CalBearMnM's Journal » Research

Birthday Freebies

mnm — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:43:38 +0000

Birthday Freebies Worth Noting:

Baskin-Robbins Birthday Club – free ice cream!
Cold Stone Birthday Club – free creation!
Sephora – free gift (after signing up with Beauty Insider)

Oh on the downside, I learned today that Subway nixed their $5 subway deal. =[

Online Radio Suggestions

mnm — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:34:31 +0000

From Facebook Status: Pandora is limiting the amount of music I get to listen to. Anyone have other good alternatives?

slacker.com
imeem.com
what.cd – blocked at work
last.fm
playlist.com

Phone Research

mnm — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

My previous post made me start wondering about what my next phone would be. The top things I look for are: compact size and great reception. I need a basic phone with very little features. Text messaging at most. I did a lil bit of research and found that I should go for an LG. Among the LGs that were available to me via my Verizon plan, these were the results I was content with: LG VX5400 (3.54H x 1.87W x 0.89D) $219.99 no contract; LG VX8350 (3.73H x 1.97W x 0.87D) $249.99 No Contract; LG enV in Black (4.0H x 2.13W x 0.65D) $319.99 No Contract. Among these, it seems the LG VX5400 is the most appealing. I’ll keep this in mind within the next 27 days while I consider pros and cons of available phones.

Free Credit Report

mnm — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

*06/30/08, Monday – Thanks to Anton for taking my eyes off work and getting me into more internet research =P. This time, I’m interested in my credit report. I resist the urge to look into this without any research because I know checking credit report if you don’t know what you’re doing can result in 1) your credit score getting affected, 2) the site charging extra fees, 3) getting a report that isn’t complete. Well, I finally looked it up today and here’s what trusted information I got:

From Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Information:
(http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menus/consumer/credit/rights.shtm)

“The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, has prepared a brochure, Your Access to Free Credit Reports, explaining your rights under the FCRA and how to order a free annual credit report.

A credit report includes information on where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether you’ve been sued, arrested, or filed for bankruptcy. Nationwide consumer reporting companies sell the information in your report to creditors, insurers, employers, and other businesses that use it to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, or renting a home.
How do I order my free report?

You can order your free annual credit report online at annualcreditreport.com, by calling 1-877-322-8228, or by completing the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mailing it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

When you order, you need to provide your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. To verify your identity, you may need to provide some information that only you would know, like the amount of your monthly mortgage payment.”

Doctor

mnm — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

*06/26/08, Thursday – Keeping up the productivity momentum I’ve got going, I spent much of the day researching physicians in hopes of finding myself the most ideal one I could get. After searching for a while (I’ve been looking on and off), I ended up creating a list of what I look for in a doctor:

- Will take United Health Care Choice Plus Insurance
- UnitedHealth Premium® Physician
- Female
- In Manhattan, Theater District or nearby. Accessible via subway.
- At least 10 years out of grad school experience
- Specialty: General Practice, Internal Medicine, Family Practice, Ob/Gyn, Dermatology, Women’s Health (I need a general practice doctor who can give pap tests but knowledge in the other areas mentioned is a plus).
- Detail oriented and thorough. Not in a hurry. Will make sure there is nothing wrong with me. Willing to listen to my concerns and take it seriously. Will give me complete test results and every possible detail about myself that they can obtain from a physical.
- Knowledgeable. Good schooling, preferably US graduate.
- English speaker. No foreign accent. Easy to understand.
- Nice, friendly, people person.
- Reliable. Efficient. Responsible.
- Recommended by others.
- Extended office hours. Saturday/Sunday hours and/or office hours past 6pm.
- Good Hospital. Lenox Hill Hospital seems to be highly recommended among the hospitals closest to me. According to http://nymag.com/health/besthospitals/24095/index4.html, New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Mount Sinai Medical Center are good too but they are farther away.

