Accutane Injuries

I received news of a sudden death of a friend's close relative. It's quite shocking because no one expected it but it had something to do with acute damage to his liver due to some medication.

You know, it's disheartening to know that just when patients put faith in medicine, it is actually the medicine that caused one to be sicker instead of better. Like the case of Accutane which causes multiple side effects and serious injuries to the colon and digestive tract.

If you know of any "victim" of Accutane, you should let him or her know about the Accutane Lawsuit and that patients could seek damages for the pain and suffering they have gone through because of Accutane. Talk to the attorneys at O’Hanlon, McCollum & Demerath. They would be able to help.

Royal Christmas Cards Land On eBay

Christmas cards sent out and signed by both Prince Charles and Princess Diana to the Tryon family have somehow landed on eBay, much to the family's distress. So far, a hand-signed Christmas card by the British royal couple in 1991 was sold for £1,080 already last week.

The family has maintained that all Christmas cards are usually disposed of and even if they are kept, they will never be sold. It's not as if the family needs the money, right? At this point, the family doesn't even know how the old Christmas cards could have made their way to eBay.

Well, maybe a "recycling lady" found them and sold them for a few pennies to someone who knows the good stuff and this owner just thought that now is a good time to let go of them for a profit?

New School Term Starts In One Week

All my friends who have school-going children are busy preparing for the new school term. After the hectic preparations of the recent Christmas celebrations, they have to spend even more money buying back to school supplies. I don't envy them.

When I have children, I hope that by then, school lockers are more common. Right now, children have to carry heavy bags to school and it is bad for their physical development. I know my friends are calling for "a student a locker" but so far, there has been no progress yet. I hope that this new term, even if students do not have the use lockers, they would have Gym Lockers. That's a good start, at least!

I saw some practical Wood Lockers the other day and I hope that I could let school authorities know that there are reasonably priced Lockers for sale. If only they have a small budget for lockers, it would be very helpful to students and their parents too! I believe students will be able to study better too!

Handbag Used To Disarm Gunman Sold For US$13,100 on eBay

The brown Brahmin handbag that school board member, Ginger Littleton, used to whack the gun out of the gunman's hand during a Bay County, Florida School Board meeting on 14th December, 2010, has managed to raise US26,200 for Salvage Santa, a non-profit organization that fixes old toys and bicycles for needy children, run by the school's security guard.

Ginger Littleton did not manage to get the gun out of the gunman, she distracted him enough so that the security guard could move in and hurt the gunman, though the gunman killed himself. Not a good outcome at all but at least something positive came out of the incident.

Although the handbag auction managed to raise "only" US$13,100 on eBay, the handbag company that makes Brahmin has matched the auction dollar for dollar, with all proceeds going to Salvage Santa.

Gifts For The Family

My sister sent me a large package, consisting of gifts for my birthday and Christmas for the family and I. She does this every year, saving postage of sending me a birthday gift separately since it's just less than a month a part. I was so happy to receive a small and a large Marc Jacobs handbags.

My sister knows that I would never buy any branded handbags because I don't usually carry a bag so it's quite wasteful to buy an expensive bag and just keep it in the wardrobe. Besides gifts for us, my sister also remitted some money to our parents. Cash is still king, after all!

I feel quite bad receiving so many gifts from my sister. I usually just send her an eCard because of convenience. I am so lazy when it comes to packing gifts to be shipped out. I guess it's because of the nature of my job where I have to pack many items to ship, sometimes odd shaped items that are not easy to pack!

Anyway, next year, I think I will purchase something online and have the item shipped to her address directly. Or perhaps a gift voucher is still the best gift...

Oprah Fan Lists Pearl Necklace Audience Gift On eBay

A fan who received an audience gift from talk show queen Oprah Winfrey has put up the gift on eBay and asking AUD2000 for it, although the pearl necklace is valued at AUD650 by Kailis jewellery designers.

This gift was given to all audiences at Oprah Winfrey's morning show in Sydney, Australia last week, which is very common for her shows, but enterprising ones would cash in on them, asking for a lot more than the value of the real item. After all, it's a gift from "Oprah Winfrey" herself!

Will the seller be able to get AUD2000 asking price for the pearl necklace? Time will tell.

Beauty Course

A friend told me that she has been looking for a job for the past few months unsuccessfully. I told her that if that is the case, it would be better for her to go back to school. After working for so many years now, she has lost interest in books. Moreover, I think it's more suitable for her to take up a course and pick up a new skill, preferably something that has to do with her job experiences in the past.

