#they just used NT and AC as a way to try and make a quick buck while churning out... not the best product.

[bimbonetta]

anybody else desperately wish Dissidia NT had turned out to be a good game raise your hand

[butterbuni]

♥ Chapter 5 ~ Recommendation Entrance Exam P1 ♥

Previous Chapter

"You will have 30 minutes to prepare for your written exam, you may converse and study with one another but there will be no conversations during the test. You may start." Cementoss said leaving the stage. I couldn't stop smiling. I am actually here about to take the exam.

I couldn't help smiling like an idiot. I looked around the auditorium, there were so many more people than I expected. At least a 50 by the looks of it.

God this is nerve-racking. I reached into my backpack pulling out the study guide Star made for me. I have to remember to thank him till the end of time. I wonder how he is doing in his exam. Probably acing it like a pro. I hung my head down in defeat. Why is school so hard? I can ace almost anything else but for things like math or chemistry, my mind just stops working.

"Hello" I looked up towards the voice. It was a rather tall girl with beautiful black hair tied up into a ponytail. I gave her a small smile and said "Hello I'm L/N Y/N but please call me Y/N I'm not a fan of formalities" "I am Yaoyorozu Momo, I noticed you were looking quite upset. May I ask why?" She sounded genuinely concerned, she seems so nice. "I just don't feel prepared for this test I feel like I'm going to fail. I am more of a hands-on person rather than a thinker and it just ugghhh" I placed my head on my unopened study guide.

"Maybe I can help you study we still have 25 minutes before the test starts and I could use a study buddy for the time being." I perked my head up to her smiling face. Wow, she's pretty. My brain fart disappeared as I realized what she said. My head straightened a huge smile was plastered on my face "Really you would help me!" "shhhhhhhhhhhh!" A guy behind me who looked like a skeleton with hair. "Sorry I will be quieter" God this is so awkward where is Star when you need him.

"I would love for you to help me it would mean a lot. thank you." She sat down next to me and pulled out her own study guide it was much thicker than mine. She really came prepared. I decided to just scrap my study guide and we went over stuff in hers.

~Shoto's POV~

"Really you would help me!" I looked up from my book to see who was yelling at this time. It's that girl from earlier. She's so unprofessional I thought she would be with the other kids in the regular entrance exam. She obviously doesn't do well in school so why is she even here? I need to focus on this test. I looked back down at my guide. If I want to become a hero I need to pass.

~Back to Y/N~

She makes the work sound so easy way better than Star. If he meets her, I'm pretty sure he will try and challenge her to an intelligence match. I am so glad I met her before the test. Maybe we both get in and see each other in school.

There was a ring indicating that the study session was over. Cementoss came back to the stage as the whole auditorium got quiet. "Everyone please move so there are three seats separating you from other testers." "Good luck Y/N you worked hard so you will be able to pass," Momo said as she moved three seats away. I waved her goodbye and told her good luck as well.

Once everyone was situated, cement blocks rose in front of our tables with the test and a calculator. Cementoss continued to talk. "Once you hear the bell you will begin. You will have 2 hours to complete your exam. Once you are finished with your exam you will place it back on the cement and you may go to the break room. There you will receive a number and you may do any necessary preparations for your practical exam. Remember there will be absolutely no cheating. If you are caught cheating, you will be escorted out of school and you will never be able to retake the exam and you can say goodbye to ever being admitted to UA academy. Good luck." As he left the stage there was another bell indicating the test had begun. I picked up my pencil and opened the packet.

The net effect of photosynthesis, chemically, is reduction, leading to the formation of simple carbohydrates and accompanied by a release of oxygen. True or False.

Oh boy.

__________________

Finally, I'm done with the test. Momo already left. I wonder how she did. She most likely passed she's very smart. I picked up my bag and left the auditorium. There was a sign outside pointing towards the break room. I should probably change first. I did a quick turn and headed for the nearest bathroom. "Oof". Oh jeez. I looked up to face the back of a guy. He had crimson red and white hair split evenly down the center. He was on the taller side but other than that nothing special till he turned around and faced me. My mouth gaped open. He had beautiful different colored eyes and a huge scar over one of them, which was very odd.

