Tablets vs. Textbooks

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April Fools Guide

April Fools Day is coming up in a couple of weeks.  Some of us will be planning some pranks to pull on friends or family, while others will be looking out for pranks pulled by friends or family. Either way, I found some ideas of April pranks online that could be easily performed, and compiled a list:

• The Impossible Coin

If you're wanting to pull a classic trick to fool more than one person, try the public prank of gluing a coin to the ground. This trick will last for quite a while and get many reactions since the coin is stuck to the ground and doesn't require you to reset the prank over and over again!

• The Fake Spider

For this trick, you probably won't be able to see the person's reaction. All you have to do is make sure that the toilet paper roll is facing the direction where the loose end is hanging over the roll. Then, draw a fake spider on a sheet about 2 before the first available sheet. Make sure that no one can see your drawing until they pull on the toilet paper. If you really want to see a reaction, just ask someone to get you some toilet paper and watch them as they unravel to see the fake spider!

• The Wrong Time

While your victim is sleeping, change the time on their clock or phone 1 or 2 hours ahead (this will work better if that person needed to wake up at a certain time). Then, suddenly wake the person up telling them that they're 1 or 2 hours late! Not only will he or she be frantically rushing, but you will also get a good laugh just watching them run around trying to get ready as quickly as possible!

• The Spray

This prank is simple, but it can also be easily unsuccessful. For this trick, just tie a rubber band on the kitchen sink sprayer and point it in the direction of where a person would stand to use the sink. Once they turn on the faucet, water would spray directly at them. However, this trick may not work if your target notices the rubber band since the band usually doesn't match the sink appliance.

• The Surprise

I don't know if you would consider this a prank, but it would still get you a reaction. For this trick, cut out small pieces of paper or use paper hole-punched circles to place on the blades of a ceiling fan. Make sure that the fan will turn on when someone switches the light switch on! Also be sure to pull this prank later on in the day when a person would need to turn on the light so that the fan will also start spinning! When the fan starts spinning, the paper will fly off and sprinkle to the floor, just like confetti! This trick will either be seen as pleasantly surprising or straight-up annoying since someone will end up having to pick up each piece of paper or each paper circle!

So if you do plan on trying out any of these ideas or just plan on trying other pranks, I hope you get a priceless reaction out of it! And if you are on the other end and end up getting pranked on April Fools Day, get a laugh out of it. Spend a few seconds to smile and laugh it off and move on with your day. But be aware of other pranks! (If you try any tricks, keep in mind of the possible violent or negative reactions you might get! Be cautious and get a sense of what kind of person your pranking victim is!)

Asian Trends

A few months ago, I watched a video about trends in Asia and a few days ago, I saw the same video in the "related videos" section. I then realized that I needed to write another blog post for February, so now I'm using the video as inspiration for this post.

We all know that every country in the world had their own trend making its ways from person to person. In Asia, some of these fads can be seen as quite unusual.

In Japan, yaeba teeth, directly translated to "double tooth", is achieved when the upper canine teeth are sticking out in front of the other teeth. This look is said to be youthful and cute. Another trend that has been acknowledged here in America is the "bagel head" which is a saline injection into the forehead. Another thing people in Japan have been doing is the dekotora. It's basically a decorated truck with abundant accessories, lights and flashy objects like chandeliers. It's similar to people in the 

USA personalizing their cars, but more bold. 

In China, many people have been grooming their dogs to look like other animals. A few examples are "panda dogs" and "tiger dogs". Even though these styles look pretty cool, it's understandable that it can't be healthy, considering all the dyes and other materials used to achieve the look.

The "eye smile" is popular in South Korea. It is essentially small eye bags medically achieved for a more younger, and cuter look. It is more commonly referred to as an "eye puff" to also help make one's eyes apper bigger.

Some people in China, Thailand and Indonesia have been into getting fake braces. Compared to people here who dread getting them, braces are a symbol of wealth and status in those Asian countries since only people who have the money are able to get them. 

