Queuing 14+ Hours For SHOES!

Not just any pair of shoes, mine you. They are a new line of Jimmy Choo shoes that are being sold, for the first time at H&M on Regent Street cheaply, as low as £49.99. Well, not exactly cheap, cheap, but cheap by Jimmy Choo standards. Well, with this new line of Jimmy Choo's it looks like "now everyone can wear Jimmy Choo"!

Unsurprisingly, soon after, some of these shoes are already on eBay and selling at double the price. That's entrepreneurship, I say. LOL Who cares if you managed to buy them at £49.99 when there are people who willingly pay double the price because they are unable to or do not have the time to queue up for more than 14 hours?

While this new line of Jimmy Choo shoes sold out within hours, leaving many disappointed, hence the inflated prices on eBay (I am sure some of these buyers were those who queued up for hours in the rain and gale-force storm and yet went home empty handed because styles in their size ran out), a spokesperson of H&M said that they are restocking and those "sold out" styles will be available tomorrow.

Ahhhh wouldn't those who bought on eBay feel ripped off?

Concerns Over New NAP Conditions

The proposed imposition of a slew of new conditions under the National Automotive Policy (NAP) beginning 2010 in Malaysia has caused much anxiety for owners or older cars. Besides having to undergo an annual car test before one could buy insurance and have road tax renewed, insurance companies are also starting to look into the age of the car owner.

Another problem for owners of older cars is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to purchase spare parts for the car and the import of such is to be banned soon. Seriously, such a move is going to kill the used car market.

My friend, Steve, told me that he is worried about such conditions too. I wondered why he would also be affected since he doesn't own any car older than 15 years but he said that as the owner of two hobby cars which he fine tunes every chance he gets with performance parts, he is afraid that he would not be able to purchase them locally.

As far as I know, one could still purchase aftermarket car parts online and there are surely plenty to choose from but I wonder if buying them online and having them shipped into the country would be considered an "import" even though the parts are just for personal use. Would the ban apply in this case?

My friends who moved to the States are all into cars. They tell me that unlike in Malaysia where we are governed by 101 rules and regulations by the Road Transport Department, they could modify or accessorize their cars however they like physically and/or performance wise and the authorities wouldn’t care as long as they have auto insurance.

I am going to show Steve the website of In Sixth Gear so that even if he could no longer purchase used performance car parts locally, perhaps he could purchase new ones online and continue to fuel his hobby.

Britney Spears Aussie Tour Tickets Selling Dirt Cheap Online

If you are a fan of Britney Spears and I mean, really, really huge fan of hers, and do not mind that she mimes and cannot dance, this is an opportunity to watch her live in concert at a dirt cheap price.

Of course, you will have to be in Australia as well. After all, it is fans of Britney Spears in Australia who are practically giving away Britney Spear's Circus concert tickets after discovering that she mimes and cannot dance and generally gave a lacklustre performance on opening night.

Well, I am no fan of the pop princess but frankly, if I were, I wouldn’t mind one bit that she lip synced and has two left foot. And since these concert tickets are being sold at as low as 55p way below face value of up to GBP90, this would be a golden opportunity for a true fan to watch her live. Don’t you agree?

Restaurant vs. Beauty Salon

My friend, Stella, and her husband, recently took over a Korean restaurant in Tennessee. Stella and her husband are naturally excited about their new venture which has kept them extremely busy lately.

Actually, when Stella asked me for my opinion before they committed their savings to the restaurant, I told her that it would be better for her to take over a beauty salon. She graduated from a Cosmetology School and is very well trained and experienced in the beauty industry. That would suit her more, though I cannot say the same for her husband, a chef.

I guess in the end, her husband decided that a restaurant would be better for him, for them, and Stella has to help him out at the restaurants, especially on weekends. Stella said that she still hasn’t given up her dreams of owning a beauty salon but may have to do it from home to cut cost.

Public Bank Credit Card - Low Interest Balance Transfer

In view of the implementation of RM50 annual service fee on all principal credit and charge cards and RM25 annual service fee on all supplementary credit and charge cards, Public Bank has taken the first move to entice credit card holders who are planning to cancel their existing credit and charge cards, if they haven't already.

Check out this image that I have enclosed to see the low interest rate that they are offering if only you would transfer your card balance to them. No, you don't even need to have a Public Bank credit card now. If you already have a credit card, you automatically will qualify for one from Public Bank.

This offer allows anyone interested to transfer his/her credit card balance up to 80% of credit limit on the new card. This means that if your Public Bank credit limit is RM10000, you may transfer up to RM8000 of balance from your existing credit card that you intend to cancel.

This looks like a pretty good deal to me and may even save you some money thanks to the low interest rate and one time upfront interest.

Unique Tibetan Singing Bowls

Denise, my old school friend, is really into Tibetan Buddhism. I only got to know about it when we bumped into each other by chance recently at a puja. Besides her interest in the religion, Denise is also very interested in the Tibetan way of life. She invited me to visit her home to view her collection of Tibetan relics; some were purchased locally at exhibitions, some during her travels to Tibet and other countries, while some were bought online.

According to Denise, she has a sizable collection of Crystal Singing Bowls too. I am not familiar with these but I checked out the online store of Silver Sky Imports to have a look at their Tibetan singing bowls. They carry so many Tibetan bowls of various sizes, up to 22 inches.

The fine singing bowls that are sold at Silver Sky Imports come with sound files individually recorded and enclosed in the description of every item of singing bowl in the store. It looks like a lot of work to me but that’s to ensure that buyers would know exactly what they are paying for.

Apart from singing bowls, Silver Sky Imports also offer chimes, bells, gongs, prayer beads and flags, incense and unique handicrafts. People who have an eye for fine Tibetan wares, this store is a good starting point.

Proton & Perodua Car Exchange Programmes Have Ended

Proton's car exchange programme may have ended on the 6th of November, 2009 but it is only today that Perodua's programme ends. For people who have intended to take up this programme which offers RM5000 in cash voucher by trading in a car, it is too bad if they missed the boat because apparently, these programmes will not be extended because the funds have dried.

From what I read, for every car that qualifies for the RM5000 rebate upon purchase of a new Proton or Perodua car, the Government forks out RM3500 while the respective national car maker pays RM1500.

Some people have wondered if this was a good deal. Well, of course it was good if the car that is being traded is a car worth less than RM5000. Also, interested car buyers will not have the choice to buy any car besides a national car. Well, I'm not saying that they aren't good but that limits our choices.

Anyway, a few of my friends participated in this exchange programme and they are quite happy with it. Perhaps there will be yet another round next year to stimulate the economy and automotive industry?