The Next Step......

Well it has been a busy weekend.....

The spy was back, this time he was parked in a different spot around the corner, and in the original white car, however, I have taken some important steps....

As shared previously I was to be renting a secure self storage unit large enough to take my trailer plus some items of furniture. So I measured my trailer and in total including the hitch etc, it is close to 3 meters in length and 1.7 meters wide wheel to wheel - it is a good size trailer. So as a minimum I determined I would need an extra 2 meters behind the trailer and a meter to the side, giving a minimum size of 3x5. Then with trusty ole Google I managed to locate at least four self storage companies - 3 located within the metro area and 1 out in the boonies as I heard they're cheaper. Then I buzzed them an email asking for quotes. Of course they have to work with what was available, so all units that I received quotes on were somewhat larger but all reasonably similar sizes. But the price differences really surprised me. The three metropolitan based places gave quotes of between $400 and a little over $500 per month. However the place that is out in the boonies quoted only $225 which is around half price!!! I knew such places would be cheaper but not THAT much cheaper!! I double checked to see if it was actually a monthly rate not fortnitely! No it was indeed monthly. And all these places offer the standard services, that includes 24/7 security with cams and all-night lighting, and the whole premises (except front offices in some cases) accessible through a security gate where you have to enter a code in the keypad to open it.

So no prizes for guessing which unit I chose in spite of the fact that it is an 45-minutes to 1-hour drive from here!! A 3x6 unit for only $225/month!! In contrast, a storage place only 10 minutes from me charges close to $500 for a similar size unit!! Needless to say I called to secure for myself a unit almost as soon as I gotten the email as there were only two such units available!! Then yesterday, Saturday, I made the long drive to the place, near Rockingham, to arrive just after the office was due to open. And after about 20 minutes of filling out paperwork and making the first payment, the unit was mine to take. You can either supply your own padlock or purchase one from the office, I already had my own so I made use of it to secure my storage space. However I found that the locking mechanism was designed to take up to TWO padlocks, so I decided I would get a 2nd one, this time a high quality one from somewhere like Bunnings as opposed to one I had gotten from the supermarket.

Anyway, on my way home I decided to stop off at Bibra Lakes to do my walk for the day. Bibra Lakes was where Mother would walk around it each and every morning before she got sick. I had wanted to go to Bibra Lakes before but it was too far from my place so up to now I hadn't been there. But with now renting storage space further south of it, I now have perfect opportunities to visit Bibra Lakes to follow in Mother's footsteps - literally!!!!!

After lunch back home, I embarked on my first task in regards to secure storage - preparing the family heirloom for transport to the storage facility. It is one of those antique display cabinets, it was passed onto Mother from Poppa. Evidently Mother was able to grab this cabinet when Aunt Mavis died, before the "vultures" being the other rellies of Mavis' side proceeded to grab as much as Poppa's belongings as they could!!! Aunt Mavis married Poppa sometimes after Nanna died. Then after Sally and I moved into our first house from being in apartments, Mother decided to pass this cabinet onto us. Sally thinks, since it was just before Mother was diagnosed with this disease, she somehow knew her days on Earth were numbered so wanted to assigned this cabinet while she was still able to, hence she passed it onto Sally and I. It is a classic antique, made of wood with lots of this old style glass, glass door, glass sides, the shelves made of glass, and a mirror at the back.

So now to figure the task of safely transporting this delicate piece of furniture the 45-mins to 1-hour trip to the storage facility. My first plan was to attempt ever so carefully to put it into the back of the car as it is not a terribly large piece of furniture. However, it was just a wee bit bigger than the car door, just too big to fit through it. Therefore the only other option was to transport it in the trailer, a far more risky venture!! Fortunately, due to the legacy of Sally's medical needs, I had more pillows than you can poke a stick at. So I first carefully loaded the item onto the trailer using an old quilt cover, laying it on it's wooden back, then I placed pillows underneath it so to cushion it from the trailer's floor. Then I placed pillows on either side of the item, there was just enough space between the item and the trailer sides to enable stuffing down the pillows keeping them in place. Then I placed further pillows and blankets inside the item inbetween the glass shelves to absorb any further shocks and to keep the door from rattling. With all the padding and impact protection measures, this single unit took up the whole trailer.

Now the big test.... did my methods work?? I was about to find out as I began the nerve-wracking trip to the storage unit, holding my breath at every bump in the road, at times watching the item bounce around in the trailer!!! But most fortunately, the item survived the trip unscathed, and it is now safely stored at the high security storage unit. Mission accomplished!! For the most part it materially doesn't matter if someone manages to burgle the house as I do have contents insurance. However this heirloom cannot be replaced, all the insurance on earth couldn't replace this. Besides I have no idea how much it might be worth. Sally used to watch these antique shows where people would bring in their items for valuation and a lot of the time the find it is worth $1000's when the owner thought it may be only $100's. This item I have is in it's original condition, nothing has been replaced, and it is still in very good condition, Poppa had looked after it well!! So for all I know I could be sitting on a fortune!!!! It's not that I would ever sell it, there is no way I would sell it, but I should perhaps have it valued for insurance purposes, as my current content insurance doesn't really cover this item - only the more mundane items such as the TV, furniture, my computer, etc. Anyway, now it is safely stored in a more secure location, bar any earthquake or other similar calamities, it is safe and sound!!

