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fezziwig
@fezziwig
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Purchases That Improved My Life
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Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 Neuro Fuzzy 5.5-Cup Rice Cooker
fezziwig
Makes Perfect Rice Everytime - Made in Japan
When I was younger and it was summer, we would go for a drive. Sometimes, the air conditioning would cake out, but being young, I didn't seem to mind so much. I sat next to my grandmother and we had gone out for ice cream. It was a Dairy Queen that had soft-serve vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate and it was really delicious.

When I got older, my parents worked a lot. My grandparents were retired, so they stayed at home and took care of us kids. Afterwards, my grandfather passed away due to old age or illnesses associated with aging. My grandfather had strength. This wasn't strength that you would measure like a feat of physical strength. It was strength that came from within. He always protected and provided for his family and he led a hard and difficult life, but when he dealt with people, he treated them with kindness.

Some years later, my grandmother prepared a meal for us. It was rice and some meat and vegetables. The rice wasn't cooked so well, and the meat wasn't good and the vegetables weren't great. That's just how the food was, but there were no complaints from any of us. We appreciated that we had a grandmother who wanted to watch over us and take care of us. We appreciated the food.

Years later, I went away to university and eventually bought a rice cooker of my own. It turned out to be too small, so I returned it and bought a larger one. I was living away from home and it was my first appliance. All the other meals that I had cooked by myself required a microwave. I remember walking home with the box, but I don't remember the name brand. My girlfriend and I had walked home together and all I remember was that it was a hot and sunny day. We immediately opened the box and pulled out the rice cooker to have a look and it was too small. It was a 3-cup rice cooker. I always remembered we had a large one growing up and this one was miniscule compared to it. I repackaged it and walked back to the shop and returned it. I exchanged it for a larger one. It was made in China and as far as I remember it worked out pretty well.

Over time, I started shopping at Korean grocery stores, good ones like PAT Central and H-Mart, and ended up buying a metallic pink colored rice cooker that was made in Korea. It worked pretty well, but I would get undercooked rice occasionally. The rice always turned out pretty good, but was never quite perfect.

There was a soup place that I used to frequent. It would be a bit of a walk, but I didn't mind. It was in the city and sometimes, just easier to get to on foot rather than driving. Whether it was sunny out, or cold and snowy or windy, cold and raining, I still went to the soup place whenever I had a craving for some really tasty soup. It would always be soup and some bread or dinner rolls. The bread would be good, but still never as good as the soup itself. I noticed one time that they had some really large commercial rice cookers next to the soup warmers where the staff would ladle soup out. I looked up the name brand and it was the famous elephant brand of rice cookers from Japan called Zojirushi.

I did some research and ended up buying one of the ones from Zojirushi that was made in Japan. This rice cooker was something. As people, we love people and animals, but sometimes rarely, we love items. This is something I love. I never thought I could love a rice cooker, but I do. I would eat Basmati rice and Jasmine rice. My favorite is to use scented Jasmine rice with this rice cooker (the brand with the rooster on it from Thailand). I carefully measure out the rice using the included measuring cup. I would wash the rice about 8 times to get rid of the starch. I then pour off the rice into the cooking bowl of the rice cooker. I top up the water level to the line indicated based on how much rice I used. So, if I am making 3 cups of rice, I add water up to the "3" line. The rice comes out great and probably what I would consider perfect, everytime. The rice comes out moist and fluffy, but also granular.

I like having a nice meal. Whenever I cook anything with rice, for the most part, the meal is ruined if the rice is ruined. I never have that issue with the Zojirushi. This has been a gamechanger for me. I can add the rice and water and the rice cooker will have rice ready in about 45 minutes. It has improved my life because I never have to worry about the rice quality ruining the meal ever again. The rice doesn't come out good, but great, perfect, each and everytime. I love this rice cooker. #gamechanger
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Wera BC 10 Zyklop Mini 1 Ratchet Tool
fezziwig
I like to have this with me when I am biking so that I can help other people
I was a young kid and my parents sent me to live with a family friend for awhile. I got to stay with a nice lady and she took care of me and she had no children of her own. She had shown a lot of affection for me and my brothers and sisters, but I was her favorite. I didn't think there was anything out of the ordinary about me. The only thing I considered myself as was I was a little on the more gentle side and I wasn't that much more intelligent, but I liked to observe things and point things out that seemed interesting. I loved to learn about things and sometimes was very protective of my younger brother, but nothing else really out of the ordinary.

One of the things I remembered was when I was living with this family friend, I was given a bicycle to ride. It had pedals but it didn't have training wheels and it was more or less my first bike. The weird thing was I got on the bike and I understood the basic concept of bicycling and I got it to work fairly quickly. There was something different with the wheels that made it balance more easily compared to a standard bicycle for a child. The terrain was gravel and I had no issues handling it. That was my first bike.

As I got older, my parents bought me a regular bicycle. I had trouble riding it and kept losing my balance. I guess my first bike I had beginner's luck. I eventually got the hang of it through much trial and error. I would hang out with my family and sometimes I would go out with friends riding our bicycles. One time I was riding and my bicycle chain fell off. I was still new to all of this and wasn't sure what to do. I saw some kids walk by. They were older and I was scared they would do something. One who seemed to be the oldest walked over and saw what the issue was. The other two stayed back a distance and just watched. The oldest kid helped me flip my bike over and pulled on the pedal and got the chain back on the chainring and sent me on my way.

