I’m of course an artist, but I’m also a collector of tattoo supplies and somewhat of a tattoo gun enthusiast. I’m a fan of the art and of the history of the art. Usually I don’t pay too much attention to the new stuff, but even the new stuff will be classic someday.

So I do often look at what’s coming out on TheLaShop.com. I want to make sure to stay on top of the latest technology. I find it fascinating when there’s stuff there that mirrors exactly some technology from way back in the day. As the art transforms and progresses, it also stays the same. In some ways.

I love collecting, I love the people you get to meet while collecting, the stories you get to hear from guys who’ve been doing it for way longer than I’ve even been alive. I hope that someday I get to talk, as an 80 year old, to some young gun who just started getting into tattooing. I’ll tell him, son, I’ve been tattooing for 65 years, I’ve learned a thing or two.

Then I’ll impart upon him my great wisdom, and he’ll hang on my every word. Something about that thick grey beard that gets people to listen to what you’re saying. I think it shows that you’ve spent less time worrying about physical appearance and more time thinking about life and about how best to lead your life and what you want out of it I suppose I should start growing my beard now so it can be down to my waist by then. That’ll really show how wise I am.

Just wouldn’t want to start talking about shaving advice, because then no one would listen! And that would be a shame, since I have so much wisdom to impart.

Cash Back Cards

One of the most sought-after rewards is the cash back reward. This rewards certain types of purchases, and sometimes all purchases, with a small percentage earned back in cash. These cards are a great way for small businesses to earn revenue for doing nothing more than making their routine purchases.

Australian cash back cards include Commonwealth Bank rewards cards, including the Commonwealth Bank Awards card, which has a cash back award system as well as a points award system. Commonwealth Awards, Gold Awards, Platinum Awards and Diamond Awards cards from Commonwealth offer varying credit lines. The cards award one point for each dollar spent. The ANZ Business One Cash Rewards credit card pays cardholders 0.5% cash back on all purchases. It also offers up to 40 interest-free days on each purchase.

Frequent Flyer Cards

Most small businesses have a need for travel, but that travel is a major expense. With most frequent flyer rewards programs, you earn airline points for making routine business purchases. Some give you extra rewards points when you use the card to book a flight with a specific airline and still more points for signing up for the card.

The Virgin Money High Flyer Card offers almost-free flights on specific Virgin Airlines flights after you have purchased a flight with the card. It also earns you 1.25 Velocity Points for each spent dollar. Purchasing flights with the card earns you free international travel insurance and interstate flight inconvenience insurance.

The HSBC Platinum QFF Credit Card offers two frequent flyer points with Qantas for each dollar spent overseas and one point for each dollar spent in Australia. It gives flyers two free invitations to the Qantas Club lounge annually.

The ANZ Frequent Flyer Platinum card offers an unlimited number of frequent flyer points, a free membership in the Qantas Frequent Flyer program and travel insurance when flying overseas.

The AMEX Qantas Premium Credit Card has an annual fee, but for each dollar spent it offers 1.25 Qantas Frequent Flyer points and transfers the points to your Qantas Frequent Flyer account automatically each month. Signing up earns you 5,000 points and an additional 2,500 points the first time you use it for Qantas services.

The ANZ Classic Frequent Flyer Credit Card awards you with 10,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points upon acceptance and no limit on the number of points you can earn. If you don’t already have a Qantas Frequent Flyer account, you can get one free as a cardholder. The accounts are normally $82.50.

Store Rewards Cards

Some Australian stores have their own credit cards that offer a store-specific reward to cardholders. By choosing these wisely, a small business owner can earn free or discounted items at stores that sell what the business needs.

A Coles Myer Source credit card gives you the option of using the rewards points that you earn at any of several stores, including Coles and Target. These stores carry countless items useful to small businesses, including paper products, cleaning supplies and snack-room supplies. The Coles Myer Source card also gives cardholders a discount on fuel and has no annual fee. There is no interest on balance transfers for six months. Cardholders can redeem 1,250 FlyBuys points from purchases for $10 off a Coles purchase.

Rewards Points Cards

Rewards points cards give cardholders a specific number of points for their purchases, and those points can be redeemed for merchandise. That merchandise can include business machines and office supplies.

The Citibank Rewards Platinum card rewards each dollar spent with 1.5 Citibank rewards points. These can be spent in a merchandise catalogue or cardholders can request specialty items. The rewards points can also be redeemed for Qantas Frequent Flyer points. The rewards points never expire, and the annual points maximum is 250,000. When you spend internationally, each dollar spent earns you three rewards points. The card also offers free insurance on all purchases and international travel insurance.

