Sometimes it’s better not to tell you what happened.

But, here’s a card.

They are here

I clipped beef jerky, V8, and Garlic Chicken meal.  That’s about it.

CoQ10 (vitamin, from 2 makers) will be on sale.  I think I will pick up one bottle.

I finally found reusable shopping bags.  I’ve been looking and waiting for Costco shopping bags for over 2 years.  I finally found them!  Son of a dad, I found them.

The bags don’t say "Costco" anymore.  They have generic design.

They had 2 different kinds of bags.

1. Insulated bag – $6.49 each bag.  It’s large.
2. Old fashioned bags –  Pack of 4 (2 large & 2 medium) – $4.69/pack

The search is finally over.  I bought plenty.   Now I can start giving away the bags.  When I bring gifts or something to my friends, I tell them to "keep the bag."  And they love it.  Everyone loved the bag so far.  They are so practical.

I like insulated bag.  I always drive right back home after shopping at Costco because I worry about cold food items getting warm.  Now my shopping plan is more flexible, thanks to insulated bags.  I can go to other markets after Costco.  Also, I can eat out after shopping at Costco and don’t feel rushed.  I think $6.49 is a very good price.

One bag is little over $1.00.  The joy I get from giving away these bags is priceless.  They will use the bags and save environment.  It’s good.

Costco Shopping.  July 3, 2011

These are regular shopping bag.  Large size in front, medium size in back.

Insulated Shopping Bag – Big and Practical.  I like it.

 This is the insulated bag.

Here’s a bag manufacturer’s URL

Happy Fathers Day.  (from last weekend)

I am still fascinated about scented candles and how they effect people’s lives.  Good candles will make hot Summer days feel like vacation.  Candles will make you feel cozy on rainy days.  It’s a magical ritual.  Candles can be fun, sexy, and relaxing.

I want to know more about art and science behind good scented candles.  I want to find out how I can spend least amount of money and get the best candles this world can offer.

I plan to purchase several candles soon.  I hope I don’t go crazy (oh boy).

It didn’t take long to realize that Yankee Candle is not the best (still pretty good).

I went through eyeglass & silk tie obsessions.  I am now obsessed about scented candles.  And it’s only the beginning.

There will be more stories and pictures about scented candles… coming up.

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PS.  Just a reminder.  I am a straight man. But I wouldn’t blame you…

Currently I have 2 jars of Yankee Candles and 6 bottles of Essenza fragrance (diffusers).  I enjoy good smell, what can I say.

Then, I recently spent $20.00 on eBay to sample scented oils.

I was looking for the best and the cheapest Christmas, Winter, & Fall smells.  Summer will be over in 3 months.  I think it’s reasonable that I am looking for fall & winter smells.

Anyway, I thought Yankee Candles were too expensive.  I thought there had to be cheaper ways to enjoy good smell, especially Christmas smell.

So, I spent countless hours searching for scented oil suppliers.  Some of them stated that their scented oil is premium quality and not diluted.  I bought total 4 bottles of scented oils from various suppliers.

I was very excited when the first package arrived, then I quickly became disappointed.  I was irritated because smell of that scented oil was terrible.  It smelled so cheap.  Then, rest of the oils arrived over the week.  It was like a freak show.  One smelled worse than the other.  They were totally useless.  I am so tired…

I am officially done with scented oil.

I officially made my own conclusion – Yankee Candle is the best.  All the cheap oil products suck.  Cheaper products smell cheap.  I work very hard so I can spend extra money on finer things.  I will not agonize over a few bucks and live in an apartment that smells like aisle 7 at 99 Cents Only Store.

If you guys know any cheaper, better, and convenient way to bring Christmas smell in my apartment, please let me know.  Or feel free to send me some. Contact me for my mailing address.  If you are scented oil vendor, and if you think you have good products, send me some for cool review.  Somebody prove me wrong.

I am obsessed about candles. This is all I think about lately.

Why Yankee Candles

1. To me, candles are better than reed diffusers.  Because, if I break out the diffuser, I have to leave it out open until the entire unit is used up.  With Yankee Candles, I can just blow out the candle and switch to different candle if I want to.
2. I think Yankee Candle is the best scented candle maker.  Again, if you know any better makers PLEASE let me know.
3. I tried boiling cinnamon.  I also tried scented oils.  It’s just too much work.  I am totally wiped out.  All this effort isn’t worth it.  I will gladly pay extra and get the good stuff.
4. I am following Yankee Candle & Bed Bath and Beyond websites.  I also receive newsletters from both websites.  I aim to buy several jars of candles when the time is right.  Large jars go for $26 plus tax (or shipping).  I think I can buy them at $12-$13 each. I’ll just have to wait.

