so, being a student, i have to have a printer @ home. (we have two in fact.)
and my family running a restaurant operating with online business, we have to have a fax machine, and printers.
so here are my verdicts have much, much hunting around; after so many countless hours of discount hunting, here are the websites that offered the LOWEST PRICES
FOR:
**i do know that those discounts may not apply to all of you guys out there, so here, here, there, here, or there for a website that VERY CONVENIENTLY compares all of the prices for you**
things to keep in mind when shopping online for office supplies:
what the ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC price for it is--even if you only save a few dollars, you can still feel good about it.
allow for SHIPPING prices--some places have rising rates with every item you add on, and other don't (it's the "the more you buy, the more you save" thinking)
how many you can buy: many, many places will offer you discounts for bulk buying (the more you buy the more you save) but you also have to keep in mind if shipping costs will rise, and storage--5,000 rolls of POS paper take up space!
when you need it: allow for ~7 days for it to arrive (if you're using the lowest/free shipping rates) so if you need it in a rush, you would need to adjust. or just be smart, and shop when levels get low, but you can still manage a week before you have to completely stop operating b/c of lack of ink/paper/supplies)
**for HP printer/fax machine owners--HP offers REALLY cheap ink!! from what i've seen, HP inks online aren't THAT much cheaper--the best deal i've found is $15 when the original price is $20 for an authentic one from HP. (FREE shipping on ALL ink orders from HP, and they arrive pretty quickly) but i do have to say that there are cheapER inks out there: re-manufactured (aka "bootlegged"--it is legal/no name), or you can just buy AUTHENTIC inks just from an online retailer... it's only a few dollars off the original though... so the cheapest is ~$15 when you can buy the authentic FROM HP for $20 (both prices include shipping)**
**OFFICEmax membership is FREE and pays off every once in a while (most of the time their offers are bogus $15 off a $75 purchase--well, it's bogus in my point of view b/c we don't make such large bulk purchases, but maybe you do)--every few months or so, they offer $15 off a $30 purchase, which is their best memberships deal.
**OFFICEdepot memership is FREE; they offer 10% back (carries quarter to quarter, but expires yearly)
i'm a wierdo, i know... i enjoy using coustomer service (i don't EVER hesitate to call, and i've noticed that i don't really get mad when i've been put on hold for 45 min), i obsess over contests and giveaways...
for my beloved COUPONS i found online, that will KILL your bill, go here. (they NEVER expire!!! they're manufacturer's coupons, so they put up a new one once it expires)
for magazine giveaways that are ALWAYS UP, go here. (every month, they put up new giveaways!)
for HANA MISIKKO FLAT IRON GIVEAWAYS, GO here, there, here, there, or there. (HURRY!! THEY ALL END before may 2010 ends!!)
so, back to the memberships.
CVS (ONLY members get their discounts/sales!! so if you don't have a membership, going to CVS will break your wallet--it's better to go to walgreens, but GETTING A MEMBERSHIP IS SO EASY!! AND FAST! PLUS, CVS has this GreenTag where you can just bring in a re-usable bag everytime you shop, and they'll give you $1 CVS credit back for every 4 visits!! (that's $0.25 everytime you go!!)
American Eagle (frequent-shopping members get so many discounts! it is NOT a credit card!)
BORDERS i would never again buy books from Barnes and Noble at full price!!! BORDERS REWARDS IS AMAZING!! members get 25%, 30%, 33%, and up to 46% off items--they send you a new coupon EVERY WEEK!! (not to mention best-seller dicounts EVERYDAY, BOGO free/half off discounts, and other rewards from independent companies [nike, coach, lord&taylor])
COKE: (this membership would only help out those who buy Coke products in heavy bulk volumes--event planners, party-throwers, or other ppl who work in the hospitality/food industry that sells coke products--rewards are easy to redeem, and the rewards you get are actually substantial--magazine memberships, kitchen ware, ect.)
VERDICT:
WALGREENS v. CVS: if you're too lazy to just fill in that form for the CVS membership, it's better to shop @ walgreens.
WALGREENS v. CVS: if you DO have a membership @ CVS: walgreens v. CVS is a pretty even cometition--both of their prices are neck-to-neck.
BARNES NOBLE v. BORDERS: borders wins hands down. barns and noble's membership fee is $25 per year, and it's a credit card, not a rewards program like Borders.
ok, so as you know, i'm obsessed with contests/sweepstakes, so i've also got 2 be obsessed with surveys for cash, which i am.
i've discovered that it's all about the spam. it's all about the ads, and the "free offers". but here are a few decent websites that i LOVE:
yes, my email is essentially full of spam, and now everyday i have ~30 messages, but it's worth it, i guess. hey, no one's paying for college! no one's gonna buy me a new car! (and i REALLY wanna drive a new hybrid car) and i don't have a job. so. i get money where i can.
