Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year, 2011

Dec 24
Mississauga - Dim Sum lunch, T&T grocery shopping, Bubble Republic dinner

Dec 25
Merry X'mas, did nothing, watched 2 NBA games

Dec 26
Boxing Day, still did nothing

Dec 27
Redeemed $14 worth of 7-11 dollars, visited Conestoga Mall Old Navy (bought $5 baby clothing)

Dec 28~31
Work ^__^

Jan 1, 2011
Happy New Year

Jan 2
Niagara Falls - Magic Show, Dinner

Jan 3
US shopping

Jan 4
Back to Work

Holiday Shopping (so far)
  • HP Wireless Laser Printer (NewEgg) $60
  • Tatung Hot Water Dispenser (NewEgg) $37
  • Seagate FreeTheater+ (NewEgg) $50
  • Canon Camcorder HF R10 (Future Shop) $320
  • Canon Camcorder FS300 (Best Buy) $170
  • ...
  • Mini Cooper $364/month

Thursday, December 30, 2010

REVIEW - Roomba Vacuum Cleaning Robot

Thanks to RFD thread, I picked up a brand new Roomba 400 series for $75 + tax
It has a decent Amazon review and I didn't open it until the Christmas holiday breaks to give it a try

First impressions were good, it did pick up quite a few right after we just vacuumed and it does seem to cover most areas by itself, especially if you "trap" it inside a room. Battery seems to run 30~60 minutes (haven't really timed it) and more than enough for my small house (e.g. it can finish my entire first floor in 1 run). Anyway, looks like a good buy and less vacuum for Wendy in future :-)


Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Merry Christmas, and Happy Wedding Anniversary

Today marks the 1 year wedding anniversary for me, and I am thankful for many reasons

Also, I get to spend my X'mas doing those:
  • Spend it with family
  • Buy something
  • Go somewhere
  • Eat happily
  • Newest member of the family



Merry Christmas everyone!

Friday, December 17, 2010

TRIP - New York City

Easier to explain with a Google Map (all points are in the order we visited them) and photos

Unfortunately we missed a few attractions due to time constraint - Nintendo World store (we did have time to go and were right next to it, but miscommunication), Ground Zero/Century 21 (late Sunday night, tired)

Dec 3 Friday
Late for the 7 pm flight (got to airport at 6:20 pm), took the 8:20 flight, landed at Newark (EWR) 10 pm
Took the NJ Transit bus #62 to NJ Penn Station, change to PATH train to 14th Street
Entered the hotel/B&B ~ 11:30 pm
Dec 4 Saturday
Today we head NORTH, covering everything above the 14th st
  • BREAKFAST - The Donut Pub
  • LUNCH - Ippudo Ny ramen $57
  • Empire State Building
  • Baby Gap
  • Old Navy Flagship $17
  • Macy's Herald Square
  • Penn Station/Madison Square Garden
  • New York Public Library
  • Grand Central Terminal
  • Chrysler Building
  • DINNER - Sala Thai Restaurant $48
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • bought some night snacks from 7-11 $7 and 24-hours McDonald nearby $12
Dec 5 Sunday
Today we head SOUTH
  • BRUNCH - Petite Abeille <- Wendy having brunch with high school friend
  • Adorama Photo <- Me & Jason head out
  • Rockefeller Plaza
  • Saint Patrick's Cathedral
  • 5th Avenue to Central Park/Tiffany & Co. New York - Fifth Avenue
  • Checkout, LUNCH - Popey's Chicken $5
  • Chinatown
  • Brooklyn Bridge
  • Staten Island Ferry - it's COLD with wind
  • Tiffany's & Co
  • New York Stock Exchange
  • DINNER - New Wonjo Korean on 32nd st $80
  • Times Square
  • Rockefeller Plaza again to see the Christmas Tree 
  • Grand Central to catch bus to Newark airport, shuttle to Hilton airport for a short sleep
Dec 6 Monday
Woke up at 4:30 for the 6:38 am flight, took off at 7 am and landed at 8:20 am to see S-N-O-W!

EXPENSES (All Canadian)
Hotel: $175 + $175 + $85
Transportation:
  • Flights: $10 + $2 + $88 (Why so cheap, thanks to Expedia)
  • Subways: EWR-14th St (Bus #62 + PATH = $10), Day Pass $8.25 x 3 persons x 2 days
  • Bus: Grand Central to Newark on Airport Express Bus, $15 x 3 persons = $45
Shopping: Sigma 18-200mm lens $361

Thursday, December 09, 2010

Switched Insurances

We decided to switch our insurances as the price differences are substantial for the same coverage

House: from State Farm $700/year to TDMM $360/year

Auto: 2 cars, from State Farm $2300+$1200/year to TDMM now $2600/year combined (or $2760 if we kept the collision coverage on the 10-year old BMW)..thanks to the great CA discount

It is sad that, despite an excellent experience and history with State Farm, existing customers simply don't get the best rate, and the best action consumers can do is simply walk away.