Going Once, Going Twice

And just like that... our 2-week ebay spree has come to an end. After I taught Bethany how to post items initially, I stayed pretty disengaged from the selling frenzy. But over the past week, I started getting into it too. I would help to post some items, and then eventually help pack them up and ship them out. All week long, we're constantly updating each other (sometimes every 10 minutes!) on auction status.

"Woah, somebody else bid on the RAM. It's up to $7.09!"

All in all, we sold 29 items. Five of those items we had to list a second time before they sold. There were 18 items that didn't sell, but we have already found good homes for most of those items (BTien... enjoy the dart board!).

Was it worth it? Well, for the scale of operations that we've got going, we realized that we can't be doing it for the money. And we're not really into it for the money. It was more because we didn't want to just throw stuff away and add to the landfills. And we also didn't want to pass-the-buck to someone else to make them throw it away.

But if you want to know if you could earn a living selling on ebay (some people do it!), I think I can tell you right now that you won't be able to do it just by selling the junk in your house. Here's a practical example...

One of our most surprising sells was the 3 sets of 4-each chopstick rests in the shape of edamame. I remember trying to sell this on ebay over a year ago. No takers. But this time, they sold for $7.95 total. Since they didn't sell the first time, I thought we would sweeten the deal with free shipping/handling. The shipping cost us $2.37. The ebay listing fees cost us $0.45. The ebay final value fee, after the sale, cost another $0.70. The paypal fee for receiving payment was $0.53.

So, after shipping and fees, we earned $3.90 on this transaction.

Not to mention that we bought these sets for $1 each from Williams-Sonoma two years ago. So, that was $3 on product. So technically, we only earned $0.90 on this sale.

And that was after spending... about 10 minutes posting the item, 10 minutes wrapping the item, using paper/ink to print the packing slip and the shipping label, and then dropping it off at the post office.

$0.90 well earned.

So, you might be looking around your home thinking, "I wonder if I could ebay this..." Oh, and if you start ebay-ing, you will start to see everything around you as potentially ebay-able ("Hey honey, do we still need this jewelry box from your great-grandmother...?"). I would recommend that you only take on this venture if you have a few big items to sell first. And at those times, you can take a little bit of extra time to sell the small items, since you would be taking pictures, posting, and going to the post office anyway, to take care of the big items.

Our biggest sell was a Nikon Mf-26 multi-function back, for use on the Nikon N90s (film SLR). I remember buying this for about $100 back a few years ago, when we were about to get engaged. I figured... nobody uses film SLR's anymore. Maybe I can get $25 for this hardly-ever used item. But since it was in near-perfect condition, and I still had the box and manual... it sold for $65 after a down-to-the-wire bidding war.

So, interested in ebay-ing off all that stuff in your home? Send us an e-mail. We have a pretty good idea now about what might sell and what might not, and about how much you should charge for shipping. It's better than throwing it away! But if you have someone you could give that item away to who would enjoy it, that might save you time and energey.

King Tut is Dead

Last Tuesday, I ended up going to the Dallas Museum of Art with CharLau. I got free VIP tickets to the Tutankhamun (I call him good ol' King Tut) exhibit from HCWen, one of our friends from volleyball. This means we got to skip the line and we can come in anytime, any day the exhibit is open.

The exhibit was basically all the stuff that gets buried with King Tut. There were hundreds of items in his coffin. Oh, funny situation. CharLau and I overheard this mom talking to her young daughter (maybe three years old) in front of King Tut's relative's coffin. The mom told her that the queen was in the coffin. The daughter asked, "why does she have a cough?"

So King Tut was buried with statues of himself, statues of gods that will protect him, small board games so he can play in his afterlife, a chair, necklaces, a crown, a head rest, and many other things. In his mummy wrappings were at least 150 amulets. The item closest to his body was a dagger that was supposed to protect him. When he was buried, he had separate jars for his intestine, his stomach, his liver, his lung, and they embalm the heart. It is still a mystery why he died at the young age of 19. My first thought went to the movie Ghost Town and thinking maybe he had a really bad cavity. But later on they said that he had perfect teeth and no cavities.

