Pear Tree Greetings

I don't normally vouch for a company anywhere, but I have to do so for Pear Tree Greetings!  They are a personalized stationery online store where you can order Birth Announcements to Holiday cards to stickers.  They offer super cute designs at reasonable prices.  Best yet is that they have EXCELLENT customer service. In fact, I ordered both last year's Christmas cards and Sarah's 1st birthday invitations from this company and I am 100% satisfied each time!! That is why, this year for our holiday cards, without browsing any other online site, I went straight to Pear Tree Greetings.  It did not take long for me to find a design that I liked.  So I uploaded the picture & sent it to print. Done!

However, when I got my cards yesterday via Fed-Ex, I was disappointed. The picture turned out darker than what I thought and wanted.  :-(   I was not happy with the cards.  With Pear Tree Greetings, your satisfaction is guaranteed, so I logged onto their website and connected with their Live Chat person.  A customer service rep named Kimberly responded immediately and I told them my situation.  Kimberly told me to send her a "lighten" picture and she would reprint the cards for me, for FREE!!  I was so happy that I have a second chance with my cards, even though it was obviously my fault for uploading the dark picture in the first place. The cards will ship in 2 days! Wow! Can't wait to see them!

I am so pleased with Pear Tree Greetings' customer service that I am spreading the word out to my fellow readers.  They are great!!  They are reasonably priced, have cute designs, and shipping is super fast!  You won't be disappointed!    

  

Today is our 8 year wedding anniversary! Can't believe that I've known SQ for over 11 years and we have been married for 8 years already! I must say that it sure doesn't feel that long.  Other than me travelling for work, there was not one day that SQ and I are apart. We spend almost all weekends together. His friends are my friends and vice versa. Some couples like their own space, their own separate friends, own time, but for me and SQ, we don't mind each other's company a bit...because we are best friends.

Sure, we get into arguments and fight about the silliest things, but we somehow get over it and move on. There are things we don't like or can't stand about the other, but we either overlook the flaws or find a way to change. Life's not perfect.  It never will be. All I know is that I can always count on SQ to be by my side, through good and bad times.

Cheers to a wonderful Eight years and many more to come!

Project Runway

I love Project Runway and Season 9 has just started!! It is my all-time favorite show.  I don't have cable so I can only watch this show is online. I like watching the designers' creativity and all the challenges that go with it.  The little bit of drama and personalities also make the show interesting.  I'm not a fashionista but I love the different clothes that come out of the show.  2 episodes out so far...can't wait until the next episode! 

By the way, while watching one of the season's show, I was so inspired that I even shopped around for a sewing machine...thinking that I can try to make my own clothes! ha ha ha!! The sewing machine never made it and I still have to buy my clothes.  Sewing is one of the skills that I wish I had.  My mom used to sew at home as a part-time job when we were little.  I remember that she would get these bags of fabric delivered from somewhere and she would sew the pieces together to make belts, collars, etc.  She would get paid like 10 cents a piece or something like that.  I remember helping her cut off loose thread strands off the finished products or flip the fabrics inside out.  We had this Brother sewing machine that comes on a table, equipped with foot pedals and all.  It was the Mercedes Benz of all sewing machines.  My mom ended up selling the machine off many years later to a friend of a friend for $200 (I think).  I regret that I didn't learn how to sew from that machine.  It was too intimidating.  I would still like to learn how to sew though.  Maybe I should just get a cheapie machine and ask my mom to show me!  

New Addiction: Fashion Story

I know this sounds really silly, but lately, I have been addicted to this game called Fashion Story.  It's one of those free online apps you download for your phone or tablet (I so happen to have it downloaded on both :-))

Basically, you own your own fashion boutique. You are given the essentials such as a couple of clothes rack, dressing rooms, tables, and mirrors to start.  You are also given some coins to purchase some clothes and accessories to start selling.  The items each have different prices and time it takes to arrive, which ranges from 1 minute to 1 day.  The longer the item takes to arrive and be ready for sale, the more units you have and the longer it will take to sell down. When the units are sold out, you will need new items to replace the empty rack/table. The objective of the game is to be in-stock and keep the customers happy.  As you collect more coins from sales, you can expand and upgrade your boutique, buy more tables and racks, etc.  It's really addicting because I constantly want to check if my tables are empty and what I need to buy more in the pipeline because it takes time.  My husband jokes that this is exactly what I do in real life anyways!! hahaha

Ok, now you know my current silly addiction - please don't judge me. :-) 

A Few of my Favorite (Beauty) Things

As part of my job, I am lucky that I get to sample a lot of beauty products for free.  The down side is that sometimes I absolutely fall in love with that product...and then I have to shell out my own $$ to buy them when I run out of the sample.  Here are a few of my favorite (Beauty) things!

Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser

 
Why I like this:  It really cleans my face - all the make up, dirt, and oil. I feel very refreshed and squeaky clean. Best part is that my face doesn't feel dry at all.  







Chanel Precision Toner

Why I like this:  I actually don't know if toners ever really "tone" my face, but I like this one because it's alcohol-free and it smells great.









Genifique Eye Serum

  
Why I like this: It's super light.  It doesn't make your eyes heavy like some of the other eye creams do.  







Estee Lauder Hydrationist Moisture Cream

Why I like this:  I am in love with this product.  It has the perfect balance - it's heavy enough for my dry winter skin, but yet it's not too oily that my face feels gross.  I apply it 2x a day during the winter months, and my face is silky smooth and moisturized.



Christian Dior Hydra Life Gel Serum

Why I like this:  On hotter months when my face is less dry, this is the perfect moisturizer for me.  This is also good for people with oily skin.  It's light and easy to apply.  The gel texture in a serum formula is a great combination.  





Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler

 


 Why I like this: Because it really CURLS.  I have bought so many of the cheap ones from drug stores before, and it just isn't the same!  Asian lashes are short to begin with, but this curler really can make your lashes longer & curl up!!  I accept no other imitation!   





Helena Rubinstein Lash Queen Black Mascara

 
Why I like this:  The mascara is black-black. Super black. The brush is perfect and can really extend your lashes.  I wrote an entry on this blog about this product before.  Go check it out here.  I absolutely love it!!  







Lancome Bi-Facil Eye make-up remover

Why I like this:  Because it works!!!  Again, I have used other eye make-up removers before, and still can't get all the mascara out. But this one works wonder and it is the best! 

Teaway

I am a HUGE fan of boba milk tea.  I love it more than coffee.  I am lucky that I live near Irving St (in the inner Sunset) because there are so many places to get a good cup of boba.

I think that Wonderful Foods should be considered the originator of this whole boba craze (at least in this area anyways). They were the first to be on Irving St. Their tea is good; they're great in my opinion.  It's full of tea flavor and they use crushed ice, which makes the drink nice and cold. They originally charged $2.50 each cup. There would be lines every time I go there. This is really the "IT" place.  After a while, I found out that if I don't get the boba (which I'm not crazy for anyways), they would only charge me $2.00.  I loved it!  It was the best thing ever!  However, this perk went away really fast.  The next time I went, regardless of boba or not, the charge was $2.50.  I didn't like that a bit.  Then soon after, they moved across the street and began to charge $2.75 per cup. The lady in there isn't all that nice either. Call it Feng shui, call it Fate, call it bad business sense, or call it fierce competition, but this store's popularity dwindled after they moved across the street.

Quickly came about and charged only 99 cents for a cup of milk tea. You can pay an additional 50 cents if you want to add boba.  Quickly's tea was never as good. It doesn't have the rich tea taste - in fact, it's more milky. I don't love it, but it's cheap.  For less than $1, I can satisfy my milk tea craves. So I went here instead. There's always a wait at Quickly too. And that's because there is usually only one person manning both the cash register and making the tea.  When a customer comes in and orders a smoothie or a few drinks, it'll take forever to have his/her order filled.  Oh yeah, there is usually also 1 guy in the back kitchen.  I think he's most likely the owner. Even though the lines are out the door, this man will never come out to help. He will be in the back of the store, chopping chicken.  Yes, I swear that is all he does - chop chicken.  He has no business acumen whatsoever. Customers, me included, have left that place because the lines were too long and have no patience to wait. 


So when Teaway first opened on Irving, I had my doubts. They would be the THIRD store on Irving selling boba milk tea.  The other two stores are just 1/2 block from each other.  There is NO room for Teaway to survive.  But I was totally wrong.  This place blossomed and has taken market share away from the other 2 stores.  At first, I didn't like their milk tea all that much.  Like Quickly's, their milk tea has more milk flavor than tea flavor. It's also very sweet. But what's different at this store is that they allow you to scoop in your own boba. Besides boba, they have different types of jelly. They charged only $1.99 per cup and implemented a customer loyalty program: Buy 8, get 1 free. $2 for a cup of milk tea is the "sweet spot" in terms of price point. Teaway is now the #1 store boba store on Irving.  There is always a line out the door, while the other 2 stores are quiet. I am a regular patron here now!

