Nerd Day

Today was Senior Nerd Day and so here's some pictures.

Me and Kate


Me and Alex


Hahaha die Dmitriy!


We look so evil ><

The tie was stolen from Dmitriy because I lost my clip on one somewhere...The glasses are my little sister's and the shirt too, but the skirt I made last night!! But it looks weird so I'm going to have to disassemble it.

Shawn is such a cutie

I love Paul, he is just awsum. Shame the pictures sucked though...

Clip on TV (so DBZ)

Ok, so I've been really bored today and surfed Youtube. From the videos I saw today the most interesting one was the tiny clip on TV:



Isn't it cool?! I want one!! But its $1000, I can get run over by the bus, I can't read people's power levels, and it will kill one of my eyeballs.

*Edit*

So after dinner I did a little more research on the subject. Turns out it is called the Teleglass T3-F one-eye video glasses. Turns out that when you buy it it comes with the glasses and only works with those and that it does not cost $1000 but only $848!

Specifications:

Image
0.24 inch QVGA LCD, 320 (H) × 240 (V) pixels

Angle of visibility
20 degrees (2 θ)
Diopter adjustment +2 to -5

Input terminal
3.5 φ AV plug 4P (10K Ω)

Output terminal
Audio (L/R) 28mW + 28mW 3.5 φ stereo 3P (32 Ω)

Continuous duty time
Approximately 4 hours

Power
Two AA batteries
Power consumption
Approximately 420mW

Working conditions
0°C - 40°C / 10% - 80% humidity (not becoming wet with dew)

Weight
Video device approximately 35g
Remote controller approximately 27g

Copied off their site

I also learned that they made a full two eyed one, called the Teleglass T4-N video glasses. The headphones are attached to the inner part of the glasses. This one costs $1007.


Specifications:

Image
VGA 640 (H) ×480 (V) pixels

Image input
VBS 1.0Vp-p 75 Ω (NTSC input)

Audio input
Audio (L/R)

Input impedance
10K Ω

Input terminal
3.5 φ AV input terminal

Audio output
Audio (L/R) 28mW + 28mW

Output terminal
Headphones

Continuous duty time
Approximately 4 hours

Power
Two AA bateries

Working conditions
0°C - 40°C / 10% - 80% humidity

Weight
Approximately 30g (only display module)

Remote controller
Size 95mm x 35mm x 20mm

Copied off their site

Both has a diopter adjuster on it for those with bad eye visions.

You can buy it in Japan through a Scalar Corporation or Tsukumo Co. website. Unfortunately it is currently not sold in the US and Europe =-'(

Music

Heard this from Mandy's ipod and really liked it. Its sooo cute...maybe a little ODed on cuteness, but still.

The group is called Girls Generation, aka So Nyeo Shi Dae or SNSD. They are a 9 member group (I know, a little big but look at NEWS(jap) and SuperJunior) that include, Yoona, Tiffany, Yuri, Hyoyeon, Sooyoung, Seohyun, Taeyeon, Jessica, and Sunny.

Currently loving the song "Gee"

New Bag

Today I went shopping with my mother...Hey she's got great style, so yea...Anyway she wanted a new bag and I tagged along and also got one, the Kenneth Cole New York Motorway Small Flap bag in orange. It was $318 and was marked down a lot so I paid about $100 for it. Pretty nice, I always loved their leather. Though they sometimes do a very bad sewing job and the threads are all over the place (bought a white one a loooong while back and had to return it). Thank god the sewing job was great ^^

Also passed by Bryant Park today, so should have just slipped in...

Alexander McQueen in Target!

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN IN TARGET!!! OMG! Well the news had been released for awhile...a long while...apparently I am kinda behind...>.>

Alexander McQueen will be the first designer in the new series called the Designer Collaborations for Target, which was inspired by Leila Moss from The Duke Spirit (a London band). She inspired the color choice of blacks, grays, whites among electric blues and magentas.

The collection includes studded skinny jeans, prom-style dresses, trench coats, swimwear, and tuxedo jackets in the British rock style.

Prices range from $30 to the most expensive $130 for the leather vest. And yes the shoes are from the collection =)

And for you people living in NYC, love that you live there once again because while it launches on March 4th for everyone else we can get it on Feb. 14 through 15 from 12-10pm at St. John’s Center 330 West Street at W. Houston Street New York, NY 10013. And on Saturday from 7-9pm there will be performances from Marnie Stern, The Phenomenal Handclap Band, and Acrylics.

Hello Kitty Clothes

Emanuel Ungaro

MAC has launched their new Hello Kitty collection for those still in the dark. Currently there is an auction on eBay for dresses inspired by the Hello Kitty collection, running from Feb 9 to Feb 19, 10pm EST.

