Awesome Site!

As a professional who has worked in the web development industry for around 15 years, i have come across several businesses and websites. I would consider this one of the best online businesses I have seen.

I seldom come across a site i like so much, so i decided to write this.

The site is Massdrop

PRODUCT SELECTION

• The community will discuss among itself on different items based on broad categories such as Audiophile, Men's Style, Tech, Writing etc.
• Each user is able to set up topics and recommend products for the community to vote.
• The highest voted product (with a min. number of votes required), gets selected and the Massdrop guys then get in touch with the supplier.

BUYING

• Upon successful communication with the supplier, the product would then be added and people can start buying.
• Based on the number of people buying, the price would drop accordingly (just as with a real mass drop scenario).
• There is a cool feature which allows you to actually commit at the lowest price. A very useful feature.
• Also there is transparency in the number of people purchasing the product and how it affects the price in a beautiful interface. 
• They even show the people buying under recent activity.
• I also like the fact that they credit the users responsible for the winning options overtly on the buy page. 
• Having the Discussion link is very useful also as it is pertinent to the buying process. Sometimes i feel i need more 'convincing' before purchasing so i go there to read the comments (and sometimes post some questions too). There are times i did not purchase because of the comments and other times the reverse is true.
• The Shipping is extremely reasonable and i would even consider cheap. This is one of the most important things to me as i live very far away.
• There are several payment options to use.
• For people who were unfortunate enough to miss the drop, there is also and option to vote for a re-buy.

POST BUY EXPERIENCE

• Customer service is excellent. When a product was too delayed due to a supplier issue, we were compensated for our delay. When i had a missing product, i was sent a replacement with no fuss. This is simple and GOOD customer service! (Thanks Kat!)
• Transactions are well documented
• All relevant info is there, even delivery info is linked

DESIGN AND WEBSITE

• If it's not obvious enough already, the site is extremely well designed. 
• It has a Clean, fast interface
• Great UX
• Very good backend system, fast and no errors encountered
• Great features that people actually use
• Good copywriting, even seems SEO optimized
• Intuitive content, i find myself using almost all the links

MARKETING

• The email marketing of the is great! It customizes it's emails to your likes. I find myself excitedly checking my email everyday to see the next cool thing that comes out.
• Furthermore the emails are well designed, relevant and well written.
• The site comes with a refer a friend feature which rewards you for introducing your friends. I find that i already would want to introduce my friends anyway so this is just icing on the cake.

FINAL THOUGHTS

• I love the fact that they have a direct and transparent way of writing. They are open about suppliers, the problems they face and even if they are promoting stuff.

It's a site i visit EVERYDAY and it has even introduced several new hobbies and interests to me, without actually even intending to!

Why not have a look? Go there now: Massdrop

MUST Have List

Things I recently got that I feel are off super value! If you don't have it, get it!

• Kershaw Leek
• Addictive opening mechanism, small with good grip, ultra sharp

• Nitecore Tube
• USB chargeable, ultra bright, tiny and super durable

• ATH M50X
• The MOST comfortable headphones i have even worn

• Pebble Time
• Apple watch step aside, this is 1/10 the price and is more than sufficient

• Microsoft Surface 3
• My go to carry notebook, it really is fantastic to use

New Fitness Toys

 Rocket Skates

Learn more about them here: http://www.rocketskates.com/

K2 VO2 100 X Boa 2015

Candy Crush Tips

Just hit level 1160 and there are no more levels to play :D

Sharing what I've learnt so far:

• Try to remove orphan candy, leaving behind similar candy in closer proximity
• Think through every move as much as you can, patience is key
• If the move doesn't benefit, then just do something else
• Every level has a strategy, keep playing it till you find out the priority in which to do first, the rest is luck
• Only use powerups once u understand the level, this is like failing at it for at least 10 times
• Time is more important, don't be a purist, use money to save time or powerups
• Different powerups and candy combinations work better in different situations, there is no BEST combi or power up. Sometimes even NOT combining a candy gives the better result

Blood Type B Diet

Learnt about Blood Type Diets today. Not sure if its true or not, there seems to be several proponents and detractors. Anyway, here is a summary from about 5-6 sources SHOULD I choose to believe. Anyway it can't really hurt:

TYPE B: THE NOMAD

• Emerged when type Os moved to the Himalayas as nomads, domesticating animals and living on meat and dairy.
• Only one person in 10 has blood type B
• Individualistic, relaxed, unconventional, uncooperative, goes against the odds, throws self into projects they love
• Least dietary restrictions!
• Closest blood type to a healthy, balanced diet.
• Has a tolerant digestive system
• Responds best to stress with creativity

GOOD

• Fish
• Turkey
• Leafy greens and vegetables
• Diary
• Yogurt
• Cheese
• Low fat milk
• Eggs
• Fruits
• Bananas
• Grapes
• Plums
• Pineapple
• Lean Red Meat
• Goat
• Lamb
• Mutton
• Rabbit
• Venison

BAD

• Corn
• Wheat
• Buckwheat
• Lentils
• Tomatoes
• Peanuts
• Sesame seeds
• Rye
• Sunflower seeds
• Chicken
• Pork
• Normal Milk (because of a sugar)

FITNESS: 

• Maintaining the mind/body balance
• Moderate exercise
• Martial arts
• Cycling
• Golf
• Hiking
• Tennis
• Swimming

EATING BAD RESULTS IN:

• Fatigue
• Fluid retention
• Hypoglycaemia

WHEN CONTROLLED:

• Blood sugar levels should remain normal after meals
• Weight control 

Plumbing Things Upgrade: Toto? Hansgrohe or Grohe?

