Well. Let us begin the recap of our summer trip with a few of my favorite shots of Kaitlyn from the trip.

Many of the photos from this trip were taken with the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens that I just got. If you have a DSLR, like taking portraits or close-ups but on a budget, I would highly recommend you getting one (or the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D lens if you have a Nikon DSLRs). They are cheap ($80 to $120) plastic lenses but take photos that rival their f/1.4 siblings that cost three to four times more!

If you have an older TV without a digital tuner built in, it will go static by Feb 2009. If you go to dtv2009.gov, you can sign up for up to two $40 coupons & use it to buy digital TV converter(s). The converters will cost between $50-70 each.

One more thing: buy the converters as soon as you get the coupon(s). They expires in 90 days.

Well, “everyone” who bought a diamond jewelry in the past 14 years, that is.

If you bought it here in the U.S. but didn’t buy it from De Beers, you may be qualified for a cash refund (and still keep your diamond) resulted from a class action lawsuit settlement.

Here’s an excerpt from the Arizona Republic:

“De Beers, the world’s largest diamond supplier, recently settled a $295 million class-action lawsuit that charged it unfairly monopolized the diamond trade and fixed prices for years.

Customers who bought a De Beers gem between Jan. 1, 1994, and March 31, 2006, have until May 19 to submit a claim to the settlement’s administrator to get money back.

How much anyone receives in the settlement will depend on the value of diamonds purchased and the number of claims filed.

Under the formula, a consumer who bought a diamond worth $2,000, for example, could get as much as $640.

The class action was born from several lawsuits claiming that De Beers broke antitrust and consumer-protection laws by monopolizing diamond supplies, controlling diamond prices and disseminating false advertising.”

To sum it up, you should file a claim if you meet ALL the requirements below:

• Purchased a diamond between Jan. 1, 1994, and March 31, 2006.
• If it’s a Mixed Stones Jewelry with combined purchase prices of $165 or more OR a Diamonds Only Jewelry with combined purchase prices of $95 or more.
• You can provide proofs such as a receipt, invoice, credit card statement, insurance statement, appraisal, certificate or any other documents showing the diamond’s or the diamond jewelry’s cut, clarity, color, number of carats, authenticity or the person or business from whom the diamond or diamond jewelry was bought.

Here is the same story that appeared on MSN Money.

My 2 very talented cousins Benjamin & Jonathan Chan just came out with a CD titled Quiet Inspirations. So of course I’m promoting it on our blog! If anyone is interested, check it out at www.ChamberHymns.com.

Check out this video clip of them appearing on KSL Channel 5 in Utah. We’d appreciate it if you could rate it after (preferably 4-5 STARS!!). Thanks!

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 (HIGHLY recommend)

PROS:
– no messy cleanup
– works every time
– less messy & more “humane” than the snap traps or glue traps
– safe with kids or pets around

CONS:

- the flashing light only stays on for about 24 hours

As much as I love the look of brownstones, what I hate the most about living in 80 year-old attached building is the fact that you have to live with all the noise that your neighbors make & all the rodents/insects that they attract. It’s especially true here in Brooklyn, and especially true for our apartment. There are all these tiny gaps & cracks in the house that mice tend to come in through whenever there is construction or remodeling going on at one of the houses on our block. To fix the gaps, major remodeling is required. But because we are renting the place, that’s just out of the question.

We tried snap traps, glue traps & poison, but its success rate was too low & we hated the clean up process.

Finally, Mel went online & got the Victor Electronic Trap. I’m a musophobic in denial. This thing has saved me from numerous sleepless nights. I have to say that this is the best $20 I’ve ever spent. In fact, we ended up getting another one a few months later.

During the peak of construction last summer, the trap caught 8 mice in less than 2 months. (UPDATE — 2008-11: the traps are still catching that many every summer & winter. Each traps have now caught at least 20 mouse for us since we bought it.)

It’s easy to set up & it’s also easy to “clean.” You start out by putting in a little bit of peanut butter (we bought the oily store brand kind), then pop in some AA batteries, turn it on, then put it along the side of the wall where you think mice tend to travel along. When it catches one, the light will start flashing intermittently. Just put on some gloves, turn the thing off, open the lid, & dump the dead mouse into a bag. That’s it!

It’s not perfect. Sometimes the light flashes for no reason. But every time we just turn the thing off & back on or we replace the batteries and it works again. The light also doesn’t stay flashing for more than a day. We actually didn’t notice the flashing light twice in the past & that led to a foul stench in the house for a few days.

But anyhow, if you have a rodent problem, don’t waste your money on those 99-cent glue traps. Consider investing in an electric trap.

If you’re going to be traveling, you may want to find out in advance if the airports you are going through offer free wi-fi (wireless internet connection). Here’s a link to a table that shows how much (if not free) airports charge for wi-fi.

Although some airports charges a fee, if you travel with certain carriers with their own terminals, they may still offer free wi-fi.