TikiPrincess

So I've returned from my trip to the Philippines, which was awesome and more to be posted later, when my husband and I realized that we really need a waterproof camera. For one thing, we missed out on some memorable snorkeling pictures in the crystal clear waters of Boracay. For another, my camera had a bit of water inside it from the humidity and wouldn't work properly about halfway through the trip. I'm waiting for my mom and my brother to get back so I can flip through all of their photos.Anyways, I've done a bit of research and decided that I don't want to have a waterproof housing for my camera, like with the Fuji and others where you have to attach some plastic monstrosity around it. The camera becomes too bulky and awkward. So I've narrowed it down to the Pentax and the Olympus all-weather models. I'm leaning towards the Pentax because the Olympus uses a non-standard memory card, which could get expensive and inconvenient. Neither of them have an extending lens, so I'm assuming the zoom is digital, meaning that I'll be sacrificing image quality. I'm okay with that since I'm not doing professional photography, just quick point-and-shoot memories. What I don't want are blurry pictures, especially if I'm using the camera in standard light and not underwater.If anyone has any experience with these brands or particular models, I would really appreciate your input. I've been switching between the Sony Cyber-shot and the Cannon PowerShot for the past few years, although I did have an Olympus SLR while I was taking photography in high school. But digital cameras are really different than traditional cameras, so I can't really base my experience off it.

There is no 100% sure-fire method to prevent pregnancy when you decide to have sex. But I don't think that's the kind of advice she's looking for. Anytime you try a new prescription, especially one that affects your hormones, you need to give it about 6 months for your body to level out and adjust. If this is your first time taking birth control, then your body will definitely need some time to regain balance. Most likely, you'll experience all of the symptoms of PMS for the first month or two before you start to feel normal again. My doctor tells me to try out new medications for at least 3 months before switching to something else. Talk to your doctor about your reaction to the medication. You might be an ideal candidate for a low hormone dose, which might be less of a shock to your system. And remember, DON'T SMOKE WHEN YOU'RE ON THE PILL.

Considering the original poster took it verbatim from the cover of the novel, I'm pretty sure that he's talking about Angels & Demons, which is, in fact, the predecessor to The Da Vinci Code. Angels & Demons introduces us to Langdon and takes place before his episode in Paris. I think many people are confused about the chronology of his work because Da Vinci Code rose to popularity first, but it is the second in the series.Dan Brown has hit upon a formula, and you have to applaud the guy for being in tune with the demands and needs of today's casual readers. He writes very short chapters because people have developed limited attention spans. Whereas commercials less than 30 years ago lasted for a minute, today's commercials last for 15-30 seconds and people are inundated with images rather than text. Brown realizes this and writes accordingly. He begins his novels with a list of so-called 'facts', although in interviews, he admits that he only reads one source to verify his information. Many of his 'facts' are easily disproven by a number of sources. While his books are an easy read and entertaining, I wouldn't put much stock in the information he gives. And yes, they're as formulaic as a romance novel, but he's appealing to a very similar audience. Casual readers aren't going to pick up The Canterbury Tales on a whim, despite the fact that they're as bawdy and coarse as a Jackass episode.

I dream in both, although I have a tendency to dream in black and white when I've got a fever. I remember dreaming that I was sleeping and then the picture started spinning like a Twilight Zone episode. I was screaming at myself to wake up, and when I finally did, I had a temperature of 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Weird huh?

Thanks for all the supportive comments. Only a few days left, and I'm still not packed! I'm bringing along a sudoku book, my Nintendo DS, and I'll pick up a new book to read tomorrow for the 16 hour plane ride (having already devoured Phillip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy). Luckily, I'm short enough that the seats aren't uncomfortable for me. I'm also putting my Learn Tagalog CDs on my MP3 player, although I'd much rather have music. I wish I could just stick a bunch of songs on my little flash drive and stick it into my MP3 player, but mine is rather outdated and I don't think technology has advanced quite that far yet. See ya when I get back!

