The Ugly, Painful Truth About Life

A few weeks ago my English teacher asked the class, “Would your loyalty come first to your country, your friends, or yourself?”  Most of the cowards that would run at the sound of a gunpowder bomb in a tin can tried to sound heroic, sound strong, and answered country.  However, truth be told, I don’t think any of them will be joining the army full heartedly just because any time soon.  Then, there were those who said friends.  Well, what suckers they are!  The people who chose friends that day are soft, like puddy in a “friend”s hands.  There are 27 people in my class.  26 people chose either country or friend.  That 27th person?  Well, that was me.

That day said a lot about me.  They called me conceited, they called me vain.  I’m okay with that because my answer was true about the human soul0, not sugar coated like the lies they tell themselves.  My country is tthe unity that binds me and my friends are the floor beneath my feet, holding me up day after day.  I chose myself because, well, in the end, it’s all I’ve got.  This was surely proved today.  Wherever I turned no one, absolutely no one, had my back.  All I got in return was phoney replies… excuses.  But, what happens when they need help?  Always me, always my mother.  Bull.

This is what I’m saying.  People, humans, we’re all wolves in sheep skin.  As close, as loyal as you or someone else may be, in the end, it’s every man for himself.  People will stand by you, but one by one, they’ll run away, as far as their feet’ll take them.  I know, it’s a screwed, skewed view of the world.  I’m sorry I have to break it to you but no one is truly true, like it or not.  Backstabbers.

Photo From LadyLeah.org

What?

Okay, so I just must ask.  What do I do, to make people read my blog more?  Tell you the truth, my stats stink.  Ideas, comments, anything?  Email tiffnyrock7@gmail.com, please!

I’m Sorry For Your Loss?

It’s a part of life.  You live and, of course, you die.  However, you’re not there to live past your death, watch others mourn, or mourn your own death.  You can do this when people around you die, and, well, it’s tough to cope with.  A family member of a friend’s parent died recently and everyone took it to the easiest way to avoid face to face contact: Facebook.

In every wall post I read, the word “loss” was evident.  Loss?  I don’t know if it’s just me or not, but “loss” sounds pretty grey and downright depressing.  Why does death have to be sad?  Why do people cry?  My father, who died when I was yound and I unfortunately did not get to know very well, spoke to my mother before he died and he said, “When I die, I don’t want people to cry.”  Why should you?  Celebrate their life, do something to honor them, so that death was not in vain.

That brings me to my argument: loss?  What exactly are you loosing?  Are you loosing the person?  No, they’ll always be with in spirit, mind, and heart.  Maybe you’re afraid of a life without them.  Why?  Haven’t they been with you long enough to imprint, to teach you how to go on in life?  I feel that’s how lessons should be.  A real lesson lives on path death.  I think that you should consider it a gain.  You become a stronger person, loosing basically nothing permanently.

I remember a person that I’ve never known.  Who could be so influencial?  Marilyn Moroe.  Fifty years past her death, she lives on.  Her legend lies in books, movies, music, you name it.  To this day, people learn from her quotes, laugh at her jokes even though her voice was silenced years before they were born.  I want to be like that.  I want people to know my name, talk about my legend decades, even centuries, after my death.

Don’t mourn, celebrate.

Why do we get upset when we’re wrong?

I must confess, I am a perfectionist, sure enough, and argumentative.  I’ve also been forever subjected to an overflowing boost of pride in myself, a quality I can never seem to shed.  Even when I do good for others, deep down, deep deep down in my core, there will always be a hint of good for the greater good of me.  Now, I’m not sure if it’s just me, or everyone else on the earth, being that I’ve only lived once as one person.

Okay, I’ve done it again: off track!  Anyway, as all of the characters listed above, I don’t like to be wrong.  Ever.  Now, no one likes to be wrong but I hate to be wrong more than that of many.  I’ve questioned this constantly and, after time after time, I’ve come to one very simple conclusion.  We’re (Meaning me) stubborn!