Toluma (i've noticed that they don't really spam me/flood my inbox...)
Opinion Outpost (they DO pay CASH but it's only $0.50 per survey if ur lucky...)
Survey Spot--doesn't offer cash, but it's SO addicitng! (surveys are quick, and entries into their sweepstakes come easy/quick w. every survey you answer, AND it gives me a reminder/email with EVERY survey i can take, which can be annoying for those who mind/want to keep their inboxes clean)
Inbox Dollars (you can get points pretty easily--via games/surveys, participating in third party websites, such as Winster (online FREE gaming site) and View Points(online review site--for every review, you get points!)--they do pay cash, but i feel like a majority of what they email me is actually spam...as in really, seriously, just ads.)
Vindale (decent website, not enough survey oppertunities, doesn't remind users to actively participate enough...though i haven't yet seen a survey that pays less than $1.00)
so i've been exploring some new music--yesterday i saw MGMT in two different places (CQ & Billboard) so i checked out their songs.
i've already herd Kids by MGMT, and i liked it, but i didn't venture out 2 hear more of their songs 4 some reason...
but i loved Kids, so why not?
I read from CQ that their new album, Celebrate, is 'new' and that 'their fans would all hate them now b/c the cd is in a different direction from the 1st'
it's pretty good.
here's Electric Feel, one of my new Faves:
METRO STATION.............................................
another new band i discovered i really liked was Metro Station, with Disney-channel's Miley Cyrus's brother and Mitchel Musso's brother.... Seventeen Forever + Shake it was pretty good, but i didn't bother 2 check them out until recently... my sister started to listen to them, and i was hooked.
here's my new ALL-TIME FAVORITE SONG: Kelsey.
i LOOOVE IT!!
3oh!3..........................
Before i discovered that i loved Metro station and MGMT, i LOVED 3OH!3. i moved onto them after i got tired of Lady Gaga--there's only so many times you can listen to those 30 songs from her two albums before you get tired of them.
i reacted to them the same way i reacted w/ Lady Gaga--wtf?! "I lost my phone?!" and wat's up with her outfit?! my exact words when i saw her for the first time on Ms. America's beauty pagent.
i first herd Don't Trust Me a year ago from two classmates, simone+jess singing it in art class--our teacher, ms. minyo, let us listen to our ipods, and would let one of us put our ipod on the dock for everyone else to enjoy.
then i herd it on the radio. i LOVED it. but when i saw their Music Video, i was like, they just KILLED an awesome song. i've been scarred for life!!
even though they're ur normal college kids--singing about booze and partying. i HATED asher roth's i love college. but i really like 3OH!3. after hearing Don't Trust Me, i explored their other songs. but i didn't like it--it grated on my ears. but now i love every one of their songs.
here's my Two ALL-TIME FAVES from 3oh!3:
Colorado Sunrise______________________
Still Around: _________________________
i couldn't get their FlipCam video, but go here for the video--it's SO different from their "Don't Trust Me" video!!
Lady Gaga....................................................
there's no place to start w/ lady gaga... i just love EVERY one of her songs. but i won't be repetitive, b/c just dance, lovegame, poker face, telephone, speechless, bad romance, and alejandro is on the charts (alejandro will be blasted out of your local radio in a few weeks. coming soon to ur local radio! XD)
here are two favorite songs from her you'll love, but it'll be our secret:
sooo... i've you've never seen the Cadillac commercial, or if this song hasn't made it's way into your head yet, here's Phoenix's 1901. it's such an amazing song
i first noticed the Dirty Projectors @ my local newspaper after the rise of Phoenix--it was the reccomended Indie-band music, and the Dirty Projectors was one of them. listed 2 them, didn't dig it. a few weeks later, i hear it in XXI (forever 21), and i HAD to download it. here's the ONE song i love from them (currently i only like this one, but who knows? i'm alwasy like this w/ new music--it takes a few more times for me to like it)
STILLNESS IS THE MOVE...................................................
THE XX______________________________________
ok, well, i'm an AVID olympics-watcher/fan. so i of course cheered on APOLO OHNO in speed skating. b/c of him, i was watching speed skating for the first time ever--he's like the tiger woods of speed skating--w/o him, no one would watch that sport.
well, i got this AT&T commerical stuck in my head, and i found the song from the Cadillac commercial, so i was like, this has GOT to also be another song produced by an artist (and not by AT&T commissioned for this ad) so I FOUND IT!!!
here it is: THE XX's INTRO_____________________________________
well, recently i lost my iPod. sad, i know. even though it was the 2nd generation nano i got a few years back for my b-day, i'm still sad--back then i had a samsung MP3 player AND the iPod. now i don't have either--the samsung broke a few months back. and now i lost my iPod.
