Planning Life

A friend used to tell me that he wants to plan for his old age because as a single man, he didn't want to impose on his siblings who all have family of their own later on in life. Little did he know that he would die of cancer even before he was forty. Luckily, he also did buy life insurance earlier so his mother was not too financially broke, despite having spent most of her savings trying to cure her son.

Life is really funny. No matter how we plan it, we do not know what God has in store for us. In its natural order, children are supposed to take care of their parents when they are old but there are many cases when the children would pass on, leaving the elderly parents to fend for themselves.

I have been meaning to obtain term life insurance quotes but there would be something that crops up that makes me forget that I should get my life insurance as soon as possible. I know I have to be more responsible to wards my parents. I wouldn't want them to be left in a lurch should something happen to me meanwhile!

I may not be able to run around but I definitely could request for term life insurance quotes online!

Warren Buffett Lunch Closed At US$1.68 million

I have wondered at this time, how much people would pay in order to have lunch with warren Buffett. Of course this isn't merely lunch. It is also for a charitable cause and the money raised will go towards Glide Foundation, like it has been all these years.

Well, the auction for a steak lunch with Warren Buffett where the winner can bring along seven other people, has closed on eBay recently at a price of US$1.68 million. It is not immediately known who the winner is but we will soon know his or her identity.

The winner of a similar auction last year, Chinese investor, Zhao Danyang, who paid US$2,110,100 just claimed his prize this past Wednesday, after almost a year of winning the auction! I guess it's not easy to arrange for lunch with the second richest man in the world even if you already paid for it!

Home Office

A friend visited me at home last evening and was curious to take a look at my home office. She was surprised to see that even though I work alone, I have set up two desktops, a laptop and two internet enabled mobile devices.

Well, I may work alone but the nature of my work dictates that I must be connected to the internet as much as possible and I absolutely cannot afford any downtime. Therefore, besides all these, I also have two modem routers and wireless routers; one to use, one as backup.

While some people may think that my set up is excessive for a single worker, I treat these as my work tools, equipment that I must have in order to work more efficiently.

Michael Jackson Memorabilia Rush On eBay

The sudden death of King of Pop Michael Jackson in Los Angeles, USA on Thursday evening has caused enterprising people to auction off Michael Jackson memorabilia on eBay. Obviously, they are cashing in on this news but they figure if this isn’t the right time, then when is?

Frankly, if I was such a huge fan of Michael Jackson that I have kept his albums, memorabilia and other collectibles, I wouldn’t be selling any of them off. In fact, I would keep them better because they would mean so much more now that the man is no longer around.

And if I was such a huge Michael Jackson, I surely would take this opportunity to pick up some limited edition stuff. I may even pick up one 02 concert ticket, the one that will never happen now.

Free Delivery

My neighbour bought an exercise bicycle about a month ago and then decided to get a second bike because the wife wanted one as well. Beats me why they can't share one bike because it is not as if they each use it for 24 hours a day, right?

Anyway, my neighbour told me that the fitness equipment store provides free delivery up to a radius of 30km and he is happy that he didn't have to pay for delivery charges. In his case, he would have to pay twice since he ordered at different times!

I think that it is good business strategy to offer free delivery for customers, especially for larger items like exercise equipment. This would improve sales drastically!

Apple iTunes Gift Card Scam

Although gift cards remain the most popular gift, especially among females, when I was searching for something on eBay, I noticed that there are quite a few people selling iTunes gift cards at an attractive price that is lower than face value of the card.

I thought of getting these cards for myself and friends but I remember reading and even blogging about how some sellers obtained such cards by paying for them with stolen credit cards and then selling them for cheap for cash. I did a search online and this modus operandi seems to be still ongoing.

Of course it is very easy for Apple iTunes to lock these cards numbers. Not only that. iTunes even deactivate accounts of users when these users don't know better. To avoid such hassle, I think I'd rather full price for my gift cards. SIGH!!

Keyword Elite: Focused Keyword Research

If you have ever indulged in PayPerClick (PPC) advertising, you will know that it is way too easy to miscalculate the cost and you would end up overspending and busting your budget. After a few rounds of PayPerClick advertising campaigns, my friend Marc, gave up. He said that it is too tricky and he is not comfortable spending more than he is able to afford for each campaign. This is exactly the reason why I have stayed away from PPC advertising even though I have heard of successes from other friends, but then, these friends have not been willing to share their secret formula!