Eight more days until I leave for the Philippines! I'm kinda nervous and excited all at the same time. It's my first time over there and I'm going to be meeting a bunch of family members that I've never seen before. A bunch meaning over 100. That's the thing about Filipino families, we're so huge we're like our own tribe or clan. Most of my mom's side is still in the Philippines, so that's who we're visiting. She's one of 15 children, and only five of them made their way to the United States. We're having a huge family reunion with most of her brothers and sisters and a bunch of their cousins from her mom's side. I'm a little nervous because... well, for lots of reasons. I look like the typical Filipino, and lots of Filipinos come up to me speaking Tagalog and expecting me to answer back. I was born and raised in Southern California and was never taught and never bothered to learn Tagalog. But when I explain that, people always make me feel ashamed and say I should try to learn it. I guess that it's part of my cultural heritage, but I consider myself an American not a Filipino. At least culturally. I did try joining a Filipino dance troop to try and connect with my heritage, but I felt so out of place and uncomfortable among them, even more so than the half-white, half-Filipino girl that joined. Maybe it's just because they were such a tight knit group already. Or maybe it's just me projecting onto other people. Either way, I didn't connect with my culture that way. And I guess I'm a little nervous that it'll be the same situation when I go to the Philippines.Another reason why I'm a little jittery is because I'm going to be forced to spend 2 weeks with my entire family, and I likely won't have very much time to myself. I'm can be a very social person, but there are certain members of my extended family that tend to irritate and annoy me. I can hardly stand to be around them for more than a few hours, let alone a day. Now I'll have to spend 2 weeks with them! Thankfully I'll have my husband there to keep me in line and prevent me from saying things that maybe should be said but could be said a little more tactfully. He's definitely the better half when it comes to decorum and civility. Also, one of my cousins over there stayed at my parents' house last summer and I got to know her pretty well, so she promised to show me around since I took her sightseeing around here. Maybe she'll give me a few opportunities to escape from all of the mayhem and madness, even if it's only for an hour or two. I think I overvalue my alone time, but I need it to recharge and cool off.Oh well, we'll see... only 8 more days 'til the flight leaves.

Writing essays is NOT a talent; it's a skill. As a skill, it can be honed and improved, like playing basketball, carving wood, or cooking. True, there are those who just do it better, as in the other areas mentioned, but that doesn't mean that you can't be good at it with a little know-how and practice. As an English teacher, it's my job to show students how to do that, so I figured that I would give everyone a few tips on how to improve your writing and, someday, make my job a little easier. The first basic building block of a good essay is to have well-written sentences. The two problems I come across most often are sentence fragments and run-on sentences. GRAMMAR: Writing Complete Sentences Although the English language often violates its own rules, there is one that always stands: Every sentence MUST HAVE a subject, which containts a noun, and a predicate, which contains a verb. This means that there must be a person, place, or thing (noun) doing or being something (verb). Let's look at some examples: _____Subject______|______Predicate______A Jedi's strength | flows from the Force."In this example, fox is the noun and jumps is the action verb. Notice that the subject comes before the predicate. Subject_|_PredicateLuke, I | am your father.Again, the subject comes before the predicate. This example shows a state of being rather than a particular action. These verbs usually describe the subject, indicating color, relation, etc. Subject | Predicate | Go.This is odd, isn't it? I told you that a complete sentence HAS TO HAVE a subject and a predicate. It's an inviolate rule! In fact, this sentence does have a subject; however, it is an understood, and therefore unstated, subject - YOU! These sentences are like commands telling you what to do. (You) Sit. (You) Stay. (You) Please take one. ______________Subject_______________|______________Predicate__________________Hokey religions and ancient weapons |are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.You can have multiple nouns in the subject or predicate or both by using "and", "or", or "nor" between them. You'll notice above that "and" joins the two nouns in the subject. Make sure, however, that you aren't joining two whole sentences together without the proper punctuation, which you'll find in the next section. Keep your multiple nouns in the subject and your multiple verbs in the predicate at the moment. Now that you're sure that you've put together a complete sentence, it's time to start combining those sentences together. You can, of course, write a six-page essay with only simple sentences, but it can be dry and repetitive for your reader. Combining Sentences A complete sentence that has a complete subject and predicate is referred to as a clause in English. This is because a period must come at the end of a sentence. We have just learned how to make simple sentences, so now we will learn how to make complex sentences by combinging clauses. INDEPENDENT CLAUSES An independent clause (IC) has a complete subject and predicate and can stand alone as a sentence. The simplest way to join two independent clauses is to use a semi-colon ( ; ) between them. However, you should only use this if the two clauses express similar ideas or follow a logical thought pattern. __________IC___________;_________IC________His helmet was stifling; it narrowed his vision. The second way to join two independent clauses is to write the first independent clause, followed by a comma, and then use one of the following co-ordinating conjunctions before fininshing the sentence with the second independent clause: For- rarely used in American English, used in place of "because" or "since." And - joins two similar ideas together Nor - joins two negative alternative ideas But - joins two contrasting ideas Or - joins two alternative ideas Yet - used in the same fashion as "but" So - shows that the second idea is the result of the first ___________IC__________|comma|conj.|_____IC______It narrowed his vision | , | and |he must see far. You can combine your clauses further by using all the methods above. ___________IC__________;___________IC__________|comma|conj.|_____IC______His helmet was stifling; it narrowed his vision| , | and |he must see far. DEPENDENT CLAUSEIf you remember your grammar school teacher telling you that you can never start a sentence with "because," you can go back and tell her she was wrong. Another way to join sentences is to turn one of the independent clauses (IC) into a dependent clause (DC) by using a subordinating conjunction, like "because," at the beginning of the clause. However, dependent clauses can't stand on their own; they need an independent clause to claim and support them. (Sorry for the little tax joke.) There are two ways to do this. __sub__|_________DC__________|comma|________IC__________Because| his shield was heavy| , |it threw him off balance.If you take "because" away, the clause can stand by itself as a sentence and doesn't need the second clause to support it. By adding the adverb "because" to the beginning of the clause, this turns it into a dependent clause. Therefore, it needs the second clause to support it. When a dependent clause comes before an independent clause, you must put a comma between the two clauses. ____________IC___________|_sub_|________DC_________It threw him off balance |since| his target was far away.In this example, the subordinating conjunction "since" is in the middle of the sentence. When a dependent clause comes after the independent clause, you do not need a comma between them. Below is a list of some of the more commonly used subordinating conjunctions; however, there are many more: after although as as if as long as as much as as soon as as though because before even if even though how if inasmuch in order that lest now that provided (that) since so that than till ( or 'til) that though unless until when whenever where whereas wherever while Next Lesson: Writing a Body Paragraph (coming soon)

