Sports Tickets For Boss

My sister told me that her boss is celebrating her birthday and my sister and her colleagues are planning to buy her a pair of sports tickets. The problem is that they don't really know what sport she likes the most. As far as they know, she watches basketball, football and hockey. In fact, they don't even know which team she likes the best. I think she is one of those fans who would support any team that gives the best performance.

According to my sister, they are going to vote for the gift to buy. Depending on where her boss will be traveling to over the next few months, they are going to buy New York Islander Tickets or New York Rangers Tickets if she goes to New York. Home games are always the most exciting, aren't they?

Now, if everyone decides on basketball tickets, there are many choices to choose from. I guess they will have a hard time deciding which team she should watch since they could get her Boston Celtics Tickets, Chicago Bulls Tickets or even Los Angeles Lakers Tickets.

It would be easier to come to unanimous decision if the boss doesn't travel so much. Now, they would have to check her schedule first before placing an order!

Sealed Nintendo NES Sealed Stadium Events Asking Price USD50K

Can you remember the Nintendo NES Stadium Events game that was still sealed that was sold on eBay last year for over USD40,000?

Well, this week, another copy (or is it the same one?) has surfaced on eBay with the asking price of USD50,000. No, this is not an auction but a sale and although the seller is asking for that price, a buyer could always negotiate and submit a more appropriate price.

While I think that USD50,000 is too high for a game, heck I thought that USD41K was too high back then, even for a rare game that's still sealed and in good condition, what do I know eh? Maybe there's someone who see some value in it that I and those of us who cannot afford it, see. Hehehe

It would be interesting to see how much this gets sold. I do wonder, how many copies are already in circulation?

Insecurities

My mother has reached the stage that a lot of elderly people face. They feel insecure unless they see a doctor, even for very slight medical issues. Now my mother is quite worried that her doctor is going to retire soon. He's almost 80 years old while my mother is not even 70 yet.

I told my mother that I don't think he'll be retiring anytime soon since he just bought a couple of new poc carts. I'm sure if he has plans to retire, he wouldn't continue to invest in his clinic, right?

I may be wrong but at least my mother feels better that her doctor will still be there when she needs him. I just hope it wouldn't be so soon since we just came home from his clinic this morning!

Q & A With Head of Communications eBay UK & eBay.ie

If you have questions regarding selling or buying on eBay, especially eBay UK and eBay.ie, eBay is here to listen to you and answer your questions. There is a Question and Answer session on 23rd Feb, 2011 with Head of Communications for eBay UK and eBay.ie, Patrick Munden.

eBay runs an "Online Business Forum" on LinkedIn and a thread a already opened there to receive questions from members of the public who use eBay to buy and sell. If you have a question, you could post it on this thread but you would have to be registered with LinkedIn first, if you do not have any account yet. I don't like this, makes it seem so "exclusive" as not all of us have an account with LinkedIn, right?

In any case, this is the group "The Online Business Forum powered by eBay":
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=3479614

Recovering From Late Nights

Over the past couple of weeks, I have not been sleeping well. I sleep late usually but these two weeks, I had to get up extremely early too because of I have to visit friends and family who are back for Chinese New Year.

I am trying to recover from the late nights but I think I have some unsightly wrinkles at the corner of my eyes that only the best anti wrinkle cream could remove. The wrinkles were actually pointed out to me by a friend. Oh, as if I didn't know!!

Let's hope that my one week routine to get to bed early and to sleep in will be able to recharge my batteries!

Mom Sells 8 Beyblades To Cover Cost Of Bathtub Repair

A mother has put 8 Beyblades on eBay because these toys have caused serious damage to her bathtub. 4Chan users were so incensed with the way this mother has posted a picture of her children on eBay, one of the crying, that they drove the price up, with no intention of paying for it, obviously. This caused the seller so much frustration that she had to suspend the auction.

It's OK to take away her kids toys and sell them off to pay for the damages but it's bad taste to post the kids photos online. Those of us who use the internet know that things that we put up online, whether right or wrong, never actually go away, even if cache is cleared.

Now, her kids' photo is no longer just confined to eBay but also other sites that are discussing this auction and/or parental guidance.

Beating Tiredness

I am worried that my mother is complaining of feeling tired all the time. It could be due to her age but her energy level seemed to have dropped drastically over these past few weeks. My mother used to be on hgh human growth hormone but her doctor asked her to stop taking it, though he didn't give a reason.