Just like my friend Bob here.

Reject if you will, but I’m afraid it’s true.  You see, when we learn things we form opinions and our mind does things to store this information and it tells you that this is this and there’s no other way to it.  Period.  However, imagine someone come prancing into your church or mosque or wherever you worship and telling you, “No.  That is not correct.  That is not what he said, he did not look like that and that guy didn’t exist!”?  I’m sure you’d be peed off, wrong or right!  How could someone tell you what’s right or wrong?  Even worse, they prove to you that something is wrong.  This makes you feel worse, infuriated.  Not only are you being told what you believe is wrong, but also proved.  Now you feel betrayed, angry, lied to by yourself.

Now, what if you did your own research and learned that a past fact you believed was correct was not?  Well, it would be just like learning it again.  Your mind overrides itself and tells you once more what is correct and incorrect.  However, you do not feel angry, mistreated, or betrayed in any way.  You accept it.  Sure, truth be told, it’s the same as being proved wrong but instead of someone telling you that you are incorrect, your mind believes that it’s more of an amendment or change.

Another aspect is embarrassment.  For example, my sister has superhuman memory while I have a goldfish’s memory.  She remembers everything, particularly song lyrics in this case.  I too remember lyrics, but only to my favorite songs (Which just so happen NOT to be the songs my sister listens to.  I like Rock, Pop, Classical, Country, and Jazz.  She likes Rap and R&B.  I know, total opposites.).  As a result, I don’t know the lyrics to some songs by heart.  Maybe I do, but, as a normal human being, I replace a word or two.  She, forever my baby sister despite how old she or I get, corrects me.  Every time.  I feel angry.  Upset.  Cheated.  Back stabbed.  Plus, even when she does it in privacy, I feel embarrassed.  I mean, it’s like the embarrassment you feel when no one’s around.  That awkward silence.  It’s cheek-pinkening embarrassment to be corrected, any time, wrong or right.

Concluding this, no one wants to be wrong but it happens.  That, and we’re all aliens living on a planet identical to a planet called Earth that we heard about on the Twilight Zone.  Tah tah!

La Vista Estate (Sims 3 Download)

I’ve always wanted to do this, so here you go!  A nice home for you!  Tomorrow I just might post another.  CLICK TO ENLARGE.  Late Night is required for propper viewing.  All other custom content used here are made by third parties and belong to their rightful owner(s).  INCLUDES:  10 unmarked, unfurnished rooms w/ basic white walls and floors.  Two stories, white staircses and black banisters.  If there is a bug with the house, please notify me immediately.

DOWNLOAD (.SIMS3PACK)

Tags: sims

The Scoop On The iPod Touc 4G

Over the past Holiday weekend I’ve racked up a total of $495  WIth that I went and got something my lame self has lived without: an iPod Touch.  I wanted to get accessories, plus I was being plain stingy so I bought the bottom of the line, 8gig iPod.  The store was packed tight, and the “Express Shopping” line was filled. In fact, the cashiers all had the iPhone 4s with little credit card swapping things attatched to them.  Nifty, eh?  Very friendly service, too.  You see, I was getting a $50 iTunes gift card, an anti-glare screen cover, and a pretty rubber heard case.  When we reahed the top of the line, the man said “Wait, do you mind if I show you something?”, he motioned to the screen cover, then took out his keys and scratched his sparly clean, top of the line, iPhone 4s!  In my head I’m thinking “He did not just do that.  If this nut job insane?!” Meanwhile, he’s saying,”See?  It doesn’t even need protection.plus, that doesn’t keep the screen from cracking.  I’d just rather you get more for your money.”  So, I swapped the $20 anti-glare film for a $15 app store gift card.  The kind cashier even offered to duel me in Angry Birds when I get three stars in every level!  Well, flying birds aside, time to get to the dirt that brings the worms.