"It's rude to stare." He scoffed down at me. I will just ignore that scoff since it was my fault. "Oh sorry, it was an acci..de..nt. You are Endeavor's son! I recognize that blue eye anywhere. My brother is practically obsessed with your family. Though that scar of yours isn't on pictures I've seen," I said in an attempt to break the ice.

He looked at me with absolute hatred in his eyes. Dang, I didn't know bumping into someone will automatically make me hated. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned his scar. "Excuse me I need to be going." I moved out of the way allowing him to pass. As he left, I shouted, "Sorry for bumping into you, it was purely an accident. There is no need to look at me like that!" and ran into the bathroom to change. Such a quiet guy very different from the stories Kean says about Endeavor. I opened my backpack and pulled out my workout clothes. I quickly put them on. It was just some high waisted leggings and a white crop top. Perfect for optimum power use. I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my backpack. Hopefully, I'm not too late I still need some food in my system.

I got to the room where everyone else was and it was pretty full already. I looked around trying to find Momo so at least I will have somebody to talk to. "Ehehm." I looked around for the voice, but I didn't see anyone talking to me. "Down here, dearie." I looked down to see a small elderly woman. My smile grew so wide. "Recovery Girl! Oh, it's so nice to meet you. My mom talks about you all the time. I knew you were going to be at UA as a teacher, but I didn't think I would meet you today at the exam. Oh, this is so exciting. Can I have your autograph?" I gushed out in excitement. "One thing at a time dear. Here is your number it should always be visible at all times till you leave." "Yes ma'am," I said taking the number and putting it on my shirt.

"You must be M/N's daughter. You share the same energetic curious aura that she does. Plus, those ears are hard to forget." She chuckled light-heartedly. I sheepishly laughed. Oh, I wish she won't talk about my ears. "If it's an autograph you want here." She motioned me to come down to her level. I stooped down as she wrote her name on my number paper. "Thank you so much!" "Now now dearie you have a practical exam to get ready for and I have numbers to pass out. Good luck." I waved goodbye.

I walked over to the food table. It was decked out with so much food. My mouth watered as I looked at it all. I could eat everything here in five seconds if I wanted to. "Looks good doesn't it." I heard Momo behind me. "Oh yeah it looks good, even better than good, it looks scrump-dilly-isous." She giggled at my choice of words.

We picked out some food and went to sit down and eat while we wait for the others to finish testing. "So, what's your quirk Momo," I said in between bites. "My quirk is creation. I have the ability to create any non-living material/object from my exposed skin by transforming the molecular structure of my fat cells." "Your quirk is just like my best friend's; he is in the regular entrance exam. Although he doesn't use fat cells but rather imagery using his neocortex. Though he can only use the item for 10 minutes before it disappears. Do your items disappear too?" "No, they are permanent after I create them. So, what's your quirk." "From what I've figured out I can control the elements. Air, fire, earth, and water; the usual but I can lose energy using it a lot. Though there is sub stuff I'm trying to figure out. That is why I am here at UA. Hopefully, they can help me 'reach my full potential' as my brother says." I said with quotation marks.

"Wow, your quirk is so powerful! No wonder you're in recommendations," she said with excitement. I sheepishly laughed, "It's actually not that powerful really. When I first started, I could barely lift a pebble without passing out. My brother says that any quirk can be powerful it all depends on the person and how they use it. Your quirk is awesome you can create anything you want and it's forever. If you wanted you could make so many clothes and video games!" I gushed. "T-That's against the rules! If I make anything I want with my quirk then the circulation of money will be disrupted. As a citizen of this nation, I must increase the flow of money in the economy." she said in an attempt to defend her obvious spending habits.

~Shoto's POV~

'Sorry for bumping into you, it was purely an accident. There is no need to look at me like that!' How did I look at her? I looked up to see the odd girl conversing with another student. She's so odd and weird. How can she be so loud and obnoxious with no regard for other peoples' study time so early in the morning? Not to mention she's dumb and could have used the study time. How in the world did she make it into recommendations. I'll find out as soon as I pass this stupid test. I need to prepare.

