30.4.11

Do it Yourself~

I have been doing Do It Yourself projects for a long time. I love the idea of wanting something, working on it, and then enjoying the results. When you work on a project its your love child, you search how to do it, what are the best materials, the best design, how to customize it... how to make it yours. Now I never would have gotten into DIY if it weren't for a cool website called Instructables. This is a website where you can post your DIY project, but now just show to show them off, but to show people how to make them.
As you sure the website you find things as simple as Mother's Day cards, cupcake recipes, or a simple how to sew; but you can also find things as complicated as arudino, House building, grill making, metal smithing, wood carving, solar power,.. ect 
Not exactly like this....



Its a lot, but fortunately they have things divided into handy categories:
-Food
-Living
-Outside
-Play 
-Technology
-Workshop

All of these are pretty self explanatory, food for recipes, living for house hold projects and kid projects, living for projects to better your life, outside project, play for games and game modifications, technology for tech stuff, and workshop for more crafted instructables. Each one has its own subdivisions, so i suggest you go explore for a while! 
Don't take it too far...
Now, as I sadi earlier, this website got me started on DIY projects, so I rounded up some simple projects for you to try and see if you like it... 

1) Customizing Headphones {these are links by the way...}
This is an example of one of the simpler instructables, it shows you how to take something like your headphones and make them a bit more 'you'. its a nice way to start with DIY, changing things like notebook covers or painting a design on something is a nice way to help you get out of your shell and see that you can make things yours.
2) Secret Candy Dispenser
One of the most important things to look at in an instructable is its materials. Do you have them?  Can you afford to get them? Sure I want to make my house green, but do I have the money for all of the solar panels? This is an example of a simple instructable that uses things you find in the house, while still managing to be really cool~
3) Cheap and Easy iPhone cover
Here's another thing DIY aims to do (aside from please) it aims to give you home-made alternatives. This instructable is just that, an easy and cheap option to something that's pretty expensive on the market.
And can be a bit useful...

4) Origami Envelope
This instructable shows you how to add a personal touch to something you're gonna send to someone else. Its an extra feature to make sure you a remembered, its also a very nice way to save paper and look cool doing it.
5) Altoids Tin Watercolors
I come prepared..
In the strange world of DIY altoids tins are an oddly prized possession. They are sturdy and well made, the perfect size to carry along with you, and INCREDIBLY versatile, to the point of almost being a sin. From flashlights to survival kits, you can look up entire pages worth of altoid related instructables.  This one teaches you how to make a portable watercolor kit for an altoids box, but really its just a great example on how versatile they can be.


6) Make Your Own Sketchbook
Well, youve got some watercolors, so why not a sketchbook. There are many different options on how to make sketchbooks, I picked this one randomly, but you can go looking for a better one. Once more you are using things you have at home to make something that is completely yours.
7) Keyboard Long Cat
Since you've obviously been reading this entire post, then your hands have definitely been on that computer for too long, its probably hurting by now, so why not make a little comfy kitty to lay your arms on? This instructable requires you to go buy some things, but its a cute an easy project to do and it gives you a handy item as well. You can take this design and customize it too. Don't like cats? Change the face and tail and make a dog, or a bunny! its really all up to you.
One day he'll be long enough..

8) Bath Bombs
Youve been working so hard on all of these projects, why not reward yourself with a warm bath and some fizzy bath bombs to add aroma and fun to your otherwise boring bathing situation?  I <3 Bath bombs. They are fun and cool and this tell you how to make them, and I think that's epic.

Now, another thing that really helped me figure out where to get started were the guides. Sometimes there are topics that are so repeated that they choose their favorites and make downloadable guides filled with different instructables. Here's a few that I swear by:
Your robot will never be this cute though...
- Your First Robot
Make your own tiny robot and learn the basics for making more complicated beasts. 
- Origami
Beautiful origami made easy, both fun and functional items to keep you entertained. 
- LED projects
LEDs are the base of so many projects, they're cheap, simple and they are shiny when lit. Whats not to love?
- Pinhole Cameras
Who knew that making pinhole cameras was co easy? go ahead and take a picture with a camera you made yourself!

