I am a self diagnosed couch potato. I admit I'm pretty much addicted to TV. I'm not proud of it, but they always say the first step is admittance. It didn't happen suddenly. Like most addictions, it started off as a gradual thing.
When I was little my mother was very restrictive on the amount of TV I got to watch. I was never able to watch TV on Sundays or during school vacations. I'd always have something to do, and that something usually was going to my brother's soccer games on the weekend. And whenever I did get to watch TV my dad always had control over the remote, so I never got to choose what I wanted to watch. When I got older and I could eventually stay at home by myself what else would I do but turn on the TV.
It would be a few hours here, a few hours there, but in the begining I never would spend the whole time watching for the simple fear of my mother coming home seeing my just sitting on the couch having done nothing the whole time she was gone. Because an angry Asian mother is never a pretty sight. If she were to ever catch me spending the whole day in front of the television I think she would probably ban me from watching TV for a whole month... Wait, she has done that before.
So my secret TV watching went on for a while. I was like a crack addict hiding away in my closet. Taking a hit whenever I could. The second I could hear my parents start their car, the TV would be on and I'd be channel surfing the hours away. And the chores my parents gave me to do while they were away, were haphazardly done 30 minutes before they were due home. But the TV watching eventually caught up with me. My parents walked in on me doing some chores with the TV still on, but surprisingly they didn't really seam to care. So that lead to my parents seeing me on the couch just watching TV, and they didn't seem to mind that either as long as all of my chores were done.
Eventually all this TV watching lead to watching TV when my parents were home, to staying up to watch the next TV show, to having TV shows that I NEEDED to watch, to being full blown addicted and glued to the screen. It wasn't helped recently when my own father decided to upgrade our regular channels to the digital channels that has like 100 more channels to watch.
So if i didn't have enough of an addiction, my parents just added to the fact that I can now spend more time watching reality shows, cooking shows, comedy shows, medical shows and all the trashy television I love watching. Really, there is almost too much to keep up with some times.
But it's not like I even want to be cured of this "disease". I mean know I waste a lot of time watching TV, but I enjoy it. I mean have you seen the shit they put on nowadays? It is freakin' awesome. And being a person who likes to be up to date on pop culture, I feel like this TV watching does wounders for my pop culture knowledge. And until TV actually hinders my life I doubt I'll be quitting any time soon.
Spoken like a true addict. Peace.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
How to Survive Boredom 101
Sudokus and crosswords are the perfect things to do while bored. I've decided that almost any boring situation in which you can bring out a pen and paper, and not look like a douche, you are allowed to bust out that sudoku or crossword and boredom shall be no more. For example, when I go to a big lecture class I'll often, okay ALWAYS, bring out the school paper and attempt the crossword and do the sudoku.
Notice the verb-age on that last sentence because I can never finish/do a crossword by my lonesome. I mean I'm not some Ken Jennings who keeps random facts lodged in my brain just so I can complete the crosswords. However, if you are fortunate enough to have a friend who is along side you also wallowing in shared boredom, bring them along on the crossword train and then it suddenly becomes a win win situation. You get help on your crossword and your friend is also not bored.
However, help me out with my sudoku and I'll freakin' shank you. If one thing bugs me while doing any type of puzzle it's when people look over my freaking shoulder and try to help me out with my sudoku. Gah that bugs me so much. So side note, if you ever see me working on a sudoku and unless I specifically ask for help on it... DO NOT, OR SO HELP ME GOD, TRY TO ASSIST ME!
Anyways, these little puzzles are perfect distractions to really boring situations because you don't ever want to be that person who falls asleep right in the middle of something. Also if there was something super important going on then you'd still be able to pick up on it. And the sudoku is great for maybe one class, but say you have more than one lecture in the same day, the crossword is never finished so transferring that to the next class is really not that difficult. And the best part about taking the crossword to the next class, another friend/brain to pick for the random ass trivia.
Granted there are rules to follow while doing these puzzles in class or other situations.
Rule one: don't ever let the professor/ person giving the lecture/boring whatever see you actually doing these puzzles. My solution to this is don't sit in the front or always have another pad of paper somewhat over the puzzle so it at least looks like you are taking notes. This is just curtious to the other person, it makes it look like you care enough to actually take notes.
