Cybercrime

Do you suspect you might be a victim of Cybercrime? The term ‘Cybercrime’ is defined as any illegal activity carried out using computers or the internet. Cybercrimes can range from Identity theft to cyber-bullying, fraud to the illegal selling of services.

Becoming a victim of cybercrime is, unfortunately, very common. The appropriation of a person’s identity for example, is easy to do online and hard to verify. Likewise, offering a service while providing false information about the specifications or qualifications of the service provider, or the legal veracity of his claims, is another pitfall. Online scammers are a dime a dozen.

Before trusting your work and personal information to a tertiary service provider, make sure to verify all his claims prior to handing over any remuneration. It is hard to trace people online. Hard, but not impossible. Especially for those with the right resources.

If you are Maltese and suspect you are a victim of cybercrime, make sure to contact the Cyber Crime Unit within the Malta Police Force – https://pulizija.gov.mt/en/police-force/police-sections/Pages/Cyber-Crime-Unit.aspx

Each and every country has its own relevant Cybercrime Authority or Unit which deals with enforcing Cyber Security Laws. For example, if you are a US citizen, you can file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at http://www.ic3.gov, and if you are a citizen of Kenya, you can talk to the Cyber Crime Unit within the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and send an email to director@cid.go.ke . All the information relating to where you can find help, wherever you are, is on Google.

Ironically, the same tool which can be used to scam you – the internet – is also the tool which can help you resolve such illegalities. But then of course, tools are neither good nor bad, it is the individual who uses them for nefarious means, who is at fault.

So, inform yourself and stay sharp! Don’t let yourself be used.

NOT a ‘Team Member’ of TVB

It has come to my attention that my name together with a link to this blog features on a website called TVB – The Virtual Booktour Company, supposedly owned by a Ms Maureen Wahu, or someone who goes by that nomenclature, and whereby I am cited as being a member of their ‘Team’. This website, if I am understanding correctly, provides book reviews and Beta readers.

I am not and have never been a member of this ‘team’. Have never worked with them or received any remuneration from them. I have no idea how they have my name and am assuming they randomly plucked it, together with this blog’s URL, from WordPress. As such, I sent them an email to kindly remove my name and the link to my blog since this information is false and is a misrepresentation not only of their team, but also of my work. If this is a genuine mistake, they should be happy I became aware of it, and update their website. If not, they seem to be using my name and identity for their own ends, which is against the law.

If you are or were a client of TVB please be aware of this.

In Love with the 80s

If you had the choice of re-living your childhood and teenage years, and could choose the particular decade during which to enjoy them… would you? And which decade would you choose?

Baccombed wild hair, puffy tulle skirts, pink scrunchies, men wearing heavy make-up, others stroking screeching guitars as though they were lovers, skintight leather trousers, shoulder-padded blazers, bubblegum and legwarmers. No it’s not a drag-queen’s parade – it’s the 80s!

Ever since I can remember, I have always been in love with the 80s. The movies, the video games, the music, the pop-culture, the anime, the clothes (especially the Madonna phase)…. Taking into account that I was born in the mid-80s, and therefore don’t remember a thing about actually living during this decade, since I was a toddler at the time, this kind of retro-nostalgia might not be understandable to others. After all, why yearn for slower services, archaic I.T, and vanilla sitcoms right? Still, when I look at the ingenious convoluted plots of 80s movies, as opposed to the boring recurring tropes featuring semi-nude women, sex scenes, car chases and gratuitous violence… without a shred of innovation or creativity, presented to viewers today, it is no wonder I end up re-watching old 80s, and sometimes 90s films over and over again.

And what to say about the music? David Bowie, Queen, Siouxie and the Banshees, Black Sabbath, Def Leppard, Madonna, Guns n Roses, Van Halen, AC/DC, Twisted Sister, Whitesnake, Kiss, Scorpions, Eurythmics… need I go on? Who do we have now? Justin Bieber? Miley Cyrus? Kanye West? Oh please…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpaqBXc5MTk

I don’t doubt that there are great and talented artists out there. But does today’s entertainment culture give them prominence as it should? I’ll leave you to answer that yourselves shall I?

Two days ago, I finished reading Cline’s amazing book ‘Ready Player One’. And it was a blast. The movie? I liked it and watched it twice… before I had actually read the novel. Now? Let’s say I think I’ll be considering the movie and the novel as two separate entities, rather than one. Yes, the movie does derive from the book, BUT apart from holding to the mostly-right cliche that ‘The book is always better than the movie’, I have to say that the characters, plot-lines, adventures and contents of the movie vs book itself are vastly different. And yes, the book is much better. Especially if you are a sucker for the 80s like me. And a movie-geek. And love video games. And are an otaku. And a geek. And a nerd.

I think you’ve realized by now that even though I finished reading the book more than 48 hours ago, I am still MASSIVELY HYPED UP about it.

Time to listen to some good 80s music and re-watch ‘Back to the Future’ or ‘Bladerunner’!