I'm trying to include my mother in my activities but then she tries not to join me, saying that she cannot tolerate the noise or the crowd; basically 101 excuses. She would rather spend time watching TV at home, and end up falling asleep in front of it. I've actually taken my mother to consult various doctors and none could find a problem with her. So is this all in the mind or is she sick but it has yet to manifest and easily detectable? I just hope that it's nothing serious!

eBay and PayPal Developer Programmes Merge

I read with delight that eBay and PayPal have decided to merge their developer programs. I may not be an application programmer myself but this merger will definitely help users like me. I have never understood why eBay and PayPal never saw that they needed to merge some of their programmes, forums, discussion boards...

With this merger, external application developers will be able to develop applications that combine both eCommerce and online payment capabilities for a brad spectrum of devices and operating systems.

Using an integrated shopping and payment solution that works across the board will certainly help people like me who connect to the internet with a multitude of devices. I try to look for one application that would work on various platforms for convenience and to minimize learning how one thing works different from another.

I can't wait to check out these integrated applications when they are ready!

Family Gatherings

Over the past two weeks since the first day of Chinese New Year, I have had to attend many family gatherings. I have never made it a point to socialize previously but this year, I just decided that I should. The family elders aren't getting any younger...

I was quite taken aback to realize how time flies. My cousins' children are all in their teens already! Boy... I last saw them when they were just still in their mothers' arms. One of the boys is suffering from severe acne which reminded me of my own painful adolescent. Perhaps I should get him to try acnepril. Hopefully it will work for him.

Once again, we exchanged email addresses and phone numbers but I am skeptical that we will be in touch until, well, next Chinese New Year!

Citibank Joins MEPS Network

Citibank has joined the Malaysian Electronic Payment System (MEPS) network, which is good news to all Citibank customers as they can now access their accounts through more than 10,000 ATMs all over Malaysia through 12 member banks in 2,000 locations.

Services that Citibank customers now have thanks to this tie-up include cash withdrawals and balance inquiries on their accounts. These sounds like just basic services initially.

In the second quarter of 2011, Citibank expects to rollout the second phase of this programme where customers will be able to pay their loans, credit card bills as well as transfer funds through the ATM to an account with one of the 17 MEPS member banks.

Risky Career

My friend told me that when he decided to work offshore, he received objections from his parents. Obviously, the folks thought that working offshore is very risky, which it is, according to my friend. However, safety standards are extremely high and it's quite uncommon to get injured.

My friend jokingly said that if he does get injured due to the negligence or someone else, he could always depend on a good Offshore Injury Lawyer to take up his case and fight for his rights! That's a very positive way to look at things but obviously I wish that nothing bad would happen to him and his colleagues!

Personally, I don’t even dare work offshore. It sounds like a cold and lonely job though the pay is good!

Harrier Jump Jet Removed & Banned From eBay

The Harrier jump jet that was relisted on eBay following the wrongful purchase of it by a seven-year-old kid, has been removed from eBay and banned. The reason eBay cited was that the sale broke weapons sales policy of the marketplace.

According to the seller, the decommissioned Harrier jump jet has all the necessary documents and he has already previously sold seven, four of them on eBay. This particular jump jet was built in 1971 and has been stripped of its engine and weaponry equipment before leaving the RAF, which means that it's only good as an exhibit.

Oh well, perhaps the seller would have to sell it through another avenue like how he had sold off the other three.

Email Marketing Tracking & Reporting

My uncle, who runs an online education business, told me that he has adopted a few marketing strategies from advertising online and offline to text message and email blasting. According to my uncle, response has not been too great but I think the problem with him is that he will only market his courses a month before a new semester starts.

According to my uncle, he doesn't send out a monthly newsletter. Well, although some people may think that sending out a mail a month is one too many, if these are the people who opted in to the mailing list, they wouldn't mind, would they? Also, with the right email marketing tracking and reporting, my uncle would know how effective his newsletters are, which are the topics, headlines and style of writing captivate and also the hotspots in the layout of the newsletter.

I am not sure if my uncle would take up my suggestion but I really think it’s a good idea for him to continuously promote his business throughout the year rather than just a month prior to a new semester. Studying, especially for working adults, is a great commitment and we need more time to think over it before enrolling in a course. Don’t you think so?