Rule two: make sure to look up occasionally from your puzzle to continue the ruse that you are actually listening. If you are going to go through all the trouble of putting another paper over your puzzle you might as well follow through with the charade of listening. I mean it becomes very highly suspicious if someone doesn't look at you while you are talking. So take a moment or two, look up and make a listening face to show that you are still some what interested.
Rule three: when putting your head together with a friend on solving crosswords, work out a silent system between the two of you. The reason for this is to reduce the appearance that you are both not paying attention. The only thing worse than noticing one person not listening is to you is two people not listening to you. My solution to this is to put the puzzle between the both of you and perhaps sometimes pointing out a clue that your friend might possible know the solution to. This might take a while to work out with your friend but when worked out it's like a beautiful puzzle solving ballet.
Rule four: take your time doing the puzzles. Why should you do this you may ask. Well you wouldn't want to finish the puzzle and then be stuck with nothing else to do for the rest of the lecture or other boring activity. If you find yourself continually solving the puzzles too quickly might I suggest buying a book of puzzles to do so you never run out. Granted a big book of puzzles would be way too noticeable, but ripping out the pages could work.
When these rules are followed puzzle doing becomes easy during boring situations. And who knows maybe you can become a master of puzzle doing like me. Just something to strive towards.
Notice the verb-age on that last sentence because I can never finish/do a crossword by my lonesome. I mean I'm not some Ken Jennings who keeps random facts lodged in my brain just so I can complete the crosswords. However, if you are fortunate enough to have a friend who is along side you also wallowing in shared boredom, bring them along on the crossword train and then it suddenly becomes a win win situation. You get help on your crossword and your friend is also not bored.
However, help me out with my sudoku and I'll freakin' shank you. If one thing bugs me while doing any type of puzzle it's when people look over my freaking shoulder and try to help me out with my sudoku. Gah that bugs me so much. So side note, if you ever see me working on a sudoku and unless I specifically ask for help on it... DO NOT, OR SO HELP ME GOD, TRY TO ASSIST ME!
Anyways, these little puzzles are perfect distractions to really boring situations because you don't ever want to be that person who falls asleep right in the middle of something. Also if there was something super important going on then you'd still be able to pick up on it. And the sudoku is great for maybe one class, but say you have more than one lecture in the same day, the crossword is never finished so transferring that to the next class is really not that difficult. And the best part about taking the crossword to the next class, another friend/brain to pick for the random ass trivia.
Granted there are rules to follow while doing these puzzles in class or other situations.
Rule one: don't ever let the professor/ person giving the lecture/boring whatever see you actually doing these puzzles. My solution to this is don't sit in the front or always have another pad of paper somewhat over the puzzle so it at least looks like you are taking notes. This is just curtious to the other person, it makes it look like you care enough to actually take notes.
Rule two: make sure to look up occasionally from your puzzle to continue the ruse that you are actually listening. If you are going to go through all the trouble of putting another paper over your puzzle you might as well follow through with the charade of listening. I mean it becomes very highly suspicious if someone doesn't look at you while you are talking. So take a moment or two, look up and make a listening face to show that you are still some what interested.
Rule three: when putting your head together with a friend on solving crosswords, work out a silent system between the two of you. The reason for this is to reduce the appearance that you are both not paying attention. The only thing worse than noticing one person not listening is to you is two people not listening to you. My solution to this is to put the puzzle between the both of you and perhaps sometimes pointing out a clue that your friend might possible know the solution to. This might take a while to work out with your friend but when worked out it's like a beautiful puzzle solving ballet.
Rule four: take your time doing the puzzles. Why should you do this you may ask. Well you wouldn't want to finish the puzzle and then be stuck with nothing else to do for the rest of the lecture or other boring activity. If you find yourself continually solving the puzzles too quickly might I suggest buying a book of puzzles to do so you never run out. Granted a big book of puzzles would be way too noticeable, but ripping out the pages could work.
