Fort Worth Zoo (Fort Worth, TX)

This has to be the nicest zoo in the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) area. They  have everything (that I can think of) in a zoo except for Pandas :-). It is a good size too so you do not have to do a lot of walking to see all the animals. This is especially good for kids. But if you got tired when getting to the end of the zoo, you can take a miniature train back to the main entrance. This train is actually going both ways but  most people take it to go back. Another thing I like about this zoo is it is mostly shaded. What a great place.



Note that Dickey's BBQ are actually inside and at the other end of the zoo. We saw on Google map showing it in front of the entrance of the zoo and without double checking, went there and looked for it but could not found it outside. The menu is slightly different than a regular Dickey's BBQ's menu. Very limited choices.

Also note that the dinosaurs in some of my pictures were there from April to July 10, 2011 only.

Admission:
Adults (13+)         $12.00

Children (3-12)     $9.00
Toddlers (2 & under) Free
Seniors (65+)        $9.00

Wednesdays are half price admission.
Don't forget to check their website for their hours of operations..

Website:
http://www.fortworthzoo.org/

Address:
1989 Colonial Parkway
Fort Worth, TX 76110

Phone:
(817) 759-7555

VL Rating: Excellence


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Landry's Seafood House (San Antonio River Walk)

We ate at this restaurant for lunch the last time we were there in May 2011. They have both indoor and outdoor  on the river seating. We picked out door of course. Nothing is better than having a meal by the river. Their outdoor seating is very limited. just a few tables lined up along the river. We ordered the Fried Calamari, Pasta Di Mare and Lobster Bisque. The food was OK. Nothing really jumped out. The service was great however.

Website:

http://www.landrysseafood.com/

Address:

517 N. Presa

San Antonio, TX 78205

Phone:

(210) 229-1010

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Sears Coupons and Deals

Sears has Craftsman tools, Kenmore appliances, tires, mowers, electronics, and more. You can choose from a range of Refrigerators, Freezers, Ice Makers, Dishwashers, Microwaves, Wine Cellars, Washers, Dryers, Water Softeners, Air Conditionaers, Air Purifiers, Humidifiers, Vacuums, Water Heaters, Water Coolers, Toys, Shoes, Clothes, and many other products. Their Craftsman hand tools have a lifetime warranty. See store for details.

Check out the following deals, Coupons or promotions from Sears below. Please click on the link to activate coupon, deal or promotion. This also give me credit for this post. Use the coupon code if one is mentioned.

• $5 Coupon
  Online Only! Save on Back-to-School Essentials + EXTRA $5 off $50
  Coupon Code: SCHOOLFUN
  Expires: September 30, 2011

• EXTRA 20% off Jewelry
  Exclusive EXTRA 20% off ALL Fine Jewelry orders over $99 + FREE Shipping
  Coupon Code: EXCLUSIVE
  Expires: July 16, 2011

MYHABIT - Amazon.com's Private Fashion Sale Site

Amazon.com has just announced a private fashion sale site called MYHABIT .

This site offers up to 60% off styles from designer and boutique brands, featuring apparel, shoes, jewelry and accessories. They have new sale events start every day and typically run for 72 hours. Product inventory is limited and is available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Customers who sign up to the site to become members will discover products and be able to make purchases. If you already have an Amazon.com account, you can use that to sign into MYHABIT.

The site looks pretty cool and some of the prices are amazing. What a great concept.

They're running a Special Promotion - $25 off Promotion Code.
Click on this link MYHABIT and use the coupon code below at checkout.

Coupon Code: SUMMER25
Expires: August 1, 2011

Thermos Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Bottles

Before leaving the house, first thing I would do is bring cold water. Nothing satisfied my thirst better than iced cold water. The problem with all those plastic water bottles is they would become warm before you even have a chance to drink them. Then I would have to spend $1+ for a cold water bottle (which you can get 24 bottles for $4 from the supermarket) and not drinking the water bottle that I brought from home. The longer I stay outdoor the more money I have to spend on water bottles. Not to mention plastic water bottles can give out harmful chemical when leaving in a hot car for a while.

