I will not be blogging here anymore.
I am a very casual blogger. Although I am getting better at writing and publishing posts at a more frequent pace, I am not generating great-quality work that entice people to view my posts. Therefore, in order to get people to view my posts, I have been bouncing around between various blog hosts. My idea was that eventually I would find a community at that host, who would be friendly enough to read and provide feedback and the host would give me enough freedom to customize my site.
The two best hosts that I like the most are Blogger and WordPress.com. Before joining either of these hosts, I did a lot of online reading. Many people have already tried the two, listing out numerous pros and cons of each. In the end, these reviews could not convince me of which I should go to. Sooo, I tried both. It was both fun and frustrating trying to use each system. Here is what I have found. (Note: if you are looking for a list of pros and cons, please go to another blog whose author has done a much better job. I am just giving an anecdote of my attempts of blogging.)
Monday, August 8, 2016
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Investing Experiment: 08/06/2016
My euphoria at seeing my portfolio value rise is finally gone. As of closing on 08/05/2016, I had $1,515.60 in cash and my stocks had a total sum of $9,146.77. Overall, my portfolio was $10,662.37.
There have been ups and downs ever since I started this experiment, however this is the first full week where my portfolio's value went down every single day.
On the bright side! My overall gains since I started with $10,000 is 6.27%! Not bad for a little for 2 months. I'll keep crossing my fingers that after a year, I will have a return rate higher than 5%. I may not have a career working in a brokerage firm, but I have know for a long time that I do not have the nerves of steel to go for the riskier, but more rewarding, investments. Any gains is a win in my book!
To you who discovered this post, would you be satisfied with portfolio return rate of 5%? Or would you want the benchmark 10% rate?
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 07/25/2016
There have been ups and downs ever since I started this experiment, however this is the first full week where my portfolio's value went down every single day.
On the bright side! My overall gains since I started with $10,000 is 6.27%! Not bad for a little for 2 months. I'll keep crossing my fingers that after a year, I will have a return rate higher than 5%. I may not have a career working in a brokerage firm, but I have know for a long time that I do not have the nerves of steel to go for the riskier, but more rewarding, investments. Any gains is a win in my book!
To you who discovered this post, would you be satisfied with portfolio return rate of 5%? Or would you want the benchmark 10% rate?
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 07/25/2016
Monday, August 1, 2016
Summoner Trilogy
Browsing at my local Barnes & Noble store looking for a new interesting realm to explore. I found two books side-by-side with the words "Summoner: Book One, The Novice" and "Summoner: Book Two, The Inquisition." My interest was piqued because the titles imply magic exists in this story, yet the person on the cover was holding a bow and carrying a quiver of arrows.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Flintstones or Neverland?
I stumbled on this article about a home for sale in Hillsborough, California. The original price was $4.2 million, but since there has been no offers, the price was cut down to $3.2 million.
Neighbors call it the Flintstones House. However, as I looked at the pictures, the rounded edges and orange coloring make me think it matches the architecture seen in the game The Neverhood, albeit without the creepy clay men and monsters.
To you who found this post, can you think of another home that matches the "Flintstones House"?
Neighbors call it the Flintstones House. However, as I looked at the pictures, the rounded edges and orange coloring make me think it matches the architecture seen in the game The Neverhood, albeit without the creepy clay men and monsters.
To you who found this post, can you think of another home that matches the "Flintstones House"?
Monday, July 25, 2016
Investing Experiment: 07/25/2016
I started this investing experiment on 5/18/2016, but I did not finish making more portfolio until 5/25/2016. Therefore, I consider today to be the 2-month mark of my investing experiment. Let's see how well I have been doing!
On 5/25/2016, I finished the day with $1,467.63 in cash. The sum of my stocks was $8,264.65. This meant that after starting with $10,000, I had a total account value of $9,732.28. At this point, I was very concerned that it would take a long time to get back to $10,000 even with half of my stock picks giving out monthly dividends.
As the month went on, my account started to pull in dividends - a few dollars one day, another dollar the following week. Those small gains did not help much with the fluctuating market and my total account value went down every time my stock picks went down.