Years later, I was riding on my bicycle. There was this large park area that had a long bicycle trail in the city that went out into the lake. I was riding along and I was at the entrance and started biking onto the main paved trail to go out to the end of the trail and back. I saw a kid on his bicycle looking at me. For some reason he seemed familiar. For a moment I could swear it was the same kid who helped me so many years ago and yet he hadn't aged a bit. It was like it was the same person. It was eery and the kid said to me, "Can you help my dad?" His father had an old bicycle and the parts were old and rusted. The front tire had a flat. I am normally on the defensive when riding because of how things are in the city. I stopped my bike.

I had a look at his bike. There wasn't much I could do to help the kid or his father. I didn't have any tools or a patch kit with me. I didn't even carry a bike pump at the time. I stopped my bike to speak to the father and chat for a bit about the situation. I told him what I thought the issue was and how to fix it, but I didn't have tools on me to do the job. I eventually went on my way and biked along. The trail would get busy and there had to be someone who had the proper tools for a flat.

Years later, I had stopped biking for awhile, but started biking again. I would still go by the park trail near the lake. The only difference was that I carried proper tools with me at all times. I would always have a pump on me with tools. This Wera mini ratchet improved my life because it was one of the tools that I could carry with me so that I can help other people. I first got it because it was the only tool that I could use to tighten the seat bolt of my new saddle easily. I got a more comfortable saddle for my bicycle and it is so much more comfortable for rides, short distances or long. I ended up keeping the ratchet on me since it is so small even with the bits. I can do all sorts of work on my bike with it. It is something I have with me along with my other tools so that I can help others with flats or any basic repairs so that people can get on their way with their rides or have the bike in a good enough state so that they can get home. Wera is a German company and the ratchet I bought at the time was made in the Czech Republic and is incredibly well-made. It can be used to ratchet in the clockwise or counter-clockwise directions.
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Miracles by Stuart Wilde
fezziwig
A Very Important Book in my Life. I Like to Re-Read It.
When I was younger, I wanted to go snowboarding. I wanted to head north. I told my parents this and they decided to make it a family trip. We got in the car and drove up north about two hours and got to the ski resort. I rented a snowboard and went snowboarding. My family decided to hang out in the resort area. I went snowboarding and during one of the earlier runs I remembered that I had fallen and hit my head. The whole trip seemed fragmented to me in my memory. I don't really remember too many details of this trip.

The only weird thing I remembered was that I was with my family in a store in the resort area. It seemed like it was a gift shop. I don't remember if I was in the store before or after snowboarding and hitting my head. I was in a magazine section and must have been looking for a snowboarding magazine. The shelves for the magazines seemed like they were metallic and powder coated.

There was a strange book that immediately stood out to me, Miracles by Stuart Wilde. Three things about it caught my attention: the form factor, the placement of the book, and the sparkly foil on the cover. The book was tiny, about half the size of a standard smartphone and it sat out in the open on the shelf all by itself and it had sparkly lettering and bubbles on the front cover. I don't remember buying the book. I don't remember touching it or even picking it up. My memory stores took me to the point where I saw the book on a bookshelf or magazine shelf and that was all. I saw the book and had no further memory of it afterwards. I remember waking up a few times in the night with blankets on me and I was on the hotel room floor.

The next morning I was packing up clothing and belongings into my duffel bag. I remember checking one of the side pockets and finding this book in it. I put it back and zipped up the pocket and loaded the bag into the car. We then had breakfast at a restaurant. Even to this day, the events that happened to me didn't seem like it was a part of my memory, like it wasn't a memory of my actual experiences. It felt more like I was listening to a story told to me and I envisioned the story that was told to me and that was what was in my memory. Yet, I have this book.

After awhile, I finally read the book. I was younger and it took me longer to read it than it should have. I won't reveal too much about the book, but the main message was anyone can create miracles in their own life. They can alter life to become exactly as they wanted it to be. It required two things: 1) You must spell out exactly what you want in life and you must be specific and describe it carefully so that you have a clear vision of what it was that you wanted. 2) You must pay for it by believing it will come to pass and altering your thought patterns and emotions so that they would fit with the goal or miracle.

This book improved my life because it changed the trajectory of my life. The main thing this book did for me when I accepted its principles was that it changed my attitude and outlook on life. Life wasn't to be a torment, but full of wonder and abundance. It instilled in me a sense that I could actually take control of my life and make events better. Whenever I reached low points in my life or it seemed like my life was heading downward and in the wrong direction, I would pick up this book and read it. I had read this book many times already and the cover was starting to come apart. I used this book to restructure my mind and its thinking patterns and to try to be more positive. As a side effect, I would feel a little stronger and more resilient to the events and circumstances around me. I felt that this book was a part of me and my identity and would be on my "must-read" and "re-read" books list.
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Upside down position to see the grip at the bottomAnother angle: Upside down position to see the grip at the bottom
Obol - The Original Never Soggy Cereal Bowl, Large
fezziwig
No More Sogginess. I Can Eat Cereal While Customizing the Crispiness and Sogginess
When I was young, my father would take us kids to the hospital to visit my mom. It would usually be the first thing we did when we arrived in hospital. We would take the elevator and proceed down the hallway to her room. We would visit my mom and she would hug and kiss each one of us. She would be very happy to see us and we her. My father and mother would talk for awhile and then we would head out. Sometimes, before we headed out, we would go to the hospital cafeteria and get breakfast. We would each get a mini cereal box and sit at a table. We would then lay the box flat and open the top side through the cardboard and through the plastic bag inside and it would serve as a makeshift bowl for the cereal and then we would pour milk in it and eat the cereal.