A trend found in Asia, generally, is wearing surgical masks - as fashion. It first started off as a protector against bacteria in densely-populated areas, but over the years, the medical "accessories" have been worn just for the look. Some companies have made masks with styles ranging from fashionable designs to cute animal faces. Another desired look in Asia is one that is opposite of what you would normally find in our country. Many people in the Eastern hemisphere of the world are trying to be as pale-skinned as possible. In order to achieve the look by avoiding as much sun as possible, someone invented the face-kini. This invention is actually a swimsuit that covers the entire face except for the eyes, nostrils and mouth. It isn't the most beautiful look, but it does what it's supposed to do, at least it looks like it does.

I think it's safe to say that there are a lot of different fads trending around the world today. Every country has their own fashion statements that are making their way through the population. With all of the different styles, we can see that the diversity in trends in the different countries of the world can be affected by factors like culture or just by the increasing approval and popularity amongst society.

❤️Valentine's Day: Facts and Superstitions

Valentine's Day is only 2 days away. Whether you'll be celebrating your love with a significant other or just spending the day relaxing, I thought it would be interesting to share facts, statistics, and superstitions about February 14th.

Facts:
- Valentine's Day is the second largest card-exchanging season of the year.
- Instead of celebrating Valentine's Day, people can celebrate Singles Awareness Day (SAD)
- In Medieval times, people who couldn't write their names would sign with a "X" and kissed it to show sincerity. That's where the symbolism of a X and kisses came from.
- In the Middle Ages, men and women would draw out their Valentine's name from a bowl and pinned their name to their sleeve for one week for everyone to see. This is where the phrase "to wear your heart on your sleeve" came from.

- Physicians of the 1800s would recommend their patients to eat chocolate to distract them from lost love.
- 73% of all flower-buyers on Valentine's Day are men.
- 27% of all flower-buyers on Valentine's Day are women.
- 15% of all US women send themselves flowers on 2/14
- Teachers receive the most Valentine's, followed by children, moms, wives, sweethearts, and pets.

Superstitions:
- If you cut an apple in half on Valentine's Day, the number of seeds the fruit has indicates the number of kids you will have.
- On Valentine's Day, the first name you hear or read will be the name of the person you will marry.
- If you see certain animals in February 14th, they can reveal what kind of person you will marry or how your marriage will turn out:
          -squirrel: cheapskate partner
          -goldfinch: millionaire
          - robin: crime fighter
          - flock of doves: happy and peaceful marriage

I hope you discovered some interesting facts or superstitions that you might have never heard of. There's a lot of information to this holiday that isn't always addressed.
How ever you are spending your Valentine's Day this year, make sure to remember that you don't necessarily need a significant other to be happy. What truly gives a person happiness is accepting one's self. It is important to care about yourself enough to know that being in a relationship doesn't decide if you are more or less happy than someone opposite of you.


For more facts or superstitions, check out these websites here and here.
Happy Valentine's Day
Happy Singles Awareness Day

XLIX

This year, February 1st is the day many people will be gathered around the TV either rooting for the Seattle Seahawks, the New England Patriots, the commercials, or Katy Perry. It's the game so many people have been waiting for to see who will be able to claim the football trophy this season. In the end, one team will come out victorious. Some people will be celebrating, others will be dropping their heads in disappointment. Of course, there are always possibilities of fights breaking out between fans of the football teams, leading to many injuries.

How far are people willing to go to show their team spirit or to celebrate their win? Especially with having to watch all the games to get to the Super Bowl, the loss of one's team can be a touchy subject. To add on, having a person next to you who is jumping up and down because of their victory could get annoying and sickening. With alcohol as a factor, people could get pretty irritated. As a result, viewers think that the quickest and most direct way to confront and deal with the problem is by verbal actions which lead to physical violence.

Are people on the loosing side of the game overreacting about their team's loss? Or is their defeat really that big of a deal? It is understandable that winning the big football game is something to be very proud of, but it seems a bit embarrassing to be the person who breaks out into a fight about it. It almost seems like a situation kids have. I mean, it is only a game.