Between Happiness and Doom

I’m not going to write paragraphs and paragraphs about how sorry I am that I haven’t written in ages. To be honest, I am not sorry. This is because, literally, I was too busy living to write during the last couple of months. To sum it all up:

1. Me and my bf bought a new house.
2. We re-painted said house, re-arranged the electricity and plumbing. Fought with said plumbers and electricians over issues, problems, mismanagement and parts to be bought and exchanged.
3. We bought furniture, fought with furniture stores when the orders did not turn up, ran after stores when furniture turned up with missing parts, arranged the furniture to our liking.
4. We spent money and wailed about it.
5. Finally we packed all our stuff and moved in, discovering more problems as we went along.
6. After all this, breathless and wrung-out, we went on a ten-day holiday trip to Wales (which was splendid btw) BUT
7. Left us completely tired-out again. After which we
8. Re-started chasing more stores about more furniture… realizing that for the next year or so, this would be an ongoing thing… *sigh*

And more or less, that’s it.

Much more ‘more’ than ‘less’ really lol.

Anyways, totally went off writing for a bit. Strange as that may sound. I was to tired. Too colourless. Too weak. Etc.

So here we are. I promised not to write paragraphs about why I haven’t written lately, and yet I did. Kind of. Hehe.

BUT when I find myself cozily sipping some tea on my new L-shaped sofa in front of our new 55″ screen TV, watching ‘Downton Abbey’ while my one and only hugs and tugs at me playfully (and no I’m not talking about my dog here lol), seriously, I ask myself, ‘Could it get any better?’ And the answer is totally NO, it can’t.

I just hope nothing happens to spoil this. I’m finally happy, blissfully and exceptionally so. And in that moment of realization, a tiny kernel of terror always spirals in my stomach, telling me that once everything is perfect, the only direction one can go is down, and that it won’t last.

Is it my emotional scars tugging at me once more? Or just, a feeling propheticizing some immentionable doom? Thing is, if I continue to be afraid that I will loose this, I will never really enjoy it. Never savour the moment. Never fully taste my dreams coming true. I try to let it go.

And yet, I can’t.

For the Bored… and the curious ;-p

Years ago, back when I first started working in an office, I was hooked on personal surveys and questionnaires. Basically I would look out for and search different ones, fill them up, then send them to all my friends for them to fill up and send them on in turn. Irritating huh? Whatever, I was bored ;p

Anyways, just came up across one in a blog I’m following, and I got backlashed by so many memories, i just had to fill it in. Will you? ;p

50 questions 50 answers.

1: What are you wearing?

Work clothes – black trousers and red jumper with a red and black scarf

2: Ever been in love? Yes

3: Ever had a terrible breakup? Yes

4: How tall are you? Around 5’5/6 i think

5: How much do you weigh? no idea… i try not to look at the scales

6: Any tattoos? yes, 3… and more to come!

7: Any piercings? 5 in my right ear, one in the left

8: Ever done an operation? Yes laser surgery, and partial toe nail removal

9: Favorite show? there are too many, don’t think i actually have one fav

10: Favorite bands? Evanescence, Within Temptation, Nightwish, Kamelot, and many other Gothic, Melodic and Harmonic Metal bands

11: Something you miss? right now… bed

12: Favorite song? JMy Immortal – Evanescence

13: How old are you? 29

14: Zodiac sign? Saggitarius

15: Qualities you look for most in a partner? honesty, trustworthiness, intelligence and kindness

16: Favorite Quote? The fight is not over until you have won it – Robin Hobb

17: Favorite actor? Johnny Depp

18: Favorite color? Black and/or dark red

19: Loud music or soft?depends on my mood

20: Where do you go when you’re sad? To bed or near the sea

21: How long does it take you to shower? Around 10 mins

22: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? 15 to 30 mins

23: Ever been in a physical fight? yes though not by choice

24: Turn on? Black leather and long hair

25: Turn off? Arrogance and stupidity

26: The reason I made this blog? To write more

27: Fears? Getting pregnant, being trapped, heights

28: Last thing that made you cry? Dont remember

29: Last time you said you loved someone? Last night

30: Meaning behind your blog Name? ‘Moonsong’ has always been my screen name and ‘Darkly Dreaming’ is inspired by the first novel in the ‘Dexter’ series

31: Last book you read? The Born Queen – Greg Keyes

32: The book you’re currently reading? Since I finished the last one this morning, nothing yet ;p

33: Last show you watched? One Foot in the Grave

34: Last person you talked to? A collegue

35: The relationship between you and the person you last texted? my bf

36: Favorite food? pizza and tortellini with white sauce

37: Place you want to visit? there are so many! the whole world!!

38: Last place you were? home

39: Do you have a crush? I have a love ;p

41: Last time you were insulted? weekend before last -.-

42: Favorite flavor of sweet? orange

43: What instruments do you play? used to play piano a bit

44: Favorite piece of jewelry? my pentacle silver ring

45: Last sport you played? volleyball at school lol

46: Last song you sang? something yesterday while i showered, dont remember what

47: Favorite chat up line? I don’t like chatup lines, they’re cheesy.

48: Have you ever used it? nope

49: Last time you hung out with anyone? yest with my bf

50: Who should answer these questions next? Everyone who reads them!!