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<channel>
	<title>Everything about Asia</title>
	
	<link>http://www.smoothasia.com</link>
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	<pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:05:41 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>Asian Snacks</title>
		<link>http://www.smoothasia.com/food/asian-snacks</link>
		<comments>http://www.smoothasia.com/food/asian-snacks#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:05:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>MZaidee</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[japan]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[japanese food]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[malaysia]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[malaysian food]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[snack]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[thai food]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Thailand]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smoothasia.com/?p=371</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Mention the word Asia and you find yourself thinking of multitudes of culture all combined into one continent. With its diverse offerings of culture, people, food, tradition and lifestyle all mixed into one, it’s no wonder that Asia holds the best kept secrets in terms of delicious lip smacking snacks.
Starting with Thailand, a country and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p align="justify"><img src="http://www.smoothasia.com/images/apambalik.gif" alt="Apam Balik" align="right" height="400" hspace="10" vspace="10" width="375" />Mention the word Asia and you find yourself thinking of multitudes of culture all combined into one continent. With its diverse offerings of culture, people, food, tradition and lifestyle all mixed into one, it’s no wonder that Asia holds the best kept secrets in terms of delicious lip smacking snacks.</p>
<p align="justify">Starting with Thailand, a country and people who mixes the taste of sweet, savory, salty and spicy all into one dish, the Thai fish cake is a well deserved snack for those who want a healthy dollop of omega three in the form of a tasty well formed savory snack.</p>
<p align="justify">All you need are boneless fish fillets (finely minced), spring onions, garlic, freshly chopped coriander, rice flour and egg as your basic ingredients which are well blended in the food processor. For flavoring, get ready Thai fish sauce, chili sauce, soy sauce, finely grated lime rinds, lime juice for that tanginess and chopped chili. Add it into the food processor to give it a flavorful kick.</p>
<p align="justify">With oiled hands, shape the mixture into small patties. Heat the oil and cook patties over medium heat till golden brown on each side. Drain well and serve with delicious sweet chili sauce as a well deserved snack!</p>
<p align="justify">You can’t go wrong with such delicious entrees or snacks for your guest or kids. Another delightful snack to consider is the simple dish of Agedashi tofu - essentially Japanese deep fried tofu topped with soya sauce and dashi (Japanese soup stock) sauce. It’s cheap, tasty and a healthy snack for parties or quick meetings. All you need are firm tofu (cubes), dashi stock, soya sauce, sugar, corn flour, vegetable oil, a large white radish, freshly grated ginger root and spring onion.</p>
<p align="justify">Drain off excess water from the tofu. Combine the dashi soup stock, soya sauce, sugar in a pan and heat moderately until sugar has melted. Remove from heat and divide evenly into bowls. Take the tofu, cut the block into half and generously coat with corn flour. Add vegetable oil in the large work and place the coated tofu pieces into oil and turn with wooden chopsticks till golden. Split tofu pieces evenly between bowls and garnish with grated daikon (Japanese white radish), ginger and chopper spring onions.</p>
<p align="justify">Moving on to a sweet snack is no other than Malaysia’s Apam Balik - similar to that of a pancake, but filled with much more bite sized goodness. All you need are some ripe bananas (pisang mas), which are sliced thinly, flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and a lightly beaten egg.</p>
<p align="justify">Combine the ingredients together, and add in an egg. Do not combine the bananas at this stage. Add water slowly, and mix to a smooth batter and leave to stand for 15 minutes. Heat a non stick pan and add a ladle of batter, cook for awhile and then add in the banana slices. Cover the pan to cook the apam balik.</p>
<p align="justify">Whether it’s the Thai fish cake, Japanese agedashi tofu or Malaysian apam balik, Asian snacks are easy to prepare, delicious and healthier options to consider.</p>
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		<title>Bali Bombers Executed</title>
		<link>http://www.smoothasia.com/general/bali-bombers-executed</link>
		<comments>http://www.smoothasia.com/general/bali-bombers-executed#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:37:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>MZaidee</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Bali]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[bomber]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[death penalty]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[execution]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[indonesia]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[kill]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[nightclub]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smoothasia.com/?p=366</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The three Bali bombers on death row have been executed by firing squad.
Imam Samudra and brothers Amrozi and Mukhlas were shot to death by separate firing squads at 12.15am Indonesian time, an Indonesian Government spokesman has confirmed.