By 6/25/2016, I was amazed. The total value of my portfolio was $10,217.31! My account had $1,490.10 in cash. This meant in one month, I had earned $22.47 in dividends. Not bad, that was almost the amount spent on the commission fee for one of my stock purchases. If I could keep this pace, in 8 more months, I will have recouped my losses from those expensive commissions. Of course, it would not be possible because 4 of the 9 stocks give out quarterly dividends and it just so happened that their payout date was in May/June, so I would not be seeing such a gain until the August/September months. The real reason behind my sudden gain was the market. All of my stock picks were doing very well, reaching a total of $8,727.21.
The day before my 1-month mark, the results of the Brexit vote was revealed and the world learned that UK would be leaving the United Nations. I started to notice many UK-based stocks were dropping and many others were bouncing up and down with each piece of news. And here I was, sitting in front of my computer, just waiting for my portfolio value to plummet.
It is now 7/25/2016. I cannot believe my luck. I have $1,509.17 in cash and my stocks are at $9,287.21, which means the total portfolio value is $10,796.38. Wahoo! Choosing stocks that have performed well over the years or have been relatively stable has paid off. My rank in the "Start with $10,000" game will probably in the 140s. This is amazing considering just two months ago, my rank was in the 600-700s. Kudos to the top ten players who have managed to get 20k and above.
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 06/30/2016
On 5/25/2016, I finished the day with $1,467.63 in cash. The sum of my stocks was $8,264.65. This meant that after starting with $10,000, I had a total account value of $9,732.28. At this point, I was very concerned that it would take a long time to get back to $10,000 even with half of my stock picks giving out monthly dividends.
As the month went on, my account started to pull in dividends - a few dollars one day, another dollar the following week. Those small gains did not help much with the fluctuating market and my total account value went down every time my stock picks went down.
By 6/25/2016, I was amazed. The total value of my portfolio was $10,217.31! My account had $1,490.10 in cash. This meant in one month, I had earned $22.47 in dividends. Not bad, that was almost the amount spent on the commission fee for one of my stock purchases. If I could keep this pace, in 8 more months, I will have recouped my losses from those expensive commissions. Of course, it would not be possible because 4 of the 9 stocks give out quarterly dividends and it just so happened that their payout date was in May/June, so I would not be seeing such a gain until the August/September months. The real reason behind my sudden gain was the market. All of my stock picks were doing very well, reaching a total of $8,727.21.
The day before my 1-month mark, the results of the Brexit vote was revealed and the world learned that UK would be leaving the United Nations. I started to notice many UK-based stocks were dropping and many others were bouncing up and down with each piece of news. And here I was, sitting in front of my computer, just waiting for my portfolio value to plummet.
It is now 7/25/2016. I cannot believe my luck. I have $1,509.17 in cash and my stocks are at $9,287.21, which means the total portfolio value is $10,796.38. Wahoo! Choosing stocks that have performed well over the years or have been relatively stable has paid off. My rank in the "Start with $10,000" game will probably in the 140s. This is amazing considering just two months ago, my rank was in the 600-700s. Kudos to the top ten players who have managed to get 20k and above.
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 06/30/2016
Friday, July 22, 2016
Emotions and Writing
Writing is something that does not come easily to me. Despite my inability to write best-selling novels, I still enjoy doing it whenever I can. It brings a great sense of achievement to pause and realize you have more than two pages filled with words. Almost everyday, I get an idea of a topic to write about, but do not have the time to sit and put the words on paper. I have various excuses, but the predominant one is the fact that I am too lazy to write and believe that I can write about it tomorrow. Right after thinking this, I know right away that I will probably never write about that topic because tomorrow there will be something else to scribble about and I will not have the same motivation to write about yesterday's topic. The few times I have a pen and paper nearby to jot down notes provide a big help in continuing something, but it is not the same as writing as soon as an idea hits you.
On the other hand, there are a number of reasons I want to write. The biggest motivator is that the fact that my emotions are so overwhelming that I simply cannot wait another moment and must release my thoughts. I both love and hate myself when I am emotional.
I love it because whenever I go back and read previous journal entries, the ones written during my most emotional times are usually the pieces that I can re-connect to the easiest. The words are used in an emphatic way that does not exist when I write in a neutral mood. Being in an emotional state also helps me switch between different writing pieces and I can be quite productive (in a personal sense). I can churn out a number of paragraphs during these times, which is a vast improvement to the 3 sentences I drag out of my brain whenever the emotions are neatly boxed in.
