TV

i just realized... i've never talked about what i love to watch: Law & Order: SVU + Bones.

i only started watching this year... brenda introduced me to bones one day. i mean, whenever i was flipping through the channels, i would just surf right past it--it was always on, which annoyed me.

but brenda wanted to watch TV, and i told her that i liked watching forensics shows, but i didn't like bones, so she was like, "why?" it was just because.



so i started watching. it's graphic. that's for sure. but it's a good show. except i hate bones. i personally think she's ugly.

law & order.................

i also started watching it recently, but it's my fave. no wonder it's been on for so long!! i love it--it's like a soap opera/drama + forensics. amazing!!

castle..................

i like the idea of a writer+detective... it's a good plot, but i don't ever watch it b/c time is never right... and i don't have a dvr. so... yea... i mean, it's good, but things fall together too smoothly. that's why i like law+order.

misc tv shows...........................................

nita LOVES watching "yes to the dress" even though i HATE it... SO boring + repetitive.

i used to watch "cake boss" b/c jim+brenda started me on it, but i sometimes feel like nothing ever happens! i mean, it's a decent show, but it's always the same: pound cake, dirty icing, details, nerves = cake boss.

brenda loves "jon + kate plus eight", but since that disbanded.... lol. i don't even like the idea of the show... like octomom. don't even get me started on octomom.

a new show that i like is "future food"... the kitchen stuff they do is so cool... making french fries from potato skins... but i also think the reason i like to watch it is b/c they're in shy-town. it's relevant!

i've tried watching "cold case", but i don't really like it... too much flashing back... i mean, they're cold cases after all, but... eh.

i used to watch "the most extreme" on animal planet, but after watching that for a while and only re-runs are left, i moved on... i mean, it's interesting, but not worth a second watch.

i also love watching other documentary-murder case shows like 20/20, dateline, but i feel it's so biased... such a strong narrative voice telling you what to believe... i mean it's a great show, but if you've got cable, there's plenty other to watch.

GIVEAWAY!! HANA MISIKKO FLAT IRON pt. three: the Rave

ok. so i've been meaning 2 do this for a long time now.

RAVING about the hana flat iron.

first things first.

i JUST bought a new REVLON 2'' Wet/Dry flat iron (for the story, go here.)

and i have to say. it's big. 2''. i mean, i bought it because i have a lot of hair. (well, when i grow it out it will be a lot. and i know i won't ever cut it short)

it's okay i guess. that's what i thoght at first.

you can use it on wet/damp or dry hair, which is a plus. but like nita said, it's when my hair is dry do i need to flat iron it.

the plates snag hair. every time.

and i was like, it's fine. out of every flat iron reviewed online on Buzzillions, there's alwasy SOMEONE that said the iron snagged their hair. and i understand that there's ALWAYS gonna be somebody unhappy, so i ignored it.

until i got the HANA MISIKKO PRO ELITE.

the one thing that i'm really grateful for is it's floating plates. it NEVER EVER snags my hair.

and i can use it on DAMP hair!! bonus!!

it has a:

• swivel chord,
• 5 heat settings up to 450F
• 8' long chord
• 1'' wide ceramic tourmaline floating plates
• 2 year warranty

verdict: I LOVE IT!!

my sis is graduating soon, so she bought a flat iron before i got the hana, but after i got the remington b/c she has something against it.

and she's trying to curl and style her hair with it. it was a revlon from CVS for $30. she and brenda played around w. it for a day w.o. using protective spray (which killed me thinking about how she's frying her hair).

but now that she has the hana, she can also style her hair w. it. which is unbelieveable.

you can : wave, curl, flip hair with the flat iron.

with my remington, it says the same thing, but i didn't watch the online vid for it, so i just tried doing it w. common sense. yea... that didn't work.

*****YOU CAN WIN IT!! I'M CURRENTLY GIVINGAWAY ONE!! TO A LUCKY WINNER! contest ends 5-18, 12am. open to u.s. AND canada. *******

=================TO ENTER, GO HERE.=====================

Summer!!! Almost, but not quite.

ok.

so summer's almost here. meaning many things:

1. finals!!!
2. summer job!!
3. driving will re-open on july 3rd!
4. taste of lincoln ave
5. working @ danny's
6. vay-cay!!!

so.

SUMMER JOB.......................................................................................

this is the first time EVER i've actually looked for a summer job. i mean, i've always worked @ my mom's place for no pay ever since 2nd grade.

but i guess now i want more things--i want a flat iron (which i got), a new ipod (which i got)--i guess i just want to spend more overall.

but every single time my mom pays for something--food, clothes, ect. (esp. the clothes part) makes me feel guilty.

i mean, she woman works 12 hours a day weekdays + 10 hours on weekends. for herself. so she will never get a pay raise.

so i applied.

