Open house on 3rd Raya

The first open house we attended was at Pg. Ayub's house. The education officer here.

Pics by Zamri <-- Thanks

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Ebay tips

Ok, as I've mentioned in the previous post. Here are some ebay tips that I've gathered. I'm no expert but these are just common sense things you should take into account.

Buying Guide:

• Know your product: Do your research on your product. Especially if you've never seen it. Search the web for pics or even better, reviews by people who have used it.

• Do not bid: On the first item you see. There could be other items with a lower price on the next page. When searching for the item, try using different combinations. You'll come up with different results. E.g. looking for a bicycle, type "bicycle" or "bike".

• Research your supplier: Check their history. You can always view their ratings. Read some of the positive and negative comments. Sometimes the negative comments aren't as bad as you might think. Ask, ask and ask questions to the supplier. Recheck the postage and options for combine posting. If the supplier doesn't seem to be interested in replying your messages its a good sign they're not that competent.
  

• Sniping: Yeah, it's exactly what you think. Except it doesn't kill you(literally). It's when someone outbids you in the last min. and NO, it's not a coincidence. When bidding ,its best to set alerts through ebay's alert system(email, mobile). 'Cos even though you've checked it an hour before the deadline and you're still the highest bidder, if its a sought after item someone will bid on the last min(even seconds) before the bid closes. But if you lose, don't take it to heart. Its one of the ebay 'experience'.

• Check the sellers location: Hmmm..I've never seen a seller from Brunei on ebay. Then again, they might not be the sellers I usually search for. Anyway, location is important. It determines the postage. Simple maths. A supplier from Brunei will charge less for postage than one from U.S.

• Don't Bid: If you don't intend to pay. Some buyers bid then retract their bids. You will be reported to ebay.

• Open a Paypal account: Ebay gives you the opportunity to use Paypal to pay for your items. The best part is, it's free to open an account. In addition, your payment is insured by Paypal. Other payment methods(money order, direct deposit) are not.

So, those are the tips I can share with you at the moment. I hope things goes well for you when you're buying on ebay.

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Alisha's Hammock

It's finally here. Alisha's baby hammock. We got it off ebay for about AUD 100 plus postage. I know its risky buying online but for the love of God it wasn't easy trying to find one in the shops. So, we tried our luck and prayed for the best.

The box

The contents

Trying to put it together(ignore the scissor...i'm not MacGyver)

All done

The result...sorry Alisha wasn't available for comments, I guess it was two thumbs up.

I know we've all heard of ebay before, who hasn't. But I'm guessing not a lot of us in Brunei use it because of our own reasons. One reason could be simply because you can find it cheaper in Brunei or because of the shipping and handling costs. Well, I'll share with you some tips I've gathered from my personal experience when it comes to buying from ebay or anywhere online for that matter.

In my next post :)


Related Posts:

• What chubby cheeks you have!?
  
• Baby Bottles
• Alisha's Video
• Alisha's Birth Certificate

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How was your first day of Hari Raya?

First and foremost to our readers back home in Brunei, Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir & Batin.

For me, the day started out as usual, attending the Eid prayer at the Canberra Mosque. It was a beautiful day. The sun was out, although it was quite chilly around 6a.m. (i think around 6 deg). The prayer started at 8a.m. and the attendance was overwhelming.

I decided to sit outside(but of course its another way of saying I was late)

Some brothers laid out new canvases as more brothers arrived

And it didn't take long for it to be filled up

After the prayer, the brothers 'socialize' as the imam has put it. Sweets and hot drinks were distributed. In Brunei we usually just go straight home.

So after that, I went home to be with my family. Since it's the first time celebrating Raya abroad for me and my family, we went out. To the shops. LoL. You can't do that back home on the first day. Hehe.

Have a wonderful Hari Raya!!!

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Last day of Puasa

It is the last day for our fasting month. *sigh*. It happens every year. It starts really slow then towards the end you find yourself saying "Abis tia?".

So, the Brunei High Com people had a small gathering to break the fast, followed by Maghrib prayers and the Takbir.

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