Amazon did it again.

~ msanglee ~ Leave a comment

We made a last minute decision to go to the snow this weekend so I wanted to get some snow toys we played with before. Of all the snow toys we played with, the best ones were the snowball maker pictured below and the various snow shape makers. We don’t have the snowball maker so I figured I could just prime a set from amazon.

When I did a search for snow toys with one-day shipping, there weren’t a lot of options. A stand-alone snowball maker was $10. The cheaper sets didn’t contain the snowball maker, and those sets with the maker had 20-40 pieces and they were >$25. (Ignore the discount as I didn’t see it when i was searching and that’s the whole point for this story).

It didn’t feel like a good deal just to buy the snowball maker for $10. I knew I would’ve had more options if it wasn’t for the one-day shipping, so I tried to double check if there were cheaper sets if I were to ship directly to our Airbnb with two-day shipping. However, it turned out that Amazon couldn’t even find our Airbnb’s address and there were even less options even with two-day shipping.

Since I already have the shape makers and I have shovels/buckets from other sand toys, and after extended searching, I thought it would be wise to just pay the $10 for the snowball maker so I could save money and storage space from not having to buy all the other pieces.

As soon as I changed the shipping address back to my home, I scrolled and, out of nowhere, I saw a deal on one of those pricier set! $7 off and 50% off on top of that?! What!?

So it would be like $12??? For 2 more dollars, I could get all of these other junks???? Wait, that claw looked pretty useful in the snow, didn’t it?

Let me check the price.

$8.81!?!?!?

Ok, the 35-piece set was even cheaper than a single snowball maker. It would be a crime not to buy this. And I could always just give away those pieces I don’t like…

…

Amazon, you win.

—-

P.s. Here’s the link for reference. Not sure if the discount will be there.

Delivery Sushi in the East Bay

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Sushi Hinata / Hinako ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

(I think it’s Hinata but it says Hinako in DoorDash)
August 2023

Sake Oyako Don $21.95: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Generous amount of fish that’s just right for the amount of rice.

Haha Ramen Sushi ⭐️⭐️⭐️

June 2023

Sake Don $16.99: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Decent size for the price
Chirashi Don $17.99: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Decent size for the price

Golden Sushi Li ⭐️⭐️⭐️

February 2023

Incredible Tray $62.99: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fancier rolls and more sashimi. Definitely a good deal if you are just craving cheap sushi

Golden Sushi Li ⭐️⭐️⭐️

November 2022

Nigi Tray $52.99: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a good deal but quality is just ok. it was merely just to stuff ourselves with sushi.

Oishii Sushi ⭐️⭐️⭐️

October 2022

Sake Bowl $11.99: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Standard quality but a good deal
Rainbow Roll $12.99: ⭐️⭐️ Mediocre

Torarenbou Sushi Bistro ⭐️⭐️⭐️

September 2022

Chirashi $19.5: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ It was decent, 75% of the fish was good and the ones on the right were just ok
Sushi Roll Combo $22: ⭐️⭐️ Mediocre sushi
Super Dynamite $13: ⭐️⭐️ Standard quality

Make you own mixian!

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Make you own #mixian! @ Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The spread was impressive. The noodle soup was flavorful but not too strong, which was very much Hong Kong style rather than YunNan style I feel like. We like it for that reason. We tried the original and the tomato broth, and they were both very decent noodles. I think having the diy style adds fun to the meal so it elevated it from an average-good meal to a engagingly good meal. We will definitely come back again to try the spicy ones as we don’t think this would be as spicy as those other Chinese noodles.

#bayareaeats #bayareafood #mixian #noodle #noodlesoup #soup

Cute Easter macaron!

~ msanglee ~ Leave a comment

Easter calls for bunny and chick macaron, with a piece of Earl Grey Tres Leches! Yum!

Macaron ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This place has the cutest macarons! I love how this place is so easily accessible because it’s right where I live. They have new characters almost daily and lots of characters you probably know of!

Earl Grey Tres Leches ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Great flavor of earl grey but I wish it’s more soggy and has more condensed milk like other tres leches.

La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Balm B5

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La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Balm B5

(13K Reviews 4.6 Stars @ Amazon)

Bought this because I saw littlemissplumful (she also has ezcema) put this on a as mask when there are dry patches on her eyes. I tried a little bit of that on my undereye just now. My first thought is that it dries up immediately. It’s literally non-greasy, meaning it’s really well suited to wear outside.

However, also since It doesn’t feel like a moisturizer but it feels somewhat like a diaper cream paste, and I actually wanted to feel moisturized, I added a layer of Nivea cream on top.

I will see if this help expedite the dryness relief… and update post according. I just hope I didn’t buy the wrong one since this one is in English.