The executions come six years after the Kuta nightclub explosions that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
A source in [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p align="justify"><a href="http://ezaidee.bttb1.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=SMOOTH" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.smoothasia.com/images/bloggingbank.gif" alt="Blogging To The Bank" align="right" height="250" hspace="10" vspace="10" width="300" /></a>The three Bali bombers on death row have been executed by firing squad.</p>
<p align="justify">Imam Samudra and brothers Amrozi and Mukhlas were shot to death by separate firing squads at 12.15am Indonesian time, an Indonesian Government spokesman has confirmed.</p>
<p align="justify">The executions come six years after the Kuta nightclub explosions that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.</p>
<p align="justify">A source in the prison told that their relatives shouted &#8220;Allahu Akbar&#8221; (&#8221;God is great&#8221;) as they were escorted out of their isolation cells by paramilitary police just before their executions.</p>
<p align="justify">In a statement on behalf of the family of Mukhlas and Amrozi, elder brother Chozin said: &#8220;We hope the spirit of my brothers Amrozi and Ali Ghufron (Mukhlas) will be taken by green birds to paradise.&#8221;</p>
<p align="justify">The bullets will be removed from the bodies and autopsies performed before the bodies are cleaned and wrapped in traditional Muslim cloth in preparation for burial.</p>
<p align="justify">The men&#8217;s bodies are expected to be flown by helicopter today from the prison island to their home towns.</p>
<p align="justify">Amrozi and Mukhlas are from the small village Tenggulun in East Java. Imam Samudra comes from Serang in West Java.</p>
<p align="justify">The executions follow years of legal challenges to the death sentences, which were handed down in 2003.</p>
<p align="justify">Mukhlas was convicted of approving, inciting, financing and carrying out the bombings, while his younger brother Amrozi bought the van and a ton of chemicals used in the explosion, and attended planning sessions for the attacks.</p>
<p align="justify">Samudra was the operational field commander for the bombings.</p>
<p align="justify">In the lead-up to the executions, survivors of the attacks and family members of those lost had mixed feelings about the trio being sentenced to death.</p>
<p align="justify">Some felt the bombers&#8217; deaths would bring closure for still-grieving relatives, while others felt it would elevate Amrozi, Mukhlas and Imam Samudra to martyrdom.</p>
<p align="justify">Let’s pray for a peaceful world.</p>
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		<title>The Bali Bombers</title>
		<link>http://www.smoothasia.com/general/the-bali-bombers</link>
		<comments>http://www.smoothasia.com/general/the-bali-bombers#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 08 Nov 2008 13:46:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>MZaidee</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Bali]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[beheaded]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[bomber]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[death penalty]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[execution]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[indonesia]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[kill]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[nightclub]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smoothasia.com/?p=363</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Bali bombers – Amrozi, Mukhlas and Imam Samudra, who are believed to be responsible for the nightclub bombings on the island of Bali 6 years ago, will face a firing squad anytime now.
Earlier, the bombers mounted a legal challenge to the use of firing squads to carry out the death penalty, saying shooting constitutes [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p align="justify"><img src="http://www.smoothasia.com/images/Bali_Bombers.jpg" alt="Bali Bombers" align="left" height="225" hspace="10" vspace="10" width="320" />The Bali bombers – Amrozi, Mukhlas and Imam Samudra, who are believed to be responsible for the nightclub bombings on the island of Bali 6 years ago, will face a firing squad anytime now.</p>
<p align="justify">Earlier, the bombers mounted a legal challenge to the use of firing squads to carry out the death penalty, saying shooting constitutes torture. The bombers have said they would prefer an Islamic method of execution by beheading.</p>
<p align="justify">At 11.07 pm on October 12, 2002; 5 kg of TNT exploded inside the jacket of a patron of Paddy&#8217;s bar at Kuta, a beach-resort town on the island of Bali, Indonesia. Across the street 12 filing cabinets packed with potassium chlorate, sulphuric acid and aluminum powder exploded inside a Mitsubishi van. The blast destroyed the Sari nightclub, which was packed with Western tourists. 202 people from 20 countries were killed, including 88 Australians and 5 Americans.</p>
<p align="justify">Let’s pray for a peaceful world.</p>
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		<title>Congratulation Americans, Congratulation Obama</title>
		<link>http://www.smoothasia.com/politics/congratulation-americans-congratulation-obama</link>
		<comments>http://www.smoothasia.com/politics/congratulation-americans-congratulation-obama#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:23:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>MZaidee</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[american]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[barack obama]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[black]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[conflicts]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Guantanamo Bay]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[obama]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Palestine]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[us president]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smoothasia.com/?p=360</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Barrack Obama wins. The US wakes up tomorrow to a new “first black” President.
But will it change anything for the rest of the world? Will he be able to turn around the US economy? Will he close down Guantanamo Bay? Will he stop America&#8217;s holy War against terrors? Will he solve the Palestine and Iraq [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p align="justify"><img src="http://www.smoothasia.com/images/obama.jpg" alt="Barack Obama" align="left" height="375" hspace="10" vspace="10" width="300" />Barrack Obama wins. The US wakes up tomorrow to a new “first black” President.</p>
<p align="justify">But will it change anything for the rest of the world? Will he be able to turn around the US economy? Will he close down Guantanamo Bay? Will he stop America&#8217;s holy War against terrors? Will he solve the Palestine and Iraq conflicts?</p>
<p align="justify">Will he change these? I have my doubts.</p>
<p align="justify">But who cares, huh? They say anyone after Bush should make a better US President, at least to the rest of the miserable world.</p>
<p align="justify">BTW, Obama is mixed; dad&#8217;s a black from Kenya, mom a white from Kansas. So why is he the first BLACK president of the USA?</p>
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		<title>Mahathirism: The Single Most Important Era in Malaysian Developmental Economics History</title>
		<link>http://www.smoothasia.com/general/mahathirism-the-single-most-important-era-in-malaysian-developmental-economics-history</link>
		<comments>http://www.smoothasia.com/general/mahathirism-the-single-most-important-era-in-malaysian-developmental-economics-history#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:56:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>MZaidee</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[dr mahathir mohamad]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[economic and social development]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[economic growth]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[investments]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[malaysia]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[oil company]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[taxes]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[trading]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smoothasia.com/?p=354</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What is “Mahathirism” was all about?
