Geek in Heels - Page 83

Jul 21, 2011 • In Claire, Motherhood, Parenting, Personal

Earmuffs!

I have never been the type of person who proclaims “Genius!” whenever a child learns or picks up new skills. While I would smile warmly at the parents who had just bragged about how their kid is already reading at the age of 3, I would think inside my head, “Pssh. Lots of people know how to read.”

I have found myself holding Claire to similar standards as well. Yes, I am happy whenever she reaches new milestones, and praise her greatly for them. But unless I see her doing something so extraordinary — something I know only a very few other kids can do — I will continue in thinking that she is a perfectly normal and ordinary baby. A baby I love more than life itself, yes, but an ordinary baby all the same.

Besides, one can’t really measure the success or accomplishments of a person until said person is at least mature enough to hold a basic conversation, no? 😉

With all that being said, I am only just starting to realize how much babies learn just by observing the world around them. How sponge-like their minds are, and how much smarter they are than the world — as well as I, even as a mother — give them credit for.

I have already mentioned how Claire has learned to shake her head “no,” wave “hi” and “bye,” and even associate the words that go along with those actions without any of our assisting or prompting. Yesterday, she added a new physical gesture to her arsenal: clapping her hands when I clap or say “Yay!!!”

While I do read to Claire quite often, I do not actively seek to teach her anything, at least not yet. I try my best to try to get her to pick things up at her own pace and just usually let her do her own thing…but now I am starting to realize that I should start to consciously make an effort to teach my daughter all the little things that will (hopefully) stay with her for the rest of her life.

That includes manners and common courtesy. For example, using the proper greeting and bowing whenever an elder enters or leaves the room (I will start doing this to J whenever he leaves for work in the morning too, so that she can learn by example). Even praying before she eats.

Yesterday was also the moment when I realized that we really need to start watching what we say around her too. J and I do not cuss much, but we have been known to let out expletives here and there. But, from now on, we will need to enforce a “no swearing” rule if our children may be listening. Even if that means enacting “Earmuffs!” in the manner of Old School. 😉

Cloud Strife’s Sword

Final Fantasy 7 has always been, and probably will remain, my favorite of all the FF video games. I still remember being awed by Sephiroth (I even had a small crush on him ;-)), crying when Aerith died, and becoming utterly consumed by the mystery surrounding Jenova.

There have always been an abundance of fan-made art, fanfics, tributes, and so forth with all Final Fantasy titles. Cloud Strife’s legendary 6-piece sword has always been a favorite among weapons and props, but I have never seen a diagram as comprehensive as the one below, which visually describes the mechanism and assembly of the sword as referenced in FFVII: Advent Children:

I couldn’t help but feel some geek pride to see that the labels are written in Korean.

Head on over to Liquid Endeavor for a more detailed explanation and analysis of the sword!

(Personally, I was not too impressed with Advent Children…but then again, how can you compete with a video game that is credited as “the game that sold the PlayStation”?)

Mr. Jay Cutler

On the first day of fifth grade, Mr. Jay Cutler introduced himself as our English teacher for the rest of the school year.

He then promised us that he would walk across the classroom on his hands whenever the entire class completed their homework.

“You may think I’m lying, but I’m not,” he told us. He then added with a wink, “The only question is…do I really know how to walk on my hands, or will I waste an entire class trying to walk across the classroom on my hands?”

(He really did know how to walk on his hands. Unfortunately, our class only witnessed the event twice during the school year. 🙁 )

Mr. Cutler was young — probably in his late twenties at the time — and hip. He was also cool. His hair was unkempt, his goatee reminiscent of Ed Norton, and while he always always wore a tie, he kept the top button of his shirt undone and his tie knot precariously hanging just beneath.

Many of my classmates, myself included, had schoolgirl crushes on him. But we kept ourselves at a safe distance, intimidated by the picture of his gorgeous wife that was prominently displayed on his desk. (And none of us could picture him with anyone but a beautiful, intelligent, and charming woman.)

It was not only his demeanor and looks that made Mr. Cutler a favorite among students. He was a jokester and prankster, but knew when to take things seriously. He made THE best analogies and examples — often humorous ones — that helped even the dullest of us understand (then) mind-boggling concepts such as irony, metaphors, and conflicts.

He even created an alter ego based on his favorite fruit, the grape, and used him quite often in all his examples. Once, when a classmate brought in the then-popular board game The Grape Escape, he (pretend) angrily told us that he would write a complaint letter to Parker Brothers for cruelty to grapes. (And the following week, as he gave a lesson on how to properly write a business letter, he used that letter as an example. )

I still often wonder what had become of Mr. Cutler. Did he continue teaching elementary-level English? Did he win any teaching awards? Does he know how much of a positive impact he had on the hundreds of students who were lucky enough to have him as a teacher?