…until I found that the same company (Thermos Nissan) that makes Thermal insulated bottles that I have been using to keep hot water for my new baby can also be used to keep cold for 24 hours. But the size is a little too big to carry around. I did some searching on Thermos website and found one (Vacuum Insulated Hydration Bottle (2465)) that fit perfectly… for me at least. It holds 18 ounces of water and can also fit in car cup holders. This bottle can only keep cold for 12 hours. They don’t recommend putting hot water in there since it is designed to drink just like a regular bottle. The top just pop open when you push the button on the side. You can open it with just one hand. I bought 2 and I have been using it every day even when I’m home.

Features and Specifications: (from Thermos website):

•          TherMax® double wall vacuum insulation for maximum temperature retention
•          Hygienic push button sipper lid with locking ring
•          Comfortable rubber grip
•          Sweat proof design won't leave water rings
•          Fits most automotive cup holders

SPECIFICATIONS

•          Capacity: 18 oz
•          Dimensions: 2.5" W x 2.5" D x 10" H

They also have 24 ounce bottle but it won’t fit in car cup holder. Take a look at their website for other vacuum insulated bottles and mugs. Do read the description carefully since they also do make non-insulated bottles.

Website:
http://www.thermos.com/

VL Rating: Excellence

You can buy them from Amazon.com. Click on the image below to check it out.

LED 3-Watt CREE 120 Lumen Flashlight for $9.99 + FREE Shipping

Buy.com has the "LED 3-Watt CREE 120 Lumen Flashlight" for $9.99 + FREE Shipping. List price $34.99. This item has a 4.5 star rating from 19 people on Buy.com. It is very bright (120 Lumen). Great Emergency Flashlight.


Features

	Bright 3-Watt Cree LED
	Hard Anodized Aluminum Case
	Up to 120 Lumens (approximate max)
	Rubberized Push On/Off Button
	Screw On/Off End Cap for easy battery changes
	Each unit uses 2 “D” Batteries not included

Tech Specs

	Max output: 120 Lumens
	Product Dimensions: (each ) 9.5” L x 2” D
	Product Weight: without batteries – 0.65lbs / with batteries – 1.30lbs
	Body Color: Matte Black

Teva Men's Dozer III Closed Toe Sandal

This is another great pair of sandals...after a week. I would recommend wearing them 1-2 hour each time for a few days to a week to break them in before going on a long walking/trekking. I noticed that there is a red mark on the back of my left foot after wearing them for the first few days. Also the sandals feel kind of rough during the first few days. After a week of wearing them, they have become ones of the most comfortable sandals that I have ever worn. It's very light too.

Pros:
Comfortable (after break-in period)
Price
Light

Cons:
Need a break-in period or it would cause blisters.


VL Rating: Good (I would have given an Excellence rating if it didn't need to break-in)

You can buy it from Amazon.com by clicking this link Teva Men's Dozer III Closed Toe Sandal

Marshall V-LCD-MT-01 Camera Hot Shoe Mount

What a great little gadget. I was watching the shows at Sea World San Antonio when I realized that I couldn't take pictures and filming at the same time. My wife was busy with our 1 1/2 yr old so she couldn't help me with filming. Well I did my best holding the DSLR camera and the camcorder one on each hand. The pictures came out ok (maybe just a little blur when you zoom in) but my arms were aching after the shows.

After doing some research about handfree mount for the camcorder, I accidentally stumbled upon this device Marshall V-LCD-MT-01 Camera Hot Shoe Mount. Basically, this device allow you to mount an LCD monitor to the camcorder hot shoe. But for my use, I'm mounting it on my DSLR (Nikon D70) shot shoe and attach my digital camcorder (Cannon HF100) to the adapter. I did a few test and it did serve my purpose well. It is quite small too. What a great device.

VL Rating: Excellence

You can purchase it from Amazon.com by clicking this link Marshall V-LCD-MT-01 Camera Hot Shoe Mount or the image below.

