Everyone's Talking About Phones!

The Apple Pie Phone 6
(now with real fruit filling)

I don't have any strong feelings towards a particular brand or model of smartphone.  As a gadget enthusiast, I like them all!  If my wallet could support it, I'd buy one of each.  But alas, my fate is such that I can choose only/barely one.

Recently, for some reason, a lot of my friends and acquaintances on social networking sites have been asking for advice or complaining about new smartphones.  They're eligible for an upgrade and want advice about switching from an iPhone to an Android, or they just switched over and now they're not getting text messages anymore.  They just can't figure it out! 

I'm going to sound like an asshole for saying this, but I'm going to say it anyway: technology is only as advanced as the people using it.  I'm not saying that to make fun of anyone or to be cruel.  I'm saying it because, whether you're going from iOS to Android or vice versa, you need to take the time to learn the new system before you can get used it.  A smartphone is only a tool, and it can only do as much as you know what to do with it.  Unless your new phone's giving you real problems, don't give up so quickly.

That said, here are a few tips for those of you who are getting rid of your old iPhones (even if you're upgrading to another iPhone).  Many of these tips also apply to non-iPhone users.

1.  First and foremost, back up your data!
Your contacts, your photos, whatever.  Plug your iPhone into your computer, open up iTunes, and "Back Up Now."  Alternatively, you can use iCloud by going to Settings (on your iPhone) > iCloud > Backup > Back Up Now.

If you're upgrading to a newer iPhone, then this step will be instrumental in seamlessly resetting all of your old contacts, settings and apps on your new phone.  Just plug in your new iPhone and hit "Restore Backup..." (you'll most likely have to choose which backup you want to restore from - they're all designated by the date and time of the backup).  If you're switching over to an Android phone, then you will have to transfer your old contacts to a Google/Gmail account (Android is developed by Google and, therefore, makes use of a Google/Gmail account).

If you're switching from an Android to an iPhone, then follow the steps outlined in this article to transfer all of your contacts, photos, and other media.

2.  Make sure you turn off iMessage on your old iPhone before activating your new smartphone.
Why?  Because of this.  Many former iPhone users have run into a problem where they no longer receive text messages because their iMessage is still active on their old phone.  Remedying the issue can be easy if you have your old iPhone still on you.  If you don't, you'll have to deal with Apple Customer Support, which can be not as easy.  Go to Settings > Messages to access this option.

3.  While you're at it, delete your iCloud account and restore your phone to factory settings.
Go to Settings > iCloud, and scroll to the bottom to sign out.  Why are we doing this?  To make sure the next person who uses your old phone won't have access to your info and files.  This is also so you don't get random pictures in your iCloud Photo stream.  And just to double make sure, go ahead and wipe the memory clean.  You can restore your phone through iTunes or by going to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.

4.  Get your old smartphone unlocked.
Unlocking your old phone will give you more options when trying to sell it because it opens it up for use on different wireless networks and in different countries.  If you've fulfilled your 2-year contract with your carrier, your old phone should be eligible to be unlocked.  Here are links to instructions on how to unlock your smartphone on the 3 major wireless providers (U.S.):

• AT&T
• Verizon
• Sprint

5.  Don't forget to remove your old sim card and/or get your phone deactivated by your wireless provider!
Since you'll need your sim card for your new phone to work, make sure you take it out of your old phone before you give it away.


Now that you've prepped your old phone for a proper send off, it's time to sell it.  Most smartphones (iPhones in particular) have pretty decent resale values.  Assuming you haven't already promised your old phone to a friend or family member, you could stand to make at least $100 (depending on the model and the phone's condition), enough to cover some of the costs of your new phone.

How to Stop Being that Passive-Aggressive, Jealous Friend...

... Or get closer to stopping, at the very least.

There are enough articles, blog posts, and inspirational images being passed around telling the world that one of the most important ways to lead a happy life is to stop comparing yourself to others.  Stop being jealous of everyone else!

Okay, but how?  That's like telling an overweight person to stop being fat, or a kid with poor grades to stop being stupid.  Just stop being jealous!

Thanks for the advice!  [passive-aggressive smiley face]

A--hole. 

I am no stranger to being jealous of others.  I touched lightly upon the subject of living with competitiveness and perfectionism in my own personal life in an earlier post.  Having a competitive and perfectionist personality can lead to a lot of jealousy.  And it can be towards anyone - family/friends or complete strangers, famous or not-so-famous, extremely successful or just a little bit successful.  If I see or hear about someone doing something that seems better than what I'm doing at this very moment, then that evil, green-eyed monster begins to rear its ugly head.