The Packging

Stupid to review?  I think not!  The iPod Touch comes all packaged up in a fancy little clear plastic case.  The charger and earphones are included also.  The downside, the charger is a USB so you can only charge it on your computer or if you have an adapter.  However, my BMW had a built in USB port.  The headphones have always been a favorite of mine… I love the smooth rubber outer cover.

The Outer Cover

The first thing to observe when you unpack is the outer body.  Apple makes it easy to locate back to the home screen with a button on the face of the device, in addition to volume buttons and an on/off sleep/wake button.  The back of the iPod is easily scratched, so I bought a case (For a rip-off $30!) to protect it from damage and to keep it in mint condition in case I decide to resell it in the future.

The Screen

The screen is amazing.  I was wowed by the quality when I turned on the iPod.  Everything is crip and clear for your viewing pleasure, thanks to the retina display.  On top of that, it is very easy to swipe and my finger glides across gracefully.  I usually resent touch screens because of accidental clicking.  However, I find it ver easy to type.  While I’m on the subject, I might add that when you move the cursor beween letters a magnifying glass appears to help.

Camera 

The camera has a .7 mp res.  Now, it’s deffinately nothing to brag about.  It’s way too lame for the professional photographer, but it’s just perfect for everyday use.  The camera doesn’t bother me, being that I have a 12mp camera and I didn’t get the iPod Touch for it’s camera.

Setup

Setting it up isn’t hard, but it’s very inconvenient.  Being that I’m extrememly impatient,  I just had to open my new iPod in the parking lot of the mall.  As you guessed, there’s no wifi in the mall.  Well, atleast the basement parking lot of the mall.  Luckily, I was able to pair with a phone’s network.  Long story hort, it requires plenty of information and steps to set up your iPod Touch.

The Apps

Of course, I can’t really rate apps because there are countless different apps witdifferent purposes, different performances, and different developers.  However, I can talk about the big momma, the app store.  The first thing I just have to complain about, being that I got the 8gb, is that the app store alone brought my iPod down to 6mb.  What kind of BS is that?!  Many of the apps in the store are not free, so I’m glad I bought the app and itunes gift cards.  Even though the cards say that they are for different kinds of purchases, I used one of my cards (The itunes card) and I was able to buy from iTunes and the App store.

Other

The iPod does not need any headphones to play sound, but earphones are included.  It’s customizable (To a certain extent) and there is a password setting.  The iPod charges fast and the battery lasts long.

Overview

The iPod Touch 4 is a great buy at a great price.  It’s your own little computer, gaming console, music player, camera, text messager, and ebook reaber all in one little 2x4in 0.3in thick device.  You’ll love your iPod, despite your age!

SocialVibe Update!

This site is linked to SocialVibe which is a wonderful org. that allows you- the viewers- to earn positive changes to the world through a few short, free polls.  We were supporting the Nature Conservatory.  TWLOI earned a total of 70 pounds of carbon offsets.  Every bit counts!  We are now supporting Keep A Breast, which informs people about treating and preventing Breast cancer.  This is a very dear cause I hold close to my heart ( and my boobs!) because my aunt had it, my great grandma had it, and it skips a generation in my family.  So, I ask you to take a few minutes of your time and take a quick poll on the wigit to the right of the page.  We will participate in this for a month before switching causes.

Anencephaly

It is estimated that 396,412,000 babies are born each day.  About 39 of these babies worldwide are born with anencephaly, a cephalic disease meaning “No brain” in greek.  This disease occurs during the 23rd-26th day of pregnancy.  The brain stem fails to close causing a large part of the baby’s drain, skull, and scalp not to develop.  Usually the forebrain is not present.  This part is mainly made of the cerebral hemisphere which deals with cognitive thinking.  Therefore, babies born with anencephaly may lack sight, hearing, etc.

