HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!

Bejeweled Anonymous

Ok, I admit it. I am addicted to Bejeweled. If you don't know what it is, it is a game that is very similar to Connect Four -- except it's more like connect three or more. You can switch the gems around and connect the three. They disappear and then the next row drops down. Some gems will automatically connect & disappear by themselves depending on where they're positioned. More gems drop down from the top and the screen is constantly full. You see that bar down on the bottom? Well, that' like your energy bar. When you are able to connect gems fast enough, the bar rises. When you've reached the bar fast enough, it wil go onto the next level. On the flip side, if you don't connect the gems fast enough, the energy bar decreases. The game is over if the energy bar is empty. You constantly have to find gems to connect or else you lose your energy bar. There is a time limit. The challenge is that you have to be quick -- both your eyes and fingers. It's actually a pretty stressful game -- which is ironic because I play this game to de-stress from work. Ok, back to my addiction. I am sooo addicted to this game. I can't get enough of it. I play at least 5-6 games whenever I turn on the computer. There's just a challenge to this game that keeps me on the edge. I guess it can be half mindless but half challenging. You should try it if you have nothing better to do. You can find it on Yahoo! Games. Just don't say I didn't warn you that this game is addicting.

** By the way, my highest level is Level 11. I passed Level 10 only once.

Bonus Calculator

Happy New Year! It's the first week back to work, and what is the first thing people do? Calculate what is their bonus!! The year ended and since our 2006 bonus is based on the 2005's results, everyone went straight to the report generator and whipped out their calculators and start crunching numbers. The bonus calculation is a complex tool on a spreadsheet but has been made easier by an Excel guru in our company. Just plug in the numbers and wah-la, it will split out your total %. Multiple the % by your annual salary and that is your dollar amount for the year's bonus!

Majority of the people work hard primarily for the bonus. But there are many times when you can work very hard but end up with a big fat ZERO for your bonus. Those are pretty depressing years. I had an EXCELLENT bonus year in 2005. For 2006, it is still VERY GOOD. I should be happy. I have one of the highest % among my peers. I have been lucky. I hope I remain lucky this year as well!! There is nothing more enjoyable than to receive some extra spending money!