Prank place.com has a really funny collection of tees with this nice clearance section here. I loved this one that says, “Why don’t you stick that cigarette up your ass? It would be healthier for you“; rude but makes a point loud and clear! It is at an 80% discount and available to you for $6.99.

Jiggy.com is a really cool site for Tshirts, especially if you like to declare what band fan you are. They have t shirts for practically every band from Elvis to Aerosmith and then some. I liked their Aerosmith T shirt for $9.95 but what I liked more is this offensive George Bush T shirt (also on sale at $9.95) and this one that proclaims that a village in Texas has lost its idiot (this one is not on sale though).

Now this site is called so cheap it hurts.com (but IMHO cheap never hurts) and I liked this one that says “Will work for gas”. Very appropriate seeing the prices at the pump these days and even more appropriate at just $6! Oh, and its green: even more appropriate!

This here is a good collection of discounted Tees from Giftapolis with gems such as this “Stressed Out” tee for just $3.95 which will basically warn people to stay out of your way! Then there is this one that says “I am such a bitch”; don’t know if that is a boast or a confession!

Now if you like really offensive Tees, take a look here; they offer 5 tees for $25! Sample this: “Men are inferior” and this one is actually a very accurate but satirical comment on the world as we know it: “Religion: The World’s first weapon of Mass Destruction“

So, go out there and make a statement!

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I found a site that offers something that can be a great conversation starter. This site offers great wine glasses, beer mugs, coffee mugs, highball glasses, champagne glasses etc with small phrases and witty messages etched on them. The variety is huge according to the theme you may desire. Each set has four different phrases based on a theme, with the set of four of any variety available at $48. If you buy all three sets of any type, you are charged a discounted rate of $129 (a discount of $15 - thats just me, I have to look for discounts everywhere).

Here is a sample of some of the phrases on the etched glass - Drama Queen, Desperate Housewife, The Boss, Confused, Scholar, Big Shot, Hottie, Diva, Available, Taken, Chick Magnet, Gossip Queen, American Idle, Old Fart - you get the drift? You really must check out the site. There are a lot of themes including holidays, sports and even jewish.

You can even get a custom set made, but of course, the price goes up. Though that may not be necessary considering their huge collection. My favorite is their wine glass sets of the Fun and Flirty category. I think I’m gonna get some of those.

So get your guests to break the ice and make your parties a grand success.

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Pet smart.com is a pretty comprehensive site which deals in all things pet related and is conveniently divided into categories: dog, cat, bird, fish, reptile, etc. Within those categories you can find the sub categories for feeding, habitat creation (even habitat décor), grooming related products, toys, treats etc. They have a store locator which will help you see what are the in store discounts or specials that are available within your area. Here you will find discounted items like a tortoise play pen, light dome, backgrounds for pet cages etc.

Now here is a site that offers discounts on things like flea and tick products, deworming, vitamin and other supplements and other long term medication that your pet may need. It actually makes sense to shop for medications such as these online, but obviously not those medications that need to be administered immediately or emergency medication.

You could also check out this online store for your pet and use Google check out to get a $5 discount on your orders.

A lot of people like to dress up their dogs and if you do too, take a look here. It’s a site that sells harnesses, leads, dog bedding and ahem! clothes. Even if you do think putting a frock and ribbon on your dog is cheesy, sometimes the weather makes it imperative for you to put a dog coat on your canine. And you have to admit this powder puff jacket is rather cute at $14.89 down from $22.49. I also liked this harness because of the design and color options at $18.99.

Apart from all these pet accessories I found a lot of sites that offered dog food at a discount, but I found that most discounts became irrelevant when you factored in the shipping charges. Anyway I hope I gave you some reason to go shopping for your feline, canine, reptilian or feathered friend.

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Time was it was the Japanese who were seen in every nook and cranny of a tourist spot, sporting the latest, the tiniest, the most sophisticated cameras ever, wide smile unwaveringly fixed in place, but now pretty much everyone seems to have one, so why not me, I say! Let’s explore the possibilities shall we?