Today I moved another trailer load of items to the storage unit. All subsequent moves are aimed at removing items that I don't actually need immediately, mostly Sally's items, so to make more space in the house, making it easier to keep clean and to move out if and when the time comes. So I loaded two of Sally's craft cupboards into the trailer, that alone took up most of the trailer. It is fortunate that it is a caged trailer with steel barred walls all around it. This enables me to fit more items, and there was just enough room down one side for Sally's wheel chair and a small box. I managed to stash a couple of boxes of surplus kitchen items, again mostly Sally's legacy, into the car, and a couple of boxes of Sally's craft items into the trunk.

Before my trip to the storage unit, I first went for my walk, and then I went to Bunnings for another Padlock. This time I bought a top of the range lock, a large lock costing about $70 and according to the claims on the packaging the lock cannot be cut by bolt cutters. Well I hope that claim will never be tested!!!! But I decided it was a worthy investment to further protect the heirloom. So for someone to break into the unit, he will first have to get past the front gate which needs the correct pin on the keypad to access. By then Security services would have been alerted. Then the would-be-burglar will have to literally break down the metal roller door, and hopefully the coppers will have arrived before he succeeded. So bar any Al Quaida-style terrorist plot, I'd say my items in the unit are safe from any malicious hands!!

Alas the weather!!!! After being without rain for over a month, the forecast did say a "chance" of a shower. Well as luck would have it, this "chance" of a shower decided to materialize while half-way down the Freeway towing my exposed load - two wooden cupboards made mostly from chip boards!! - classic Akea stuff!!! Most Akea items are made from chip boards which is why they are so cheap, aside from the fact that it all comes in kit form which we had to assemble ourselves - and those cupboards were most lovingly assembled by me for Sally!!! And it was more than just a "shower"!! It bloody poured down!!!! I could have cursed that weather!!! The rain lasted for only about 10 minutes, and it hadn't rained since!!!!But it was enough to soak the cupboards, and being made of chip boards, the water has a tendency to make it warp!!!! It did manage to mostly dry out by the wind as I made the rest of the trip to the storage unit. But I guess I will find out soon enough if the cupboards developed warping!!!! Not a happy camper!!!! Just 10 minutes of rain after over a month of drought!!!! It could have waited another 30 minutes!!! grrrrrrrr...... just my bloody luck!!!!! It probably won't rain again for another bloody month!!!! Anyway, I left the trailer in the storage facility, so not only I have a little more room in the house, I now have a lot more room in the garage!!

So the plan is, over the next few weekends, bar any burglaries or other calamities, is to each weekend first pick up the trailer, transporting whatever can fit into the car to the storage unit while going to pick up the trailer. Bring the trailer back home, and proceed to load larger items or more items into it, then transport it back to the storage unit and leave the trailer there for another week until the next weekend. The task would be performed over the two days of the weekend while fitting in my other schedules such as my walks, the inevitable yard work, trips to the shops, etc.

Other issues..... just as I mentioned previous blog, I definitely decided to get out of the dating game. I am more convinced than ever that I am meant to be a nomad. That is why my spirit name, Wandering Wolf, was given to me from a past life. I am indeed a wanderer, ever to wander, never to settle down, never to have a lifetime companion. Sally was not a lifetime companion, though she would have been if not for her death, but for reasons I have partial ideas of, she was taken away from me. So it seems I am not meant to be with a companion. That is why I was incarnated to this little city of Perth rather than the east coast or America or Europe. There be no one for me in Perth, all of my matches were either located on the east coast or overseas. So indeed, I am meant to be alone. So now to fulfill my calling. I am a star child, incarnated from the stars, spending many past lives as ETs on other planets, which is why I have ET experiences - many of them are my kins from my past incarnations. As well as my Earth family I also have a star family, Andromedeans and Pleaideans. It is also why I am so drawn to whales and dolphins, they are Pleaidean souls (as well as Sirius). There are many on this planet like me, to be sure some do have partners, but it seems that due to my particular tasks I would not have a lifetime partner.

Now back to work tomorrow for another week.......

With Pluto being in my natal sign, I feel like another Alice Cooper song..... it's about necro sex, which is why I like it so much.... hehe... haha.....

I'm Outa Here !!!!

OK I'm getting out of the dating game until I move out!! I thought I was very careful about what info I put in my profiles, not giving full names nor what I thought to be any other identifying details about me. So I was shocked when a potential "date" contacted me citing Sally's full name!! How on earth she was ever able to glean that information from my profile I shall never know!!! Needless to say it freaked me!! She must have gleaned just enough info from my profile to link me to Sally with her full name, hence potentially my home address - what I wanted to avoid!! Needless to say I deleted my profile!!!!