"Students we will be taking a bus to the testing site form two lines and board in an orderly fashion!" some random guy yelled into the room.

It's time.

~Y/N POV~

Finally, the fun part is about to begin. "C'mon Momo we got this. Let's go."

[psychologyandneuroscience101]

Transmission between neurons

In this post, we will look at how two neurons send a message between each other.

Just like two people can be said to share a chemical attraction, the process of two neurons sharing information is also a chemical affair.

image: stickman image from canva.com

image: stickman image from canva.com

Synapse

The synapse occurs at the point where the terminal button of one neuron meets the membrane (dendrite or soma) of another neuron.

The is a small gap between the synapse and the membrane known as the synaptic cleft. Information travels through A’s synapse, across the synaptic cleft and into the receptors on neuron B.

Synaptic transmission

Synaptic transmission basically refers to the delivery of a message via a synapse.

Synaptic transmission is a chemical process (as mentioned above) that deals with neurotransmitters.

Here is the process of what happens during synaptic transmission:

Binding

Let’s take a closer look at exactly what happens at step 7, when the neurotransmitter binds to the post-synaptic cell. (The post-synaptic cell is basically the one that’s doing the receiving).

The receptors in the membrane of the post-synaptic cell contain these things called ion channels. You can picture these as doors into/out of the cell.

These ion channels either let ions in or out of the postsynaptic cell.

The method in which these ion channel doors are opened involves things called neurotransmitters. The role of a neurotransmitter is to bind themselves to a receptor’s binding site. This will let the receptor’s ion channel will open and allow ions to move either in or out of the postsynaptic cell.

So, think of the neurotransmitters as being little keys and the binding sites on the receptors are the locks. Binding to a binding site unlocks the door and opens the ion channel door.

However – there’s a catch, each neurotransmitter will only bind to one certain type of receptor. For instance, one neurotransmitter may only bind to a binding site on a receptor that handles Na+ ions (i.e. one with an ion channel that lets Na+ ions into the cell). Another may only bind to a binding site on a receptor that handles K+ ions, etc.

This is called a lock and key system. Each neurotransmitter only binds to one type of receptor, in the same way that one key can only unlock one lock.

Remember – letting ions into and out of the cell creates a certain postsynaptic potential (fancy name for the receiving cell’s charge).

The postsynaptic potential that is created (excitatory or inhibitory) depends on which ion channel (door) is unlocked and thus, which ions are moving into/out of the cell.

You can have two types of postsynaptic potential:

EPSP = excitatory postsynaptic potential

IPSP = inhibitory postsynaptic potential

An EPSP basically means that the receiving neuron cell has been encouraged to fire and send on the message to other neurons.

So, if your neurons were passing along this message: “JUMP”, a specific ion channel would be opened on the postsynaptic cell that would allow a certain type of ion through that would result in the creation of an EPSP.

This would encourage the neuron to fire and pass on the message to other neurons, leading to the behaviour eventually being carried out.

Whereas, an IPSP means that a receiving neuron has been discouraged from firing and sending on the message.

So, if the message were “DON’T OPEN YOUR HAND AND DROP THE BOILING PAN OF WATER”, then a different ion channel would open on the postsynaptic cell that would allow a different type of ion to enter/leave the cell, thus creating an IPSP.

This would prevent the neuron from firing and thus, stop you from opening your hand and dropping the pan.

But which ions create an EPSP and which create an IPSP?

I’m glad you asked.

  Na+

Na+ can only move INTO the postsynaptic cell and not out. If a whole lot of Na+ does enter the postsynaptic cell then an EPSP is created. This means that the cell will become depolarised (when the postsynaptic cell’s charge moves closer to zero).

Try imagining that the postsynaptic cell is in financial debt and the Na+ ions are a form of currency. As more Na+ ions enter the cell, the cell’s outlook on life becomes less negative.

Also, you can remember that depolarised = moves closer to zero because polarised = gains electric charge so depolarised must mean that it is losing that charge.