While my father was taking care of us, he would occasionally come home with fruit and a multipack of the mini cereal boxes. Sometimes, we would eat the cereal out of the box using the box as a bowl. At other times, we would just dump the cereal into a bowl and eat it.

I bought a set of these Obol cereal bowls (large). It had improved my life because it allowed me to eat my cereal without it getting too soggy. I could have the cereal up on the top ledge part of the bowl and scoop down cereal whenever I needed. If I wanted more crispy cereal, I would leave the cereal in the milk for less time. I could leave cereal in longer if I wanted to have soggier cereal. One advantage of this set up was that I could customize the sogginess of the cereal. This meant that I didn't have to eat cereal that was falling apart because it had been soaking in milk for too long.

If I were to use a traditional bowl, I could fill up the bowl with the cereal I intended to eat and add milk. The cereal on top would be very crispy and the cereal on the bottom would be very soggy. There would be a small part where the cereal would be close to just right. With the Obol, it meant that the majority of the cereal would be in the ideal sogginess to crispiness range because I could tailor how long I wanted the cereal to soak.

Something that was kinda cool about this bowl was that it had a nice and nifty grip at the bottom of the bowl. What this did was it made it so that the bowl didn't need to be used just for cereal on the table. You could hold onto it from the bottom and eat popcorn out of it if you were on the couch. You could put nachos on the top level and a dip on the bottom to keep them separated until you wanted to dip them in the dip. The same could apply to chips and dip or tataki tuna and rice.
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Maui Jim Sunglasses Stonecrushers
fezziwig
I splurged on a pair of high-quality sunglasses - Made in Japan
There was an area of land in the city that used to protrude out into a peninsula. Then there was a big storm that hit the area and eroded the connecting piece of land and the outer part of the peninsula was separated by water and became an island. The only way to get to the island was by ferry or by boat taxi. Going by ferry, you could travel on foot or take a bicycle along with you to the island.

I loved going to the island. I especially loved going in the summer with my girlfriend. We had brought along our kick scooters. At the time, these were very popular. You would sometimes see people riding in their business attire going to work on one of these things in the city. It may have been a fad, but it was incredibly fun to ride one of these. Recently, more and more people are riding electric scooters and kick scooters have seen a slight resurgence.

This scooter has inline skates type wheels made of a hard polyurethane. They would have provided a more comfy ride if they were pneumatic and made of rubber, but probably designed with polyurethane wheels to be cost-effective and durable. You would more commonly see pneumatic tires on the modern day electric scooters. The ones we had at the time were foot powered, but were light, inexpensive, and easy to transport.

We had got to the ferry and folded up the scooters and sat on the main level and looked out the window with the lake breeze blowing through. The sky was clear and blue and the lake breeze was refreshing and cooling. We chatted and had a nice ferry ride to the island. We got out onto the island and just scooted around the asphalt path along the park. There were cyclists and inline skaters and just a lot of people having fun and enjoying the island with their friends and families.

It was sunny and we loved the sun while were riding. We had on our sunglasses to protect our eyes from the UV radiation and from the sun as we were scooting along. They weren't anything expensive or fancy, just the type you could find at a gas station or the lower end ones that you department stores. It was a fun and stressfree and carefree experience and it felt a wee bit like flying every now and then as we scooted along. It was hot, but there was a nice breeze from the lake. We got to explore the island and it was easier and more fun scooting than just walking.

We ended up finding a wooden structure next to the boardwalk that looked like a wall with an organic and wavy cut along the top. There were some rounds parts in the wall itself with bent and curved branches and curved wood pieces that acted like windows for people to look out through to see the lake. It kinda looked like something out of a fairytale.

By this time, it was starting to get late. We went to another part of the island where there were shops and we picked up a funnel cake. I had not actually had a funnel cake before this point, but my girlfriend thought I would like it. My friends would always be telling me to try funnel cakes since grade school. For those of you who have not had a funnel cake, it is similar to a churro and somewhat like a donut. It is basically batter that gets deep fried and topped with powdered sugar/confectioner's sugar. The one we bought had powdered sugar and whipped cream and strawberries on it. It was delicious and probably one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten.

For the longest time, even from that point on, I had always used cheap sunglasses. I would be out doing various higher speed or lower speed activities and use a fairly inexpensive pair of sunglasses. For the most part, they worked. I would find myself dropping the sunglasses, crushing them, damaging them in some way, or losing them. The quality was okay, but the ones I bought were not polarized. It is better to get polarized sunglasses because not only do they block out the sunlight on really sunny days, they reduce glare from when the sun hits shiny objects that get reflected at your eyes.