I had another lady contact me, we sending msgs back and forth sharing basic info. Then on the 3rd msg she spun some story about her having to move out, and needing somewhere to store her extra belongings, and asking me if I have spare space at my place. I told her that I myself am moving out so I couldn't help her. Needless to say this was the last I heard from her. Of course I didn't give her any details on where I live nor my living arrangements. You just can't trust anyone these days. People DO find true friends and partners from dating sites, we do on occasion hear about it in the news or on the media. But now I am entirely spooked!!! When I move out I will have my number unlisted, and surely then no one could track me. I have all my mail sent to my PO box. And I have transferred my most valuable items, such as my wife's ashes, to safe storage at my workplace (of course I didn't tell anyone at work!!). And I have encrypted my hard disk on my computer, so even if anyone steals my computer, they won't be able to access my data, which is protected by a 22-character password which would take even the fastest computer longer than the age of the universe to try all combinations to crack the password. Furthermore, I keep my data backed up on my thumb drives which I always take with me when I am out of the house. And I have taken other security measures. I also have a 22-character password for my wireless router, it stops hackers from using my router and bandwidth. A 22 character password yields about 10^21 combinations, that is a number "1" followed by 21 zeros. In contrast, assuming the universe is 15 billions years old, that is "only" 5x10^17 seconds, that is a number "5" followed by just 17 zeros being the number of seconds since the birth of the universe. Therefore if the number of combinations of a 22 character password is converted to seconds, it would yield a value of 10000 times the age of the universe!! So even the fastest computer on earth, if it attempted to crack a 22 character password by trying every possible combination, it would take a length of time greater than the age of the universe - so for all intensive purposes, it is impossible to crack such a password!! In contrast a normal 8-character password that most of us uses for various things yields only about 40000 combinations, that if translated to seconds it would be only 11 hours, so would take less than 1/2 day for a reasonable computer to crack it!!

Something else that freaks me out, I recently noticed some suspicious activity near my place, namely a car parked two doors along from my place with a man inside whom I never seen before. I do keep tabs on my neighbors, I know the usual people who comes and goes. So this one was never seen before. And he was watching me the whole time as I went to and from my place, I could see he had his eyes on me. This happened on two occasions over two weeks, a different car the 2nd time but the same person parked in the same place. I am keeping a dossier on him, recording details of these two instances, including car rego details (even if the car is likely to be stolen or ghosted), such information kept on my thumb drive that I carry with me, so that should there be a break in or attempted break in, this information will be given to the coppers. But the sooner I move out the better, given that I am no longer on a lease, and I am in the process of renting secure storage space, and keeping my most valuable belongings there, mostly sentimental value, nothing that is worth $$$$ but a lot of sentimental value. I do have contents insurance, but no insurance in the world can replace items of sentimental value. Somewhat fortunately I do have an active neighborhood, the older couple next door are friends with the landlord and they are always home and often tending to their garden, and one of their windows looks straight onto the back porch so they'd call the cops if they notice anyone there that shouldn't be there. Also the neighbor across the road, my former landlord, has a mobile car repair business, so he is often home, and also the other next door neighbor is also often at home. So I do have neighbors who knows me, and who would pick up on any unusual activity around my place.

But yeah we heard on the news recently that a nurse in Melbourne (I think) who was bashed senseless by a man whom she met on an online dating site!!! Well if you ask me, the online dating game can be just as dangerous for guys too!!! You really have to have your wits about you. And I think you need to have an unlisted number, have a PO box and have all mail going there, and to be aware of your neighborhood and keep a dossier on any suspicious activity, recording car rego plates, and etc. Of course making your number unlisted while still at the same residence is utterly pointless, even if the electronic records are altered it will still be in the phone books!!! So you have to move house to another locality and make sure the new number is unlisted!! And dump any potential "dates" if she asks for your full name, address, living arrangements, or other personal identifying details before you even meet her!! A genuine dating prospect will not ask for such information at such an early stage. A genuine date will not mind if we cultivate a relationship through online msgs, taking our time over several months, then perhaps start to meet in person, always at a public place such as a cafe, pub, or cinema.... and trust your intuition... our gut will know when it is time to take the relationship to the next level, involving visiting each other's homes, etc but I'd give it a year before we go to that level - a genuine date will not mind at all to really take our time.

So no more dating until I move out!!

Meanwhile life goes on...... I am doing my walks around Lake Monger during the week after work, about 3.5 kms, aiming for at least twice per week. On weekends I these days am walking between 10 and 15 kms. I think Mother would be proud of me. That is the main reason why I do my walking, cos Mother loved walking. Not that it did her any good, being the family "curse" of the short lifetimes, falling off the perch in our 60s or 70s, with only one that I know of that is in his 80s and still alive even if only just!!! There was no healthier person in regards to fitness than Mother, she walked several kms every day, ate all the right foods, and by all indexes she should have lived into her 90s if not longer..... if not for this dreadful disease that no health regime could defend against, she fell of the perch at only 68!!!!! Nevertheless I do my walks to stay connected to Mother and to keep my sanity intact!!

As for my job, our State Govt is introducing laws this week to end the permanency of State Govt workers, meaning, we can be sacked at will just like in private enterprise, only that we don't get paid as much as private enterprise - our lower wages was seen as a tradeoff for our job security. But with that gone, the Govt is also introducing laws limiting our pay rises to the CPI which means no more than 3% if that, so we will still be paid less than private enterprise yet after this week we can be sacked at will at the whim of our employer just as it is in private enterprise. Nevertheless, my particular job is safe for the time being. But should I get the sack in the next ten years, assuming the relative housing situation remains more or less the same around Australia, a move to Brisbane will follow such a sacking - Brisbane and Hobart housing are among the cheapest in Australia while Perth is the most expensive, moreso than even Sydney, and well Brisbane has better weather than Hobart (the storms and floods notwithstanding!!), so no brainer for my choice of future abode!!!!