I hate being emotional because it leads to a lot more ups and downs in my life. Opening myself to new experiences leave me vulnerable to disappointment, sadness, extreme joy, etc. This roller coaster of feelings can cause grief to people around me because they are unsure what words will raise my self-esteem or lower it even further.
To you who found this post, is it easier or harder to write when you are emotional?
On the other hand, there are a number of reasons I want to write. The biggest motivator is that the fact that my emotions are so overwhelming that I simply cannot wait another moment and must release my thoughts. I both love and hate myself when I am emotional.
I love it because whenever I go back and read previous journal entries, the ones written during my most emotional times are usually the pieces that I can re-connect to the easiest. The words are used in an emphatic way that does not exist when I write in a neutral mood. Being in an emotional state also helps me switch between different writing pieces and I can be quite productive (in a personal sense). I can churn out a number of paragraphs during these times, which is a vast improvement to the 3 sentences I drag out of my brain whenever the emotions are neatly boxed in.
I hate being emotional because it leads to a lot more ups and downs in my life. Opening myself to new experiences leave me vulnerable to disappointment, sadness, extreme joy, etc. This roller coaster of feelings can cause grief to people around me because they are unsure what words will raise my self-esteem or lower it even further.
To you who found this post, is it easier or harder to write when you are emotional?
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Investing Experiment: 06/30/2016
My choices are doing very well lately. Ever since my ranking bounced up in the middle of June, it has been steadily climbing higher. When I learned that the UK had voted to leave the European Union, I was worried about how the market would be affected. However, since I have very basic knowledge about companies, there was little I could do besides reading random articles about what people predict will happen. I figured this was it, my stock picks are going to go down in value now.
In hindsight, I realize that I did not need to worry as much as I did because my portfolio focuses on companies in the United States so they won't be affected as quickly as stocks overseas. Granted, I still need to worry because businesses and other investors are adjusting themselves as policies and relationships change between countries. I expect my portfolio's value to fluctuate with each new piece of news. Until then, I will treasure the sight of having an account value of $10,423.45 and a rank of 181.
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 06/15/2016
Next update: 07/25/2016
In hindsight, I realize that I did not need to worry as much as I did because my portfolio focuses on companies in the United States so they won't be affected as quickly as stocks overseas. Granted, I still need to worry because businesses and other investors are adjusting themselves as policies and relationships change between countries. I expect my portfolio's value to fluctuate with each new piece of news. Until then, I will treasure the sight of having an account value of $10,423.45 and a rank of 181.
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 06/15/2016
Next update: 07/25/2016
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Investing Experiment: 06/15/2016
I have been very lucky this week. My ranking has remained high thanks to the market going up lately, so I am now at 293. I am enjoying each day of this, but will feel better when the market goes down because I feel like I haven't done much to actually increase the value of my portfolio.
On a more lighter note, I got another batch of dividend payments today: $12.47!! I am so close to earning back the money used on one of the commission fees. If the payouts are consistent with what happened this month, then it appears each month will pay off almost one commission fee. Therefore, it will take about 8-10 months before I get enough cash to recoup the losses caused by these commissions.
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 06/09/2016
Next update: 06/30/2016
On a more lighter note, I got another batch of dividend payments today: $12.47!! I am so close to earning back the money used on one of the commission fees. If the payouts are consistent with what happened this month, then it appears each month will pay off almost one commission fee. Therefore, it will take about 8-10 months before I get enough cash to recoup the losses caused by these commissions.
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 06/09/2016
Next update: 06/30/2016
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Investing Experiment: 06/09/2016
Woohoo! Yesterday was a lucky day! The stock market is up, which bumped up my portfolio value. As of closing yesterday, my total account value was $10,051.75. This pushed my ranking up to 320! Obviously this rank is going to dive like a bird once the market goes down again, but I'll enjoy every good outcome that I can get.
Another highlight is that dividends are coming in. After purchasing all my stocks, I had $1,467.63 in cash. As of yesterday, I now have $1,477.63. Ten dollars! It will take a long while before I recoup my losses from commission fees alone, but it is still exciting for a beginner like me to see the portfolio value rise.