Now at times all of these options seem too complicated, but look around the website and you'll see that it really has a little something for everyone, adults to kids to cooks to programmers, its all there, and if it isn't make it your self and post it! That is the best part, after a while you aren't limited by what you can or cannot buy, what you can or cannot do. Whatever you want, make it. Even if you don't know how, it teaches you to think outside the box and look for different ways of making things.


26.4.11

TUESDAY

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!

The Music Of Life

Music is for everyone, you may not be trained to sing or know how to read sheet music, but the minute that one song you love comes on the radio you blurt out those tunes like a drunk teen on karaoke night. But what makes music so fundamental to everything we do?
Oh baby, oh baby.
The reason I'm writing this today is mainly because for the last few days all that I've done has been organized through song. My nap times are playlists that start with soothing songs and lead to songs that wake me and pump me up. My shower times, study times, play times, everything. So what is it about music that gives you the ability to integrate it?
Music affects us all, it may affect us in different ways, but it will always have a side effect. It gives you a rhythm for your life. A soothing one if you want to relax, a hyper one to get excited, something with a steady beat to keep you focused. Nowadays music is more accessible than ever, whether through the internet, your ipod, the radio, a musical instrument or a that one teddy bear someone gave you years ago for valentines that sings "That's Amore" while wearing a tiny chefs hat. Music is all around you, but since this is an internet blog, why don't I give you some tools to listen to and share your music?
Thats Amore!


Stereomood
 This website takes songs and organizes them not by name, but by the emotion that they convey, giveing you songs that match the mood you are in. Whether you want to relax, chill out, or you just woke up, this website has something for you.

- Pandora
Internet radio at its finest. You need to sign up for this one but its worth it. Choose an artist and it sill start playing music by that artist, but it will also suggest songs by other artists that match the style of the one your listening to. Many of the bands I love today I heard first on Pandora so it hold a spot in my heart.

- Mix Pod
This website is pretty straight forward, if you like a band, search for it and make a playlist.now your playlist will be available to others just as their playlists are available to you. Its a nice playlist creator with a good selection of music and some nice forums, definitely worth checking out.

- 8Tracks
Not to be confused with this
8 tracks is my favorite on this list, it is a combination of all of the aforementioned websites, but dont just take my word for it, go check it out. The playlists are available to anyone, you just gotta look. Looking for music to study to? they've got a playlist. Something to freshen up your day? Go ahead, someone has made a playlist with that purpose. Maybe you're just looking to listen to some blues, then look at the blues playlists that have been created, or make your own. What i like most about 8 tracks is that you see what other people meant to do with the songs you are listening to. You see the purpose they had in listening to those songs, giving you a whole new perspective on  music you already love.


SO there, go forth and listen my child, and enjoy everything the world of music has to offer to you.
I hope this gets stuck in your head.



24.4.11

OH GOD


Sleep

Sleep, wikipedia tells me its: a naturally recurring state characterized by reduced or absent consciousness, relatively suspended sensory activity, and inactivity of nearly all voluntary muscles.  I call it "that thing I do when I'm tired". Ive always had a few issues with sleep, but as of late I've been having more issues than usual, so, in honor of not being able to sleep tonight either here is a small list of things to do to help you sleep.