The World Collection Park of Crape Myrtles (McKinney, TX)

We went there after they had the opening ceremony. The park is smaller than I thought but well organized. There are signs with the history of Crape Myrtle in the USA. However most of the Crape Myrtle bushes are still small. They do have some nice and larges Crape Myrtle trees lined up in the middle of the park. There is a mount in the back of the park where you can walk up the circular path to the top to have a good view of the park. From this point, looking back is a nice corn field. My 4 yr old son and 1 1/2 yr old girl had a blast running around. I did spot a picnic table under big trees on the left side of the park. There might be more than one picnic tables but I was too busy chasing my kids.

I would be better if it was larger (say double the current size?) and  had a fountain, play ground for kids, a gazebo, and other amenities.

Note:
Google map is showing the address "6452 Collin McKinney Parkway, McKinney, TX" for this place incorrectly. This place is on Collin Mckinney Parkway between Stacy Rd and Alma Dr).

Website:
http://www.crapemyrtletrails.org
Note:
This site also has tips on planting, watering, fertilizing, pest control, pruning and propagation Crape Myrtles. Did you know topping off the Crape Myrtle trees is NOT recommended? I bet you have seen many places doing that but it is NOT recommended and should NOT be done.

Address:

6452 Collin McKinney Parkway, McKinney, TX

Phone:
(972) 542-1550


VL Rating: Excellence (for the idea), OK (for the size of the park)

Corn field behind the park.

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First Chinese BBQ (Plano, TX)

My wife and I have been going there since we first move to Texas for Chinese food. Their Roast Duck is to die for. I did not have a better one in New York. Everytime we go there, we just order 2 dishes. Roast Duck and Chow Fun. The chow Fun is just ok for me since I had a much better one back in Viet Nam. But we get it because my wife loves it and now my 4 yr old son loves it too.

Keep in mind that they only take CASH. I wonder why.

Website:
www.firstchinesebbq.com
 I think this is their website but somehow they only list Richardson and Austin locations.
Make me wonder because the food in Richardson and Garland is not as good as this Plano location.

Address:

3304 Coit Rd. (Parker Rd.)
Plano, TX 75023

Phone:
972-758-2988

VL Rating: Excellence (for Roast Duck)


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AmazonWireless.com - The Place To Buy Cell Phones and Wireless Plans

This has to be my favorite place/site to get cell phones and Wireless plan for me. I have been using this site for quite sometimes. Except for a few phone that I bought before discovered AmazonWireless.com , every cell phones and wireless plan that I got for my family and friends are from this site. They offer FREE 2-day shipping on all phones. Never had any problem. If there is a problem with the phone, call them up and they would mail you within 2 business days. Great service. Highly recommended.

They have a lot of phones (basic phones, smart phones, Android phones, Blackberry etc...) to choose from and many of them are just 1 cent. Not sure why they charge 1 sent and not just offer it for free. Maybe their system does not work with zeros :-).

They offer plans from AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile.

You can also use their site to check if you are eligible for an upgrade.

Click on this link AmazonWireless.com to check out.
Some of the phone being offered for $0.01:



VL Rating: Excellence

RushMyPassport.com - Amazingly Fast passport Service

I recently had to use their service because I had to go to Canada and my passport expired. After googling around, I decide to use their service. I only had a little more than a week before my departure date so I was a little nervous. I picked their "Rush Service - 5-7 business Day" because that was the least money that I had to pay for the time frame that I was looking for. Everything went without a hitch. The new passport arrived within 6 business days. I was really happy with it. They also have 24 hour service but is a bit pricey.

Click on this link RushMyPassport.com and try their service if you need if you need one in rush.

They also do Travel Visas as well.

VL Rating: Exellence

Oral-B 1000 Professional Care 1000 Electric Toothbrush

This Toothbrush is simply amazing. I feel like my teeth are cleaner every times I use it. Don't be fooled by the small head. It is small that's how it gets to places where the others couldn't. I have been using the older model for many years and it is still performing great. No issue at all. Just need a little change :-). I'm pretty sure this new one will last as well. It feels very solid and well made. Highly recommended.

