Nike Jordan Zion X Naruto Collaboration Basketball Shoes

 I am an anime fan and a basketball fan.  When I heard that Nike Jordan series will have collaborations with Naruto to make 3 different models of Jordan Zion basketball shoes, I knew I had to get one for my collection.

In Canada, it is hard to get our hands on any kind of new release, but I was amazed that I could get my hands on one pair on the date of release.

Nike Jordan Zion Naruto

The pair I got is the "Kyubi" model.  It has the orange and yellow theme.  The shoes have the Ninja patterns and dots.  It also has the Air Jordan mark and ZW sign.

Nike Jordan Zion Naruto in box

Nike Jordan Naruto wrapping

The wrapping paper was customized with ZW and Naruto ninja patterns.

Nike Jordan Zion Naruto left shoe

Nike Jordan Zion Naruto Kyubi 

As you can see from the side, it has the "zap" lighting style design and dot design on the sides.

Nike Jordan Naruto sticker

Inside the box, there is a small sticker.

Nike Jordan Zion Naruto Box

Even the box is customized for the collaboration as you can see.  It has the Naruto anime sign and leaves.

I think this is well done by Nike, and I hope they can release more collaborations with popular anime.  (Few suggestions:  Dragonball, One Piece, Super Mario, or even Streetfighter would be awesome!)

Walmart: Coca Cola with Coffee

 I saw this new interesting product at Walmart the other day:  Coca-Cola with Coffee.

Coca-Cola with Coffee

I bought one and tried it.  It taste good for me.  It does taste like Coca-Cola with thick scent of coffee.

First, you will taste the coke and the bubble, then a thick scent of coffee taste and smell will come along.

I know they have a lot of different variety of coke drinks in the USA, and I hope they sell more kinds of drinks here in Canada.

(We just don't have the varieties here for all kind of products....gets boring.)

Costco: Boba Milk Tea Mochi

 I saw this at Costco the other day:  Boba Milk Tea Mochi.

Boba Milk Tea Mochi

I love bubble tea, and I thought I would buy it and give it try!

It came with 60 mochis, and these taste great!!

These taste authentic and they were made in Taiwan.  I wished that Costco will keep these on the shelves permanently.

Costco: Popcorn M&M Minis

 I saw this in Costco the other day:  Popcorn M&M Minis

It looks very interesting and probably tastes good for kids.  It might be too sweet for me.

Canadian Tim Horton's New Tim Biebs

After our walk to Burnaby Lake today, we went to Tim Horton's for the new advertised "Tim Biebs", promoted by Justin Bieber.

Basically, it is the usual Tim Bits coated with different coatings with 3 flavors:  Birthday Cake, Chocolate Fudge and Sour Cream Chocolate.  They cost around 20 cents more per piece.

Tim Horton's Tim Biebs Box

Personally, I like Birthday Cake more because it have more impact taste wise.  However Chocolate Fudge is okay, too.  Actually, the other two chocolate taste are pretty similar.  Some people say they don't really feel too much difference.  

At least Tim Horton's exploring more ways to get new product on the market.  However, I think they should do it without inflating the price.  New products should not always mean expensive pricing...

In Asia, new products are constantly being introduced.  (Things move faster in Asia, and the menus change more often.)

Lego Minecraft Bumble Bee Set for My Son's Birthday

Lego released a Minecraft bumble bee set, and I bought it for my son's birthday.  (One of the gifts he got) 

Lego Minecraft Bumble Bee Set

The bees look very cute and my kids liked it!  I think you get 7 or 8 bees with it.

Animal Crossing Update and Series 5 Amiibo Cards

Animal Crossing had a very large update last week, and they also released a new series of amiibo cards (Series 5).  All the websites had sold out of the cards the first day, and I finally found some on Amazon.ca.  They were 7 Canadian dollars, and as usual, they had a 2 packs per person limit.