- Getting ready for sleep . Try to go to bed when you're sleepy. this sounds odd, but lets say you are tired, its late you dont feel all that sleepy but you go to bed anyway. You are tired right? Surely you'll fall asleep, right? Wrong.  Your body secretes a hormone called melatonin, it has the cool title of  "hormone of darkness",  it s only secreted when your body is ready to sleep, and it promotes sleep in the person.
So really its best only to fall asleep when your body is ready What do you do then? 
1) Hot baths. The sleep cycle has been found to be linked with body temperature, so why not try a warm relaxing bath. Fill the tub, turn off the lights and relax in the tub for about half an hour before bed time. Once you're done you should bb primed and ready for a nice sleep.
2) Guided imagery. This is a form of meditation that helps (at least helps me)  one fall asleep. When you are in bed first imagine counting down from 24 to 1 in bright neon colours. Once you reach zero imagine the nicest most calming place in the world, it has everything you want. A waterfall, a meadow, an odd yet adorable furry pony.  And just imagine resting there. Alternatively, you can imagine designing something. A dress, a house, an overly complex mansion, something to keep your mind occupied until you drift to sleep.
3) Music. Another nice thing to do is to play soft or relaxing music. I usually have a playlist that plays when Im going to sleep. A collection of songs that calm me... there is one track, track 11 that I always play when I',m falling asleep, to the point that when I hear it now, it just puts me to sleep.
4) Milk and honey. Cant sleep? try a bit of milk and honey to get you warm and ready for bed again.
5) that one thing, everyone has that one thing that just immediately puts them to sleep, for me its a full belly or paranormal tv shows.  When I watch paranormal tv shows I knock out, completely. Not just that, but i have a tendency to have lucid dreams, btu this works better for naps.



21.4.11

Studying

SO ok, I havent posted in a few days.. Finals are ganging up on me and its getting hard to get some time to myself (the only time I get I either spend sleeping or playing a bit of Portal2).
So what do you do when you have no time and too much to do?
1)Lists.
Best things ever, those are. See once you start a list you have a clear way of knowing what it is you have to do, and by when. Make a daily list, write it out every night before you go to bed, and once you wake up, make sure you work on it. every little thing makes you feel a bit more accomplished, so really its a nice self esteem boost when you realize all that you've done in one day.
Sometimes this happens too....
2) Sleep
Make sure you get the sleep you need. Working late? Go ahead, work all night, but the next day make sure to take a nap or two during the day. Now Ive recently found that Im going to sleep earlier and waking up earlier (Yesterday I went to sleep at seven pm and woke up at 12:40 am), for me working at night/morning is better and easier, so this is working out, usually from 7-12 I mess around a bit and dont get much done.
This better not be you.
3) Relax.
You don't have time, you don't have a life, but that doesn't mean you cant relax. Take the time to enjoy little things, pictures of kittens, a funny article on that website you love, a funny video you can never get enough of, that song stuck in your head, or a nice warm nap time. Anything. But when you are taking time off from working, dont keep thinking about it, try to keep you mind off of work.

4) Eat well.
I fail at this one. I hardly eat during the day sometimes.. I just... Forget So don't be like me!  eat well, carry around food if you must. Going crazy with work means you forget that you need things like food and water, so you get moody and headachy and you don't even realize its because you haven't eaten.
5) Cuddle.
This inst for everyone, but there is nothing nicer than cuddling up with a friend or a partner to take some time off and relax....




**Note:Ignore the overuse of pictures today <3


18.4.11

TV Show Rant: R.O.D.

TV show rant: R.O.D.
Category: Anime
Number of episodes: 3(R.O.D), 26 (R.O.D. the TV)

Miss Deep and Yomiko, guess which is the bibliophile.
R.O.D. or Read or Die follows the life of Yomiko Readman, a young woman who is obsessed with book and who also happens to be a paper master and an agent for a secret branch of the British library. What is a paper master you ask?  Well she has the special ability to telekinetically control paper and though this seems like the most useless power ever it turns out that paper is a lot more versatile than you may have thought. Her missions as agent codename "The Paper" usually lead her to recover and retrieve rare books, but all Yomiko really wants is to read a new book she just got. Alas it has been taken by the I-gin, another organization comprised of evil clones of Historical figures. It turns out that her book contains the information necessary to unlock Beethoven's "Suicide symphony" a horrid tune that when heard compels the listener to commit suicide. Yomiko, along with another mysterious agent called Ms. Deep (yes, pornstar name, I know) and Drake are the only ones that can stop them.