In 24 years of managing the economy post independence, primary products dependent and secondary low end manufacturing economy, Tun Dr. Mahathir had brought Malaysia to be the most promising new ‘tiger cub’ economy of East Asia, after South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore. The economic growth was promising enough that by [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p align="justify"><img class="alignleft" style="float: left;" src="http://www.smoothasia.com/images/mahathir.gif" alt="Mahathir Mohamad" hspace="10" vspace="10" width="300" height="300" />What is “Mahathirism” was all about?</p>
<p align="justify">In 24 years of managing the economy post independence, primary products dependent and secondary low end manufacturing economy, Tun <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahathir_bin_Mohamad" target="_blank"><u>Dr. Mahathir</u></a> had brought Malaysia to be the most promising new ‘tiger cub’ economy of East Asia, after South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore. The economic growth was promising enough that by 1990, the consistent expansion of 8% coupled with the vast economic and human capital resource available, meant Malaysia had potential to be developed nation status. Hence, in 1991, the ‘Vision 2020’ was launched and Malaysia was driven towards a developed economy within 30 years.</p>
<p align="justify">It was during this time infrastructure, especially logistics were developed immensely. This enabled the economic growth to be more robust. The single most important infrastructure project which is thought to the backbone of Malaysian economic growth is the ‘North South Expressway’, fully completed and operational by 1993. Of course one should not forget the development of ports like North Port and West Port in Klang, Kemaman Port and the latest, which managed to take on the “giant” in this region, the Port of Tanjung Pelepas. Then there is also the new Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), moved from Subang to Sepang. KLIA managed to somewhat gave a direct competition against Changi, Singapore.</p>
<p align="justify">Malaysia managed to move upwards in the industrial sector. It became a preferred destination for investments in the electronics and ICT industry by the early 90s. Of course, the once primary based economy of this once a British colony took a bold move under Tun Dr. Mahathir’s stewardship and gambled on going into high technology. Proton rolled out its first car in 1985. Within less than 15 years of promising growth, Proton not only recovered the Federal Government initial investment by 20 times, also managed to developed their “Detroit like auto city” in Tanjong Malim with purely internally generated funds.</p>
<p align="justify">The economy also went into diversification where more services sector was introduced, to support the growing physical economy. Capital and financial market related services grew exponentially during this economic boom era. Wall Street, European and Japanese firms were busy setting up offices and alliances with local firms. More so, during the ultra bullish period of the Malaysian capital market in early to late nineties.</p>
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<p align="justify">Let’s not forget Tun Dr. Mahathir’s strong vision of Malaysia to play the ‘catch up’ game of being a developed nation, with the launch and high octane drive on the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC). A dedicated ICT city was developed, Cyberjaya, to make sure the industry has a home. Mastering the game is one single most strategic vision and policy Tun Dr. Mahathir had to place Malaysia well into the top echelon of then, a dynamic world with the globalization challenges.</p>
<p align="justify"><a href="http://ezaidee.bttb1.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=SMOOTH" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.smoothasia.com/images/bloggingbank.gif" alt="Blogging To The Bank" align="right" height="250" hspace="10" vspace="10" width="300" /></a>Construction and property development sector is one of the most rapid and progressive within the economy, throughout Tun Dr. Mahathir’s time. Physical and tangible growth is promoted and it has a far reaching spiral and multiplication effect into the economy. The spin off of this is that Malaysian corporations managed to place themselves as an international player, elsewhere.</p>
<p align="justify">The management of the nation’s most important mineral was in good hands, during the Mahathirism era. Petronas, which started as a joint venture partner with major players, evolved into becoming the lead in markets elsewhere. The corporation emerged as the most profitable state owned oil company in the world and currently, exploring in 20 different countries. Petronas is now taking head on against once their own senior partners. Petronas also diversified into becoming a world class premium property developer and a formula one motor sport co-owner.</p>
<p align="justify">Private sector driven economic growth is encouraged and promoted during the Mahathirism. His privatization policies, amidst strong criticism, helped to propel the nation much further and enabled its full potential. Government no longer involve with services, which was transferred into private sector hands. This gave the edge of lesser public capital expenditure (CAPEX) and reaped better returns, from taxes and dividends earned. The Government promoted the ‘Malaysian Incorporated’ policy, where the public and private sector jointly rolled up their sleeves and achieved progress, especially in economic programs.</p>
<p align="justify">During Tun Dr. Mahathir’s tenure, the nation saw through two economic recession period; one in the mid eighties and the other after the Asian financial crisis (1997-98), from the deliberate attack by rogue currency traders. In both cases, the country’s economy was managed to be put on track and saw rapid recovery and growth. Especially in 1998, where Tun Dr. Mahathir enforced radical capital and currency control measures, which saw tough criticism from the global players. In no time, they have to eat their own words back and affirmed the ‘doctor’s’ prescription really worked.</p>
<p align="justify">In all, in 25 years (1980-2005), the Malaysian economy grew by almost a whopping figure of 500%. At his retirement, Tun Dr. Mahathir had placed the Malaysian economy and the system at its best.</p>
<p align="justify">Developmental economics, especially taken into the perspective as a world class player, cannot simply be taken without talking about international politics. Between 1981-2003, Malaysia has placed itself as a force to be reckoned with, within the international diplomacy. Tun Dr. Mahathir, is his attempt to detach and our over dependence and reliance on Britain as a former colonial master, adopted the “Buy British last policy”, which irked Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s most prolific leader  (in the perspective of economy) end of the 20th century. In the same breadth, Malaysia went into the “Look East Policy”, which benefited us immensely.</p>