AND my phone's volume button doesn't work anymore... b/c when i go 2 skool, i keep pushing the lower volume button so it'll go on silent, and now it doesn't work anymore--it can only get louder, and louder. and the quality isn't even good! the speakers are HORRID. but i can't do anything about it--my contract will be up in 3 months. until then, i'm forced 2 lisen to music via GrooveShark, iTunes Library, and YouTube. sad. i know.
so i was like, how bout i buy a new one?! i almost always end up finding stuff after loosing it for a while--after you don't care for it anymore, after you've given up looking for it--THEN it turns up. i've noticed that i tend to 'loose' things in my jean/coat/sweater pockets, so i checked them. zip.
so i checked my purse. nope.
i checked the car, in case i left it in the seat pouch. nope.
the prices were the same @ BestBuy, Target.....BUT it was different w/ WalMart, my new best friend. b4, i refused 2 shop @ walmart. but the savings!!! just like how i didn't shop @ Macy's b/c of Marshall Field's.
wtf?! i can only get the 2GB shuffle.. T_T but i HATE the fact that it doesn't have a screen and there's not touch-control. i HATE clickers. like the samsung. so annoying.
but elsewhere/other MP3 players aren't much better--few of them have the touch-pad like the iPod does.
walmart also has MP3 players for UNDER $50!!! but i really want an ipod. and i also really don't have the money.. XD
ok. so this is what APUSH is: Advanced Placement United States History
AP is a college-board backed program, equal to college-level studies. APUSH in particular is worth ONE semester's credit in college (IF you pass the APUSH exam, AND IF your college chooses to accept your credit; it's frustrating, like getting elementary school credit for algebra--YOU DID IT! YOU TOOK THE CLASS! YOU DIDN'T FAIL THE CLASS!! you just didn't meet that particular school's standards. but that's how it is.)
so, you basically take this class to pass ONE test: the AP exam. that's what it all comes down to--if you fail, it means there's no chance you're going to get college credit. that's all that matters--the AP exam.
here's the breakdown of the exam: it's 3hrs 5 min. exam total (185 min) TWO parts:
1.) 80 multiple choice questions, 55 min. worth 50%
20% = 16 questions 1550-1789 (up to END of Am. Rev; Aztecs [cortez], incas, peru, columbus [hispaniola], 13 colonies [pocahontas, john rolfe, George II, Glorious Revolution, slavery, triangular trade, Navigation acts, Intolerable acts, boston tea party, lexington/concord, thomas paine, sons/daughters of liberty, olive branch petition, 1st/2nd continental congress, Constitution, bill of rights])
45%= 36 questions 1790-1914 (up to BEGINNING of WWI; War of 1812 [US v. GB; treaty of Ghent], Jefferson [louisiana purchase], Spanish-Am. War, Jackson, Mexican war [Texas; Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago], Civil warn [Lincoln, slavery, Ghettysburg Adress], McKinley [annexing Philippines/Hawaii], Teddy Roosevelt [Big Stick], Taft [dollar diplomacy], Wilson [WWI])
45% (60 min.): DBQ ea. 15min. REQ. READING time +45 min. SUGGESTED WRITING time x1 =60 min. worth 45% of your 50% essay grade; meaning 22.5% of entire exam grade
55% (70 min. total) Free Response 5 SUGGESTED thinking/brainstorm +30 SUGGESTED WRITING time= SUGGESTED to spend 35min. on each free response essayx2 =70 min. 55% (27.5% each); meaning it's worth 27.5% of entire exam grade; each is worth 13.75% of entire exam grade.
Scoring for MULTIPLE CHOICE: 1pt for every question right -1/4 pt. for every question wrong (so there IS a punishment for guessing! but you also have to think about it: for every FOUR questions you get wrong = every ONE question you get right) 0 pts. for every question left blank (NO penalty for ommision)
Scoring For Exam: Formula:
Mutiple Choice: Number Correct - (number incorrect x 0.25) = raw score (rounded to nearest whole #)
Essays: (DBQ score x4) + [(free response1+ free response2) x 2.44] =raw score (rounded to nearest whole number)
COMPOSITE SCORE:
Raw Multiple choice score (rounded) x 1.13 = weighted raw score
Raw Essay score (rounded) x 2.73 = weighted raw score
Last step: add up your two weighted scores.
Ranges: 180-114: 5 (dif. of 66) so it's the easiest to get a 5/5!! 113-91: 4 (diff of 22) 90-74: 3 (diff of 16) 73-49: 2 (diff of 24) 48-0: 1 (diff of 48)
if you can eliminate even ONE CHOICE then you should go for it. if you can't, then it's better for you to leave it blank.
AP is very strict. they give you a list of books you can use to teach the class, and you have to adapt to writing DBQs, and AP-styled questions.