K+

K+ can only move OUT of the postsynaptic cell. If a lot of K+ does exit the cell, then an IPSP is caused in the postsynaptic cell. This hyperpolarises the postsynaptic cell, making it more negative.

Imagine that the post-synaptic cell is upset that all the K+ ions are leaving, like it’s losing it’s babies, so as a result it has a more negative outlook on life.

Cl-

Cl- can only move INTO the postsynaptic cell. If lots of Cl- enters the postsynaptic cell, then an IPSP is caused in the postsynaptic cell. This hyperpolarises the postsynaptic cell, so that it becomes more negative.

Imagine that the  postsynaptic cell is enjoying it’s life, minding it’s own business, then a hoard of Cl- ions move into it’s membrane – disturbing it’s peace. This leaves the postsynaptic cell feeling rather negative. Like when your younger siblings burst into your room and ruin your peaceful chill time.

Ca2+

This one is a sneaky one. He’s very different from the rest. Be sure to look out for him. Basically, Ca2+ can only move INTO the cell and once it is in there it’s main job is to activate enzymes. Forget all that IPSP and EPSP nonsense, Ca2+ ain’t go time for that.

In summary:

Confused?

Let’s go through it again from the top:

(NT = neurotransmitter)

    So, as you can see, the neurotransmitters work as keys to unlock the ion channel doors on the receptors, so that ions can pass in and out of the cell. As ions pass in and out of the cell, the appropriate PSP (postsynaptic potential) is created that either encourages or discourages a given behaviour from happening.

Receptors

Receptors sit on the edge of the post-synaptic cell and their job is to receive the incoming ions/messages.

Receptors come in two types:

ionotropic receptors

metabotropic receptors

Both types have binding sites. Binding sites are the points where the neurotransmitter attaches to the receptor, thus opening the ion channel and allowing ions to enter the post-synaptic cell.

Ionotropic receptor (eye on oh trow pik) – Direct method

With an ionotropic receptor, the ion channel on the receptor will only open when a neurotransmitter binds to that receptor’s binding site.

Think of the neurotransmitter as a key to open the receptor’s “ion channel” door. The binding site would then be the lock.

This method is good for things that you need to be updated quickly – like your sense of sight and hearing.

Think DIRECT = QUICK.

Metabotropic receptor (meh tab oh trow pik) – Indirect method

The use of metabotropic receptors makes up the indirect method of transmission between neurons.

This is how metabotropic receptors work:

Here’s a plain text version too (for access reasons):

NT binds to the ion channel (NT= neurotransmitter)

This activates the G-protein

G-protein activates an enzyme

Enzyme produces second messengers (blue arrows on diagram)

Second messengers open the ion channels

So, as you can see, they work using a chain reaction.

This chain reaction means that postsynaptic potentials (PSPs) are produced slower than those made by ionotropic receptors.

This is good for stuff that you need to last for a while, for instance, sense of taste, smell and pain.

You can try and remember that metabotropic receptors form the indirect method of transmission between neurons by associating “metabotropic” with the term “meta”.

When a piece of creative work is termed as meta, it usually means that it indirectly refers to itself or it’s genre/industry. An example of a meta-movie could be a movie about people making their own movie about the film industry. Therefore, the meta-movie would be an indirect comment on itself/it’s industry.

Thus, we can think metabotropic = meta = indirect method.

Likewise, we can then remember that ionotropic receptors must be the direct method by default.

Image credit: memegenerator.net

Termination

Let’s look more closely at how the excess neurotransmitter left outside the cell dissipated away.

This dissipation mainly happens via two ways:

1. Enzymatic deactivation/degradation 

The neurotransmitter is eventually broken down by an enzyme into other substances.

e.g., acetylcholinesterase (a see tul koh lin ess ter ace) breaks down Ach into choline and acetic acid.

2. Reuptake

The excess neurotransmitter is taken back into the presynaptic terminal (the cell it just came out of).

Neural integration

The excitatory PSPs (postsynaptic potentials) increase the chance that the neuron will fire.

