TMI Tuesday #149

You find a fairy. With a wave of their wand they can change anything for you.

What is the one thing you would change about your body?
My tummy. I would like it to be not as flabby.

What is the one personality trait you would change?
My lack of patience. I am known to have a short fuse when it comes to certain things.

What is the one thing about your job you would change?
I wish working at the Halloween store could last all year! It’s so fun and it pays pretty well, but it’s only seasonal.

What is the one thing about your home you would change?
The location of it. I would want it to be closer to my friends and where I go to school.

What is the one thing about your Significant Other you would change?
He’s a great guy, but his appearance could use some work. Unfortunately, people are judgmental and they are not going to think that someone is the nicest, sweetest person in the world with a great personality if they look unkempt at first sight. This blogger wrote an interesting article about how people attribute good qualities to good looking strangers and vice-versa. I remember learning about the same thing in psychology and sociology classes over the years, and I have admittedly caught myself thinking the same thing about strangers I see on the streets.

Who is the one person you would poof out of your life and why?
Not sure.

Who is the one person you would poof back in and why?
My grandpa so I could hear stories about when he was in the war and have someone to watch baseball (Yankees) with on a regular basis again.

From: TMI Tuesday

Topical Tuesday #21

Topic :: Social Network Sites

Since their introduction, social network sites (SNSs) such as MySpace, Facebook, Cyworld, and Bebo have attracted millions of users, many of whom have integrated these sites into their daily practices. As of this writing, there are hundreds of SNSs, with various technological affordances, supporting a wide range of interests and practices. While their key technological features are fairly consistent, the cultures that emerge around SNSs are varied. Most sites support the maintenance of pre-existing social networks, but others help strangers connect based on shared interests, political views, or activities. Some sites cater to diverse audiences, while others attract people based on common language or shared racial, sexual, religious, or nationality-based identities. Sites also vary in the extent to which they incorporate new information and communication tools, such as mobile connectivity, blogging, and photo/video-sharing. (via)

Big news at the moment still, and subject to a great deal of discussion – both pro and anti. Whats your opinion?

I like social networking sites, but I don’t necessarily join every single site that pops up; I stick with the major ones like Myspace and Facebook. Social networking sites are excellent tools for networking of all different kinds: bands can attract new fans, models and photographers can attract new clients, people can interact with people that they have haven’t seen in a while or might have gone to school with, etc.

One thing I cannot figure out is why people my age and younger find the need to post pictures on their Myspace and Facebook accounts of themselves and others smoking, drinking, funneling beer or doing keg stands, and other stupid shit… and despite the warnings that colleges and universities are apparently looking at Myspace and Facebook profiles as apart of the application and decision making process. Seriously, how fucking stupid can you be?? Things like that piss me off on a personal level because when a portion of the group posts those kinds of pictures, the whole age group runs the risk of being stereotyped as irresponsible and immature.

That mini-rant aside, overall I have to thank Myspace for two major things:

1. My current boyfriend. I knew Josh “offline” before I started dating him. I went to high school with him, and I knew a lot of his friends and even knew a few people that he dated. I occasionally saw him around town, too. After we met up at a friend’s house, he managed to find me on Myspace not that long after. We exchanged phone numbers and hit it off from there – and our third anniversary is coming up relatively soon. If it wasn’t for Myspace, I probably wouldn’t have started talking to him on a regular basis, exchanged numbers with him or started dating.

2. A source of cash. Working for clients acquired through Myspace has been an excellent source for some quick money and a good way to keep my design skills in shape. A lot of people seem to like what designs I make for their Myspace profiles and otherwise, and I am always trying to find more clients via Myspace and through the people I have worked for. It is a great feeling to be able to network with models, small business owners, etc. and provide them with designs – Myspace and otherwise – that they like and that will promote them in their fields.

The bottom line? Myspace and Facebook aren’t bad at all. They are excellent networking tools when they are used responsibly and effectively.

From: Topical Tuesday

Topical Tuesday #20

Topic :: Do you take food with you on a foreign holiday?

Recently in UK media there have been reports that a large amount of tourists take not only tea bags and coffee but bacon, sausages and other food with them when they go abroad on holiday. And then when on holiday they seek out places to eat that sell the food they are used to in favour of local produce.

When you go on holiday to a foreign country do you like to immerse yourself completely in their culture and eat their food or can you not bare the thought of having to eat the food and take your favourite food with you?

I must say that I have never heard of people taking food with them on vacation to a different country, but I don’t find it to be completely unexpected. Sometimes there are things that people just can’t live without when they are away on vacation whether it is their cell phone, laptop, or even a favourite beverage (especially something as compact and portable as tea bags.) If anything, I am surprised that people were even able to food like sausage and bacon with them on the trip. What about spoilage, and the fact that certain countries do not allow food to be brought in from other countries because of different food codes and standards? Come to think of it, there was a general announcement made on the airplane when I went to Europe about dairy products from overseas. I don’t remember details, but the bottom line was that the codes and standards were different and therefore dairy products were not allowed in the country from abroad.

Since people are generally hesitant to try new foods that might smell or look different than what they are used to, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for people to look for something they are familiar with – something that reminds them of home – when they are visiting a foreign country. Personally, I would definitely give the new foods a try and completely immerse myself in the culture I was in. At the same time, I would also be interested to see the “foreign preparation” of the foods that I am familiar with from home, and hear the corresponding opinions about those foods.

From: Topical Tuesday