I started thinking of my own situation as I was in the museum. This past week it has been really hard for me to give away some of my items in the house. Some things are valuable to me either because it cost me financially or because I have sentimental attachment to the item. Some items included the terrra cota chess set, my stuffed animals, my paintings, and some kitchen appliances. I feel like I can't sell them or donate them because I want them to have a really good home. I want the person I give it to to really care for the item like I cared for the item, and to not feel weird if I ask them about how that item is doing. Therefore, the person has to be a relative or close friend, and really want the item and not just take it from us as a favor.

Yet, the museum reminded me that stuff is still just stuff. When I die, I can't take it with me.

Other than the above stated sentimental items, I have been ok giving away a lot of the other items. It has actually been more freeing. I have only about 11 winter shirts, 13 summer shirts, and 6 pants left. I still need to cut it down. I have donated 3 bags of clothes, about 4 small boxes of toys and home decor items, sold a box of books and gave away another 40 books. My kitchen is now down to the bare minimum and it is so easy to clean the house now. Less stuff means less to clean. Ebay has been going pretty well. We have sold 28 out of 41 items and have made some profit.

As I continue to finish up the cleaning out house, I need to be reminded that although King Tut had a lot of stuff, he is still dead. When I die, I can't be buried with all my stuff, and I can't enjoy my stuff anymore. I need to have the perspective that stuff it is only stuff.

Less Stuff. Less Fear.

I rode the DART on Wednesday morning. I was carrying my backpack, which typically has in it... everything. Laptop. Webcam. Encrypted data drive. And some cash/checks that I need to deposit at the bank.

While on the DART, a couple young men walked down 2-3 cars of the train and came and sat right around me. Like... two to my left, and one right in front of me. I realize that I grew immediately a little bit cautious.... because I have all this stuff in my backpack that I don't want to get stolen. But then after about a minute... they all walked back down the train and sat somewhere else. Perhaps they were intimidated by my Chinese-ness. "Dude, he's got glasses and a big backpack, but he's Chinese. He's either an engineer or a kung-fu expert... let's get out of here."

But, in later reflection... if I didn't have my backpack on me, and only had, say, $10 in my wallet... I wouldn't have been in fearful. What's the worst that could have happened? They take my $10, then they're gone. I was fearful because I had all this stuff with me which I didn't want taken from me.

As we get rid of more and more stuff from our place (give away, ebay, donate, etc.), it is more and more freeing. Our place would never qualify as a prime target for burglars anyways. If we're ever not home, we've got our laptops and our camera with us. Those are the "oooh, big ticket" items. But besides that... yeah, you could try to steal our TV. Oh wait... no tv. Or take the stereo. Oh wait... that's a CD player boombox with built-in speakers. Or take the gaming system. Oh wait... that's a PS One. Or take the guitar. Oh wait... that's a banged up Sigma from 1992. Hmm... let's see if there's anything in the fridge.

And now, as we pack up our place and really empty out... everything... it's pretty freeing. There wasn't much to take before. But even more so now... if you took everything, well... we were going to donate it anyways.

Dim Sum Class

Alvin's sister gave Alvin and I a gift card to take a cooking class at Central Market. We were waiting for the perfect class, and thought we found it. So we signed up for the dim sum class and we took the class tonight.

On the menu was char siu bow (pork buns), black bean scallops, shrimp pot stickers, noodle cake (like a bird's nest), and chicken wings. The class was hands on, which means that every once in a while they select a student to chop onions, or use a whisk, or flip a noodle cake.

They did ask Alvin to chop ginger and the instructors were all the rage about his knife skills. They accused him all night that he already took the knife skills class. haha. I'm glad we didn't sign up for that class then! A student even asked us later, "really, where did you learn to cut like that?"

The food was pretty good, but not exactly dim sum items. The pork buns was baked not steamed, and then glazed with egg so it look like a biscuit instead of char siu bow. The chicken wings and scallops are not traditional dim sum dishes. They taught us to make dumplings like a tortellini (or just to pinch all four sides together). Some of the students wanted us to teach them how we folded our dumplings because they looked more Chinese.

