I recently got scammed by a company called Dazzle White that promises to give you a free sample of a product if I paid for shipping. It said $2 so I thought that was okay. I checked my credit card transactions and I got charged $12 and $88 from them. They put all kinds of things in the fine print, like that I was signing myself up to be charged monthly. I had to angrily call the "product cancellation line" and MBNA Mastercard.
I should've changed my account number then because a couple of weeks later I got another charge of $4.
Whatever, it's not worth the stress. I got ripped off.. Just don't let it happen to you.
Be very weary of free samples where you have to pay for shipping. Among other things too. Always read the fine print. Make sure you're not signing up for any memberships, because that's where they get you. It's totally not legit at all. It's awful.
Don't get scammed. Always read the fine print, because the way our retarded justice system is set up, they can charge you up the ass so long as they put it in small text saying that they'll do it... even if the website checkout page shows $1 they can charge you as much as they want, so long as they write down the amounts in the fine print.
Fuck you Dazzle White.
29 June 2009
01 June 2009
Iceland is so cool!
Literally, it is quite cool. Misty air that has a constant shroud of fine rain, with constant wind... The air seems fresh all the time.
I went on a trip to Europe and my first stop was Iceland. I only went there because Icelandair was offering a promo where you could stop over in Iceland for up to 4 days (maybe more, I think). I was told 4 but I've seen ads for up to 7. This allows you to visit Iceland without having to pay for additional airfare. So, if I could see another country and not have to pay to get there, then why not? I gave it a go.
Definitely worth it. Iceland was my favourite destination that whole trip.
It was a very mystical place and I felt quite at peace there. Very stress-free life. Friendly people. Some looked like they were in a constant state of gloom (mainly the women), but they were still quite nice and friendly. The men are tall and friendly and like to drink a lot it seems, based on my experiences on the airplane, but they were all very kind and one even offered to buy me things on the plane. Everyone seems to speak English except the older and some middle aged women. The Icelandic people left an overall great impression on me.
The land was quite bizarre. Soil is black from the volcanic rock, and the foliage all looks like overgrown lichen. No bright, lush green grass here like in Canada!
jet black rocks make up most of the soil, with small brown shrubbery making up most of the green space | coast line - can you see the mountains?
The food, though they had very little to work with, was actually quite fabulous. It seemed, based on everything I read on the way there in the magazines, that Icelandic food concentrates mainly on salted and pickled fish and seafood, as fishery was the main industry. They have to import everything else. Sounds pretty nasty, but everything was actually quite yummy.
cool as a cucumber | sweet potato & fish
traditional Icelandic fish stew with salad, rye bread & butter | airline food is actually yummy
The Blue Lagoon was awesome! The windy, rainy air combined with the volcanically heated water was such a huge contrast in temperatures: you'd freeze outside of the water, then burn when you go in. Okay, so it wasn't that bad when I went, it was actually nice and refreshing. I loved it. The water had these minerals that were great for the skin... Very exfoliating and moisturizing, even though the water was salted. Very tough to wash out of your hair afterwards. I had Blue Lagoon in my hair for at least a week afterwards.
Blue Lagoon teaser before entry point | water is a chalky blue
cool puddle near the lagoon | gorgeous contrast of the chalky blue water against the jet black rocks
from the viewing platform inside the Blue Lagoon | goodbye, Blue Lagoon!
Iceland has a lot of culture. Icelandic dolls are made out of sheep's wool as well as other things and look absolutely adorable. Bicycles are pretty popular there too, it seems, or at least they make an impression. Bike parking, bike trailers to deliver English magazines, which reminds me that English-speaking culture is very popular. Everyone speaks English. Cafes and bars have English names sometimes, as well as English-speaking entertainment.
"Björk is from Iceland!" is what many people would say when I told them I was going to Iceland.
