u/Chordelion_1220

A few months earlier, my brother started waking up earlier in the morning than usual to make some coffee. In the beginning, I genuinely thought that he was being so dramatic because he randomly stopped using instant coffee and he became so obsessed with grinding beans to make coffee every single day.

One weekend, my brother asked me if I could help him look for a dripper coffee maker online because he really wants to try making pour-over coffee in our house. I never even knew that there were so many kinds. While searching online, I typed pour-over coffee maker, ceramic coffee dripper, and even V60 dripper set on Google and Alibaba just so I could compare their prices and designs.

Me and my brother found lots of different styles, from plastic drippers to ceramic ones that would look so nice on our kitchen counter. I also noticed that some sellers offer lots of discounts when the drippers came with paper filters and other stuffs, which was very helpful for beginners like me and my brother.

My mother even joined our conversation and she said that the slow pouring method looked so calm and relaxing compared to when we rush making coffee in the morning especially when we’re late to some things. Days later, my brother decided to order a simple dripper set, it was very cutee, and now our kitchen smell like coffee every morning.

There are still some times that I drink instant coffee, but now I finally understand why people love pour-over coffee so much. It gives the feeling of not rushing and more personal for some reason.

Few months ago, my brother randomly suggested that we should do something that is different and is interesting for our family gathering the next week. Instead of just the usual movie night with snacks like during most of our gatherings, my brother wanted to try playing outdoor games. After he said that, we all laughed a little (not that we’re mocking him) but because no one in our family was athletic. Then my cousin said something about inflatable volleyball courts, which to be honest, made me curious.

That same night after our meeting on our family gathering, I began searching online on my laptop. I first searched what inflatable volleyball courts look like and loved how they look. I was now really serious about buying it for our family gathering, so I searched more about it on google, reading reviews from other people. I remember when my cousin mentioned about inflatable volleyball courts, my cousin also said we should try searching it on online shopping sites like Amazon and Alibaba, so I did, and I saw so many options. I started comparing the different options that I saw.

Some of it were big floating courts used for huge events and resorts, while others were smaller and is what exactly we needed for our family gathering. I also learned that the heavy-duty PVC material is better if you wanted something that won’t easily break and would last long.

Of course, we ordered the small one since it was affordable and fits perfectly in our backyard. It was also very easy to set up and was not time consuming. We had so much fun playing volleyball during our gathering. We were thinking of doing that again in our next family gathering later on.

What fun activity do you guys do on your family gathering?

There was this one time where my uncle asked me to help him with cleaning up his small sheep area. At first, I thought we were only feeding the sheep and sweeping the place, but I was wrong. He suddenly mentioned about sheep shearing, which was new to me. I have never even known sheep shears and I haven’t seen one as well.

He showed me his sheep shears which he has used for many, many years, after seeing my uncle use it for a few minutes, I finally understood why he wanted a portable one. I always hear my uncle complaining about his old shears and how it was very inefficient when shearing his sheep. I wanna help my uncle, so that night I decided to learn more about portable sheep shearing tools online.

I searched for phrases like, portable sheep shears, cordless sheep shears, best sheep shears with reviews on Google. Then I further read about portable sheep shearing tools on Amazon, Alibaba, and other websites to compares the each prices. What I really looked into was those that are rechargeable and also has speed that can be adjusted.

What surprised me the most was that there were many people who preferred cordless shears for small farms, which made me think I choose the cordless shears because my uncle’s sheep farm was also small. I read reviews about how it was easier to handle and more comfortable for beginners. Some people also mentioned how lightweight shears helped with reducing arm fatigue when using it for long periods of time.

The next day, I showed my uncle a few portable sheep shearing tools that I’ve found online. He really liked the rechargeable ones because they seemed more simple and can be easy to carry around his sheep farm.

She already has a few necklaces, but she does not have a matching jewelry set. I thought it would be nice to surprise her with a simple yet elegant set she can wear anytime, even on ordinary days.

That’s when things got a bit difficult. I spent hours scrolling online to look for “good quality” jewelry. But honestly, it was confusing. Every website looked nice. It was hard to tell which were truly good and which were just well-advertised.

I also looked at fashion blogs, Reddit posts, and customer reviews to see what real people were saying. Some people recommended luxury brands, while others said smaller, independent designers offer better quality for a fair price. It became overwhelming because there were so many different opinions.

Then I read about Alibaba. I learned that some small jewelry businesses use it to source materials or to give them ideas for their designs. I always thought it was only for bulk buying, but it seems people use it in different ways depending on their needs.

Right now, I still haven’t decided what to buy. But it’s okay because I still have time to do more research. I just want to make sure I choose something that my mom will truly love.

Story time...

It all started on one random morning when I made up my mind to fix a few things in my house, and I knew that I needed a good welder for the job. I wasn't really sure what kind of welder I was going to get, so I opened my phone and started looking online for what I needed. After a little searching on my phone, I realized that what I needed was a TIG welder, but I didn't know much about it at that time.