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 05/24/2016
Next update: 06/15/2016
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Investing Experiment: 05/24/2016
I just remembered there was another stock I wanted to try out, Simon Property Group, Inc. (SPG). I live near a mall owned by this group and there are always a good number of people there whenever I stop by. During the last year's Christmas shopping, I had to go to multiple places to get gifts for everyone. Each shopping district was packed. Granted this was Christmas season, so obviously there would be many shoppers, but I happened to visit a few of them again and still saw numerous shoppers. This captured my interest, so I did a little online review and discovered that some of them belonged to the Simon Property Group. Seeing how well their stock has performed, lead to me adding this stock to my possible investment list.
Since I still had some left over cash in the Investopedia Stock Simulator, I thought, "Why not?" and decided to purchase a few shares.
So now I have $1,467.63 left in cash on this simulator. Since I follow the "Buy and Hold" strategy, it will take a while for the dividends to bring back what I lost in commission fees alone. I also discovered that this simulator does not have an automatic dividend reinvestment option. I find the DRIP option very useful in slowly growing my portfolio since I can get partial shares without incurring more fees. Considering that Investopedia has a quick post about DRIP, I had hoped they would include it in their simulator. Oh well. That just means I will have to wait longer before buying more stocks or I adjust my strategy to do more trades to offset all the commission charges.
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 05/18/2016
Next update: 06/09/2016
Since I still had some left over cash in the Investopedia Stock Simulator, I thought, "Why not?" and decided to purchase a few shares.
| Stock | # of Shares | Purchase Price |
| SPG | 5 | 196.57 |
So now I have $1,467.63 left in cash on this simulator. Since I follow the "Buy and Hold" strategy, it will take a while for the dividends to bring back what I lost in commission fees alone. I also discovered that this simulator does not have an automatic dividend reinvestment option. I find the DRIP option very useful in slowly growing my portfolio since I can get partial shares without incurring more fees. Considering that Investopedia has a quick post about DRIP, I had hoped they would include it in their simulator. Oh well. That just means I will have to wait longer before buying more stocks or I adjust my strategy to do more trades to offset all the commission charges.
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 05/18/2016
Next update: 06/09/2016
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Investing Experiment: 05/18/2016
My orders were fulfilled this morning with the following purchases:
The rankings were calculated this morning before the market opened, thus my ranking was based on my $10,000 starting point. So, yay! My rank is 611. Considering I lost $239.60 from commission fees, my rank is probably going to drop about 100-150 points depending on how well everyone else performs. I might get lucky and all my stocks rise in price, which will bring me back into the 600 range. However, I prefer to be pessimistic when it comes to money, so I'm going to presume that I will hang around the 700s ranks until dividends start to come in.
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 05/17/2016
Next update: 05/24/2016
| Stock | # of Shares | Purchase Price |
| MMM | 5 | 166.33 |
| PG | 11 | 79.84 |
| JNJ | 8 | 113.40 |
| DIV | 38 | 24.58 |
| O | 15 | 60.91 |
| EPR | 13 | 69.95 |
| LTC | 20 | 46.85 |
| STAG | 46 | 20.81 |
The rankings were calculated this morning before the market opened, thus my ranking was based on my $10,000 starting point. So, yay! My rank is 611. Considering I lost $239.60 from commission fees, my rank is probably going to drop about 100-150 points depending on how well everyone else performs. I might get lucky and all my stocks rise in price, which will bring me back into the 600 range. However, I prefer to be pessimistic when it comes to money, so I'm going to presume that I will hang around the 700s ranks until dividends start to come in.
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Previous update: 05/17/2016
Next update: 05/24/2016
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Investing Experiment: 05/17/2016
I joined the "Start with $10,000" game in Investopdia's Stock Simulator.
The market was already closed, so I put in the order for the stocks I wanted in my simulator portfolio. I pretended I only have $1,000 for each stock and orders the following number of shares:
There's an overall ranking system in this game. I applaud today's #1 person, who managed to earn $51,935.05 using just $10,000.
Since I placed 8 orders and the commission is $29.95 for each trade (expensive! I am so glad in real life my broker doesn't have this steep of a fee), then I just lost $239.60. Whelp, that will knock my ranking down right off the bat. Let's hope one or both of my strategies will eventually help recoup my losses.
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Next update: 05/18/2016
The market was already closed, so I put in the order for the stocks I wanted in my simulator portfolio. I pretended I only have $1,000 for each stock and orders the following number of shares:
| Stock | # of Shares |
| MMM | 5 |
| PG | 11 |
| JNJ | 8 |
| DIV | 38 |
| O | 15 |
| EPR | 13 |
| LTC | 20 |
| STAG | 46 |
There's an overall ranking system in this game. I applaud today's #1 person, who managed to earn $51,935.05 using just $10,000.
