FLAPPY GARBAGE

Twitter was buzzing about flappy bird yesterday. It seemed like every other tweet was somehow related to the bird. I saw countless memes, angry messages, and high scores posted throughout the day.

  

I finally decided to give it a try. It reminded me of the helicopter game I used to play on the computer back in the day. So, I decided to give it a try. I did not like it! First of all, why is a bird in Mario Land? If anything it should be Yoshi trying to squeeze through those tunnel gaps. Next, why are the birds different colors if each of them does the same thing? Instead of coloring the bird in, focus on making the game look like it was made in the 21st century. Also, I hate those low tunnels! My thumb always covers them up when I'm tapping the screen and I can never tell how low they are. I totally understand the angry tweets now. C'mon 3/10 times my bird does not hit the stupid tunnel. Why are you trynna cheat me Flappy Bird?! Why?!! Lastly, apparently the goal of the game is to make it across all the tunnels. Is that really even possible though? I don't think so.

I deleted the game off my phone! It was probably the best decision I made all day. Mainly because I suck at it. Also because if I kept on playing it, my phone would probably cease to exist due to me throwing it against a wall. If you're still trying to beat the game, (if you actually can) more power to you.

CURLY HAIR CURSE

I hate my curly hair. It's always frizzy, tangled, and has a mind of it's own. Growing up, I was the girl with the fro, then the fro began to look like a chia pet and it eventually transformed into a poodle. Every attempt to tame the curls always ended up backfiring. So I just gave up. That is when me and my hair straightener became best friends. Yes, this solved my problem but it created a new problem. Since I was straightening my hair almost every day, it got tremendously damaged! My split-ends had split-ends. It was terrible. This again forced me find a way to deal with the curls. I tried a plethora of gels, mousses, and sprays. It was an okay fix. My hair was no longer frizzy but it was making my hair firm and crunchy. I didn't want that either, so I just kept wearing it up. My bun game got intense. But don't worry ladies I have finally figured out the secret to combat the curly hair curse.

• It starts in the shower. Get the right shampoo. Most commercial shampoo's have chemicals that will weigh down your curls. Go for the organic shampoo! Natural ingredients are always the way to go. They provide excellent nutrients for your hair.
• Condition. Condition. Condition. Curly hair responds very well to conditioner. Of course wash your hair, but it isn't necessary to shampoo your hair every time you step into the shower. Conditioning on the other hand is a must!
• Take a hairbrush into the shower. If you have curly hair you know that once you brush it, it looks completely different. But you have to brush it because curly hair can turn into dreadlocks in no time. To solve this problem, brush your hair while you are in the shower. That way you can detangle it, and your curl will retain its spiral shape.
• Air dry is key. I NEVER use a hair dryer. It make my curls extremely frizzy! Just wrap you hair in a towel and let it air dry. It does take longer, but trust me it's worth it.
• Buy a good leave in conditioner. It's a must have item for curly hair. It will combat the fizziness, define your curls, and leave you with the natural look.

I hope the tips work. Good luck!

CHIBERIA

Chicago has been uncharacteristically cold this winter. Schools and businesses have been closing, not because of the snow, but because of the temperature. Something that I've never heard of happening in this city. Yes we are known as the Windy City, but the wind has never been this bad to us. In fact, with wind chill we've hit temperatures as low as - 40F. Which is the coldest temperature in the history of Illinois (or at least since I've been alive). Chicago was reportedly even colder than Antarctica. And it's not like the temperature dips and then picks back up gradually, I wish. It gets cold and stays cold. Around Chicago, we have seen about 60 hours of sub-zero temperatures. Not once, but twice this month we've entered into this polar vortex. At one point, a couple weeks ago, the governor of Illinois even issued a statewide disaster declaration. This apparently activated the state's emergency operations plan and the Illinois National Guard.

Okay so why is Chicago being particularly miserable this season? It's because the climate change has made the polar vortex drunk. Yes, I said drunk. The vortex that usually spins in a circle around the North Pole is no longer a circle, but a bit tipsy. This mishap is forcing extreme cold weather that is usually present near the poles to spread into regions across North America. A Huffington Post article mentioned that because of these "extreme temperature inversions- on Monday, Memphis was 20 degrees colder than Anchorage, Ala.; Atlanta was colder than Moscow, Russia; and Nashville was colder than Albany, New York. On Tuesday, Marianna, Fla. was two degrees colder than Anchorage. Yet in the week leading up to vortex, there was a 115-degree difference between Florida and Minnesota."

GLOBAL WARMING IS REAL!