Well, even though I did start a thread this year about Halloween, I'll join in. My friends are throwing a party at their half of a duplex the Saturday before Halloween, like they've done for the past four years. This year they've decided to give the girls incentive for looking as skanky as possible by sponsoring a "Sexiest Costume" contest with a $100 prize. I'm not going to be in the running since I'm modifying my Catwoman costume to be a little more covered than the Halle Berry one. I decided that the vinyl Michelle Pfieffer one was going to be waaaay too hot, and the original spandex ones from Adam West's days as Batman was a little too form fitting and unforgiving of my fondness for sweets. So it's pleather pants and a halter top for me. As for the actual day, I have no idea what I'm doing. I'll probably carve some pumpkins on Sunday or Monday before the 31st and then hang out at my husband's aunt's shop to watch the trick-or-treaters in their costumes. We live in a back house on the lot, so most kids don't come up to us for candy.

You say you have a Master's in Psychology, so you should already know the symptoms you're exhibiting are obsessive. You admitted to being a prick and deserving to be dumped. Maybe you have some guilt over the way that you treated her and need to reconcile that before you can move on with your life. Apologize for the way you treated her, acknowledge that you should have treated her better, and then tell her you will be available to begin a friendship with her in a month or so if she wants. The stick to your word and don't try to talk to her for a month. Just take it day by day and do some of the things suggested to keep your mind occupied. Focus on work, exercise, start a hobby, restart your Halo 3 game and try to get all the skulls on Legendary mode, just do something to keep yourself from calling her. Think about her all you want, but give her some time and space. Use this time to think about why you acted like a prick and how you can improve yourself so that your next relationship won't suffer. And remember, most psychologists believe that it takes half as long as the duration of the relationship to get over it. So if you were together for 4 years, you probably won't be ready to get into another relationship for at least 2 years after your break-up. As to her hanging out with your friends, she left behind all the people she knew to be with you. I'm guessing the only people that she got to know very well were your friends. Sometimes break-ups are just as hard on the friends because the couple forces their friends to choose between them. Try not to be one of those couples. Rather than see them as backstabbers, you could be thankful that they're watching over her rather than letting her go off to a bar alone.