Whereas, the inhibitory PSPs decrease the chance that the neuron will fire.

Integration is basically the fancy term for when you take the excitatory PSPs then take away the inhibitory PSPs.The total postsynaptic potential from that equation determines whether the neuron will actually fire or not.

(Note: the numbers in the picture above are meaningless and are merely to illustrate the integration process)

Important points:

It is important to remember that inhibitory PSPs don’t always inhibit behaviour.

If there’s an inhibition of inhibitory neurons then there’s a greater chance of behaviour occurring .

E.g. So, an inhibitory neuron may be stopping you dropping a heavy bowling ball that you’re carrying onto your friend’s foot. Use an IPSP to inhibit those neurons (turn them off) and you’ll have one less friend…and your friend will have one broken foot.

If there’s an excitation of inhibitory neurons then there’s less chance of behaviour occurring.

E.g. So, another inhibitory neuron might be stopping you from dropping a pan of boiling water onto your foot. Luckily for you, using an EPSP to excite this neuron boosts its inhibiting power meaning that you are extremely unlikely to drop the pan.

Think of EPSPs and IPSPs like potions or pills. If an inhibitory neuron takes an EPSP pill, it becomes excited and does it’s job of inhibiting behaviour twice as hard. If an inhibitory neuron takes an IPSP pill, it becomes inhibited and is less effective at it’s job of inhibiting behaviour.

(Side note: don’t do drugs, kids)

Neurotransmitters

The following neurotransmitters are all actually amino acids.

Let’s look at some of the main neurotransmitters and what they do:

Glutamate

Glutamate is the most common excitatory neurotransmitter floating around in your CNS (central nervous system).

It’s unique in that it has the ability to bind to a large number of receptors.

Glutamate is particularly important for learning and memory processes.

You can remember this because you can say that glutamate makes information stick in your head like glue.

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)

GABA is the most common inhibitory neurotransmitter in your CNS.

This means that GABA’s main job is to lower the likelihood of a neuron firing.

Basically, GABA is a massive party-pooper.

Acetylcholine (ACh) (a see tul koh leen)

Image credit: muscle image from Clker.com

ACh is a neurotransmitter that is located in both the CNS and the PNS (peripheral nervous system).

In particular, ACh is usually located at neuromuscular junctions.

Hence, ACh has a big role in muscle contraction.

Some poisons have been created that exploit the use of ACh in the CNS:

Curare (kew rahr ee)

Image credit: muscle image from Clker.com

Curare is an ACh antagonist. This means that it blocks the functioning of ACh.

By doing this, curare effectively prevents muscle contraction from happening, leaving the victim paralysed.

Muscarine

Image credit: mask from Clker.com

Muscarine is an ACh agonist. This means that is disguises itself as ACh, thus creating a battle between itself and the genuine ACh at binding sites.

Uses for these poisons

These two poisons have actually been put to use in:

hunting (by using darts coated in curare to paralyse a target)

surgery (as a local anaesthetic)

Monoamines

The following neurotransmitters are known as the monoamines.

They are made by the neurons in your brain.

They are also G-protein coupled (so, they have a G-protein attached to them. Don’t worry too much about this – just remember it).

The monoamines can be either excitatory or inhibitory – it all depends on which receptor subtype they bind to. In a sense, they’re kind of like chameleons.

Let’s take a look at two member of the monoamine family and what jobs they do:

Dopamine:

Think of dopamine as a drug baron (stay with me here).

The things it cares about are:

motor control (being in control of your body)

reward (such as cold, hard cash)

addiction (dopamine explains why many drugs are so addictive)

Looking at it like that, it would be easy to picture a dopamine as a greedy, cruel drug baron. We could even call him Donny “the drug lord” Dopamine.

Image credit: Clker.com

Serotonin:

Serotonin is another member of the monoamine family.

Serotonin is basically a stereotypical mum. It has many jobs to do in order to keep you functioning, these include:

Checking that you’re feeling okay (mood regulation)

Making sure you’re eating right (regulating eating)

Making sure you’re getting enough sleep (regulating sleep)

Making sure you’re paying attention when crossing the street etc (regulating arousal)

Letting you know when to stop doing something before you get really badly hurt (experience of pain)

Image credit: Clker.com

Think you’ve got it?