Basically, it is completing what i started when i first moved it but as i ran out of money, i couldn't,

For toilets, i can tell you that after years of dealing with poor toilets, the absolute best one in my books is TOTO. Go for elongated, double piece and whirlpool flushing system. It is absolutely awesome.

As for fixtures, i have always used Grohe stuff except for the kitchen and other bathroom. Now that my stuff pretty much broken down, i upgraded the kitchen and bathroom fixtures to Hansgrohe and also the sink to TOTO.

A question that keeps coming up even 7 years ago when i started this was, Hansgrohe or Grohe? Generally they are both good but if you MUST choose one, here is the answer i found most compelling:

GROHE

Some time ago, one of the younger members of the family that then owned Hansgrohe decided to strike out on his own and started Grohe. He positioned it as a company with a more youthful take on the products. Grohe didn't last long and the son cashed out quickly, selling the company to a rich MNC.

HANSGROHE

This is the original company and it was recently purchased by the parent corporation of American Delta. Hansgrohe is operated as a semiautonomous division of Delta and is the premium line of the Delta group, much as KitchenAid is the premium line of Whirlpool, Gagganau is a premium line of Bosch, and Lexus is a premium line of Toyota.

CONCLUSION
There is no longer any relationship between the ownership groups of Grohe and Hansgrohe.

Between the 2, although they are both very good, you probably are safe in assuming that the Hansgrohe model will be of higher quality.

New Hobby: Manual Shaving

Edwin Jagger Shaver DE89BL

Bluebeards Revenge Vanguard Shaving Brush

Bluebeard's Revenge Shaving Brush Stand




L'occitan After Shave Balm

Kent Luxury Soap with SB3 Wooden Shaving Bowl

Feather Razor Blades Hi-Stainless Steel Double Edge

For newbies, go to The Panic Room and look for Jaime, she is really an excellent teacher!

Diary of an Adult Hand Foot Mouth Disease (HFMD) Victim

Day 0

Wife calls me to say her foot has rashes and she WAS having a fever just yesterday and is still having a really bad throat. She suspects she caught HFMD because both our  kids (2 yrs and 4 yrs) are down with HFMD. She goes to the doctor, doc says its not and sends her home. Later in the evening, spots start to appear on her hand, we go back to the doc and yes, it is confirmed, she has it. Apparently the sores in her throat were very far down so it was hard for the doc to see. Anyway it has been confirmed. I joke that she is a statistic coz adults don't get this.

Day 1

Got a bad cold today, whatever man, its just a cold. Whole family has HFMD but daddy is ok! Still continue my day as usual but as a precaution in case im a silent carrier, i choose not to go to work. Come back home and feel ok, however towards the night i develop a fever. Meanwhile, wife spots on her hands start to grow.

Day 2

Really high fever today, ranging from 38.1c to 38.9c. Developed a really bad and painful throat. Eating paracetomol and danzen every 3 hours just to earn some relief...really suffering. Was sleeping all day.

Day 3

Woke up feeling quite good and as they day went on, throat started to feel better and fever went away. By late afternoon, i was completely fever free and throat was much better. Just as a precaution, i visit the doctor and he checks my throat. Then he realizes i have sores inside my throat! He said, based on contact history, you probably got HFMD. Still was in disbelief, check hands and feet, no sores whatsoever. He prescribes the required meds and told me to just observe for a few days. Ok fine, so i go home. By night, i notice, hey whats this little spot here? ouch its like a blister...! oh no, do i really have it??

Day 4

After waking up, i realize that it kinda hurts when i touch things, to my horror i realize i have 2-3 spots on my hands! Wasn't bugging me much so just ignored it and still felt good as i had no fever and my throat felt totally fine already. As the day progressed, more and more spots started to appear! omg, its like 1 per hour. At the end of the day, i had like 20 spots on my hands. The worst ones were those on my fingertips which make it painful to type, like now (ouch!). As of this time, i have 3-4 on my feet too!! I can take this so far but really am hoping it will stop growing otherwise i'll really be incapacitated.

Day 5

Some more spots appeared on my foot making it even harder to walk but no more seemed to appear on my hands. Thankfully my dominant foot has been spared any spots so i can kind of hobble around on one leg. The blisters seem less painful or maybe im just getting used to them. They also seem to be more red and larger as they progress.

Day 6

All the blisters have stopped increasing in number now and the older ones have subsided and are no longer that painful. Mobility is back to normal already though a little irritating due to the small pangs of pain now and then with certain movements.

Day 7

Feel completely OK now, though the blisters still seem red and angry, they no longer hurt at all and i can't feel them anymore. Seems like everything is ok! Wife's blisters have started to peel. MAY be still contagious so I'm playing it safe and still staying away from people.

Day 8

Spots are turning brown already, everything seems fine now. Will consider this HFMD over! Overall, I don't think I got it too bad. Except for the 1-2 days that were a bit inconvenient, my throat was good overall and I was able to eat normally so that made a huge difference. Also my blister placements were not that debilitating.

Was lucky this time though unlucky overall to have even gotten it. Hope I NEVER get this again...