It will be nice if there is somebody living with me who already has experience in this area, preferably a female.  Hm..

Smell you later

*Update (September 14, 2013): I no longer live in the apartment.  I discovered that there are plenty of candle makers who are better than Yankee Candles.  I discovered that burning candles produce cancer causing chemicals.  I learned that soy wax candles are better.  And I have dated local scented candle dealer.

They are here

Below is random items.  Just keeping you updated.

• I have 10-20 personal websites.  I moved all my websites to another hosing company.  Then I changed my mind and moved them all again to yet another company.  I was super busy for 2 months with this project  (I am still working). This is the main reason why I’ve been neglecting this website. 
• I just bought 4 Santa hats from eBay (Yes, I know…).  But I am not happy about their quality.  Quality of these eBay Santa Hats are getting worse every year.  I am thinking about buying an expensive Santa hat so this Christmas season will be more fun.
• I’m trying to find the best way to make my apartment smell like Christmas (cinnamon/apple).  I tried boiling cinnamon last night, but I wasn’t happy with the result.  I like Yankee Candle, but they are expensive.  I just ordered a small amount of cinnamon oil.  I hope this is good.  Then I will buy a gallon. 
• Thank God it’s June.  Now I have health insurance.  There was a major change at my work and I lost my health insurance last month.  Now I am insured again (beginning June 1st).  I have less coverage now.  I need to stay healthy.
• I need to rollover my 401k – I have no idea what I’m doing.   I need to research more.  The accounting lady (at work) is waiting for me to get this done ASAP.
• I still have the same job.  But, we are over-hauling our company structure.  I will be making even less money.  I mean, starting next month, I may make less money than what I need to survive.  🙁
• I would like to buy a bicycle from Costco.  (more coming).
• I’ve been drinking a lot of tea.  I drink coffee more, but I spent a lot of money on tea & tea accessories.  I’ve been doing a lot of experiments.  It came to the point that, when desired, I would add kitchen spices such as basil & fennel seeds to my tea. (more coming).
• There is a guitar I want so bad.   It’s ESP M-II ($1800 + Case).  I’ve been eye-balling this guitar for over 1 year now.  It’s very expensive and I don’t have this kind of money.  But I would really like to have that guitar.

I am busy & distracted.  I need to take care of big items on my list.

Dispite everything going on I am having fun every day.  "Life" is the best thing to play with, and we all have it.  How lucky are we?  Times are tough for a lot of us, but we are not going to starve to death.  Most poor people still have cable TV and cellular phones. 

Let’s stay positive and try to do something every day to make things better.  Just don’t get sick and have fun, everything will be OK.  God bless sick people (my parents included).

TTYS

(late entry).

It was Saturday morning, day before Mothers Day.  My parents had a busy schedule.  So, I had to drop by at their place early in the morning.

It was a pleasant driving. 

I tried to put a little Costco twist in this video. 🙂

Driving to Mother’s House – Saturday Morning

My mother put all flowers in the vase.  The next day she found time to cut them and arrange (she said).

I am going through another lazy spells.
Not much is going on with my life.

Like I always say, boring is good. To me, boring is the ultimate happiness. Nobody around me is sick or dead.  I visit my parents and they are always happy.  I go to work every day and have fun.  There is no "News".  I didn’t win a lottery.  But, I didn’t lose a job. Boring is good. 

I’ve been feeling tired and lazy lately.  So I took things slow.  I went to Costco today on my lunch time, but I didn’t buy anything special.

I am planning for a perfect weekend.

This weekend, I will be totally home alone.  I don’t even have a date.  I am very excited about this weekend alone.

I will fix good meal, practice guitar, work on computer, visit my parents, watch movies, watch NBA finals, eat out, go to farmers market, go to Costco, work on my websites, drink good coffee and tea,  wake up early to enjoy morning…

I plan to dedicate 1 day to listen to Christmas music a lot.

I hope to start my weekend on Friday 4pm by visiting my parents for dinner.   I used to take my parents out to lunch and dinner and give them some cash too.  Now, my parents treat me, and they give me cash.  They have more money now.