Since I placed 8 orders and the commission is $29.95 for each trade (expensive! I am so glad in real life my broker doesn't have this steep of a fee), then I just lost $239.60. Whelp, that will knock my ranking down right off the bat. Let's hope one or both of my strategies will eventually help recoup my losses.
Click here to see an overview of my investing experiment.
Next update: 05/18/2016
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Pencil vs Pen
Whenever I need to write something, I find it easier to put my words on paper first before typing on a computer. Somehow it is just easier for the words flow out in a way that makes sense. When I try to type from the beginning I tend to create separate paragraphs that are disjointed. The paragraphs don't flow together very well and I spend countless hours trying to create a sentence that will perfectly segue into the next piece.
I have to tried different approaches to writing, such as being in a certain mindset, different environment, write at a specific time of day. Over time, I found various advantages and disadvantages to writing with a pencil and pen. I find a similar pausing problem when I write with a pencil. The ability to erase my words means I am more likely to pause in my thoughts and try to fix that one word that doesn't quite match the meaning I am trying to convey. I noticed that I tend to pause less when I write with a pen. If there is a problem with the wording, I leave a little comment on the side to remind myself to review it later. I could go on and on about the different experiences I have with writing, but it would most likely end up like numerous other blog posts and articles about what is the best way to write and why. So personally, here is a list of the major pros and cons I have discovered through my attempts to write about anything.
Using a pencil:
Using a pen:
I have to tried different approaches to writing, such as being in a certain mindset, different environment, write at a specific time of day. Over time, I found various advantages and disadvantages to writing with a pencil and pen. I find a similar pausing problem when I write with a pencil. The ability to erase my words means I am more likely to pause in my thoughts and try to fix that one word that doesn't quite match the meaning I am trying to convey. I noticed that I tend to pause less when I write with a pen. If there is a problem with the wording, I leave a little comment on the side to remind myself to review it later. I could go on and on about the different experiences I have with writing, but it would most likely end up like numerous other blog posts and articles about what is the best way to write and why. So personally, here is a list of the major pros and cons I have discovered through my attempts to write about anything.
Using a pencil:
- Pro: A full page of words. Nothing is crossed out.
- Pro: All the sentences are in the correct order. I do not need to rearrange them.
- Con: Lots of eraser markings that I am never able to remove
- Con: Illegible due to
- Smears caused by the eraser
- Writing too lightly
- Writing with so much pressure that the angles are so sharp that I can't see if the letter is a 'h' or a 'L'
- Con: The side of my hand as pencil smudges
Using a pen:
- Pro: No eraser smears
- Pro: Words can be read easily because the lines are crisp
- Con: Illegible due to
- Lots of crossed out words
- Lots of arrows pointing to which sentences need to be rearranged
- Pro: No smudge on the side of my hand
- Pro: The page looks nicer when viewing from a distance.
Monday, March 28, 2016
Zootopia review: movie and music
I recently watched Zootopia. It was a fun, family movie that anyone can enjoy. I really loved that the movie addressed stereotypes using animals associated with certain behaviors. There were the obvious ones such as a thief portrayed as a weasel or sly businessmen as a fox. Then were the scenes that took the literal meaning of certain phrases, such as a wolf going undercover in a sheep suit (a wolf in sheep's clothing). The plot follows a typical series of steps, but the element of using animals made it fun to see how each animal's characteristics would come into play.
The animation in this movie was amazing. Whenever there was a closeup of one of the characters, I could see small details such as pieces of fur moving in the wind. The scene showing the different parts of Zootopia was one of the best parts of the movie. It was amazing and amusing how everything was built to accommodate all the different species - from the small hamsters to the tall giraffes. At the end of the scene, I thought that it would be very cool to live in a city like this.
The main song in the movie is "Try Everything," which is sung by Shakira. I do not listen to her songs, so I was unfamiliar with her voice. However, her voice was clear and strong making it easy to enjoy it with the happy beat provided by the music. The message is wonderful and stayed in my head long after the movie ad ended. Please skip over the next paragraph if you do not wish to read a rant.