<p align="justify">Then Malaysia promoted the expansion of ASEAN, to include nations which were non favorable to the West like Vietnam, Cambodia (then Kampuchea) and Laos. Of course, Malaysia pushed for Myanmar to be included. Malaysia, is a founding member of ASEAN Free Trade Area.</p>
<p align="justify">There were international armed conflicts which Malaysia played pivotal role. Malaysia was the solitary voice against the bloody Balkan conflict, when Muslim Bosnians were slaughtered by their own neighbors and kin, in a genocide far worse than those of World War II in Europe. Malaysian armed units participated peace keeping missions in Bosnia, Iraq-Kuwait, Lebanon, Cambodia and the most memorable, Somalia where the Royal Malay Regiment earned their international accord for bravery.</p>
<p align="justify">Tun Dr. Mahathir as a world leader should not be mentioned without his role in promoting the South-South Cooperation. As a spin off, Langkawi International Dialogue was created and a mirror, South African International Dialogue. Much can be said about his vocal and unrestrained opposition against the white hegemony, back by the international Jews. As such, first time in history, a leader of a nation was elected the Chairman of the Non Alignment Movement and Organization of Islamic Countries, in the same time.</p>
<p align="justify">That earned many stars for the man and naturally, the nation. Superpower leaders such as Russian Vladimir Putin, French Jacques Chirac and Chancellor Gerhard Schrodder called on him here in Kuala Lumpur. He also had good relations with Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao of China.</p>
<p align="justify">In the final analysis, observed where the common Malaysians have been placed within the past 28 years. They say, “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”. The standard of living and income per capita says it all. The number of Malaysians, especially in previously under developed and deprived communities being allowed education all the way and ability to get jobs contributed immensely on the household progression. The number of unit trust schemes introduced since 1981, also illustrated the progression. The socio-economic transformation of Malaysians, especially the majority is significant, despite the challenges it faced being in a very complex multi pluralistic society and external variables.</p>
<p align="justify">Of all these, promoted Malaysia into being the 17th most important trading nation in the world. By far, the Mahathirism era brought upon progress to all of us and this beloved Malaysia.</p>
<p align="justify">We want someone to bring back all of the progress brought along during the ‘Mahathirism’ era.</p>
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		<title>Let’s Curry</title>
		<link>http://www.smoothasia.com/food/lets-curry</link>
		<comments>http://www.smoothasia.com/food/lets-curry#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:05:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>MZaidee</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[asian groceries]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[coconut milk]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[cooking pot]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[curry]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[delicious]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[ethnic grocery stores]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[green vegetables]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[grocery store]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[japan]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[malaysia]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[spicy]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Thailand]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[wok]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Curry is synonymous to having a simple meal of vegetable and meat gravy on hot, steaming rice.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p align="justify"><img class="alignleft" style="float: right;" src="http://www.smoothasia.com/images/chickencurry.jpg" alt="Malaysian Chicken Curry" hspace="10" vspace="10" width="329" height="298" />Whether it is the mild flavored Japanese curry, to the ever popular chicken curry or even the Thai Green curry - curry is synonymous to having a simple meal of vegetable and meat gravy on hot, steaming rice.</p>
<p align="justify">Going back to the origins, the term “curry” in Tamil actually means meat. The British mistook the original term, “Kari Columbu” which means meat gravy and shortened it to curry (spicy stew).</p>
<p align="justify">Let’s start with the Malaysian Chicken Curry, which has a yellowish orange tinge to the dish. All you need is a whole chicken, cut into serving size pieces, Malaysian meat curry powder (easily obtainable in supermarkets or Asian grocery stalls), chili powder, cooking oil, a can of coconut milk, water, potatoes, salt, onions, garlic and fresh ginger.</p>
<p align="justify">Using a blender; grind the onion, garlic and ginger into a paste. In a small bowl, combine the meat curry powder and chili powder, add a dash of water and mix into a thick paste. Then, heat up oil in a wok, add grounded paste of onion, garlic and ginger and stir fry until it is translucent. Add the curry paste, and stir fry.</p>
<p align="justify">Now, you can proceed to adding in the chicken. Add coconut milk, season with salt and stir well. Gradually bring the stew to a boil, and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Add in potatoes and simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes until cooked. Turn off the heat, and skim off the excess oil on the surface.</p>
<p align="justify">Voila! You now have your chicken curry ready to be served with a hot, steaming plate of rice.</p>
<p align="justify">Thai Green curry is similar in the preparation, with the difference being the condiments such as lemongrass, coriander seeds fish sauce, shrimp paste, green chilies, galangal (or ginger), lime leaves, fresh coriander, soy sauce, bell peppers and fresh basil being used.</p>
<p align="justify">All one needs to do is to prepare the lemongrass; remove the tougher outer leaves and the bulb. Thinly slice it, and pound with pestle and mortar - ready to be used in the blender. Then, proceed to pound the coriander seeds followed by placing fresh condiments in the food processor, giving you a homemade fragrant Thai green curry paste. Simmer the paste in a wok with heated oil and proceed to add in the chicken. Finally add in the bell peppers and garnish with fresh basil once ready.</p>
<p align="justify">As for the Japanese curry also known as “kare”, it’s one of the most popular dishes in Japan where people eat it 62 times in a year! It is usually thicker, sweeter and not as spicy. Similar condiments to the Malaysian chicken curry are used with the exception curry paste obtained from the grocery stores which is cube like, and easily dissolved into the stew.</p>
<p align="justify">When in doubt in any country, just order curry and you should be able to get a delicious fare - simple and tasty!</p>
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		<title>Top 10 E-Marketing Blunders</title>
