Finances

Take Advantage of High Metal Prices

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My friends know that I surf the web a lot. They think that I am fooling around online AGAIN but I’m actually working. Well, they wouldn’t understand! Over the weekend, we had a meet up and one of them brought up the subject of investment. They asked me if I know of anyways to invest their money.

I am no investment guru but in the past couple of years, I have learnt of various options that we can venture into and grow our money slowly. With the current economic climate though, the only option I dare recommend to them is investing into gold and other precious metals.

There is no denying that the boom in China’s economy has certainly driven metal prices up and this is expected to stay for quite a while. Strike while the iron is hot, I say.

Finances

The Need For An Instant Approval Credit Card

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The other day, I received a message from my friend Gary, who told me that he will be leaving the country. I thought that it was a normal overseas trip that he takes about once a month.

A week later, I was surprised to learn that he has moved to Dubai for business and will be there for two years! Gary told me that it was a last minute decision and there was so many things to do before he left that he did not have time to meet up for drinks.

One of the things that he did before leaving for Dubai was to apply for an instant approval credit card for his wife. He opted for this credit card so that he would know almost at once if it would be approved as he did not have time to wait around to find out the status of her application.

Just for the record, an instant approval credit card does not mean that you can access your funds instantly. You still have to wait one to two weeks upon approval, but it cuts down your wait time and it especially removes the question mark over your application, if it will be approved, and when.

Computing & Internet

5-Day 15% Discount at Register.com

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I received an email from Register.com [yes, I am on their mailing list] informing that they are running a five-day sale where we get to save 15% off an entire order. Even with 15% off, it would not be cheap! Every webmaster I talk to has told me that Register.com has one of the steepest prices in the industry. I wonder why.

Which reminds me, I have a domain name with them and I must get it transferred to my regular registrar before one year is up. I hope I don’t forget. I only have about ten domain names and I already have a tough time keeping track. I wonder how other people with way more domains that I do, do it. Urgh!

Computing & Internet

Looking For A Reliable Web Host?

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If you read my blog over the past week, you would know that I recently changed my servers as the previous one goes down on a daily basis, sometimes up to 12 hours and that hurts my traffic to my blogs. Now that I have a new server, which is more stable, I have the mood to start even MORE blogs. Just last evening, I set up blog number 19.

As you can see, I am very particular about my web hosts. It is not actually the cost but also the customer service and technical assistance. I may have 19 blogs, 16 of which are self-hosted and powered by WordPress but I have minimal knowledge when it comes to hosting, servers and what-not.

When I was contemplating hosting my own blogs, I read web hosting reviews online and ask my friends for their feedback and experience with the various large webhosts. Luckily my friends are more experienced than I.

If you are new to hosting your own websites, or are looking to switch webhosts, may I suggest that you do a little research on some popular hosts. Some of my friends faced no problems with Hostgator. You can read Hostgator Reviews and find out their packages at the website of Top 14 Webhosts.

While I was at the site, I also came across some a Startlogic Review. I admit that I have not heard of Startlogic before so this one is new to me.

Computing & Internet

Mozilla Firefox 3

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A couple of days ago, my friend sent me a text message telling me to download and try FireFox 3 because it is faster. It is actually only Release Candidate 1 which means to say that it is for public preview and the, community feedback and final developer testing.

Well, so I did and I was pretty pissed off because my very important add-ons that I MUST use did not function and I did not have the time to either check for an update or to mess around with my computer. I need it to function 100% all the time.

So I had to uninstall and go back to an older version and make sure that all my MUST USE extensions are there. Cheh… wasted my time only. My friend is already using this Mozilla Firefox 3 Release Candidate 1 so I will ask him to keep a look out for updated add-ons so that I could upgrade my FireFox too.

If you have read my older posts, you will know that while everyone seems to think the best of FireFox, I don’t think it’s exceptionally fast. In fact, I think it’s a bit heavy especially with a tad too many tabs open.

Although I use it every day at the same time as Opera and Maxthon [yes, I open three browsers each with multiple tabs as I work] Maxthon remains my primary browser.

Travel

The New Website of Oregon Beach Vacations

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Summer will be here in no time and some of my friends are already making holiday plans. And where do you think is the best place to go during the Summer? To the beach, of course! It’s time to get some sun in but please don’t forget your sunscreen!

While I am stuck here with work over the summer and not able to get a beach vacation even if I live just less than two hours from the best beaches this side of the coast, a couple of my friends have told me that they may be hitting the beautiful Oregon coast. They say that Oregon Coast Vacation Rentals are the bomb and from what was told to them by friends who experienced an unforgettable beach vacation in Oregon, this looks like a one of a kind holiday not to be missed.