Finally, another great option if you or your employees travel overseas frequently is the 28 Degrees Mastercard. It may not come with any loyalty programs but it does not charge any international transaction fees, currency conversion fees nor annual fees. This can’t be overlooked if your business requires frequent overseas travel. The 28 Degrees Mastercard also recently won the 2012 Choice award for Best Travel Money Card.

Kristy Alexander is a freelance travel and finance writer for HotelClub Australia where you can earn member dollars with every booking. Whether you are seeking a business hotel in Adelaide or a romantic hotel in Sydney you are sure to find something to suit your needs.

Ravi and jessica Gounder - wedding

The Gold Coast wedding of high profile couple Ravi Gounder & Jessica Gounder (formerly Brown) over the weekend definately set tongues wagging.

The private ceremony held on a prestigious Gold Coast property caused a stir amongst local residents resulting in the paparazzi taking photographs for the local rag.

The two nights of ceremonies went without a hitch, seeing family and friends celebrating their Indian wedding on Friday the 24th of September, followed by a fairytale white wedding on Saturday on the 25th of September.

Guests were treated to traditional and heartfelt contributions from all quarters of the family. Many describing the Indian wedding as a theatrical event that kept everyone engaged for the entire evening – from coconut cracking, through to fire starting.

“This has been the best celebration of two people coming together I have ever seen” one guest was heard musing.

The team at My Life My News wishes the happy couple every success and hope to hear the pitter patter of little feet in the not too distant future.

Ravi and Jessica Gounder - Gold Coast Indian Wedding

Benefits of a Personal Loan

Whether you need finance to buy a car, caravan or boat, whether you’re planning a holiday or a home extension a personal loan can offer you unique benefits such as:

?        A secured loan. A secured loan is one which has the item you are borrowing to purchase, as security against the loan. This means if you default on the loan and can’t make your payments your lender is able to seize the item to recover their costs.

?        A lower interest rate. A personal loan has one of the lowest interest rates of any type of financing and much lower than a credit card interest rate. A secured personal loan has an even lower rate than a standard personal loan as you are less of a risk if you are able to put up an asset as security against your borrowing.

?        A set term. Unlike a credit card which you can be repaying for an indeterminate number of years, a personal loan has a short set term, often five or seven years, so you have a clear end point in sight. You can also often choose your own personal loan term, for as short as one year in some cases.

How to Apply for a Personal Loan

The personal loan market is a competitive one and if you take the time to shop around and compare you can come up with a personal loan package with the lowest interest rate and the best choice of features for your needs.

To apply for a personal loan:

1. Check your credit. Before you apply you want to gauge your chances of approval because even a rejected loan application can appear as a black mark on your credit report. Therefore obtain a free copy of your credit report and look for any mistakes which could give you a poor score. These could be bills which you paid but were not registered or you may be the victim of identity theft. You’ll also be able to see, all in one place, how much debt you already have, and whether more is wise.
2. Aim for a secured loan. Applying for a secured loan will allow you to negotiate a lower interest rate and a higher borrowing amount if you need it.
3. Consolidate your debts. A popular use of a personal loan is to pay off existing debts such as credit cards or store cards. When you use a personal loan to repay bad debts you can be paying a lower interest rate and making just one monthly repayment, rather than one to each card.
4. Be a good personal loan customer. You can also use a personal loan to repair a bad credit rating because making your repayments on time every month shows responsibility and reliability when it comes to credit. At the same time, don’t forget about your other debts or financial commitments such as bills or rent and mortgage repayments.
5. Shop around. Don’t apply for the first personal loan product you find, from the first lender who will approve your loan. Instead, make sure you get multiple quotes on your personal loan needs; a comparison website is an ideal tool for this as you can enter your information once and receive quotes from the lenders and products which best suit you, so you know you are making comparisons on the same information, on a level playing field. 

Guest post by Eric Cheng, who is a regular personal finance writer and part of the team at Personl Loan Finder, a 100% free Australian personal loan comparison and application service. Visit the Personal Loan Finder website for more information on personal loans.

When it was sold, it was the second time that the town had been put up for sale. It was previously being offered for $1.1 million US, but it recently sold for only $370,601 US in April. The town was not listed as a distressed property since businesses are being leased for approximately $3000 monthly. It also has a great location close to Whistler BC in Canada.

Unusual properties for sale

There are many other unusual properties that come up for sale. Last year a Gothic castle covering 8250 ft.² with spires and turrets sold for $1.5 million US in Harlem. The skinniest house in New York was sold for $2.1 million USD in Greenwich Village. The house measures only 2.9 m wide by 9.1 m long.