I was able to expand my budget a bit and ended up buying a high-quality pair of sunglasses from Maui Jim. I was looking at some other brands, but I felt that Maui Jim had the highest quality per dollar even if the price tag was higher than what I was used to. I narrowed down my search to a bunch of models and picked out Stone Crushers. This particular model was made in Japan. I had actually gone to a brick-and-mortar location and was not able to find a pair to try on. You should always try on sunglasses in person to see how they fit and how comfortable they are because you may need to wear them for a long time and may need them for high-speed or rugged outdoor activities depending on your lifestyle. For me, I focussed on the fit and grip over my ears at my temple and over my nose. I needed something that was comfortable, lightweight, and would stay on my face and to my luck, the Stone Crushers fit the bill.

I love my Stone Crushers and they really improved my life whenever I am doing activities outside. I have a cheaper pair of sunglasses and the optics seem a bit blurry due to the lens or the coating. The Stone Crushers have excellent and crisp optics and block out the sun and help reduce glare. They are so much better than the cheaper pair. I found that I needed to wear sunglasses because the sun can be quiet strong, but was never fully comfortable wearing the cheaper sunglasses as they didn't fit very well and the optics were low quality and the sunglasses seemed to make everything seem a little off and a bit disorienting. All of that was solved when I switched to Maui Jim's. They have improved my life and I feel they are a gamechanger and are worth spending the extra on. The only catch is that I have to be extra careful not to damage them and I have to mindful of where I put them in case I lose them or leave them behind somewhere. Luckily this hasn't happened. #gamechanger
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Usaga Head Scalp Massager
fezziwig
Nice Tingling Sensation That Helps with Relaxation
It was the end of the school year and we were having our final school trip. We would be starting high school in the autumn. The trip involved the students getting into buses and going on a two hour ride out to the woods where we would stay. We would be staying a few days. Surprisingly, we were all on our best behavior and we all had a good time because of it.

There were staff there that prepared all of the meals. There were also toasters available with bread slices and peanut butter, butter, jam and milk and cereal for those who didn't want to eat the main hot foods. The main hot foods however, were fantastic and quite delicious. We all got to sit with our friends in the newly built log cabin cafeteria and have nice meals in between group activities in the woods and on the lake. It was a fun and joyous time.

It began to rain the last few days that we were there. We still did a lot of the activities that were planned for us. We just weren't on the water a lot. We had also gone from our sleeping area to a communal area and the teachers set up videos for us to watch. I remember sitting in the area, still a bit cold and it was starting to warm up. Water was dripping from my hair into my scalp creating a sort of tickling sensation.

Fast-forward some years and I arrived at one of the happiest moments in my life. My wife and I were a bit stressed from work, so we decided to go on a bit of a staycation. We drove out about an hour and a half from home and arrived at the trailhead of a conservation area. The dirt road and gravel parking lot were pretty quiet.

We hadn't checked the forecast for the area and just wanted to go on a hike. The grass and the leaves on the trees were green. The trees were swaying a bit in the wind and the skies were a pleasant blue-gray color. We proceeded into the woods and were walking along and talking. A man and woman each on mountain bikes were just leaving the area. Afterwards, it would only be my wife and I in the woods.

We were probably at the halfway point and then it started to rain. I had actually brought an umbrella along for the trip, but left it in the car. I had neglected to bring it along because I wanted to carry minimal weight for the hike. It rained and rained and rained. You could hear the rushing of rain splashing hard on the ground and the leaves. It was kinda hard to see the trail because there was so much rain, but we kept going. I tried to cover my wife with my hiking bag, but it didn't do much. We had on t-shirts and shorts. I didn't have a jacket with me or anything else.

We were stuck in the moment and the experience was just my wife and I in nature. We seemed to be aware of nothing else, but the rain, and being in the woods and trying to hurry back to the car. It was probably 45 minutes of walking before we made it out, but it was stressful and exhiliarating at the same time. We finally made it back to the car and had this overwhelming sense of relief and safety wash over us. At the time, it was an uncomfortable experience. I remarked it was stressful, but would be a memorable experience despite it being uncomfortable, it will probably become a nice memory for me and for us. It was one of the happiest moments of my life. We were soaking wet from head to toe and I won't forget that sensation of the water trickling down my hair and down my scalp.