I think that is about it for now...... my mundane little life.......

Another song for my dark moods......

Welcome to my nightmare!
I think you're gonna like it!
I think you're gonna feel its where you belong!

Welcome to my breakdown!
I hope I didn't scare you!
But that's the way we are when we come down!

Life Goes On.....

Now definitely through with dating scams. Although the schemes are vastly different, the same patterns and traits are present in all of them. Now to get on with life.....

Last Saturday night was the DonateLife event at the old Perth Observatory, I was invited cos Sally was an organ donor. Donate Life participate the the Adopt A Star program through the Perth Observatory, that they adopted a star collectively for the organ donors. The star in question is called Achernar, a giant blue star about 139 light years from Earth. Hmmmm I wonder if there are any ETs living near the star! hehe! The event was held in the grounds of the old Observatory near Kings Park, there was a concert and some speeches, then we looked through telescopes at the moon, Venus, and the star. Unfortunately during the concert, someone forgot to turn of the sprinkler retic, and just my luck I was sitting right next to a sprinkler which I didn't know until it popped up and proceeded to drench me, so was like a drowned rat. They eventually turned them off, but it was too late, me and my belongings were wet through.

Of course I invited the Perth side of the family along, but did any of them come along? Of course not! Without naming names, some said they had other events already planned, while others had simply ignored my invites. It did hurt but it is so typical of my family (meaning Mother's side). If Mother was still here, she'd come along with me, even if she had other plans, unless it was something like a night on the town already booked and paid for, wouldn't expect her to give that up, otherwise she would have made every effort to come along with me, even if for only part of the event if she had something else going on. So it was a bitter-sweet night. Everyone else there had families/friends with them, I was the only loner. So everyone else had family who cared enough to come along with them. We all had gotten invites about three weeks before the event, so possibility that some family members may have already other plans, but it is plain to see, they all had family who cared enough to come along. Except me. It's not so much those who had contacted me with news of other plans, though it did hurt a bit that things akin to a birthday party or a work function was deemed more important than attending an event in honor of my wife. But it was those who totally ignored me, that did hurt a lot. Probability theory is that not all family members will have had prior commitments, those who ignored me would have in all probability no prior commitment but just didn't want to go to the bother of accepting the invite.

So now that I know that my importance to the family lies somewhere between that of a slug and an amoeba there are going to be changes. I will no longer be putting my family first in regards to Xmas, birthdays, etc. In years gone by, when someone asked what I was doing for Xmas, I'd say that I expect to be having lunch with the family. But not this time. This time I will say that I have no plans for Xmas. So if anyone wanted to take me out, or invited me to their place, I'd go even if it clashed with the family event which is usually Xmas lunch. Of course this is purely symbolic. I have no friends in Perth, they are all overseas or on the east coast. And of course I will never get a date in Perth. There are certain things that just will not happen - the Palestinians giving the land back to the Jews, the Pope approving of gay unions and married priests in the Church, America paying off it's trillion dollar debt, and a 50yo guy getting a date in Perth!! So unfortunately I will probably be at the Xmas lunch as per usual. However if by some extreme stroke of luck, akin to winning Powerball Lotto, that I get an invite from elsewhere, I will be accepting the invite. A visit to the family for Xmas lunch in Kardinya will be a last resort, it will only be when I have nothing else to do. Indeed in any future dating prospect I won't even say that I have a family here, I will say as per more the truth, my family are on the east coast.

So it seems it is my destiny to be alone.... there is a reason why I am called the Wandering Wolf, destined to be forever wandering, never to find a place to call home, never to find anyone to settle down with. Indeed to be with people who actually values me I will have to travel, to the east coast, and overseas.... afterall I did have to go all the way to America to meet a wife!!! I don't intend ever marrying again, there will ever be only one Sally, but if I ever want to meet true friends I will have to travel to do so. Perth women are fickle, closed minded, and very old fashioned, all expecting men to have 1950's styled short hair, shirt and tie. They reject my longer hair and hippie-like features. East coast women are far more open minded and far more accepting of me just as I am. It is just that they are on the east coast, a very long way from me!!!!!

Uh well life goes on..... I've up the ante on my walks, I now go for walks after work at least twice each week. These are shorter walks, I just go to Lake Monger which is about 5 mins from work and walk around it, about 3.4kms according to my app, which I do in a little over 30 minutes. In this Luddite city of Perth we don't have daylight savings, but there is enough daylight after work to enable to time for my walks and get home well before dark. On other days I often have to go to the shops or other errands after work, but if I can fit in at least two walks I am happy.

Still no word as to whether I will have to move out, though I am now leaseless, my lease ran out so am just renting from fortnite to fortnite. I do have a bit of savings built up, which is meant to be for the move, but I decided to splurge on a portable aircon. It's a real aircon, not those useless "air cooler" thingies that doesn't work. This aircon seems to be working very well. And since it is unlikely that apartments in my price range will have aircons, this unit will come in handy when I finally do move into an apartment. The aircon has an exhaust system designed to fit into a window. It comes with a universal window fitting that can be used on virtually any size window that opens, just a matter of opening the window about four inches and the fitting slides in and slots into place. So the hot air exhaust from the aircon goes straight out the window. Fortunately I have security grilles on my windows, though it's not likely that anyone could squeeze through a 4-inch space, however, as I shared in a previous blog, my windows are those standard aluminium frame windows that can be easily removed - that I found out when I did the window cleaning!!!! It is only the security grille that protects the window from being broken into. In any case, when I am not using the aircon, I simply remove the window fitting, especially when I am out of the house. I never leave the aircon on all night, it is a wee bit noisy, well fairly comparable to the noise from the more expensive wall-mounted units, but me being a light sleeper, I can't sleep with noise. But by then, the house is cool enough, and I can sleep reasonably comfortable.

