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Is online dating for real? How can anyone “meet” a stranger online and get attracted to them through a monitor?

This online dating phenomenon could have increased in recent years compared to a decade ago when dialups were the norm. As the use of broadband services like Streamyx, Celcom Broadband, Maxis Broadband, Izzi Net and U Mobile Broadband continue to grow, this online dating practice is sure to speed up as well. To add to the list, there is also P1 WiMAX which is starting to sweep the market (albeit not too quickly).

In the past, one can only rely on text messages on Internet Messengers to convey a message. Occasionally, they can also send a photo or two of themselves (or their friend’s) to the other person which may take a couple of minutes to complete the transfer.

Nowadays with the speed that broadband offers, the online dating experience has been improved. One can not only converse over the Internet with microphone and speaker, we can also see one another using webcams.

Here is where the problem begins. It is so often to read news of (probably not-so-tech-savvy) Internet lovers who got blackmailed with videos or photos of themselves doing the strip tease by their ex-Internet lover. The latest being report in The Star today, “Clerk blackmailed by Net friend“.

One sentence caught my attention though…

She said she did not want to continue the relationship due to communication problems between them, and reported the matter to department head Datuk Michael Chong as she did not want more girls to suffer as she has.

Was she referring to their “relationship” or Internet connection?

It has just passed 5 in the morning. I have just completed an “assignment” and am wondering what I should do next. I have two options right now — to jump in bed or to stay up and go straight to work in a couple more hours. I am blogging now so it is quite obvious which option I chose.

The past two weeks have been quite hectic for me. One morning right about this time, I was awakened by a phone call on my mobile phone. My girlfriend was at the other end of the line. I wasn’t expecting an “I miss you” call at 5.30 in the morning so I asked her what’s wrong. There was so much fear in her voice she sounded like she saw a rat in her room.

Well, actually she did saw a rat in her room. She woke up when she heard some movement in her room. When she switched on her table lamp, she saw a big black “thing” jumping out of the dustbin and probably ran under her bed. She was terrified and didn’t know what to do. That’s when she called me.

Ahhh…hero saving the day. Hah!

Cat killing a rat

Anyway, that’s when the hard work started. I spent the whole of the following evening cleaning up her room. Sure enough, there were some rat droppings found under her bed. She made sure I check every single item in her room to make sure the rat wasn’t hiding in it. When I said everything, I do mean E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. *sigh*

So, her room is rat-free but (at least) one rat is still hiding some where in her house. Unfortunately, not everyone seems to be too bothered with it. That is when the rat hunting began.

If there is one thing I learnt from this episode is that rats aren’t stupid. In fact, rats are really, really smart these days. Not only are these rats able to detect a trap, they seem to have ever mastered the human language. Well, at least city rats, that is what I was told.

**********

“Where should we put this poison?”

“ShhhHH!!!!”

“What?”

“They will hear you!”

**********

We tried trapping the rat with a cage. That didn’t work. Later, we were told by some more knowledgeable individuals that our trap didn’t work because it was brand new. It is believed that new rat cage couldn’t trap rats because it still has that fresh metal smell to it.

Before using it, we were supposed to leave it out in the sun for a day or so. On the other hand, once you’ve trapped a rat with a cage, you must wash it with hot water or else the rat will be able to scent the previous rat’s odour.

Snake killing a rat

Anyway, they tried trapping the rat with those “sticky boards”. It worked on the second day. Everyone was happy at last but not before having to spend another hour or two to clean up the mess left behind by the rat. They found bones, maggi mee and yes, more rat droppings behind a kitchen rack.

And they live happily ever after? Not quite.

One of her house mates heard some noises downstairs one night. The house seems to have turned into a hangout place for a group of rats now. More work in progress to try and get rid of them. Better get rid of these rats quick before they start inviting their neighbours and have party all night long.

Any tips to share on what is the best ways to get rid of rats?