Goldhill Bistro @ Valley Fair

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Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This place was really pretty and the menu was very attractive so we thought we would give it a try. However, I think the prices were very expensive for some normal entrees, signature dish was underwhelming, and they couldn’t get some of the basic things right (dry minced pork, solid yolk in onsen egg, etc.). It was nice to snap a few instagrammable photos here but we probably wouldn’t come back again…

Decor: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The only reason why I gave 3 instead of 2 stars is because this place was an eye candy!! Nice flowery decor everywhere, flower board outside for photos, flowers hanging from the ceiling, chairs were pink and tables, and the plates and cups were nice looking…

Drinks 水果茶: ⭐️⭐️ Really tiny glasses, the size of an espresso cup, of fruit tea for $8.99 plus tax and tips. The pot held two glasses and each glass had about one mouthful of beverage. We didn’t know until later that they actually would refill our tea! That was a plus but the refill was already diluted. Tea was good but I could get at least triple what we had with that price…

Crab Tamagoyaki 香醇蟹粉日式玉子燒: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Very good but I could not taste the tiny amount of crab at all.

Teriyaki Chicken over Rice 燒雞腿扒丼飯: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Good chicken, just what I expected from a teriyaki chicken rice but it was too pricey for such a generic dish.

Onsen Tamago 溫泉蛋: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was probably the best thing (and it came with the rice) I tasted all night. The sauce was on point and the egg was good. The only thing was that the yolk was a little over cooked and it was solid instead of runny.

Crab Noodle 招牌黃金萬兩蟹黃麵 (不含黃金): ⭐️⭐️ This was supposed to be the signature dish and the whole point of why we were getting this combo. A la carte price was ~$40(?). I was expecting the flavor to be stronger than 賽螃蟹 (crab stir fry with egg white). However, the crab was over cooked (I’d rarely tried crab that’s so rough), the sauce was sort of tasteless, and it was very watery. Noodle was okay so I kept a couple stars.

Free vegetable that came with the rice: ⭐️ hmm, how could the minced pork be so dry…. I thought you couldn’t go wrong with minced pork in Taiwanese dish? Even boba cafes could do minced pork better…

Boxed water is better?

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Boxed Water (3K reviews 4.4 Stars @ Amazon)

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Some fancy water. It tastes the same though but it IS paper… #betterplanet

I guess this water doesn’t have any weird after taste or filtered taste. It tastes just like the Bay Area water I like. However, at $1 per bottle from website and $2 per bottle from Amazon, I probably wouldn’t buy it if I were to shop for grocery. That said, if I was extremely thirsty and getting a bottle of water from a gas station, I will probably get it if the price point is similar compared to other options.

Eye drops for my dry and irritated eyes

~ msanglee ~ Leave a comment

We don’t get a lot of rain in California… until this year when there’s rain every week and sudden downpours every now and then. Not sure if the rainy days are trying to make up for the drought or trying to teach the spoiled Californians a lesson, but the increased amount of allergens in the air is definitely triggering some allergic reactions to my eyes, nose, and skin. I’ve been rubbing my eyes like there’s no tomorrow, and that had made my eyes swollen and created many wrinkles and loose skin around my eyes…

I went to the doctor to get some stronger antihistamine eye drops, but I could only use them twice a day. That’s not enough to soothe my itchy eyes. so I am resorting to generic eye drops.

Visine Red Eye Hydrating Comfort Redness Relief & Lubricant Eye Drops

12K Reviews 4.6 Stars @ Amazon

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It works but I could only use it a limited amount of times

Dosage: 1 or 2 drops up to 4 times a day
Ease of Use: The eye drop comes right out of the bottom so I have to act quick to make sure it gets in.
Effectiveness: I can open my eyes right away (yes, I was squinting when I was using the antihistamine because it was a little drying) and it’s not irritating! It lasts a few hours before I feel dryness so that’s not too bad.

Biotrue Hydration Boost Eye Drops

43K Reviews 4.7 Stars @ Amazon

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
It works but eyes are dry after 30 minutes…..
Dosage: 1 or 2 drops as needed
Ease of Use: It took some squeezing to the get the drops out, but it flows after when it comes. It’s a little hard to control…
Effectiveness: It’s soothing right away, but it feels like my eyes are dry again after typing this post…!? I guess I can use it as many times as I need though…

I will probably try some more after I use these up…

Taiwan Professional Tea in the Bay Area

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Sharing my love with boba! Apparently this is one of the best tea places in Taiwan, and they have several locations in the Bay Area! I already tried it twice already. The tea is very strong!