**In all seriousness though. I've been complaining about the bitter cold temperatures from under the covers of my warm bed in a house filled with heat. There are hundreds of Chicagoans that cannot even dream of this privilege. If you see any of the homeless or know of anyone in need of a warm place to stay or a well-being check for an elderly relative who may be in need - city officials ask that you call 311.

YUMMY WEEKEND

This weekend was all  about food!!! I swear I spend all of my money on food, but at least it's money well spent! I stuck Schaumburg this weekend, if you live in the Chicagoland area, I would definitely recommended all of these places.

Friday: Sushi Ya in Schaumburg

Restaurant: B+

Staff: A+

Food: A

This is my second time coming to this restaurant, and I can't wait till I go back again. This Japanese restaurant is a bit small, so we got stuck by a table near the door and felt the cool air every time the door opened. However, don't let this stop you from going to the restaurant. The sushi is beyond delicious. Although, they have a vast array of food options to order from, I have only ordered the sushi. And it has never let me down. Best sushi I've had in the suburbs by far! :) The Fire Crunch Sushi is a must try (far right). I also got the Tiger Sushi (middle) and for an appetizer- along with the miso soup and edamame they give with every meal - I ordered a Spider Spider (far left). On top of that, the staff is very helpful and kind. They help you decide on what to order and their recommendations are great!

Saturday: Udupi Palace in Schaumburg

Restaurant: A

Staff: B-

Food: B+

This is a restaurant with South Indian cuisine. I went for dosa's. I don't really like potatoes, so it was kind of difficult to find a meal option without any. However, I was able to find one dosa without potatoes! :) Usually that doesn't happen. The Cheese Dosa (right) was great, but I wish they had different dipping sauces to along with it instead of the regular coconut and sambar dips. I also had the Udupi Chaat (left) which also doesn't have potatoes for an appetizer. It was the perfect mix of sweet and spicy! I would definitely order that again. Both of these items had very generous portions. The staff was a little overbearing. They were just standing a couple inches from our table, from the moment we walked in until we ordered. It kind of rushed us to make the order. Even after we ordered, it seemed like someone was popping in every 5 minutes or so to make sure "everything was okay" or we had enough water. I found it a bit annoying. On the other hand, the restaurant is quite spacious, so we were able to have a seat at a table far away from the door!

 

Sunday: My Sweet Kake in Schaumbrg

Restaurant: A-

Staff: B-

Food: B+





This cute little shop is family owned, and their cupcakes are all advertised with pictures of their kids eating cupcakes. They were adorable. The restaurant itself is spacious and very colorful. However there was only one worker at the store, so service was a bit slow. The cupcakes are ready to order, but the drinks took her some time to make. The cupcakes speak for themselves! I got the Red Velvet Cupcake. Not only do they look mouth watering, but they taste equally as good. I also ordered a Mango Peach Smoothie. I was a little hesitant because I thought the cupcake taste would ruin the smoothie taste. I was wrong. The smoothie was very fruity! I could definitely taste the mango and the peach. It was a little icey, but it hit the spot!
 

 

 

 



LACK OF ROLE MODELS

Who is your role model?

When people ask me this, a bunch of names fall out of my mouth. Prophet Mohammed (obvious reasons), Obama (only a little bit), Michael Jordan (never gives up), Rob Dyrdek (does whatever he wants), Mohammed Ali (legend), Bill Gates (donates a lot of $) so on and so forth.

But then I got to thinking. Those are all men. What women do I look up to? This was harder to think of. A couple names eventually crossed my mind. Prophet's wives, yes definitely. Mother Theresa, sure. But those women have all passed. What about women who are still alive, the 21st century women. After lots of pondering the only name I could come up with was Donna from Suits, but even then she's a fictional TV character.

It seems like the only women being talked about these days are entertainers. Women who are entering rehab, getting talked about for what they wore (or lack there of) or who they are sleeping with. What about the women who look out for the good of the nation? People who give everything they have to help those in need. The Eleanor Roosevelt’s of this world. Why aren't they being talked about in the media?

IF LOOKS COULD KILL

I was watching a video of a tarantula the other day, and couldn't understand why people would want to go near such a scary looking creature. I was then informed that tarantula's may look dangerous, they are actually not very harmful to humans. I for sure thought that was a lie, so I looked it up and sure enough - it's true. I also found some other interesting animals that I thought would be harmful, but are actually the opposite.