I got to know of this software called Keyword Elite which is a Google AdWords keyword research tool which I know some people swear by. Actually, I have known about it a long time ago but have never used it before but then this morning, I had the chance to look at the sales page of Keyword Elite, my eyes boggle at the income it is possible to generate bidding on the right keywords.

For Focused Keyword Research-Get Google Ads Free, you just have to see how Keyword Elite is able to help. For one, it will be able to let you know the exact keywords that buyers are searching for which means that if you have an online retail store, it would help increase your sales volume. On the other hand, if you have an AdSense focused blog or website, it would help generate better AdSense income! This sounds like something I should start using already!

If you are using Keyword Elite, could you please share your experiences here?

Catering To All Kinds Of People

As an online seller of lingerie for quite a number of years now, I have learnt not to care who purchases my items and for what purposes. Ever so often, friends would want to know if I have more male or female buyers, if these people are buying the items for themselves or as gifts.

The big question is why these people buy from me when they could buy from brick-n-mortar stores where there may be a better selection, cheaper and definitely need not wait for the items to be delivered through the mail.

Of course, I never disclose any particulars to friends except that there seem to be more male buyers than female. One thing that sets me and other online lingerie retails apart from their neighbourhood stores is privacy. I am able to offer this to them since they could shop with me from the privacy of home.

Wedding Sponsorship

Marriage is a big stepping stone for all couples and a wedding is one of life's events that cost a bomb. Some people even get into debt just because of the wedding and I think it's pretty bad financial management to start off married life in the red!

This lady, Stacey Libby, has thought out of the box and she is looking for sponsorship for her wedding that will be held in June 2010. That's a year from now.

Stacey Libby has placed her idea on eBay and interested corporations could bid for sponsorship for any part of her wedding ceremony. I think that's pretty neat. Stacey, though, has stipulated that sponsors have to use her colors. I don't think she has mentioned what color her wedding event will be.

At this time of writing, bidding is at US$41 already with fifteen bids. I am sure that by the end of this auction on 26th June, 2009, there will be more interests generated and more sponsorship forthcoming. Good luck to them!

eBay listing: HERE

Paintball Package Specials

Quite a number of my friends are paintball players. They would get together every weekend and play for hours. I would love to join them but I can't seem to find time for sports.

Anyway, from what they tell me, paintball equipment and gear are very expensive that they find it difficult to upgrade their gear because of the costs. Well, I think they just don't know where to look!

Zephyr Paintball is running a package promotion where paintball fans are able to find awesome deals in paintball gear packages from paintball marker package to paintball gun starter package.

Of course, Zephyr Paintball does not only cater to newbie paintball players. They have lots of high end equipment for more advanced players as well!

PayPal Deductions On Personal Account

A friend told me that PayPal deducted some money from her account when she accepts payment to her Paypal Personal Account. She told me about this and asked if there has been a change in PayPal fee structure.

As far as I know, it is still free to send and receive money to our PayPal personal account. I even told a friend about this since he plans to register for a PayPal account.

My friend noticed this happened from June 11th onwards and have since written in to PayPal asking why fees were charged on payment acceptance on personal PayPal account. PayPal has yet to reply at this point of writing.

Even though I hold a PayPal Premier account, I will continue to check if PayPal has indeed started imposing fees on Personal accounts too. Will keep you updated.

TeamWox GroupWare

My friend, Soo, runs a fabrication plant that deals with worldwide clients. Efficiency is very important to his company as any delay in the completion of a project would mean a huge monetary loss to the company. Soo would lament that he is not happy with his job but I guess there is no escape for him since the company was started by his grandfather. As the third generation owner, he has expectations to live up to!

Ever so often, Soo would tell me that he is behind in his schedule and I would ask him if this is the case, why is he wasting time playing online games? Soo would explain that his part of the job is already done and the delay is caused by another department. As this is a fabrication company, a project passes through a slew of departments before it is ready for delivery to client.

I think the main problem with Soo's company is in communication, or perhaps I should say, miscommunication. In any case, TeamWox GroupWare, a software aimed at optimization of management and production processes of a company just like Soo's.

I went through the features of TeamWox and am impressed that there are eight different functions from the management to the client side and all of these could be managed under a single collaboration software.

