JustinMar.com: The official website of Justin Mar

I guess you can say that I'm on a spending spree! The good thing, I'm buying items that are functional and useful. Not just something that going to sit and collect dust (like my cars). My latest and greatest purchase is the Le Cruset Cast Iron Round Oven. It's a 5.5 quart pot that is capable for making soups, stews, or any other dishes you can make out of a pot. What makes this oven/pot so special and so expensive? Because it's French? The cast iron material helps for the retention and distribution of heat with very easy clean up; especially with it's enamel coating. There are no cold spots (even heat distribution), you can sear, saute, fry, braise, roast...and just about anything else. It just can't do the cooking for you. I've been shopping around for deals online, at retail stores, and finally purchased this round oven (in FLAME color) from the Le Cruset Factory Outlet in Vacaville , CA. I was in perfect time for this deal because the sales person ...

Yes, another expensive toy purchase. To many who know me, this purchase would sound like just another implusive Justin purchase. Honestly, I waited and did a little bit of shopping beforehand. I even waited for the deal . This is the Garmin nuvi 360. It's rather popular for it's small size (=stack of playing cards) and it's bluetooth capabilities. For the longest time, I've been borrowing my dad's Garmin nuvi 350, and I've always found it handy; especially when travelling. I figured why spend the money when I could always borrow it from my dad? Sure enough, I have a job that requires me to be on the road. There are countless times where this tiny little device saved my ass from getting lost or calling around frustrated trying to get directions. So for peace of mind and it's purpose for work, it's money well spent! Now, there's no excuse for me getting lost or relying on my sometimes inaccurate human navigator with AAA maps. :)

Happy Valentine's Day! A special day to express your love with the people you love. In reality, you can make Valentine's Day on any day of the year. Again, it's just a commercial holiday for retailers and florist to start their earnings off strong for the year. I must admit that I was with the rest of the last minute "guys" standing in line buying a dozen long stemed roses at Costco . Costco has the best bargain in town! Don't call me cheap! It's the thought that counts! Tonight we're heading over a friend's house for filipino style BBQ. No fancy dinner. Just enjoying the evening with friends and eating lots of protein. mmmm.

My left foot has been giving me some serious problems. For better words, "serious pain!" It's my typical male mentality to just ignore going to the doctor when I have some sort of health issue, but this time the pain was bad enough for me to actually get checked out by a doctor. Honestly, I don't know how I managed to mess my left foot up. My right foot is fine and dandy. In fact I'm almost embarassed to tell everyone how I developed this pain that causes me to limp around. Ok....I'll tell. A few Sundays ago, S wanted me go for a nice walk around the neighborhood. As much as I dread walking; wait, I'm just plain lazy! She convinced me to walk down the street to the coffee shop. What was planned out as a 45 minute walk turned into a 15 minute walk because we decided to head back home because of some last minute plans with friends to eat out. So much for exercise when your stomach overruled the walking agenda. I really didn't notice the pain until a few ...