Icelandic flag at the Icelandic doll store | bike & English-speaking culture
gay culture | björk culture
The streets always seemed to be empty, but maybe that was just when I went, and Reykjavik seems like a ghost town. The population of the country is about 300,000 people, but most of them live in the capital Reykjavik, and along the coast. Where were all these people? I hardly saw anyone. The streets seemed to always be empty. It was nice and quiet though. I kind of liked walking around a deserted city. The streets seemed very safe, in every part I went to. Reykjavik seems small, but maybe I was only walking around my neighbourhood.
empty streets in what seems to be a ghost town
more English influence | popular street, maybe Laugavegur (don't quote me on it)
Overall, Iceland was definitely the highlight of my trip. Such a bizarre place. Very nice and calm. I still have so much more of Iceland to see, like the rest of the countryside, the wild horses, the geysers that randomly erupt in the countryside, the funny looking birds... So much more. I can't wait to go back, I loved Iceland. I left my heart in Iceland. ♥
I went on a trip to Europe and my first stop was Iceland. I only went there because Icelandair was offering a promo where you could stop over in Iceland for up to 4 days (maybe more, I think). I was told 4 but I've seen ads for up to 7. This allows you to visit Iceland without having to pay for additional airfare. So, if I could see another country and not have to pay to get there, then why not? I gave it a go.
Definitely worth it. Iceland was my favourite destination that whole trip.
It was a very mystical place and I felt quite at peace there. Very stress-free life. Friendly people. Some looked like they were in a constant state of gloom (mainly the women), but they were still quite nice and friendly. The men are tall and friendly and like to drink a lot it seems, based on my experiences on the airplane, but they were all very kind and one even offered to buy me things on the plane. Everyone seems to speak English except the older and some middle aged women. The Icelandic people left an overall great impression on me.
The land was quite bizarre. Soil is black from the volcanic rock, and the foliage all looks like overgrown lichen. No bright, lush green grass here like in Canada!
jet black rocks make up most of the soil, with small brown shrubbery making up most of the green space | coast line - can you see the mountains?
The food, though they had very little to work with, was actually quite fabulous. It seemed, based on everything I read on the way there in the magazines, that Icelandic food concentrates mainly on salted and pickled fish and seafood, as fishery was the main industry. They have to import everything else. Sounds pretty nasty, but everything was actually quite yummy.
cool as a cucumber | sweet potato & fish
traditional Icelandic fish stew with salad, rye bread & butter | airline food is actually yummy
The Blue Lagoon was awesome! The windy, rainy air combined with the volcanically heated water was such a huge contrast in temperatures: you'd freeze outside of the water, then burn when you go in. Okay, so it wasn't that bad when I went, it was actually nice and refreshing. I loved it. The water had these minerals that were great for the skin... Very exfoliating and moisturizing, even though the water was salted. Very tough to wash out of your hair afterwards. I had Blue Lagoon in my hair for at least a week afterwards.
Blue Lagoon teaser before entry point | water is a chalky blue
cool puddle near the lagoon | gorgeous contrast of the chalky blue water against the jet black rocks
from the viewing platform inside the Blue Lagoon | goodbye, Blue Lagoon!
Iceland has a lot of culture. Icelandic dolls are made out of sheep's wool as well as other things and look absolutely adorable. Bicycles are pretty popular there too, it seems, or at least they make an impression. Bike parking, bike trailers to deliver English magazines, which reminds me that English-speaking culture is very popular. Everyone speaks English. Cafes and bars have English names sometimes, as well as English-speaking entertainment.
"Björk is from Iceland!" is what many people would say when I told them I was going to Iceland.
Icelandic flag at the Icelandic doll store | bike & English-speaking culture
gay culture | björk culture
The streets always seemed to be empty, but maybe that was just when I went, and Reykjavik seems like a ghost town. The population of the country is about 300,000 people, but most of them live in the capital Reykjavik, and along the coast. Where were all these people? I hardly saw anyone. The streets seemed to always be empty. It was nice and quiet though. I kind of liked walking around a deserted city. The streets seemed very safe, in every part I went to. Reykjavik seems small, but maybe I was only walking around my neighbourhood.
empty streets in what seems to be a ghost town
more English influence | popular street, maybe Laugavegur (don't quote me on it)
Overall, Iceland was definitely the highlight of my trip. Such a bizarre place. Very nice and calm. I still have so much more of Iceland to see, like the rest of the countryside, the wild horses, the geysers that randomly erupt in the countryside, the funny looking birds... So much more. I can't wait to go back, I loved Iceland. I left my heart in Iceland. ♥
03 April 2009
Environmentally friendly & healthy all purpose cleaner
I just wanted to share what I use to clean and it actually works. Vinegar is awesome! Dilute it to 1 part water and 2 parts vinegar, or simply 1 to 1 and it goes a long way.
For cleaning that requires scrubbing, use baking soda.