Pros:
Inductive charging
Many head to choose from. See below:
Well made

Oral-B replacement heads:

Floss Action

• Advanced cleaning deep between teeth
• Features soft MicroPulse^™ bristles

Precision Clean

• Cleaner teeth, healthier gums (vs. a regular manual toothbrush)
• Features more cleaning bristles and superior tooth cupping (vs. original Precision Clean)

Pro White

• Advanced cleaning and whitening
• Features dentist-inspired polishing cup

Dual Clean

• Breaks up and sweeps away plaque
• Features two moving heads

Sensitive Clean

• Gentle, effective cleaning
• Features extra soft bristles

Cons:

None to me.

VL Rating: Excellence

You can get this from amazon.com by clicking this link : 

Oral-B 1000 Professional Care 1000 Electric Toothbrush, White and Blue

My Coupon and Deal collection

My Coupons and deals have been moved to this site: Coupon and Deal Collection

Thai Box (Allen, TX)

Nice idea. Basically you're buying take out even if you want to eat in. everything is packed in plastic containers including the lids. You can choose to take it home or eat in. It's convenient if you have left over but I feel it's kind of waste if we finish the food and throw the container away. You can choose to bring home and make a good use of it of course. The containers look like their of good quality. The food was not bad for a take out restaurant. My wife likes their Thai Tea.

Website:
http://thaiboxusa.com

Address:
190 E Stacy Rd , #1410
Allen, TX 75002

Note:
Google couldn't pick up this address correctly. I guess because it's a new area.
See the map below for the exact location of Thai Box.

Phone:
972-678-4269

VL Rating: OK


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IN-N-OUT Burger (Allen, TX)

In and out in ... 20 minutes. That was the amount of time that took for me to get a Double Double Burger using their drive through. Not because they were slow but because there were tons of people (both in the restaurant and drive through). I guess they didn't expect it would be that many people wanting to try out their burgers. BTW, it was around 6pm so I guess people just wanted to have an easy meal. They did tried to help the situation by sending people out to take orders in advance. With that many people, you would expect it to be good. Well, I'm a little disappointed. Everything was fresh except the meat was a little thin and dry. The taste  was OK. I have had better. If you ask if I would wait for 20 minutes for a burger again...probably not.

Website:
http://www.in-n-out.com

Address:
190 E. Stacy Rd.
Allen, TX 75002
(Google map failed again on this address. It is on the SE corner of Stacy and Allen Station Parkway).

Phone:
1-800-786-1000

VL Rating: OK (for the bun, and green), Poor (for the meat)


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Coca-Cola Online Store Coupons and Deals

Find everything Coca-Cola - glasses, chalkboards, Hats, Apparels, Home decors, Collectibles and more. $5.95 Flat Rate Standard Shipping Storewide

Check out the following deals, Coupons or promotions from Coca-Cola Online Store below. Please click on the link to activate coupon, deal or promotion. This also give me credit for this post. Use the coupon code if one is mentioned.

• 15% Coupon
  Save 15% Sitewide at The Coca-Cola Store
  Coupon Code: COKEDRINK15
  Expires: June 30, 2011

CarsDirect.com - Car Buying made easy with incentives, rebates and no hassle price.

If you're in need of a new car, you may want to check out CarsDirect.com before heading to the dealers. Know before you go as I always tells my family and friends. I have been using this site for more than 10 years now. They consistently have one of the prices out there. Best of all, you can also  find out the current Incentives and Rebates from Manufacturers. It's pretty simple, you just go to www.CarsDirect.com and select the car that you want and configure the options and they would let you know instantly price of the car + options. Pretty cool.

Note that this site mostly have current and some previous year models that are new of course.
If you're not ready about buying from www.CarsDirect.com, you can just get the quote just to know the current market price for the model that you wanted.

Click on this link to check out what's the current Incentives and Rebates from Manufacturers: Manufacturer incentives and rebates

Click on this link Hybrid cars to compare top selling Hybrid cars.

