WebStore Web Hosting

A few of my friends are interested in setting up their own webstore. The main problem is that they do not know how to start. They are also technically-challenged, so even though I explained to them how to go about it, they just didn't understand.

I did, however, told them to look for a reputable web hosting company. There are many cheap webhosting packages but for people like my friends, they need excellent customer service and technical support. I promised that I would help them out as much as I could once they are subscribed to a web hosting plan.

Actually, I am also looking for managed hosting for a friend who told me that her current web host can no longer accommodate her traffic. When she asked for increase in bandwidth allocation, her host said it would cost her double what she is paying now. She thought that with that kind of money, she could get a better deal elsewhere. As you can see, with a new month coming, she is pretty desperate.

Well, if you already have your own servers, you should check out colocation hosting. You'd have to be knowledgeable in hardware configuration of your servers. All pretty technical stuff.

Money Management and Credit Card Debt

I was reading an article on money management and credit card debt this morning and one thing that struck me is that there are people who purposely applied for a second credit card so that they could cover their debt on the first card. While it is possible to do so, like the Indian man who holds 66 credit cards, so many that he employs an accountant to manage his credit cards, it is not always possible with everyone.

I know of someone who had more than ten credit cards because the cards were offered to her for free and she thought that she could juggle them well but she ended up with a huge credit card debt which spiraled out of hand. Luckily she was saved by the AKPK (Agensi Kaunseling Dan Pengurusan Kredit) programme which helped her to manage her credit card repayment, consolidating to a single, small payment monthly.

I always think that one should only use a credit card to pay for purchases IF one already has that amount sitting in the bank. I know it defeats the purpose of having a credit card but that that is the way credit cards should be used. There surely wouldn't be so many credit card bankrupt cases, then!

Chinese New Year Celebrations

This Chinese New Year, I figure I would get a longer holiday. I was not able to enjoy the few previous Chinese New Year holidays because of work but this year has been slow so I don't think I will have work to do then, not that I mind. My relatives will be coming to Ipoh for a visit so I don't even have to travel. I am planning some activities for them, though, something that we could do as family.

Besides taking them on a tour of Ipoh to visit some famous landmarks in the city and going on a food excursion, if the weather is bad, we'll just stay home and entertain ourselves with karaoke songs. Do you know that I finally bought a karaoke set?? I'm like ten years late since it became the must-have electrical product in every household! LOL

And oh yes, I have to make sure that I buy enough Chinese New Year food. It's basically a time to eat and be merry!

eBay Removes Listing of Street Artist Banksy

Banksy the street artist put up a listing on eBay to sell the truth behind his identity on eBay. According to the seller, jaybuysthings, what he will be selling is just a piece of paper with the real name of Banksy written on it. Prior to the listing being removed by eBay, the highest bid stood at US$999,999. This obviously was an inflated figure.

According to eBay, the reason the listing was pulled was because it violated user polices though they were not specific about it. Those who are familiar with eBay, though, would know that we are not allowed to sell personal information or IDs.

Seriously, I don't know if anyone even cares who is behind the nickname Banksy. I don't so obviously, you wouldn't see me bidding on something like this. But Banksy's identity auction received a total of 38 bids before it was removed by eBay! Shocking!

RaboDirect 6-Month Term Deposit @ 6.40% p.a.

A friend, Debbie, recently relocated to Australia with her family. I asked if she plans to buy a house now that she has gotten a car, she said that the house would have to wait. Although she went house hunting in the initial weeks that she was in Australia, she finally decided to take out a lease.

According to Debbie, now that bank interest rate is so high, she would rather reap some interest from whatever cash she has right now instead of plunking deposit on a property and PAY high interest rate on her home loan. I was quite surprised to learn that she is getting 6.40%p.a. on her 6-month Term Deposit. Wow, that's SO high, it's what I would do if I were in her shoes.

Minimum deposit is $1000 only, so that's very affordable and an opportunity that many could take advantage of. Also, minimum term period is one month, though the "ideal" term period, in my opinion is six months. Interest rate is good and six months is not so long a time period to lock the cash.

Moreover, RaboDirect pays out interest every month, every three months, every six months or every twelve months so depositors don't have to wait that long to get hold of their interest.

*** This post has been sponsored.

66 Credit Cards

I only have one credit card but prior to the implementation of Government credit card service charge of RM50 for principal cards and RM25 for supplementary cards, I have friends who have more than 10 cards. I often wonder how one could handle so many cards. After all, there are only so many purchases to be made. Besides, we do have to settle our credit card bill!