I remember reading about Regency Beauty Institute and I think it's very suitable for her. She worked in a beauty salon previously but because she didn't have paper qualification, it was difficult for her to move up in position at her workplace.

Moreover, obtaining a highly sought-after qualification from Regency Beauty Institute will open a lot more doors for her because it is recognized by people in the beauty industry.

This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com or contact Regency Beauty Institute – 10217 North Metro Parkway West – Phoenix, AZ 85051

Alleged Ashton Kutcher Mistress Brittney Jones Sells Morning After Sweater On eBay

Brittney Jones, who alleged that she had an affair with actor, Ashton Kutcher, which Ashton had denied, is putting up a grey sweater on eBay, saying that it was a morning after gift from the actor.

Whether it's a real Ashton Kutcher gift or just any grey sweater that Brittney Jones bought to cash in on her 5 minutes of name, no one knows but at this time of writing, bidding has already reached US$17,069.69. The starting bid was US$500. There's still another four days to go so, who knows if there is a crazy Ashton Kutcher fan, or even Brittney Jones fan, who is willing to pay even more.

However, we do know that in eBay auctions like this, there are more fake bids than genuine ones, so this auction may as well close at a way lower price! Let's see how this plays out.

eBay item: HERE

Revamping My Business

It has been almost three years since I have "touched" my online business. I was just too caught up with other work but now that I have more free time on my hands, I am thinking of reviving it. However, after looking at my old website, I realize that it is in need of a revamp.

I need a new theme, new logo and a new tag line. Of course, I would also need new stocks. Stock procurement is what I could do myself but I definitely cannot design my own logo for the business. A log is something that people would associate with my company and the product that I deal in.

I need Logo Designers to help me with my logo. I have no experience with designing so I leave that to professionals. Also, I like the idea of having matching social network profiles and even smartphone wallpapers. Now, that's call branding!

Since I have been away from business for such a long time, I would first have to decide if I am going to deal in the same merchandise. Only then would I be able to engage a logo designer and start working on my logo and theme. I would also have to decide on the kind of colors I want to use. Wow, aren't there too many decisions for me to make??

Steve Jobs Figurines Land On eBay

The controversial figurines of Steve Jobs with him holding an iPhone, a brainchild of Chinese businessmen, and banned by Steve Jobs for using his likeness without permission, have landed on eBay, with prices going up to US$2000.

These figurines are probably low quality toys coming out of China but they are hot merchandise after Steve Jobs tried to ban them. Somehow, not all these "counterfeit" figurines have been destroyed and now, if you are a fan of Steve Jobs or Apple and don't mind playing with toys at this age, a Steve Jobs "limited edition" figurine is probably something good to invest in.

How much are you willing to pay for a Steve Jobs figurine?

Kim Cattrall “Antony and Cleopatra” Frocks On eBay

If you are a fan of Sex and the City star, Kim Cattrall, you would want to have a look at these three frocks that she wore in her recent appearance in “Antony and Cleopatra”. Liverpool Playhouse is auctioning them off on eBay to raise funds for their artistic programme.

These three frocks will be listed on eBay beginning Sunday, 12th December, 2010 at 7.30pm (UK time) and fans will have a week to place their bids. It’s said that this is a lifetime opportunity to own something that Kim Cattrall has worn.

Bu then again, whoever wins these frocks of the "Queen of the Nile" wouldn't have the chance to wear them, I guess. These frocks will only get people weird looks!

Buying The Wrong Item

I went to a pharmacy to pick up my monthly supply of supplements. I almost didn't bring enough cash because everything is more expensive now. It feels as though prices increase every month! I came home and realized that the facial wash that I bought was for "normal skin" instead of the "oily skin" that I wanted.

Well, I didn't go back to ask for an exchange because the shop doesn't carry it, as far as I remember. I blame myself for not looking more carefully. Perhaps, the sales man tricked me into purchasing it since I mentioned three times that I wanted the "oily skin" facial wash. And yet, he didn't tell me that he doesn't sell that.

Or perhaps he was too preoccupied with the lady who asked him about treatment of eczema that he didn't hear me. In any case, this is a good lesson to me. I will triple check my purchases next time before leaving the store.

URL Shortening For eBay On Twitter

eBay US has finally rolled out URL shortening service for its items on Twitter, giving users who tweet about a specific product plenty more spaces to write their own comments on a tweet.

Many people have already utilized one of the many URL shortening services. And there are some third party Twitter applications that would automatically shorten links. While this is good, sometimes, the links are broken or the service is down, which makes the links invalid. Yes, it has happened to me before and I had to delete my tweet and do it again with the full link.