So, how do we even begin?  Jealousy can be a strong trait and, from personal experience, one that is difficult to correct.  But there are ways, my friends.  It gets better!  We can become better!

Thanks to social networking sites, it has become increasingly difficult to stop comparing yourself to others.  But just remember this: you're only seeing the highlights.  You don't know what's going on behind the scenes of their Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram feed.  Of course most people are only going to post about the exciting and new things in their lives.  Not everyone is going to constantly update their feeds with, "Nothing on TV.  Guess I'll just binge watch some Hoarders and Honey Boo Boo while finishing off this fresh pint of ice cream I just opened five minutes ago."  ...  Well, maybe I might... but not your average FB oversharer.

In addition to them choosing to not share the not-so-illustrious moments of their lives, have you also considered how hard these people worked or what they've had to go through to achieve their success?  Probably not.  

The point is that you know everything about yourself - your strengths AND your weaknesses.  You know when and where you messed up (for the most part), but you don't know these same sort of intimate details about these other people.  You only know what they share, and most people only share the good stuff.  So, try to stop comparing your lowest to their highest - you'll never win.

Putting Facebook feeds into perspective. "What's On Your Mind?" by the HigtonBros.

Okay, great.  I know what to look out for.  So, now what?  Stop being fat?  Yeah, f- you, too!

I received some great advice from a coworker recently.  She was telling me about a rough break-up and how she had to find a new place to live ASAP.  A family friend offered her a room until she could get back on her feet again.  Unfortunately, she and her new roommate didn't click very well (friends don't always make the best roommates), and my coworker found herself in yet another unpleasant situation.

She didn't have any other options open to her, so she decided to stick it out.  Eventually, her relationship with her roommate and just things in general became better.

How?  At the time, my coworker was also unemployed (which was one of the many points of contention between her and her new roommate), so she would go on long walks with her dog every day just to get out of the house.  During these walks, she would meditate.  Not in the sense where you sit cross-legged on the ground and om.  It was more like when you're in the middle of doing a mindless activity (in her case, long walks), and you sort of let your mind wander and think about a billion random things.

Instead of thinking about what a jerk her roommate was being, my coworker decided to start praying for her roommate.  She knew her roommate was having a hard time at work and going through personal problems of her own, so my coworker decided to start praying for her well-being.  My coworker said that when she started doing that, she started to feel more at peace with herself and her situation, and felt genuinely happy for her roommate whenever good things came about.

I took that story to heart and decided to implement that practice into my own life.  Call it prayer (if you're religious), meditation (if you're more "spiritual" than "religious"), or refocusing your thoughts (if you don't like using religious terminology at all) - whenever I do this, it always makes me feel a ton lighter.

It has to be something you do on a regular basis.  It can be a part of your daily prayer or meditation (if that's what you do), but it can also be during a workout, or while you clean the house or do laundry.  For me, it's in the shower.  Whatever routine, mindless activity you perform where you can let your mind wander (and it usually ends up wandering towards how much you're really annoyed by this particular person) is the perfect time to do this.

And don't try to save the whole world.  Try to only choose a few, specific people you feel strongly towards and have a relationship with, and be specific with the (good) things you want for them.  I want this friend to have a good outcome with this project at work she's been stressed out about for the last month.  I want that friend to find clarity and the strength to accomplish a particular life goal.  Things that you know these people in your life are going through and could use the extra love and support in dealing with.

When you start training your mind to want good things for those around you, you start to feel genuinely happy for them and their achievements.  Maybe you might get a little haughty (or slightly delusional) and start wondering if these good things didn't come about because of your prayers for them, but at least you'll feel happy, and perhaps not as jealous of your friends' and family members' accomplishments.

Do You Veg?

As an omnivore, I sometimes find it difficult to meet up with vegetarian friends for a meal.  Not in an ideological sort of way but in an actual, physical sense.  Yes, many restaurants have dishes without meat, but I would bet that most of them don't really have a huge variety.  You'd also be surprised at how many animal by-products are in our food - places where you wouldn't even suspect!

Bottom line: I don't like having my friends relegated to, say, pitiful garden salads while I'm chowing down on a huge burger or something.  I can compromise.

That's where HappyCow comes in.