The most expensive home in the world is listed in Mumbai Indiana. It is the first house in the world that goes for more than $1 billion.

There are a lot of unusual properties you can get your hands on at auctions. These sites seem to attract people that are shopping for something a little out of the ordinary and these homes certainly fit the bill! EBay draws a huge crowd of both buyers and sellers, so if you are looking for something out of the ordinary it is the first place you should check. You may also find some interesting homes at local auctions in the area.

Keep your eyes open for a new auction that starts on June 2, 2010. A 2 level Victorian terrace will be optioned off. A bloody battle between the union squatters and police occurred at this home and it is your chance to own a piece of history from Newtown Sydney. Then keep your eyes open for more unusual homes being listed as well. You never know what you will find at an auction!

This article was written by William Eve. William writes about real estate and investment loans for mortgage comparison site HomeLoanFinder.

The Snowball effect

Before I go into explaining how this works, let me clear up an important fact that seems to cycle in people’s minds. Contrary to popular belief it isn’t easiest to get out of debt by paying off your highest interest rate debt first. This is what many debt-ridden consumers tend to believe, but they are wrong (at least partially because the maths proves otherwise).

Credit card debt is wrecking people’s lives as we speak. The lure of the “easy money” ruins a lot of families because the owners of the credit cards are too weak to refrain from buying yet another thing they really don’t need. So what can you do if you are left starring debt in the face – debt that could result in a possible bankruptcy claim or the possibility of a divorce because money issues are so big and your family can’t handle them?

The answer is: use the snowball method

With the debt snowball method you put everything on hold financially, except the minimum payments and of course your utility bills and essential living expenses (and no, that does not include a subscription to Pay TV).

Before you start minimizing your financial expenditure try and save money for an emergency fund. Speed is of the essence here because remember, the interest clock is ticking.

Assemble all of your debts and create a spreadsheet where you list them in order of size. Start with the smallest debt first and work your way toward the biggest (most likely your mortgage). This is not the time, nor the place to worry about interest rates as the idea is to start paying down your smallest debt as soon as possible, then move on to the next, and so on.

The snowball starts rolling…

The moment your first debt is paid off – which shouldn’t take too long if you are dedicated – your snowball will gather pace and you will feel a massive sense of achievement. This will drive you to keep going.

Seeing results is psychologically important. It helps us to stay focused and result-driven.

…can you feel the rush of wind in your hair?

As you pay off more and more small debts your snowball will gather massive momentum. You will feel elated and actually start believing that is is possible to be debt free.

But it gets even better than that. If the exhilaration of the wind in your hair isn’t enough, how about the fact that you will start to compound your remaining payments as you pay off more of your debts. Money is funny that way!

Every single dollar you pay off your existing debt will help to compound the remaining amount. The more you pay off, the quicker your debt will shrink until there is…

… nothing left to pay. In which instance you would be debt free.

As long as you keep maintaining the minimum payments for your debts you will see results with the snowball method very quickly. It will be the start of the rest of your life and hopefully re-educate you on money management forever.

This is a guest post written by Timothy a personal finance writer for Credit Card Finder which specialises in providing credit card comparisons and information to help the consumer get into a better financial situation especially those in credit card debt.

Working from the comfort of their home is a dream come true for many people. Saying good bye to long commutes, snarly bosses and bitchy co-workers has its benefits. You can grab your own slice of this global behaviour shift by finding, and starting a business from home.

Common types of work at home business opportunities

When people talk about working at home they usually have one of the following opportunities in mind:

Call center work
Data entry
Freelance writing
Network marketing
Technical assistance
Task-based work
Consulting work based on your knowledge and experience etc.

Regardless of the type of work you are looking for, there exists a range of opportunities for just about anyone with a passion for starting out. You will need a healthy dose of entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to work hard – especially in your first year.

Where do you start?

This is a very important question because it is the single-most reason people fail before they even get started. Due to the ever-changing landscape of the Internet it is very hard to stay abreast of the places that accept you for home-based work.

Generally speaking you can find them on job board websites such as Guru.com, Elance.com, or oDesk, or you can brand yourself on social networks in the hopes that people will come to you.

As you can imagine, that won’t work, unless you already have a solid online profile. It takes time and considerable effort to pull this off.

Your best bet as a total newcomer to work at home opportunities is to go with a reputable job network provider. This will save you a lot of time, headaches and money because these networks have available jobs for capable providers pretty much all of the time.

Theoretically you can sign up with them and find a job within the same day.