At the very end, the instructor was giving a cookbook for anyone who could answer his question. In the beginning of the class, he told us the process of dim sum is also called "yum cha." So his question at the end of class was, "what is the process of dim sum?" Alvin and I told the instructor that it wasn't fair for us since we spoke Chinese. But, none of the other students knew the answer even when he gave them clues. So he said, go ahead and answer. So we won a cookbook! Yeah, thanks mom and dad for teaching us Chinese! We get a free cookbook because of it.

At the end the instructor asked Alvin privately if the food was pretty authentic. Alvin was very nice and tried to compliment everything that was good about it. Alvin then asked the instructor if he has ever had dim sum. The instructor said no. Ha! Alvin and I got taught dim sum by someone who has never had dim sum. Hilarious!

Overall, I am glad we went because it was fun, the food was good, and we got a bunch of recipes. But if we ever tried to cook this for our parents and told them it was dim sum, we would be laughed out of the kitchen.

In-N-Out Alternatives

On Saturday, we were treated to dinner with friends at GoGo Burger in Frisco. Some would say that GoGo Burger is trying to be the In-N-Out of North Texas. I have also heard the same about Mooyah Burgers & Fries (which extends to other locations in TX), and also about P. Terry's in Austin. We have tried all three of these alternatives now, and there are different things that I like about each one. So if you're ever in Texas and you miss your In-N-Out, you may want to see if you are near one of these restaurants (Mooyah has multiple locations, whereas the others only have one each).

First, though, it should be noted that all of these restaurants are almost always spoken of in comparison with In-N-Out. In-N-Out is the classic. It is the standard. And you know that I, as a consumer, have a lot of brand loyalty. And so, while there are some things about each of the alternative burger places that I like, I will always choose In-N-Out over any of these others. Their burgers, fries, and shakes are near and dear to my heart.

GoGo Burger boasts a simple menu. Your standard cheeseburger (the Junior) for $3.49, double-double (the GoGo Burger) for $4.49, and then a vegetarian alternative with portabella mushroom and a lean alternative with grilled chicken, both at $4.99. Oh, and also the equivalent of a 3x3 for $5.49. I had the double-double equivalent. Their patties are larger in diameter, bur probably the same thickness as In-N-Out. Some of the extras which you can get include grilled onions, jalapeño slices, other cheeses (like pepper jack or swiss), and a jalapeño bun. There are a few other extras too (some that cost $0.50), but these are the ones I got.

The burger tasted great. The grilled onions, though grilled, were not chopped. The jalapeño slices added a good kick to the burger. The jalapeño bun was not bad, but I think I prefer the original In-N-Out standard bun. And, while I had the pepper jack, I couldn't really tell.

On another note, they left out the jalapeño slices which we requested for Bethany's burger.

The fries were almost identical to In-N-Out, it felt like, except that they were cooked a little bit more at GoGo than at In-N-Out. This was good for me, since I would normally order mine "well done" at In-N-Out. So I guess you could say these were medium well. Good taste.

Didn't try the shakes. We did get an order of the cheddar tater tots. We do not recommend them at all. They are just big balls of fried potato and cheese. Too filling. Not worth it. Stick with the fries.

I never wrote posts in the past for the other burger joints. Off the top of my head, I like Mooyah's burgers, though a full meal is more expensive. Their fries are definitely different than In-N-Out (thickness, seasoning, taste). But their fries are really good, and they give you a lot. I have noticed that the service at Mooyah is probably the best out of the 4. Every time I've been there, they have someone walk around to the tables at least every 15 minutes asking if everything is ok and if we're enjoying our burgers.

Lastly, there is P. Terry's. I have only been there once, but I do remember that I felt like there was a distinct similarity with In-N-Out. Their menu is definitely comparable in cost to In-N-Out, and they boast the most similar menu to the classic standard. But, living in North Texas, I can't drive down to Austin every weekend for a burger.

Any others out there that should be on this list? I just can't wait to get back to the West Coast (soon!) for my cheeseburger with grilled onions, fries well done, and neopolitan shake. Counting down the days...

Went to the Movies

Alvin and I went to the movies today.

