Looking For Advice in All the Wrong Places

Who are the people you go to for advice? Is it a friend? Group of friends? Family? Your significant other? A passing stranger or acquaintance?

In my case, I tend to seek advice from people I trust and ones who know me well. Life advice tends to come from my family and older friends.

Why the title you may ask? It’s a reference to the times where I got advice when I didn’t ask for it. Granted people may have offered it with good intentions but its interesting hearing people give unsolicited advice out of the blue. Such was the case with a few friends from my grade school days who tended to speak unfiltered and without shame. One girl was notorious for screeching her disapproval over something and she seemed to be quite good at shutting down any inkling or passing thought that didn’t fit her agenda. Lots of her friends got hurt this way and I often was on the receiving end, in many cases when I wasn’t present.

Then you get the other side of the equation where I had another friend who was trying to help me be a better girl in getting a guy. Over a dinner with some friends at a Japanese restaurant, she suddenly wanted to share a flirting technique she used occasionally. Only thing was, her example guy who was supposed to help her out was busy enjoying his food and looked up at the wrong time. It was never used, as many guys warned her that instead of looking interested, the girl performing the flirting technique would seem disinterested or merely interested because no one better was around.

Do you know someone who gives unsolicited advice?

If Buying Online, Keep These Tidbits in Mind

After looking through my collections of things at home, I’ve decided to sell off some of my old toys from my Japanese manga and anime phase to go to loving homes. To gauge interest (for it was a bit of a fad series I was interested in as a 7th grader), I made a post on my DeviantArt journal which drew lots of interest. Only problem is dealing with pushy buyers and people trying to boss me around about how I should conduct the sales. If you ever plan to buy something online from someone else, keep these courtesy rules in mind.

1. Remember it is the seller’s choice in some cases. You can write all the sob stories about missing that had-to-have-it item time and time again or insisting that its easier to use a different method (eBay, transaction via e-mail, etc.) but they will most likely go unnoticed.
2. A seller has a right to refuse a sale to a particular buyer. If you really want something, please be polite and respect the seller’s time. It’s not polite to rush them or write several frantic e-mails asking when something will be posted, sold, etc.
3. Sellers cannot accommodate every customer. They need to do what is easiest for them and fair to other customers.
4. Be considerate about sending several inquiry messages. Sellers have lives outside of the Internet.
5. Be prepared to fight for an item if it in an auction. Set your computer or web-enabled device up for the page and watch.
6. Do not harass the buyer if you lose an auction. They don’t care if you think it wasn’t fair, that the winner doesn’t deserve it, etc.

There you have it gang. I’ve dealt with prime examples of people who have been violating these rules. A few of them are trying to buy all 5 pieces of a set by bribing me with high payment prices if I do not put up the pieces on eBay. But then there are some users who want only 2-3 pieces from that same set and want the auctions so its fair. Remember, its your choice, not the buyers.