With listings of vegetarian and vegetarian-friendly restaurants and businesses throughout the world, this site is particularly handy for those who are traveling and need to find a place to eat.  For friends of vegetarians, you can use it to locate nearby restaurants that can accommodate the dietary needs of your entire party.

The site also offers recipes and other resources that you may find handy and interesting.  Go give it a try!

Minnesota Bans Antibacterial Ingredient. You Probably Should, Too.

Triclosan.  It's found in our favorite antibacterial hand soaps, body washes, hand sanitizers, tooth paste, cosmetics, deodorant...  It's in a lot of stuff.

It has also been banned in Minnesota.

I've always been a skeptic when it comes to many things.  I can't say that I didn't fall for the antibacterial gimmick when it first began picking up steam in the '90s, or that I don't fall for it whenever I end up coming into contact with... not-so-clean things, but I always wondered if the draw towards those products weren't so much science as it was marketing.  Now, I know the answer.

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a rule that would require manufacturers of antibacterial products "to prove their products are more effective than plain soap and water in preventing illness and the spread of infection."

According to CNN:

"Millions of Americans use antibacterial hand soap and body wash products," the [FDA] said in a statement. "Although consumers generally view these products as effective tools to help prevent the spread of germs, there is currently no evidence that they are any more effective at preventing illness than washing with plain soap and water."

You may ask, "So what if it's not more effective?"  It may not be any better, but it couldn't be any worse.  Better to be safe than sorry, right?

Not necessarily right.  In fact, according to some research, it's plenty worse.  Not only are antibacterial products contributing to bacterial resistance to drugs and antibiotics, they're also being accused of disrupting hormones in our bodies.

Since I'm not an expert in this field, I can only share with you the literature that I have come across on this topic (links to which you'll find throughout this post).  Even though I feel many of the statements made in these articles are compelling, it's ultimately up to you to determine for yourself the legitimacy of these findings.

For more information about the FDA's position on triclosan, please visit:
http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm205999.htm

Etude House - Another YouTube Beauty Tutorial Find

Etude House is one of South Korea's most popular cosmetics companies, with hundreds of standalone stores throughout Asia.  If you're a fan of South Korean popular culture, you may have seen one of their commercials (starring some of South Korea's top K-pop idols) or caught a quick glimpse of one of their shops in a video or blog somewhere online.  With their cute, pink, European-style decor, the shops are hard to miss.

And the best thing about the products is that they're super affordable!  Their prices are comparable to drugstore make-up prices (in the U.S., at least), averaging under or about $10 USD for most items.  The products are geared towards teenagers and young adults (hence the affordability and cute packaging), but the quality is pretty much on par with more expensive brands.

** Quick story - During an extended trip to South Korea a couple of years ago, I sent my mom a letter with some BB cream samples I got from one of my many trips to Etude House (ohmigod the SAMPLES!!!).  Let me take this moment to note that my mom is very particular about foundations and the like.  She doesn't like how most of them look or feel (no, thank you, orange bottle of Maybelline) and is convinced that the only ones that suit her are from expensive, Asian (usually Japanese) brands (Shiseido or die).  Anyway, she liked the sample so much, she had me buy her a full-sized bottle.  If Etude House has the stamp of approval from a picky Korean woman in her 70s, it's good enough for me.  End story. **

Anyway, Etude House has had a YouTube channel for ages now, offering various tutorials and tips for make-up and skin care trends popular in South Korea.  Aware of their growing global audience, they recently started adding English captions/subtitles to their videos.



Many of their videos aren't translated but are still pretty easy to follow along.



Where can you buy these products?  ...  Sigh.  That's the problem; unless you live in Asia, it won't be easy.  If you don't have a generous pen pal who lives in Korea, your only option is to order online.  Unfortunately, since Etude House doesn't do global orders at the moment, you'll have to try your luck with third-party sellers (in some cases, at exorbitant prices).

In regards to these tutorials, though, you don't necessarily need these particular products.  Improvise with what you've got or can get, and start creating these looks on your own!


UPDATE (11/4/14): Etude House now ships worldwide! Go to their global site and shop away!

Jem and the Holograms, the Movie... Truly Truly TRULY Outrageous?

Maybe you're a child of the '80s (as I am) and have loved her from the beginning.  Or maybe you've been (re)introduced to her via the Hub Network and wonder why we don't make anything this fabulous anymore.  I'm talking about Jerrica Benton and her group of friends, better known as "Jem and the Holograms."