Vinegar stinks, let's be real with that, but it doesn't have to be a disgusting experience. Cleaning can be aromatic! If you read my last post you'd realize that I recently bought some essential oils, one of them being cedar, which is awesome! It's strong so it takes over the smell of vinegar entirely with about 5 or so drops per litre. No more vinegar smell, but also if you like the smell of cedar then it's actually enjoyable! I really like the smell of wood and cleaning with my cedar scented vinegar reminds me of being in a forest! Except not quite... maybe a log cabin. Cedar essential oil is one of the least expensive ones. I got mine for about $4 in Kensington Market.
This is way cheaper and just as effective as any other all purpose cleaner. $2 for vinegar, $4 for essential oil, and if you're like me and want to try to make your own hand cream you can use essential oils in that too. Cedar is a nice, woodsy smelling one if you want a nature-related hand cream, and you know I do! :o)
my blue star juniper - though not cedar, smells like tree so I like it.
For cleaning that requires scrubbing, use baking soda.
Vinegar stinks, let's be real with that, but it doesn't have to be a disgusting experience. Cleaning can be aromatic! If you read my last post you'd realize that I recently bought some essential oils, one of them being cedar, which is awesome! It's strong so it takes over the smell of vinegar entirely with about 5 or so drops per litre. No more vinegar smell, but also if you like the smell of cedar then it's actually enjoyable! I really like the smell of wood and cleaning with my cedar scented vinegar reminds me of being in a forest! Except not quite... maybe a log cabin. Cedar essential oil is one of the least expensive ones. I got mine for about $4 in Kensington Market.
This is way cheaper and just as effective as any other all purpose cleaner. $2 for vinegar, $4 for essential oil, and if you're like me and want to try to make your own hand cream you can use essential oils in that too. Cedar is a nice, woodsy smelling one if you want a nature-related hand cream, and you know I do! :o)
my blue star juniper - though not cedar, smells like tree so I like it.
02 April 2009
DIY face and body cream
This is an awesome recipe if you want to make a cream that is good for every day and isn't too thick. Get a squeeze bottle or container to store it in. The recipe uses simple ingredients: water, oil, wax and essential oil for fragrance. Can't get simpler than that other than using oils on your skin, but that's not always a nice experience.
Things you need:
2 tablespoons of beeswax (shaved would be best as it melts fastest)
3/4 cup of oil
1/2 cup of water (I didn't take this pic, obviously)
empty container (more than just one of these)
a few drops of essential oil of your choice (optional, if you want fragrance)
Here's the list:
Combine oil and beeswax and melt in a double boiler. For best results (and less danger of burning) do not put wax and oil on direct heat. Do not boil.
In a bowl, put the water. Slowly drizzle oil and wax mixture over the water. Use the electric mixer to mix until combined. Careful not to start off too fast otherwise the hot liquids will splash up onto you. Not good.
About a minute through, add the essential oils if desired. Essential oils smell nice, but depending on the type of beeswax you got and what kind of oil used, you might not need to use essential oils because beeswax smells nice on its own. If you're making a face cream I'd suggest not to use essential oils.
Beat with a mixer (or whisk, if you have the power and endurance and don't have an electric mixer) until creamy. This could take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes.
ta da!
This should result in a creamy mixture that can be used on your body, hands and face even—without essential oils would be best if you're using it on your face.
Things you need:
2 tablespoons of beeswax (shaved would be best as it melts fastest)
3/4 cup of oil
1/2 cup of water (I didn't take this pic, obviously)
empty container (more than just one of these)
a few drops of essential oil of your choice (optional, if you want fragrance)
Here's the list:
- 4 tbsp. beeswax
- 3/4 cup of either olive oil, avocado oil, sweet almond oil, etc.
- 1/2 cup hot water (not boiling)
- 3-5 drops of essential oil, optional
- electric mixer or a whisk (I suggest the former over the latter)
Combine oil and beeswax and melt in a double boiler. For best results (and less danger of burning) do not put wax and oil on direct heat. Do not boil.
In a bowl, put the water. Slowly drizzle oil and wax mixture over the water. Use the electric mixer to mix until combined. Careful not to start off too fast otherwise the hot liquids will splash up onto you. Not good.
About a minute through, add the essential oils if desired. Essential oils smell nice, but depending on the type of beeswax you got and what kind of oil used, you might not need to use essential oils because beeswax smells nice on its own. If you're making a face cream I'd suggest not to use essential oils.
Beat with a mixer (or whisk, if you have the power and endurance and don't have an electric mixer) until creamy. This could take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes.
ta da!
This should result in a creamy mixture that can be used on your body, hands and face even—without essential oils would be best if you're using it on your face.