		<link>http://www.smoothasia.com/business/top-10-e-marketing-blunders</link>
		<comments>http://www.smoothasia.com/business/top-10-e-marketing-blunders#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2008 14:22:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>MZaidee</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Money Maker]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[advertising and promotion]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[blunder]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[communication]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[email]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[internet]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Internet advertising]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[internet marketing]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[internet services]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[mistake]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[online]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[product]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[promoting your website]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[service]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smoothasia.com/?p=339</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[After 10 years, it’s sad that people are still making these simple mistakes. What are the 10 Top Internet Marketing Blunders?]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p align="justify"><a href="http://www.blogmastermind.com/affiliates/index.php?af=782574" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.smoothasia.com/images/blogmastermind.gif" alt="Blog Mastermind" align="right" height="250" hspace="10" vspace="10" width="250" /></a>Acknowledgment: This article was published in IMC’s Internet Marketing Chronicles in 1998. While the original web site is no longer available, the advice is still 100% spot on!</p>
<p align="justify">After 10 years, it’s sad that people are still making these simple mistakes. What are the 10 Top Internet Marketing Blunders?</p>
<p align="justify">Blunder #1: Using free or cheapo web hosting services.</p>
<p align="justify">Let’s get one thing straight, you absolutely can not run a business web site using a free web hosting service. No matter what you may think, it just isn’t going to work. As they say you get what you pay for.</p>
<p align="justify">There is no bigger turnoff than visiting a web site that is hosted on an obviously overloaded web server. We won’t mention any names, but a few of the free services are just terrible. Your web site is the most important asset you have, and it must give a good first impression.</p>
<p align="justify">Besides, nothing is really free anyway. When you get “free” web space you are normally required to show the hosting company’s banners and advertisements in prime locations on your web site. This is absolutely insane if you really think about it from a business standpoint.</p>
<p align="justify">These days you can find a good web hosting company that will provide what you need for as little as $7 a month. Let’s be real, if you aren’t willing to spend $7 a month on a good web host how serious can you be? Many good prospects are immediately turned off by this blunder.</p>
<p align="justify">And while we’re on the subject of web hosting, be sure to get your own domain name. Again, if you aren’t willing to spend $10 to claim your stake on the web…what are your potential customers going to think? Take your business seriously, or you will ultimately fail.</p>
<p align="justify">Blunder #2: Destroying your site with graphics, java, music, etc.</p>
<p align="justify">This has got to be the 2nd most offensive Internet marketing blunder. If you are running a business online, your web site’s most important job is to sell your products and services. Anything that detracts from this should be avoided like the plague. And we mean it, literally!</p>
<p align="justify">Unless you are a graphic designer, graphics that take forever to load are not going to sell anything. And neither is java that crashes your visitor’s browser. Same thing for any but the most popular plug-ins. Sound or music clips on your web site? Heck no!</p>
<p align="justify">Unless you are selling CDs, sound does not belong on a web site - not yet anyway. Sure you can argue this, but the bottom line is that it can cause your visitors problems. Fancy graphics, java, flash, sound files, etc. do nothing but make your pages take forever to load.</p>
<p align="justify">Don’t take it from us, just look at any of the top 100 sites on the web. Heck, look at Google which is undeniably the most popular web site on the Internet. When was the last time you saw anything coming from there that would slow you down?</p>
<p align="justify">Blunder #3: Not asking for, and acting on, visitor feedback.</p>
<p align="justify">This is another big one, and we can personally attest to the value of asking for and acting on feedback. One thing that many people seem to forget is that it’s the prospect who has to like what they see - and not much else matters. Here’s a real-world example.</p>
<p align="justify">A while ago we launched a web site, and initially used a special layout. We were aware of the potential problems, and spent lots of time tweaking it to be as browser-friendly as possible. But after asking for feedback we discovered that many visitors hated it.</p>
<p align="justify">And the scary thing is that unless we asked for feedback we probably never would have realized this. Everything looked and worked well for us, but a significant number of our visitors had problems with it. We redesigned the entire site and immediately our sales increased.</p>
<p align="justify">You will be literally amazed at the valuable feedback you will receive if you just ask for it. Remember that your prospects are the ones buying your products and services, and despite what you may think, the way they perceive your site and your business is what counts.</p>
<p><span style="font-family:Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:8pt;font-weight: bold;color:#48A2C0;">Search the net and find whatever tips you need at <a href="http://thewisetips.com" onClick="this.href='http://thewisetips.com/'" target="_blank" style="color:#FB8A00;text-decoration:underline">TheWiseTips.com</a></span></p>
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<p align="justify">Blunder #4: Wasting valuable time on unproductive activities.</p>
<p align="justify">As an Internet marketer your most valuable asset is time. And yes, time is more valuable than money so spend yours wisely. Because your time is a limited resource, you will need to learn to prioritize. There are certain things that are more important than others.</p>
<p align="justify">For example, consider the amount of time you spend on various promotion and marketing activities. Do you actually know which is most productive for you? If you don’t you’re wasting precious time. Test all of your advertising and spend your time appropriately.</p>
