3POINT8's Christmas Present 2008

Before Christmas, I did announced that I would give out Christmas present for those who submit their Christmas wishlist to my mail. [link] Now that Christmas is already over, it is time for Santa 3point8 to reveal what he has sent out so far. (Thankfully less than 10 people mailed me their wishlist. Had the number be bigger, I wouldn't be able to send a present to everyone.)

Everyone gets a present from me in a form of a sticker. Yes, a limited-edition custom-made handcraft sticker by 3point8. You won't find this in any stores. Plus, a personalised stamp is attached to every mail.

Teddy Bear seems to be a popular choice. Then there is a wish for an Ipod, Billabong wallet, and a laptop (specifically a HP laptop). Among the mails I've received, There are 3 unusual christmas wish I would like to mention:
1) A Voucher from borders. (I found an online expired voucher. I was so tempted to print out the expired voucher and say: "Here you go, your xmas present. Travel back in time to 2006 and you can use this voucher")
2) Christmas Spirit. (The only non-material christmas wish I received. I wonder how would Santa deal with this. I'm just glad no one asked for intangible things like loyalty, manners or happiness because I wouldn't know how to deal with them.)
3) My signature. (I felt all mighty and popular the moment I saw this christmas wish. It made me feel like a celebrity knowing that my signature has value to someone.)


Receiving Christmas wishlist like these got me thinking:
If 3.8billion people send their wishlist to the REAL Santa, he is bound to receive some unusual wishlist. I wonder what would be the most bizzare christmas wish Santa would receive.

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My Christmas Stickers are featured in:
SimonSeow
Chewak

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[Top Comment by Jonfun]
Hey Santa, I'm afraid you will have to work a little bit longer now because you're sending one of those hand made First Day Covers to me! Haha... Sorry for the short notice :-P I'll email you my home address soon. Thanks ya!

2008 is coming to an End

“Before I draw nearer to that stone to which you point,” said Scrooge, “answer me one question. Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only?” ---- A Christmas Carol

Its the end of the year and Christmas is one day away. This is the time where people start to think about their past, present and future. Its almost like a personal feedback time where people start to rate their life based on the things they have done in the past as well as the thing they plan to do next year.
Speaking of Next Year, Did you know that 2008 will come to an end in less than 10days? This statement is suppose to sound scary but somehow it doesn't.

I get paranoid when someone shouts: "The World is Coming to An END!"
Assuming its true, It means that we are all gonna die and we don't know whats gonna happen next. Its a deadly combination of two fears. The fear of dying and the fear of the unknown future.

If I change the sentence to "2008 is Coming to An End", it doesn't sound as scary as it is meant to. Most likely it is because we all know that we are not gonna die when 2008 expires. Add to the fact that there is no doubt 2009, a brighter future is awaiting us. Instead of something to be feared, it is something to look forward to.

I know this doesn't make much sense, but I just want to deliver the idea:
"The world is coming to an end" is a statement to be feared upon.
"2008 is coming to an end" is a statement to be excited about.

The above two sentence means the same. Something is coming to an end and yet its weird how a slight alteration in language can change my impression from fear to joy. Then again, its just the illusion I bring to myself. And if illusions are analogous to shadows: "Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only?"

Simply said: Will I be truly terrified at the precise moment the world ends? More importantly, Am I able to feel the joy when 2008 comes to an end?

Question to you: "How would you feel when 2008 comes to an end?"

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[Top Comment by Jessen]
Actually, no point of guessing or predicting when is the end of the world. IMO, when the end of world come, we'll all know. Let's just make our day meaningful instead of waiting for death. Happy New Year everyone!

[Sneak Preview] 3POINT8's xmas present

Kif thinks dropping mail in the mailbox is fun --- 3.8
Remember this post when I try to imitate Santa by giving out xmas gifts?

I was thrilled when my mailbox got flooded with xmas wishlists. I can now die happy having experienced how Santa felt at a much smaller scale. That was my goal, to experience how Santa feels when people mail in their wish list.
I may be a cheap imitation of Santa and I openly admit that I do not own any toy workshop, reindeer, or magic sleight. Not to mention, I'm not as powerful as Santa who can visit homes, steal milk and cookies and leave a present behind.

