Refinancing?

I have been thinking: should I refinance my housing loan?

Well, definitely I will be saving a few hundred bucks, but what is holding me back is the hassle. I have to shop around, talk to a lot of bank officers, compare all packages and offers, etc. Worst of all, I have to read, and reread all small prints to make sure that I didn't overlook anything before I commit for at least a few years.

Besides that, I have to consider the quality of service each banks are providing. It might not be worth the savings if the service is not good. Some might say that all you need to do is to pay every month, so there is no need for any services. However, I know from past experience that I _do_ need the bank's help some times. So far, my bank has been keeping me happy. That's another reason why I am quite reluctant to switch to another bank.

Is there any good way to evaluate housing load offer?

When you can't think, you just can't

I have been sitting, or rather, struggling in front of my computer for more than 2 hours. I am suppose to prepare for a presentation. However, no matter how hard I try, there is nothing in my head. I was looking high and low, flipping through my books, searched through the Internet and ended up nothing, period. Yes, it has bits over here and there, however, I just can't link all of them together. My mind is not blank, but it just feel like the ideas are flying like snowflakes in my mind and I just can't link them up and create something solid.

There is only one solution: put it aside and come back later. Of course, it might never come (and I have to crank something out for tomorrow's presentation), but I think I should stop wasting my time whining about it.

OK, back to work......

Stop using antibacterial soap

I came across this article that says that plain soap as effective as antibacterial but without the risk. In short, the main active ingredient in many antibacterial soaps, triclosan, when used within the range of concentration commonly used in the community setting is no more effective than their plain counterparts. In fact, according to the article,

Because of the way the main active ingredient---triclosan---in many antibacterial soaps reacts in the cells, it may cause some bacteria to become resistant to commonly used drugs such as amoxicillin, the researchers say. These changes have not been detected at the population level, but e-coli bacteria bugs adapted in lab experiments showed resistance when exposed to as much as 0.1 percent wt/vol triclosan soap.

Further reading the comments, some suggested using alcohol based hand sanitizers as a more effective way to clean your hand. I haven't try that, but I think I'll stop using antibacterial soap from now on.