I have tried a few times to look him up, but his common name makes this a difficult task.

What I do know is that while I have trouble recalling the names of the majority of my high school teachers — heck, I can hardly remember my college professors either — and many of my lessons with them remain foggy, I still remember minute details about my favorite teacher and his teachings, almost twenty years later.

Good teachers provide knowledge that stays with us for the rest of our lives. Great teachers inspire us to learn, and to cultivate what we have learned. And Mr. Cutler was exactly that: a great teacher.

Do you have a favorite teacher who has made a memorable impact on your life? Someone whom you still look back on with fond memories and often wonder what has become of him/her?

How to Instantly Cool Down a Car

Here in the NYC area, we are currently experiencing what may become the hottest week of the year. 🙁 Summer has always been my least favorite season because I loathe the heat, humidity, and yes, even the longer days.

As anyone who has traveled in a vehicle during the peak of summer can attest, one of the worst things about the heat is getting into a car that has been baking under the sun for hours. So this morning, I was delighted to find the following video on Reddit — by rolling down the window on one side and opening and closing the door on the other side 5-6 times, you can instantly cool down the interior of a car!

The proof is in the video: the outside temperature reads 30.5°C (86.9°F) while the temperature inside the superheated car is a sweltering 41.6°C (106.88°F). After performing the window and door trick, the temperature drops down to a bearable 33.5°C (92.3°F)!

I am sure that there is some cool scientific explanation behind this, but I’m afraid you will have to uncover that yourself. 😛

Although I usually like to stay within the confines of the wonderful invention that is central air during the summer months, I can’t wait to try this out the next time that we are out!

Discontinued! (Farewell, MAC Liquidlast Eyeliner)

I like trying on new makeup and beauty products, but I actually do not use many items on a regular basis. (And since becoming a mother, I don’t even wash my face regularly anymore.)

I am also very particular and picky when it comes to the stuff I put on my face.

As such, there are only a couple of items I consider “HG” (that’s “holy grail” in makeup talk) — specific items I never stray from, and would absolutely devastate me if they were ever to become discontinued.

And last night, I was crushed to learn that my favorite eyeliner of all time, the MAC Liquidlast in Coco Bar (a dark brown), has been discontinued. 😥

I’m not sure if I have especially oily skin around my eyes or what, but believe me when I say that I have tried practically every long-lasting eyeliner out there and have found NOTHING to have the staying power of MAC Liquidlast. (Yes, even primer and setting with powder doesn’t help with other eyeliners.) I apply it with the MAC 266 Brush and have gotten so good at the application that I can even create smudgy, blended effects with the goopy liquid liner.

I have been using the MAC Liquidlast for over five years now.

And last night, when I realized that my current tube is running low, I went online to place a replacement order…

Only to discover that the only color that is available on the MAC website is the jet black color. I checked other online retailers to find the same. And upon doing a web search, I found out that MAC had announced the discontinuation of my HG eyeliner back in December 2010. 😯

(Seriously. Is there a website or service where you can enter your favorite products, and they will alert you when it is about to get discontinued so that you can stock up? Anyone?)

The only place where I could find another tube to Liquidlast in Coco Bar was on eBay…and they were demanding $43.69 for it 👿 (regular price is $17.50).

Look, I understand the basic concepts behind supply and demand. I know that whoever has these tubes — NIB, no less! — still in stock can command a hefty price for them. But that was just ridiculous.

So I spent another two hours trawling the web for any other store/seller that might have it in stock.

No dice.

I told J I wanted to cry. (And in my frustrated, hormonal state, I really was ready to start crying.)

He rolled his eyes and told me to just buy the damn eyeliner off eBay for $43.

I refused. “It’s the principle!” I told him.

But, by midnight, I gave up. I sheepishly asked him if he would mind if I could spend $43 of his hard-earned money on a tiny tube of eyeliner, and he agreed.

Although a new tube of Liquidlast only contains 2.5 ml (or 0.084 oz) of product, it usually lasts me anywhere between 4-6 months.

That means that I have another few months to find a replacement eyeliner. I have read that the Milani Infinite Liquid Eyeliner is comparable to the MAC Liquidlast, but that the formula is also a bit thinner. Additionally, the swatches I have seen online makes it seem like the dark brown dries in a shiny finish (and not matte like the Liquidlast).

Does anyone have any good suggestions for an eyeliner — pencil, gel, liquid, whatever — that lasts and lasts?