New PayPal Interface

PayPal had an internal revamp this week and gave us a fresh interface. PayPal says it is supposed to load faster and more user-friendly. I logged into my account as usual, checked my usual pages without problems though I spent a little time looking for the links to click.

Personally, I don't find it more or less friendlier. As with everything new, we just need to spare some time to explore it. However, I do find this interface brighter and fresh. Perhaps it's all the blinding white.

Having said so, I think that PayPal should enlarger the text. While I may not have problems viewing the website, I know that it would be quite tough for people with older eyes.

My Lucky Charm

While I may claim not to like to accessorize myself like a Christmas tree, a friend wondered why I wear a necklace around my neck. It was actually a gift from my mother while the garnet gem stone that hangs from it was a gift from my father. You can say that even though this is just a simple necklace, nothing elaborate at all, and the gemstone is tiny, they mean a lot to me and I have been wearing them daily ever since.

I like to think of this as my lucky charm though frankly, I have not felt myself any luckier than before. But I am superstitious and there was once when my chain and gemstone fell into the toilet bowl and I just had to fish them out. I was afraid that I would be faced with a deluge of bad luck. Of course, I also didn't relish the thought of explaining to my mother how I lost her expensive white gold chain!

I was very happy to get my hands on my lucky charm again, dirty as it was. I may be able to buy something similar to replace it but it would never be the same. My parents may not notice anything different but I can't bluff myself.

4% PayPal Fees

A friend in the United States wanted to make a PayPal payment to the owner of a condo in Malaysia. Since my friend does not have a PayPal account, he asked me if PayPal is a secure mode of payment and if it is normal for sellers to demand 4% of the agreed rental amount to cover PayPal service fees and loss (if any) on FOREX.

This is actually a pretty normal practice by sellers though I read somewhere before that it is against eBay rules. This transaction is of course outside eBay, and this seller could demand whatever percentage he likes.

My friend wanted to know if I do the same for international sales where I accept payment via PayPal. I don't because I absorb those extra charges. The fees charged aren't much when the sale price is small.

Dream Home Furniture Package

I recently came across a furniture superstore that offered a pretty good deal for a 'Dream Home Furniture Package'. The package is called such because by purchasing this package, you would get furniture for the living room, master bedroom, second bedroom and dining room. I really love this concept and the fact that buying a package like this would save me a lot of money.

I told my mother that I would like to get a 'Dream Home Furniture Package' for our house, replacing our existing furniture. We have had these for at least ten years already and it's high time for new furniture.

Unfortunately, my mother isn't keen on the idea of getting a furniture package. She said that it would be boring to see similar furniture colors and lines in every room. She prefers that each room has its on theme. I do too, frankly, but that doesn't fit my budget right now.

My mother told me that I should look online at more modern and stylish furniture that add color and personality to each room. Hhmmm looking at the furniture featured on StyleHive, I certainly understand what she means. Looks like I'm not getting the 'Dream Home Furniture Package' until I have my own home.

Ground Work

If you have been reading my personal blog, you would know that I have not been doing any work for the past three weeks. An associate does not know why I am unable to put in time for work despite knowing that I am very busy taking care of my invalid dog.

Those who are not in online sales think that selling online is very easy work. It is not difficult but it definitely requires a lot of time. There is a lot of ground work to be covered before the items are available online to be viewed and sold. If they are not listed online, they have no chance to be sold and then there would be no sales, no business, no profit.

Even though now the stocks have reached me, which means that the first part of the ground work called sourcing, is completed, I would still need to take photos, edit the photos, upload them to my store, write the description, price the items and market them. The third part of the business involves fielding enquires, taking orders, shipping and delivery.

See, with my entire day (and night) taken up by my sick pet, I really cannot spare time for my business. I guess it has to wait, much to my chagrin!

Lighting Effect

My neighbor recently changed the lights of her house from white to yellow. I asked her why and she said that yellow lights are friendlier to the eyes. I read that somewhere before too and had thought of changing the lights of my house as well!

My neighbor told me that since it's already time to rewire the house, she decided to change all her lights, not only from white to yellow but also to energy saving light bulbs. I wonder how much electricity she saves monthly now.