Today, I read about a CEO of a college in India who holds 66 credit cards from a dozen issuers. Manmohan Garg has to employ an accountant to help him manage his credit cards, maximizing credit and at the same time, making sure that all bills are up to date. Wow, isn't that way too many?

Looking For A Change

I have been looking for a change since last year and wonder if I should go back to school, set up a business or seek employment. I have been on the lookout for jobs, as a matter of fact, and have been offered sales jobs thus far. I asked my friends for their opinions and they told me that I may not be able to survive in sales because I'm an introvert. Haha... do they know me that well?

In any case, I will continue to look for an appropriate job though it may be a tall order because there are not many that would offer me good remuneration AND time flexibility. Maybe I really should start planning a new business. Or perhaps take the safe route out by going back to studies! I need guidance on which path I should take!

Magician Paul Daniels Off Loads Props On eBay

Well-known British magician, Paul Daniels, is off-loading thousands of Pounds of magic props on eBay, saying that it's cheaper to make props than to store them. What's nice is that besides selling them, Paul Daniels also promises to teach the trick to its new owner.

Paul Daniels is held in high esteem in the world of magic and is an inner circle member of the "Magic Circle", a magicians' society. Members are not to disclose any magic secrets to non-magicians or they will be expelled from the society.

According to Paul Daniels, many of his props that he is putting up on eBay are no ordinary prop as they have been used by other famous magicians as well. It's normal to sell magic props among magicians, you see, so Paul Daniels is certainly not the first owner of these props. Besides, these props have been used by Paul Daniels in his magic shows so that should add to the value too.

I have always been interested in magic but I don't think I am capable of carrying out illusions smooth enough to trick my friends!

Custom Print Business Cards

I visited a property fair the other day. It was totally unplanned so when I was asked for my business card, I didn't have any on me. Besides, even if I did, I would think twice about giving them out. These cards are of my old online retail business which desperately needs a revamp. I am thinking of printing new cards once I have a new logo, and perhaps even a new tagline.

Actually, I have also been looking for a new designer and printer. I don't want to use my previous online printer anymore because I found difficulty maneuvering the website. A friend recommended me her online printer, which she recently printed a batch of hair salon business cards which she is extremely satisfied with. She said she will show me her new cards later.

In addition to business cards, I am also thinking of printing matching stationery. I understand that if I were to get the whole set from the same printer, I can save some money and I like that! Anyway, it is better to get everything from the same printer since it's more convenient. My friend didn’t print matching stationery, unfortunately, so she couldn’t give me information on that.

Never mind, I still have time since I need to look for a logo designer first.

Micro-Credit From Yayasan Bina Upaya Darul Ridzuan (YBUDR)

I read in the papers that Yayasan Bina Upaya (Perak), or Capacity Building Foundation, is giving out micro-credit financing to eligible applicants to uplift their livelihoods. I may be wrong but the target group is Bumiputera women in rural areas. Such financing is interest-free and the sums could be anything from RM5,000 to RM10,000.

I think this is an excellent idea to help participants to set up a small business. Although the loan amounts may be small, considering that prices of everything keep increasing, it's still good seed money. After all, it's interest-free.

Last month, I had the opportunity to check out the products of women in the programme and I have to say that they are really creative. With enough support from the government, I am sure they will be able to lead a better live.

Getting Out Of Shape

I told my sister that I feel like that I ballooned. She said that from my photos, she couldn't see anything different. Well, I guess it's because my fats are covered by my clothes!

In any case, she told me to do something about it if I'm unhappy with my shape now. Well, what should I do? I'm someone who is lazy and working out in the gym is not my kind of thing. Perhaps it would be better if I had an exercise companion but I can't think of anyone right now.

Should I just take diet pills? I don't eat a lot, actually, and I think fat just accumulated because of my sedentary lifestyle. HHmmm I really should start on a regime whatever it is, before things get out of hand.

eBay Shopping Through Smartphones Tripled To US$2 Billion

eBay has released the figures. Mobile shopping through the eBay application, available for iOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows 7 mobile operating system, has tripled to US$2 billion, with shoppers in the UK the fastest adopter of mCommerce, making a purchase every two seconds.

According to eBay, their application for smart phones for ease of online shopping at their marketplace has been downloaded 30 million times in 8 languages in 190 countries. The iPhone app is the leader in the number of times an eBay app has been downloaded.

The rate of growth for mCommerce has got me thinking that any online store which has yet to be mobile friendly is losing out.

From 80+ to 50+ kg

I met an old friend the other day, after reconnecting with her on Facebook. I remember her as an untidy, huge girl when we were schooling but she looks so beautiful now! I mean her features didn't change but she is so much slimmer and she is so neat looking now. It just boggles my mind that she already has two kids! She certainly doesn't look like a mother.