So now looking forward to another weekend...... alone. Tomorrow, Saturday, will be hot and I won't be pushing myself quite so much on my walk, not going to be walking 15kms in near-century heat!! I'll limit myself to about 10kms. I probably won't be going to King's park cos I think there is an event happening so it will be packed out and parking impossible. But fortunately I think the Causeway end will be free, and parking there is free unlike both the Perth and South Perth sides. So will probably go for an around the river walk, but this time between the Causeway and the Burswood bridges, that is, past the Casino, over the Burswood bridge, and back up the other side past Gloucester Park. Sunday is expected to be cooler albeit more humid, I will probably hit Bold Park then. This November has been the hottest on record so far, not complaining, I far more prefer heat to cold.

Chanukah is coming up soon, in fact it begins the evening of 24 November, less than two weeks away. So I did another splurge, a more minor one, and ordered a new Chanukah menorah. Such a menorah has nine candle holders, as opposed to seven on a normal menorah. Prior to this, Sally and I had been using a cheap old small menorah which we gotten at a Jewish markets, it was the cheapest we could find as that was all we could afford at the time. It is now most decidedly worst for wear, so now into a new phase in my life, not one I am enjoying, nevertheless a new phase, I decided to finally purchase a new and bigger and more expensive menorah. I spotted online a great new modern-style menorah which I really liked, so I put in an order. It seemed a lot of other people liked it too, and indeed I was duly informed a couple of days later that it had sold out!!!! Arrrrrgh!!!! But fortunately I was able to pick an alternative model, same price, and similar style, and fortunately that was still in stock!!!!! So I am now excitedly waiting for my new menorah. Due to the proximity of the holiday, I had to choose a more expensive faster delivery option so to guarantee delivery before the start of Chanukah. Chanukah is like Xmas, it creeps up on you!!!! But unlike Xmas, Chanukah being a lunar-based holiday like all Jewish holidays, it falls at a different time of year each year, and this year it falls early, so it crept up on me even faster!!!!!

This is what I wanted but it sold out!!!!!

So this is what I ended up with.... still a very nice one.....

So now just waiting for it to get here..... all the way from Israel !!!!!

Anyway..... I think that is about all for now........

Here in keeping with my darker moods, here some darker music.... but I promise I won't make it too dark. But with Pluto in my natal sign there is a dark side of me, and that dark side manifests much when I am sad, feel unloved, hopeless, and particularly lonely..... So here's a classic song.... it is indeed The End in many ways..... well ok my family is not quite THIS disfunctional but you get the idea.....

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end

Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes...again

............

More Dating Scam Updates - hopefully the last

Ohhhhh that was a close call.... I think it's time to get out of the scam game.... I've almost got caught up, hopefully had gotten out in time, had to enlist the help of the admin of the dating website in question, he assured me he was aware of the scam and my data is perfectly safe..... but this is it.... I have learnt enough about the scammers to know of their common traits.... the schemes are many and varied, but they all have common threads..... so no more.... I am no James Bond... it's about time I get with the genuine dates, even if it is so I will never find anyone here in Perth.... but then I think even James Bond won't be able to find a date in Perth! LOL!

Now the scams..... another one involved artwork. This particular lady, naturally in Nigeria, claimed she was an artist, and she sent me pixs of what she claims to be her artwork, sculptures, etc, plus an obvious fake certificate from an Art's company in Nigeria (Google couldn't find it, and you know, if Google can't find it then it doesn't exist). She claims that an Artist club in America is buying her artworks for hundreds and thousands of dollars, again with a pix of another obviously fake certificate of her alleged membership. This club does indeed exist, however, the list of members are available on the website, and... surprise surprise.... she is not on that list!! Anyway its a variation of the same spiel, the money is coming to her but is currently in transit, so she is short of money, so she wants me to send her money so she can get out of the country and come see me.... and she would pay me back when she finally gets the money..... and I am a man on Mars!!!! Only the amount asked for varies.... for this one it is a princely sum of $2500.

Anyway.... the lady who wanted the $500 for a particular document.... well after two days of ignoring her, she wrote back asking me why I hadn't wrote back, and she said it was cos of the money isn't it. I said, yes it is, and past records shows potential dates loses interest in me when they realise they won't get any money out of me. Then she wrote back, saying, it wasn't about the money, that she still allegedly "loves" me and she understand my situation - I peddle a lie of my own, you know, you have to play the game to beat them at the game. I tell them that I am in the middle of settling my wife's estate and that it is costing me $1000's in legal fees and it is going to be sometime before I get through with this, but as soon as the estate is settled, I would send the money - all lies of course, but as I say......

