Ok, this is probably something most people have no need for nor care about, but for my purposes, I’ve found it to be a useful tool. Facebook’s debugger detects any errors that may be on a page, which makes it easy to see what might need fixing. This is really helpful when, say, a blogger wants to post a link to their blog post but the image isn’t being pulled correctly. A quick check on this site can pinpoint the issue (or at least eliminate other factors) without having to trudge through the code trying to figure it out. It’s simple and provides a service that really eases a pain for those of us who have to deal with it. Great way to enhance our operations and save time and hassle.
Posts Tagged ‘pictures’
8 tips for buying a new car
28
September
2013
Alright, I started to mention some things soon after I got my Kia, but I wanted to put together a more cohesive list of recommendations if you’re in the market to buy a car. One of these days I’ll discuss the decision to lease versus purchase, but for now if you know you want to buy, here are some things that may help:
1. Do your research
This is probably a given, but just in case, I’m including it. Spend time using the various resources online to find out which models you might want and once you have it narrowed down, go for some test drives. Between getting the features you want and having a car that feels good for your driving preferences, you can probably narrow it down. Then you can really hone in on what price you could get it at, using sites like Kelley Blue Book. Your goal is to get at or below the Fair Purchase Price.
2. Take your time
Salespeople will forever be trying to get you to jump on offers pronto, since they want to get that sale in the bag. If they don’t get you now, who knows what might happen – they may never get you as a customer. Don’t let them pressure you into deals you’re not comfortable with. The best way to ensure you’re prepared for this brings me to my next point…
3. Time your purchase
First of all, try to give yourself 2-3 weeks leeway from when you start looking to when you’d actually want/need the car. That way you aren’t in a rush and can go back to dealerships over the course of a few weekends (assuming you can’t make it on weekdays). Secondly, if you know way ahead of time you’ll be getting a car down the road, try to do it as the current year’s models are being phased out and the next year’s are coming in. Dealerships will be much more willing to give you deals on the models that are on their way out. Third, start looking towards the beginning of a month. Many promotions generally end at the end of a month, so this will give you time to browse and still take advantage of offers.
4. Take advantage of promotional offers
There are generally a variety of promotions going on at any given time, so be sure to ask about those and find which ones you qualify for. Even if you don’t, if someone in your family does and is willing to be a co-signer, that’s a great way to save hundreds if not a couple thousand right off the bat. I did this with Panda, who qualified for two promos (recent grad and competitive vehicle). If it was just me… well, I would have had to pay another $1400.
5. Try multiple dealerships
If you live/work within a reasonable distance of multiple dealerships, try visiting them all. I ended up purchasing from the second dealership I went to because it gave me a better vibe and my salesperson seemed to really want to give me a good experience. Plus, you can use it as a way to find a better deal by comparing the different offers you get at each. If you plan on getting all future maintenance with your dealership, you might want to go to the closest one, but if you’re the type to take your car to a smaller local shop, then a further dealer won’t make much difference (and if their service or price is better, it could be worth it).
6. Negotiate the overall rate
Now I’m not sure if all dealers do this, but since all I cared about was the total price I’d pay, including all taxes and fees, the finance guy quoted me a number and he stuck to it. That way, there are no surprises. So if you can, try to get them to commit to the number with everything factored in. After all, what you get for the car may be what you wanted, but then with the freight charge, processing fee, taxes, and who knows what else, you may end up paying thousands more than you anticipated. Watch out for those extra charges and try to negotiate the absolute max that you’d pay all-inclusive.
7. Ask for freebies
A nice way to get some small things you may have wanted buy didn’t want to buy is to use that for bargaining in your negotiation. If they’re at a price you like, try saying you’d sign the paperwork now if they threw in a charging cable, or upgraded floor mats, or what have you. Then you save yourself a few meals’ worth while feeling great about the fun bonuses you got.
8. Get financing with 0% interest
If you can pay for your car over the course of 5 years without incurring a higher price, why not? It frees you up to do other things with your money. Of course, the sales price might be higher if you get this, but it’s most likely you’ll save in the long run compared to if you got a 1.9% or whatever the going rate is now. Make sure to calculate that and know whether it’s worth it. This is assuming you need financing… if you can just pay it upfront then more power to you.
What else would you advise someone on the market for a new car? Have you gotten a great deal before?