Vacation rentals seem to be gaining more and more popular each holiday season and I can surely understand why. Holiday makers are offered the luxury and peace that normal hotels cannot provide, especially in a popular tourist belt. We don’t need nosy holiday goers around when all we are looking for are rest, recreation and relaxation, right?

If you are planning a beach vacation this summer and heading towards Oregon, perhaps you would be interested to know what Oregon Beach Vacations can offer you. Check out the press release below and visit their spanking new website.

For Immediate Release
May 20, 2008
For More Information:
David McElveen, President
River City Travel & Oregon Beach Vacations
503-528-7491
David@oregonbeachvacations.com

Oregon Beach Vacations Launches New Website
New Site Offers Robust Features For Vacationers and Homeowners
Portland, OR – May 2008 / Oregon Beach Vacations / Press Release – Oregon Beach Vacations, the leader in vacation rentals along Oregon’s Northern and Central coastlines, has announced the launch of their new website: www.OregonBeachVacations.com.
Oregon Beach Vacations manages over 150 privately owned vacation homes and is headquartered in Portland, Oregon. They also have offices in Lincoln City and Cannon Beach, Oregon to better serve their clients and homeowners. Oregon Beach Vacations offers vacationers a variety of different properties to suit every vacation need from cottage to condominium to luxury home with several different view options including Mountain View, Ocean View and Waterfront. Some select properties even allow pets.

The completely redesigned website includes a multitude of features to enhance the vacation rental experience for visitors to the site. These features include:
• Real-time availability and booking
• Full descriptions of all properties and their associated amenities including pictures
• The ability to search for vacation rentals based on dates, location, view, property type, amenities and much more
• The ability to email family and friends descriptions and pictures of rental properties
• MyBrochure™ which allows visitors to build print and email brochures of their favorite properties
• Google Maps of each property showing their exact location
• Interactive Maps of the area – allowing vacationers to view properties by location
• Information for homeowners wishing to list their property with Oregon Beach Vacations for Rental
• Access to a special section reserved just for homeowners where they can see information about their property, see availability and view homeowner Statements

“When we decided we wanted to redesign our website, we knew that we wanted to enrich the booking experience for our vacationers as well as provide even more booking opportunities for our homeowners. We believe that we have not only met this challenge but far exceeded it. OregonBeachVacations.com will become the premier website for people who want to vacation in a privately owned home or condominium along the Oregon Coast. We have already been praised by both our homeowners and perspective guests on the new site design, its features and ease of use,” stated David McElveen, President of Oregon Beach Vacations.

David continued, “Our new website is the result of the hard work and expertise of the Oregon Beach Vacations team as well as our partners, Visual Data Systems and Escapia. OregonBeachVacations.com is the first integration of a Visual Data Systems designed website and Escapia Rental Management Software. Both companies were committed to giving Oregon Beach Vacations the customized web site that we need to stay successful in a very competitive marketplace. We are very pleased with the results and look forward to working with both companies for many years”.

About Oregon Beach Vacations
Oregon Beach Vacations was founded in 2004. The owners, David McElveen and Joe Murray, envisioned building a premier vacation rental company on the Oregon coast. Today, Oregon Beach Vacations operates three offices and manages over 150 vacation rental properties. The company is owned and operated by River City Travel, Oregon’s second largest travel agency which includes a staff of over 80 reservation team members whose combines sales is over 40 million dollars per year. Benefits for homeowners include an aggressive marketing campaign that reaches over two million potential guests weekly; marketing agreements with over 4,000 travel agents worldwide and 24/7 availability.

For more information, please visit www.OregonBeachVacations.com or call 800-723-2383.

Blogging

17, 18, 19!!!

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A couple of days ago, I mentioned about my wish to start three blogs. Well, I DID IT!!!! Last night, I set up three niche blogs, one on shopping bargains and deals, one of recipes and food and one on gadgets and electronics. Yes, as you see, my interests are wide and far-reaching.

So far, I have only installed WordPress and uploaded the necessary plug-ins. I still have to upgrade these blogs to the latest WordPress v 2.5.1, activate all the plug-ins and then only start to publish my first posts. Well, I’ve got a couple of days to get them going and start looking for themes. I don’t like using the same theme so I am going to take a little more time with giving them their separate identities.

After that, I’d have to start going round my blogs updating them. I just did that yesterday that’s why I could spare the time to start those new blogs going. hehe… have to push myself to work harder. Time and tide wait for no woman!

Random Thoughts Off My Mind