I don’t want anything too fancy (or complicated), just something that will help me capture when the kids do or say something really funny or something to shoot the animals at the zoo with; you know the kind of thing? OK now I looked for ‘Handycam’ and all I came up with is Sony models; how perplexing I thought! Then the penny dropped, Handycam is a trade mark name, much like ‘Walkman’ both of which are now pretty much generic. Duh!

Now this Panasonic 40 GB Hybrid Hard Drive Camcorder model I liked a lot for $351.66. Sounds really neat: “The 40GB internal hard disk drive lets you record continuously for up to 36 hours (in LP mode) without changing a disc, tape or other recording media. But if you run out of room, there’s a slot for your SD/SDHC memory so you can keep taking home movies or pictures without worry.“

Then this Samsung SC-D372 MiniDV Camcorder I thought was very reasonable for $149.99, but it turns out this one records on those little tape things. And that’s like outdated right? So let’s plough right on.

One of the commentators here, J David, made a mention that as a person who worked with cameras he was of the opinion that Canon was the best bet for cameras, so this Canon DC310 option I liked for $249.99 where you use a DVD for recording.

Also this JVC Camcorder GR-D850 is pretty good for $198.85 which uses the Mini DV as recorder.

And what of the Handycams? No electronics list is compete without mention of Sony, which has such a brand loyalty that it can have an advert that simply but effectively just says “It’s a Sony”, this one was one of the lowest prices I could find: $222.90 for this Sony Handycam DCR-HC52 MiniDV Camcorder.

So taking the sage advice of my significant other, I have to quickly get myself one of these and as quickly thereafter take a holiday!

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Here I found some discounts on hair products such as this conditioning shampoo for men from Nautica for $7.70 down from the retail price of $15. Then this shampoo for colored hair is on a whopping 74% discount and is available for just $6.45. This Elizabeth Arden green tea conditioner also I thought was a good deal for $11.48 at a 36% discount.

Sleek hair.com’s sale/clearance section is arranged by brand name. For instance I found their Tigi Bed Head sale section very attractive with some excellent products on sale such as their Manipulator Conditioner which I really like.

Monsterhair.com is another site that has some great hair care product offerings. They offer some good discounts such as on this Pureology combo which you can buy for $38.99 saving yourself $20 over the retail price. They also offer some free samples with your paid order such as a free hairspray etc, to sweeten the deal!

Talking about free samples, check out these sites here and here, which offer free samples for the price of taking a questionnaire or a survey such as this Pantene Pro-V Shampoo package offer.

Now since hair is not just about shampoos etc. I also decided to check out some hairdryers. I found a good discount on this hair dryer which is on offer for $119 down from $300 and which comes with a free trimmer as well. Good deal I thought. Check out this hairdryer as well, which is available for a substantial discount here.

And BTW, I thought I would just mention this very useful hair care site providing natural solutions to everyday hair problems.

I have to tell you that this has been a tough post to do, there are so many tempting things to check out online, (cosmetics are one of my ‘things’ as you may know) so many reasons to digress, it is difficult to keep one’s mind on the job at hand! So peeps, I hope this stuff will be of some use to you and here’s wishing you have no bad hair days!

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I actually remember when I was in school and Michael Jackson won a record number of Grammys for his album Thriller, which was a top selling album and recently when I was listening to the unbeatable pop song Beat It! I was quite swamped with nostalgia! And I know that Thriller is the best selling album of all time, so I was curious to find out which were the top five selling albums of all time.

Say what you will about MJ, but he is the King of pop and he remains enthroned to this day, with his chart buster Thriller far and away the highest selling album of all time! The album has sold a whopping 108 million copies according to some estimates! No other album has sold even half as many! Great album IMHO.

Next is AC/DC’s Back In Black which has sold 42 million copies. I never listen to AC/DC so I won’t comment.