Now, as I read this I realize that the premise for this show is absolutely and utterly beyond ridiculous.  But trust me, Its good. The characters are a strange mixture between relatable and completely badass. As you watch Yomiko go through her messy apartment you realize that shes just a dorky girl who really loves books, but once she has to get the job done her power shine through and shes suddenly incredible. the animation is also very well done, their movement seems almost realistic even when doing the most ridiculous of things.

R.O.D. the TV is the next installment of the Read or Die series, though I believe you can watch and enjoy it without watching the first series. Unlike its short but sweet counter part, this series ran for 26 episodes. It follows the three sister Maggie, Michelle and Anita, who are all paper masters and obsessed with books (well, Anita isn't). But this show also follows Nenene Sumiregawa, an author who hasn't written a book in years. The sisters are assigned to be the bodyguards for Nenene, but in the end they become the victims of an evil plot laid out by (you guessed it) another secret organization! Now what is most interesting about this installment is that there is no clear main character, each character is treated equally and, later when more characters are introduced, they too become the focus of the show. The plot is too complicated to explain without revealing too much, the story takes more twists and turns than a slinky falling down a mayan pyramid.  Let's see if i can do it... So the three sisters are stuck guarding Nenene (or maybe she's stuck with them)  and even though they technically work for her they still do some jobs on the side for a secret agency (sensing a pattern here?) called Dokusensha. Soon they discover a far more nefarious plot that not only involves all of the books that they have been stealing but also their beloved Nenene!

That was soo much longer than I had expected... This series is good, it doesn't fall into the usual patterns of good and bag guy, it actually has you guessing as to who the evil group actually is, and if they are really evil.  These characters are also very well crafted, you love them and want only the best for all of them, even when all is going wrong! Now The battles are probably some of my favorite parts of the show, they're beautiful, intense and leave you with the feeling that you should go out with a box of printer paper and try to stab some evil doer. The only problem I had with the show was those same twists and turns that I loved. near the end of the show they introduce some new twists that not only throw you off guard but seem slightly unnecessary.

So what's my verdict? I love it, totally love it. Its good for when you want a good series to watch while your cleaning your apartment or if you just want something to take your mind off of work. It also has one of the BEST and most epic OST's ever. Even the music makes you feel like you could do anything. The show is crazy and over the top, but intentionally so, bringing you a slew of characters that you're sure to fall for.


15.4.11

Parkour!

http://ellysdoghouse.deviantart.com/art/NO-PARKOUR-64136993
Parkour is an interesting sport, I would say that its a bit like... urban gymnastics. ITs the art of spatial awareness, its observing one's surroundings and learning how to move through them, its a discipline, a philosophy and its really, really fun.
Now I stared parkour only  two days ago  so I don't have much experience, but what I have learned is wonderful. We are taught to trust our instincts as much as we trust what we are taught. It turns out, your body can do a lot more than you thought it could. First we learned basic jumps. Up, down, you learn that jumping from higher areas means letting your legs absorb the shock, it also means that you roll. As you land you find that your body goes into a roll on its own, as if you'd always been prepared for it.
It can seem a bit overwhelming at first, to see those people flipping around and doing insane jumps as if they were nothing, but as it happens, anyone can do incredible things. For me just being able to jump from five feet after doing a terrible cartwheel is incredible. You begin slowly and you push your limits. Little by little you build up from a small hop to a long jump, you dare to move faster, you push yourself and that is intoxicating.
In whatever sport you choose, you test yourself. You start off as a small and wimpy noob and slowly build up. Whatever you do, don't let this intimidate you. No matter who you are with, they had to start somewhere, they were once as new and lost as you.  so go out, try something, learn, evolve and move.

