Clogged drains are really annoying, especially when it becomes a chronic problem. Our current apartment has been great so far, no complaints. Recently however, the drain for our bathtub was getting slower and slower; so much so that by the end of a shower we’d be wading in an ankle high puddle. After some searching and trying a handful of products, we finally found something that worked!
Read MoreAuthor: Andy Ni
A Buyer’s Guide for a Novice Climber Part 1
In a few days I’ll be climbing Mount Baker in Seattle Washington. Because this will be my first major climb, I really don’t know what to expect and having scenes from the movie Everest replay in my mind is not very reassuring. With an elevation of 10,781’ Mount Baker is the third highest mountain in Washington State. Let’s hope all those recent weekend hikes in Northern New Jersey and New York will be enough preparation.
Besides preparing physically, there has been a lot of climbing gear that I’ve had to purchase. Thankfully the guides on this climb have provided a comprehensive list of the items I will need. I’ll briefly go over some items and the brand/model I ended up purchasing or renting. Hope this provides some insight when you need to gear up for your first climb. Read More
Top 10 Board Games You Should Play
Many people feel that we are currently in the golden age of board games. With funding platforms such as Kickstarter, a fresh board game idea only needs a few hundred backers before becoming a reality. With this large influx of new games, which ones should you be playing? Here is a list of some of our favorite board games: Read More
Top 5 Childhood Cereals
Once a year I get an intense craving for cereal and we’re not talking about the healthy kind. When I crave cereal it’s for the really brightly colored, artificially flavored, super sweet kind. Well the craving came around again this year and instead of getting one box, I decided to take a walk down memory lane and buy 5 of my favorite childhood cereals. Let’s see if they’re still as good as I remember.
Fitbit Charge HR: Your All In One Activity Tracker
It seems like everyone is trying to get in on the wearable tech band wagon. Brands like Garmin, Jawbone, and Fitbit occupy a crowded market and of course there is the Apple Watch. Others have also tried to push the fashion aspect, for example Withings Activite, which emphasizes its styling over functionality. After doing extensive research on a slew of these activity trackers I decided to pick up the Fitbit Charge HR. Has it been a game changer? Read More
Gatsby Wax: Affordable Hair Wax with Great Long Lasting Hold
It started with the bowl cut when I was a kid. Then in high school it was the super spiky hair phase that required what seemed like a quarter bottle of gel each day. Next came the buzz cut and nowadays it’s the modern pompadour. This latest hairdo has me buying some hair product again and I’ve been extremely happy with Gatsby wax. Read More
Great Sound at a Great Price: Amazing Budget Earphones
Sick of cheap earphones? Nowadays your newest smart phone most likely comes packaged with a pair. iPhones come with a pair of the ubiquitous white earphones. Windows phones come with a pair of black ones that actually fit quite snug compared to the iPhone ones and even come with a few choices of ear bud tips. However, don’t expect anything amazing with these free earphones; yes they get the job done but if you appreciate a better quality sound or fit, you’re going to have to fork over a few extra dollars for a decent pair.
How Much Does it Cost to Own a Dog? (Medium Dog)
It was just about Christmas time back in 2010 and I didn’t get a gift for my sister yet. We were living back in Edison New Jersey, our parents had moved back to Taiwan, and we had the house to ourselves. It wasn’t like we didn’t have any pets before. We’ve had goldfish (boiled to death because we mistakenly put the tank near the fireplace), parakeets that flew away, turtles that “ran” away, and hamsters that lived to their max lifetime of 5 years. My mom was deathly afraid of any furry pets. I’m not sure how she put up with the hamsters but now that it was just my sister and I, why not get a dog like we always wanted? Read More
How to Find the Right Golf Ball for You
Remember the time you put that brand new Titleist Pro V1 on the tee and pulled out the big stick ready to smash the longest drive of your life? Then as the ball duck hooked or sliced into the woods never to be found again you realized you just threw away about $5. Golf balls can be pricey (heck golf is expensive in general) especially for mid to high handicappers who are still prone to those random shanks and hooks. I’m an avid golfer and I’m always on the lookout for deals, whether it be for apparel or golf balls, and fortunately I stumbled on lostgolfballs.com.
Running with Flat Feet
I never got a dual citizenship (US and Taiwan) because I would’ve had to serve in the Taiwanese Army. At least that’s the reason my parents provided. Now I’m not so sure I would have been able to serve anyway because I have flat feet. My feet are so flat in fact that I feel the pain on long runs and walks. Now that I know this I’m not exactly sure how I survived running cross-country during high school. That being said, I’m training for a duathlon and two sprint triathlons this year even though running with flat feet can sometimes feel awful.
So to combat the lack of arches in my feet I followed a friend’s recommendation and got fitted for some running shoes. We went to the New York Running Company at Columbus Circle and went through a series of tests including a pressure sensor that indicated your shoe size, arch height, and how you distribute your weight on your feet. This leads to an insole recommendation and for me it recommended the aetrex L420 orthotics which provides boosted arch support. Next up the shoes.