@ first i only thought of walgreens/cvs because there's one everywhere! @ my grandparent's place! @ my parent's restaurant! close to my place!

but they aren't known for paying well. but the convenience!! (no duh! that's why they're called convenience stores!) i can be anywhere, and it will work out. @ my grandparents'. @ my place. @ my parent's workplace.

and then i expanded.

to a plaza/shopping plaza near my grandparents' place: they have:

a chinese place (i have experience!! but i don't wait tables. i'm a terrible waitress. and they don't have computers--you have to memorize prices. and write down all orders. all day. no.)
a chinese buffet (i have experience!! but i don't speak mandarin. not really.)
an old country buffet
a borders
an office deopt
a famous footwear
a payless
and a sally beauty store

so yea. that's a LOT of oppertunities.

so i looked online @ http://www.payscale.com/ to see the average pay with my non-existant work experience and lack of hs deploma.

pay:

old country buffet: $6.25-9 avg. $7
borders: $6-9 avg. $7.38
Walgreens/CVS: $7-9 avg. $7.80
office depot: $6.75-10 avg. $8.06
sally beauty store: $7-11 avg. $8.55


wow!

i could not believe that sally would pay that much. or that borders would pay that little. and i called them, they're hiring!! but then i can only stay over @ grandpa's. yuck. all summer.

so i'd rather work @ the CVS then. close to home. no need to wake up w. my parents so they could drop me off work.

but!!! that's what i'll app for.

APPLYING

borders has an online app, which is nice.

walgreens also has an online app

CVS has an online app

old country buffet has a paper app you needa bring in

sally has a paper app you needa bring in

office depot has a confusing search engine for jobs that i refuse to use b/c it boggles my mind.

so... verdict: top two choices: either CVS or Sally.

i'll prob end up choosing Sally for sure if they do accept my app. but just not work all 5 days.

Finals!!.......................................................................

so... this time around... i'm actually scared of a LOT of finals.

my lit final: reviewing all the different genres of am lit + 7 lessons worth of vocab words.

geometry: review concepts. i HATE circles, exponents, and i don't know if i can still solve the orchard unit problem.

my chinese final: i ALWAYS miss ~3 questions on there. it's all written, so you have to remember what you have to say, and know how to write it.

my chem final: as always. but i feel like i've been sorta actually understanding chem lately. except now i hafta remember ancient stuff.

my choir final. it terrifies me. as always. but i feel like as long as i kno the circle, everything's cool. i mean, i've seen the notes i took, and i don't have a lot to review, and it scares me. maybe i'm missing something.

i'm SO happy i dont' hafta worry about APUSH+PE.

they way my schedule is planned out, i should only have two hard finals to worry about each day.

GIVEAWAY!! HANA MISIKKO FLAT IRON pt. two: the Giveaway

Sooo..... guess what?! the flat iron came in yesterday!!

it's exactly as i imagined it to be--pink, pink, and more pink!

i would have posted pictures rite now, but my camera was not on me... i will take pictures 2nite, and post them up asap.

here is the breakdown on the HANA MISIKKO FLAT IRON:

• Plates:
• Curved Plates for styling!!

• Material: Ceramic, Tourmaline
• Frizz-Free styling
• Conditioning Shine
• naturally hygienic,
• protects color
• retards fading
• Width: 1.5 inch
• Floating Plates Self Adjust to Hair Texture
• Temp: 140-450° F
• 5 temp settings
• Warranty: 2 Year
• Wet/Dry? Yes. Damp to Dry/Safe Damp Styling
• Swivel Chord? Yes. it even has a hanging loop! nice! cause you don't want to always put it in then pull it back out from the pouch.
• Chord Length: 8 feet
• Price: $214.99  $139.99 (35% savings!!) FREE SHIPPING!! ON ALL styling tools  EVERYDAY!!
  COMES WITH:
• Travel Pouch (beyond cute--it's pink!!)
• Heat-Proof Pouch ($20 value)
• Heat Proof Silicone Mat (sooo cute!! guess what color it is. pink!!!)
• Tin Case
• 2 year warranty!! (you gotta love a nice long warranty!)

SHORT ON CASH? MISIKKO HAS HOT STYLING TOOLS HERE ALL UNDER $100!!

the giveaway will open TODAY (6-2-2010) and will go until 6-18-2010, 12a.m.

***OPEN TO U.S. AND CANADA!***

================HOW TO ENTER:================

***MANDATORY: ***

VISIT MISIKKO & TELL ME WHY YOU WANT THIS FLAT IRON

(if you have a flat iron right now, why do you want this one? why do you need a flat iron?)

AND

WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO TRY OUT/HAVE TRIED FROM MISIKKO IN A COMMENT

(they sell CHI, T3, Corioliss flat irons, blow-dryers)

leave entry/entries as a comment. post comments here.

*post each entry as a seperate comment with your e-mail or else your entries will not be counted correctly and i will not be able to contact you!*

**EXTRA ENTRIES:**

Follow Misikko on Twitter (1 extra entry)

Subscribe to Misikko's newsletters (here) (3 extra entires!!) 

Write about this on a personal website--link back to here!! (1 extra entry if you do not have 100+ followers; if you have 100+ followers, you get 3 extra entries)

leave entry/entries as a comment (here).

*post each entry as a SEPERATE COMMENT WITH YOUR E-MAIL or else your entries will not be counted correctly!*

===============================================================

About Misikko:

***FREE SHIPPING on hot styling tools EVERYDAY!!***

*that includes ALL the tools listed below*

They sell:

** Flat irons **

(CHI, HAI, Corioliss, T3, CROC, Baybliss, Wigo, Hot Tools....)

(ceramic, tourmaline, wet-to-dry, titanium, digital, and mini-flat irons)

** Blow-Dryers **

(T3, CHI, FHI, Solano...)

(they have travel and tourmaline hair dryers!)

** Curling Irons **

(Corioliss, CHI, Enzo Milano, FHI...)

