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:

1. Pro: A full page of words. Nothing is crossed out.
2. Pro: All the sentences are in the correct order. I do not need to rearrange them.
3. Con: Lots of eraser markings that I am never able to remove
4. Con: Illegible due to
1. Smears caused by the eraser
2. Writing too lightly
3. 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'
5. Con: The side of my hand as pencil smudges

Using a pen:

1. Pro: No eraser smears
2. Pro: Words can be read easily because the lines are crisp
3. Con: Illegible due to
1. Lots of crossed out words
2. Lots of arrows pointing to which sentences need to be rearranged
4. Pro: No smudge on the side of my hand
5. Pro: The page looks nicer when viewing from a distance.

To you, who discovered this piece, do you have similar experiences when writing?

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?

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?

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.

In the Morning

In an effort to gain a more positive mindset, I have been altering my morning routine to put myself in a calm state of mind. So far, here are some little things that I have found to be effective.

Reasons

Well, I am really disappointed in myself. I started this blog planning to write a little bit each day and post at least one thing each week. There are so many things that stopped me. Here is a list of my main reasons for so little writing and posting.