I was surprised to see that Whitney Houston’s (and other’s) OST The Bodyguard has sold as many albums, also 42 million; surprised but pleased! Whitney was at her sublime best in that album, with songs like And I will always love you and Don’t make me close one more door showcasing her tremendous range and vocal power.

Next with 41 million albums is Greatest Hits of the iconic Eagles. Their songs are all that is wonderful about rock music: great rhythms, great melodies, and just fabulous songs. Songs like Tequila Sunrise and Take it Easy are the stuff of legend!

Saturday Night Fever was an album we scorned when we were growing up because it was Disco, but as an adult I simply love those songs, Stayin Alive and How Deep Is Your Love are like all time fave Karaoke tracks!

I know this was supposed to be a top five list, but when No 6 is another one of my all time favorites, I had to include it: Pink Floyds’ iconic, revolutionary album The Dark Side of the Moon has also sold 40 million albums. What songs! Words fail me!

Now my source for the above numbers is Wiki, but I found a couple of other lists which I wanted to mention here: Rolling Stone’s definitive top 500 list, I was relieved to see a lot of my beloved Beatles albums mentioned and Ask Men has an interesting top 200 list with genre based top albums. Feel free to express your views about your fave albums too.

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Now this Olympus 7.1 MP camera is supposed to be “Shockproof. Waterproof. Freezeproof. Crushproof.’ and is touted as “world’s most durable digital camera”! It is listed on Amazon for a mere $199 at a whopping 47% discount and I really have my beady eye on that one!

OK now I admit it: I like pink, and I would sacrifice some features for a pink camera. There I said it and don’t care if you think I’m nuts. But I really think this 7 MP Polaroid camera is so pretty! And what a good deal at $99!

Then this Easyshare 10 MP camera from Kodak is both compact and pretty and for the price of $104.99, it is a pretty good deal too I thought. Then this 8.1 MP Kodak easyshare camera for $92.99 also I thought was a really good deal.

Now if you are a regular reader here, you’ll know that I love all this novelty stuff (clock pendant, mp3phone etc), so how’s this for a novelty item: a keychain digital camera for $15.99. A this price though I would assume that it is a not a high resolution camera, most likely not even 1 MP.

I also liked this kids camera for $49.99. Sturdily built for a typical kid’s rough handling, it can record and playback both stills and video clips! Again, what megapixel is not mentioned so I’m thinking must be another low resolution camera.

That is quite a bit of food for thought I’ve given myself here. But you know what? My trusty Canon has served me well for a year and a half now, and has given me no problems whatsoever. Maybe I’ll stick with it for a while. Perhaps I’ll get myself a good quality Camcorder instead? Maybe we’ll save that for another post.

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I think that a combination of some form of cardiovascular exercise combined with some resistance training is a good overall fitness plan. So I thought that the basics needed for this plan would be say a treadmill or a stationary bike or an elliptical / stepper for the cardio and a basic multi station gym for the resistance/strength training would be quite enough to be getting on with. As for the sauna belts and vibra- this or that, take it from me: completely useless! There is a simple fitness mantra that I think is quite accurate: No Pain, No Gain (or as in this case, no loss).

Now a no frills treadmill can be yours for as little as $95.98 but if you can afford it, I would recommend a motorized one where you can alter the incline or speed (which you can increase as your level of fitness increases) and which comes with other great features like a pulse and calorie counter etc. I liked this motorized over here for $485 and up.

I liked this stationary cycle for $199 and then there was this cardio glide for $126.99 which did not convince me much because it seemed a bit of a jack of all trades and master of none. There was also this stationary bike for $199 with a built in back rest. Now this I think should only be for people who have a back problem or who need the support for another reason. Otherwise I think you should make it at least a little difficult for yourself!

Now this strength trainer system looked pretty good to me starting from $179.99, but I don’t know if it offers a sufficient range of exercises. In the event I thought that is multi station home gym was a great option for $499. I’m going to get some of this stuff when I can afford it, meanwhile I shall go for a brisk walk with my good friend the iPod.

