Off to Cool Down by the Pool

I am very happy to be living near a Toronto park with a swimming pool. My kids like to go to Eringate park outdoor pool to relax and cool down most afternoons. The facility is free and caters to people of all ages. They have different programs such as learn to swim, leisure, family and length swimming opportunities.

The photo below was taken before my 3 little boys left for the pool.

Beat the Summer Heat

I never thought here in Canada I'd feel temperatures of between 30 to 35 degrees Celsius which is kind of a natural temperature from where I originally came from. It is a tad lower than the normal body temperature. Because of this, we are always thirsty and our Brita water filter pitcher we currently have is just not big enough for our family. When we visited a Bed, Bath and Beyond store at the Queensway. We shopped for something that could help us beat the heat. We ended up buying the following:

Lasko 14-in 3-Speed Oscillation Tower Fan

Nostalgia Electrics™ Coca-Cola® Series Frozen Beverage Station

Bionaire (bwf0522m) 3-Blade 3-Speed window fan

CreativeWare 3 Gallon cold beverage dispenser with fruit infuser

Columbia Sports Sunglasses

Got a belated father's day gift from my wife. It is nice to have an extra pair of sunglasses to protect the eye against harmful sun rays. She got it at Winners Dufferin Mall for under $50. The list Price online is USD 50-100 (Including Taxes and Shipping). I like the way it fits. It hugs my head well so it does not fall when I look down.





Details: 

Brand Columbia Style CBC701-C01-77-11 Style Sports Size Eye: 77/Bridge: 11Arm: 125 Gender Men Frame Plastic Color Black Lens Mirrored gray scratch/impact resistant Protection 100 percent UVA and UVB Rim Half rim Sun Protection Polarized Arms Red shaded ends. Logo signature at left arm Nose Pads None Dimensions 7.25 inches from temple to temple Material Plastic

Rear Bicycle Wheel with Broken Spokes - Repaired...

I posted a blog regarding "I Wonder Where I Can Bring My Bike For Repair..." Well I found a shop less than a mile from our place. I walked to the store, handed the reae wheel with the broken spokes and negotiated a price for the repair. I guess I did not do a good job trying to haggle a good quote. I ended up paying CAD 20 which is more than half the price I paid for the pre-owned bicycle. 

After 3 hours, I came back for the wheel and it was like new. The broken spokes have been replaced and the tire has been inflated. I went home and installed the wheel to the bike and showed it to my wife who will use it. She was very happy with it so all in all, it was not a bad idea to get the wheel repaired for the said cost.

Alexus' SK Graduation Picture

My youngest will be finishing Senior Kindergarten this school year 2013-2014 in Briarcrest Junior School. They had their pictures taken in advance and I would like to share it with everyone.

Aputure Amaran Halo AHL-HN100 LED Macro Ring Flash Light 95 CRI for Nikon

Having a little to spend on camera gadgets, I always go to my favorite online stores to look for discounted products, luckily for me Miniinthebox was offering 15% discount for purchases above $40. So I added my sought after camera gadget into my cart and went to the checkout page. The discount plus a coupon for $4 enabled me to get the "Aputure Amaran Halo AHL-HN100 LED Macro Ring Flash Light 95 CRI for Nikon F951" (which usually sells for around $60) for only $46.73. It even included free expedited shipping. The item arrived in our doorstep in less than 3 business days. I could have been so happy if not for the $22 import duties and taxes that I had to pay. I have ordered so many items before and I never had to pay these taxes. Apparently, it depends on how the item is declared. And because it was declared as electronics, I had to pay it. I sent the seller an e-mail stating that they should have something in the payment page that would warn users about import duties. I also told them that I could have paid less if I bought it locally. Their reply did say they have it in their web site and it was just in another page. Maybe because I have been their customer for a long time, they were nice enough to reimburse me half of the taxes I paid ($11) which made me feel better.

I have an idea on how to use it. However, I still need to start reading the manual to learn how to properly use it. I can already imagine my wife telling me "ROI, ROI, ROI...". It means (Return on Investment) I have to be able to maximize the usage so that it is a money well spent.

I Wonder Where I Can Bring My Bike For Repair...

Two summers ago, I bought a pre-owned bike for $30. It was posted at Kijiji and the photo of the bike looked nice. So I e-mailed the seller and made an appointment. I went to the sellers location right away because to me it was a good deal. Then a very funny thing happened next. The person who answered the door was wearing a very short shorts. I guess I paid more attention to her legs than the bike I was going to buy (LOL). I was told that I can test ride it but I said it looks okay. I paid for the bike and brought it home. When I was riding the bike, I heard a noise near the rear wheel. Only then that I realized that there were some spoke that were broken and the rim was not aligned. In effect the tire is hitting the frame. I have googled for a bike repair shop near our place in Etobicoke but could only find stores more than 40 kilometers away. They are also charging $25 at least which is almost the price I paid for the bike. I may be better off buying another pre-owned bike and hopefully I would not get distracted by a lady seller wearing shorts. Lesson learned.

Lito's House Project List - Item 20

Number 20 on the list - Tool Shed - completed. 

Although the tool shed is near the end of the list, it was one of the things we decided to purchase first so that we can store some of our tools and equipment that would otherwise make the house crowded.

Project details:

Cost: CAD 799 plus tax at Home Depot

Duration: 2 Days

Installation fee: Priceless

Purchase date: July 2012

Lito's House Project List - Item 3

Number 3 on the list - Stone edging maple - completed.

Before:

After:

Project details:

Duration: 1 Day

Completion date: 08 June 2014

Cost of Materials (stones, soil, Hosta plant) between CAD 100-150

Labor cost: Priceless!

Alexus Learns How to Ride A Bicycle

I thought that Alexus is ready to ride a bike with just two wheels. After a year of riding a bike with training wheels, he seems ready. I removed the training wheels and called him to try the bike. In less than 10 minutes he was doing it on his own. See video by clicking on this link -> Alexus riding a bike with 2 wheels.

Aloysius' Strawberry Plant/Tree

Upon returning home from their field  trip, Aloysius planted a small strawberry tree given to him after a couple of weeks, it already had small red strawberries.