This song can be a powerful tool to help motivate people to keep trying. I actually used this song to help cheer myself up, but had to skip over a small piece of it.The only problem I have with the song is the verse about coming last, but it is alright because we did our best. In my family, the older we become, the less forgiving people are when you don't do well. No one is asking for the top 10% every time, but ending up in the bottom 10% is possibly one of the worst things you can do. The reason is that everyone in the family does well when they do their best. If you somehow end up "last," then you were obviously not trying your hardest and you get no sympathy.
Overall, I loved Zootopia and will watch it again when it release on Blu-ray or DVD. To you who stumbled upon this post, do you think Zootopia was a good movie? How about the music?
The animation in this movie was amazing. Whenever there was a closeup of one of the characters, I could see small details such as pieces of fur moving in the wind. The scene showing the different parts of Zootopia was one of the best parts of the movie. It was amazing and amusing how everything was built to accommodate all the different species - from the small hamsters to the tall giraffes. At the end of the scene, I thought that it would be very cool to live in a city like this.
The main song in the movie is "Try Everything," which is sung by Shakira. I do not listen to her songs, so I was unfamiliar with her voice. However, her voice was clear and strong making it easy to enjoy it with the happy beat provided by the music. The message is wonderful and stayed in my head long after the movie ad ended. Please skip over the next paragraph if you do not wish to read a rant.
This song can be a powerful tool to help motivate people to keep trying. I actually used this song to help cheer myself up, but had to skip over a small piece of it.The only problem I have with the song is the verse about coming last, but it is alright because we did our best. In my family, the older we become, the less forgiving people are when you don't do well. No one is asking for the top 10% every time, but ending up in the bottom 10% is possibly one of the worst things you can do. The reason is that everyone in the family does well when they do their best. If you somehow end up "last," then you were obviously not trying your hardest and you get no sympathy.
Overall, I loved Zootopia and will watch it again when it release on Blu-ray or DVD. To you who stumbled upon this post, do you think Zootopia was a good movie? How about the music?
Friday, January 29, 2016
Sudoku and Kakuro puzzles
I learned about sudoku puzzles when I was in middle school and got addicted. For those who do not know what they are, please go to this link for an explanation. I would try to describe it myself, but these is a good chance you and I will both get confused. Therefore, please go to the previously mentioned link, where someone has already comprehensively explained this activity - including a step-by-step example.
When I first started working on sudokus, I found it was much easier than trying to solve a crossword puzzle since I rarely used the complex words that these games asked for. On the other hand, I loved math and it was quite fun solving a puzzle using arithmetic and logic to eliminate the possible choices for each box.
My algebra teacher, who taught the class about sudokus, would keep a pile of the puzzles on his desk for us to pick up whenever we had free time. I ended up taking a lot of those sheets and was solving them at every chance I had. He saw my interest and introduced me to kakuro puzzles. This game is similar to sudoku, but rather than me trying to explain the differences, here's another link.
At that time, I was solving sudokus within a decent amount of time and felt confident about this new challenge. 20 minutes later, I decided that the kakuro he handed me... it was hard. I was never able to complete it. Eventually, the puzzles was lost and I forgot about it. Life went on and my time was filled up with all sorts of things. A few months ago, my schedule changed and I got about 10-15 minutes of free time in the morning. Not willing to sit idly, I started to solve online sudoku puzzles. I quickly became stuck between the medium and hard levels. The medium levels were solved quickly, but the hard levels were so complicated, that I simply did not have enough time to work on them. Curious about what else I could do, I searched for similar puzzles and eventually found a site with kakuro puzzles. It took some time, but I actually managed to solve one!
I think the reason for failing so long ago was because kakuros resemble crossword puzzles, which I am not very fond of. Once I got over that displeasure, I started to focus on the problem and was able to eliminate certain numbers and figure out the correct combinations. It was frustrating because it took me a while to figure out the sum of various numbers and subtract from the given number to see how much I was missing. This issue is a result of using a calculator for so many years. Now, that I have worked through a good number of these puzzles, my addition and subtraction skills are actually a lot better.
I'm glad I found these puzzles again and will probably continue to solve them until something new catches my eye or my little bit of free time gets taken away.
To you who stumbled upon this post, have you ever tried a sudoku or kakuro puzzle? How was it?