So I wrote back to her, asking her for a chat session by webcam, fully expecting her to decline and make excuses, since the majority of the scammers are not who they say they are, many of them being men. But much to my surprise, she accepted!!! And so I go on the cam with her, and indeed the lady on the cam did look like the lady on the pixs she sent, and was wearing a skimpy little night dress.... she could just be the daughter of the scammer, and though she claims to be 28, she looks more like 17 in both the pixs and on the cam.... so we chatted for a bit.... then she asked for the money again, and I politely told her that as per the reasons given before (wife's estate) I didn't have the money. I haven't heard from her since.....

Now here's proof that scammers are also in Australia.... a lady on a dating site had happened to catch me online, so requested a chat with me using the on-site chat facility - most dating sites have them - and on her profile she had Perth as her location.... so I thought... aha at last!!!! A woman from Perth wanting to chat with me!!! SO anyway we would not have been chatting for more than 5 minutes before she said, let's go onto Yahoo!!! That was the first sign that all was not kosher. Scammers always insist on going onto the public email or chat programs, usually Yahoo. Then when we moved onto Yahoo, she was getting more and more amorous and declared her undying love for me. This one was quick!!! Most of them wait two or three msg or email exchanges!!! Anyway, putting my hidden acting skills to the test, I played along..... and then she said, she was actually in Melbourne!!!! I thought... hmmmm.... her profile says Perth, and I think that is possibly where she really is. Dating sites keeps track of your IP address. Everyone with an internet account has an IP address, and companies uses them to determine where you actually are, since each has a code unique to your city or location. This includes dating sites, and if a member claims she is from elsewhere that what her IP states, the site places them on scam watch. That is one reason why they insist on going onto a public site like Yahoo. Anyway, the next night we got back on chatting again, and she asked me if she could come and see me. So I said, yes, and she said she would book a flight from Melbourne..... then the usual spiel.... she said she has a "problem", that she can't afford the air ticket, so asked me to send the money. So I said that these days you can get really cheap flights to/from Melbourne. Anyway she said she is contacting her travel agent now..... and a few minutes later, she told me that a return flight would cost her $980! I knew that was way high..... just a Google on Perth-Melbourne flights reveals plenty of return fares as cheap as between $200 and $300!!!! I sorta said if $980 the best the "agent" can come up with, its time to find another agent!!! She tried to make up some story..... but it was obvious.... another scammer trying to get money out of me!!! The chat session ended there, and I haven't heard from her since.

Now I am on the last scammer..... I don't intend on entertaining any more, I have learnt enough. This one claims she works for the Human Rights Commission in Nigeria. She is starting with small amounts of money.... and had just asked me for $200 to help pay the rent and food. I said I would let her know in a week. Of course she is not going to get a cent, but I am fishing for more information. I will soon be asking her for a webcam session.

Anyway here are the list of common traits of dating scammers.....

1. They aggressively seek you out. Most genuine date prospects tends to wait for the man to contact her, and the few that does initiate contact usually does so with the stated intent of seeking a friendship, or just getting to know you better. Scammers however, they usually state that they are looking for a husband or at least a lifelong partner, and they claim that just by seeing my profile they "feel" that I am the man for her, and that I would make a good husband.

2. They insist on moving the conversation either to private email or chat software, usually Yahoo, but also Gmail and a couple of others. All dating sites have an internal email system, and also usually a live chatting system. Most however charges you for the privilege of using them, so to many, going onto Yahoo, etc, seems a cheap way to go. However, by remaining on the dating site's messaging system, you come under their protection. Most sites usually can determine a scammer, they have systems to check for them, and they get banned pretty quickly. You get what you pay for. But by going onto Yahoo, you are no longer the responsibility of the dating site, you are now on your own!!! That is a major reason why they insist on moving the conversation to these public sites. Genuine prospects are perfectly happy to use the site's email/msg system for as long as it takes to gain sufficient trust in each other.

3. Depending on the dating site's home location, they all indicate in their profile that they are in either an American city, or England, or Australia, but once moving to Yahoo, they almost invariably claim that they are either in Nigeria, Malaysia or some other 3rd world country. (the "Melbourne" case in Perth being an exception rather than the rule) Their real locations are as stated on the dating site, due to the IP thing I explained about. They get flagged as a scammer if their claimed location is different to what their IP address indicates. It's more likely they are in contact with scammers in the 3rd world countries, as the addresses of where to send the money to are indeed in Nigeria, etc. They are "employed" by the scammers and probably get a kickback for every successful scam victim claim.

4. They all claim they are "in love" with you by at most the 3rd email or msg exchange. Many doesn't wait that long. They say that I am the man for them, and they want to spend the rest of their lives with me. True love doesn't work that way, not even with Sally. Though Sally and I corresponded by email for a bit, we didn't fall in love until we actually met. You simply cannot fall in love with a person just from a few pixs and a profile, you may get infatuated, even in lust depending on how sexy the pixs she sends, but you never cultivate the real long lasting love - that comes only by personal physical contact.

5. Possessiveness. They usually insist that you promise to them not to contact any other women. Many even try to have you delete your profile on the dating site. Many themselves claims that they have deleted their profiles after they "found" me. Genuine prospects usually does not mind if you have contacts with other women, and they never insist on deleting one's profiles.