While I was browsing, I stumbled across a lot of choices that had dual voltage in their product descriptions. I had no clue what dual voltage meant at first, so I searched what it meant. I then found out that it meant the TIG welder could work with both 110V and 220V power, which makes it very flexible. That sounded like what I really need since I wasn't so sure about what kind of power I'd have that is available in different areas of my house.

I still continued searching and looked through a lot of different models and their prices on Alibaba, Amazon, eBay, and other shopping sites. I wasn't in a rush to buy a welder, so I took my time and read reviews from other people and compared the features of each brand. After a while, I found a portable TIG welder that I really liked. It had great reviews from other people who bought those products that I was choosing to buy. It is also within my budget.

After ordering it, the welder arrived a week after, and I was so excited to test it. It worked really well just as I have hoped, and I was able to get all of my small welding projects finished. It's so amazing how much I've learned just by doing a little research online. Now, I'm more ready for any future DIY welding job that comes in my way!

She already has a few necklaces, but she does not have a matching jewelry set. I thought it would be nice to surprise her with a simple yet elegant set she can wear anytime, even on ordinary days.

That’s when things got a bit difficult. I spent hours scrolling online to look for “good quality” jewelry. But honestly, it was confusing. Every website looked nice. It was hard to tell which were truly good and which were just well-advertised.

I also looked at fashion blogs, Reddit posts, and customer reviews to see what real people were saying. Some people recommended luxury brands, while others said smaller, independent designers offer better quality for a fair price. It became overwhelming because there were so many different opinions.

Then I read about Alibaba. I learned that some small jewelry businesses use it to source materials or to give them ideas for their designs. I always thought it was only for bulk buying, but it seems people use it in different ways depending on their needs.

Right now, I still haven’t decided what to buy. But it’s okay because I still have time to do more research. I just want to make sure I choose something that my mom will truly love.

One afternoon, I was just casually scrolling online on my phone when I saw a video about industrial robots putting together some tiny electronic parts inside a factory. I thought it was just a simple process at first, but the more I watched about industrial robots, the more I became impressed about it. The robots are doing their job so quickly and accurately without making a single mistake.

Watching a few of those videos on industrial robots really made me curious, so I began searching more about it online. I typed on my keyboard “industrial robots for electronics assembly” and I later searched “high precision industrial robot” so I could see many different models online that are available. I genuinely did not expect to see so many kind of robots that are made for specific tasks.

While I was reading product descriptions from various websites from Alibaba, product blogs, Reddit posts, and customer reviews to see what other people think about industrial robots, I learned so much about how some robots are specially designed for very delicate electronic work. One of the most common robots that I have seen while I was searching was the SCARA robot. Many of the sellers online mentioned that it works very well for the assembling of small electronic components because it is quick, compact, and so accurate.

I also realized that some of the industrial robots are built for heavier and complex tasks while others focus mostly on accuracy and efficiency. For me it was very interesting how many factories use different types of robots which depends on what they need to produce.

After that, whenever I think about devices, I don’t just focus on seeing the finished product. I also think about the silent machines working very carefully and repetitively making sure that every part of the device fits perfectly.

Few weeks ago, it was afternoon, my mother wanted our house to smell good without having to use some harmful chemicals. My sister was so excited at that time because she love the idea of having a house that smells natural and relaxing while I just wanted to know about how a candle is made to be eco-friendly in the first place.

Later that night, I was scrolling on my phone. Before doing some research on eco-friendly candles, I really thought that all candles are the same, but I kept on seeing words like soy wax, coconut wax, and many more. My mother told me that these sounded more natural compared to those regular candles they we bought from stores that we go to. So we started on reading each candle’s description instead of picking based on the pretty designs.

I opened my google app and searched on where to find eco-friendly candles, and I found a few products similar to what I was researching earlier on websites like Amazon, Alibaba, and other shopping websites. A lot of results showed up and we were surprised by how many choices we have on eco-friendly candles. Some of the choices even mentioned about low smoke and cotton wicks.

My mother liked the soy wax candle because it looks very clean and simple. My sister kept on choosing candles that have some lavender scent while I just made sure that they were 100% completely safe.

In the end, we did not buy it immediately, but we learned a lot. Doing some research on eco-friendly candles became a family discussion time that made something very simple feel a bit more fun and interesting.

She already has a few necklaces, but she does not have a matching jewelry set. I thought it would be nice to surprise her with a simple yet elegant set she can wear anytime, even on ordinary days.

That’s when things got a bit difficult. I spent hours scrolling online to look for “good quality” jewelry. But honestly, it was confusing. Every website looked nice. It was hard to tell which were truly good and which were just well-advertised.

I also looked at fashion blogs, Reddit posts, and customer reviews to see what real people were saying. Some people recommended luxury brands, while others said smaller, independent designers offer better quality for a fair price. It became overwhelming because there were so many different opinions.