I guess the lesson to be learned here is that there is always room for improvement and creativity, despite how much competition there is!

Cole Haan

I usually wear shoes with heels at work just because most of my dress pants are hemed a little bit longer to accommodate for the heels. I only wear these shoes at work, on carpet, and no where else. Because they are, afterall, not that comfortable for walking on hard concrete floors for more than a couple of blocks. But I just found THE most comfortable dress shoes EVER. It is a Cole Haan shoe. Yes, it's true that they are on the pricier side. But if you get them on sale, they are a deal! So I got a pair of sandals (similar to the one below, the one I got only had about 2-1/2" heels) and wore them today. I basically walked everywhere with it and my feet didn't feel sore at all! You may question why such a shoe can be comfortable - they sure don't "look" comfortable. The reason is the Cole Haan is famous for incorporating "NikeAir" technology into their shoes. Yes! you know those Nike Air gel cushions you get from Nike running shoes? These shoes come with an extra cushion where the balls of the foot are. That part usually take the biggest brunt of the body weight, especially when the shoe has a high heel. So clever! I love these shoes!! I love Cole Haan. They are so damn comfortable that I don't think I can buy any other brand besides Cole Haan from now on. I just need to be on the lookout for those sales!

Miette Cupcakes

I am not much of a cupcake eater - my friend Sylvia is a big cupcake fan. Quite frankly, the ones I've eaten so far are mostly those made from a Betty Crocker box. So I didn't know what a "real" cupcake tastes like...until I ate from Miette Cakes. OMG! Their cupcakes are divine! I got a chocolate one today with Vanilla buttercream frosting and it was really really really good!! It was great! The cake itself was moist and the frosting creamy. Not too sweet ~ perfect! There are a handful of other flavors like a raspberry frosting, which I shall try next time. There is a Miette Cakes in the Ferry Building...close to work ~ Dangerous!

My new best friend

I love my Roomba. Just press 'CLEAN' and the i-robot just does its thing. It goes from wall to wall, corner to corner and sucks up all the dirt on the floors and carpets. I try to clear out as many "obstacles" (i.e. shoes, books, things on the floor that really shouldn't be there in the first place) ahead of time so Roomba can be more efficient.

So far I am really happy with it. Yes, it does take a while to have the room cleaned, but I don't pay attention to it at all. Most of the time, I set it on when I'm about to leave the house. The Roomba knows how to dock back itself into the charger when it's done. The floors are clean, clear of dust. I love to walk barefoot in my house so no more sticky feet!! The BEST part is that the Roomba can go underneath our bed. That's the one place that we can never vacuum. The only downside though, is that you will need to empty the dust compartment often because it's not big and fills up fast. Otherwise, it works great!!! It's fantastic and me heart my Roomba!

My Favorite Flowers

I love Tulips. They are my favorite flowers. I love them because they remind me of Spring and they bloom around my birthday. They are so simple yet elegant, clean and colorful. I love it when they droop down and become lazy and relaxed. I love the fact that when you drop a penny into the vase, the flowers stand up again. I love tulips because they make me happy.

I love Wednesdays because SQ and I get to go back to my parents' place for dinner. If I was shameless, I would go back to my parents' place everyday for dinner. I love my mom's cooking - the best is that her dishes offer both taste and nutrition. That, plus, they are hot and on the dinner table the minute we step into the house!

My mom actually didn't learn how to cook until she retired. In the past, she worked and my grandma would do all the cooking. So my mom picked up cooking after she retired, which was not too long ago! Some of my favorite dishes include:
- Chinese style mashed potatoes
- preserved veggies steamed with pork (梅菜蒸猪肉)
-steamed water eggs
There is so so much more ... too many to name.

Goodbye Rite Aid

Both my husband and I are super-bummed today to find out that the Rite Aid on Geary Blvd has stopped selling their delicious ice cream. The reason is that the store has been bought over by Walgreens and Walgreens don't serve ice cream. So depressed. This was our favorite place to go for a big scoop of yummy ice cream and it sold for only $1.19. Not only was it affordable but the taste of the ice cream was soooo good! The ice cream tradition was from Thrifty... When Rite Aid bought Thrifty, they continued the famous ice cream. But now... the ice cream was not part of the buyout. Goodbye Pineapple Coconut. Goodbye Pistachio Nut. Goodbye Dark Cherry. I will miss you.