Test yourself here

Transmission between neurons Transmission between neurons In this post, we will look at how two neurons send a message between each other.

[victakestaipei]

WEEK 5 RECAP: “Hair Care, After-Rain, and Porn on the Bus”

Hello Folks,

My week this week started off pretty rocky (and painful), as I’m sure you’ve gathered from my previous post.. but overall I can’t really complain about how the rest of the week played out...

Wednesday: 

Today in class I got my first 100 percent on a quiz!!! Granted it was just a vocabulary quiz and not written dialogue sentences, but I’m still proud as hell. I also introduced my teacher to the movie Finding Nemo and how to “dab”. She’s so adorable and I just love her enthusiasm.

In the gym I ran a 8:53 mile… my body was hating me for skipping the past two days. I had a cramp in my left side the entire time I was running, so by the time I finished the mile I felt like I had done ab day instead of leg day…

After the gym we got caught in the pouring rain. Like raining cats and dogs.

This is common after a typhoon (the after-rain), but I was just salted that we got caught in it and that my socks were so dang wet. Every step made a squishing noise and my thin mesh Adidas weren’t made for that... The three of us went to lunch with one of our classmates, Mika, at that Italian place I had last week. Mika is from California... Cupertino I believe? And she’s super sweet and we’re always cracking up in class together. 

Above is a creeper picture Mika took with our teacher hehe.... I screenshotted it from a snapchat she sent me so DONT HATE ME MIKA

At lunch I ordered this spicy spaghetti with sausage dish... it was super good!! Although I found myself sweating while I was eating... but that could have been due to the fact that I was wet with rain and then sitting in a booth having lunch...

This was my desert    v     I can’t remember the name, but it was chocolate. I thought the consistency would be different when I ordered it, but it was more of like a pudding. I was pleasantly surprised ;)

After lunch we went to the stationary store and bought more school supplies that I really didn’t need. I bought more pens and a notebook, for the upcoming semester. Everything is so cute in that store and I could literally spend all day in there (it’s my favorite past time to be so honest....looking at stationary) lol. Lame, I know.

After that I came home, took a long shower, and a long long nap. I woke up about 9:15pm to a FaceTime call, and then decided to get up and be productive. I finished my homework fairly quickly, and for dinner Bunny and I got McDonald’s because the Gong guan night market was completely closed, I think due to the heavy rain today. I got a spicy chicken sandwich and it was 10x better than a hot n Spicy, and we ALL KNOW how much those SLAP!!! 

I knocked out after 2 am because my nap was a bit longer than it should’ve been... I think I was so tired because of how winded I was from the gym.

Oh Also!!! Today in the shower I did a co-wash, and after it dried I noticed that my hair has grown significantly while I’ve been here… so shout out to my ABLE Queen Sade: I’m going to drop some quick tips on my hair care routine: 

Usually I co-wash every week to week and a half. I only wash with shampoo maybe 1-2 a month (depending on what I’ve been doing...swimming, etc). I also oil/massage my scalp about three times a week. I am currently using small amounts of coconut oil on my scalp to massage, because this is the only oil I brought from the States and I don’t want my hair to be too too oily. But usually when I’m home, I switch it up between Moroccan/Argan Oil, Carrot Oil, Shea Oil, Coconut Oil etc. I also use a lot of leave-in conditioners and moisturizers in my hair. Right now I’m using the Aussie 3 minute moist deep conditioner as a leave-in and I love love LOVE this product. I love the Aussie Moist line in general and it’s pretty cost effective which is good. I also use the Cantu deep conditioning repair creme, as well as the Shea Moisture curl enhancing smoothie. Apart from all of that, I also try to stay consistent with braiding or twisting my hair up and keeping it stretched when I sleep. I didn’t bring my silk scarf with me to Taiwan (ugh) but I still sleep with like a bandana on or a regular scarf most nights. I drink a lot of water and the humidity does the rest! 