Usually, the skull and scalp does not develop.  Therefore, the brain may be exposed at birth.  The baby may even have a frog-like appearance.  However, if you have had or seen a baby with anencephaly you know that this is not always true.  I have spoken with several people who have given birth to babies with anencephaly.  Some said that their babies looked almost completely normal as if there was nothing wrong.

More than half the time, a full pregnancy term is held.  4% of the babies are overdue and 40% are premature.  Three tenths of the time, polyhydramnios build up.  Three fifths of the time, the polyhydramnios cause a premature birth.  Due to the baby’s small head (No pun intended), vaginal birth is usually easy and common.  However, some mothers ask for a planned caesarean section to avoid stillbirth or protect healthy multiples.

As for how long babies with anencephaly lived, it varies.  0.07 of the babies died in the womb, 0.18 passed during birth, 0.26 lived up to an hour, 0.27 lived up to a day, 0.17 lived up to five days, and 0.05 lived more than five days.   Three fourths of the babies with anencephaly live past birth.  Although death during c-section is extremely unlikely and babies born this way live longer, they have extra side affects.  In general, when the water is forced to break, 37% die during birth.

Foot Notes:

Jaquier, Monika. “Report about the Birth and Life of Babies with Anencephaly.”

Anencephaly.info. 11 May 2011. Web. 19 Dec. 2011.<http://www.anencephalie-info.org/e/report.php>.

“Anencephaly.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 14 Dec. 2011. Web. 19 Dec.

2011.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anencephaly>.

If you have any suggestions, updates, or corrections for this post or would like to share your experience, please feel free to comment below.

Update

Well, I’ve gotten a lot of interest to the “Rude” post, more then expected. I’ll give you the best piece on anencephaly after school, what do ya say? As for now, I must win this battle between me, my blackberry, and a pair of -broken- headphones!

Tags: Update

The Key To Online Shopping

There’s a Blackberry in your pocket, Beats headphones on your ears, a Mac in front of you, and a Nook charging a few feet away on the table.  Welcome to the digital age.

In the world we live in, almost anything and everything is possible.  The impossible will soon become possible.  Remember Black Friday?  Those long lines flooding into ToysRUs, winding around the corner?  The agonizing lines to ring something out at BestBuy?  Well, what if I told you it was all over?  No longer forced to wait!

Just pop out that laptop (Or desktop, for the minority that still use them)!  With a credit card, you call the shots!  Many of you know of ordering online.  However, many still fear that big bad web full of scams.  Do not fear!  With these guidelines, you’ll be ready to go into the internet market in no time!

1. Trusted Websites- Don’t buy from just anywhere.  Always go to trusted places like Amazon, eBay, Overstocked, etc.  I prefer Amazon.
2. Reviews- Always read the product reviews before purchasing.  Make sure you understand possible problems.  If you are buying from websites like Amazon, make sure most of the seller’s reviews are positive.  Also make sure there are a lot of reviews (1,000+) to ensure a reliable source.
3. Bargains- Everyone loves a bargain!  You always want to try to get the best deal.  Although low prices are great, be on the lookout for scams.  I wouldn’t but something that’s too good to be true… headphones for $0.01?  I think not!  Also watch out for additional fees (tax, shipping, handling).  If something is $4.00+$5.00 s&h while the other is $6.00, you’re better off buying the $6.00 item.
4. Fine Print- I’m sure this is quite obvious if you have sense.  Read the fine print, there could be some important info!  If you buy an HTC for $25.00, I sure hope you did your research.  It just might’ve had an asperous saying “2yr contract needed.”
5. Alternatives- The name brands aren’t always the best idea.  For example, I wanted a microplush Snuggie which costed around $30.00.  There was a generic brand that costed $10.00!  I saved myself $20.00 on virtually the same product!
6. Quantity Over Quality- The subtitle says it all!  Would you rather ten dried out, poorly assembled, peeling paint pens or one glossy, smooth, rollerball pen for the same exact price?

Tags: shopping, tip