Here are the recomended study guides from my friends: the Kaplan, and the Princeton Review. I would buy the newest ones, b/c they offer more experience as to old exam questions/DBQs. The one that I used was Fast Track to a 5: AP US History, but Barron's is what's most popular, and widely available. Flash cards sound VERY nice, esp. with writing essays--you need to remember key events, people, elections, laws, wars, treaties--NOTHING is given to you for the free response except for a question, which gives you the setting and topic, but you're on your own from there, so in a way the free-response is the harder one of the essays.
but MANY students consider the DBQ to be hardest because you have to ANALYZE and use given documents, AND use OUTSIDE information from your own knowledge to write it.
a good essay has:
a good thesis. it's basically what you're saying. it just answers the question/promt
a good introduction that presents the setting: the period, what's going on, ect.
1:1 ratio of given information (documents) and outside information from your head
uses MOST of the given documents (normally there are ~15 given) to support/refute claim; DO NOT SUMMARIZE documents--which i also tend to do--say why they are relevant/important.
don't forget about a conclusion! you don't want to repeat your thesis, but you do want to recap...the intro and conclusions are the hardest parts of any essay, i would say, b/c you've already said what you wanted to, and you don't want to sound redundant/repetitive.
but MANY students consider the DBQ to be hardest because you have to ANALYZE and use given documents, AND use OUTSIDE information from your own knowledge to write it.
a good essay has:
a good thesis. it just answers the question/promt
a good introduction that presents the setting: the period, what's going on, ect.
1:1 ratio of given information (documents) and outside information from your head
uses MOST of the given documents (normally there are ~15 given) to support/refute claim; DO NOT SUMMARIZE documents--which i also tend to do--say why they are relevant/important.
don't forget about a conclusion! you don't want to repeat your thesis, but you do want to recap...the intro and conclusions are the hardest parts of any essay, i would say, b/c you've already said what you wanted to, and you don't want to sound redundant/repetitive.
**they USED announce the time period for the DBQ, but college board stopped doing that a few years back (2000, 2002-3) b/c teachers would only focus on that time period. it's sad.**
thursday i left my txt book @ skool. so i couldn't read chapter 42. so i coursnoted it.
so i read chapter 42today. saturday.
i need to move onto chapter 43. and FINISH it b/c...on 4/19 i need to study for the mock exam.
so... 4/18 (2morrow) i need 2 study 4 the first DBQ part of the mock exam (4/20).... 1550-end of civil war
on 4/22 i don't have skool, so i'll study 4 the multiple choice part of theexam.
i need to do the 70s RRJ!! due ON 4/19!! so cruel!! searcy still gave us hmwk when she KNEW we had to cram and study 4 the exam... !! (TT_TT)
ADGENDA......................
4/20: 1st day of mock exam/ AP registration/ chem make up!!/ RRJ due!!
4/23: 2nd day of mock exam
5/7: (two weeks later) REAL AP exam
I herd from my friends JUST NOW that apparently, the Kaplan & Princeton AP Prep Books are the best. when i've been using the Fast Track To a 5 prep book for 3 weeks already. nice. the reason why i chose it was b/c it was the newest one...@ my skool library (2009) (the librarian was like, "We just got this yesterday!") it had quizes on the end of every chapter, it was compatible w/ American Pagent (the 14/15 edition, and i was using the 11th edition, so it's a bit off, but still compatible....)
but the stupid thing w/ it is that it's due in 2 weeks, and non-renewable. i checked it out 5 weeks before the real AP exam. but the librarian was kind enough to extend it 4 one week... still, it's not enough... 10 cents/day... (TT_TT) i'll just have to give them up, or find a new one from my local library... which i hope is well stocked...
last time for mid-terms no one checked out the APUSH prep books, so i hope this time no one checked them out either... as in, "gee, I hope that no local H.S. teaches APUSH...therefore no one would check them out".... but no luck... only one copy left... and i'll only get it if no one else checks it out before i do...(TT_TT) misery...
if you want to buy it, for a limited time, it's available for $75!! FREE SHIPPING!! and it comes with a mat AND a storage pouch, all in pink!! http://www.misikko.com/
so bein an azn, and lover of givaways, i just had to share this list w/ u guys.
Tweens: Seventeen--giveawys are okay; if you're a subscriber, you get to enter in SO MANY more contests. Cosmo Girl--not the biggest variety of things to giveaway.... (limit one entry per contest) ELLE Girl--the things they giveaway is okay.... the one thing is that you have to fill out the forms EVERY TIME you enter, so it gets tedious. (daily entry) Teen VOUGE: same w/ ELLE Girl... it gets a bit tedious. (daily)
Gals: ELLE--same w/ ELLE Girl: you have to fill in the form all over again for each contest, BUT they have this thing w/ ARMANI where they always give something away from them. (daily) People: every month they have a set of things they give away--jewlery, perfume, shoes, shades, clothes.... (monthly) Allure: they give away a few things.... Lucky: they give away a LOT things, but w/ my IE, i have to try 3 times for my entry to get in b/c my IE doesn't accept cookies apparently and i don't kno how 2 fix it. Redbook: (only one entry) Glamour: they currently are giving away a LOT of vacation packs... and other stuff 2! Cosmopolitian: currently, they're giving away a LOT of vacation packs Marie Claire: they currently are giving away 30 pairs of jeans!