Sharks- obviously not all sharks are harmless, as seen on Shark Week, but some have no interest inBasking shark. "Seeing this shark's wide-open mouth bearing down on you might seem like a diving nightmare — until you realize it's just a basking shark. Unlike their carnivorous brethren, basking sharks are filter feeders. They prefer the taste of zooplankton and couldn't chomp down on you if they wanted to. A diver lucky enough to encounter one of these elegant beasts may entice its playful curiosity; they are known to be tolerant of nearby boats and people."
humans. One example of this is a

Bats - we've all heard the horrors of what happens when a bat bites you. You turn into a vampire. lol. Vampire bats "suck blood, have ghoulish faces, live in dark caves and hollow trees, only come out at night ... and never transform into mysterious, seductive, well-dressed strangers with Transylvanian accents. But if you can look past all that, vampire bats have a certain charm. Their diet is mostly blood, but they typically prefer to feed on cattle, goats or even birds. Human bites are rare — and entirely harmless. You'll hardly feel a thing."Okay I know that's not true, but I did think that vampire bat bites were deadly. Turns out I was wrong.

 Spiders - they give me the creeps. However, it turns out that most of the big and hairy ones aren't very dangerous. For example, the Goliath Birdeater - This gigantic, hairy spider is a tarantula native to the rain forests of South America. It is one of the largest species of spider in the world. It earned its name when it was first discovered devouring a hummingbird, though this spider prefers to dine on insects. Despite the goliath birdeater's appearance, the size of its fangs and its reputation, this spider is entirely harmless and passive toward humans — as are the vast majority of tarantulas around the world. The spiders do have venom, but their bite would hardly compare to the sting of a wasp. In fact, spider enthusiasts around the world keep these creepy-crawlies as pets."

 

Bugs - crawly things are not my favorite. Bugs look scary enough on their own, so why add a million legs to one. The Giant African Millipede, although it looks monstrous, is completely human friendly. "It's hard to imagine anyone cuddling up to this nocturnal monster, one of the largest millipedes in the world. In fact, the giant African millipede is kept as a family pet in many parts of the world. These millipedes can grow to as long as 15 inches, can be nearly 4 inches thick and have 253 legs. (For people who love them, these characteristics are described as "cute".) These millipedes can live as long as 10 years, and despite their goosebump-inducing appearance, they are harmless."

 

Snakes - they slither, are scaley, and have those beady eyes. However not all snakes are dangerous. Python Regius, "also known as ball python or a royal python is a non-venomous snake found in Africa. A fully grown species can be up to 5-6 feet long and this is why it may look dangerous but they are so harmless that there is a common trend of keeping them as pets."

 

I still wouldn't go near any of these animals and would never keeps these things as pets, but it's good to know that if I accidently come across one I might still be safe.

TEAM BIEBER

Yesterday's breaking news seemed to be all about Justin Bieber and how he got arrested. That too, only a week after JB's neighbors pressed charges against him for apparently egging their house. I haven't read up on the egg incident, but I've heard the neighbors are seeking $20,000 dollars in damages. Whaaaat? How can an egg possibly do that much damage? Regardless, if that is the case, Justin please come egg my house, that's a whole years worth of college I can pay off! Anyways, back to his arrest. Justin Bieber was charged with a DUI, resisting arrest and driving without a valid license after police saw him street racing. Yes, what he did may have been wrong, but it's being blown way out of proportion.

Let's look at each of these offenses separately.

1. Expired License. This one is actually completely understandable. Go ahead and give him a ticket for this one. Come on Justin, don't you have people for this? Just send one of them to a DMV and get it renewed.

2. Resisting arrest. From the police report, it doesn't seem like he was resisting the arrest. "Bieber was defiant from the get-go, yelling at the cops, 'Why the f**k are you doing this?'  He also yelled, 'What the f**k did I do.  Why did you stop me?'" To me, this just sounds like he was asking why he was being arrested. Which he has the right to know. Yes, he was using profanity while asking, but last time I checked - swearing at a cop was perfectly legal. Bieber got out of his car and even admitted to drinking and smoking before he got into the car. Seems pretty compliant to me.

3. Street Racing. He was in a Lamborghini. C'mon who goes the speed limit when driving a Lambo? Also, I don't even think you can call that racing, he was barely going 55mph.You can drive faster than that on highways, or all those cars "street racing" as well?

4. DUI. I completely agree that no one who is drunk should drive. That being said, was Justin drunk? His blood alcohol level was .04. If he was 2 years older that reading would have been okay, as .08 is the limit for those 21 years and over. Also, JB is Canadian. The legal age to drink there is 19. So he has experience drinking. He knows how much his body can handle before he becomes drunk and unfit to drive. Furthermore, it was reported that the musician's entourage had used their cars (big SUVs) to block traffic. So the only person he could have hurt while driving "drunk" would have been himself.

I don't support underage drinking. I just think this "news" story was blown way out of proportion. So, keep smiling Justin.