According to my friend, whose new name is Jassly, she exercised so much that her weight dropped from 80+ kg to her current 50+ kg. What brought on her new determination was that after the birth of her second child, she just felt overly huge and she hated it. Truly, hers is one of those amazing weight loss success stories that I have been reading online!

Although I am not fat myself, I do hope that I could adopt her determination.

Rice For The Price Of An iPhone

I read a news article where a German man bought an iPhone on eBay Germany and paid EUR800 for it. After a couple of days, he received the package and opened it only to find a package of rice! A similar case also happened in Germany where the purchase of an iPhone turned into delivery of sauerkraut instead.

It is not known of the sellers are the same for these both cases this makes one think so, doesn't it? Otherwise, it's a copycat scam. At this point, the "rice" victim has reported to the police but according to the report, the police have not been able to track down the scammer.

Although there have been plenty of successful transactions on eBay, even those big ticket items, I still feel that online is not a good place to shop for expensive items. What say you?

New Garden

My mother is thinking of doing something about the garden. We have a large enough compound as it is, but so far, we have not found time to do it up nicely. My mother is a retiree and since she doesn't have any particular hobby, I am encouraging her to finally start her new flower garden.

My mother is contemplating organic gardening and I would need to build a shed for her to tools and fertilizers. I am also thinking of finding appropriate sized steel drums to store her liquid organic fertilizers. Stainless steel drums won't rust are not corrosive. Moreover, it's easy to wash.

I hope that my mother will see through her New Year's resolution. I just have to keep pushing her. Once she gets it started, there's no stopping her.

HydroCar On eBay For US$777,777

If you are so rich that you already have most things, what else do you need? How about a HydroCar? This special HydroCar was built over a span of nine years and I-don't-know how much money and now the inventor is letting it go on eBay. At first, his opening price was a cool million dollars but seeing now much response, he reduced it to US$777,777 and bids started picking up.

According to Rick Dobbertin, the inventor, he has been getting many ridiculous offers for his school-bus-yellow HydroCar but there are also serious bidders. It really is a very special vehicle, though Rick says that it still needs some work done on it. Perhaps the buyer should engage Rick to do whatever still needs to be done on the vehicle.

Understanding Eczema

I feel very bad that my friend, the one who is suffering from eczema, realized that I was uneasy having to share a hotel room with her. Well, I was relieved that I didn't have to share a BED but still, I was quite afraid of her skin condition.

To allay my fears, she asked me to click here for eczema info. Once I have read through the articles, I understand the skin condition better. My friend told me that she has tried out numerous over-the-counter products in addition to medication prescribed by her doctors and yet, she still is not able to totally cure eczema.

Really, it's a very stubborn condition; makes my problem with zits seem like "nothing".

Brittney Jones Ashton Kutcher Cashmere Sweater Back On eBay

The grey men's Marc Jacobs 100% Cashmere Size Large grey sweater that Ashton Kutcher's mistress, Brittney Jones, put up on eBay last month with an opening bid of US$500 but was pulled off eBay just hours before it was scheduled to end, with bids going up to over US$20K, surprisingly, is now back on eBay. Brittney Jones is certainly hoping that this sweater, which she claims was given to her personally by Ashton Kutcher "the morning after", will be able to generate the same interest from her, or Ashton's fans.

The previous auction was yanked from the marketplace because eBay said that the item listing did not contain a "cleaning disclaimer" as stipulated in eBay's terms and conditions. Well, hopefully, now with everything in place, Brittney Jones will get to extend her 5 minutes of fame.

Coming Up With A Business Name

Quite a number of my friends are thinking of setting up their own eCommerce store. It's likely that they think that it's something easy that they could do that could bring them a side income, and possibly giving up their full time job and "retire" earlier than planned.

When they ask me if they should, I couldn't give them an impartial answer. After all, it depends on the individual and how much time he or she is willing to put into a new business. Naturally, starting something from scratch would require plenty of time, resources and determination.

In any case, I believe that one should always try. Why not give ourselves an opportunity to try out something new? When I came across this web hosting hub review and its current promotion, I thought of these friends. They would be able to go into business without having to fork out as much capital.

Starting an online business is obviously more than just coming up with a good name, registering a website address and subscribing to a hosting plan. I advised my friend to first think of what product they would like to sell and then only start thinking of a name so that the name of the company and website will reflect the nature of their businesses.