ok. so a few years back, i started reading manga one summer, and i got hooked. i would borrow ~5 books everytime i went to the library.
it was fruits basket.
but after reading ~10 books, i started buying them from borders. @ $9.99 each.
my mom was like, "why buy them when you can borrow them from the library?"
it's different! owning and borrowing something IS different. but if you don't want to read that book more than one time, then it's not worth your money. that's what i learned.
so now, i hardly EVER buy books. unless they're worth reading multiple times, AND i have a BORDERS coupon for them.
and by the time i bought book 14, i was forcing myself--i didn't even really like it anymore, and i just bought them for the sake of having the entire collection.
that was when i thought the series would be 20 books. but tokyopop decided to publish MORE books. so i decided that having a book collection worth $200+ isn't worth it, esp. since i borrow from the library 2 read.
now i'm stuck w/ ~18 manga books, brand new, unused.
so i decided to sell them. online.
i knew that eBay wasn't my choice. or amazon. cause they have listing fees/commission.
so i went to a LOT of book resellers to get quotes.
that was SO tedious, until i found http://www.bookscouter.com/ which helped SO MUCH--it's like one search engine that gets you all of the quotes from several websites.
but it's decieving--many websites have to have orders worth $10+ or like 15 books.
which i had, but
1.) they won't buy a lot of my books
2.) no ONE website offers the best quote for all of my books--site A would offer the best price for book A, and site B would offer the best price for book B. so i can't ever really get all of my stuff together.
another thing was that book resale prices are like the stock market--prices rise and drop every few days. which is hard 2 keep up w/.
but overall, Powells offers the best prices, and the smallest min. order: 3 books/$5. which is great. AND they pay for shipping of the books (which a LOT of the other sites do too!)
but the prices are FEROCIOUS! my BRAND NEW thesaurus from 2nd grade that i never used, hardcover, sells for $3 when i bought it for $25.
same w/ my manga: it sells for on average $0.75; $2 for a few of the volumes. original price $10.
so now i've got so many websites trying 2 get rid of my stuff:
http://www.ecrater.com/ (nice place, slow traffic... i've only gotten about 5 orders in ~2 years...) http://www.swaptree.com/ (VERY NICE SWAPPING WEBSITE!! but it's not a place to sell ur stuff 4 cash, AND you have to pay for shipping, so ur basically BUYING stuff for ~$4) http://www.a1books.com/ (no ad fee, but traffic is a bit slow...i've got 1 order in ~2 months so far...) http://www.ebay.com/ (yes i have an account, but traffic is SO slow if you don't pay the ad fee...)
So... the AP exam is comin up... and i don't wanna take it!!!
it's ~40min. 80 mutlitple choice questions and another ~2 hrs. to write 4 full essays!!
well, i first have to take the mock exam, which is on tuesday... (TT_TT)
in the beginning of the year, APUSH was fine...
even the summer homework was okay, even though we had to read 60 pgs, write a paper, and do vocabulary.
that wasn't really that bad cause you have 2 months to do it.
but now--it's all cram cram cram.
and i failed my chem quiz. i thought i did okay on it... but i completely failed.
and makeups are on the day of AP registration.. which i can make up if i have to....
i HAVE to do extra credit to catch up... or else it's sorta impossible to get a B in chem...in APUSH a B isn't that hard, but one extra credit really helps, and i missed both b/c i keep forgetting 2 turn in stuff on time... (=_=)
i've already been cramming since late march, and even now, ppl are like, "i'm just gonna cram over the weekend." and the test is next week!! maybe i'm over reacting.... nobody has started 2 study for it yet, and here i've already been studying for about 4 weeks now... (TT_TT)
but i still have 2 catch up on reading the textbook in class... FML. i have NO idea how many times i've said that this week... it's just been horrible....
recap:
i need 2 read two APUSH chapters do an RRJ read 2 Great Gatsby chapters 4 lit....
fun...!
u kno, ever since APUSH, my weekends have never been fun. ever.
so this year, my summer vaycay is gonna start the MOMENT i finish the AP exam...
which is after going through hell trying to keep up in the class; killing my ENTIRE spring break studying; 80 multiple choice questions, 2 free response essays, and 2 DBQs.
Dove's Visiblly Smooth $2 Deoderant Coupon! I tried it, and it REALLY works!! I've only used it for about 2 months right now, and I already see a HUGE DIFFERENCE!! you've got to try it to believe it!
Pantene Pro-V Samples, Coupons, & updates, go here. Herbal Essences coupons & updates: go here. Caress: for Samples, Coupons, & e-mail updates: go here.