<p align="justify">Search engines are another example. One of the biggest myths that is circulating the web marketing community is that getting a top 10 listing will make you an overnight success. Don’t believe the hype, and don’t waste your time (or even more importantly, your money) trying to get there.</p>
<p align="justify">One of the most important things you can ever do is to automate as much of your day-to-day activities as possible. This includes order fulfillment as well. To succeed online in a big way, you will need to spend most of your time advertising and marketing your business.</p>
<p align="justify">Blunder #5: Not managing email communications efficiently.</p>
<p align="justify">Your email communication with prospects and customers will make or break you. Since most of the times you will never get a chance to impress them in person, you really need to learn how to use email to your advantage. Much of it is common sense actually.</p>
<p align="justify">Each and every day we receive emails from people asking us to do business with them in one way or another, and many of them look like they were written by a 10 year-old. Spelling errors, grammar problems, poorly formatted and difficult to read … you name it.</p>
<p align="justify">No one is perfect and we all make mistakes, but there is no excuse for this. Get yourself a good email program, learn how to use it, and spell-check all of your correspondence. You know what they say; you only get one chance to make a first impression.</p>
<p align="justify">And stay on top of the spam that will flood into your inbox if you aren’t careful with handing out your email address.</p>
<p align="justify">Blunder #6: Failing to create and build an opt-in mailing list.</p>
<p align="justify">Red flag! Alert! Serious blunder! If you do not have a mailing list to keep in touch with your prospects and customers, you are literally throwing money down the drain. If you get nothing else out of this issue, trust us when we say that you need one badly.</p>
<p align="justify">People buy things they want from people they know and trust. And there’s no better way to get people to trust you than to show them that you are good at what you do. Starting an email newsletter will allow you to keep in touch with your audience and do just that.</p>
<p align="justify">With it you can keep them informed of site updates and new products. You’ll never have to worry about them forgetting you because your name will always be in front of them. You can even sell advertising. But most importantly, you will build trust and relationships.</p>
<p align="justify">Think about it. If you wanted to become a real estate investor, would you purchase a home-study course from a door-to-door salesman or someone who had been sending you a free newsletter for the past year? Starting an opt-in newsletter should be a top priority!</p>
<p align="justify">Blunder #7: Ruining your reputation via inappropriate advertising.</p>
<p align="justify">A list of Internet marketing blunders which didn’t include spamming just wouldn’t be complete. Despite what you may have heard, there is no better way to run your online business into the ground than the act of sending unsolicited email. It is the ultimate blunder.</p>
<p align="justify">If you have to learn this the hard way than so be it, but don’t say we didn’t warn you. For every spammer that is actually making any money, we can show you 10 responsible marketers who are making lots more. There is absolutely no reason to spam.</p>
<p align="justify">The same thing goes for posting ads in newsgroups and forums where they don’t belong. Why hassle with the negative effects of these questionable methods when there are so many legitimate ways to advertise online? Forget morality issues, it just makes no business sense.</p>
<p align="justify">The most important asset you have as an Internet marketer is your reputation. And spamming is about the fastest way possible to ruin it, short of blatantly ripping people off. If you have any intentions of being around to realize long-term profits, please don’t spam.</p>
<p align="justify">Blunder #8: Forgetting that marketing is the key to your success.</p>
<p align="justify">Even if you have the greatest product in the world you will never sell anything if you don’t tell anyone about it. Without advertising there will be no prospects, and without prospects there will be no sales. It sounds like common sense, but it’s also a common blunder.</p>
<p align="justify">You only have to do two things to be successful in business, and you only need to do one of them on a regular basis. Can you guess what it is? If your online endeavors are not as successful as you’d like them to be, do yourself a big favor and return to the basics.</p>
<p align="justify">First of all, you need to develop a profitable business model. Until it has been proven that you have a viable product or service and a method of selling it that turns a profit, anything else is premature. Do not waste time and money promoting a dud, testing is critical.</p>
<p align="justify">Once you have determined that your business model is sound you should concentrate most of your efforts on promoting it. If you make $10 per sale, you simply need to find 100,000 customers to make a million dollars. Marketing is the lifeblood of your business.</p>
<p align="justify">Blunder #9: Thinking you’re going to get-rich-quick online.</p>
<p align="justify">Here’s another blunder that isn’t exactly limited to the Internet, but it is just as dangerous as the others. If we had to pick just one, this would probably be the number one cause of failure - both online and in the real world. Making money is easy, but you must work for it.</p>
<p align="justify">A successful online business isn’t built overnight; it is the result of many late nights. If anyone says that they can teach you to make a substantial amount of money without hard work, run as far away as you possibly can. And be sure to bring your checkbook with you.</p>
<p align="justify">The get-rich-quick mentality seems to be quite popular online. But the truth is, there really isn’t a way for the average person to do so. And getting caught up in the hype is only going to delay true success. Save yourself lots of grief by accepting the fact that there is no free lunch.</p>
<p align="justify">We’re still not sure why the get-rich-quick mentality is so prevalent on the Internet, but we do know one thing. There are no secrets, and there is nothing mystical about making money online. With some hard work and a little perseverance, absolutely anyone can do it.</p>
<p align="justify">Blunder #10: Not understanding the real power of the Internet.</p>
<p align="justify">The Internet is a communications tool. It was created for this purpose, and you’ll get the most out of it if you use it as such. There has never been an easier or more cost-effective way for a business to reach its target audience, and there never will be. So take full advantage of it.</p>
<p align="justify">Use the power of the Internet to reach millions of customers all over the world. And then use it to provide them with the sort of customer service that was impossible without it. Use the Internet to gather information, research the competition, and network with others.</p>