I visited her house a couple of days ago and was surprised to see that her house seems more spacious now. I know it's just lighting effect and the physical size of her rooms remain the same but still, I love the idea that a house like hers had a fresh look after changing the lights and the placement of them. I didn't ask her if she had engaged the help of an interior decorator but I think this effect is something that I could apply to my own house too. Bur first, I would have to do some research online since I prefer to DIY!

StyleHive has featured a very good selection of lighting products. It is definitely a good place to start my research!

£500K Premium Event Ticket Scam On eBay

The Sun UK ran a news report today where at least 3000 people bought event tickets from an eBay Seller with the ID M-T Promotions. Since this is a scam report, obviously the tickets were not received. The man behind M-T Promotions, someone by the name of Martin Thorne is said to have raked in more that £500,000 from this operation and even achieved the eBay status of Powerseller. I guess this title came in handy into making more people trust the seller and believe in his products.

It is said that Martin Thorne wrote to his buyers explaining that his eBay account was frozen by eBay due to an issue with PayPal and that they should claim back their money from eBay. Obviously this doesn't work that way.

eBay is said to have already lodged a police report and investigations on this biggest eBay fraud are underway. This is yet another justification for eBay to hold our PayPal funds for up to 21 days.

Premium tickets are big business in the online marketplace. Fans are willing to fork out a few times more than face value of tickets and normally, when people buy tickets, they would buy in pairs. I have no problems with people paying an arm and a foot for tickets. Whether it's worth the price is not for us to judge but I think we must be extra vigilant when buying these tickets online and not through official ticketing agents. Our hard earned money could easily go cold, just like the many victims here and in other similar online fraud cases.

Source: The Sun UK

My Watch Collection

When I was younger, I used to collect watches. No, those were not designer luxury watches but fashion watches that came in various striking colors and odd shapes. I guess back then, I didn't realize that watches, like mobile phones, are status symbols.

Now, I no longer collect cheap fancy watches but have invested quite a bit of money on a designer watch that I wear all the time. It's funny that even though I am not an accessories person, I must wear a watch or I would feel "naked", though I don’t depend on it totally to tell the time!

Of course, if I have spare money, I would like to start a new watch collection but this time, it would not be cheap fancy watches but quality designer watches. You can see how stylish and elaborate watches are as you could see from those featured and reviewed on StyleHive. Obviously, these designer watches don't come cheap but these timeless timepieces are made to last and have no problems being passed from one generation to another.

My friend told me once that while women would pass jewelry pieces to their daughters, men would pass a watch to the sons. I guess he is right.

Lelong's Shop & Win Contest

We're into the second week of Lelong's Shop & Win contest and as far as I could tell, the prizes are getting more and more attractive. This week, the prizes that are up for grabs include a foot massager, garment streamer and PSP worth RM899! Give me the PSP!

Participation is pretty easy. Just spend a minimum of RM20 this June in Lelong.com.my, Pretty.com.my and Superbuy.my. The bottom line is lelong wants you to shop at Lelong and one of their sister websites. Easy, huh?

Right now, I have no further information on how winners are selected except that it looks like a lucky draw. Whatever the case, if you would like to stand a chance to win a prize including RM10,000 cash, SPEND NOW!

Winter Wear

My sister tells me that even after eight long years living in the United States, she is still not used to the weather. Summer may be here soon but she is still not prepared to keep away her coats and sweaters. Her friends would laugh at her dressing because she would wear long sleeves in summer as if it was winter.

I remember even in tropical Malaysia, my sister would always have a coat ready especially when she knows that she would be 'trapped' in an air-conditioned room for long hours. I am not sure if this is a medical condition. She probably just needs more fat!

One advantage my sister has despite having to suffer from the cold weather even if it isn't that cold to other people, is that she always gets to buy her winter clothing at steep discounts. You know how retailers try to offload off season clothes? That's when my sister picks them up and at bargain prices too!

Luckily, winter clothes are no longer drab and dowdy. Just take a look at today's winter wear featured on StyleHive. They are so stylish, you’d wish it was winter everyday so that you would have the chance to show off these beautiful clothes!

eBay Sellers Challenge

eBay has just launched a challenge to its sellers whereby participants are required to submit their business plans on how to grow US$25,000 doing business using eBay tools exclusively. There are four categories to choose from and two entries per category will be shortlisted. eBay members, buyers and sellers, would then vote on the best business plan per category. These four winners will each win a US$25,000 in business grants from Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

I have gone through the rules and unfortunately, this challenge is only open to legal residents of the United States AND eBay sellers of good standing. The problem, though, is that once you submit your business plan to eBay, the idea is basically theirs and they could do whatever they want, apply YOUR plans into growing eBay and winning back sellers.