Suave: for samples, coupons, & e-mail updates, go here. Degree Girl Deoderant: offers, promotions, coupns, & more: here. Ban Deoderant: promotions, giveaways, copons, & more, go here.
You REALLY also have to pay attention to big manufacturers, such as P&G (Proctor & Gamble) that owns Garnier, Olay, and a LOT of other companies--that's the jackpot!
A critically acclaimed novel that will change the way you look at life, love, and family. In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of ...
Pros: Well Written, Suspenseful, Deserves Multiple Readings, Engaging Characters, Unforgettable, Moving, Memorable, Touching, Page Turner Best Uses: Gift, Young adult Describe Yourself: Bookworm
I LOOVE this book!! (i'm not going to write Another summary like everyone else) the characters are SOOO fun! i love Mia's family, and when i read it, i cried! i'm one of those people who borrow 5 gazillion books from the library, but own none. except this one. i HAD to go out to buy this one. because it's an AMAZING, UNFORGETTABLE book!! you HAVE to read it!! this is the dilemma a lot of high school couples face--the college hurdle. but this is MORE then just that--it's about real love, loosing everything you ever had, everything you've ever known: and it all boils down to a choice you have to make. Mia's liberal, rocker-parents are joy to read about. In my opinion, this is better than twilight. beyond that, Mia isn't a static character--she ventures out to try new things, trying to fit in SOMEwhere, putting on new characters for fit, trying to see which really is HER.
New Thick Formula!
Nair Remover
Shower Power Works While You Shower
Cream For Body Exfoliating with Skin Renewal Micro-Beads Just a Shower Away to Smooth, Silky Skin
Smooth Skin Lasts Longer Than ...
Pros: Easy To Use, In-Shower Use Cons: Unpleasant Scent, Not Close Enough, Cheap, Need to apply a LOT Best Uses: In-shower Shaving Hair Texture: Coarse Hair
it does smell bad, but you'll get over it. like a breakup u never knew was coming. you have to apply a good layer for it to work effectively--that's my only real complaint. secondly, the sponge fell apart before i finished using the whole tube.
***because my scanner can only scan up to 8.5'' x 11'' paper, it could not fit the entire page all in one image.... sorry!
here's the legend:
**v stands for vocal sheet
**p stands for piano sheet--my scanner only scans up to a 8x11.5'' sheet of paper, and the song book was larger then that, so some pages had to be split between two images.
**a stands for "all", meaning both vocal and piano are on the page.
**the scanning quality isn't the best, but someone else w/ the proper softwear can make better piano sheets.
LINKS:
i have searched far and wide for good piano sheets, and it's hard!
here are the links i LOVE:
for asian music of all sorts (korean, chinese, japanese): go here. It's called 1004 degrees, and they have big bang, boa, ayumi hamasaki, 2ne1, shinee, snsd, yiruma...and so many more!!
for anime music, go here. it's called Ichigo's, and it has a really large collection of sheet music.
i wanted something new, so i cut it @ Hair Cuttery on Halsted b/c i got a free $25 hair cuttery gift card rom Coke (coke rewards). I asked for Emma Watson. she gave me 70's curl.
two weeks later, Fee asks me 2 go 2 her hair stylist in china town to cut it again. her treat since she rarely sees me, and i'm unhappy w. it.
and in the end, i'm still unhappy. i wake up everyday with my hair all over the place.
so i decided to buy a flat iron. this is so funny. an asn girl using a flat iron. lol.
but yea.
i searched and searched. here are my results. and my story.
i @ first researched @ Ulta's but i had to wait for the 20% coupon to come in (=$5 for the flat iron i wanted) since they normally just mailed in the $3.50 coupon. but the 20% comes in few and far between.
so i went to Walmart even though i don't shop there because it was what i could think of. and it turns out, all of the local walmarts didn't carry a LOT of the flat irons. the good news? they ship online items to stores free, AND shipping to home is only 97 cents!! Plus, walmart has the CHEAPEST prices. the thing is, they don't have ALL of the flat irons out there.
Next move? target. but they didn't have the prices walmart had, even though i have a target store really close 2 my house.
the Andis flat iron was their best seller and only $13!!
@ target, it sells for $19.99!