This URL shortening service though, looks like a service within eBay itself, so it should be more stable. I like that my Twitter feed will be way neater now.

Dreaming Of My Own Home

I have been looking for houses for sale for the past two years and although I could afford to buy a house, I dare not because working for myself, I do not have financial stability. Therefore, I am trying to look for employment so that at least I would draw a monthly paycheck that would go towards my home loan.

I am not planning to buy a large house; I don't even have the budget for it but large or small, so long as I have a bunch of skeleton keys to call my own, I would be on Cloud 9. I am working towards my goal but I have no idea when I can achieve it.

My friends think that I am driving myself too hard but I am a late starter in life and there are plenty of things to catch up on. Buying a house is just one goal! Wish me luck!

Shoppers Spent £1million in a Single MINUTE On Mega Monday

On the 6th of December, known as Mega Monday in the United Kingdom, shoppers spent £1million in just one minute, breaking all records set previously. Online buying has been increasing steadily over the past week as consumers head online to get their Christmas gifts but it was on Mega Monday that this record was set.

The first week of the month of December is said to be busiest week in retail business as people rush to buy gifts after receiving their paychecks for November. However, previously, shoppers have not taken online shopping to this scale because they were worried about late deliveries of their packages. Still, the highest sales amount achieved last year in a minute was £732,000 on 7th December, 2009.

This makes me wonder how dumb those of us who didn't get a slice of the pie are. Isn't it?

Job Opportunity in KL

My friend just sent me a text message letting me know of a job vacancy. I have been thinking of getting a job and leaving my business because I need a change. Also, I figured that getting a fix pay check, I would be able to achieve my financial dreams faster. Running a business is like a yo-yo. Some months are good, some are not so good.

Also, I would be able to save more money and buy my dream home and buy gold coins, something which I have always wanted to invest in because gold is an excellent preserver of wealth. In any case, I would have to give this some thought as if I am offered this job, I would have to move to the capital city. It would be a great change and I would have to mobilize some funds for the relocation. What do you think?

Do Not Reveal Personal Info Over The Phone

I read the papers that there are people going around, making calls to try to dupe people into believing that they are calling from Bank Negara Malaysia, and trying to get these "victims" to disclose their personal information over the phone, particularly their credit card numbers.

While we may sometimes face banking or credit card issues, our bank will never call us up to ask for our information over the telephone or even send us an email. We must always be alert especially when these traps over the phone are so rampant.

In any case, always reverify information that come in by phone or email, or even though people we know. We have to be on guard at all times.

Malaysia Year End Sale - M-Yes 2010

Although the Malaysia Year End Sale or M-Yes for short, kicked off throughout the country on 29th November, 2010, and I have been out window shopping since then, I haven't seen anything that I would say is a lot more cheaper than before 29th November, 2010.

I have also been to a few "Member Day Sale" and even with discounts, though not steep, I don't see anything worth buying. Seriously. Maybe I am an extremely discerning shopper, though I do sometimes let my guard down, but I feel that sale or not, there is not much difference in the prices of merchandise at shopping malls.

Well, maybe the atmosphere is different since more people are out bargain hunting. Maybe it's the holiday season too. Anyway, M-Yes will conclude on 2nd January, 2011. Hopefully, I will be able to bag some bargains!

Buying Physical Gold

My friend asked me to accompany her to buy gold. I was surprised to learn that she wants to buy physical gold when she could do it through a bank or online, without having to physically touch the gold. I discouraged her as it is risky and I definitely won't find the time to go along with her to buy her gold physically. It's the most unwise thing to do.

There are quite a number of reputable, licensed gold dealers to buy gold from and I think that is he proper way to do it. Buying gold in this time and age is no longer a hassle like it was in my grandmother's time, where she would ask her children to accompany her to the goldsmith, feeling scared of being robbed the entire trip to town and back.

In any case, I hope she will heed my advice and be more sensible in her purchase of gold.

Black Friday Mobile Shopping Grew By 310% For PayPal

So Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over. Data has been crunched and released. According to PayPal, people are not just browsing and sharing on their mobile phones, they are now actually making purchases and paying for them through PayPal.

PayPal's Black Friday shows an increase of 310% compared to the same day last year and although this information is specific to PayPal, it shows the general trend that consumers are more comfortable shopping online through their smart devices.

According to a research firm, Coremetrics, Cyber Monday pulled in 31.1% more sales online than Black Friday this year and attracted higher average order values. It looks like more people are seeing the benefits of shopping online, the convenience of it and the savings. Still, there are a few bad apples who try to spoil the market with scams, fraud and unreasonable charge backs.

