It has been quite awhile since I updated, work and family life has taken up all my time, but I am back to announced that I have finally completed my latest web project. The site is www.touchofbeauty.ca for a great friend of mine Nancy Ly.

This was my first attempt at creating a site completely out of Flash. Designing in Flash requires you to think of art in a totally different dimension… time. It was defintely challenging and different but it allowed me the ability to be as creative as I wanted to be.

My next project will be a website for my own design company Kreative Bytes, stay tuned!

This has been a wonderful year. We have witnessed history in the making with the election in the US of Barack and here in Canada with the Coalition government. Its been a great year for some and tragic for others.  I witnessed large instutitions such as Bear Sterns, Wachovia, Washington Mutual, Merrill Lynch all vanish before my eyes. There were many days where we had triple digit declines in the DOW and TSX and my RRSP and Pensions lost 40%. Will this end? I hope so, and look forward to 2009.

I wish every a safe and wonderful Christmas season. I will be in sunny Florida to board a Royal Carribean Cruise. Cheers.

I am currently in London for a week to train and assist in the deployment of Street Fighter II Champion Edition. I flew into Heathrow Airport last night. The flight was roughly 5.5 hours, I then took a cab straight to my hotel which cost 44 pounds!! Thats 90 canadian dollars for a 12 minute ride. The cabs here are different, at the back you can seat 4 people and the two rows face each other.

Transportation

Im fortunate to be walking distance to the subway station or as it is known here “the tube”. Their public transit system is called The Underground and they have13 different subway lines compared to the TTC which has 3.

The Piccadilly line will take you straight to and from the Airport. There are special areas on the subway cars just for luggage.

My first stop was to Buckingham Palace. Its best to get off at Green Park and take the 5 minute walk. Its a very scenic walk and the trees are very old and massive.

Then I stopped by the Wellington Arch and finally at Knightbridge to check out the shopping. There were many designer stores such as Armani and reminded me of Queen St.

My last stop was Leicaster Square which felt like Time Sqaure but without all the bright lights. Chinatown was just around the corner and I found a Pho store called Vietnamese Resturant.

People

Its only been more then a day but I have noticed that people here dont smile! The service at restaurants and stores is poor and unfriendly. There are many differences in the way we talk also. Besides the nasally accent, sprint water is called still water, elevators are called lifts.

Food

It is not much different from North America here however I do notice many more pubs. England is very multicultural, you will find a range from Pho store to Lebanese. I just had to stop by a McDonalds for lunch to see if it was different. Indeed it was different, they have the M burger and a slightly lighter menu missing some of our favourites like filet o fish.

If you follow these rules, you will find the lowest hotel rates:

1. Use consolidators for research and planning

Use travel sites such as Travelocity, Expedia, itravel2000 to search for hotels which fit your needs, location, price range. They now have great tools and maps for research and planning. These sites are also known as consolidators and they charge a higher price if you booked it directly with the hotel.

2. Call the hotel directly

Visit the hotels own website and find their phone number and give them a call. They usually have the most current price over the phone. Be sure to call the local number and not their 1-800 number.

3. Extra discounts for members

Many hotels will give discounts to CAA and AAA members online or ask about member discounts over the phone.

4. Avoid Fridays, Saturdays and Holidays

Hotels charge based on demand and you will see the price on Fridays, Saturdays and special occasions such as Holidays increase by double or even triple the regular prices. Try to avoid these days or holidays when planning your trip or vacation.

1. The Tax Free Savings Account lets you invest while not being taxed on interest or investment earnings.
2. You can contribute a maximum of $5000 a year.
3. You can have more than one Tax Free Savings Account and you can also have Tax Free Savings Accounts with more than one financial institution.
4. You don’t have to pay any tax on money you take out of your Tax Free Savings Account, and withdrawals from your Tax Free Savings Account don’t affect your ability to qualify for Federal benefits like the Child Tax Benefit, Guaranteed Income Supplement, Old Age Security benefits, Age credit, or Goods and Services Tax credit.
5. You’ll be able to open savings accounts, GIC’s and mutual funds tax-free.
6. Money you put into your Tax Free Savings Account will not be deducted from your income on your tax return.
7. When you file your tax return each year, the government will determine your remaining available Tax Free Savings Account contribution limit for the coming year.
8. If you take money out of your Tax Free Savings Account, you don’t lose the contribution room. You get it back in the following year. If you don’t make the maximum contribution you don’t lose the contribution room. The unused contribution room gets carried over to the following year. There is no limit to how much or how long contribution room can be carried forward.
9. You can open a Tax Free Savings Account if you are 18 years of age and a Canadian resident.
10. The Tax Free Savings Account comes to Canada January 1, 2009.