@ ulta, the cheapest flat iron was $19.99!!
but i was suspicious of something that cheap, even though the ratings were good. so i moved on.
the Next flat iron i found:
the Conair 2'' Wet/Dry flat iron w/ an Omega curve for flipping
hair, which i really liked b/c
1. i can use it on wet hair. i've always been really concious of
damaging my hair
2. i can STYLE my hair w/ it--i can do something else w/ it BESIDES just straighten it.
the Dream Flat iron:
this is the conair 2-in-1 curler/straigtener. it looks SOOO nice--curl, flip, and straight!! but it got very mixed reviews, so i My Last Stop:
dropped that idea.
the Remington Wet 2 Straight 2'' curved plated flat iron. b/c i can use it on wet/dry hair, AND it had curved plates, i loveed it.
unfortunately, walmart did not have it. target did though! for $28
With all these choices, i had 2 get a second opinion. So i googled, "flat iron review" and flatironreview.com did not help at all because they didn't have a lot of people, and the range of items reviewed was limited.
so i found Buzzillion!! It's AMAZING!! but still not as big as i'd like... each flat iron only had about 40 ish reviews.
verdict: i bought the REMINGTON 2'' Flat Iron w. Curved Plates from Walmart for $28. Free shipping site to store.
but shipping it took a riduculous amount of time. i mean, i spent HOURS looking for the right flat iron: what i need, kinds out there, comparing prices, then it tells me it will take a WEEK to arrive to the store.
I should have started writing this as a freshman, but i didn't, so here i am now.
maybe cause i'm a nerd, but i found myself one day on wikipedia.org and saw northside's page. how little info on there surprized me.
So, options for freshmen:
MATH (IMP): 1 (algebra) or 2 (geometry) you can skip into IMP2 by placement testing or getting credit from your previous school. only approved programs can give credit--i was so surprized and maddened by this: all of us in algebra that year knew algebra. we just didn't get credit. so unfair.
LITURATURE: Survey of Lit. or Speech & Debate: only can be skipped by credit. only option when i was a freshman, but know, you can aparently skip to British Liturature (Lit. 3)! so unfair. last year's freshmen HAD to take speech & debate. (normally it is an elective for lit. credit)
P.E.: not optional. you HAVE to take health/physical education. it works like this: 1st quarter: you either do P.E. or health; next quarter you would do something else. (ie, you have P.E. 1st quarter--next quarter, you'll take health)
SOCIAL SCIENCE (social studies) WORLD STUDIES or APUSH. not by placement testing.
SCIENCE: physics. YOU HAVE TO TAKE PHYSICS FRESHMEN YEAR. no other choice.
ELECTIVE: any elective is open to freshmen:
art (I or II: only skip by putting together a art portfolio and submitting),
music (chorus [singing], band [wind instruments], orchestra [strings]),
computers (either computer science [basic computer stuff] or alice [softwear programming]).
... so yea. HOW THE DAY WORKS: 7:55am-8:05am:Advisory (A.K.A. homeroom) for 10 min. they do take attendence!
TARDIES: line up. have IDs out. if you don't have it, they need to print one out for you. $1. 8:05am-8:10am: Passing Period. they *normally* put on music to signal end/start of passing period. 8 min. for all except for advisory-->1st block (it's only 5 min.) 8:10am-9:50am: 1st/5th block (all full blocks are 100 min: ~2 hrs) 9:50am-9:58am: passing period 9:58am-11:38am: 2nd/6th blcok 11:38am-11:46am: passing period 11:46am-1:26pm: 3rd/7th block 1:26pm-1:34pm: passing period 1:34pm-3:14pm: 4th/8th block last block of the day. we get out @ pi. lol. 3:14 nerds.
there are such things has 1/2 block!!!
so: half block. lunch is one of them. you get ~50 min to eat lunch. or do homework. they only serve food the first 15~20 min of lunch. 2a & 6a lunch/block 3a & 7a lunch/block
so this is how it works: you get either a 2A, 3A, 6A, or 7A lunch. that takes up 1/2 block. the nest block is a class. so that class (whatever it may be, like health/P.E. or any other class) you will have everyday.
northside offers: (used to offer Korean, but b/c of budget and small classroom size, the course was dropped in the 2009-2010 school year)
Mandarin Chinese
French
German
Japanese
Latin
Spanish
English:
English I-IV
AP Lit&Comp
AP Lang&Comp
Jornalism I-IV
Creative Writing I & II (must be at least a sophomore, complete an application, and be approved)Shakespeare & Contemporary Fiction (must be at least a sophomore)
Multicultural Lit.
Reading & Writing Across Disciplines (must be at least a junior and receive approval)
Drama (must be at least a sophomore)
Speech & Debate I & II (must submit an application and receive approval)
Topics in World Lit: Existential Lit (must be at least a sophomore)
So. Today we had open house, and I was one of the tourguides. A lot of my friends were there. What we did was just take a group of interested parents/future-NCPers and show them what we have to offer.
a lot of the parents wandered off during the tour, which disapointed me. a lot of them didn't ask questions, which is exactly what I would have done, except i now realize how much you can get from asking questions. so, it was a bit awkward the entire time... it was just a lot of fact-rattling, but thing is, i really do feel proud of being a northsider.
i would love to do this next year!!
i remember this one azn mother bringing in her 7 year old sons to see the school--talk about wow! it's like getting into standford or ivy league!
but getting into hs in chicago IS like getting into college--applications, grades, reccomendations, tests, entrance exams, registration, rejected credits...