<p align="justify">There is a goldmine of information and resources floating around in cyberspace, but you have to know where to find it all. Learn how to use the search engines to easily find almost anything you need and your productivity will skyrocket. This tip alone is invaluable.</p>
<p align="justify">In a nutshell, use the Internet to communicate more effectively. Don’t forget that business is about people, and that the Internet is nothing more than a great way to interact with them. Don’t hide behind it, get involved and witness the way it changes the world firsthand.</p>
<p align="justify">There you have it. Our Top 10 Internet Marketing Blunders. Sure there are lots more, but these costly mistakes are common and they provide a good starting point. If you steer clear of these Top 10 Blunders, you are absolutely guaranteed to be more successful on the Internet.</p>
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		<title>Is Affiliate Marketing MLM?</title>
		<link>http://www.smoothasia.com/money-maker/is-affiliate-marketing-mlm</link>
		<comments>http://www.smoothasia.com/money-maker/is-affiliate-marketing-mlm#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:30:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>MZaidee</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Money Maker]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[affiliate]]></category>

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		<category><![CDATA[scheme]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smoothasia.com/?p=335</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Because affiliate marketing works so well and seems to genuinely benefit both the website that is advertising as well as the website that is hosting, people tend to look for problems that just don’t exist. One of the “problems” that has dogged affiliate marketing for years is the idea that is a multi-level marketing scheme.
What [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p align="justify"><A href="http://banners.moreniche.com/go.php?id=4794&#038;w=130497&#038;s=45" target="_blank"><IMG src="http://banners.moreniche.com/show.php?id=4794&#038;w=130497&#038;s=45&#038;e=gif" border="0" align="right" height="200" hspace="10" vspace="10" width="200" /></A>Because affiliate marketing works so well and seems to genuinely benefit both the website that is advertising as well as the website that is hosting, people tend to look for problems that just don’t exist. One of the “problems” that has dogged affiliate marketing for years is the idea that is a multi-level marketing scheme.</p>
<p align="justify">What is <a href="http://blog.2createawebsite.com/2008/10/26/mlm-vs-affiliate-marketing/" target="_blank"><u>multi-level marketing</u></a>? It’s much better known as a pyramid scheme. In most traditional cases, pyramid schemes are illegal. They work by constantly signing up new people to sell a product that doesn’t actually exist. The people at the top of the pyramid make money be collecting a commission off of all the sales that happen below them in the pyramid structure.</p>
<p align="justify">In recent years, pyramid schemes have tried to gain a bit of respectability by offering legitimate products like phone cards that made the whole operation legal. But, in essence, pyramid schemes are still tainted by the perception that they are inherently dishonest and, unless you start a pyramid scheme and are at the top of the pyramid, you’re earning money for someone else.</p>
<p align="justify">Affiliate marketing is, in no conceivable way, multi-level marketing. In most cases, a site that wants to advertise pays another site to direct traffic to them. There are multi-level affiliate marketing set ups that have one site direct traffic to another site and then that site directs people to the site that pays both previous sites, but even in this case, the customer isn’t tricked or misled and there isn’t any sort of financial transaction that takes place, either. Multi-tiered affiliate marketing is simply another way for web pages to create traffic and revenue.</p>
<p align="justify">The way earnings work for multi-level affiliate marketing is different than a pyramid scheme, as well. Is it true that in the end, the site that is being linked to makes the most money? Sure, but that’s because they are the ones offering the product or service. The other sites are simply steering customers to them. With multi-level affiliate marketing, everyone makes money and assuming a legitimate good or service is being sold at the end of the path, the consumer ends up happy, too.</p>
<p align="justify">It can be a little confusing for those new to multi-level affiliate marketing to tell the difference between it and a pyramid scheme. But rest assured the two have very little in common, most importantly the facts that almost all pyramid schemes are illegal while multi-level affiliate marketing is quite legal and has a very effective tool in internet advertising.</p>
<p align="justify">If you are looking for a great affiliate program which is easy to understand, have excellent products to promote, nice incentives and payouts for affiliates, and excellent affiliate support, then you’ll get one. Be part of <a href="http://www.smoothasia.com/money-maker/moreniche-make-more-money"><u>MoreNiche</u></a>.</p>
<p><span style="font-family:Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:8pt;font-weight: bold;color:#48A2C0;">I recommend Gobala&#8217;s <a href="http://adsense.easywordpress.com/" onClick="this.href='http://ezaidee.gobala.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=SMOOTH'" target="_blank" style="color:#FB8A00;text-decoration:underline">Wordpress AdSense System</a></span></p>
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		<title>Deepavali – The Festival of Lights</title>
		<link>http://www.smoothasia.com/culture/deepavali-the-festival-of-lights</link>
		<comments>http://www.smoothasia.com/culture/deepavali-the-festival-of-lights#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2008 16:05:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>MZaidee</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[celebrate]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Deepavali]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Diwali]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Diwali diya]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Khrishna]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Lakshmi]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[light]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Narakasura]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[oil lamps]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[prosperity]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[wealth]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[wish greetings]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smoothasia.com/?p=323</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Today all Hindus around the world are celebrating Deepavali (or Diwali). This colorful festival is also known as the festival of lights. The word “Deepa” means light and “Avali” means a row.