365great Day 197: teppanyaki
laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, anniversary, celebrations, experiences, food, meals, panda, pictures
27
September
2013
The first time I ever went to a Japanese steakhouse and got acquainted with this whole teppanyaki idea I was about 13 or 14. I loved the entertainment part of it and the stronger flavors they tend to cook into the food. The best place I’ve ever been offered white fish, which I just loved. I’m pretty much always obsessed with the fried rice at these places, because they pack in so much salty goodness. I love nearly drowning my rice in soy sauce and cooking it. As I mentioned earlier, this year Panda and I celebrated our 5th anniversary with dinner at a teppanyaki place. We were originally going to go to a fondue place because it makes a great date night meal, but we happened to discover we both would prefer a Japanese steakhouse this time around. Between the fun performance and tricks the chefs do and the super flavorful food you get, it’s a great choice for a special occasion.
Anniversary time
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: anniversary, events, experiences, panda, pictures
27
September
2013
This year our anniversary coincides with Google’s, as I learned today. I’ve mentioned before that our anniversary is always the Friday of Zero Week at UCLA and going forth we have a new anniversary to celebrate: the engagement one! So now in June and September, we get to eat dinner together and enjoy each others’ company. I like having our anniversary on a Friday, so we can really spend the entire weekend together.
Tonight we went to Benihana’s after work and tomorrow we’ll be stopping by Barktoberfest so I can play with some cats and check out the shelter that puts on the event. I’m planning on volunteering with cats and I’m looking at the shelter hosting the event and a local county shelter. I might end up going for both, but I want to get a feel for their vibes and see their facilities first. On Sunday, we’ll do some grocery shopping and then Panda will spend the afternoon volunteering with the Smithsonian. We both have our differing passions! It should be a nice quiet weekend and hopefully I can get some blog drafts ready for the week. It’s tiring trying to write them after work every night! All too soon it’ll be another week – my 4th week on the job, eeks! I can’t believe I’m already approaching one month. It’s gone by so fast…
What are your plans for the weekend? This Don Jon movie I keep hearing about?
365great Day 196: Yorkshire Soap Co
26
September
2013
While strolling through the streets of York, I came across the Yorkshire Soap Company shop. It was filled with delicious-looking soaps in the shape of cake slices, cupcakes, and other such desserts. It reminded me of Lush, but more delicate, if that makes sense. They use lighter colors, more girly glittery and flowery looks, and sweeter scents. It felt like walking into a couture-inspired bakery. The moment I smelled their orange cream cupcake, I knew I had to have it (along with a few other things ;)). Their handmade goodies are irresistible and feel so indulgent. I opted for that cupcake and a set of four bath truffles. I must admit I’ve yet to use them since they just look too cool, but at the moment they are making some very fine fragrances. Whenever I walk by, I get a lovely whiff of them and I can’t wait to use them… once I’ve convinced myself it’s time to ruin them and let them melt away.
UK Vacation Day 3 Recap
laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog，Tags: cardiff, castles, experiences, food, gifts, hotels, london, panda, pictures, trains, travel, uk, united kingdom, wales
26
September
2013
Check out my UK Day 1 recap and UK Day 2 recap, then read on for Day 3! We spent about half the day prepping for and traveling to Cardiff, then got a chance to explore the city in the afternoon and evening. It was a nice quiet, yet active time together in this beautiful place. 🙂
From our hotel, we could see Victoria Station, so it was very easy to get to the train!
The interior of Victoria Station is nice and airy, with plenty of natural sunlight.
There were a ton of bikes parked there.
Before boarding the train, I browsed the selection at Delice de France for my lunch.
I ended up getting the chicken chorizo baguette to eat on the train and it was delicious!!
Along the way, we saw the circus in a town.
Hello Cardiff! I’m finally in Wales!
What an ambitious dog, carrying around a giant tree branch.
The flowers make the street all pretty.
Yay, celebration!
It’s sunny but it’s gloomy ’round these parts.
Got a view of the Cardiff Castle from the hotel lounge.
A fun little garden area across the street.
The executive lounge provided a variety of snacks!
Haha, can’t say this is what I imagine when I hear “gumdrop” but it’s a nice way to discourage gum where you don’t want it.
We walked through an industrial zone that was intimidating, but at least there were pretty flowers!
We tried walking to this Cardiff Bay we heard about, but couldn’t quite figure out what there was to see. It was pretty along the way at least!
So many swans around here! I love it.