I got a couple of new characters including Rio and Cephalobot.  It is truly a big update with thousands of new items and hundreds of new DIYs.  My kids and I were very excited for it.

Changed My Kitchen Lights for the 5th Time

So I changed my kitchen lights for the second time in a few months.

These days, even brand name "Philips" kitchen light don't last long...

I think it broke within half a year.  Gee...low quality.  Well, they are 2 for 12 dollars in Walmart...

Wal-Mart Halloween Sale: 50% Off Goods and Signages and Decorations

 Walmart usually has 50 percent sales after holidays, and they had it for Halloween, too.

I went on November 1st morning to check their sales.  This year, they did not have much leftovers because they did not import as much to begin with.

There is this farm house decoration below.  It is 5 dollars on sale.  I didn't buy it as I think it should be cheaper.  There is also the "thankful" tray and other decorations on sale.

farmhouse

welcome sign and decorations

Halloween birds and table clothes on sale:

Welcome sign is on sale for 2.5 dollars:

More flower decors:

I think these are 3 dollars. I bought a couple of them.  There is also a squirrel, which is very cute.

These pumpkin signs are 3.5 dollars.  I bought one.

Hello Pumpkin sign

These signs are also 2 to 3 dollars on sale.  I bought the welcome sign and Halloween sign.

Welcome sign and halloween sign

Here are more signs:

The pumpkin sign below is actually in wooden frame, and it was 7 dollars.  It is way too expensive.

Starbucks You Are Here Collection: Canada Edition: Stainless Steel Mug

 I needed a winter stainless steel mug, so I went to Starbucks to look for one.

I bought the Canada edition of the |"You Are Here Collection" mug.

It is well made, and the lid is very tight.

It has "Canada" and all the symbols of the Canadian culture; it has beaver, hockey stick, beanie hat.

It also has grizzlies (brown bear), Moose, maple leaves, maple tree, Parliament building on it.

It is a cool mug to own if you are ever here in Canada.

Honest Advice About Pet Insurance

 From my experience of owning dogs, I would like to offer honest advice about pet insurance.

For a long time, I have wondered, is the insurance worth it?  Why am I paying a monthly fee for something I will not use?

However, I can say, at the end, it was worth it in my case.  Here are my calculations:

(You will have to do your as now, the insurance fee will be different than 15 years ago.)

My basic insurance fee started at 22 dollars a month that covers accidents and illnesses.  (at the end, it became 26 dollars.)  For simplicity, we will put it as 25 dollars a month.

25 dollars x 12 months x 13 years = 3000 dollars life time.

When dogs are young, they are healthy.  I did not use insurance for the first 10 years:  0 x 10 years = 0 dollars.

However, the last 3 years, my medical bill including 4 kinds of medicines for heart disease, all the diagnoses and blood work and surgery fees.

The total bill is more than 10k.  My insurance covers more than half of that, minus the 500 dollars a year deductible.  I still covered more than what I paid.

So...if you love your dogs, and if you are not super rich, I would suggest looking into some coverage.  

However, if the monthly fee is way more than you can afford, then maybe you can think about it.

First Day of 2021 Autumn Pumpkin Season: Rondriso Farm Pumpkin Patch

 Yesterday is the first day of fall pumpkin season for most pumpkin patches in Canada.

Our family usually go to the pumpkin patch once a year, and we went to Rondriso Farm Pumpkin Patch last year.  This year, we decided to do the same.  The entrance fee this year is 5 dollars per person.  (Adult and kids the same).  Hay rides are extra 2 dollars per person.

After you park at the farm, you will see two farm areas you can visit:  Chickens and cows areas.

Chicken Eating Pumpkins

Amazingly, they actually feed the chickens pumpkins!  Why not.  It is organic, healthy and not wasteful!

Pumpkins and chickens

After the chicken area, you can head to the cow area to see them eat hay:

cute cow

You will see about 20 cute cows in the area.

Rondriso Farm cows

Amazingly, all of the cows have names!

