Reviews by jxu

jxu says "perfect for flexible and not so flexible travelers alike" about Kayak.com

jxu — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:58:48 GMT

I started using Kayak.com when I was in college and looking for cheap flights home during holidays, and the site has only become more and more useful since then! Some of its best functionalities:

1) Easy-to-use filters: They have the "weekend only" option on the front page, but once you do your search, you can tailor the results down to what you really want: specific takeoff/landing times, no red-eye, certain airlines, no turboprops, layover times, etc. etc.

2) Email alerts: Since I fly frequently to certain airports, I set up alerts to tell me when prices drop below a certain price ceiling.

3) No booking fees: For the majority of the flights I find, Kayak takes me straight to the airline's website, so there's no additional charges.

4) Fare chart: There's a small link to the left of your search results that actually brings up the history of prices for the particular search, as well as what the fares look like on the other dates. Which brings us to...

5) The glory of...

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jxu says "great 90% of the time" about TomTom GPS, ONE 125 Portable GPS Navigation Device

jxu — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:31:13 GMT

My father gave this GPS to me when I got a new car... I've been pretty happy with it so far. Only two problems that I've encountered:

1) It loses signal sometimes when I'm in a place with lots of tall buildings.
2) Its recalculation speed is a bit slow, so sometimes by the time they've figured out a new route I've already passed that particular exit/intersection.

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jxu says "convenient but easy to overcook" about George Foreman Grill - Indoor GRP4P

jxu — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:24:11 GMT

I like my George Foreman grill a lot, especially since spending 30 minutes on a meal for one person seems to be a little pointless at times. The only problem is that I seem to go from undercooked to overcooked in 2 seconds....

jxu says "Love the AA batteries and IS technology" about Canon - PowerShot A570 IS

jxu — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:59:40 GMT

Yes, it does make the camera about 50% bigger but I love the fact that it's powered by AA batteries and not lithium-ion. If you use rechargeable batteries, it'll last you a good amount of time. I travel to foreign countries a lot, so I find it much more convenient to just buy AA batteries than to find a power converter and carry a charger around.

I also take a lot of nighttime pictures and I hate harsh flashes, so the IS technology is great. It's not perfect (still a lot of blurry pictures), but a must-have feature.
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jxu says "pricy but worth it" about Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler

jxu — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:56:49 GMT

After years of drugstore eyelash curlers, the Shu Uemura one was a relief. It's a little flatter and wider, so it doesn't dig into the corners of your eyes, and one curl is all that it takes. It does come with a replacement pad as well, making the price more justifiable....

jxu says "light and tasteful" about Burberry London

jxu — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:50:39 GMT

Feminine but not overwhelming; my other favorite is Chanel chance. This is easily my favorite out of all the Burberry perfumes....

jxu says "nearly perfect" about Something Borrowed - Emily Giffin

jxu — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:46:53 GMT

Emily Giffin writes beautifully, a skill that is surprisingly lacking in novels targeted towards women. Even better, she doesn't assume that you don't have a brain. The books is light but nuanced; Giffin's protaganists (there are no others) could have easily fallen to caricatures but she lets them dangle as human beings. Enjoyable....

jxu says "One of the better beach reads" about Sophie Kinsella - Can You Keep A Secret? Books

jxu — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:42:23 GMT

Kinsella's fiction is best read on a sunny day with a soda, and this is no exception. In my opinion, better than the Shopaholic series; reads like a chick flick dream....