This year, since both teams have already won the Super Bowl before, the hardships of loosing shouldn't be as bad than if their team had made it to the final game once only to loose. At least their favorite actually made it to the Super Bowl. Try to keep in mind that there are some teams that have never even participated in the final round.

Hopefully in the end, both teams have played a fair and entertaining game for every viewer. Some of us will be happier than others, but the Super Bowl should be a good experience for everyone. So whether you'll be checking into the game for the commercials, waiting for the halftime show, or rooting on the teams throughout the entire game, remember that this is the last game for the season so make it a good one for you and others around you. As of right now, we can't say who will be the winning football team for Super Bowl XLIX. We're just going to have to wait and see.

Super Bowl XLIX

Our Confused Brain

Tongue twisters. We've all tried them. We've all laughed at each other for trying to repeat one successfully five times fast. But why is it sometimes so hard to say?

There have been research conducted to unravel the mystery our brains hold behind our tongues getting "twisted." Apparently, instead of our friends' failed attempts, what we're really laughing at is our own brain's confusion. 

According to "Dailymail" and "Nature", our brain exercises quick control to coordinate our lips, jaw, tongue and larynx for speech. When we try to pronounce these words, the brain sends messages to these muscles that are fairly close to each other. As a result, these signals overlap and cause us to stutter.

Another way to explain this is by muscle movement. According to "Nature", data has revealed that consonants have three categories, "...front-of-the-tongue sounds (such as 'sa'), back-of-the-tongue sounds ('ga') and lip sounds ('ma')." Vowels have two groups, "...those that require rounded lips or not ('oo' versus 'aa')." In this case, articulation gets confusing because "representations in the brain generally overlap."

Studies of our brain and muscles getting "confused" help explain the phenomena inside of us. It's not often that we stop and think about why our bodies react to certain things in a certain way. The reasoning could be quite complex, while in other situations, they're pretty interesting. Together, all the research can help us understand the human race a little better. 

My Favorite "Meal" of the Day

A while ago, my mom used to tell my sisters and I to try not to eat after 8 PM, excluding the nights of late dinners. However, she gave up when we kept "accidentally" forgetting and continued eating dessert at night. As you might be able to tell, one of my favorite meals of the day is dessert. Although some people may not think of it as an actual "meal," for me, my regular night includes some delicious food, or treat, after dinner. Unfortunately, it is known to be one of, if not the most, unhealthy meal of the day. But is the dessert itself the most health-endangering? Or is it when the indulging occurs?

In my opinion, whether the actual food is the worst part, depends on many factors. The first thing is what the food actually is. Some people might have some fruit after dinner, or some people might have some ice cream. Having the fruit would mean that their dessert isn't unhealthy and probably beneficial for their health, right? So people can't just accuse others of not eating well if they don't know exactly what they're having. Secondly, the choice of delectable could be deemed "unhealthy" or "healthy" depending on a person's level of physical activity and body type. If he/she is an active person, maybe eating a cookie wouldn't be as bad as someone who sits around on the couch all day. A person's metabolism can also determine how a person's body would use up the energy from the food and store fat or not.

One of the reasons why late-night eating isn't good is that the energy our bodies take in wouldn't be used since it was during the time of little physical activity. So with extra calories that our bodies don't burn off, more fat starts to store. As I've heard before, this is one of the main arguments of health professionals of how eating dessert is harmful for ourselves.

At the end of the day (literally), whether you choose to treat yourself to something delicious or not, is the actions of you doing what you want for yourself. If you want that brownie, go for it. If you decide to wait until the next day, fine. I'm not here to tell you what to do with your eating habits. In the end, it really ends up being yourself doing what would make you happy.

http://www.altorestaurant.com/dessert.html
http://kimberlysnyder.net/blog/2011/06/30/diet-myths-they-dont-want-you-to-know-part-2/