I see this basically like Google's Project 10 to the 100th and although the magnitude isn't the same, there surely will be people jumping once this challenge closes. Errrr if you STILL would like to take a shot at US$25,000, that is if you are a legal resident of the fifty states of the United States and the District of Columbia, then good luck!

eBay Sellers Challenge: HERE

Sandal Styles For Summer 2009

In a couple of posts back, I wrote about the many sandals that are on offer and sold at up to 70% off regular prices and the many styles that one could select from. I just found out that StyleHive has featured even more high quality sandals of various trendy designs especially for Summer 2009. Wow, time flies by so fast, I didn't realize that we have to get ready our Summer wardrobe already.

I enjoyed reading through the reviews of the sandals featured on StyleHive. They certainly look like they are going to be the season's must haves. If you are fashion conscious and not someone to be caught dead in last year's fashion, you should head over to StyleHive now to read about the stylish designer sandals that everyone wants to be seen in this Summer.

Although I admit that I am not a “shoe person”, I can't deny that I am not caught up with the selection of sandals and heels introduced by the editors and contributors of StyleHive. I especially like it that although a lot of these shoes are out of my budget, they have the mind to recommend more budget friendly shoes to us. Frankly, that's more my style. :)

Free Platinum Credit Card

My friend related to me that he was given a free platinum credit card by Hong Leong Bank. According to him it's free for life meaning annual service fee for the card has been waived. Of course, interest will still be charged on card balances if applicable. Many people get confused with the word "FREE" here.

The weird thing is that for a platinum credit card the credit limit given for this free card is only RM14,000. Yes, only fourteen thousand. One would think that credit limit for platinum credit cards should be above a hundred thousand, right?

My friend accepted the card, of course, since it was sent to him already without even asking first. Besides, it's free for life so why not? From here, we could see how desperate credit card issuers are to get us to use their cards. Of course, it is up to us to manage our finances well and use credit cards appropriately and responsibly.

Up To 40% Off On 175 VS Sandals

Since my post on the popularity of wedges, I have been receiving quite a lot of mail from people who would like to know where to purchase them. I told them Victoria’s Secret but forgot to mention not to buy any yet until VS runs its semi annual sale; which is RIGHT NOW!

VS Semi Annual Sale at their online store will be ending this Sunday so if you haven’t checked out the bargains yet, do so now before popular sizes and styles are sold out.

If you have been looking for wedges, here is good news. You can now buy them and other footwear at Victoria’s Secret Online at up to 40% discount and this offer is only valid during this Semi Annual Sale. 40% is definitely a lot of money saved there!

Life As A Single Person

Ever so often, my friend, Paul, would wonder aloud why I need to earn all the money. He THINKS that I am earning a lot and he THINKS that I don't need as much money as the next person just because I am single.

Well, the thing is, as the breadwinner of the family, supporting two elderly parents who have no income, one can never have enough of money, right? Also, the mounting costs of living and medical expenses make me feel as if no matter how much I earn, it is never enough.

I can't help but wonder what happens to my parents if I leave this world before them. My friend told me that term life insurance should be my back up plan should anything untoward happen to me. At least my parents would be provided for.

I know that I should start looking for term life insurance already but am afraid to take on yet another financial commitment. I know though, that this is something that I cannot avoid and the earlier I buy term life insurance, the better it is for my peace of mind.

The next time Paul wonders why I am so frugal even though I earn more than enough for myself, I am going to tell him that I am securing my parents’ lifestyle. Yes, I hope that their comfortable life remains the same even if I am no longer around to support them.

Fighting Fakes With eBay

eBay UK has launched an anti-counterfeit campaign in a bid to remove counterfeit products from being bought by unsuspecting consumers on eBay. This move comes hot on the heels of the court ruling which ruled in favour of eBay in the recent trademark infringement case by L'Oreal.

In line with this campaign, eBay has invited even more trademark and brand owners to participate in eBay's Verified to help identify counterfeit products that are listed on eBay before reaching the hands of consumers because only they have the expertise to clearly identify counterfeit from genuine products.

