Shock + Fade

This is my new anime love, introduced to me by my one and only. So I decided to share it with you. The series is not aired in chronological order, for example episode 1 is not really the first episode instead episode 2 is first episode, and so forth. It's pretty strange, but I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

I just got an Iphone and I am now hooked on apps. So here I decided to give you a briefing of my favorite apps in hopes that you will enjoy them too.

1. Ocarina by Smule - $0.99
-This is by far my my favorite app. It is a virtual ocarina that you use by blowing into the microphone. It has several different settings to choose from in order to create a vast amount of pitches, including a Zeldarian mode created for Legend of Zelda songs (can you say sweet?). It is a fairly difficult app to master, but is very fun to try. See the video below for a demo of the ocarina app. $0.99 is a bargain.

2. Pandora Box - FREE
-This is an app for apps. This app will tell you when new apps are released and when apps go down in price (both free and paid). Its very handy and you'll always get to know about the latest apps first. The layout is similar to the app store, it gives you the price, details, and screenshots. When you want to download an app it will take you to the app store page.

3. Fish Tycoon LITE - FREE
-This is the iphone version of the popular game of Fish Tycoon. Basically you breed fish to sell in your fish pet shop. You discover new breeds by impregnating different types of fish. You can get rare fish by saving up money to purchase research materials. You can buy various types of items for your fish to improve their lifestyle, including medicine if they get sick. The only difference between the LITE and the full version is that the full version gives you two more tanks to house your fish. A tank can only hold a certain amount of fish.

4. Nimbuzz - FREE
-This is an instant messaging service that houses almost all of the major IM services including AIM, MSN, Yahoo, Facebook Chat, in addition to VOIP services. It also has landscape capabilities for easier typing. The actual app works exactly how its suppose to. However, if you exit out of the app you will be logged out of your chats.

5. VLingo - FREE
-This is a voice operated command app. VLingo allows you to google search, get directions, update your facebook/twitter stats, and make phone calls all by voice. For example, using the map function I can say "sushi in oklahoma city" and it will bring up the map app with pinpointed details of sushi restaurants in oklahoma city. I find the voice recognition system to pretty accurate in terms of recognition.

6. Midomi - FREE
-Have you ever wondered what's the name of the song playing at your favorite restaurant? Or have you forgotten the name of a song you know? Midomi will tell you what that song is. You can either sing, type in lyrics, or hold it up to a music source and it will try to identify the song and artist. I have found that it works best with the actual music source versus someone singing. Nonetheless it works and is worth getting.

7. Tap Tap Revenge 2 - FREE
-This is a fun music based game similar to Guitar Hero. You simply press the buttons when the orbs get to the right spot. There are lots of songs that you can download for free into the program, my favorite is Technologic by Daft Punk. It is a full game and is very fun to play.

8. Human Japanese - $9.99/FREE
-The full version is $9.99 and includes all the chapters, while the LITE version includes the first few. If you've ever wanted to learn how to read, write, and speak Japanese then this is your app. It has a visually appeal interface and easy to understand chapters. It teaches you pronunciation, grammar, and stroke techniques. I recommend getting a sample through the LITE version.

9. Pandora - FREE
-This is the app version of the hit website. In case you are unfamiliar with Pandora, you simply put in a song or artist that you like and Pandora will find similar music and put it into one station for you. Its a great way to discover new artist that are similar to your tastes. You can also vote on the songs they give you. A thumbs up will put the song into your station's rotation, while a thumbs down will keep a song out of rotation.

10. TouchTXT - FREE
-This is ideal for Itouch users. It is an AIM program that allows you to send free messages to cell phones (the recipient will be charged for any received texts). There is no limit on how many you can send.

I love the allure of grab bags, their inconspicuous packaging, their air of mysterious curiosity. I simply cannot help myself when I see one for sale. I once bought a mystery sample pack from a bath & beauty shop on Etsy and received a lot of very generous sized samples of things like lotion, body whip, perfume, showergel, and more. It was awesome!

I've compiled a list of grab/mystery bags that you can get on Etsy containing sweet handmade goodies!

And remember...a boat's a boat, but the mystery box could be anything! It could even be a boat!

1. Button Grab Bag by EdmundM - 8 randomly selected 1" buttons

I tried just tried two of C&E's newest products from their Aromatherapy Distillations line and fell in love. This is the first time I've tried any of their products and I can honestly say that I am very impressed. Here are my reviews for the products I tried:

Aromatherapy Distillations Conditioning Body Lotion -

This past week has been nothing but wreckage due to a small ice storm. I was stuck at my boyfriend's house for 3 days before we were able to leave.

While mother nature was at her worse, the weather brought out the best in human nature.

We tried to leave monday morning so that I would make back in time for class (I go to school about 80 miles away). The roads were icy and people were driving with caution. Not long after leaving do we have our first collision with a truck on the side of the highway. Thankfully no one was hurt and the damage was minor. We took this as an omen and decided to head back home by taking the city streets.

When we were no more than a mile away from home we lost control on a slippery slope and drove into a ditch. A white truck behind us speed past us without a care. With the way the car was positioned we could not get out and I thought we'd be walking home. But within a few minutes that same white truck was driving backwards in the opposing lane. It turns out the driver had the proper equipment to tow us out of the ditch, and he did just that.

Once we were free we thanked the kind man and went on our way. But within 50 feet our car stalled on slippery uneven pavement. We were stuck again. A few cars went around us including a Direct TV van that had stalled a few feet back. Then a dark blue truck stopped in front of us, they were also Direct TV men. Both the men in the van and in the truck helped pull us to freedom.

We finally got free and made the rest of our way home safely. I think that in times of hardship is when human compassion shines the brightest.