As we were walking along the river, we heard a splash and saw some movement out of the corner of our eyes. We thought it was a bird diving into the water to get a fish, so we watched and waited for it to come up. A few minutes later, what did we see? A GINORMOUS FLYING FISH! I mean, it was like a foot and a half long and propelled itself out of water better than salmon swimming upstream. I tried to get a video of it but we never saw it again. Sad times.
After giving up on going so far, we headed back and I wondered what those colorfully-topped silver canisters are for.
We stopped for dinner at an Indian place, with pretty yellow flower centerpieces.
This was not what I expected when I ordered lemonade, but it was amazing. I want more!
Yuuum, enjoying our appetizers.
We both enjoyed our dishes and the garlic naan. Wonderful meal together. 🙂
I enjoy the little alleyways and cobblestone streets, and of course the architecture and beautiful blue skies.
Back at the hotel, we enjoy a little break in the lounge.
The clouds are moving in!
Oooo yes, I love these little glass soda bottles!
In the evenings, the executive lounge offers free wine here. I’m sure that made some folks happy.
365great Day 195: memory foam
laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, brands, comfort, experiences, memory foam, nike, pictures, products, shoes
25
September
2013
Omfreakin’g. I think my feet have found their personal heaven. These memory foam footbeds in my sneakers are fabulous. I’ve often had foot pain due to the lack of padding in my flats, flip flops, and other footwear so this time around I went shopping with just one purpose: comfy shoes that I can stand in for hours. When I started browsing, I happened upon the Nike In Season model of shoe and I knew right away I could get nothing less. I looked for the comfort footbed in other ones, but of the items at the outlet, they were the only ones I could find. Luckily, I liked the colors of this pair, so I got them when I went back. Today I wore them for the first time as a test run throughout the day and never have my feet felt so fabulous. It’s been years since I’ve worn sneakers and now I’m considering wearing nothing but! Or I suppose I could remove the insoles and put them in other shoes. I may not have liked the heavy feeling my head got from a memory foam pillow, but for my feet, it’s a dream come true. Amazingly great!
Escape Monthly September: Oregon Box Review
laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, brush, candles, coffee, escape monthly, food, lip balms, lotions, nuts, oregon, pictures, products, pumice, reviews, snacks, soaps, subscriptions, teas, travel
25
September
2013
I was pretty surprised when my Escape Monthly box came last week. I somehow had it in my head that they ship later in the month, but I guess they go for mid-month. That’s perfect since most other subscriptions come at another time so they help bridge the gap and prevent a dry spell. I didn’t win the trip this month, but alas, there’s always next time. 🙂 Check out my unboxing video and then read below for more!
Escape Monthly is just under $40 per box (with code for 20% off your subscription – see end of post) and comes with a variety of food, home, skincare items themed around a city. Each box comes with a Moon Handbooks guide for that region. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a lovely recurring referral commission program.
(click to enlarge and read full messaging)
Ah, the great Northwest. I’ve barely ever been there (through a few airports a few times) and I definitely want to visit after this box! They included a lot of fun products locally made in Oregon, which is fantastic since that’s what subscribers were asking for. They covered mostly food and beauty this time, but I still felt the variety was good. I like how they highlighted so many things Oregon is known for – most of which was all news to me!
Here’s what came in the box:
Moon Handbooks guide to Oregon – Looks like these handbooks are going to be a staple in our boxes. They’re nice and very informative – right up Panda’s alley (he totally got similar books from the library before our UK trip). I do like one subscriber’s suggestion to offer the option to get these as ebooks. It’d save them quite a bit of weight and allow us more portability.
Doug’s Nuts – Normally I don’t like nuts, but hey it said “crazy good nuts” so I had to try them. I like the combo of sweet and salty, which made this one of the best nut blends I’ve tasted. I’m still not crazy about nuts, but I can definitely see myself munching on these from time to time. I’ll have to see what Panda the nut-lover thinks of this blend. He’s usually happy with some cashews so I wonder how he’ll like the sweet undertones.
Metolius Tea and Apothecary – Ooo what a fancy mix of ingredients! I’ve never had a tea with coconut before so that was pretty exciting. The blend smelled wonderfully of coconut and lavender, which is strangely complementary. I’m not used to my tea coming in such small bits, so probably should have used a strainer to brew it. Can you imagine me blowing on it trying to get a hole in the floating parts so I could drink it without consuming the tea too? Well, that’s how it happened and it was quite the spectacle, lol. I like the fragrance of this tea as I’m drinking it! Definitely smell the lavender.