Name The Baby Dolphin eBay Auction

A one-month-old baby dolphin has made her debut at Australia's SEA World and the theme park is auctioning off the chance to name her on eBay. See this photo that I have enclosed courtesy of SEA World, Australia. She is with her mother, Squeak.

Besides winning the chance to name the baby dolphin, the winner of the auction will also get the chance to participate in a research trip to Moreton Bay to assess the health of a thousand dugongs in the flood-affected Moreton Bay. This sounds like the more interesting part of he prize package to me. LOL

At this time of writing, the auction has already garnered over 35 bids at the highest bid of AUD3,050. There are still another nine days to go so expect the price to be pushed higher.

eBay auction: HERE

Designing A New Logo

A friend proposed that we set up a new clothing online business. I am very keen actually, but I am not someone who likes starting something from scratch. I can make it happen but it will take me a long time to come up with the creative aspect of the business, like giving it a name, getting a logo for it, looking for a theme, colors, etc....

My friend told me to draw up a logo and she thought that with the long Chinese New Year holidays, with plenty of free time on my hands, I would be able to get it done. Unfortunately, after numerous failed attempts, I have given up. I think it's best to just select the most suitable logo from one of those professional logo design packages for sale.

That would certainly save time and bring down my stress level. Hopefully, once the preliminary work is over and done with, I could concentrate on getting the business of the ground. I actually prefer procurement. That doesn't need any creativity at all, just plenty of capital. LOL

Anyway, now my task is to look for the most suitable logos for our upcoming business venture and once that is decided up, we can move forward from there.

Bid To Drive in the Lexus Celebrity Challenge 2011 in Australia

I read on various news sites that many organisations have joined together to raise funds to help with the rehabilitation of parts of Australia that have been affected by floods. This will cost a lot of money, since the areas combined are as large as the land mass of both Germany and France combined.

Here is one way you can do your bit, that is, if you can spare the thousands of Aussie Dollars. It is an opportunity to get behind the wheels of the Lexus CT 200h at the Australian Grand Prix in Albert Park, participating in the Celebrity Challenge alongside Kate Waterhouse, Luke Ricketson, Anthony Bell, Kelly Landry & Giaan Rooney.

100% of proceeds from this auction will go to the Red Cross. The prize package also includes air tickets, accommodation party invites and dinner. Sounds great but I do wonder how anyone could just hop behind the wheels, taking corners at the full 50km/hr according to the description on the listing without having proper practice first?

Preparing For Camping Trip

My friend called me up asking if I have gotten everything needed for our camping trip. he wrote up a check list and I am just supposed to get everything, and everyone together. Well, we had many days of work and I thought that I could use that free time to work on this but then most shops were closed!

I told him I'll need a little more time to buy or at least rent the long list of items for this trip. Also, I would have to get bike racks to transport our bikes. A friend has a couple of yakima bike racks that I could use so that saves me the trouble of looking for such bike racks online.

Also, I'm still waiting for some friends to confirm if they could make it. How envious I am of them that they are still on holiday! I'll have to b a little more patient to get their reply.

eBay Smartphone Buy Back Programme

eBay, through its Instant Sale service will until 22nd Feb, 2011, offer to buy back smart phones like iPhone 3Gs, Droid X, Evo 4G and Galaxy S Vibrant for US$200 each. Those who "sell" their iPhone 4 will receive US$200 to US$450. I don't know if these are market prices but they seem cheap to me. Maybe it's because smart phones aren't really that expensive in the United States in the first place?

Whatever it is, this is in anticipation of US smart phone users jumping to buy Verizon's new iPhone, which could mean many people trying to offload their current handphones and they would surely be happy to get some cash for the old phones, even if they may suffer a slight loss, so that they could use the cash to buy their new phone.

There are other buy back programmes, of course, but this one pays in cash and not gift cards or rebates. Anyway, if you are planning to sell your smart phone, remember to format it first.

Visit To A New Housing Development

My friend and I made a visit to a newly developed residential area last week. This development has a large pool in the middle. My friend was careless and dropped her handphone into the pond.

We tried to use a net to catch it but it soon went down. We couldn't do anything since it was so difficult to fish it out now and although we could hire divers it would be very expensive. I don't know if underwater metal detectors would be able to locate a handphone; my friend already wrote it off. What bad luck!