When these rules are followed puzzle doing becomes easy during boring situations. And who knows maybe you can become a master of puzzle doing like me. Just something to strive towards.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Suck it Sneaky Secret Sales, I'm on to You
About three months ago I became the proud owner of a shiny new iPad. In fact, it is what I'm using right now to write this blog. Since the moment I got my iPad I've used it everyday for a myriad of things. I've used it for entertainment, games, school, games, watching videos, games, writing my blog, and I suppose playing games. Since I'm just a poor college student I try my best to be thrifty and I try to get the best deals on all the apps I download on my iPad.
The downloading of the apps have taken on a life of its own. I mean there was a point where I spent hours upon hours looking up apps, watching and reading reviews online, all whilst on my spiffy iPad. Granted I had to shell out a couple buck here and there to get some really kick ass apps but all the apps I paid real money for was all worth it... AND they were all paid with iTunes credit.
But now that I only have 70 cents left on my account and I'm refusing to pay for any other apps. But there is this one app that I have my eyes on... Okay well several apps I have my eye on. The price of each app ranges from maybe $1.99 to $6.99. Now ya'll must be thinking "what a cheap ass, it's not even that much, just get it.". But you see here's the thing, I just know the second I buy this really kick ass app, it's going to go on sale. I can feel it in my bones.
How do I know this will happen to me you ask? Because it already has happened to me. Back when I had a bunch of store credit I found a game that was really kick ass but it coasted like $9.99. So not the most expensive game, but in my mind still pretty pricy. But I decided, hey what the heck, I really wanna play this, so I threw caution to the wind and I bought the damn game. A couple of weeks latter what do I see while browsing the app store? It went on sale! For three whole dollars less. That's almost a whole app!
I was beyond pissed. How could the app store do this to me? How could they decide just a few weeks later to charge less than what I paid for? I felt like I wanted three dollars back. I felt completely ripped off. I felt absolutely betrayed and I lost all respect for the App store.
But at the same time I saw another game I had wanted that was way less for than what it originally was so I picked it up right away. I guess if you look at in in retrospect I at least didn't spend full pop on all of these games. But still, if I had saved money in both games, then maybe I would have been able to get another game.
So now that I know that apps go on sale my friend recommended to me a website that tells you when these apps go on secret sale, or even free! Ever since I found this site I've become obsessed with reading almost everything this site has to offer! And thank god, because I have saved on a bundle of apps that were on sale or free. In fact since I've discovered the site I've only been downloading free games.
However the recent discovery of that game I mentioned earlier has made me seriously considering cracking under the pressure and just shell out the money for this completely awesome game. I mean it is less than $10.00 but it really is the principle of the matter. I want my game, but I want it at a good price. But I really want it... Sooooooooo badly.
What game could be sooooooo good you ask? Well it was a game I played a while ago... Why would I want to play it again you ask? Well because it was a fun game that I only got to play a trial version of years ago, and I really liked it but I never got around to buying the real game. And with my current addiction to chocolate of course the game would be about chocolate. Why would I want to torture/feed into my addiction you ask? Because isn't that what all addicts do? Anyways, it's a strategy game about chocolates and you get to make chocolates, sell them, trade them. The game is called 'chocolatiers' and it is honestly the most fun I had with a strategy game ever. EVER.(O_O)
And I know the second I buy it, they are gonna put it on secret sale.
The downloading of the apps have taken on a life of its own. I mean there was a point where I spent hours upon hours looking up apps, watching and reading reviews online, all whilst on my spiffy iPad. Granted I had to shell out a couple buck here and there to get some really kick ass apps but all the apps I paid real money for was all worth it... AND they were all paid with iTunes credit.
But now that I only have 70 cents left on my account and I'm refusing to pay for any other apps. But there is this one app that I have my eyes on... Okay well several apps I have my eye on. The price of each app ranges from maybe $1.99 to $6.99. Now ya'll must be thinking "what a cheap ass, it's not even that much, just get it.". But you see here's the thing, I just know the second I buy this really kick ass app, it's going to go on sale. I can feel it in my bones.