Despite that, I believe in the Santa spirit of receiving joy by giving. So, these daring souls who mailed me will get a snail mail along with their present request.

I sent out everything on the 18th of Dec and I hope that it reaches to you before xmas. Here is a sneak preview of what I've sent out.

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Btw, I do not expect anything in return. If you however insist on paying back the favor, Pay it Forward instead. [Here is how you can Pay it Forward: Link]

For those who received a mail from me, I would appreciate it if you would inform me when the mail arrives. This is so that I can make up for the missing mail by sending an image what your xmas present could have been

For those who missed out, There is always next year.

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Assuming Santa exist and he is definitely going to give you a present on Christmas.
1) Would you prefer him to give you a sneak preview whats in the present? OR
2) Would you prefer him not to tell you anything about it until Christmas day?

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[Top Comment by foongpc]
Wow! Become Santa for a day? That'll be quite an experience! I prefer Santa to give me what I want so there'll be no element of surprise! LOL!

My xmas wish

Christmas is exactly 7 days from today. The way I see it, its still not too late to request for a present from Santa. Assuming I send a mail to the north pole, I have four working days before christmas, adequate time for a regular mail to travel 10,000km from Australia, I hope.

On second thought, I don't think so. Perhaps I'll just post my xmas wish list online and hope for Santa to stumble upon my blog.

To Santa,
I've been a good boy this year Santa. For that reason, you should give me what I want for xmas this year Santa. Santa, my wish for this year is a chimney. I always wanted a chimney because then I have a good excuse to bring girls over to my place. But thats not the main reason to why I want a chimney. I want a chimney because I believe it's so much easier for you to travel into my place. It's also so that you won't have to worry about my neighbours calling the cops because if i have a chimney, you won't need to break into my house like last year.

Imagine santa, having that nice home made cookie with a warm glass of milk after a rough journey through the chimney. Sounds nice to you eh? (I'm sorry santa that I accidentally mixed dishing washing liquid in the expired milk last year. I promise it won't happen again this year. After all, every kid would definitely put the blame on me if they knew that you couldn't drop off presents last year because I made you sick)

I really want a chimney for this Christmas. If possible, could you install a couple of spikes, barbwires, lasers, spinning blades and trap door in between the fireplace and the opening of the chimney. And also, do install a couple of CCTV. I want to upload a video on Youtube about busting the myth that a overweight fat man with a long beard can't survive something like that.,

But really santa, I've been a good boy this year and I deserve a chimney. Remember how I helped you eliminated your competition by putting everyone who gives out free stuff, out of business?

Then again, I would understand if you can't give me a chimney this xmas. I know times are bad, shares are falling down and you probably have to mortgage the whole of North Pole to banks which might go bankrupt soon. Plus, I live a comfortable life and I understand that other unfortunate kids deserve xmas gifts more than I do. So, I wouldn't blame you if you give a chimney to every kid who lives in poverty.

Coming to this paragraph, I changed my mind. I realized that I didn't really want a chimney. What I really want this year for xmas is to defame you, Santa. I've been a good boy this year, Santa. Could you defame yourself and treat it as a xmas present to me?

Yours Sincerely,
Someone who believes in Santa

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Speaking of santa, what do you think of people who send mails to Santa?
Dreamers, Opportunist or Idiots?

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[Top Comment by AshleyTwoFish]
dreamers. who just wanna hang on to every little bit children's hope. merry xmas.

3POINT8 New adFormat Template

To celebrate the end of the month, I've decided to change my blog template into a fresh new one.

This was my previous blog template:

And this is my new blog template:

One thing I miss about the old template is the way the comments link are being placed. I miss the big bold title, the line break and the date beneath the title. Because I'm not very good in coding, I wasn't able to apply the same format in this new template. [Are there any coding guru who can help me in this for free?]