This scalp massager is one of the coolest things I own. I really like using it as nothing else seems to replicate the sensation that it creates. It is an interesting sensation, somewhat like rain drops trickling from your hair down your scalp mixed with fine and gentle fingers massaging your scalp. It helps create a sensation of relaxation and well-being and can really help as a part of an overall destressing regimen.
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fezziwig
Makes Perfect Rice Everytime - Made in Japan
1
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6
fezziwig
zojirushi-ns-zcc10-neuro-fuzzy-5-5-cup-rice-cooker
1
2449583b0466a5a0edc9879629255b306b79f3aa9e074bf6e77db962b48472c29c3ff975c2a8fdf11486f4c4b06e8.jpg
Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 Neuro Fuzzy 5.5-Cup Rice Cooker
When I was younger and it was summer, we would go for a drive. Sometimes, the air conditioning would cake out, but being young, I didn't seem to mind so much. I sat next to my grandmother and we had gone out for ice cream. It was a Dairy Queen that had soft-serve vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate and it was really delicious. When I got older, my parents worked a lot. My grandparents were retired, so they stayed at home and took care of us kids. Afterwards, my grandfather passed away due to old age or illnesses associated with aging. My grandfather had strength. This wasn't strength that you would measure like a feat of physical strength. It was strength that came from within. He always protected and provided for his family and he led a hard and difficult life, but when he dealt with people, he treated them with kindness. Some years later, my grandmother prepared a meal for us. It was rice and some meat and vegetables. The rice wasn't cooked so well, and the meat wasn't good and the vegetables weren't great. That's just how the food was, but there were no complaints from any of us. We appreciated that we had a grandmother who wanted to watch over us and take care of us. We appreciated the food. Years later, I went away to university and eventually bought a rice cooker of my own. It turned out to be too small, so I returned it and bought a larger one. I was living away from home and it was my first appliance. All the other meals that I had cooked by myself required a microwave. I remember walking home with the box, but I don't remember the name brand. My girlfriend and I had walked home together and all I remember was that it was a hot and sunny day. We immediately opened the box and pulled out the rice cooker to have a look and it was too small. It was a 3-cup rice cooker. I always remembered we had a large one growing up and this one was miniscule compared to it. I repackaged it and walked back to the shop and returned it. I exchanged it for a larger one. It was made in China and as far as I remember it worked out pretty well. Over time, I started shopping at Korean grocery stores, good ones like PAT Central and H-Mart, and ended up buying a metallic pink colored rice cooker that was made in Korea. It worked pretty well, but I would get undercooked rice occasionally. The rice always turned out pretty good, but was never quite perfect. There was a soup place that I used to frequent. It would be a bit of a walk, but I didn't mind. It was in the city and sometimes, just easier to get to on foot rather than driving. Whether it was sunny out, or cold and snowy or windy, cold and raining, I still went to the soup place whenever I had a craving for some really tasty soup. It would always be soup and some bread or dinner rolls. The bread would be good, but still never as good as the soup itself. I noticed one time that they had some really large commercial rice cookers next to the soup warmers where the staff would ladle soup out. I looked up the name brand and it was the famous elephant brand of rice cookers from Japan called Zojirushi. I did some research and ended up buying one of the ones from Zojirushi that was made in Japan. This rice cooker was something. As people, we love people and animals, but sometimes rarely, we love items. This is something I love. I never thought I could love a rice cooker, but I do. I would eat Basmati rice and Jasmine rice. My favorite is to use scented Jasmine rice with this rice cooker (the brand with the rooster on it from Thailand). I carefully measure out the rice using the included measuring cup. I would wash the rice about 8 times to get rid of the starch. I then pour off the rice into the cooking bowl of the rice cooker. I top up the water level to the line indicated based on how much rice I used. So, if I am making 3 cups of rice, I add water up to the "3" line. The rice comes out great and probably what I would consider perfect, everytime. The rice comes out moist and fluffy, but also granular. I like having a nice meal. Whenever I cook anything with rice, for the most part, the meal is ruined if the rice is ruined. I never have that issue with the Zojirushi. This has been a gamechanger for me. I can add the rice and water and the rice cooker will have rice ready in about 45 minutes. It has improved my life because I never have to worry about the rice quality ruining the meal ever again. The rice doesn't come out good, but great, perfect, each and everytime. I love this rice cooker. #gamechanger
I like to have this with me when I am biking so that I can help other people
32
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8
fezziwig
wera-bc-10-zyklop-mini-1-ratchet-tool
ade046fbb95bf6291a4fff0069e8911fd3fcda08e9b91893a03869a5008a31c985a2203f90b929b41a8efb5cd20e7.jpg
Wera BC 10 Zyklop Mini 1 Ratchet Tool
I was a young kid and my parents sent me to live with a family friend for awhile. I got to stay with a nice lady and she took care of me and she had no children of her own. She had shown a lot of affection for me and my brothers and sisters, but I was her favorite. I didn't think there was anything out of the ordinary about me. The only thing I considered myself as was I was a little on the more gentle side and I wasn't that much more intelligent, but I liked to observe things and point things out that seemed interesting. I loved to learn about things and sometimes was very protective of my younger brother, but nothing else really out of the ordinary. One of the things I remembered was when I was living with this family friend, I was given a bicycle to ride. It had pedals but it didn't have training wheels and it was more or less my first bike. The weird thing was I got on the bike and I understood the basic concept of bicycling and I got it to work fairly quickly. There was something different with the wheels that made it balance more easily compared to a standard bicycle for a child. The terrain was