(two-in-one curler/straightners, wavers, clip-less curling wands!)

and trust me. a clip-less curling wand is so convenient b/c you don't have to worry about curling your hair the "right" way;

 i've done curls before where they start out the wrong way, and it looks horrid, but i don't have the heart to further fry my hair by straightning it, then curling it again. you have to try it!

*******In a cash crunch? Misikko has a huge selection of tools UNDER $100 here!!*******

GIVEAWAY!! HANA MISIKKO FLAT IRON pt. one: Preview

ok. so after all the times i spent ranting on and on, with all those links to help you guys win a hana flat iron (i'm pretty sure they all expre by May 30, 2010 latest), here is MY OWN GIVEAWAY!!

i recieved notice from a Misikko rep that my flat iron is shipped, and i will hopefully recieve it sometime soon.

after i recieve it, i will post up more specific reviews, and photos of course!

here is the info:

I would post my own terms, but here are the basics:

mandatory entry: tell me why you want this flat iron, the flat iron you are currently using (if any), and of course leave an email adress.

extra entries:

• follow misikko on twitter
• join misikko's newsletter
• blog about it on a personal website (3)

srry, but i don't dig the tweeting thing where you can do 24 thousand entries in one day.

so a MAX OF 6 ENTRIES!!

OPEN TO US AND CANADA ONLY (it's not b/c i hate on my friends overseas, but this flat iron is not dual voltage, and therefore not suitable... sorry!)

please don't post entires on here.... the giveaway has not opened yet! i post an update on... let's say next friday (May 4, 2010) . i want to get it up ASAP, but i have so many things going on with my research project...

NCP:Budget Cuts

ok, so i don't know if i've already ranted about this, but CPS is getting a huge budget cut because we are short money. you can read more about it here.

our varsity sports are being cut, which is completely ridiculous! (even though i don't play sports, it's just ridiculous--some seniors depend on them to get grants and scholarships into college!)

and now, i got an email on thursday saying that "all CPS drivers ed centers are closed until further notice."

i admit. i was in denial. i said to myself, "i wonder if this was a planned event everyone knew already, or was it all of a sudden. b/c last sat. i made an appointment w. them for this sat. now, the guy wouldn't have made an appoit. with me if he knew they would get cut off on friday..."

so i waited until friday to call them. thursday comes, (read the other part of my friday happenings here) and i had the surprize dental appointment in china town that absolutely could not be re-scheduled. so i went, and on the way there in the car, i called mather.

and i was SO surprized that their answering machine actually picked up!! (normally they let it ring until eternity.)

and it's true. CPS has cut ALL driver's ed centers until further notice. they are aiming for July 7th to re-open. suuuure.

IL is on the verge of bankruptcy right now! suuure we'll belive you.....(O_o)

but anyway.

so i really need you to vote for my school so we can get the $250K we desperately need.

here's the link: http://www.refresheverything.com/21cc

it's SO simple! you just have to register once, and you get 10 votes per day, and you can vote on an idea once per day!

25% of all teachers will be laid off the coming school year, meaning ~30-40 students per class!! if there's one thing i love about northside, it's the small class sizes.

varsity sports are cut. it's devastating. so many ppl are on the teams!

now Driver's Ed is completely cut. so the only option is for us to go private and pay for a driving school to teach us. and we would prob hafta start all over again since they would claim that "CPS standards may not meet their standards".

it's really amazing how far we've climbed.

we were previously 200th, and now we're #40!! but that's FAR from good enough. only the TOP TWO ideas get the 250k grant. we still have a long way to go!!

life: blood. pt. three; almost-but-not-quite fin.

so. yesterday i finally got my root canal done.

and it actually hurt!

crashing into nicole didn't hurt.
my tooth hanging didn't hurt.
but putting it back in hurt.
and now, the root canal hurts.

but the root canal hurted the most i've got to admit.

but i'm surprized at my own pain threshold. i don't cry out. ever.

so. yesterday after school i went 2 the library, and i was surfing.

i decided to pull out my cell phone to check for missed calls. which i've got 2 do now, since i just reminded myself. ok. no missed calls.

and i saw my ma called me. i called her back, and she said that the doc had to get me in to do my root canal today. he has meetings, and can't do another day (well, he could, but it will take a long wait).

and she was already up here.

it was crazy.

she picked me up, we got the laptop so i could do hwmk @ the rest., which wouldn't really help since i can't answer half of the questions w.o. internet help about the constitution. so we had to decide whether or not to bring the laptop (if i bring it, i have to stay @ the rest--i can't bring that and my backpack onto the CTA; if i don't, then i'll have to ride the CTA back home to work on hmwk.)

but my ma objected 2 me riding back home by myself since he was prob gonna give me shots, and she talked about how focused i am in school--too focused to even care about my own health (my tooth).

then i realized that i was very focused about school. it reminded me of the time in the library i talked to shannon and christine about how students here are so focused on academics that they resort to cheating! on a final! but i can't say that anymore since i cheat too. we all do. we copy homework from each other. i'll admit it. i would say "but everyone does it", which is true, but doesn't make it right. it just numbs you up, makes you blind to it after being exposed to it for so long.


but we did it, and we went.

afterwards, he added ANOTHER $80 to seal up the hole he drilled. nice. it's like walking into a restaurant, and you have to pay seperate for forks, plates, lights, and running water in the bathroom.