but now that CPS does not enforce the desegregation law as of the next school year (2010-2011), the school will FOR SURE be ruled by asians--30% of it ALREADY IS azn--the same as whites.
i know that this is racist, but i KNOW that a lot of the minority students did not meet academic standards, but they were admitted because of the de-segregation law.
walking around in NS hallways, you know for sure that this is a predominately white/asian hs. you see few and rare african american students.
even on the faculty, you only see a few african american teachers. (but there are also few latino teachers, and a few handfull of asn teachers, so it's not directed towards racism i guess)
the regimine is VERY rigorous here @ NS, but nothing we can't handle.
all classes are honors or AP (except P.E., health, sex ed, & driver's ed)
all-honors sounds SO intimidating, but it isn't. honors is VERY easy.
by junior year, ALL students are expected to take on @ least ONE AP class (**this is only what i feel, not what was expressed by the faculty**)--i say this b/c sophomore year, you can choose wether to take AP or Honors US History, but junior year, you can choose an AP science, AP social science, AP english course--EVERYONE has a chance to get an AP class of their strength.
and by senior year, you HAVE to take all AP classes (**once again, it is what I feel, not as expressed by faculty) since you have SO many oppertunities in every subject to go AP.
it works okay for normal/dry skinned people, but for those w/ oily skin, like me, it's a no. it doesn't remove all of the oil from my skin, so it feels like there's still sorta a film of oil on my skin.
i've never tried neutrogena's pump-dispensed cleanser, and i was disappointed, sort of. it really does have a gel-like texture to it (from the aloe extract), and it lathers up, but i don't really like the fact that it's a gel, even though it cleans perfectly fine! i'm wierd like that. so i won't buy this ever again.
so... this year i registered 4 chorus b/c i needed to get a music cred to graduate, so i might as well do it now. i chose chorus becuase of a few reasons:
i herd that chorus, not choir, or vice versa, did NOT have to do concerts--i can't stay late afterschool 4 them (which turned out to be false;they are the one and same class, AND all music classes have concerts, whether you're in band, orchestra, or choir)
i knew that i would not have to pay the $35 rental fee
i knew that there were some REALLY tallented band/orchestra members--it was intimidating!! i can't play anything (we learned recorder in elementary, a tad of keyboard, and i fell behind in the guitar cause we never had enough with all the strings 2 go around)
it is the WORST choice i've EVER made my entire life--i find chorus worse then APUSH!!
well, it's easy if you know
how to play the piano
music theory
well, let me respond by saying this:
i signed up for chorus BEACUSE i didn't know how to play anything!! so forcing us to play the piano defeats the purpose
i signed up for beginning girls' CHORUS, NOT MUSIC THEORY!! we learn all this stuff about scales, major, minor, accidentals, circle of fiths, triads, key reading, all this junk that is NOT chorus!! that's b/c ms.m/r teaches AP MUSIC THEORY too. she reminds me of ms. T who taught calc, and we had her as freshmen for algebra. yea. the standards sorta don't match up there!! portfolios would scare the sh*t out of me cause she had really high expectations.
but b/c ms.m/r forced us to learn how 2 play the piano, i SO wish now that i knew how.
CHILDHOOD FLASHBACK....
my parents weren't the ones who forced their little azn child to learn to play the violin, or piano. i would like 2 think it's cause they weren't that kind of parent, but i know it's cause they didn't have the money to hire someone to teach me. they worked 7days/week even when i was a child. i was raised by my great-grandparents that flew in from china for a few months. afterwards i was left to a babysitter.
my memories of my childhood waking up is in a dark room w/ rose walpaper, a twin bed joined to my parent's bed. they would have left for work ages ago when i woke up.
i would wake up, call for my parents (?) and my grandfather would come in and offer me a biscuit to stop me from crying.
afterwards, the day was spent watching cartoon network, eating lunch (i never remember dinner!), following my great grandparents around (i remember this particular time when she was making preserved pork...in the laundry room and hanging them outside on the table in the backyard... if you're an ABC like me, this would sound SO familiar)
back then even my grandparents worked.
my grandfather worked @ a soybean factory w/ his brothers in argyle. [maternal]
my grandmother was a chef [maternal]
my parents work together w/ my grandmother @ the same restaurant (which still stands 2day)
my father has told me that my paternal grandmother still to this day works @ a canning factory...my grandfather...a mystery...i don't know much about my father's side b/c they live back in HK, and when they call 4 new year's it's just so awkward...the entire time i would just spew good wishes. there was completely no conversation. but that's also cause i'm not a good conversationalist in english. if in canto, oh gosh, someone save me from futher embarassment!
BACK 2 THE STORY....
so. now i learned how 2 play a bit, and i really wanna pick up modern songs on the piano--my goals:
!! their face wash is awesome too!! i really want to try their new Steam activated Cleanser!!)