How do I know this will happen to me you ask? Because it already has happened to me. Back when I had a bunch of store credit I found a game that was really kick ass but it coasted like $9.99. So not the most expensive game, but in my mind still pretty pricy. But I decided, hey what the heck, I really wanna play this, so I threw caution to the wind and I bought the damn game. A couple of weeks latter what do I see while browsing the app store? It went on sale! For three whole dollars less. That's almost a whole app!
I was beyond pissed. How could the app store do this to me? How could they decide just a few weeks later to charge less than what I paid for? I felt like I wanted three dollars back. I felt completely ripped off. I felt absolutely betrayed and I lost all respect for the App store.
But at the same time I saw another game I had wanted that was way less for than what it originally was so I picked it up right away. I guess if you look at in in retrospect I at least didn't spend full pop on all of these games. But still, if I had saved money in both games, then maybe I would have been able to get another game.
So now that I know that apps go on sale my friend recommended to me a website that tells you when these apps go on secret sale, or even free! Ever since I found this site I've become obsessed with reading almost everything this site has to offer! And thank god, because I have saved on a bundle of apps that were on sale or free. In fact since I've discovered the site I've only been downloading free games.
However the recent discovery of that game I mentioned earlier has made me seriously considering cracking under the pressure and just shell out the money for this completely awesome game. I mean it is less than $10.00 but it really is the principle of the matter. I want my game, but I want it at a good price. But I really want it... Sooooooooo badly.
What game could be sooooooo good you ask? Well it was a game I played a while ago... Why would I want to play it again you ask? Well because it was a fun game that I only got to play a trial version of years ago, and I really liked it but I never got around to buying the real game. And with my current addiction to chocolate of course the game would be about chocolate. Why would I want to torture/feed into my addiction you ask? Because isn't that what all addicts do? Anyways, it's a strategy game about chocolates and you get to make chocolates, sell them, trade them. The game is called 'chocolatiers' and it is honestly the most fun I had with a strategy game ever. EVER.(O_O)
And I know the second I buy it, they are gonna put it on secret sale.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The Not So Secret Life of a Chocolate Addict
I've never had this big of an addiction to something in my life than my current addiction to chocolate. I really don't know what it is but recently I've just been craving chocolate like a PMS-ing high schooler.
It all stared with nutella. You know the chocolate hazelnut spread that tastes good on almost anything. Well I had a jar of it at home and I started eating it with bread, crackers and toasted tortillas... And it tasted SOFA KING good! I became addicted to this damn nutella and it was freakin' delicious! Honest, toasted tortilla with nutella and bananas, tasted like the most unbelievable crêpe ever!
Anyways, a week or two later my friend convinced me to buy a pack of mini M&Ms and regular M&Ms for reasons that shall remain between the two of us, (Ididn'tknowhowtoswollowpillssohetoldmetopracticeonM&Ms,yesIrealizehowpatheticthatis,don'tjudgeme,oksothejudegemntsalreadybeenmaAde,Ijustdon'twannahearit) and so here I was with these two packs of M&Ms. I don't normally like M&Ms because the chocolate is not particularly good but when I started eating these M&Ms they were the best goddamn thing I've ever had! I was experiencing a chocolate ecstasy like no other. By the time I realized I ran out of M&Ms it was too late, the addiction had set in. I was willing to lie cheat and steal, anything to get my hands on more chocolate.
It was the only thing that could satisfy me. I wanted chocolate and I wanted it now! Luckily the gods must have heard my request for my mother had a gift certificate to See's Candy! It was as if the gods had spoken and they chose me! Me, just a small town girl, living in a lonely world, I took the midnight train to Georgia... Okay not really, but here I was with a gift certificate to the ultimate candy shop. It was as if God approved of my addiction!
So I went to the store and it was a candy heaven! I mean the way they display all the candies is just so cute and it makes the candy even more appealing. They have all the boxed candies piled in heaps around the room all shiny in their boxes saying "take me home and eat me!" And the display for all the individual little chocolates makes them look like little chocolaty gems. They are in their little dishes according to flavor as they softly whisper, "try me, you know you want to, you know you want me."