initially: $400 for root canal.
another $100 for using up his entire tube of paste for a splint to stabilize my teeth.
so it's $500.
after yesterday's visit, it was ANOTHER $80 to seal up the hole.

but i got back the fee waiver check from school yesterday, which is worth $500. but that's sorta seperate since you have to pay for my edu anyway.

so, SO FAR, my root canal has taken up 2 seperate appointments!
1. inspection. clean up infections.
2. doing the actual root canal
3. closing up the hole in the back of my tooth he drilled. (yet to be done).

and what's more ridiculus:
we asked him how much deep cleaning was.
1. he splits it into 4 parts. so it taks a LOT of time.
2. it's $110.
3. it's $110 for EACH QUARTER of the mouth.
4. so that's $440!!

my dad recently got a deep cleaning, and when he herd both of this, he said, "that's good."

i was like, "good?!@ kedzie it's only $70!!"

my ma said, "but that's cause she's charging you a discounted kids price. her regular price is ____ (srry, i forgot! but it was $100-200)

so my dad ranted, "at least he told you upfront! the one i went to--he cleaned up half my mouth, and said, 'you have to come in another time to finish it.' i was like, 'sure. so do i have to pay in full right now?' he was like, 'no.' and i was like, 'so i owe you $___' he was like, 'no!!! it's $___ for only your upper jaw! its double the price for a full mouth!'

my dad was so mad. he had already halfway finished the job, and NOW he tells him the full price. so he HAS to have him finish, and choke down the rest.

APUSH: post AP testing - consitution test

i had LOADS of hmwk b/c of the consitution test--right after APs, searcy decides to kill us with the consitution test the week after. i do have 2 admit that she sorta did give us a day off though. sorta.

like how she says that she techically "doesn't give hmwk over long breaks/ long weekends", but what she does instead is double up on hwmk the night before break, so technically she didn't give is hmwk.

but i keep hearing her say how easy it is, and how she has to give it for us to graduate. and how no student she's EVER had needed to retake it a second time.

100 questions.
MC.
45 min.
she writes them.
you pass w. a 80%. )which isn't THAT bad, but i've done lower then that most the time w. bailey quizes/tests. so i'm sorta scared.)

but to practice/prep for it, she put up a worksheet, and i can't answer half of them w.o. the help of the internet. but i guess it's okay b/c now i know. i guess. but i'm still sorta mad i didn't know so much of this stuff by heart. sorta. but i should get over it. 

it's next tuesday... which is next class!! i'm scared... (TT_TT) but i've herd SO many upperclassmen talk about how easy it was...

life: ABC help. a.k.a. asian power!

ok. so before i got into chinese class in my high school, how ppl typed chinese mystified me. i mean, do they have an asian keyboard they use in china?!

but no. HOW TO TYPE CHINESE (windows users):

look down at your screen. you should see a toolbar/menu bar/what ever you call it.

right click on it.

you should see a list pop up. on the top of the list is "Toolbars".

go into the arrow. you should see "Language Bar". click on it.

in the mode you are in right now, you should see "EN" for english.

you can click on "EN" and change to Chinese (it says "CN" or "Chinese PRC") now you can type in chinese!! (remember to use pinyin!! <-- for canto speakers)

but what if you don't see Chinese PRC?!

then you can install it!! (no downloading required)
go here for help on installing chinese if you use Windows XP

go here for help on installing chinese if you use Windows Vista.
it's really easy!

once you have it installed, you can just click on your language bar to change back and forth between both languages.

WHAT IF YOU DON'T KNOW PINYIN?! or how to pronounce it?! or what it means?!

 if you're a canto speaker like me, you will most likely not be able to figure out the mandarin pronunciation of words.

well, i found Canto Dict, which is AMAZING!! but it does have some downfalls (such as only traditional characters--it's because Hong Kong people who speak cantonese, use traditional characters), but it's the only cantonese dictionary i've found out there. it has the cantonese pronunciation, pinyin, and sentences/common phrases.

for your other usages, such as a chinese dictionary, i find NCiku to be very helpful--you can "handwrite" in characters to search when you don't know the definition or how to pronounce a character. it also has sentences/examples, audio, and multiple dictionaries, but the characters display mainly under the simplified version. they do show the traditional character once you look under that character though.

i've also found MDBG, which is a pretty good dictionary with both traditional and simplified characters.

for translators, i haven't really looked into them, but i primarily use Google Translate even though it's not the best.

life: 5-12 rant. part two: dent

so. if you didn't read about my accident, go here for part one; here for part two.

after the accidnent, i went to kedzie since it was closest--we already killed 20-40 min. by waiting for my dad 2 come down 2 pick me up, so we went to it immediately.

she basically gave me a splint for my tooth.

afterwards, the next day (tues), i went to my ortho. (read part two).

he rec. me to go get a 2nd opinion apart from kedzie.

so he sent me to chinatown.

i had to wait an hour total. the thing is, i didn't mind as long as i had a magazine, which angered me b/c my ma had to work you know.

and then when i complained 2 my ma, she was like, "you didn't have an appointment. he squeezed you in. so don't complain." ha! if my case was SO important, i wouldn't have had to wait an hour! (he KEPT talkin about how many times my ortho has called him and emailed him about it, and blah blah blah)

when he saw what the kedzie dent had done, he was like,"look at this mess. now i have to take it apart, and re-do it again later.