After this, you can take the hay ride or walk to the pumpkin patch area:

You will see all kinds of pumpkins in the patch: long, thin, weird shaped, orange, red, spotted, white, green, etc.

Found this cute pollinator:

bumblebee?

They have a small general store that sells pumpkins and some veggies.  They used to have all you can take for one bag of small pumpkin for 10 dollars, but not this year.  This year's small pumpkins are 2 for 5 dollars. 

I bought some and found that walmart is way cheaper.  3 dollar per bag with lots of small pumpkins.

So, do think about it when you decide to buy in the farms.

New Koala's March: Pokemon Collaboration

 

I found this one new Koala's March in the supermarket again.  

This time it is a Pokemon collaboration!

The box has Pikachu and Cinderace's pictures on it.  The taste is cheese cake.

Koala's March Pokemon with Cinderace

Koala's March and Pokemon

The interesting thing is that on each snack, not only it has different koalas on it, it has different Pokemon's drawing on it.

For example, it has Pikachu, Cinderace, Pinsir, Bewear, Marill, etc.

Koala's March and Pokemon collaboration

Taste-wise, I don't think it is anything special.  The characters are very cute though if you are a pokemon fan.

New Koala's March in Canada Review: "Bitter Chocolate" and "Milk and Cheese"

 Recently, I found two new Koala's March snack boxes in the nearby supermarkets.

There are two new kinds of tastes:  "Milk and Cheese" and "Bitter Chocolate".

Koala's March Milk & Cheese and Bitter Chocolate

Milk and Cheese:  It is tasty but I taste more milk than cheese.  It is good but I don't feel as much impact.

Bitter Chocolate:  I actually like this one better.  It feels like a thicker chocolate, different than the original taste.  It tastes more luxurious and mature.

Conclusion:  I think I will try the bitter chocolate again.

Review: Harrison Hot Springs Resort

My family and I went for a domestic mini family trip before end of Summer.  I figured that we have never stayed at the Harrison Hot Springs Resort before, and I would like to see their hot springs pools.

Here is my review:

This hotel needs some serious updates. I will attempt be fair and describe our experiences with the hotel. Overall, I will give the hotel a 2.5 star.

Check in: 

We have arrived just ahead of our check in time of 4pm, but had to sit in the lobby and waited for 2 plus hours for our room to be ready. I understand that it is the summer high season, and staff was apologetic, but I still had to ask them 4 times about the check in status during the 2 hours. Result is angry and stressed parents and kids. The staff did compensate us with 15 percent discount for our stress and precious time.

Front Staff: They were understanding and reasonable. Perhaps, housekeeping was taking time to get rooms ready, and there is nothing much they can do about it.

Wifi in Rooms:  I stayed in West Wing.  There is barely Wifi.  Our cellphones barely had one bar of Wifi.  Sometimes, it gets cut off for an hour or two.

Windows: Old and dirty, bug net broken. They should clean the windows during the summer.  

I mean...the view is good, but when you close the window, you see the bird poos and broken nets.

Fridge: old and small. It is the smallest I have seen. It is 1 feet by 1 feet. or 30cm by 30cm. We cannot fit regular coke bottles in there.

The fridge side pocket seems broken.

TV: lots of regular channels with radio interference. (The HD channels were ok.) TV itself is 40 inch.

Lighting: The lights are old, some broken.

Dryer: Standard weak hotel dryer. Ours had a broken holder but usable.

Air conditioning: Very loud and old, probably built in the 70s. I am glad they have one. It is hard to sleep with it.

Parking: It is a little far from the building.

Gift Shop: Only 1 shop is open during Covid. However, they are running out of stuff to sell.

Pools: They do have 5 heated pools, which is their selling point for the high price.

Overall, I think their staff is trying their best, but since they changed ownership in 2013, I think things are not being updated. Perhaps, it is hard for a hotel to operate in Harrison Hot Springs. It does not offer skiing during winter like Whistler.