Video game fun and Love~

Valve is one of my favorite game companies... ever. Aside from having great games with interesting stories, aside from being one of the few companies to invest in multi platform games.. which I love mind you. Their game Portal is a first person single player puzzle game.  You play in the Aperture science labs, years after the fall of society. You are a test subject that has been given a portal gun and with it you must traverse the strange levels of the labs all the while trying to figure out if the computer in charge, GLaDOS, is trying to kill you.

Now Portal2  is one of the most anticipated games helped in part by one of the BEST viral ad campaigns in the history video games. First of all was the campaign used to announce the future release of Portal2 in the first place. This is an example of the first bit of marketing, the patch released gave gamers all of the info they needed to figure out all the information about when the game was to be released, along with some art from the games and some extras.  The genius behind the campaign is that they gave the gamers the hints they needed to figure it all out. By releasing only cryptic messages and subtle hints they kept the gamers enticed and searching for more clues. In a matter of days the puzzles were solved and the information of a portal2 released. Now, almost a year later, with the impending release of Portal2, we see another marketing campaign, similar to the first.
This is a good review of what has happened. The GLaDOS has taken over! With a series of cryptic messages and game edits out the wazoo we can only hope that the chaos caused by GLaDOS will end wel.. LIke with an early release of the game.....

13.4.11

Dealing with problems/What to do when you Freak out

Here's the thing with anxiety, no matter where you are it can find you... Like today, during my Biochemistry test... I was sitting there, reading through the test, realizing I wasn't going to do well, when suddenly I realized my nervousness and confusion wasn't just test jitters, as usual I began to feel dizzy and i called the professor over, he tried to calm me down, but as these things usually go once I realized that I was having a panic attack during a test... i had another one. 
We all learn to deal with anxiety, but today was something else, I had to leave the test, call my boyfriend to get some of my medicine from my apartment, and sat in the chemistry office until it had passed...  Dizzyness, vomiting, shivers, all of these things come hand in hand with a panic attack. The inability to focus on anything, the  sudden spinning of the world, what can one do? 

Though I failed today at calming myself down, ill write a few things here that help me.. and hopefully may help you:
1) remember, nothing can happen to you. As you are sitting there nervous just think about this, nothing can happen to you at that moment, its just you and your head. In the grand scheme of things, one panic attack is nothing, it will pass. Focus not on what you have to do, but on what you want to do, take the first step by calming down.
2) Breathe. This is the first advice you're given, and it is the stupidest. "Of course breathe!" you say, "what, do I stop? No!" Its not so much about stopping your breathing, its not that you suffocate, generally its more that you are breathing abnormally. Too quickly, not deep enough for your body to get the oxygen it needs. The right advice should be Breathe rhythmically, breathe in time with something, usually what helps me the most is to sing. What you are singing you are forced to take breaths at a certain point and at a certain depth, so you can keep singing, I usually go for This Too Shall Pass by the Band Ok Go. Not only does it have a positive message, but it is a nice song!
3) Think about those that make you smile. Right now, make a mental picture, a list of everyone and everything you love and then take the good times that make you smile. Got them?  Good. Create a mental file where you store alll those things that make you smile, those nice moments when you feel loved and secure, keep something around that reminds you of that. A picture, a necklace, a toy, anything. For me its the thought of my boyfriend hugging me and being silly, my best friend singing me to sleep, or analyzing poetry at obnoxious hours, another friend whose music is my sleepytime playlist, and my cat stepping on my computer as he decides I've had enough computer time and not enough kitty time. Those images remind me there is good in the world and that I have people who love me, armed with these thoughts, I focus less on the problem and more on them.
4) Keep busy. Panic attack over? Keep busy, don't let yourself think about what happened, talk about anything, the rain, cats, sunshine and rainbow, whatever. There is a bit of time after a panic attack where you realize what just happened, if you keep busy you can put that off until you are ready to handle it, once you feel like you can deal with what happened, then go ahead. Another good thing is that after any form of anxiety you feel drained, sleepy. Sleep after, rest, but make sure you have something to do after, don't let yourself fall into a pattern in which you cannot function and become tired and depressed. Its too easy. 
5) Keep a security blanket! I hate pills, I hate them like the plague, I have some that I can take if I'm having an attack, but I usually avoid them, I was once talking to someone else who has anxiety issues and for him just having the bottle of pills was enough to calm him if he was nervous. Not for me. What do i have? The book Good Omens By Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. It is my favorite book, I can pick it up and start reading wherever and BAM instant distraction. Now you may have noticed that today I did not do that. Sometimes I find that my stress level is high enough to take the medicine for panic attacks, ill still use my book to calm me down, but I sometimes need help. Now don't get me wrong, if you need medicine take it. I myself take one every day, the one I dislike is the one for when I get panic attacks specifically, It puts me to sleep for hours and I don't feel that great after (which is why I might change it soon) 