This is actually a rare occurrence for us to go to the movies. When I was young, I watched a movie in the theaters almost every week. That is what we did in AZ to keep away from the heat. It was either mall or movie. I really enjoyed watching movies. Almost every Friday, my dad would rent a video of his choice and we watched it together. I enjoyed movies.

But then I met Alvin. He doesn't enjoy watching movies as a past time. He has to be convinced to watch a movie. When I decide that I want to watch a movie, I have to subtly get him to think that he was the one that wants to watch the movie. This usually takes a couple months. I choose a movie I think he would like, and then show him the trailer. Then after the movie comes out, I would tell them that the reviews are good. Then I would find some news about the movie, and talk about it every once in a while. Since this process is grueling and long, I choose about a movie a year. Man, it's such a bummer when the movie turns out a bust, like the last Indiana Jones movie.

Well back in December, I got interested in seeing Slumdog Millionare. So I started the process. Alvin started getting hooked too. Yet, since we are so busy during the nights, we never had the chance to watch it. We finally got to see it tonight, and it did not disappoint. We were so afraid we would be let down since all we heard were good reviews. Alvin finished the movie and said it was very good. Awesome!

The last movie I saw was Madagascar 2 in the $3.50 movie theater. Before that, Alvin and I saw Wall-E at the $1 theater, about a week before it came out on video. Before that I watched Kung-Fu panda by myself at the $1 theater. The $1 theater is small and has a smaller screen.

When I saw the movie today, I thought, wow, the screen is so big. I haven't been to the actual movie theater (not the cheap theaters) since Dark Knight back in August. Alvin and I thought it was too violent for us. Funny that the only movies I have seen at the cheap theaters were cartoons and I liked them.

Now that we have seen Slumdog, there are no more movies on the queue for Alvin and me. None of the summer blockbusters look good to me. Alvin said he kind of wants to see Star Trek, and I'm like, 'shrug.' If he wants me to see it, he will have to go through a long and grueling process of convincing me.

Are there any movies y'all want to see for the summer?

Behind the Blog

So we're 2 months into this blog. I figured that after 2 months of being mystified, you - our faithful readers - deserve to get a little peek at what goes on... behind the blog.

So you're wondering... how do Alvin and Bethany decide who blogs when? How do they decide what to blog about? Are there deadlines? What do they do when they have... nothing to blog about?

Way back when we started this thing... we decided that we would like to update our blog every day. At first, we were thinking, "Ok, how about 4 blog entries a week?" But that's just too hard to keep track of, and you end up blogging one entry on Friday night and then 3 mini-entries on Saturday. So after very little deliberation, we decided to go with... every day. And we would shoot to alternate. Alvin blogs one day. Bethany blogs the next. This works out well because there are 7 days in a week, and so it's not like Alvin blogs on MWF while Bethany blogs on TThS. Because then how would you ever know what I'm doing or thinking on any given Tuesday? Alternating each day, with an odd number of days each week... has turned out to be the perfect combination.

How do we decide what to blog about? Well, fortunately, we have 2 days to think about it (Like, even on my off day, I have my eyes open for what to blog the next day). It's pretty rare that we think beyond 2 days. It is possible to start a blog entry and save it for finalizing and posting later. We have a few entries saved for later, with titles like, "My 50th Birthday... at SBUX" and "Raising Teenagers Isn't Easy." Oh, and also, "Our Blog Has Moved."

Are there deadlines? Yes. Midnight. But, we cheat. Yes... we cheat. That is, sometimes we start our entry and by the time we finish it's already... 12:30am. But we don't want the date for the entry to show as the next day; we want it to be the previous day. So... we back-date our blog for 11:59pm on the day that it was supposed to go out. Now you know our dirty little tricks.

It's 11:58. I need to get this blog entry up before midnight, so that I don't cheat again and back-date.

Last question... as we give you a peek... behind the blog. What do they do when they have... nothing to blog about? Our philosophy is that it is better to write something than write nothing. Blogging about something... anything... at least keeps us disciplined to think a little bit and write a little bit. With quantity... may come quality. For tonight, when I came to realize that I had nothing to blog about, I decided, in a stroke of brilliance... to give you a look... behind the blog.

Gotta get this posted...