Then I read about Alibaba. I learned that some small jewelry businesses use it to source materials or to give them ideas for their designs. I always thought it was only for bulk buying, but it seems people use it in different ways depending on their needs.

Right now, I still haven’t decided what to buy. But it’s okay because I still have time to do more research. I just want to make sure I choose something that my mom will truly love.

I was helping my niece to set up a tiny, basic home lab to do her project. She only needed glassware and a few chemicals at most to get started. I thought this would be an easy building block, armed with a shopping list of things to pick up, and yet!

The real crunch came when we were to discuss solvents. My niece was kinda blithe towards the idea of something cheap while I was squabbling to make it into something safe and dependable. Solvents have their dangers after all, and her safety is a priority.

And sadly, most of the local suppliers we checked with were lacking stock, or way too expensive. While surfing the whole we noticed some listings on Alibaba. We were very wary of it of course. Lab materials on the internet? Especially far away?

But we kept looking thru different sellers and glancing at their feedback. My niece even messaged some of them directly. Unexpectedly, some sellers got back to us reasonably fast and explained things coherently. We haven’t placed an order yet, but it’s reassuring a bit to know there are more alternatives out there. It made the hunt less like nightmare.

It was quite an exhausting week, and honestly I am just glad I could pitch in. I am looking forward to seeing her mini lab once it’s operational. You have suggestions to share, I’m all ears. Thanks.

I always hear people talk about how you should drink water first thing when you wake up. I don't do that.

Here's why. I only drink mineral water, not tap water, so it's not about the chlorine present in water or the old, rusty pipes. For me, it comes down to two reasons.

First, morning breath in a glass. During nighttime when we sleep, our mouth produces little to no saliva. That gives the bacteria the right environment to grow and make smelly stuff. When you take that first sip of water, you're washing all those bacteria and their weird taste right on your tongue. No thank you, I'd rather brush first thing when I wake up.

Second, even fresh water tastes weird to me when I drink it just after waking up. If you did leave your mineral water out overnight, it absorbs carbon dioxide coming from the air and creates a tiny bit of carbonic acid, which makes water taste sour or stale. But for me, I get my water straight from the dispenser when I need to drink, so mine isn't sour or stale, but my mouth still is, so it tastes weird.

So here's what I did. I brush my teeth, gargle some water to clean my mouth, wash my face, then wait for a few minutes, then I drink my water. It tastes clean. There's no more sour and stale taste in my water.

I've gotten used to not drinking water first thing when I wake up. And I like it much better. Some habits aren't worth forcing yourself to follow just because people say "it's healthy."

For a decade, my friends and classmates have called me by my first name.

"Hey, (my first name), can I borrow your stuff?" "(my first name), come eat lunch with us." Everyone called me by my first name from 1st Grade to 6th Grade. Even my teachers said it with a sweet, soft voice. It felt safe. It fits me who got excited over spending time with friends and classmates during break time. When I heard someone calling (my first name), I knew who I was before, a kid who was joyful and sometimes shy. I got used to it.

There was a pandemic during my 7th and 8th Grade. So I was now in 9th Grade when face-to-face classes returned, new faces, new room, and new me. I was absent during the first week of our class since I wasn't in the city where I'm going to school. When I came inside of our classroom for the second week, I sat at the back corner since I really don't want to be surrounded by classmates on all of my sides. I was just sitting quietly and then suddenly a classmate in front of me turned to me and said "You must be (my last name)."

I looked at my classmate in front of me and I was like "Who? Oh me." At first it felt weird, I thought last names were for taking attendance, or for addressing the teachers, not for casual conversations. But my classmate kept on calling me by my last name, then everyone started calling me (my last name), even students from other sections, and also my teachers as well.

They called me by my last name so much that I got used to and I like being called that way. Now it's flipped. There are times when someone calls me by my first name and I just look at them weirdly. Like, who? I don't mean to be rude, it's just that I'm not used to it anymore. It's like they're calling on my past version that I've left behind.

I didn't plan to change my preference on what they should call me, it just happened and I got used to it. I used to be (my first name). Now, I'm (my last name). And yeah, I like it much better.

For me, I find it hard to start something. I can think about doing a certain task all day, but my mind goes blank the moment I actually begin. I start thinking about the worst that could happen like “what if I fail at what I do?” or “what if I’m not good enough to finish it?” Because of that I end up doing nothing, scared that it might not go as planned.

I realized that it’s not actually the task that makes me doubt myself, but it’s the pressure that I put upon myself. I want things to go exactly as I imagined, which makes starting really hard.

What really helped me was breaking my task down to small bits. Instead of thinking “I need to accomplish it right away,” I tell myself “just do a portion of it for like 5 minutes and take a short break, then repeat.” Almost all the time, once I begin, it isn’t as bad as I imagined.

I’m currently working on it, but I’ve learned that starting doesn’t have to be fully planned. It can be messy and slow. The important part is simply showing up, even in a small way.