life: 5-12 rant. part one: traffic @ mather.

hey hey!

so, now that i am done w. AP testing, i'm sorta still in celebration mode though we still have 5 weeks left.

after the APUSH test, i wasn't feeling it yet, but i think it's catching up....

so.

last saturday, i saw on my phone calander that i had traffic @ mather @ 12. but i didn't know if that was really true. it has been more then a few weeks since my last traffic. so i called. and called. and called. NO ONE EVER friggin picks up the phone! not only that, but the answering machine never answers!!! nice. so it just keeps ringing, and ringing. i can't even leave a friggin message. so nice. and i knew i had the right number!

the thing is that i also had a dentist appointment afterwards b/c of my PE accident. my ortho rec. me 2 get a second opinion. so we were gonna go down 2 china town to see him. i'll rant about that next.

but my ma DID keep the white card i thought she threw away. if we had it earlier, i would have never had to call.

last saturday, i went to mather 4 traffic.

i stood outside for 20min. thinking we couldn't go in. but we eventually went in.

and they couldn't find my card when we checked in for attendence.

so they guy asked me for my permit. i didn't have it since last time the guy didn't even check for it.

so the guy was like, "really?! who was it? we'll have to write him up."

he never said anything more about that, so... i dunno what's gonna happen 2 him, but i am gonna go back this saturday 4 traffic. nice.

what's even better is that 2day, pagani, a PE teacher that's also sorta slash driver ed coordinator for our school emailed us saying that starting this friday all CPS drivers ed centers will be closed until further notice. nice. perfect.

the place is a mess. it's a rusting trailer from the 80s or something. but i want 2 get it over with! i don't want to have this push into the summer. but that's what seems like will happen.

review: Heat Protection

soo... i recntly bought a flat iron the one from Conair i recently ranted about here.

it's oookaaaay i guess. i dunno. i'm not the best judge b/c:

1.) it's my first flat iron.
2.) i can't make myself use the highest heat setting (140F) even though it's relatively low for a flat iron b/c i'm scared it's gonna damage my hair (most go up to 400F!!)
3.) i can't really tell if my hair is damaged or not. i'm really not the best judge.


but, i got the Got2B heat protectant spray from Walgreens (it was on sale! BOGO FREE, so i couldn't resist!) (*gasp! it's cheaper on amazon!! it was for $6.50 @ walgreens!! normal price)

but i don't know if that's the best out there, so i looked online @ BUZZILLIONS (i LOVE that place now that i've found it!! it has the MOST REVIEWS you can find ANYWHERE)

here is what i found:





the Nexxus Heat Protexx Styling Spray got a 4.7/5 (18 reviews)

$18 @ walgreens. ouch! i'mma go see if there's a coupon on nexxus.com. that is

steep! prob not helpful unless it's like a $9 off coupon. lol.

pros: good smel, ligthweight, easy to use, controls frizz, healthier hair

cons: strong odor, spray nozzle clogs
http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/women-nexxus-heat-protexx-protection-styling-spray-8-5-fl-oz-reviews#close


Here's another i fond online: Tressemme Thermal Heat Protector
4.4/5 (63 reviews)

$5 @ drugstores.com

pros: easy to use, lightweight, smells great, controls frizz, healthier hair

cons: greasy, doesn't work, strong odor, heavy
http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/tresemme-thermal-creations-heat-tamer-protective-spray-8-fl-oz-reviews?prRo=5#bz-model-review-tabs-list




L'Oreal Heat Seeker Spray (not pictured here)

$5 @ dugstore.com
 4.7/5 (5 raves)

pros: defrizzes, protects, smoothes

cons: doesn't prevent frizz
http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/loreal-heat-seeker-hot-straight-straightening-cream-curl-frizz-control-reviews





Dove Heat Defense

$5 @ drugstores

4.6/5 (9 raves)

http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/dove-heat-defense-therapy-activated-protect-shine-mist-8-fl-oz-reviews





**i KNOW that all the items above DO test on animals, and i'm sorry, but i feel, personally as a consumer, that 99.99% of all the major label products out there test on animals. but that doesn't get me down. i will start adding this list of companies that DO test on animals as a tribute, and to raise awareness. the list is in alphabetical order, and doesn't include all the companies that test on animals. CARING CONSUMER has provided the full list, from which i chose labels i knew, and i hope that you also know. for a full list, please go here. ***

NCP: Pepsi Grant!

so, recently, via FC, my school notified me that they were in the running for a Pepsi Grant worth some couple thousand dollars, and i would like to put up this link to help them out (you can vote daily!!)

http://www.refresheverything.com/21cc

our school is getting budget cuts this year, and i will rant about that... right... now.

so, this year, we are more then a few thousand dollars short for funding.

every year, we have our cubby walk, which raises money for the school, but apparently that's not enough. at all.

our JV teams got cut this year, meaning no varsity sports.

many, many teachers will be let go of (i belive it was every one out of four teachers), so our class sizes will get bigger. which sucks, because one of the things i LOVE about NS is that our class sizes are relatively small.

and we were hoping for PCs for the entire school next year--i don't know how that is gonna happen. this year freshmen could choose to have them for an extra couple hundred bucks. and they are placed in their own classes so they do not have a priviledge over other students. nice. and they even use them for PE!!

i would love to get one for school. they would help out so much since i always forget hmwk @ home.

i mean, we seem like a new, rich-people school, but that's just cause our shool is new (it's only 10 years old! it's prob the newest CPS HS!!). that's why.

but our pepsi ranking went from 200th to 46th in a week, and we are far from being close to winning, so i will for sure do my part and vote daily.

it's SO easy!!

giveaway: Hurry!! Hana!!

this contest is still LIVE, but it ends TONIGHT!! (@12)

http://thedivinemissmommy.com/hana-elite-100-ceramic-iron-by-misikko-review-giveaway/comment-page-1/#comment-18710

giveaway: continuing the hunt 4 the flat iron...UPDATED!!