6. They claim that their previous partner cheated on them, or did some other crime against her, and in many cases, are the cause of their current predicament. I am supposed to "rescue" them from such a predicament.

7. They claim they have no family, either their parents died, or are for some reason estranged from the family. Thus they are all alone, and have no one to help them..... except the intended scam victim!!

8' They often claim that they are devout Christians who goes to church each week, that they are moral, they don't believe in casual sex or one night stands, and that faithfulness in marriage is a must. Even if they claim no religious affiliations, they often claim that they work for a charity or humanitarian company such as the Human Rights Commission.

9. They usually claim they have a lot of money "tied up" somewhere that can't be released until they are out of the 3rd world country. The schemes are many and varied, usually a family inheritance, or a successful business, or some legal settlement. So they meanwhile need money to assist them to get out of the country. Often for documentations such as visas, etc, and/or the air tickets, or courier fees for alleged packages containing the family fortunes, or variation thereof.

10. They refuse to chat on webcam, making up excuses as to why they can't chat on webcams - unless you have a pretty daughter willing to participate in the scam, such as the $500 lady.

11. Urgency! They often state that they "urgently" need the money, often compelling you to make an immediate decision. They don't like it when you tell them that you need "time to consider" cos they know full well that it's easy to check up on the bogus companies, fake certificates, etc.

12. They lose interest in you once they realise they are not going to get a single cent from you. Their "undying" love suddenly dies..... oh such is the power of money!!!!

And this is the classic reason why I hate money. Money always brings out the worst in people, it turns normally good people into evil monsters. It twists and distorts everything. Nomatter how much money you have, you never have enough, you always want more of it - even if you're at the top of Forbe's rich list!! I'd enjoy a society without money. The bartering system is not ideal but it is better than money, it is much harder to run a scam on bartering. But as it is said, a bad seed brings a bad tree, and it is so that the money system evolved out of the bartering system. A much more enlightened system is a system based on giving - you see a person in need, you simply give to them. Then if you yourself is lacking in something, someone else will give to you. And so it all evens out, there be no "filthy rich" and no "desperately poor", everyone will have more or less what they need..... such a system may seem like a pipe dream from cuckoo land..... but as John Lennon sings.... "Imagine....."

Here's the scammer's anthem.... Give me money!!!!!!

Dating Shams Updates

Well it has been some interesting developments in the dating sham saga.

Firstly the lady I had been referring to who sent me the scam about an alleged box of treasures..... Well I did write back saying I did have questions but was willing to help her out. Two days later I received a msg from her giving the classic "I'm suffering trust me"! You know, the usual spiel claiming she understands my skepticism, and she is stuck alone with no one to help her, that I am the only man whom she can trust, she depends on me, and if I just trust her I would be rewarded, ra ra ra..... Of course I saw through all that like a pane of clear glass. However I played along and asked her to just send me the details of  what I need to do to help her with the box. The next day she sent me the details, including the obviously bogus consignment numbers, the name of the company, the contact person, and his email addy. It was at this point that she said for me to pay the delivery fee for the boxes, without specifying an amount, and she promised she would pay me back when assumedly the box is opened up upon arrival. She asked me to contact him directly with certain personal details. So first thing I did was to check out the company. Google is a wonderful tool. If it exists, Google will find it. Conversely, if Google can't find it, it doesn't exist. And so consequently, I have established that there was no such creature as this particular company, it simply does not exist. So I sat on it for a couple of days, she hadn't msg me back. Then after a couple of days I msg her back saying I was fixing to contact the company, but before I send any money, I will need to check out the company, saying, any company worth its salt will have an online presence - either a website, or independent reports on the company. This was nearly a week ago, and I haven't heard back from her since. Of course I have already proven that the company doesn't exist so no way I was going to send them a single penny!! So looks like one scammer caught out.

Meanwhile I have had no more of the three or four ladies I was currently "dating" online attempting to entice me into this same kind of scam. But there has been different responses.

One lady who declared her undying love for me by the 3rd msg (like the others) chose to carry on the "relationship" for another several emails. Of course I felt nothing for her, I just played along. Remember that Mother did send me to Drama classes back in my childhood, and I do know how to act, indeed if not for fate, I'd probably be in Hollywood ;) hehe!! So I played along, and she said it was her birthday coming up, and that she wanted a gift from me so she could "feel it" as being from me, so I said I would send her a gift if she can send me her contact details in Nigeria (where she claimed she was living). The next email however, she said for me to send her money instead, so she could purchase the gift with the money, she claimed this would be easier. So she sent me some contact details from Western Union (WU), she assumedly had an account with them. Now WU is a reputable company, I have dealt with them during my trip to America, it was often how my friends in America sent me money to help me on the trip, also Sally and I dealt with the company. But I also know the scammers often uses reputable company for their schemes, and as long as she doesn't do anything illegal directly with the company, there is not a thing the company can do about it. So anyway, she didn't specify the amount of money, so I said I would send her a small amount of money, and I got onto the WU website. After she wrote back to me, I told her that I had contacted WU and that before I could send her money, I would need my Passport for their ID checks, and that since it's been so long since traveling overseas, I would have to search through my house for the Passport.