Has an HG product ever been discontinued for you? How did you deal with it?

ETA:

I have tried the Milani Infinite Liquid Eyeliner, and I am happy to report that it works JUST like the MAC Liquidlast did! Click here for more details.

Visual Proof of Pi

As someone who sucks at math and much prefers the visual method of learning, I can’t help but proclaim to everyone else who are as mathematically challenged that this animated GIF makes it sooooo much easier to understand pi!

Reminds me of the Visual Proof of the Pythagorean Theorem.

Via I Love Charts.

Claire’s Baptism

Yesterday, our daughter Claire Emmanuelle was baptized. 🙂

I know that many babies usually get baptized a lot earlier than our daughter’s 9 months. And the main reason for the delay was due to our church’s serious stance on baptism — we, as parents, had to take several classes to prepare, to decide whether we wanted her to be baptized or not, and to finally become eligible.

According to our faith (our denomination is Presbyterian, more specifically PCA), baptism actually does not automatically save, and there are two reasons for this. The first is that there is biblical evidence that at least one man went to heaven without being baptized: the thief who was crucified next to Jesus. The second, and more central reason, is because we believe that acts alone do not bring salvation — it is only by the grace of Jesus Christ that we are saved, and so the notion that additional work is required to be saved is incorrect.

So why baptize at all? The answer is simple — because Jesus commands it: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Mt 28:19). Peter took up this message in his very first sermon, at Pentecost, when he said, “Repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38). And Paul links baptism with “putting on Christ” in his letter to the Galatians (Gal 3:27).

Baptism signifies a union with Christ, and acts as a sign and seal of the membership in the church.


While our church takes the concept of baptism seriously, the ceremony itself is quite casual and quick — so quick that we didn’t get any pictures of the ceremony! So here are a couple of pictures of Claire in her baptism outfit (headband, dress, and shoes all from Baby Gap).

Infant Baptism is quite different from Believer’s Baptism in that while a Believer’s Baptism focuses on the conversion and decision to follow Christ, Infant Baptism centers around God’s promise of salvation and the covenant that He has made with His people. And in return, the parent(s) make a promise to raise the child in the faith, and the church congregation joins in promising to assist the family in doing so.

I know that there is a growing trend in the modern world for parents not to baptize their children, or even to “choose” a religion for them. “If your religion is that great, don’t you trust that your child will choose to follow it as he/she gets older and is able to make informed decisions themselves?”

To them, I answer: if something is so important and central in your life, if something brings you more comfort and happiness than anything else, why wouldn’t you share it with your child? Don’t we all want the best for our children?

I have written in the past that my only fear of dying is that I will not be able to see all of my loved ones in eternity. And I couldn’t imagine being in heaven without my children. Yes, I know that there is a possibility that our children may one day rebuke God and Christianity, but I pray that this will not happen…and this is the reason we chose to baptize our children. So that they will be raised in the faith, and that they will grow to love Christ just as we have.

Our pastor told us that he believes his #1 job as a Christian parent is to make sure that his children will never know a day when they did not feel loved by God. And that is precisely what J and I hope to do.

Julie, Will You Marry Me?

This is the cutest thing I’ve seen in quite some time. Click on the image, or go to http://juliewillyoumarry.me/ for the full proposal.

I heart creative men! (J is about as creative as a cardboard box. The upside to this is that it makes it that much cuter when he does try. 😉 )

Google Translate for Cats

Did you expect anything else?

Via Reddit.

Amazon Gift Card Giveaway Winners!

Thank you to all those who entered my Amazon Gift Card Giveaway. Due to my dead laptop, I had to start the spreadsheet of entries all over again, but I had promised to reveal the winners by the end of the week and by golly I was gonna get it done.

So without further ado…

The winner of the $100 Amazon Gift Card is Susan, who tweeted the giveaway!

The winner of the $50 Amazon Gift Card is Amanda, who “Liked” the Geek in Heels Page on Facebook!

And the winner of the $25 Amazon Gift Card is Armando, who also “Liked” the Geek in Heels Page on Facebook!

Congratulations to all three winners! I will be contacting you shortly with the details on how you can redeem your gift cards.

Once again, thank you to all who entered, and thank you all even more for your continued support. 🙂

Earmuffs!

You may also like:

Cloud Strife’s Sword

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Mr. Jay Cutler

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How to Instantly Cool Down a Car

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Discontinued! (Farewell, MAC Liquidlast Eyeliner)

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Visual Proof of Pi

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Claire’s Baptism

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Julie, Will You Marry Me?

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Google Translate for Cats

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Amazon Gift Card Giveaway Winners!

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