Here's an ultra awesome blog that you would love to follow--it's called Little Yaya, and they currently offer the misikko hana flat iron as a giveaway!! find her button on my sidebar!! (right) her givewaway ends on 5-18-2010, so hurry!!!

here is a giveaway that ends TOMORROW!! (5-16-10!!) SO ENTER NOW!! it's called the Art and Science of Beauty, and it's an amazing beauty blogg!!

see if you can score the HANA misikko flat iron!! it's ultra cute!! and so is this blog!! Twin Kitchen
here is the link: http://www.twinkitchen.com/misikko/comment-page-2/#comment-1616

here is another beauty guru that is also giving away the uber-cute hana misikko!
http://www.hotbeautyhealth.com/hair/misikko-1-hana-elite-flat-iron-giveaway

and while i was sufring the web, (i wanted to keep this all in one easy-to-find post), i found this Spiced Beauty Blog that was giving away the hana misikko flat iron!! (she has pics!! srry, i couldn't find one online right now, but she has loads, so go check it out! i'm not lying! it's really cute!!)

Here is a NEW MOMMY BLOG that is giving it away!! My Life As Mom

and of course, if you would like to buy if from Misikko, (valued @ $150!!) it is currently on sale for only $75!!

and here is another link: http://www.groceryalerts.ca/misikko-hana-professional-flat-iron-giveaway
it's a canadian host, but she allows for both US and canadian entires!! it closes @ 5-25-2010!!

skool: post-APUSH exam

after all the testing, i finally had time to catch up on my magazine giveaways (redbook is still up w. conair products!!) XD

testing was fine thank you.

MC wasn't that bad, but last minute i herd from sarah that i shouldn't leave more than 4 questions blank. nice. when last night, instead of cramming, i just did practice test after test, and i always left 24 out of 80 questions blank. good job.

so that's what i did. i in the end left 3 questions blank.

maybe that was a bad move... i dunno... the essays were sorta easy....

the DBQ and FRQ wasn't that hard, but i didnt do that well w. analyzing... i know for sure that i didn't have a 1:1 ratio of documents and outside info... TT_TT

they have a mandatory 15 min. reading period, but that wouldn't really have been enforced...

but yea. after the 15 min, i was still planning, so i was already lagging. when i was finishing up on the DBQ section, the counselors called suggested time, so i SHOULD move onto the next section (FRQ1), but i didn't (i wanted 2 fin my conclusion--i overheard that they auto dedcuct points for absence of a conclusion), and i got my timing completely messed up.

i thought that essay section would be completely over soon, and they wouldn't call the individual times  for when we should be done w/ FRQ 1 and FRQ2 (even though they said they would), so when i was halfway done w. FRQ2 (i skipped the conclusion to FRQ1 thinking i didn't have enough time for it), time was called for FRQ1, so i was WAY ahead. oops. so i went back, added a conclusion 4 FRQ1.

so in the end, i had time to go back and proofread.

it was sad though. i didn't get through proofreading my entire DBQ before time was called.

there werent THAT many questions w. graphs/images on it... BARRON completely over-exaggerates on that part. their entire practice book was just graph after graph after graph.

SWEARING..................................................................

so. apparently AP is even more strict and anal then i thought. before every test section, they make you sign a contract saying that you will not talk about the MC questions, or essay prompts to anyone, including your teachers and classmates. bogus! or else you would "risk cancelation of your AP score".

but i guess they like to keep stuff like that locked up.

we still talked. no one cared.

Mr. Hughes, one of the counselors, was the prompter. and they also had a College Board rep there.

we took it @ NEIU, in a lecture hall, so there were no individual desks (spacing!)

and the steps could kill if you weren't looking where you're going. i was seriously scared. they were spaced so awkwardly.

and we took like 5 whole min. re-arranging the seats b/c of left-handed ppl. lol.

i only herd about that a few days b4 the test. they even monitor stuff like that! so if you're a leftie, you have to be specially placed. and they chose to tell us that after we were seated. nice.

just like how they afterwards told us to move ourselves b/c we were too close.

and mr. H messed up every 2 min. reading a prompt. like, "oh. wait. wrong date."

i had 2 ask my grandpa 4 a watch, and he let me borrow it (it has roman numerals!! i can't read them as easily!!)

but i turns out i didn't need it. the digital clock was clearly visible even from the last, tallest, farthest row where i sat.

and i herd from searcy that eating bananas and hard candy will help. so i ate hard candy. right when were sat down. but we took 4ever, so by the time we actually started, my piece of candy had long melted away, and i didn't want 2 eat another b/c i didn't want to get a sugar rush then crash.

i can safely say that testing security is pretty loose... you're testing with your classmates, in a HUGE lecture hall with like, 6 counselors.

towards the end, some students would keep trying to open the locked lecture hall doors (@ first i thought they didn't know that today the hall was being used by us 4 testing, but i found out later that there was another AP test there)

it was a bit destracting, but i was done that time.

when we were done, everyone jumped for joy, but it's still not sinking in yet. maybe it will when we don't have any hmwk on tuesday. maybe. i'm sad it hasn't sunk in yet.

i want to feel the happiness that everyone else does. but maybe that's hard to do so when i had a tooth knocked loose.

life: blood. pt. two; Tuesday

so i convinced my mom that i HAD 2 go 2 skool, and she let me.

i had congee 4 breakfast.