In this new template, I've added a new Rating System at the end of every post:
1) It means more control to you guys, my blog readers. You get to decide the quality of my post. If its a good one, give me a good rating.
2) To me, it is a good feedback system. Whenever I see a post with high rating, I might write more post of that nature.
3) Anyone can rate. You do not need to register or sign into any account.
P/S: This blog template is still under construction:
1) A proper 'About me' section is not ready yet
2) A 'link' section is missing
3) A 'contact me' section is missing
4) Still figuring how to speed up loading time.

Any good ideas to what I should add or remove in my blog?
(I'm not very good in coding. If possible, teach me how to do it or direct me to a useful link)

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Oh, one more thing... I'm giving out christmas present this year. If you want one, all you need to do is to mail me [jommakan@gmail.com] your postal add, and what you want for xmas. Though not guaranteed, I'll try to send out as many present as possible. [click here to find out more]

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[Top Comment by AlphaWhale]
Aha this is the template I edited for my ParkourHelper blog. I do like how it is a little brighter, but it doesn't feel as 3POINT8y, it feels almost too professional and impersonal for you; though it could be fixed probably with minor re-arranging and template editing.

Lonely Christmas Gift

Yesterday was my freaky day. I logged into msn, and within the first 5minutes, messages from different group of friends came pouring down. My primary school friend, secondary school friend, college friend, uni friend, blogging friends all messaged me with the same topic in mind - Christmas.

Perhaps the scenario described above is considered as a normal occurrence to you (since you are so mighty, so sociable, so famous that everyone has to know you). To me, its a rare scenario because even chatting with two people (on instant messaging program) at the same time is a rare moment for me. Therefore chatting with eight people at the same time can be described as a moment that I've never experienced before.

Because of this, I had a nightmare later that evening. The type of dream where I was standing on the verge of the 38th floor rooftop watching over all those I've known gathered together and enjoying the moment. The sight everyone having a great time was a sweet one. It started off as a sweet dream, but it turned into a nightmare when I realised that my presence was absent. Out of sight, out of mind; I became an outcast, rejected by everyone.

What terrifies me more is that there is a high chance that my Christmas will be exactly like that. Christmas isn't suppose to be like that. Christmas is for everyone to celebrate. Unlike birthdays when its all about the birthday guy, Christmas is a day when everyone gathers and have a great time. Christmas just isn't meant to be celebrated alone, especially not when you have someone who cares for you.
But you know what? This post isn't about me. This post is meant for you. If you celebrate x-mas (especially if you are spending it alone) send me a mail at jommakan@gmail.com along with your postal address and tell me what you want or what you like (an informal mail is good enough). I'll send you a something back to make your day a different one.

Offer opens till 18th of December 2008.
Offer opens to everyone (non-bloggers, asian, and aliens included)

A sample mail could look something like this:
Subject Heading: I demand a xmas gift from 3POINT8
Dear Santa wannabe,
I like branded stuff and I want a LV bag. Then again, I am already expecting a LV bag from my bf. I heard rumours saying that santa owns north pole and has lots of good looking elf working for him. Can I have Legolas Greenleaf from Lord of the Rings for xmas this year?
My name: Kiffy girl
Add: Unit 4, 38 Sarcasm Street, Mozilla, LOL 5354, Mars
Btw, Legolas Greanleaf looks something like this.

(Cool Fact: If you rearrange the word Santa, Satan comes up)

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Note: I am planning to send something. So do mail me with a REAL postal address along with a name. Also note that what you receive depends on my mood, my budget and how well I know you. Even better if you can send a picture of you want so that I know how it looks like. (You can choose to mail me even if i do not know you. I'll see what i can come up with)

Warning: I may send something 'unusual'. So, only mail me with your postal add if you are ready for anything. (Don't worry, i won't send anything dangerous like a grenade, live bullet, or anthrax) I will try to send everyone something. If you do not receive anything, it means that I've already sent 'nothing' to you.

Update: Read the continuation post here

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[Top Comment by boLanliap]
It so kind hearted of you. In times like this, it need more people like you to make the world happy, at least part of it. especially in this trying times. I do not need any gift for now, a warm hearted wish will do. Give the gift to someone who really need it. Maybe people in blogsphere can recommend someone to 3point8 who really need it!