Ringgit Likely To Hover Around 3.05-3.07

The Ringgit dropped a little from a 13-year high against the US Dollar yesterday but it is still worrisome that the Ringgit is so strong. I'm saying so from the perspective of someone who earns more USD than spend.

Of course, if I were to buy my lingerie stocks from the US, I would be laughing but this is no laughing matter since I have stopped my lingerie business for the time being.

According to dealers, the Ringgit is like to trade at around 3.05 to 3.07 against the USD, which means that for anyone who is converting their USD to MYR, they wouldn't even be getting three times the amount after paying service fee and what not.

Uncle's Birthday

It's my Uncle's 70th birthday next month and he is planning a huge birthday party. The extended family is invited, and although he said not to bring any gift, I think it's only right that we should.

I know my uncle bought a Blackberry a few months ago. I noticed that he didn't buy a case for it so I asked him why not. He said that he's a careful user and a blackberry case in not necessary. I think that even so, it's better to give the Blackberry some protection. That's why I think that getting him a blackberry case is most appropriate.

The problem is that there are so many different types of Blackberry cases and skins, I don't know which to get. I hope that he will like the one that I eventually get him and he will use it.

David Beckham's Black Porsche On eBay

David Beckham, who is negotiating to be back playing football in London for three months with Tottenham Hotspur, has decided to let go of his black Porsche, which he has owned for two years and is highly customized.

The car was put up on eBay but the auction expired without a taker, unfortunately, According to media reports, the asking price was US$150,000. David Beckham apparently paid US$100,000 for the car and shelled out another US$50,000 for customization. Well, only celebrity cars appreciate in price, huh?

Check out these two photos to see the beauty of David Beckham's black Porsche. Nice!

Compression Stockings

I had the chance to speak to my neighbor the other day at her daughter's wedding reception where my whole family was invited. You know, even though we are neighbors for tens of years, we never had the chance to really talk. I noticed that she had difficulty walking, and she said that she's suffering from pain in her legs.

In addition, she said her doctor has advised her to wear compression stockings because of varicose veins. She doesn't understand how that would help so I promised to look up compression stockings information for her. There's plenty on the web, anyway, and I'd just have to print out for her.

Although we aren't really close, with her children working out of state, I could at least help to keep an eye on the elderly couple.

eBay Drops Out of Top Ten Visited Websites In 2010 In USA

eBay.com, which was the tenth most visited website in the USA in 2009, dropped out of the top ten list, edged out by Microsoft search engine, Bing.com. This, of course, doesn't augur well for eBay USA sellers, as this means that traffic within USA has dropped.

1. Facebook
2. Google
3. Yahoo! Mail
4. Yahoo.com
5. YouTube
6. MSN
7. MySpace
8. Live.com
9. Yahoo! Search
10. Bing

However, eBay remains a highly visited website internationally, though at this point, I don't have the data of the ten most visited websites in the world in 2010. It should feature pretty high at the top. In any case, it is still one of the top online marketplaces.

It's interesting how the internet evolves. Let's not put all our eggs in one basket. We never know where these marketplaces will feature in the top 100 list of most visited websites one or two years down the road.

Giant Art Print For Housewarming

I have been invited to a friend's housewarming party. She told me that even though her house is not completed yet, she is letting me know in advance so that I can keep myself free for the "big" event.

Since receiving her invitation, I have been wondering what gift to get her. Her house, from the photos I've seen, looks very grand but right now, it doesn't have any "character" yet. I think I should get her the obey giant art. I have to admit that the idea only came to me after coming across the website of shepard fairey prints which offers authentic out of print shepard fairey art.

For those of you who do not know, Shepard Fairey is a contemporary artist from American well known for his "André the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign back in the 1980s. More recently, he is well-known for the Barack Obama "HOPE" poster.

Shepard Fairey is definitely not a conventional artist. I hope my friend knows how to appreciate his work!

New Deposit Insurance Limit At RM250,000 wef 31st Dec, 2010

This is surely good news. The new PIDM (Perbadanan Insurans Deposit Malaysia) deposit insurance limit has been raised from RM60,000 to RM250,000 with effect from 31st Dec, 2010. According to PIDM, this will protect about 99% of retail depositors in full. Foreign currency deposits would also enjoy the same deposit insurance protection.

Previously, retail depositors had to spread out their deposits to multiple accounts and even multiple banks to enjoy such insurance protection on their deposits if they had more than RM60,000 in cash but now, I believe that retail depositors would get to benefit from this protection without having to spread out their deposits.

If you have been holding multiple bank accounts because of this, perhaps it is time to take stock and see how to consolidate your savings now that the deposit insurance limit has been raised.