Thai Brûlée Tornado @ TP Tea

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thai Tea with Brûlée Cream: Not too sweet because my husband got me 30% sweetness, but the brûlée cream definitely made up for it.
Boba: On the smaller side, but chewy and have the right sweetness

Matcha Brûlée Tornado @ TP Tea

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Matcha with Brûlée Cream: Not too sweet because my husband AGAIN got me 30% sweetness, but the brûlée cream definitely made up for it. The Matcha is legit for those who enjoys the little kick it gives.
Boba: On the smaller side, but chewy and have the right sweetness

Collagen on sale!… I want nice skin!

~ msanglee ~ Leave a comment

I have been taking the Vital Proteins Collagen Peptide for a while, and just found out that Marine Collagen is likely more effective for skin and hair. Since I absolutely need help with the ever-growing wrinkles due to all the mommy stress…and it’s on sale from Prime Day Early Access… I made an “impulsive buy”: Vital Proteins Marine Collagen.

*Crossing Fingers* that this will magically erase my crow’s feet and smile lines!

Vital Proteins Marine Collagen
Vital Proteins Collagen Peptide

Where should I order a Taco Salad from?

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Taqueria Azteca (Yelp)

Doordash Delivery 9/29/2022: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
8/24/2022, 9/29/2022
Ah this taco salad is much bigger and better than the other place (though at $13.95), no rice/bean as requested. Very fulfilling…. Ordered from this place twice already and definitely will order again.

IG Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CqBvEBMPBsA/

Portales Taqueria (Yelp)

Uber Eats Delivery 9/20/2022: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pretty decent taco salad for $12 but it has rice and beans even though I requested for no beans. The size is on the smaller side though. Quite a good amount of meat for a $3.3 taco.

IG Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CqBsX59PMzL/

It’s the time of the year to shop again!

~ msanglee ~ 1 Comment

Just so I’m prepared to get gifts for my kids and all the other kids, I’m going to start building my Christmas shopping wishlist.

My wish list

So far, I’ve only been eyeing on the following:

STEMVTech Smart Chart Medical Kit ~$23
This seems to be a lot of fun for my 4-year-old kid who’s been playing doctor on her 2-year-old brother lol.
STEMLearning Resources Switcheroo Coding Crew ~$60
A little on the pricey side, but this seems like a fun one to learn coding.
However, I think it might be a little too hard for my girl though… Maybe next year?

Don’t have a lot right now, but I can certainly go back to my all-time wish list in case I run out of ideas!

Santa, these are the toys I want for Christmas!

These are the few I like from the Toy Insider’s 2022 Gift Guide:

My pick for Age 0-2 from Gift Guide

Age 0-2CoComelon Petting Farm Playset $45
eKids Cocomelon Karaoke Machine with Built-in Cocomelon Songs and Microphone for Kids $50
CoComelon Ultimate Learning Bus $62

LeapFrog My Pal Scout/Violet Smarty Paws $17
Our kids have always liked our Violet when it was first gifted to our daughter.
You could program it to say your child’s name!
My kids, when they were babies, really thought Violet was a real friend. Aww…

My pick for Age 3-4 from Gift Guide

Age 3-4Disney Junior Minnie Mouse Ultimate Mansion $63
Thomas & Friends Fisher-Price Launch & Loop Maintenance Yard Toy Train and Track Set $50
Harry Potter Hogwarts Express Pop Up Tent $40
Tents have been very popular with my kids.
They love to have their very own space where parents are too big for…
Kid Trax Toddler Classic Pedal Car $215-$290
These look like really nice cars if I have the money to splurge…

Kidamento Kids Digital Camera & Video Camcorder with Touchscreen $80
Oh my, these cameras are so cute!
We bought one couple years ago for our friend’s kid but it was not nearly as cute back in the days!
VTech Pop and Spin Mower Toy $22
Gotta start ’em young to help around with the house!
Step2 Ride Along Scooter $70
This is a much cheaper alternative to the toy car above and it looks super slick!
Spidey and his Amazing Friends Marvel’S Web Spinning Hauler $28
This looks fun for spidey fans… it transforms and launches darts!

My pick for Age 5-7 from Gift Guide

I probably don’t know what kids 5-7 want as I don’t see anything else appealing other than the two below…

Age 5-7MEandMine Aha! -Science Kit for Kids $30
These kits look pretty educational. Will definitely look into them more!
Creativity for Kids Build and Grow Tree House Craft Kit $25
Interesting! You could grow your own tree house!

My pick for Age 8+ from Gift Guide

These ages are all about board games, video games, and gadgets huh…

Age 8+LEGO DOTS Designer Toolkit $65
LEGO Friends Emma’s Art School $70
For the LEGO enthusiasts…
What Do You Meme? $30
30,000 reviews on Amazon.
This must be a fun game! I’m so out-of-date not to know about this…
Nintendo Switch Sports $50