Reputable job networks

The following networks are considered safe and reputable as long as you stick to their guidelines and TOS. You can earn thousands of dollars with these job networks if you have a talent for one of the above work descriptions. Most of them are in hot demand all the time, so finding a paying job is really not that hard.

oDesk: oDesk is a company that acts as the mediator between you (the contractor) and the client. Membership is free and you will pay a percentage of your earnings to them for finding you the client.

Guru: Guru works in a similar fashion to oDesk, but is more geared towards technical jobs such as coding, website management, database collaboration, etc.

Elance: Elance is a good place to find writing work fast if you are prepared to stick to a lower pay rate. If you are good at what you do you should see repeat bookings from past clients, meaning it will become easier to find work since you won’t have to chase clients – they will chase you instead. Elance’s shortcoming lies in accepting service providers (and clients) who are unreliable and incapable of performing good work. This somewhat taints their professional image.

Short Task: Short Task looks like an interesting platform through which you can earn money for fulfilling short tasks. I’m not familiar with them myself so I will have to mark this site as “somewhat unproven.” Having said this, it seems the creators of the site have already received accolades for the idea, therefore I’m thinking it might be reputable enough. You will have to be the judge.

Demand Studios: As an emerging freelance writer you can’t look past Demand Studios. These guys are considered one of the best job resources for new and existing writers. You will be paid a set fee for writing articles for them. These range widely in topic. The hardest part of getting a job with them is to get accepted in the first place because they will only sign up new writers based on their requirements. The best way to find out is by applying.

Leapforce: Google’s Leapforce let’s you earn money by becoming an Independent Leapforce at Home Agent. In order to be accepted for paid work you need to pass a strict two-part test on your theoretical and practical comprehension of search engine evaluation. If you fail the test you will not be able to do it again.

Liveops: Liveops is a home-based call service opportunity that lets you dial in from your home. Inbound calls come from people who respond to infomercials; they might have questions, or they are ready to place the order then and there. You will be paid a flat fee and then commissions on top for selling more products.

This opportunity will require a weekly work schedule before you can start to help you stay organised.

How to find more opportunities

Another great way to find reputable work at home job offers is by joining popular industry forums such as the Wahm Forum. The support on those forums is very strong and there are plenty of people in your shoes who are willing to help you find alternative solutions.

By being a member of a forum you will always have a support group of like-minded people around you at all hours of the day and night.

Stay clear of too-good-to-be-true opportunities

If you want to avoid tears, then you are best advised to stay away from work at home opportunities that sound too-good-to-be-true because usually they are. Stick with the reputable providers mentioned in this article and abide by their individual terms to avoid disenchantment.

Finding work from home is possible for the dedicated individual who is set to sack his boss for good. It is only a matter of time until you can do so. Good luck – and welcome to a world of better lifestyle choices.

Author bio: Timothy Ng is a personal finance writer for Credit Card Finder an Australian financial product comparison service specialising in credit cards.

Golf on board Costa Cruising

Guests on the Costa Luminosa and the Costa Deliziosa can work on their short game using the customised putting green, which is just a chip away from the simulator. Situated near the top of the ship on Deck 10, the practice area is approximately 100 m2 and features six different holes. The ultra-light synthetic turf and special construction techniques provide true ball roll and make this putting green realistic for the discerning golfer.

In addition to the onboard golfing experience, the Costa Deliziosa and Costa Luminosa have introduced itineraries featuring stops at resorts with actual courses and dedicated golfing excursions.

In the 2010 (northern) summer season, both vessels’ Northern European trips include tours to world-class golf courses from the two main Norwegian ports: the Baerum GolfKlub Oslo and the Meland Golf Club in Bergen.

The Costa Deliziosa offers two regular seven-day cruises: the first to the Northern Fjords departing from Copenhagen (Denmark) with stopovers in Flam, Hellsylt, Geiranger, Bergen, Stavanger and Oslo (Norway).

The second itinerary also operates out of Copenhagen and takes in the Baltic cities with port calls at Tallinn (Estonia), St. Petersburg (Russia), Helsinki (Finland) and Stockholm (Sweden).

The Costa Luminosa is deployed on two regular 11-day itineraries: the first goes to the Baltic cities with departure from Amsterdam (Netherlands) and calls at Copenhagen (Danimarca), Stockholm (Sweden), Helsinki (Finland), St. Petersburg (Russia) and Tallin (Estonia).

The second cruise sails to North Cape from Amsterdam, and includes stopovers in Hellsylt, Geiranger, Honningsvag, Tromso, Giavdal, Trondheim, Andalsanes and Bergen (Norway). There is also an exclusive 20-day cruise to Greenland onboard the Costa Luminosa.