In the last 3 months, the TSX has lost 32% and I have witnessed my RRSP portfolios lose 12% of its value. The financial crisis has spread from the US to around the globe as central banks attempt to pump liquidity into the banking system. It is not a good time for risky investments such as Mutual Funds. Currently I’m looking to saving my money in Savings Accounts, GICs and the upcoming TFSA.

ING just couldnt wait until Jan 1st 2009 to start their TSFA. From Oct 4th to December 31st, any interest earned within that time period will be doubled and automatically moved into a TSFA. Their current rate is 3.0%.

Visit their site for more information http://www.ingdirect.ca/en/save-invest/tfsa/index.html

As of September 30th you may now opt to be added to the National Do Not Call List. This will keep those pesky telemarketers or unsolicited calls which always seem to be either early in the morning, late at night or while your in the middle of something important, now is your chance to be added to their Do Not Call List.You will be able to add your land line, mobile or fax numbers by going online at https://www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca/ or by calling 1-866-580-DNCL (3625). However, there are some exceptions.

Who may still call you?

1. Canadian Registered Charities
2. Political parties, riding associations and candidates
3. Newspapers of general circulation for the purpose of soliciting subscriptions
4. Organizations with whom you have an existing business relationship
   • Purchased, leased, or rented a product or service in the last eighteen (18) months from the telemarketer;
   • You have a written contract with the telemarketer for a service that is still in effect or expired within the last eighteen (18) months; and/or
   • You asked a telemarketer about a product or service within the last six (6) months.
5. If you have provided express consent to be called

The website had received so much traffic early yesterday that by 9am it was overloaded and crashed. The site should be fully functional now. Those registered with the list will also be able to file a complaint with an investigator if they are still receiving calls from an unexempt organization. Telemarketers found in violation of the list could face fines of up to $1,500 for individuals and up to $15,000 for corporations.

This past weekend I accompanied my girlfriends brother in purchasing his 2008 Hyundai Tiburion. We ended up getting $1300 off the MSRP price and 5 yrs of free oil change. Purchasing a car requires a little haggling and knowledge to get the absolute best deal. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• cash purchases will get you a significant discount, for the Tiburion GS Sport package it would have been $3,000
• if you plan to finance, high credit scores of 680 of better will get you the best rate
• to equip youself with knowledge of the wholesale price that dealers get, visit carcostcanada.com if you are a CAA member you will get a discounted price.
• always test drive the car to ensure it is right for you, you will never know just looking
• dont be afraid to visit or call more then one dealer

Happy car hunting!

Word of mouth of Johnson Auto Insurance first reached me back in 2005 and since then I have heard nothing but good comments about their prices. Next month is my renewal date with TD Insurance and I decided to give Johnson a call. It went very well and I immediately canceled my current insurance and am now a happy camper. However, there are a few requirements to meet before being eligible for Johnson, they are:

• Must be 25 years of age or older
• Must have at least 1 yr of G experience

There may be other criteria which I met without knowing but the above is mandatory. I saved $61/month on my insurance. Also, if you have Air Miles or part of a group such as a college alumni you are eligeble for even further discounts. Cheers.

I took a big step this week with my girlfriend by opening up a joint savings account with PC Financial. I had previously attempted to open the account online but received a message to come in person to a pavilion. The pavilions are located in various Fortinos across the country. It took about 30 minutes for all the paperwork and you will be given 2 hours to activate your card.

I recommened PC Financial at 3.05% interest on an account with more then $1,000 and for a limited time 3.75% for any deposits made until the end of November.

Interest rates from the big banks:

RBC  High Interest eSavings Account - 2.75%, no minimum

TD Canada Trust Guaranteed Investment Account - 2.25%, $5,000 minimum

CIBC  Bonus Savings Account - 2.25%, $5,000 minimum

Scotia Bank Money Master High Interest Savings Account - 2.25%, $5,000 minimum