Celcom 10sen/min Domestic Calls From Penang Island

I received a text message from Celcom just this afternoon about a promotion they are running where domestic calls from Penang Island are only 10sen per minute. This promotion runs from 8th November, 2010 to 30th April, 2011.

Although I am a Celcom customer, I have no idea what is the normal rate for domestic calls from Penang. I thought that nowadays, we only have flat rate or something like that. If this is called a "promotion" then how much was it and why is it that Celcom did not inform us by text message earlier on or around 8th November, 2010 and had to wait till almost one month into the promotion before sending out a text message?

The other day, I was in Penang. Too bad I didn’t make any domestic calls. I didn’t know about this promotion or I would have taken advantage of it.

Gold Gifts

I attended a Chinese wedding dinner last evening, an event that my family and I were obligated to attend. My mother at first proposed that we buy gold coins for the bridal couple but I thought that since we are not that close, we didn't have to be so lavish.

Chinese people love gold gifts, especially in weddings. And the bride's parents and in-laws all bought the new couple various gold jewelries and gifts. Both the bride and groom come from privileged families so I wouldn't be surprised if they were gifted gold accounts at a bank by their parents to start of a new journey as a couple.

I told my mother to keep those gold coins that she wanted to buy, for me if and when I get married! i don't mind receiving coins as gifts as long as they are in gold!

Poll: eBay Sellers Optimistic About Holiday Sales

eBay ran a survey in September on 435 small businesses who operate on eBay and found that respondents are generally optimistic about holiday sales this year. In addition, they are also optimistic about 2011 and 36% of respondents plan to increase their inventory next year by 15% or more.

Even though the economy in the United States has been weak and the Dollar is no longer as strong, people still need to shop, and they do so online, simply because it is cheaper, less time-consuming and paying for purchases is so convenient.

And you know, even if online shoppers in the United States slack, online retailers can expect shoppers from countries that are not affected by slow economy or weakness in their currency, like Australia, to pick up from where Americans drop off.

Online retail will always be popular. Retailers just need to know what popular merchandise to offer, and when.

Big-Ticket Purchase

A friend recently bought a car for her 40th birthday, putting aside her dream of owning an RV and taking the kids on cross country trips. She said that at this point, without the support of her husband, she would end up only owning n RV when she turns 60. By then, she would be taking her grandchildren in it.

My friend told me that even though her husband is not supportive right now, he may change his mind when he has retired. That's why she is already calculating the cost of owning an RV, adding up miscellaneous cost, including 5th wheel insurance, which maybe people overlook.

Frankly, it has also always been my dream to go on cross country road trips. Maybe I could propose to her that she and I go on trips by ourselves and leave the family at home.

eBay Free Listing Weekend

eBay has announced that they will be running a free listing weekend on 4th and 5th December, 2010 on both eBay UK and eBay IE. Good news to those who sell on either of these marketplaces, especially now when the majority of the people have gone online to look for Christmas gifts.

This free listing promotion is only open to private sellers who list at any starting price in an eligible category using auction style. No insertion fee will be charged. Items that are listed using the Quick or Advanced Sell Your Item forms that are available on eBay.co.uk and eBay.ie are eligible.

As usual, there are restrictions. To read more about this free listing weekend promotion, read this page on eBay.

Group Investment

My sister told me that after receiving their year-end bonus, her colleagues have asked her if she would like to join them and buy gold bullion as an investment. I think this is called private group investment. My sister asked me if it's wise because all her colleagues are actually from different countries and they have return to their home country one day, depending on their work permit.

I couldn't decide for her but I told her that if she wants to buy gold, it's best to buy it herself through a reputable dealer. It's not expensive and she definitely does not need to "pool" her capital with her colleagues. She doesn't know their true background. Maybe some of them are not as honest as they seem, we never know.

I told my sister to do some homework and research online for authorized dealers and read through what their clients say. That would help her determine which dealer to go with.

Leslie Nielsen Merchandise Floods eBay

Comedian Leslie Nielsen has passed away at the age of 84 and not surprisingly, eBay is now flooded with memorabilia of him. Leslie Nielsen has had a long career in Hollywood so it is not surprising that there are many things of him worth collecting, IF one is a fan of the actor.

I've been looking at the memorabilia of Leslie Nielsen available on eBay, and I have to say that he was pretty good looking when he was young! My parents would probably want some of his memorabilia and frankly, this is the best time to get one's hands on some of the best memorabilia, while his passing is still fresh. HHmm let me look some more.