I ended up getting some hard candies, vanilla and latte, which looking back on it I don't know why I didn't just get all chocolates... But then I was left with the option of getting some chocolates from the case... It was like asking an alcoholic what they wanted to drink first. I wanted to consume the whole case all by myself, except for the nougats and the creams... Those I'd probably just suck off the chocolate shells and then spit the rest out... But my options were limited and I had to choose right then and there.
So I picked up some scotch mallows and California brittle..... This was one of the best decisions of my life. When I got home that day with my little baggie filled with these candies I was beyond the need to consume them. But consume I did. I tried to savor the chocolaty goodness as best I could, but my parents decided they needed to eat some too, and before I knew it the bag that was once filled with the joy of the world, was now gone and in the deep dark pit that was my belly.
I was devastated. How could there be no chocolate left? How could I go on with my life. I needed my chocolate! I searched the house high and low for some kind of chocolate, but the only thing left in my house was the nutella. But how could I eat this damn paste and be satisfied after I just had some of the best chocolate of my life? How could you ask me to go from a fine wine to a disgusting beer? What could possibly satisfy my chocolate addiction?
So I baked a cake and used the nutella as a frosting.
It all stared with nutella. You know the chocolate hazelnut spread that tastes good on almost anything. Well I had a jar of it at home and I started eating it with bread, crackers and toasted tortillas... And it tasted SOFA KING good! I became addicted to this damn nutella and it was freakin' delicious! Honest, toasted tortilla with nutella and bananas, tasted like the most unbelievable crêpe ever!
Anyways, a week or two later my friend convinced me to buy a pack of mini M&Ms and regular M&Ms for reasons that shall remain between the two of us, (Ididn'tknowhowtoswollowpillssohetoldmetopracticeonM&Ms,yesIrealizehowpatheticthatis,don'tjudgeme,oksothejudegemntsalreadybeenmaAde,Ijustdon'twannahearit) and so here I was with these two packs of M&Ms. I don't normally like M&Ms because the chocolate is not particularly good but when I started eating these M&Ms they were the best goddamn thing I've ever had! I was experiencing a chocolate ecstasy like no other. By the time I realized I ran out of M&Ms it was too late, the addiction had set in. I was willing to lie cheat and steal, anything to get my hands on more chocolate.
It was the only thing that could satisfy me. I wanted chocolate and I wanted it now! Luckily the gods must have heard my request for my mother had a gift certificate to See's Candy! It was as if the gods had spoken and they chose me! Me, just a small town girl, living in a lonely world, I took the midnight train to Georgia... Okay not really, but here I was with a gift certificate to the ultimate candy shop. It was as if God approved of my addiction!
So I went to the store and it was a candy heaven! I mean the way they display all the candies is just so cute and it makes the candy even more appealing. They have all the boxed candies piled in heaps around the room all shiny in their boxes saying "take me home and eat me!" And the display for all the individual little chocolates makes them look like little chocolaty gems. They are in their little dishes according to flavor as they softly whisper, "try me, you know you want to, you know you want me."
I ended up getting some hard candies, vanilla and latte, which looking back on it I don't know why I didn't just get all chocolates... But then I was left with the option of getting some chocolates from the case... It was like asking an alcoholic what they wanted to drink first. I wanted to consume the whole case all by myself, except for the nougats and the creams... Those I'd probably just suck off the chocolate shells and then spit the rest out... But my options were limited and I had to choose right then and there.
So I picked up some scotch mallows and California brittle..... This was one of the best decisions of my life. When I got home that day with my little baggie filled with these candies I was beyond the need to consume them. But consume I did. I tried to savor the chocolaty goodness as best I could, but my parents decided they needed to eat some too, and before I knew it the bag that was once filled with the joy of the world, was now gone and in the deep dark pit that was my belly.
I was devastated. How could there be no chocolate left? How could I go on with my life. I needed my chocolate! I searched the house high and low for some kind of chocolate, but the only thing left in my house was the nutella. But how could I eat this damn paste and be satisfied after I just had some of the best chocolate of my life? How could you ask me to go from a fine wine to a disgusting beer? What could possibly satisfy my chocolate addiction?
So I baked a cake and used the nutella as a frosting.
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