Since it was in Finnish, my limited vocabulary tells me it's something to do with spring and gardening. Maybe an expert is coming in to share experiences with us at 6 pm.

Ten minutes to six on 28 May, I noticed some neighbours gathering in our backyard. In autumn/winter last year, some residents got to together to tidy up fallen leaves and dead plants. I reckoned they must be getting the yard ready for spring/summer.

I brought the kids out around 6.40 pm, after we've had our dinner. The neighbours were clearing weeds, mowing grass, mulching, pruning trees and bushes. Guessing that I'm a novice, I was assigned a pair of scissors to trim dead branches. 

In between playing with other children at the playground, our kids helped to rake the leaves. Our neighbour's boy, Santari, found a long and thick earthworm.

We finished work at 7.30 and got together for some BBQ sausages and drinks. This is really the typical way Finnish people celebrate the warm weather. 

I created this clip using iMovie '09. My previous movies were made using iMovie HD but this time, I wanted to add subtitles and ran into difficulties. As usual, the internet is a great resource to trouble-shooting. This was when I realised that I should have the new iMovie '09. I haven't used it because the iMovie HD logo was on my Dock. My techie hubby guided me to the latest version which has been hiding in Applications : )

The new iMovie is soooo easy to use. I'd spent more than 3 days working on the project but finished it in 30 minutes on '09.

This means you'll be watching more movies on this channel! I love Mac!