After that incident, we informed the management of it and suggested that railings be built along the pond side so that visitors will not walk too close to the edge if the pond, like my friend did. Hopefully, they will heed our suggestion even though this would incur additional cost for them.

Ted "Golden Voice" Williams' Former Tent Home Sold On eBay

The tent that was once the "home" of homeless man, Ted Williams who was recently discovered as having a "golden voice" has been sold by his "housemate", Victor Houston on eBay for US$355. Victor started the auction at US$100 and the auction attracted a total of 16 bids before it closed at US$355.

Now, what I don't understand is how Victor Houston, a homeless man also, could have an internet connection, knows how to go to eBay to sell and have a PayPal account to transact.... Did Ted Williams take him in, his old housemate, now that he has found fame and fortune?

7-Year-Old "Buys" Fighter Jet On eBay

I read about the 7-year-old British boy who "bought" a fighter jet on eBay by clicking on the "Buy It Now" button, whose father quickly called up the seller to let them know that there had been a mistake and that the boy is not able to pay for it. The seller was fine with it and relisted the fighter jet, this time, an auction.

I have never clicked on the "Buy It Now" button but I thought that there are several steps in different pages to go through so such a mistaken shouldn't have happened, right? Oh well, I should try clicking on the "Buy It Now" button one day to see its process but then I do read what's on the page....

Organic Search Engine Optimization

If you have a website, you will know that it's almost impossible to take care of the technicalities of the website, update it with content regularly AND increase website traffic. I am not saying this can't be done but it will take a long time, perhaps years. This is where a search engine optimization company comes in.

While there are many companies that offer such services and promise results within a few months, search engines are always changing policies and algorithm; it’s an expert field by itself. I have had the opportunity to check out ThinkBIG's unique organic search engine optimization services and can tell that this company is miles ahead in this specialization.

The first thing ThinkBIG will do on a client’s website is to analyze its keywords. This will help the client decide which keywords to target that will bring in the best results in terms of search engine rankings. Once this is decided, ThinkBIG will start checking the website itself, to optimize it to be more search engine friendly, to be spidered by search engines faster. This includes checking meta and title tags, broken images, pages and links.

Once this foundation is set, ThinkBIG starts working on increasing strategic inbound linking, mobilizing its vast network of international highly-rated blogs, websites, forums and social profiles, all providing one way links pointing to the client's website, monthly.

While other search optimization companies may think their work is over and done with, ThinkBIG monitors each client's account every month to ensure that maximum link juice is passed to their website. This is what sets them apart from other similar companies.

Man Arrested For Faking Winston Churchill's Autograph

I read with amusement a guy in Britain who, for the past 18 months, tried to sell "books from Winston Churchill's library" with his autograph. According to news report, a genuine autographed Winston Churchill book would have raised its value by a thousand times.

This guy was found out and reported to the police by buyers of his auction items who noticed that the signatures were not genuine. It is not know how much he made during the 18 months, though.

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was the Prime Minister of Britain twice from 1940 to 1945 and 1951 to 1955.

Birthday Theme Party

Just when we are in the midst of celebrating Chinese New Year, I received an invitation to a birthday party. I am not a social animal but there are some instances where I am obligated to attend. This is one such case.

The birthday party is a week away but it has already gotten me worried. It's a theme party, you see and the theme is "Western" and we are supposed to be dressed up as cowboys and cow girls. The birthday girl has asked me to look for ten Stetson Hats for some of her guests. That's a huge problem. I don't even know where to buy my costume!

I guess if I am not able to get these costumes locally, then I would have to shop in KL after the holidays. Or perhaps I'll just get everything online. That would save plenty of time.

PayPal To Shut Down WOW Gold Sellers Account

PayPal has issued a warning to account holders who are using their PayPal accounts to trade in WoW gold. That's the virtual gold in the game, World of Warcraft. While the selling of WoW gold is not something new, it is deemed illegal by the developers of WoW. Some fair-play gamers also think that the buying and selling of WoW gold will hurt the virtual economy.

After numerous complaints from WoW publisher and developer, Blizzard, PayPal has decided to take action. According to sources, PayPal has said that those who continue to sell WoW gold will have their PayPal accounts closed.

HHmmm that sounds pretty serious, huh? But then again, WoW gold sellers could always utilize other online payment processors for their business!