since i’ve used up all my free credits at snapfish (and i love their prints!!), i’m hunting for another reasonably priced and good quality photo printer service – either online or brick and mortar.

i know there’s shutterfly and winkflash and of course, walgreens, target, walmart, etc. i’ve tried most but not all.

a few days ago, i uploaded some of my photos to costco to see how the prints would turn out. when my order was submitted, i saw that auto-correction was “on”. i promptly called the store and told them i want the auto-correction “off”. the lady at the photo center told me that they turn off all auto-corrections unless a customer specifically called and say they want it on. i repeatedly said to her, “then you’re going to turn it off even though it’ll come across as on?” “yes, m’am” was what i got. i asked if there was any way i could turn it off myself online before i submit in my order and she said “no”.

the next day, i went and picked up my photos and looked at most of them. they were okay. i got them in the “lustre” finished. i walked out into the light and took another look at the photos and some of them look a little dark. again, they were okay but i wasn’t really impress and wouldn’t use them again. i love costco for a lot of things but it looks like photo printing will not be one of it. it could definitely just be the auto-correction but if there isn’t any way for me to turn it off, i wouldn’t print through them.

i do remember an incident about 4 years ago when i took some negatives to costco for enlargements. they were photos that my family had taken at a photo studio and they gave us the negatives. i love those studios btw. about 1/3rd of those enlargements came out much much darker compared to the prints from the studio. i’m not sure why. i didn’t think to take them back then.

walgreens was running a promotion of 20 free prints two days ago and i took advantage of that to try them out too. i picked up my prints yesterday (in a glossy finish) and were truly impressed! yea!! i think walgreens is now at the top of my list for a B&M photo service. the prints just look really good, much better than costco’s.

okay so now, tell me where you go to get yours printed?

sign up at artscow and receive 400 free prints credits & 1 free 8×8 custom cover photo books. i just signed up and am not sure how reliable their services are but definitely a go for free photo prints! and if you sign up through my referral link, i get some credits.

i’m falling in love with taebo!! for a week now, i’ve pushed aside all my other work out dvds and just use the various taebo dvds that i bought. i think the music is very upbeat and everyone are so encouraging that the work outs go by fast. and you really really sweat! this thing just rocks my socks. hahahaha

amped it up! 

i just added taebo amped to my other dvds and love it. i still haven’t work out to every dvd that i own but that’s okay. the workouts are about 45 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes. you will really really feel this by the next day.

a week ago i bought one dvd from borders for 40% off for a discounted price of $11.89. everywhere was about $14.99 so i feel like i got a good price for it. when i decide i want to add a few more workouts to my taebo collection, i stopped by a ross store and guess what? they have a bunch of taebo dvds for $4.99!! naturally i picked up another 3! >:< selections may varied by stores but i saw some shape dvds too.

now, i believe out of all the workouts i’ve tried, taebo will probably give you the fastest result however it is much easier to hurt yourself doing taebo. i know i know, because i’ve hurt myself before and it wasn’t fun. i realized i was doing too much too fast instead of going at my own pace. i learn to listen to my body more and if i can’t punch or kick or move as fast as they do, i don’t push myself. since i work out at home, i have a tendency to not wear shoes and one of the tips i read was to WEAR shoe so you don’t hurt your self since there’s quite a bit of arching.

so if you want to try taebo, start off slowly (as always) and don’t push yourself more than it can take.

now, let’s go and kick some butt!

i love using my dishwasher but sometimes i just have to wash my dishes right away. for the dishwasher, i use ecover tablets (love them!). i was out of dish soap the other week and stopped by target to pick up some liquid soap. i couldn’t find the method brand so i picked the next best thing, seventh generation dish soap.

seventh generation

i used this for a few days and didn’t like it. i was having to use more soap than with the method since it was a bit running. i went out to a different target the next day and aha! saw the method brand of cucumber dish soap on the shelf! it also smells great, comes in an attractive plastic bottle, and is a cool (bright) green color. ah, my dishes and i are happy again!

method’s cucumber dish soap

donnie yen’s dragon tiger gate and seven swords

jackie chan in rush hour 3 and edison chen in dog bite dog

i added a review of “dragon squad“. :kiss:

i picked up a couple of dvds i’ve been wanting to get – DD’s seven swords and dragon tiger gate.