gravel and I had no issues handling it. That was my first bike. As I got older, my parents bought me a regular bicycle. I had trouble riding it and kept losing my balance. I guess my first bike I had beginner's luck. I eventually got the hang of it through much trial and error. I would hang out with my family and sometimes I would go out with friends riding our bicycles. One time I was riding and my bicycle chain fell off. I was still new to all of this and wasn't sure what to do. I saw some kids walk by. They were older and I was scared they would do something. One who seemed to be the oldest walked over and saw what the issue was. The other two stayed back a distance and just watched. The oldest kid helped me flip my bike over and pulled on the pedal and got the chain back on the chainring and sent me on my way. Years later, I was riding on my bicycle. There was this large park area that had a long bicycle trail in the city that went out into the lake. I was riding along and I was at the entrance and started biking onto the main paved trail to go out to the end of the trail and back. I saw a kid on his bicycle looking at me. For some reason he seemed familiar. For a moment I could swear it was the same kid who helped me so many years ago and yet he hadn't aged a bit. It was like it was the same person. It was eery and the kid said to me, "Can you help my dad?" His father had an old bicycle and the parts were old and rusted. The front tire had a flat. I am normally on the defensive when riding because of how things are in the city. I stopped my bike. I had a look at his bike. There wasn't much I could do to help the kid or his father. I didn't have any tools or a patch kit with me. I didn't even carry a bike pump at the time. I stopped my bike to speak to the father and chat for a bit about the situation. I told him what I thought the issue was and how to fix it, but I didn't have tools on me to do the job. I eventually went on my way and biked along. The trail would get busy and there had to be someone who had the proper tools for a flat. Years later, I had stopped biking for awhile, but started biking again. I would still go by the park trail near the lake. The only difference was that I carried proper tools with me at all times. I would always have a pump on me with tools. This Wera mini ratchet improved my life because it was one of the tools that I could carry with me so that I can help other people. I first got it because it was the only tool that I could use to tighten the seat bolt of my new saddle easily. I got a more comfortable saddle for my bicycle and it is so much more comfortable for rides, short distances or long. I ended up keeping the ratchet on me since it is so small even with the bits. I can do all sorts of work on my bike with it. It is something I have with me along with my other tools so that I can help others with flats or any basic repairs so that people can get on their way with their rides or have the bike in a good enough state so that they can get home. Wera is a German company and the ratchet I bought at the time was made in the Czech Republic and is incredibly well-made. It can be used to ratchet in the clockwise or counter-clockwise directions.
A Very Important Book in my Life. I Like to Re-Read It.
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3
fezziwig
miracles-by-stuart-wilde
f74a051bfaaa9617b2b0b961fb24e6cc10b9b10bf585536a94b1533161ad5e9b839feee6c4b4db30a8fdfa6358c4c.jpg
Miracles by Stuart Wilde
When I was younger, I wanted to go snowboarding. I wanted to head north. I told my parents this and they decided to make it a family trip. We got in the car and drove up north about two hours and got to the ski resort. I rented a snowboard and went snowboarding. My family decided to hang out in the resort area. I went snowboarding and during one of the earlier runs I remembered that I had fallen and hit my head. The whole trip seemed fragmented to me in my memory. I don't really remember too many details of this trip. The only weird thing I remembered was that I was with my family in a store in the resort area. It seemed like it was a gift shop. I don't remember if I was in the store before or after snowboarding and hitting my head. I was in a magazine section and must have been looking for a snowboarding magazine. The shelves for the magazines seemed like they were metallic and powder coated. There was a strange book that immediately stood out to me, Miracles by Stuart Wilde. Three things about it caught my attention: the form factor, the placement of the book, and the sparkly foil on the cover. The book was tiny, about half the size of a standard smartphone and it sat out in the open on the shelf all by itself and it had sparkly lettering and bubbles on the front cover. I don't remember buying the book. I don't remember touching it or even picking it up. My memory stores took me to the point where I saw the book on a bookshelf or magazine shelf and that was all. I saw the book and had no further memory of it afterwards. I remember waking up a few times in the night with blankets on me and I was on the hotel room floor. The next morning I was packing up clothing and belongings into my duffel bag. I remember checking one of the side pockets and finding this book in it. I put it back and zipped up the pocket and loaded the bag into the car. We then had breakfast at a restaurant. Even to this day, the events that happened to me didn't seem like it was a part of my memory, like it wasn't a memory of my actual experiences. It felt more like I was listening to a story told to me and I envisioned the story that was told to me and that was what was in my memory. Yet, I have this book. After awhile, I finally read the book. I was younger and it took me longer to read it than it should have. I won't reveal too much about the book, but the main message was anyone can create miracles in their own life. They can alter life to become exactly as they wanted it to be. It required two things: 1) You must spell out exactly what you want in life and you must be specific and describe it carefully so that you have a clear vision of what it was that you wanted. 2) You must pay for it by believing it will come to pass and altering your thought patterns and emotions so that they would fit with the goal or miracle. This book improved my life because it changed the trajectory of my life. The main thing this book did for me when I accepted its principles was that it changed my attitude and outlook on life. Life wasn't to be a torment, but full of wonder and abundance. It instilled in me a sense that I could actually take control of my life and make events better. Whenever I reached low points in my life or it seemed like my life was heading downward and in the wrong direction, I would pick up this book and read it. I had read this book many times already and the cover was starting to come apart. I used this book to restructure my mind and its thinking patterns and to try to be more positive. As a side effect, I would feel a little stronger and more resilient to the events and circumstances around me. I felt that this book was a part of me and my identity and would be on my "must-read" and "re-read" books list.