And to wind up with, I can’t resist throwing this little homily at you: “be good to your body, remember it is the only one you have”

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It has been a while since I did my Rich, Richer, Richest post. Since then much water has flowed under the bridge and with Bill Gates stepping down from the Chairpersonship of Microsoft just recently, I thought I would do a recap of the richest.

For quite some time now, our man Bill Gates, computer whiz, philanthropist, business magnate, nice guy, chairman of Microsoft etc., had tenaciously clung to the number one spot and the ‘richest man in the world’ title. The definitive Forbes’ list tells us that not only has the king been dethroned (after 13 years no less), he has been relegated to the third spot! Ah how the mighty have fallen!

So the new title bearer for the ‘richest man in the world’ is Warren Buffet, investor, businessman and philanthropist with a personal fortune of $62.0 billion. Buffet, incidentally, often plays bridge with Bill Gates; birds of a feather, it would seem, play bridge together. He is known as much for his personal frugality as for his immense wealth.

The number two spot is occupied by Carlos Slim Helu (‘and family’ according to Forbes) the Mexican who made his billions chiefly in the telecommunication sector. He is worth $60 billion.

Turns out that Gates would have continued unvanquished at the top of the heap if Microsoft had not made the unsolicited (and ill-advised) bid for the Yahoo takeover earlier this year. It is thus that he is left with a personal fortune of a mere 58 billion dollars! A mere bagatelle!

Lakshmi Mittal is appropriately named, because the word ‘Lakshmi’ in Hindi means wealth or riches and this is also the name of the goddess of wealth in India. He comes in at number 4 with a personal fortune of $45 billion. He is perhaps the face of Global India, announcing to the world the emergence of the third world countries and India in particular on the world stage as an economic power house to contend with.

At number 5 is another Indian, Mukesh Ambani with a personal worth of $ 43 billion; he heads Reliance Industries, India’s biggest company by market cap. His personal fortune has seen a steep rise in the recent past. He is followed by his brother Anil Ambani at no 6 on the list.

Following the Ambanis is Ingvar Kamprad (& family) the Swedish retail king with $31 billion. At no. 8 on the list is one more Indian, the Indian real estate king K P Singh with $31 billion. At no. 9 is Oleg Deripaska the Russian aluminum trader with $28 billion. At no. 10 is German Karl Albrecht, retailer with a personal who is worth $27 billion.

The mind boggles at the immense wealth that these people have. It would be worth asking them all: “Did all the money make you happy?”

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So when a began a quest for the top grossing films of all time, I found that only three films so far had grossed over $1 billion till date.

The top grossing film of all time and in the entire world is Titanic - the tragic love story revolving around the rich girl and the poor boy unfolding against the back drop of that most ill-fated and famous of all ships. Made back in 1997, it remains the top grosser to this day with $1,848,813,795.

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, part of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the fantasy extravaganza has a cult following around the world and this is reflected in the box office earnings of the film which is the second highest in history, at $1,119,263,306.

The third film to cross the 1 billion dollar mark and the third top earning film of all time is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest with $1,066,179,725.

Next on the list is Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (released in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) with $976,475,550 and then is another Pirates of the Caribbean film: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End with $960,996,492. The Pirates series of films is quite an effective marketing gimmick; the films don’t really end in the sense that they have any closure and they kind of leave you thirsting for more, thereby ensuring that you watch the next episode to find out what happened next.

I have to confess, I have watched all of these films but I liked only the Titanic from among them and there is only one film among the top ten grossers of all time that I can claim to have truly and really enjoyed: Shrek 2 (which grossed $919,838,758).

Finding Nemo, The Da Vinci Code (the book was way, way better though) The Sixth Sense and Forrest Gump, I was very pleased to find in the list of top 50 films of all time.

Any of your fave films that you think should be in the top ten, or top twenty or top whatever which never achieved the success that you thought they should have?

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