Hopefully, this programme works well so that counterfeit products are stamped out and those of us who love scouting for discount brand name merchandise would be able to do so with a free heart knowing that any item that we pick up would be genuine. No doubt about it.

Gift Ideas

Even though I am an online trader, I feel lucky that some of my buyers treat me more like a friend that someone they buy lingerie from. Last evening, I received an urgent text message from a guy who asked me if I could help him think of a gift for his girlfriend on the occasion of their anniversary. He has forgotten about it until the last minute. Isn't it a typical guy thing? LOL

While I have difficulty buying baby gifts and gifts for men, I am quite a pro when it comes to buying gifts for ladies. I suggested a necklace and earring jewelry set. Of course, whether he gets a real set or a costume jewelry set would depend on his budget.

La Senza Extends Sale To Stores

Earlier in the week, I mentioned that La Senza has started their Semi Annual Sale at their online store. If you are someone who prefers shopping at a store rather than online because you are afraid of not getting your items as they seem in images or would like to try something out first before making a purchase, here's good news. La Senza is extending their online sale to stores so if there's a La Senza store in your neighbourhood, it's worth going over to check out the stuff that's available.

Personally, if there is a choice, I prefer shopping at a store rather than online. Yes, I love the convenience but only at a brick-n-mortar store could we experience the adrenaline rush of joining a mad crowd grabbing discounted items. It can be totally crazy. LOL

Passion For Luxury Watches

I met up with a friend a couple of days ago. It really has been such a long time that we nearly could not recognize each other. LOL I was surprised that he is now trading luxury watches online. He told me that I inspired him to start an online business similar to mine.

I remember telling him that if he wanted to start a retail business, he needs to look for a niche product and he must have a passion for it since he would be facing the product day in and day out. It doesn't really matter what product it is; it could be lingerie, diet pills or even comic books.

My friend finally decided on luxury watches, something that he himself likes and have a personal collection too. I am glad. Even though he doesn't need this business, at least he gets monetary gain from his hobby!

Extra 25% Off Clearance VS Bra / Panty

It's happening again. Victoria's Secret is offering an extra 25% ONE clearance bra or panty in a bid to move more merchandise since VS Semi Annual Sale will be ending this Sunday.

Do take note though that this VS coupon code 25BRAPTY is only good for a single bra or panty from the clearance bin if you size or your preferred style is still available.

Also, if you have made purchases earlier during VS Semi Annual sale, too bad, you would have to pay for another round of shipping, that is, if you did not qualify for free shipping in your earlier order(s). Truly, one can never finish buying stuff, especially sexy lingerie!

Designer Costume Jewelry For Different Occasions

My friend told me excitedly about the designer jewelry pieces that she bought last night and how expensive they were. I know she was trying to boats but I don't really care for jewelry. I don't mind wearing costume jewelry because they are cheaper, hence I could buy more of them to match my many different outfits to suit various occasions.

Although I am not an accessories person, I do concede that sometimes, we do need jewelry to add a finishing touch and exquisite designer costume jewelry does the trick as well. There is no reason to spend a mini fortune on one item and wear the same item over and over again because we could not afford a second piece.

If you take a look at the fashion jewelry sets that are offered by Holsted Jewelers, I think you would agree that many of these pieces are even more elegant that real jewelry and these are only sold at a fraction of the price!

Threatened By Negative Feedback

A friend, who also trades on eBay, told me that she encountered a nasty buyer recently. This buyer won an auction but did not pay for the item. My friend filed an Unpaid Item Dispute which was responded to but the buyer said that she has decided not to buy the item, and threatened to leave my friend with a negative feedback if she does not cancel the item.

After being in operation for so many years, I still find that eBay is unable to protect sellers. At least, what they are doing now isn't enough. What happens if a negative feedback is left? My friend would have her DSR lowered which would then affect her reputation and the benefits and discounts that are offered to sellers with near perfect DSR.

My friend feels that no matter the outcome of this dispute, she is on the losing end and through no fault of her own. Can you imagine how disheartening it is to let a negative episode like this mar our trading experience when we strive to be honest sellers doing our best to trade online?