No More Sogginess. I Can Eat Cereal While Customizing the Crispiness and Sogginess
21
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10
fezziwig
obol-the-original-never-soggy-cereal-bowl-large
ade1311615a387cb397fab54c55823b3c122aa716115906c18854fe8df6729177ece8012b5f2fab8ab43413253662.jpg
Obol - The Original Never Soggy Cereal Bowl, Large
When I was young, my father would take us kids to the hospital to visit my mom. It would usually be the first thing we did when we arrived in hospital. We would take the elevator and proceed down the hallway to her room. We would visit my mom and she would hug and kiss each one of us. She would be very happy to see us and we her. My father and mother would talk for awhile and then we would head out. Sometimes, before we headed out, we would go to the hospital cafeteria and get breakfast. We would each get a mini cereal box and sit at a table. We would then lay the box flat and open the top side through the cardboard and through the plastic bag inside and it would serve as a makeshift bowl for the cereal and then we would pour milk in it and eat the cereal. While my father was taking care of us, he would occasionally come home with fruit and a multipack of the mini cereal boxes. Sometimes, we would eat the cereal out of the box using the box as a bowl. At other times, we would just dump the cereal into a bowl and eat it. I bought a set of these Obol cereal bowls (large). It had improved my life because it allowed me to eat my cereal without it getting too soggy. I could have the cereal up on the top ledge part of the bowl and scoop down cereal whenever I needed. If I wanted more crispy cereal, I would leave the cereal in the milk for less time. I could leave cereal in longer if I wanted to have soggier cereal. One advantage of this set up was that I could customize the sogginess of the cereal. This meant that I didn't have to eat cereal that was falling apart because it had been soaking in milk for too long. If I were to use a traditional bowl, I could fill up the bowl with the cereal I intended to eat and add milk. The cereal on top would be very crispy and the cereal on the bottom would be very soggy. There would be a small part where the cereal would be close to just right. With the Obol, it meant that the majority of the cereal would be in the ideal sogginess to crispiness range because I could tailor how long I wanted the cereal to soak. Something that was kinda cool about this bowl was that it had a nice and nifty grip at the bottom of the bowl. What this did was it made it so that the bowl didn't need to be used just for cereal on the table. You could hold onto it from the bottom and eat popcorn out of it if you were on the couch. You could put nachos on the top level and a dip on the bottom to keep them separated until you wanted to dip them in the dip. The same could apply to chips and dip or tataki tuna and rice.
I splurged on a pair of high-quality sunglasses - Made in Japan
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13
fezziwig
maui-jim-sunglasses-stonecrushers
f5b027fe73f9f72f192a66bbcfe2c33216ae147c467304cf49c156e064b02044a3dc099a92a3410bd03b5aebed563.jpg
Maui Jim Sunglasses Stonecrushers
There was an area of land in the city that used to protrude out into a peninsula. Then there was a big storm that hit the area and eroded the connecting piece of land and the outer part of the peninsula was separated by water and became an island. The only way to get to the island was by ferry or by boat taxi. Going by ferry, you could travel on foot or take a bicycle along with you to the island. I loved going to the island. I especially loved going in the summer with my girlfriend. We had brought along our kick scooters. At the time, these were very popular. You would sometimes see people riding in their business attire going to work on one of these things in the city. It may have been a fad, but it was incredibly fun to ride one of these. Recently, more and more people are riding electric scooters and kick scooters have seen a slight resurgence. This scooter has inline skates type wheels made of a hard polyurethane. They would have provided a more comfy ride if they were pneumatic and made of rubber, but probably designed with polyurethane wheels to be cost-effective and durable. You would more commonly see pneumatic tires on the modern day electric scooters. The ones we had at the time were foot powered, but were light, inexpensive, and easy to transport. We had got to the ferry and folded up the scooters and sat on the main level and looked out the window with the lake breeze blowing through. The sky was clear and blue and the lake breeze was refreshing and cooling. We chatted and had a nice ferry ride to the island. We got out onto the island and just scooted around the asphalt path along the park. There were cyclists and inline skaters and just a lot of people having fun and enjoying the island with their friends and families. It was sunny and we loved the sun while were riding. We had on our sunglasses to protect our eyes from the UV radiation and from the sun as we were scooting along. They weren't anything expensive or fancy, just the type you could find at a gas station or the lower end ones that you department stores. It was a fun and stressfree and carefree experience and it felt a wee bit like flying every now and then as we scooted along. It was hot, but there was a nice breeze from the lake. We got to explore the island and it was easier and more fun scooting than just walking. We ended up finding a wooden structure next to the boardwalk that looked like a wall with an organic and wavy cut along the top. There were some rounds parts in the wall itself with bent and curved branches and curved wood pieces that acted like windows for people to look out through to see the lake. It kinda looked like something out of a fairytale. By this time, it was starting to get late. We went to another part of the island where there were shops and we picked up a funnel cake. I had not actually had a funnel cake before this point, but my girlfriend thought I would like it. My friends would always be telling me to try funnel cakes since grade school. For those of you who have not had a funnel cake, it is similar to a churro and somewhat like a donut. It is basically batter that gets deep fried and