Sang Beg Ha

Designers for the aduction outfits are Blugirl, Catherine Malandrino, Charlotte Ronson, Dress33, Elie Saab, Emanuel Ungaro, General Idea-Bum Suk Choi, Giles, Hervé Léger by Max Azria, Kai Kühne, Kate Sylvester, Katy England, Manish Arora, Marchesa, Miro, Opening Ceremony, Qiu Hao, Rosa Cha, Ruffian, Sang Beg Ha, Shu-Chi Huang, Sinha-Stanic, Tadashi Shoji, The Blonds, threeasFOUR, Vicente Villarin, Yigal Azrouel, Zac Posen, and Zimmermann.

The Blonds, Vicente Villarin

The profits from the auction will be for the Acquisition Fund for The Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology). The Acquisition Fund is for the museum to obtain works for their permanent collection by up coming designers who can not afford to donate to them. Two designs from the MAC Hello Kitty collection by Katy England has been donated to the permanent collection at FIT.

Shu-Chi Huang

Click to view bid

Kimono Top

I love kimonos and have made a "kimono" before. This time I wanted something like a Takuya Angel piece I found on La Carmina. I thought it was really cute an I had an old bed sheet so....tada!


The back...


And here is the sleeves

Brushing Your Teeth and Flossing

Brushing Your Teeth

Everyone should know that you should at least brush your teeth twice a day every day. However people do not always do a good job of brushing their teeth, because either they do not care or were never corrected by their parents.

My mother works under my dentist so I can say I brush my teeth pretty clean, though I have had my history with cavities.

Your toothbrush should be covering 2 teeth at a time. Point your tooth brush towards your mouth and distance it so that it barely touches your teeth. If you push it too into your teeth the brushes fan out and clean the area around the desired area.

You should start from the back teeth to the front teeth from the top to the bottom. Use a pea size for each half of your mouth (because the cleaning effect decreases because it mixes with fluids in your mouth).

Brush back and forth for 5-7 seconds. After you finish for the back teeth change angles to get all the little spaces between each tooth. Point the brush 45 degrees towards your mouth and then after brushing the back teeth for 5-7 seconds point it 45 degrees away from your mouth.

To finish point your toothbrush the way your teeth grows (up or down) and brush away. You do not have to count the seconds just brush over it.

Flossing

Floss after you brush your teeth!! But it is best to floss right after you eat something.

What not to do

Enamel is a protective layer over your teeth which wears down due to acid. Therefore:

DO NOT EAT ANYTHING ACIDIC like fruits, SODA, anything sour -.- or hot sauce 2-4 hours before you brush your teeth. It weakens your enamel and the tooth paste and brush will weaken it further.

Polka Dot Bag

My sister (Dawn) has been bothering me about making her a new bag, because the last one I made was too big. So I made her this cute little thing with a bow.


There is an inner lining with the same fabric and has interfacing in between the outer and inner fabric. A tutorial will be up soon (hopefully)

Close up of the bow.

Green and Black/Red Tea

It is well known that tea is good for you. However there are different types of tea, and they have different properties. The four most common teas are black tea/red tea, green tea, white tea, and oolong tea.

Green tea is made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis which is from Theaceae family. It is processed with the lowest oxidation (unfermented). Black/Red tea is also from Camellia sinensis but it is fully oxidized(fermented).

Green and Black/Red Tea:

• It contains 10 times the amount of antioxidants found in fruits and veggies(catechin polyphenols, and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)
• Lowers LDL cholesterol levels, lowers chances of heart disease and development of certain cancers(polyphenols- detoxifies cell-damaging free radicals), faster recovery from heart attacks, boosts metabolism, block allergic responsse
• Contains fluorides (Prevents teeth decay: they protect tooth enamel from acids and it reduces the number of cavities)
• Contains Vitamins B1(aka thiamin),B2(aka riboflavin), B6(aka pyridoxal phosphate): they help convert blood sugar into energy, C(aka L-ascorbate): acts as a catalyst in the production of collagen, and potassium: role in maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance in the body
• Contains tannin which activates the thrombocytes for rapid clotting

Tea is good for you inside and out. You should drink tea (green is better because it has less caffeine) instead of water because all water has is just H2O while tea has all of the things listed above. It is recommended that you drink 10 cups of tea per day. Tea can be used on the skin and can be stored in a spray bottle. Its best if you spray it on a few times a day to protect your skin from the sun by detoxifying your skin and encourage production of collagen.

Shea Butter

In yesterday's post, I discussed some of the things I like to do for my skin. One of them is Shea Butter.

Shea Butter comes from the shea tree, aka karite tree, Butyrospermum Paradoxum renamed Vitellaria Paradoxa (West African Shea tree), Vitellaria Nilotica (East African Shea tree). They extract the fat from the fruit of the tree by boiling and crushing the fruit(unrefined butter). It produces its fruit at 20 and is in its high point of production at 45 years old. This tree is found in Africa.