Well this was part truth and part lie. I did indeed get on the WU website, and indeed they do require ID, but in reality a Driver's License is sufficient - furthermore I know where my Passport is anyway!! It was just delaying tactics to see what other information I can get out of this lady. Well the delaying tactic worked. In her last email, she claimed that she was stuck in Nigeria, she needed some document to allow her to leave, and that it would cost several hundreds of dollars. So she said to me that when I do find the Passport and send her the "birthday" money, that it needed to be a specified amount - $500 to be exact. Needless to say, I've nabbed another scammer. I will not be contacting her again.

So two down, and another two or three to go......

The third lady.... this one used a different tact. This one stated that she was actually in America, but gave the story that her father was in Malaysia on a contract, and her ex-boyfriend who apparently worked with him stole some money, which the father blamed on the lady, so not talking to her any more..... ra ra ra..... Anyway, after she declared her undying love for me on the 3rd email, she asked for my cell phone number. Well this is another thing to be careful of. Criminal organisations can upload software onto the phone so they can track you using the GPS. It is what parents uses to track their teens so to see what they're up to. Reputable apps companies does ask for permission to install the app on the phone, however, it is quite easy to circumvent this requirement, so such software can be uploaded to your phone without you even knowing it. It's a popular way of spouses catching out their partners having affairs!!It is also a popular way for criminal organisations to track you, determining your home address, and knowing when you are not home so they could conduct a burglary. So the warning is, never give your cell phone number to strangers - including online dates whose trust and identity has not been proven!!!!

Fortunately however, legacy of Sally's death, I do have some surplus cell phones. So I reactivated one of them, and I switch it on ONLY when I am out of the house, such as, at work, or out for my walks, and even then for only a few minutes at a time. A phone can't be tracked when it is switched off. Such software is good but it is not THAT good, it has to have power for it to work. So I did send the lady the cell phone number. She claimed she couldn't reach me on the number, I told her that it was an international number so needed to use the codes, which she claimed she did so, and so concluded that her cell phone contract did not include international calls. However I am no fool. I do not under ANY circumstances whatsoever switch on the phone at home, only for short periods of time away from home. Anyway after she claimed she couldn't reach me on the phone, she started to ask for my home address. Of course I didn't give it to her, I am not that stupid. I NEVER give my home address online except to reputable companies through secure sites such as banks, Coles, Woolies, etc, where I have things home delivered. I simply ignored her request for my home address and continued on with the "relationship". But she insisted, and this time, she said she would come and visit me. That was her most recent email. So I said, that's great.... but also I would love to chat with her on the webcam, and that perhaps she could send me a selfie with both our names written on herself or a sign.

That was today, and I am yet to hear back from her, but give it time, it is usually later in the evening that I hear from her. You see, in regards to dating scams, it is very likely we are NOT corresponding with the person portrayed in the photos sent. Interestingly they in 90% of cases does not display any profile pics on the dating site, she only sends the pixs when we go to private email. The pixs are often stolen from social networking sites, modelling sites, and other such sites with pixs. Indeed in many cases, you are actually corresponding with a man. So asking for a webcam chat and a selfie with our identifying details is usually enough to weed out the scammers. However of course, passing this ID tests is still no guarantee that one is dealing with a genuine dating prospect, but it does weed out 90% of the scammers. It is likely I will hear back from her with an excuse as to why she can't comply with these requests - nevermind that every cell phone has a cam, and it is real easy to do a selfie with the ID verifications, plus everyone has a webcam, it is built into laptops and tablets these days - Sally had a webcam built into her laptop, and most tablets has them now. So she will make some excuse, and I won't be surprised if she asked for money to help cover for the air ticket to allegedly come and see me. My 3rd catch is in sight.

There are about two other ladies.... so far they haven't taken the scam bait.

However I am cultivating a few genuine friendships on this dating site, those whom we maintain contact through the dating site, and all are on friendship basis only, indeed akin to penfriends or email buddies, and are such a breath of fresh air compared to the scammers who insists on private email contact. History may perhaps repeat itself in good time - going back to America to pick up another wife!!! Well as I said I am not actually looking for another wife, I just want soul mates and someone to go out with here in Perth (the latter WON'T happen but where there's breath however feeble there's hope), but a few more overseas contacts are nice.

In other news..... Less than a week to the end of the lease, and still not a boo from the landlord. Hopefully it means he is in no hurry for me to move out. If I can get a few more months out of him, then I will be in a far better position to move out.

Looks like summer has arrived at long last. It has been hot this past week. As the days get longer, I will start going for my walks after work. Us Luddites in the west doesn't have daylight savings, so have to rely on nature for the days to get sufficiently long enough for me to enjoy my walks after work and still get home before dark. Today was Beltane, the Pagan start of the summer, about the half way point between the Equinox and the Solstice. So we now enter an approx three months phase of summer, the best opportunity for going for walks after work without coming home in darkness.

My job is still safe..... just a whole department next door is no longer existing. They threw a big party yesterday, the last day of their existence, which we were invited and we went to..... now today it is all nearly empty.... But for our dept it is business as usual as we get ready for the busy enrolments period before Xmas - even if it is just me now in my particular area, I no longer have a sidekick to help me..

Hmmmm..... I think that is about all for now.......

The song for today..... since this is Beltane the Pagan start of summer, let's have a summer song..... some Summer Love... I don't think it will ever happen to me.... *sigh*.... but nice to dream..... great oldie anyway.....