topped with powdered sugar/confectioner's sugar. The one we bought had powdered sugar and whipped cream and strawberries on it. It was delicious and probably one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. For the longest time, even from that point on, I had always used cheap sunglasses. I would be out doing various higher speed or lower speed activities and use a fairly inexpensive pair of sunglasses. For the most part, they worked. I would find myself dropping the sunglasses, crushing them, damaging them in some way, or losing them. The quality was okay, but the ones I bought were not polarized. It is better to get polarized sunglasses because not only do they block out the sunlight on really sunny days, they reduce glare from when the sun hits shiny objects that get reflected at your eyes. I was able to expand my budget a bit and ended up buying a high-quality pair of sunglasses from Maui Jim. I was looking at some other brands, but I felt that Maui Jim had the highest quality per dollar even if the price tag was higher than what I was used to. I narrowed down my search to a bunch of models and picked out Stone Crushers. This particular model was made in Japan. I had actually gone to a brick-and-mortar location and was not able to find a pair to try on. You should always try on sunglasses in person to see how they fit and how comfortable they are because you may need to wear them for a long time and may need them for high-speed or rugged outdoor activities depending on your lifestyle. For me, I focussed on the fit and grip over my ears at my temple and over my nose. I needed something that was comfortable, lightweight, and would stay on my face and to my luck, the Stone Crushers fit the bill. I love my Stone Crushers and they really improved my life whenever I am doing activities outside. I have a cheaper pair of sunglasses and the optics seem a bit blurry due to the lens or the coating. The Stone Crushers have excellent and crisp optics and block out the sun and help reduce glare. They are so much better than the cheaper pair. I found that I needed to wear sunglasses because the sun can be quiet strong, but was never fully comfortable wearing the cheaper sunglasses as they didn't fit very well and the optics were low quality and the sunglasses seemed to make everything seem a little off and a bit disorienting. All of that was solved when I switched to Maui Jim's. They have improved my life and I feel they are a gamechanger and are worth spending the extra on. The only catch is that I have to be extra careful not to damage them and I have to mindful of where I put them in case I lose them or leave them behind somewhere. Luckily this hasn't happened. #gamechanger
Nice Tingling Sensation That Helps with Relaxation
2
895f465e45f9beb5e6a2959ac4c2b6c4b76a211d58aaf387008eeb76aa94895450f3aa73f475b660abd3122966da9.jpg
4
fezziwig
usaga-head-scalp-massager
895f465e45f9beb5e6a2959ac4c2b6c4b76a211d58aaf387008eeb76aa94895450f3aa73f475b660abd3122966da9.jpg
Usaga Head Scalp Massager
It was the end of the school year and we were having our final school trip. We would be starting high school in the autumn. The trip involved the students getting into buses and going on a two hour ride out to the woods where we would stay. We would be staying a few days. Surprisingly, we were all on our best behavior and we all had a good time because of it. There were staff there that prepared all of the meals. There were also toasters available with bread slices and peanut butter, butter, jam and milk and cereal for those who didn't want to eat the main hot foods. The main hot foods however, were fantastic and quite delicious. We all got to sit with our friends in the newly built log cabin cafeteria and have nice meals in between group activities in the woods and on the lake. It was a fun and joyous time. It began to rain the last few days that we were there. We still did a lot of the activities that were planned for us. We just weren't on the water a lot. We had also gone from our sleeping area to a communal area and the teachers set up videos for us to watch. I remember sitting in the area, still a bit cold and it was starting to warm up. Water was dripping from my hair into my scalp creating a sort of tickling sensation. Fast-forward some years and I arrived at one of the happiest moments in my life. My wife and I were a bit stressed from work, so we decided to go on a bit of a staycation. We drove out about an hour and a half from home and arrived at the trailhead of a conservation area. The dirt road and gravel parking lot were pretty quiet. We hadn't checked the forecast for the area and just wanted to go on a hike. The grass and the leaves on the trees were green. The trees were swaying a bit in the wind and the skies were a pleasant blue-gray color. We proceeded into the woods and were walking along and talking. A man and woman each on mountain bikes were just leaving the area. Afterwards, it would only be my wife and I in the woods. We were probably at the halfway point and then it started to rain. I had actually brought an umbrella along for the trip, but left it in the car. I had neglected to bring it along because I wanted to carry minimal weight for the hike. It rained and rained and rained. You could hear the rushing of rain splashing hard on the ground and the leaves. It was kinda hard to see the trail because there was so much rain, but we kept going. I tried to cover my wife with my hiking bag, but it didn't do much. We had on t-shirts and shorts. I didn't have a jacket with me or anything else. We were stuck in the moment and the experience was just my wife and I in nature. We seemed to be aware of nothing else, but the rain, and being in the woods and trying to hurry back to the car. It was probably 45 minutes of walking before we made it out, but it was stressful and exhiliarating at the same time. We finally made it back to the car and had this overwhelming sense of relief and safety wash over us. At the time, it was an uncomfortable experience. I remarked it was stressful, but would be a memorable experience despite it being uncomfortable, it will probably become a nice memory for me and for us. It was one of the happiest moments of my life. We were soaking wet from head to toe and I won't forget that sensation of the water trickling down my hair and down my scalp. This scalp massager is one of the coolest things I own. I really like using it as nothing else seems to replicate the sensation that it creates. It is an interesting sensation, somewhat like rain drops trickling from your hair down your scalp mixed with fine and gentle fingers massaging your scalp. It helps create a sensation of relaxation and well-being and can really help as a part of an overall destressing regimen.