Molly Muriel Volcanic Bliss soap – Yes, yes, yes! I’m a sucker for anything that’s detoxifying and/or has tea tree oil and charcoal. This soap hits all those and more, like neem oil, which is a new ingredient I just learned about at Green Festival over the weekend. I like the branding of this company and I definitely want to try more of their products! Of course I need to work through just a few dozen other soaps first… 😛
Oregon Orchard Hazelnuts – Holy cow, what a special concept. Hazelnuts encased in cherry-flavored milk chocolate? Cool! I’m always wary of cherry-flavored items but this one wasn’t so bad. Pairing it with hazelnuts creates this crazy blend of flavor that lingers in my mouth. What a fun treat. I’m sure most people would love them! Once again, I’m not that into nuts, so while this snack is fascinating I’ll probably just have this pouch and be done.
Oregon Rain Portland Rose Lotion – How cute that they make this lotion with rain that fell in Oregon! I can smell a bit through the seal and I like the sweetness. I don’t want to open it just yet until I use up some other lotions, but I do look forward to trying it eventually.
Portland Bee Balm – Aww, it’s awesome that this is made with local beeswax and includes peppermint for a refreshing cooling sensation. I’ve got a major backlog in lip balms, so I won’t open it just yet. Always good to have a stash though! I’m going to start keeping a lip balm in my purse, car, at my desk, and by the bedside. You never know when your lips might feel dry!
Primitive Lights Beeswax Cinnamon Roll Votive – What an adorable design!! I feel bad burning it so I think I’ll let its cinnamon scent fill the room for awhile before lighting it up eventually. It has an amazing sweet spicy scent that is perfect for the upcoming winter months.
Grounds For Change coffee – I’m not a coffee drinker, but this one actually smells decent! I’m saving it for Panda’s brother, who’s a big coffee drinker. I like that it’s fair trade and carbon-neutral. Definitely conscious of the environment and the welfare of the growers.
wooden pumice brush – I love the bonus items! Is it sad if I say that’s one of my favorite parts of Escape Monthly? Well, honestly I’m all about these accessory type items, like this pumice brush and last month’s loofah. It’s exactly the sort of stuff I want and need and don’t get in other boxes.
What do you think of this Escape Monthly box? Have you been to Oregon? If you want Escape Monthly for yourself, sign up, and try one of these codes (not sure which ones are still active): ESCAPENOW for 20% off the lifetime of your subscription, TROPICALESCAPE for 20% off, GIFTESCAPE for 25% off.
And a preview of next month:
[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just won this box and wanted to share what I got!]
365great Day 194: free stuff
laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, free stuff, pictures, products
24
September
2013
Who doesn’t like receiving free things? It’s a treat that you didn’t have to pay for, but you probably earned in some sense so it’s rewarding to feel like you deserve it. Sometimes it might be things given to you for free because you put forth a lot of effort. Other times it might be something that doesn’t cost you anything because you were a good person. At least that’s been the case for me – all my winnings have been because I either took the time and energy to try and many of the other free things have been earned through certain behaviors. It always feels so wonderful when I receive items at no cost to me, because it’s like I’m getting a present that I deserved. It’s amazing how different it feels to buy something for practically nothing versus being given something for nothing monetary. Getting free stuff feels great every time!
Mini golf time
laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: activities, coworkers, events, experiences, mini golfing, pictures, putt putt golfing, work
24
September
2013
Back in 2nd grade, I went mini golfing (or putt putt golfing as I called it) and my only recollection was when somehow I found myself on the ground, screaming and crying as blood gushed from my knee. I don’t know how it happened, but it sure hurt and I still have a scar. I’m pretty sure I managed to do it to myself in just about the least dangerous activity there is, but who knows, maybe some kid accidentally whacked me. Whatever the case, I kind of never got around to playing again until a few years ago with Panda and friends and I sucked. Thankfully this time I fared better than expected! I even got a few 2s. 🙂 Good times.
Of course that left me with little time to blog, so you get to enjoy some images from the night. It was a fun jungle theme and I’d never really attempted this kind of thing in the dark so the shadows provided a unique challenge. I nearly lost my ball at one point! Too bad we got kicked out right at closing and couldn’t finish the holes. Fun time though! I’m glad we got to hang out a bit outside of work and the timing was perfect since I didn’t have plans. Now Thursday and Friday are completely different stories… it’s our anniversary coming up!