One important practice that the Hindus follow during the festival is to light oil lamps in their homes on Deepavali morning to welcome Lakshmi, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p align="justify"><img style="vertical-align: middle; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 20px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" src="http://www.smoothasia.com/images/deepavali.gif" alt="Diwali Diya" width="525" height="250" /></p>
<p align="justify">Today all Hindus around the world are celebrating Deepavali (or Diwali). This colorful festival is also known as the festival of lights. The word “Deepa” means light and “Avali” means a row.</p>
<p align="justify">One important practice that the Hindus follow during the festival is to light oil lamps in their homes on Deepavali morning to welcome Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth and prosperity.</p>
<p align="justify">The day of Deepavali begins with special bath with oil, wearing new dress, ritual of worship, special foods and in the night lighting the lamps and firing crackers to celebrate through the sounds of joy. The family and friends meet on this day to wish greetings and celebrate together.</p>
<p align="justify">There is an interesting legend associated with this festival. The story goes that Narakasura, a demon, ruled the kingdom of Pradyoshapuram. Under his rule, the villagers suffered a lot of hardship as the demon tortured the people and kidnapped the women to be imprisoned in his palace. Seeing his wickedness, Lord Khrishna set out to destroy the demon and the day Narakasura died was celebrated as Deepavali, the triumph of good over evil!</p>
<p align="justify">Happy Deepavali!</p>
<p><span style="font-family:Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:8pt;font-weight: bold;color:#48A2C0;">I recommend SiteGround <a href="http://www.siteground.com" onClick="this.href='http://www.siteground.com/atrack.php?referrerid=76468;'" target="_blank" style="color:#FB8A00;text-decoration:underline">web hosting</a></span></p>
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		<title>Build Slowly, Steadily and Surely</title>
		<link>http://www.smoothasia.com/money-maker/build-slowly-steadily-and-surely</link>
		<comments>http://www.smoothasia.com/money-maker/build-slowly-steadily-and-surely#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2008 14:21:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>MZaidee</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Money Maker]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[big bucks]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[google]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[internet]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[internet gurus]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[investment]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[millionaire]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[time]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smoothasia.com/?p=329</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You will have to be patient. You should not expect to achieve success overnight. Blogging does not make anybody overnight millionaires.
Remember building a blog is an investment and the most crucial factor in an investment is the time factor. You can increase your effort, but you cannot do anything about time. So relax, and be [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p align="justify"><a href="http://ezaidee.bttb1.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=SMOOTH" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.smoothasia.com/images/bloggingbank1.gif" alt="Blogging To The Bank" align="right" height="250" hspace="10" vspace="10" width="300" /></a>You will have to be patient. You should not expect to achieve success overnight. Blogging does not make anybody overnight millionaires.</p>
<p align="justify">Remember building a blog is an investment and the most crucial factor in an investment is the time factor. You can increase your effort, but you cannot do anything about time. So relax, and be patient.</p>
<p align="justify">Building slowly, steadily and surely also means being consistent in writing blog posts. Building slowly, steadily and surely also means not rushing to get too many back links because if you do this, Google might suspect that you’re buying links and doing evil stuff to manipulate your page rank and will most likely pull down your page rank.</p>
<p align="justify">Most self-claimed internet gurus will tell you that it will take some time before you would start earning the big bucks. Some say that it will take a year before your blog really starts to kick off.</p>
<p align="justify">During this time just be patient. Your efforts will soon pay off.</p>
<p><span style="font-family:Tahoma, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:8pt;font-weight: bold;color:#48A2C0;">I recommend SiteGround <a href="http://www.siteground.com" onClick="this.href='http://www.siteground.com/atrack.php?referrerid=76468;'" target="_blank" style="color:#FB8A00;text-decoration:underline">web hosting</a></span></p>
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