People Search

My friend was discussing with me about the Mongolian murder case and how the ladies were quite dumb to not have made a search on the internet on the high profile people that they were communicating with.

You would think that it is not difficult to find out who is the current President or Prime Minister of a country and even their family members and the businesses that they are involved in. From reports on the case, you could see that they have mixed up the profiles and portfolios of the people who are high ranking officials of the country.

I would think that making a search on the internet of people that we come across is pretty common. I do that all the time with new associates and even sometimes when I recall the name of an old friend and just wanted to see what she is up to.

All along, I have just been using ordinary Google search but I discovered this website, jefflouis.ws where you can Have All Infos You Want On some1 ! I ran a search of my sister's name and selected Tennessee as the state and was surprised to see that there is such a person in the same city as my sister. Could it be her? I didn’t find out.

Shipping With Tracking

A friend was asking if it is all right to buy something and not pay extra for tracking. I think it is a foolish move. Why would you pay for an item and cheap shipping knowing the risk that the item could get lost in transit?

Also, she did not think that there are some sellers who are dishonest enough to receive payment for the item plus cost of shipping and handling (if any) and not send the item out because the seller knows that there is no way buyer could prove that the item was never sent out.

Whenever I make a purchase online, I would insist that my packages be traceable and are insured. I know that when it is caught by Customs and tax is imposed, I would have to pay higher taxes because insurance is taken into the calculation but I think that to pay a little extra would be worth it instead of losing the whole sum of money paid for the item plus shipping. What do you think?

Buying Baby Gifts

A friend chided me for picking pink gifts for baby girls and blue gifts for baby boys when we go shopping together for baby gifts. She says that nowadays, baby gifts come in such a huge variety that there is no reason to continue sticking to traditional baby colors of blue for boys and pink for girls.

Well, what can I say? Although I buy a lot of gifts for friends and family, I certainly do now have experience when it comes to baby gifts. When I buy baby gifts the next time, I would be doing it online where I could shop from the comfort of home and pick and choose and compare prices.

Certainly, there are so many different baby gifts that it is easy to get out of budget. I love the fact that I could request the gifts to be personalized for free, which I am never able to do shopping in local stores!

Item Not As Described

What happens when an item that you have bought online is not as described? If you have shopped online often enough, you would have been faced with this situation before. I know I had, once too often too.

Actually, if you think that you could confront the seller, I think you wouldn't achieve much success. After all, if the seller is genuine, he/she would list out all the defects of the item in the description and not send something to you that you do not know of. I think it's perfectly all right to tell things as they are. I know it's going to be difficult to sell but then there MAY be buyers for a defective item too! But of course, you would not get premium price for that!

If an item you bought through eBay is not as described, you can report the matter to eBay Support even though they may need you to send the item back to the Seller at your own cost, pretty ridiculous if you as me, and also make a claim by going to the Resolution section. You will also have to log into your PayPal account and request for partial refund.

How effective this will be depends on individual case. For me, sometimes, I take the loss as a lesson.

La Senza Spirit Sale Starts Today

La Senza has a sportswear label called Spirit and from today onwards, Canadian time, they are running a sale. The bad news is that this sale is only available online so you can't buy the same items are these low prices even if there's a brick-n-mortar La Senza store near you. Also, if you wear a popular size, you have to hurry.

Spirit tops start from CAD12.50 while bottoms start from CAD16.50 on selected styles. Remember, if you are an international shopper, you would have to add international shipping which could double the total of your order. If you are a Canadian shopper, though, you may qualify for free domestic shipping if your order total meets the minimum requirement of CAD89. Is this too high to reach?

Money To be Made

I was chatting with a friend about the health of the stock market and even with the weak economy, there are still some cheap stocks to pick up and profit to be made even on contra trading basis provided with have some back up cash in case the small cap stocks need a longer time to go up.

My friend told me that he is going to dabble in options trading and have been trying out option screener which are said to be useful in determining the options to invest in.

I have never tried options trading before and have no plans to right now because I can't afford to allow my funds to get tied up due to other financial commitments but if my friend is successful in his new investment venture, I would learn from him so that I would have a head start next time I plan to trade in options!

Blogging On The Go

If you have been reading my blog, you would know that I'm using a Nokia E61i mobile device. i am glad that I am using a phone with QWERTY because I am blogging so much on the phone these past few days, I know I wouldn't be able to type as fast using the conventional keypad. I think that once you used a device with QWERTY keypad, you wouldn't want to downgrade.