Pho Viet (Round Rock, TX)

With the last disastrous Pho from the last visit to Austin in mind, we tried to stay away from the Pho restaurants in Austin this time. Seeing Pho Viet in Round Rock has so many good reviews, we figured we should give it a try. We were disappointed. Let's leave it at that.

Address:
603 Louis Henna Blvd B200
Round Rock, TX 78664

VL Rating: Poor (for Pho only)


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Lion City Chinese Cafe (Plano, TX)

We went there based on recommendations from friends. We tried a numbered of dishes but the 2 that really good were Chow Fun and Hainanese Chicken. The Chow Fun is the dry version not wet like most Chinese restaurants in the US usually offer which is what I like. Very similar to what I had back in Viet Nam except here they use chicken instead of beef. Though still not as good as in Viet Nam, it is by far the best that I have had in the US.

One interesting thing is that the place is almost 100% self services. You have to get Water, utensils, napkin etc... by yourself. I saw people getting the curry puffs by themselves.

Please note that they only take CASH.

Address:
2109 W Parker Rd
Ste 210
Plano, TX 75023

Phone:
(972) 867-8803

VL Rating: Excellence (for Chow Fun)


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Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

This is a great one-lens for travelers...with kids. I found that when traveling with kids, you don't have the luxury to change lens. Everything is spontaneous and happen very quickly.

I got this lens a few months ago after exhaustive research. There are a lot of lenses out there but with the price and features that I want this fits it 'almost' perfectly. I was hoping they would come out a lens with f2.8 but they didn't. With second thought, even if they make such lens, the price would not be the same. I have been using it on a few trips with my wife and kids. I'm very happy with it so far. Most of the shots I got from this lens are fairly good comparing to my other older lens. Most importantly it has image stabilization which has allowed me to shoot in places with lower light than normal. It is also amazingly compact which make it easy to carry around. The new version that I got has a zoom lock switch to secures lens barrel at its minimum length.

Not sure how it stacks up with more expensive lenses but I'm very happy with it.
I'm using it with my Nikon D70 that I bought more than 6 years ago.

Note:
The new version which has the zoom lock switch has "VR" lettering in gold.

Specifications (from Nikonusa.com)

• Mount Type
  Nikon F-Bayonet
• Focal Length Range
  18-200mm
• Zoom Ratio
  11.1x
• Maximum Aperture
  f/3.5
• Minimum Aperture
  f/22
• Format
  DX
• Maximum Angle of View (DX-format)
  76°
• Minimum Angle of View (DX-format)
  8°
• Maximum Reproduction Ratio
  0.22x
• Lens Elements
  16
• Lens Groups
  12
• Compatible Format(s)
  DX
  FX in DX Crop Mode
• VR (Vibration Reduction) Image Stabilization
  Yes
• Diaphragm Blades
  7
• Distance Information
  Yes
• ED Glass Elements
  2
• Aspherical Elements
  3
• Super Integrated Coating
  Yes
• Autofocus
  Yes
• AF-S (Silent Wave Motor)
  Yes
• Internal Focusing
  Yes
• Minimum Focus Distance
  1.6ft.(0.5m)
• Focus Mode
  Auto
  Manual
  Manual/Auto
• G-type
  Yes
• Filter Size
  72mm
• Accepts Filter Type
  Screw-on
• Dimensions
  (Approx.)3.0x3.8 in. (Diameter x Length)
  77x96.5mm (Diameter x Length)
• Weight
  (Approx.)19.8 oz. (560g)
• Supplied Accessories
  • LC-72 72mm snap-on front lens cap
  • LF-1 rear lens cap
  • HB-35 Bayonet hood
  • CL-1018 Flexible lens pouch

  *Supplied accessories may differ depending on country or area.

*ESP (Estimated Selling Price) listed only as an estimate. Actual prices are set by dealers and are subject to change at any time.

**Specifications and equipment are subject to change without any notice or obligation on the part of the manufacturer.
***Refer to the product manual or the Compatible Lenses Specification for additional details.

VL Rating: Excellence (for compact, Zoom versatility, image stabilization and price)

You can get it from Amazon.com by clicking on this link: Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II