A few days ago, I thought I found the perfect doctor who was highly recommended but she wasn’t accepting any patients T_T. Today, again, I came across only one person as a result of a different search method to weed out the best. Valerie K Lyon, MD – she was highly recommended on vitals.com and she’s affiliated with Lenox Hill Hospital, which came out on top when I did some research on finding the best nearby hospital in Manhattan. I called her office not expecting much but lo and behold, she was accepting patients! I got her earliest date (two weeks from now) and got myself on her list of patients. I felt quite proud of myself. I feel like I did well with both my optometrist and my physician. My research served me well when it came to my optometrist. I hope it does me well when it comes to my physician as well. Two down, one to go. The next hunt is for my dentist =).

Credit Card

mnm — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

*06/24/08, Tuesday – There are many times in life when work takes over and I leave my life alone for so long that it gets chaotic and I strive to bring order to it again. Well, I decided to spend some me time being productive with my life and taking on tasks from my ongoing to-do list and crossing some things off. I spent most of the day researching credit cards. I needed one badly because 1) I wanted it to help my credit score, 2) I wanted a backup card other than my current BofA Visa, 3) I wanted a rewards card that I could profit from. I chose to get a Mastercard since it is accepted worldwide and its the second most popular and used card out there. I also decided on getting a cash back card since cash is the one thing I will be needing throughout my entire life. I was doubting how much I would use a miles card. Even if I travel a lot at this point in my life, that may dwindle later on. I knew I wasn’t going to get another credit card anytime soon. I’d stick to two cards if I can, max out at 3 if I must.

I did a ton of research online and I ended up choosing between the Chase Freedom World MasterCard and the Citi CashReturns MasterCard. Chase seemed to have better options and better rewards but I didn’t like how if you couldn’t get approved for that card, you automatically get ‘considered’ for a Platinum card. It looked like the Citi card was more well liked in terms of credit card site ratings, perhaps because of the lower APR rate (although this isn’t really true after APR 3). I saw a lot of complaints about customer service for Citibank but Chase wasn’t completely spared of this either. I was also leaning towards Citibank because I was looking to open a Citibank account and I was hoping that the card would tie in somehow although later I realized this wouldn’t really work considering I wanted to open a Euro account. I talked to a bunch of my friends, two had a Citi card, two had the Chase card. I was still pretty much on the fence but Chase did seem to give back more money.

I decided to punch numbers in using my current accounting on my spending as a guide and Chase came out on top. I crossed my fingers and filled out the application and lo and behold I was instantly approved. The message said that I would be getting my card in two weeks. I was surprised at how easy that process was and I’m pretty psyched to get the card so I can start racking up on my account (only necessary costs of course =P). I’m mostly looking forward to using this card on things that I will get paid back for like my expenses for MYM. =)

Euro Bank Account

mnm — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

*06/18/08, Wednesday – I confirmed again with Ari and Mark from MYM that I am on board working for MYM. One of my terms was that I would get paid in Euro and that is why I had this pending task to open a Euro bank account, especially since Ari had asked me for my bank details so they can set up the transfers.

*06/25/08, Wednesday – After asking around and finding out which banks are available in Europe, I narrowed it down to either going with HSBC or Citibank. Henry had already helped me check out HSBC and it turns out I needed a ridiculous amount of money if I were to go that route. As much as I wanted to go for HSBC, I couldn’t force money I didn’t have out of me. Citibank proved to be a lot more affordable. I found that I had to go through their UK site to find what I needed. I was on the Citibank UK website for half the day doing my research on opening up a Euro bank account.

I was sad that I needed to drop $4K USD into the account to prevent the $20 monthly service charge but at least I could afford that. I opened up a Euro Current Account and decided to open up a Foreign Euro Savings account alongside that just so I can have an interest bearing account in that currency. The application process is more complicated and applying online seems to be just half of the work. I will be getting application materials in the mail to fill out and return and I need to send a certified copy of my passport, etc. It’ll take a while, which sucks since I start with MYM officially on July 1st (they’re actually getting me to start doing work earlier even). They better approve me is all I say!