2 honestly say, with this ONE tooth down, it was much worse then when i extracted two pre-molars 4 the braces (i have a 7mm overbite--youch!) b/c with EVERYTHING, you have 2 use ur front teeth to bite into and get a grip to slid off the spoon/fork--even w/ congee, i had to turn the spoon upside down to feed myself.

in adv. kashif + alex didn't say anything. (we had same pe class).

in chinese (1st block), alex was like, "are you okay, angela?"
i'm like, "i'm fine. i'm fine. it's no big--i'm just fine." i wanted to say more, and crack jokes, but i really didn't want to talk--sometimes when i talked, my lower jaw would hit the steel wire, and i would get scared it would get disloged.

in chinese, frankie asked me, "are you okay, angela?"
i was like, "how did you hear?!" (i forgot that she was in my pe class that moment)
and she was like, "somebody told me." (which sounded and looked suspicious--ppl were already gossiping about my bloody accident?)

i found out during lunch that i left my APUSH hmwk @ home (sandwitched btw the laptop), so i had 2 redo the 3 pg wksheet, AND chem (i copied right off w.o. even attempting 2 understand anything). i didnt even think i could get chem in and i had it next, right after lunch, but @ least i got it in.

during my last block of the day, APUSH, i realized that i STILL didn't turn in my e-copy of my hmwk, (tim accidentally reminded me) so i was gonna call ma 2 get down here earlier so i could get home, get online, and turn it in b4 it was too late (we had only 15 min time frame, but we could race it).

but ma AND dad wouldn't pick up, and passing period was counting down on me. (after chem to apush).

kashif decided 2 ask me, "angela, are you okay? there was a lot of blood (or somthing along those lines)" when tessa and tim where there.
they were like, "what happened?!"
i was like, "thanks for keeping that descreet kashif."
i think that came across a bit sharp....>.<
he was sorry. so was i. (>.<) i really didn't mean for it 2 come across as serious!

so when apush ended, i had my phone in hand, and i was calling. no one picked up. i raced out (didn't need 2 stop @ my locker), ma wasn't there. expected. she always comes late.

nicole saw me outside, and was like, "are you okay?!"
i was like, "i'm fine. are YOU okay?"
she was like, "nothing happened 2 me."

so i had a BRILLIANT idea:
call nita 2 get it in 4 me.
it took 4ever, and she got to the wrong internet pages, but i didn't want to yell, much less be on my phone, in the library.
another brilliant idea: she could email 2 me, so i can upload it myself!!
there were no computers available. f my life.
the librarian saw me w/ my phone, but he didn't care. they're like that. sometimes they're asses, and sometimes they turn a blind eye.

i kept yelling @ nita to look for "lit gastby paper" and she was like "g?" i was screaming, "yes!!"

she kept on saying, "i dont see it" and i kept on thinking she didn't hear what i said. crappy phone signal again. AND my phone KEPT on effing beeping!!!! it would NOT stop!!! (i had another line calling me--ma)

it finally dawned on me that i did my hmwk on the BLACK ACER, which was back home. f my life.

so everything was a waste of time--me calling nita, calling ma--all those brilliant ideas.

so i gave up. my was gonna get here late, AND it alone takes 20 min 2 get back home.

ORTHADONTIST

so ma picked me up, and i was like, there's no need 2 see her mom. (i thought my splint came loose and slid down yesterday b/c i was washing my face in the shower, and i totally forgot about my tooth--i herd a crack, and i was like, OH NO!!

when i was drying up later, i asked my mom, "does it look like it moved down??"
ma was like, "tell dad 2 look  @ it."
but later she was like, "even if it did, he wouldn't have the courage to fix it for u hon. we'll go see kedzie 2morrow."

but she was like, we're going down 2 chinatown.besty knows about it, and she said to bring you down immediately.

i was like, okay. not ANOTHER cast! (my teeth were now different again)

so we went.

waited for two min.

doc saw us.

so we had to get the x-rays from kedzie (i KNEW i shoulda got them yesterday!!) (we didn't trust USPS to mail it in a timely fashion), and run them down 2 chinatown.

late nite back home........................

i had 2 write a sob story 2 my english teacher. hoped that she buys it (i really didn't have time to get it in on time, but i do have to admit, i could have done it friday, saturday, sunday, monday, or tuesday since i coulda emailed me, but i had more important things on my mind--like if i was gonna loose a tooth for example.)

she still hasen't responded, which makes me nervous, but i turned it in.

my inbox is now filled with 100+ messages from survey-ers which i don't have time 2 complete since i'm studying 4 apush. heck, i shouldn't even be on here!

life: blood. pt. one; monday.

well, let's start from the beginning.

on sat. may 1, i saw on the news all these parades/strikes on the news b/c it was may day (5/1), and i was like, ok.

on sun. may 2, i was flippin through my planner, and i saw that on friday, THIS friday, i would have the AP test. i was like, "WTF?!!" where did this come from?!

but yea. it happens 2 me all the time. that's why ppl should know better than to ask me what date it is, cause i NEVER know. seriously. i don't keep track anymore...

i finished my hmwk due 2morrow, and was gonna study 4 the geometry test when i realized that i left my notes in my binder in my locker, in the school. good job!!

so i finished lit, @ like 9 o clock (started @ 4) almost forgot 2 print it, but didn't! one thing i DID forget was to turn it in on turnitin.com since we needed to both hand in a paper copy and an e-file.

i realized that in class when donna reminded me. i would have seriously forgotten.