Despite the nature of my job where I have to sit long hours in front of the computer, I am not able to do so. With a mobile device, while I could still blog on the go, there are still many things that I am unable to do even with a smart phone, things like image editing and publishing my lingerie online for sale. SIGH those will have to wait till I am able to sit at the computer!

Keeping Really Odd Hours

I've been keeping really odd hours for the past two weeks, trying to put in some work whenever I am able to even to the point of setting an alarm in the middle of the night just so I could work in peace.

Working at home, I enjoy this time flexibility that I wouldn't be able to had I been employed. However, the bad thing about running a home office is the difficulty in drawing the line between work time and personal time. Believe me, after all these years working from home, I still am not able to!

I really salute my friends who are work at home mothers, they have to juggle so many responsibilities one wonders how they could get any work done at all! I shudder to think what would happen if I were a work at home mom. I don’t think I could concentrate on my work then with all the noise and demands on my time!

Investing In Precious Metals

A friend told me that he is expanding his investment portfolio to include bullion. Back in my grandparents' time, buying bullion was a big deal. Now, we have very reliable and experienced precious metal traders who could advise us on the best metal to hold or let go.

I too would like to invest in precious metals but I see buying precious metals as well as rare coins as a long term investment. I would like to have a little more staying power before I start buying. Luckily, these days, investing in precious metals is no longer as difficult as it was. Besides, we could always start with small investments first and increase the size of our portfolio according to our ability at a later time.

Weaker USD Or Stronger MYR

I just made a PayPal withdrawal this morning and was surprised to note the lower Ringgit that I will be receiving this time. I haven’t had the time to monitor FOREX lately, hence the surprise.

Unfortunately, even with a stronger Ringgit, or perhaps a weaker Dollar, prices for imported stuff that I purchase continue to be more and more expensive with each shipment. Of course, I do know that imported stuff also have to take cost of shipping and handling into the sale price but I always like to think that with a stronger currency, at least we, the consumer, should benefit a little, right? It looks like this isn’t the case though!

Even though I am an importer, I hope that Ringgit will not get any stronger or my friends and I wouldn’t gain as much from the USD - MYR currency conversion!

Victoria's Secret Semi Annual Sale - Sale On Over 100 VS Bras

For those of you who have been wondering if there are still awesome shopping deals to pick up at the current Victoria's Secret Semi Annual Sale which will be ending soon at their online store but will only begin at their brick-n-mortar stores across the United States two weeks later, it looks like you will still have a choice of over 100 bra styles with discounts from 25 - 50%.

However, shop early when it comes to Victoria's Secret. You know how things are with VS! I believe that although there are many styles to choose from sizes would be limited. I recently bought something from VS as well and had only a limited selected to choose from due to size availability. Sigh!! Happy shopping nonetheless

Romantic Cancun Vacation

A friend almost got into an argument with her fiancé. It's funny how some people would always want their way until they threaten to call off the wedding. Yes, it is one of those wedding issues where the bridal couple could not decide where to spend their honeymoon. Sometimes you wonder if it is more important to visit a new place for a holiday or to spend quality time with the one you love before settling down to married life.

With almost six months more to their wedding, I believe they will eventually iron out their differences. However, if they do seek my opinion, I would surely tell them to go for a romantic cancun vacation. It would be a most memorable vacation ever and all these heated arguments to decide their ultimate honeymoon plans would soon be forgotten and forgiven!

Variety Is The Spice Of Life

I met an associated today who was surprised that I am running an online store. He wondered aloud that I must be selling some special brand names that make buyers purchase from me.

Actually, what I have for my buyers are also available from brand name stores. For example, when I sell Victoria's Secret, buyers would also be able to purchase the same from Victoria's Secret online store.

However, what I offer my buyers is variety. They could purchase Victoria's Secret from me as well as Rene Rofe, Undergirl, It's Happy Bunny, DKNY, Olga, Pamela Anderson and Victoria Beckham just to name a few. They do not have to purchase these from individual stores and pay multiple shipping fees, probably international shipping and long wait time.

Also, most of the time, what my buyers are able to purchase from me are sold way cheaper than what they could get from these brand name stores online. So why wouldn't anyone not buy from me?