Benefits of Shea Butter:

• Prevents the bumps that sometimes appear after shaving
• Heals scars, burns, bruises and stretch marks
  
• Evens out your skin tones and softens skin (great for dry skin)
  
• Good for minor burns, cuts, eczema and/or psoriasis
• Good for hair-eliminates scalp irritation from dryness or chemical processing, and it gives you shiny hair
• Helps restore elasticity to skin
• Strengthens cuticles and nails
• Prevents skin irritations and is great for rashes
• Firms the skin and help us fight against wrinkles!
• Contains Vitamins A and E which help against skin damaged skin and preventing wrinkles and facial lines
• Contains Vitamin F which softens and protects dry chapped skin
• Is a fat that does not saponify. Fats that saponify become soap thus when there is unsaponifiables mixed with soaps it helps with moisturization, conditioning, keeping the vitamins in and textures. There are different levels where unrefined Shea Butter has a 6-17% unsaponifiable percentage level, which is a high percentage. Refined Shea Butter has a low percentage of 1% or less.
• Absorbs into your skin quickly and easily without making your skin greasy or clogging pores

Unrefined/Raw vs Refined:

• Unrefined/Raw Shea Butter- The Shea Butter is extracted without chemicals, through cold pressing and boiling(more info).
• Refined Shea Butter- There are different processes which remove things or add substances that make it less effective than unrefined/raw Shea Butter. They may remove the scent, color or impurities(more info).

"Good" Shea Butter:

There are many products that contain Shea Butter in it. However there may be a minimum amount of Shea Butter or they added in chemicals that make it less effective so do research on the products before you buy them! The best to have is unrefined/raw Shea Butter which has a weirdish scent (but not horrible) and is yellow. The color may vary though...

Shelf Life:

Shea Butter has a low melting point, so store it in a cool place. Even if it does melt its still usable, just stick it in your refrigerator for a little while so it hardens again. Its good that is has a low melting point so your skin absorbs it quickly. It loses some of its properties after 2 years.

East vs West:

East African Shea Butter-It is higher in olein which makes it softer and more scented. It has a higher absorption rate because it has less saturated fatty acids. However it has less Vitamin A. More rare, thus it is about $40/2 oz.

West African Shea Butter- It is harder and has a milder scent. It has more Vitamin A, which is good in preventing stretch marks. It is less rare than East African Shea Butter.

Clicky For More Info On Shea Butters

Shopping

Tomorrow is my cute little brother's birthday! So we are going to get him a new PSP game, yay him. And I will be tagging along to get a new iron! YAY!! We have an iron but its like 10 years old so I barely use it (started to leak). So I will be getting the Euro-Pro Gentle Glide Iron, which is on sale for $19.99 and if we wear red, it will be an extra 20% off!

Skin Care

Even though I do not have the loveliest skin, I try my best...Here are some things that I like to do for my skin.

Mornings-
Washing: I wash only with warm water and do not use soap. This is because your skin have oils that are needed for your skin and since you did not go anywhere much its best to keep most of the oils. Pat dry, NEVER rub the towel roughly on your skin! It tears the skin cells!!!

Applying Lotion: Put on light moisturizing lotions, make sure it has at least SPF 15, though the higher the better. Of all the light lotions so far I like to use Aveeno's, though they came out with a SPF 30. During cooler seasons sometimes I put on something heavier, like Nivea on my cheeks ONLY. And then I head out with my whole faced covered (Scarf, sunglasses and hat, you will not see any skin at all. But my glasses tend to fog...).


DayTime-
Oil Sheets-When you face starts to get oily and shiny dam it with some oil absorbing sheets. A likable one to use is Clean & Clear's, however warning to those that wear powder makeup, you may need to touch up because the oils on your face will mix with the powder and will be lifted off by the sheet.

Evening-
Washing-When I shower I also like to wash my face. With all the steam from shower (gotta love hot water), it opens up my pores. I mix a low dose of regular soap and massage it in my oily areas (forehead, sides near my hair lines because hairs love to absorb oils, and my nose) for 5-10 seconds. I run it under warm water and then use a facial scrub every 3 days or use a facial cleanser. I like to use homemade cleansers and scrubs because reading the ingredients is scary. I know them not and can hardly read them! But some might not have time so I guess its ok... Afterward pat dry!!


Applying Lotion-For the night I like to use heavier lotions that hydrate (because we do not wake up in the middle of the night to drink water...duh), like Nivea (its a creme), or pure African Shea Butter. Anything other shea butters are good but natural ones are the best of course. Shea butter has many benefits and you can also put it in your hair!

Throughout the day
DRINK LOTS OF WATER. Your body needs it to work, a person can die within 3 days without water. I know everyone says this but its true, water does your body good and keeps your skin hydrated and moisturized happy.

*Extra*
Sometimes I like to spray green tea on my face after I clean it. After spraying it on let it dry and then apply the lotion. To make it:

You need a spray bottle, green tea leaves (red tea leaves work too but it has less antioxidants), and hot/boiled water.

If your bottle is plastic, brew the tea leaves in another container, if not directly brew the tea. Let the tea seep for 5 minutes and then you can use it. But it might be hot so might as well wait for the tea to cool and use. Do not make a lot because over time the tea loses its benefits. Fresh tea is the best.

Do not worry I will be adding list of benefits for different substances later on ^^