Now remember, these are just some things you can do to deal with anxiety, but really the most important thing is to get help. From an expert. A friend can only help you so much, its once you start seeing people who have studied and understand what you are going through that you really begin to learn and get better. 


DIY, why?


One thing I find somewhat constant recently is that inactivity leads to one of two things: 
1)Useless,which makes me nervous, I need to be doing something, but now I'm too nervous to do anything, thus I am useless [restart cycle here]
or
2) Sleepiness, I'm not doing anything, so I might as well sleep. 
This usually leads to days where instead of studying and working on things I should be working on, I waste time and then sleep, wasting more time. This makes my stress levels higher the next day, but by then ill be too nervous.. and the cycle repeats.

The best way, I find, to combat these feelings of anxiety and percieved uselessness is to entertain myself with seemingly productive projects. The key is this: If I am doing something, anything, it will be easier to start doing truly productive things. This is where my obsession with DIY comes in.
Do It Yourself- 
Pretty big concept, why buy something when it is much more satisfactory to make it ?
My interest in DIY came about a few years ago when I visited a website called Instructables this place changes my existence forever. It is a website where, essentially, people post their projects in steps which you can follow and copy. All materials are posted, even prices at times. The best way to start a project is by seeing someone else who has already succeeded, right? 
If I know it can be done, Ill do it... 
I've made small robots, bags, plushies, you name it...

Right now, for example, I've started a Mario blanket based one this Instructable.
So the first thing I did was design my  blanket, easy right? 
First i decided on the levels i wanted, I'm a gamer, and Mario games hold a special place in my heart, specifically Super mario, it reminds me of all of the random afternoons that I spent with friends, wasting time and playing this, even though we had epic Wii games we could be playing.

Sohere is my design:
A condensed World 1, a cloud bonus world, and a dungeon compete with bowser fighting platform.

I made this on graph paper for a reason too, 40" by 54", leaving me enough space to add some [?] boxes at the top to act as pockets for the cross stick character and felt coins.


So now the next thing i need is the materials, I went to Jo Anns and spent about 50$ on this project:
-Light blue fleece 
-Black fleece
-Grey fleece (backing)
- grey, red, brown, white, green, yellow, and gold felt
- fabric paint
- long green zipper
- yarn
- puffballs 
-thread: white, black, brown

Yay! level!
I got home and I got to work! I began by sewing the background, the blue to the black, and cutting the black to the appropriate measurements.
I then cut and sewed the top of the dungeon ( I wanted the level divisions in first). After, I began to cut out and arrange everything needed for a lovely blanket.
And then I started to sew... I cant actually say if Im doing this in any order the only thing I've really done is first the divisions between levels, and then everything else.. whatever I feel like, in no specific order. I sew, take a break and use the paint to add detail, sew with the yarn, for thicker lines...
 Right now Im still working on it, but this is what I have so far: 
 Ill keep you posted on this one project, and I hope I inspire you to do something too!

New beginnings

Hello, My name is Noris and this is my life, on the internet.
Ill be talking about a myriad of topics, my recipes, my projects, my glassblowing and my anxiety disorder. So if youre looking for some new recipes for cooing, or just an example of how other people cope with stress, thats what im for!