When I first started working on sudokus, I found it was much easier than trying to solve a crossword puzzle since I rarely used the complex words that these games asked for. On the other hand, I loved math and it was quite fun solving a puzzle using arithmetic and logic to eliminate the possible choices for each box.
My algebra teacher, who taught the class about sudokus, would keep a pile of the puzzles on his desk for us to pick up whenever we had free time. I ended up taking a lot of those sheets and was solving them at every chance I had. He saw my interest and introduced me to kakuro puzzles. This game is similar to sudoku, but rather than me trying to explain the differences, here's another link.
At that time, I was solving sudokus within a decent amount of time and felt confident about this new challenge. 20 minutes later, I decided that the kakuro he handed me... it was hard. I was never able to complete it. Eventually, the puzzles was lost and I forgot about it. Life went on and my time was filled up with all sorts of things. A few months ago, my schedule changed and I got about 10-15 minutes of free time in the morning. Not willing to sit idly, I started to solve online sudoku puzzles. I quickly became stuck between the medium and hard levels. The medium levels were solved quickly, but the hard levels were so complicated, that I simply did not have enough time to work on them. Curious about what else I could do, I searched for similar puzzles and eventually found a site with kakuro puzzles. It took some time, but I actually managed to solve one!
I think the reason for failing so long ago was because kakuros resemble crossword puzzles, which I am not very fond of. Once I got over that displeasure, I started to focus on the problem and was able to eliminate certain numbers and figure out the correct combinations. It was frustrating because it took me a while to figure out the sum of various numbers and subtract from the given number to see how much I was missing. This issue is a result of using a calculator for so many years. Now, that I have worked through a good number of these puzzles, my addition and subtraction skills are actually a lot better.
I'm glad I found these puzzles again and will probably continue to solve them until something new catches my eye or my little bit of free time gets taken away.
To you who stumbled upon this post, have you ever tried a sudoku or kakuro puzzle? How was it?
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Valerie's Voice Actor
I recently finished watching the Danny Phantom series. When it was running on Nickeloden, I only saw a few episodes since I didn't have cable so I had to watch it at someone else's home. A little bit of researching revealed that Danny Phantom lasted only two seasons (what?!), so I figured I should be able to find all the episodes somewhere. Its a pity there are only two seasons. I thought it was rather good, but there were a few things...
Q-Link Personal Review
I work with computers a lot and enjoy the stuff that I do. The problem is that my immunity and stamina are not what you would call optimal. There were times when I would feel slightly sick after sitting in front of a computer all day. One day, I came home from working in a computer lab and my mother was shocked when my face had a green shade to it. She immediately got me a Q-Link pendant to strengthen my body against all the radiation that I am exposed to.
Q-Link products act as a booster to a person's biofield. They contain a certain frequency that resonates with the body's electronic field. According to the brochure I got with the pendant, the Q-Link is meant to help the blood cells stay organized and regular shaped.
Ever since I started wearing my Q-Link, I have not had any comments about looking sickly after being surrounded by electronics. While this seemed like the Q-Link was working, I was a bit skeptical and thought it might just be a placebo effect. There is this drop arm test that people can use to figure out if their body is negatively affected by the item they are holding. When using the Q-Link, I get varied results.
Nowadays, I am a bit more confident that the Q-Link does work as the company claims. The reason being that my family chiropractor started to tell me to take off my Q-Link before treatment. He uses a variation the of drop arm test to determine which areas of the body need treatment. He said that while he can still work on my body, there is a chance the Q-Link might block some of my problems and he may miss those areas.
Q-Link products act as a booster to a person's biofield. They contain a certain frequency that resonates with the body's electronic field. According to the brochure I got with the pendant, the Q-Link is meant to help the blood cells stay organized and regular shaped.
Ever since I started wearing my Q-Link, I have not had any comments about looking sickly after being surrounded by electronics. While this seemed like the Q-Link was working, I was a bit skeptical and thought it might just be a placebo effect. There is this drop arm test that people can use to figure out if their body is negatively affected by the item they are holding. When using the Q-Link, I get varied results.
Nowadays, I am a bit more confident that the Q-Link does work as the company claims. The reason being that my family chiropractor started to tell me to take off my Q-Link before treatment. He uses a variation the of drop arm test to determine which areas of the body need treatment. He said that while he can still work on my body, there is a chance the Q-Link might block some of my problems and he may miss those areas.
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