January 9, 2012

Shameless

Shameless...
is a Shameless TV series... 


The show is a little hard to describe. It is based around a family with no mother, six children, and a drunken mess of a father. The family is basically run by the oldest daughter and her friend and love interests. It is a show on Showtime, and is definitely worth watching. If you don't have showtime find another way to watch it :)

It is hilarious, and horrible at the same time. The story lines are quite entertaining and can have you hooked by the first episode either for humor (such as Carl, who always melts his toys in the microwave), or the struggling family's drama. I don't want to give away too many of the stories, but there is a fake marriage, an agoraphobe, and an abandonment withing the first few episodes.

Check it out :)

Showtime on Sundays at 9pm ET  (The second season just started yesterday, and it is just as addicting!)

I realize this review doesn't say much, but it is a relatively new series and I do not want to give away all the hilarious and dramatic story lines that make it worth watching. Trust me on this one :)


Song stuck in my head: Woo Boost by: Rusko


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January 8, 2012

Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012

Your Shape is not only the best fitness series for the Kinect... It's the best fitness game I have played!


My review will be cut into three parts: Motivation, Diversity, and Entertainment value

Motivation
This game exemplifies the motivation needed to keep working out. Many games will have the trainers who give you feedback and such, but none have quite the motivation system this game has. First, there is a very diverse range of activities to do which will keep you entertained for a long time. If you get bored, there are more downloadable workouts available. Second, like most Xbox360 games, there are achievements to unlock that will take a lot of playing in order to reach them all. There are also small achievement through Ubisoft that unlock exclusive content as you progress. Third, the trainer switches depending on the workout you are doing, so you rarely get bored of having just one trainer the whole time. Fourth, the feedback on this game is very accurate because the Kinect sensor tracks point over your entire body, so they can show you what you are doing wrong. During Yoga and Zen, they draw lines between points to show when you are not in quite the right position. Fifth, and my final reason although there are many more, is the online capabilities. They have their own progress website called YourShapeCenter where you can track your progress in real time and compare with people around the world. Also, there are community events that you earn trophies for. My personal favorite thing about the online capabilities is you can create a challenge and whichever one of your friends gets there first receives a trophy for it. This is a huge factor of motivation.

Diversity
Like I said earlier, there are tons of different workout you can do. There are activities, such as wall breaking, warmups, extreme jump rope (to good music), running through various cities (that include sightseeing and challenges to push yourself), stomp (kind of like DDR), and stacking (which is a balance game). There are also many workouts where you can focus on certain muscle groups that you want to. Within each category, say glutes for example, there are focus on just the muscles, a mix of cardio and strength training for weight loss, and then an extreme version which is like both mixed very intensely. There are even sports preparation exercises for preparing for soccer or american football. There are workouts for children to get them active, and even a workout for people who want to age gracefully. Now the final category (and probably my favorite) are classes, which include dance classes (African movement, Latin, bally wood, hip-hop), boot camp (which you do in a simulated battlefield), yoga, zen (mix of yoga and Thai chi), cardio boxing, etc. With all the choices plus a lot of downloadable classes, the time you could spend on this game is endless.

Entertainment Value
Entertainment value, I already pretty much talked about. With all the fun activities and classes, there are many ways that even people who dislike working out would enjoy it. The kids and adults alike can all find something to do. This game is definately worth the money and if you look around some places have it on sale in order to help people keep up with their resolutions.

Also, the fact that it is for the Kinect makes it a great choice for people such as poor college students who have an xbox. No gym membership, and there are so many workouts that you can do to your own intensity. Older people and younger people alike would love this. It is also useful if you are always on the go and just need a quick workout. Every workout tells you how long they will take before you select it. I have been using it ever since I got it and I'm not bored at all.



Song stuck in my head: Ma Ya Hi by: O-zone

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January 7, 2012

Photoshop

Photoshop...
Expensive but AMAZING


Okay, before I say anything I will state that Photoshop is really expensive (unless you are a student or teacher) and if you are going to buy it, get the real Photoshop, not elements or any of the less feature packed editions just because they are slightly more cheap.

Photoshop may be my favorite little toy on my computer. You can literally make anything you want visually if you spend the time and effort. It is a good way to make more professional designs for posters, business cards, invitations, save the dates, backgrounds, etc...

If you are like me and just use it for fun, a good place to get free brush effects is BrushEezy. For fonts, I mainly use 1001FreeFonts. Check out those websites if you haven't yet.

I believe most of the buttons are intuitive on Photoshop, which makes it one of the few professional Adobe programs that almost anyone could use. If you really want a tutorial on something you can find it from Adobe themselves, or by searching on YouTube.

Here are some examples of fun stuff you could make :

I Also make a lot of stuff by request for friends and family :)

In conclusion, if you can afford it, get Photoshop even if you are just going to play around. (my version was gifted to me) Oh and I forgot to mention it is also a great photo editing tool. 


Song of the day stuck in my head: Gargoyle by: Doctor P

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Textbooks

Textbooks...
sooo overpriced...seriously.


This is less a review and more of a rant. I will probably post a real review of something soon so keep an eye out :)

This is just something I have never understood... Why do textbooks cost such large amounts of money. I do not understand why they charge so much for textbooks (used, new, or rented). I seriously can't afford it. It makes absolutely no sense when I can get a reading book that is bigger AND HARDCOVER for about a 6th the price of a little looseleaf (ya not even binded) textbook about marketing. I understand that the contributers need compensation, but the big names in the intellectual world that are on par with big authors in the general reading world should have comparable prices.

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND

I am poor already because of college, do you really think I can shell out over 300 dollars every semester on a couple books....

End of Rant


:)

Thanks for listening, I will post a review shortly of either the Kinect or Photoshop. (the song will be in the next post)

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January 6, 2012

Resolutions

I made a New Years Resolution..
or not...


Ok... I like the idea of resolutions made for the new year. I, myself, even make one every year. But we can't pretend we end up sticking to them for the entire year. I think the longest I lasted was a month (I get bored easily.)

I don't think they are pointless, because it makes us think what we actually would like to improve on, which is the first step. It's the actually doing stuff that everyone seems to have an issue with.

This year, I made a checklist of the 8 things I should do every day to have a better self-image, such as brushing and flossing and mouthwashing twice a day, my skin care regimen that I had been slacking on, actually getting dressed EVERY DAY, getting adequate sleep, etc...  I'm hoping being forced to look at this checklist every day right outside my bedroom door and every time I go to the bathroom will help, but with school coming who knows what parts I will keep and what ones I won't...

My question to you:  How do you plan to keep your resolutions this year, and just generally what are everyone's new years resolutions? :) I love the unique ideas some people have!



In honor of a late New Years blog post, HAPPY NEW YEARS LOVELIES! I hope your 2012 is awesome. Dance like nobody's looking, and if they are WHO CARES just put your paws up and claw their face if they judge <3

New Years song stuck in my head: Champagne Showers by: LMFAO


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