Next (northern) winter on their Arabian Gulf cruises, the Costa Deliziosa and the Costa Luminosa will be offering tours to famous golf clubs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi; a session on the practice range followed by a round on lush courses carved out of the desert against a backdrop of sea, endless beaches and luxury hotels.

Cruisers who choose the Mediterranean routes on one of the other Costa ships can take excursions to the Do Santo Da Serra Golf Club in Funchal, Madeira (Portugal), the Costa Teguise Golf Club in Lanzarote (Spain) and the Glyfada Golf Club of Athens amongst others.

http://www.costacruise.com/

Running Time: 107 mins

Director: Daina Glen

Starring: Brendan Cowell, Peter Dinklage, Yvonne Strahovski, Peter Helliar, Megan Gale

Release Date: 6^th May 2010

It’s pretty rare that we see an Australian romantic comedy. These days, our cinemas are flooded with American rom coms, all following the same predictable format, with the same unrealistic characters, sold to us as an “escape” from our lives. Are our lives really that boring?

Thank the Aussie film gods for Peter Helliar (from TV show “Rove”), who has crafted a cute little local “bromance” with a few surprises.

Brendan Cowell plays Jim, a commitment phobe who just can’t say those three little words to his girlfriend Alice (Yvonne Strahovski). After patiently waiting for 3 years for her love to be returned, Alice has had enough, and dumps him. Jim turns to his best mate Blake (Peter Helliar), new mate Charlie (Peter Dinklage) and sister Marie (Bridie Carter) for support.

The cast are fantastic, Brendan Cowell (fresh from starring in “Beneath Hill 60”) is so likeable on screen, and Yvonne Strahovski (“Chuck”) is very sweet as the British Alice. Megan Gale does well too, in her first film role, playing the Italian supermodel Francesca Moretti. You might imagine this role is not too much of a stretch for the former model, but I think she had a tough job on her hands, considering the fact we all know her as “Megan Gale”. But the standout performance is from American actor Peter Dinklage (“Death at a Funeral”, “Elf”), who brings much gravitas to his role. He is very funny yet touching as well, in fact he is so good, he almost shows up the other actors!

Reviewed by Alicia Malone

The film does drag a little in the second act, but comes together really nicely for a sweet ending. The characters are all very relatable, and there are quite a few laughs to be had. It’s refreshing to see an Australian romantic comedy done this well. Bring on more!

3 ½ out of 5

For a complete guide to what’s worth watching at the cinema, tune into Movie Juice every Saturday night on Movie Extra.

Reviewed by Alicia Malone.

Running Time: 93 mins

Director: Steve Pink

Starring: John Cusack, Chevy Chase, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clarke Duke, Crispin Glover

Release Date: 22^nd April 2010

I love a film with a literal title; you know, one that delivers exactly what it promises. “Snakes On A Plane” gave us… well, snakes on a plane. And “Hot Tub Time Machine” is about… I think you can guess.

John Cusack stars as Adam, one of a bunch of mates who head off to their old holiday destination hoping to recreate the fun times of their youth. But when they arrive, Adam, Lou (Rob Corddry), Nick (Craig Robinson) and Adam’s nephew Jacob (Clarke Duke) discover their old stomping ground has declined into a sort of “Shining”-esque dump of a hotel. But the hot tub is still just as inviting, so the boys pile in for a bit of good old fashioned naked male bonding. After a crazy night the foursome wake up to discover they have time travelled back to their teenage selves in the 80′s.

“Hot Tub Time Machine” is definitely not a highbrow film, in fact the comedy is about as lowbrow as you can get. But the infectious energy, great cast and quotable lines make watching this movie a lot of fun.

John Cusack is back in fine form after his disappointing films “2012” and “1408”; it almost feels like we have time travelled back to his charming “High Fidelity” days. Rob Corddry has the lion’s share of gross-out jokes, which include spewing on a squirrel. Yes, you heard me. He spews on a squirrel. That gives you some indication of the level of humour we are talking about!

Crispin Glover has the best running gag of the film, playing a weird one-armed hotel bellboy, and a wide-eyed Chevy Chase has a cameo as the hot tub repair guy, who might be able to explain what is going on, or might just be crazy.

Reviewed by Alicia Malone

The logic of the actual time travel and what happens when they return to the real world doesn’t quite add up, but it doesn’t matter. There are great jokes for children of the 80’s (is there any funnier decade?) and quite a few genuine surprises in there too.

“Hot Tub Time Machine” is a totally gross-out, totally stupid guilty pleasure.

4 out of 5

For a complete guide to what’s worth watching at the cinema, tune into Movie Juice this Saturday night 7:15pm on Movie Extra.

Reviewed by Alicia Malone.