MONDAY, Block 4, aka, BAM!

so, everything was normal. in PE we were going 2 play frisbee again. that's fine. i don't hate it though it sucks because: a) it is windy out. it always is. but they still make us play frisbee of all outdoor sports b) sometimes, it gets REALLY FRIGGIN cold out.

i still ran around instead of standing there because... i dunno. we had been playin frisbee 4 a while now, and i knew that i could catch, but not throw (arm's length ppl!! but i didn't want 2 seem like a taddle-tale).

so i was trying to catch a frisbee, when i collided with nicole. head on. honestly, i wasn't watching where i was going b/c i was trying to catch it. (it's windy out, and the frisbee does all sortsa crazy stuff. i've seen it before)

i herd an "oh!!" like, you want to divert ur eyes, ouch, "oh".

honestly this is what i felt:

a) no pain @ all.
b) my tooth was loose. i could immediately tell.

stephanie came over and i think i remember asking her, "am i bleeding?" (i couldn't tell).
she was like, "yea, ur bleeding. ew. ew. ew. i can't stand the sight of blood."
heavey came over, perfectly calm, brought me inside.

on the way out of the soccer field, on the uneaven brick path, i twisted my left ankle. i was like, "good job!!" but i was honestly only worried about covering my mouth/protecting my tooth.

i couldn't tell which was loose.

heavey opened up the locker room for me to clean up. i couldn't really do it w/o a mirror, but i really didn't want to look. i'd rather be blissfully ignorant.

but i did, and i sort of gasped. my right front tooth was WAY loose. but it was still intact.

**this is what was running through my head the entire time:
a) what about my braces?! i was going to get them on next week!
b) i'll have to remove it.
c) i'll have to replace it
d) it will not be covered by medicaid
e) it will be MORE money ONTOP of the braces.

so heavey handed me over 2 pagani cause everyone was still outside and they needed 2 be supervised.

nither one of the nurses was there, but they had to call my parents.

my mom, of course did not answer her phone. when does she?!

my dad's cell was called, but she picked it up.

the clerk made it seem like my ma couldn't comprehend what was happening--i was like, "is her english really that bad?!! when i need it right now?!"

she wanted to put sugar on it to stop bleeding, but policy was to only provide ice.

it would be fourty friggin min. until they could get there. f my life.

she was like, "how do u get home honey?" i was like, "i walk." (it was 45 till 3:15)

but solin saw me. we made small talk.

arnam saw me.

they sent 4 jenifer 2 get my stuff.

i went 2 the bathroom to clean up.

i cried. i didn't stay long b/c they could be looking 4 me.

john saw me.

my dad finally came, and when he said, 唔會有事ge.

that's when i teared.

he HAD to freakin park the car SO far away (by this time it was VERY close 2 dismissal, so there were SO many cars) and SO friggin close to the watev sports team that was leavin when i had a bloody shirt, pants, AND a bag of ice on my mouth?!

my god.

so we went to kedzie dental.

i guess my ma called earlier to tell her we were coming in.

she treated my like an emergency, which my dad really appreciated apparently, as he later revealed.

the nurse was like, "what happened?!"

my dad was like, "someguy hurt her

she was like, "a guy hit you?!!"

dam him and his stupid malfunctioning english! he didn't even know if it was a guy or a girl! i had to explain 2 the dentist, "no, i was in pe, gym, and i collided w. someone."

honest to josh, putting it back in hurt a lot more then the tooth coming loose.

so she had to put a splinter on it to basically keep it in place.

she took an x-ray, i would for sure hafta get a root canal, in a few months (in a few MONTHS?! i will FOR SURE not get my braces done in time.)

we had to wait for ever for that x-ray! (15 min.)

but it came back, there were no fractures, and we could leave with a prescription of anitbotics+pain killer.

we dropped off Rx @ walgreens, and i wanted to go home 2 do hmwk. i had a shitloada stuff 2 do. but my mom wouldn't let me. she wanted 4 me 2 go 2 the restaurant and rest. i didn't want to rest! i need 2 work! study!

but i could hear in her voice, she was crying, so i went.

and i was tired actually. so i slept in the car, and slept again late.

Office Supply Dicounts: Ink Cartridge, Toner, Ribbon, POS Paper...

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:

• INK CARTRIDGES: go here. 
• POS paper rolls of all kinds: go here. 
• For Sales Draft slips (2-ply or 3-ply): go here.

**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)

FREE Rewards Memberships that are WORTH it

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:

1. 
   
   WALGREENS v. CVS: if you're too lazy to just fill in that form for the CVS membership, it's better to shop @ walgreens.
2. 
   
   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.
3. 
   
   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.