You may have heard by now that a live action movie is currently in the works.  For old fans of the show, the news probably comes as a pleasant surprise.  A fond memory that had been stored away by many of us for nearly two decades is now being brought back into the spotlight.

Unfortunately, my friends, not all is well within the walls of Starlight Music.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Christy Marx, creator of the "Jem" series, said that she was not only shut out of the reboot but also learned about the film’s development a few days before its YouTube announcement.

Further:

"My other unhappy observation is that I see two male producers, a male director and a male writer. Where is the female voice? Where is the female perspective? Where are the women?," she asked about the film, which Jon M. Chu ("G.I. Joe," "Step Up 2: The Streets"), Jonathan Blum ("Paranormal Activity," "Insidious") and Scooter Braun (the brains behind Justin Bieber) will produce alongside Hasbro.

As Marx points out in her statement, however, when it comes to franchises and intellectual property, "they can do whatever they want with it."  Hasbro (yes, the toy company), the actual owner of "Jem and the Holograms," has no obligation to include or seek advice from Marx.

There is a silver lining to this story, though.  Marx has contacted Chu, the director of the new reboot, and the two seem to have had a good conversation about the upcoming production.  The new story will not necessarily be so much a reboot as it will be a "re-imagining"; a different story altogether.  It's not the story Marx would have told, but she hopes fans will be able to enjoy it just the same.

To a 2014 We Can All Be Okay With!

Happy New Year, everyone!!!

Ringing in the New Year in Animal Crossing: New Leaf (Nintendo 3DS).

Yes, that (above) is how I rang in the new year.  I lead a sad, sad life... LOL.

My brother gave me a Nintendo 3DS XL for Christmas, along with Animal Crossing: New Leaf (a game from one of my favorite franchises).  Needless to say, I've been stuck to this thing ever since.

When I heard that Nintendo was releasing a new Animal Crossing title back in 2012, I had to contain my excitement.  Coming upon my mid-30s now, I wanted to try my hand at being a "responsible adult," like how I remember my parents* and other adults in my life being at around that age...  Ha!

After spending the last month or so living vicariously through this one guy on YouTube, my brother decided that enough was enough.  Thanks to some awesome discounts during this holiday season (by the by, senseless violence and all around bad mojo during Black Friday is meaningless, my friends - it's a fact that similar or even better sales happen closer to Christmastime), he was able to buy the game and a game system for both himself and me.

So there ↑ I am, after politely turning down a few invitations (sorry, guys), celebrating #HNY2014...  I mean, I make it sound bad, but really - so what?  It ended up being a nice, quiet night in with my mom and my brother (who also happened to be celebrating the new year in his own Animal Crossing town) - what's wrong with that?

Which brings me to my one and only resolution for the new year: to be okay with things.  In past years, I would've been calling and texting everyone, trying to fish for any information regarding New Year's Eve events.  And if I didn't get the "right" invite, I would feel like I was being left out or missing out, and I would stew over it.  And not just New Year's Eve, but with other things in life, too.

Being competitive and goal-oriented is one thing, but you shouldn't spend all of your energy putting yourself down when things don't turn out the way you had imagined.  For those of you with a similar type of personality, I'm sure you've noticed (or will at some point) how tiring and draining it is to do that to yourself.  It's like having someone (a boss, a parent, a sibling, a partner) nagging in your ear nonstop, 24/7.  After enduring that, you have little to no energy or desire to get back up and try again.

I've decided that I've had enough with that kind of behavior - I'm going to start being okay with things.  Don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to be satisfied with failure.  I just need to feel okay with the fact that it happened, or okay with the fact that things weren't "perfect," so that I can let go and be able to learn from it (if there's anything to be taken away) and move on.

So, everyone - join me for an okay 2014!!!


* Side Story: So, after typing that, I remembered something...  I was around 7, and my family had just bought a new Nintendo Entertainment System.  My parents ran a small business, so would often come home from work really late.  I would try to stay up so that I could see them before I went to bed, but sometimes it just didn't happen.  It was the middle of the night, and I had gotten up to go to the bathroom.  Usually around this time, everyone's already in bed, so the rest of the house would be pitch-dark.  This night, though, I noticed a strange glowing light coming from the living room.  Just the glow - no sound.  I tip-toed carefully down the hall to see what it was, and when I turned the corner...

There was my mom, sitting in the dark in front of the TV, playing Super Mario Bros.