• Laiee

Ever wondered which one of the Big Three – USPS, Fedex, or UPS – offered the lowest shipping rates?

Wonder no more!  Just type in the zip codes.  ShipGooder will tell you which company offers the lowest shipping rates instantly.  Well, almost instantly.  I tried it today and I was thrilled.

  @  shipgooder

We stayed at the Hotel Moevenpick while we visited Amsterdam last week.  The hotel is on the opposite side of the city center, so it is a bit detached from all of the excitement.  On a good sunny day, it’s about a nice 20-minute walk from the Amsterdam Central station.  The hotel also provides free shuttle buses between the hotel and the train station every 30 minutes.  Actually, there is only one shuttle bus running and it can only carry 8 people, so remember to make a reservation whenever you need a ride to the station or vice versa.  One morning, we forgot to make a reservation.  We had to wait for an hour to catch the ride to the city.

The hotel was very modern and very very clean.  Our suites were spotless.  The rooms were spacious compared to most of the rooms in Europe.  There were nice shower gel, shampoo, and body lotion in the bathroom.  The espresso maker was the star of the room.  However, they were kind of strict on the towels they provided – only two large bath towels, two hand towels and no wash cloth.  There was a built-in luggage rack in the room, which was nice.  But we had two pieces of luggage.  When we called and asked for another luggage rack, we were told that each room was equipped with one rack and that was that.  How rude!  Anyway, I just put mine on a chair and it worked.

With our reservation, it also came with free breakfast and free mini bar.  Both were superb.  The only odd thing was the chef on duty.  He was also tasked with other duties so it was very difficult to get him to make you some fried eggs.  One morning, I was waiting for him for 10 minutes and finally, I told a waiter if he could get the chef for me.  I noticed this odd and unhappy look on the chef’s face like it was such inconvenience when the waiter told him about my request.   He did come over, make the eggs, throw them in my plate, and walk away unhappily.  Well, at least, I had my eggs!!!

One person in particular, I believe, should be the star of the hotel.  That is Daniel.  He is the driver of the shuttle bus.  I think he works the late afternoon shift into the evenings.  He picked us up at the train station as we arrived in Amsterdam.  He also delivered our luggage to our rooms.  He was professional and very friendly.   During our stay for the next few days, it was always a joy if he was driving the shuttle bus.  Very pleasant small talks, and always a nice smile on his face.

  @ moevenpick

I am planning our trip to France, England and the Netherlands in May.  After visiting so many search engines, I became frustrated because their hotel prices were pretty much the same.  Not until I found 1800Hotels.com, I was ecstatic.  Their prices are stunning, and I mean stunning.  They are significantly lower than others and most of them offer free breakfast.  That’s important to me because I hate to worry about where to eat breakfast in the morning; especially, before I have my coffee.

However, here is the catch.  Everything is prepaid, and subsequent changes will cost you expensive fees.  It looks like you can only get up to 80% of the money back if you decide to cancel before the time they allow.  Be sure to read the terms and conditions on the booking page where you enter the names and payment info.  So if you are definite about your trip, this is the site to go.

Also, they rate the hotels in 1800Hotel Silver Award or Gold Award.  If you are looking for nicer and more luxurious hotels, look for the ones that have these awards.  Normally, they are in the 4 or 5 stars categories.  With the rates significantly lower than others, it is worth the time taking a look at these hotels.

  @ 1800Hotels

This one smells sweet for me.  It reminds me of the Black Walnut eau de Toilette from Banana Republic.  In contrast to the Abercrombie Fierce Cologne, which is more fun for a good night out, Colden is more mature and sophisticated.

Which one lasts the longest?  Fierce is the winner.  Colden comes in second.  41 the third.

Fierce is just perfect for evenings.  Colden can be great for work during the day because it is sophisticated.  It is perfect for a romantic date as well because it is sweet.

At abercrombie for $50

You€™ll never have that moment of , €œAre they speaking English?  Or am I just too old?€

And this customer thought these flashcards were just stupendous.

 At Knock Knock for $14.99

I recently tried the 41 Cologne in an Abercrombie & Fitch store and I was mesmerized.  It is rugged, subtle, and yet makes a definite statement about yourself.  While I still prefer Banana Republic Classic cologne for work because I believe overpowering aftershave or cologne can kill the entire office personnel even mice and cockroaches, I think A&F 41 Cologne is good for day time fun.  My evening and clubbing choice is A&F Fierce Cologne.  To this day, I still get compliments when I wear it during the boy€™s night out.

 At Abercrombie & Fitch for $50 (1.7 oz)

 am still using my iGallop.  I can€™t believe that six months have gone by.  My core is in a very good shape.  Since the last update on 11/28/07, I have lost another 5 pounds.  My diet has not changed much.  I am still staying away from rice, pasta, noodles, and bread.  However, I will indulge myself once in while.  I love bread and pasta so I allow myself eating them in a small portion once a week or so.  Chicken, turkey, tofu, and the chocolate soy milk are my main sources of protein.  The 40-minute workout on the iGallop is perfect for me every day.  It gets my heart rate up, strengthens my lower back, and tones my core area. I am going on a vacation for 3 weeks starting January 26.  It will be strange because I won€™t have the iGallop with me.  But normally, we walk ourselves to death when we are on vacation anyway, so I am not too worried about it.  No matter how much we promised ourselves not to do that again, we still dragged ourselves to every scenic spot, every shop, even though our feet hurt like hell.  Eating out will be the biggest challenge, but I think I am disciplined this time to eat well and healthy.

Some stats before I leave for vacation.  A reality check will be performed when I come back.

Weight:  142.5 pounds

Waist:  31 inches

BMI:  22.9 (I calculated my BMI here on MSN.)

Before I started the iGallop exercises:

Weight:  165 pounds

Waist:  34 inches

BMI:  26.6

I couldn€™t remember who recommended this product to me, but I am glad someone did.  The scent is light and refreshing.  It is gentle and pampers your skin.

 At Aveda for $15.00

This cologne for sure will get you a lot of compliments.  I know it because I wear it.

Update (7/25/08):  Also check out Abercrombie & Fitch 41 Cologne Review

 At Abercrombie for $49.50

Just a few weeks ago, I was asking a sales person at Target if they carried any digital camera that could send photos wirelessly from a camera to a PC.  I upload pictures to my PC frequently.  Having to take the memory card out of the camera each time to perform the task is tedious; besides, my camera resets itself each time I take the chip out.  There has to be a better way.  And then, I found this – a wireless memory card.  I can now send pictures directly from the camera to the PC without any hassle.  It works as advertised.

 At Amazon for $99.99