25 March 2009
Write Lantic sugar urging them to not accept the use of genetically modified sugar beets!
Not that sugar is good for you at all but here's an issue that can make it even worse.
Lantic Inc. sugar company is considering using genetically modified beets. Must be because of the recession, but this has potential hazardous effects on the environment and our health.
Genetically modified foods have a history of turning out bad. GM tomatoes that were produced to be juicier ended up giving rats stomach ulcers. I accidentally bought GM clementines once and my stomach was hurting a lot after eating them. I only realized they were GM after I finished them, so it couldn't have been psychological.
Of course I urge you to research genetically modified foods on your own from both sides, benefits and consequences. There are documentaries out there like The Future of Food that are informative on the topic. Lots of articles online too.
Let's stop these sugar daddies from going GM!
Click one of the images for the CBAN website page with more info.
Click here to go directly to the email page where you can customize your own email from the provided template.
Lantic Inc. sugar company is considering using genetically modified beets. Must be because of the recession, but this has potential hazardous effects on the environment and our health.
Genetically modified foods have a history of turning out bad. GM tomatoes that were produced to be juicier ended up giving rats stomach ulcers. I accidentally bought GM clementines once and my stomach was hurting a lot after eating them. I only realized they were GM after I finished them, so it couldn't have been psychological.
Of course I urge you to research genetically modified foods on your own from both sides, benefits and consequences. There are documentaries out there like The Future of Food that are informative on the topic. Lots of articles online too.
Let's stop these sugar daddies from going GM!
Click one of the images for the CBAN website page with more info.
Click here to go directly to the email page where you can customize your own email from the provided template.
24 March 2009
Remove Facebook, Google, Yahoo! ads using a custom CSS file
If you make a custom CSS file for Safari, you can remove ads using code. GlimmerBlocker doesn't work for these ads for some reason so I had to find another option for it. Safari's Adblock didn't block out these ads either, so if you're using Safari then this is the only way that I was able to find to block out text-based ads.
Put the following text in a new document in your text editor and name it something.css - I called mine custom.css.
custom.css file in a text editor
Go into Safari preferences > Advanced to use the newly created CSS file
Facebook as well as Google and Yahoo searches should be ad-free.
Put the following text in a new document in your text editor and name it something.css - I called mine custom.css.
/*
* Facebook ads removal (from Mac Forums)
*/
#ssponsor, .footer_ad, .banner_ad, .social_ad, .ad_capsule, .sidebar_ads, .adcolumn, .admarket_ad, .sidebar_item.sponsor, .emu_sponsor, .home_sponsor { display: none !important; }
/*
* Remove Google ads
*/
iframe[name='google_ads_frame'],
a[href^='http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com']
{ display: none ! important; }
#rh table[class="metatable"]{display: none !important;}
#rh div[class="c"] {display: none !important;}
/*
* Remove Yahoo ads
*/
iframe[src^='http://ypn-js.overture.com']
{ display: none ! important; }
custom.css file in a text editor
Go into Safari preferences > Advanced to use the newly created CSS file
Facebook as well as Google and Yahoo searches should be ad-free.
GlimmerBlocker is pretty cool
GlimmerBlocker is a CSS-based ad-blocking plug-in for Safari accessible through System Preferences that's supposed to block online ads. Unlike Adblock, it doesn't slow down your browser. This is not entirely as effective as Firefox's Adblock Plus, but it's just as effective as Safari's Adblock. Good way to remove ads from online surfing, but often you have to set up custom filters.
GlimmerBlocker is free and a pain in the butt and some ads are not already blocked so you have to create the filters yourself. You kinda need to be a bit of a nerd to do that.
Another cool thing with GlimmerBlocker is that you have the option to add a YouTube download link. You also have the option to have YouTube automatically load high quality videos if available. Combined, it makes it really easy to download videos to your computer if you want them for offline viewing. What's even better is that these are in mp4 format which means they can be synced to your iPod, iPhone, etc.
GlimmerBlocker is free and a pain in the butt and some ads are not already blocked so you have to create the filters yourself. You kinda need to be a bit of a nerd to do that.
Another cool thing with GlimmerBlocker is that you have the option to add a YouTube download link. You also have the option to have YouTube automatically load high quality videos if available. Combined, it makes it really easy to download videos to your computer if you want them for offline viewing. What's even better is that these are in mp4 format which means they can be synced to your iPod, iPhone, etc.
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