I have to admit, my OGS Intelligent Position Switch has seen better days. In its early days, it was nice, silver and shiny. After 3 years of use, the shiny silver wore off and a hue of black can be seen peeking out along the impressions where each button lie. The black hue underneath the once shiny silver is the black…
RECARO Performance Coupe Infant Car Seat In a 2012 Prius, Prius c
When we found out my wife was pregnant in February 2016, we started baby planning. The first big ticket baby item we purchased was our . As a matter of fact, we ordered the set exactly one week after we learned about the pregnancy. A major driving force was the value, the brand reputation of RECARO and that it was also on…
Painting a Mural in Our Baby’s Nursery – Part 2 Completion
After several weeks of labor and love, the Nintendo/Super Mario baby nursery mural is finally complete and I am actually happier with the result than I was anticipating: This was my first time laying hand on paint and brush (days of yore during grade school doesn’t count) and I tackled a full size mural no less! I used Liquitex acrylic…
Painting a Mural in Our Baby’s Nursery – Part 1 Outlining
We originally decided to plaster the wall with Mario themed decals, but since we already plastered the wall opposite of the crib with miniature version of the decals we wanted, a giant painted mural of Bowser Jr. seem more fitting for the nursery. So that’s exactly what I started. I searched the web for an official Nintendo character image of Bowser…
Super Mario / Nintendo Themed Baby Nursery Progress Update
Small update to our Nintendo themed baby nursery building progress. This week we painted one wall with an accent color; this wall is where the baby crib will lie adjacent to. The color we picked is a cool hue of blue called “Quiet Blue.” We’ve decided to retain the room’s dual purpose of being a baby nursery and my wife’s…
DIY: How to Replace the Door Lock Actuator on Your 3rd Gen Prius
So my door actuator just failed on my third generation Prius and I found Steve’s excellent post on how to remove the door panel (here) and used it to get me half way there. Here’s a “Part Two” for anyone wanting to go to the next step and fix their actuator themselves. First of all, it’s pretty easy. And I…
Quick Update and What I’ve Been Up to
It has been a while since I posted an update to this blog, I have no other explanation other than that I’ve been extremely busy in all aspect of life: career, family, friends and relative’s weddings, showers, kids’ birthday, etc. The good news is we are expecting a boy early October, our first baby. My wife is currently 19 weeks…
DIY: How to Change the Cabin Filter in Your 3rd gen Prius
Here’s a short DIY article with instructions on how to change the cabin filter in your Prius. You can literally change the cabin filter in less than 5 minutes. As a matter of fact, I changed my cabin filter while on my 10 minute break at work and it took me a little over 3 minutes. Parts Needed 87139-30040 – Element,…
How to make your Samsung HT-F5500W Blu-Ray Home Theater System Region Free
I haven’t made a lot of technology posts, or any post at all lately, but figured this may help folks who own a Samsung HT-F5500W 3D Blu-Ray Home Theater System and would like to make their Blu-Ray player region free. This all started when my wife was eyeing The Big Bang Theory Seasons 1-8 boxed set from Amazon. Only problem is it’s…
Review: Ninja Coffee Bar by SharkNinja
First post in a while, because married life, house hunting and work! We recently saw a late night infomercial about the Ninja Coffee Bar and decided to give it a try; impressive warranty and return policies, why not? Let’s face it, coffee at the local Starbucks and pretty much any boutique coffee house make great tasting coffee because they have…
1st week MPG update: From the Inland Empire to the South Bay
Today marks the completion of one week’s worth of commute from the Inland Empire to the South Bay and I must say that while there is definitely a traffic jam to and from, it is not nearly as bad as I’ve anticipated. I have co-workers that commute from Diamond Bar and the commute takes 2-2.5 hours. Also have an acquaintance…
Looks like I’ll be taking a micro road trip everyday
We’re moving from the South Bay to the Inland Empire this month solely for the purpose of shortening and alleviating my wife’s work commute at the expense of increasing my commute by 900% (from 5 mile drive to work to 50 mile drive). We’re also exploring options to buy a new house in the area so we’ve signed a 9-month lease with a…
Review: Custom Bobble Head Dolls by Bobblemaker.com
During the wedding planning process with the wife, I not only wanted to add something that is fun and unique to the mix but also place emphasis on the small important details that compliments our character and values as a couple. My wife picked up a flyer at a bridal expo which she recently attended that depicted custom bobble heads. The idea is to send…
DIY: How to Install Winter / Snow Tire Chains On Your Prius
It has been a while since I had to install snow tire chains on a car, but driving up to Vancouver, B.C. in late December, and doing multiple side stops along the way, I figured I grab a pair for those “just-in-case” moments (even though Vancouver is known for mild but wet winters). This article illustrates the basic of how…
Winter Road Trip to Vancouver, B.C. With Stops
Every year, we try to embark on one road trip. I’m not talking about a regular 400+ mile round trip road trip to the Central Coast (i.e. San Luis Obispo), I’m referring to a road trip that would last over 1,500 miles. For 2013, we drove from Los Angeles to Palm Desert, to Monterey, to Sonoma County, to Reno before returning.…