along with these i picked up curse of the golden flower, beyond hypothermia, rush hour 3, and DD’s og bite dog. been wanting to see BH because han jae suk is in there. he looks great even though it was made in 1996.

got them at blockbuster – you know, their 4 for $20 and 2 for $20. i love the special collector’s set and ultimate editions. they have very nice specials and interviews. well worth the price.

 we were on our way home from merced this morning and james was like, “it’s 10:00?? let’s go get my game from costco!!” i was like “what??” and he replied “mario kart!!!”

how could i forget?? i’ve been waiting for that game to be release all month! so i got all excited and we stopped by the costco in merced and picked up our very own copy!! it comes with the wheel that you can pop your wii remote into and use like a wheel (duh shellie!).

unlike super mario galaxy or super smash brothers, i played mario kart right away. i haven’t even play smash brothers yet! love the graphics of mario kart, and i actually find it easier to play WITHOUT using the wheel. i like setting my “kart” to manual so you can do the drift yourself rather than automatic.

i’ve already unlocked the four racing cups in the 100cc race and 2 characters! that’s saying a lot for me cause i don’t play games much.

there are also BABY PEACH and BABY MARIO as racing characters. they are so cute!

ratings: definitely a 5 stars game!

mychelle sun shield spf 28 with zinclear

it’s that time again where you would need a stronger sunscreen to protect and prevent sun burns. i want to share a favorite of mine and i had stopped using it since last summer because of a few things:

1) it’s not as easy to spread

2) it balls up!!

i’ve always prefer physical sunscreen although i’ll use chemical sunscreens if i have to. this one is made with zinclear (zinc oxide) but leaves no white residue and my favorite, does not sting the eyes. this is a big plus for me since i wear contacts. you know it can be a pain.

i have 2 tubes of this left and although i stopped using, i didn’t want to throw it away because i always come back to it. just last night i read a few user reviews about how they mixed a drop or two of jojoba oil to the cream to give it a bit of a slip so it’s easier to apply.

i was getting ready this morning and thought why not?? i mix two pea size of the sunscreen with 3/4 of a pea size (how i know that i’m not sure) of the alba hawaiian jasmine and vit e moisturizer on my palm. since both creams are white, they blend and mix very well. it wasn’t too runny but was SO MUCH EASIER to apply to my face and best of all, NO BALLING!! now only if life was this easy!

the result, i got my daily moisturizer, my daily sunscreen, a matte finish, no white residue, and a more confident feeling facing those rays. c’mon, it’s going to be in the 80′s today! :yes: now i know what to do with that $20 mychelle gift certificate i got from taking their survey.

lastly, you know one of the places that’s missed the most when applying creams and what not? the neck. now i have this mental note to include my neck in every step of my skin procedures.

i got this over the weekend at jcpenney for a deep discount. the heel is about 4 inches and doesn’t feel as comfy when you first tried it on, however wear it and it gets very comfy. it is now one of my favorite pair of sandals. i LOVE it! i may have to get the black pair too when it goes on sale.

this one looks very cute. i haven’t officially wear it yet but i did try it on and since i have wide feet, the toe strap didn’t feel very comfortable to me. this is my first pair of yellow sandals. also got it at jcpenney for a deep discount. i may keep it for that.

alba hawaiian jasmine and vit e moisturizer – currently my favorite moisturizer as it leaves the skin soft and supple and moisturizes very well. unless i find another favorite, this is a definite rebuy. it’s gentle and i don’t feel like it clogs my pores.

i splurged on this stila kit from ulta for about $40. it’s got five full size items in the kit and this illuminating moisturizer itself retails for $32. this one provides no coverage and gives your face a nice illuminating effect. i don’t believe that effect lasts all day but i love it! i wouldn’t call this a tinted moisturizer and i’ve tried my share of them, this is my favorite so far. i love the no coverage, love the sparkle it gave and the spf protection is adequate for the amount of time i’m out in the sun. there’s two shades, shade 1 and 2 and shade 1 is yellow based while shade 2 is pink based. i got the yellow based. rebuy? yep!