My burn on my arm is still a blistering, bubbling, sensitive, mess. I have to sleep on my right side so that I don’t get the burn creme all over my sheets. Woooo.

Thursday:

I woke up on time today, and pretty well rested… I think due to the fact that I took an extra long nap yesterday… anyway, I got to class on time, after eating a banana and pastry for breakfast. I really need to cut back on all the bread I eat but it’s just SO convenient. But I’m going to try to make a more consistent effort to not stuff my face with bread every morning. Wish me luck! Ya girl loves the bread.

We had a quiz today, again, and in class we talked about a bunch of different stuff, from Finding Nemo, to K-Pop stars, to this strange student our teacher had last semester, to screaming goats, etc... We also planned a date for all of us as a class, including the teacher, to go and get hot pot as like a class bonding/field trip type experience! I’m excited. I love our little class, we have a ball, and we’re definitely the loudest class in terms of hearing the laughter echo down the hallway. It’s always a good time. 

*NOTE: So the story about the strange girl I mentioned above is pretty interesting.... Our teacher was telling us how she had this student in her 8am class last semester (who still goes here) and she’s in her 30s. She comes to class every morning with a visor on, a hood on, huge sunglasses, and an ace-bandage type thing that she uses to wrap around her neck and face, up to her nose. Basically she’s a mummy and completely covered from the sun. She is Thai, and pale as hell. (But here in Asia, the paler and skinnier you are, the better!) Anyway, the weird part about the story is that she comes into class in the morning, with hella food. And she has two cellphones. One of them she uses as her normal phone, and the other, she props up on this type of “stand” and records herself. It seems like she’s on videochat or a FaceTime of sorts, but in reality, she records herself constantly, and it’s more of a stream. She doesn’t physically converse back and forth with anyone.  Our teacher and other students in my class (who have seen her around) think that she is one of those people who gets paid to constantly stream themselves so that creepy fetish people can watch them do their daily duties. Weird right?

Anyway let’s shift back...

By the end of the three hour period, my tiredness had hit me full force. I was dying to hear that bell ring at 1:10. After class we went to the gym, per usual, and it was back day / booty (floor) day for me. My butt was so sore I feel like I’m walking funny. But I know it’ll all be worth it and I’m already seeing improvements! Go me!!!

The gym on the Main Campus that we normally use will be closing at the end of this week. They’re hosting a huge event during the month of August, so tomorrow is our last day to use the facility. Bunny and I checked out the gym on our Gong guan campus, where our dorm is, and it’s definitely not as nice but it’ll do the job. There’s also no AC or treadmills though which sucks… but there’s a track, so I guess I have to get used to running that way, and not being able to really track my progress as easily. Bummer.

After the gym we went to eat at the potsticker place by our main campus. I ordered half curry and half vegetable pot stickies, and they’re bomb, per usual.

After we had lunch we went to the computer labs on campus to do our homework. Like peasants… I don’t have a laptop anymore, and Bunny’s laptop doesn’t have a disk drive, so the listening portion of our homework needs to be done at school now. But, it didn’t take as long as it usually does to get it done, because I was definitely more focused (because I wanted to get home).

We started on our journey home around 4-5pm. The bus was poppin!!! I think because it was later in the day... While on the bus, there was a man who was on his phone with his earphones in... pretty normal. But, he moved to stand next to me on the bus and I unintentionally looked at his phone screen and he was watching porn on the bus! HAHA. I immediately looked at Bunny and mouthed the word “PORN” and she starts cracking up. After he got off the bus, she told me how one of his earphones wasn’t in his ear, so she could hear the moans and stuff from the video. Wow. I want to say that I was completely surprised by this, (because of the fact that Asians in Asia are more private with their sexuality in general vs. Americans), but I guess a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.

I got up around 9pm and we headed to the night market to eat around 10/10:30. We got these Vietnamese sandwiches at one of the vendor stands. They were 60 NT (around $2 US). I wanted to try the chicken sandwich but she had run out so I went for the spicy pork option instead. Very very tasty. It was basically like a hoagie, but the bread was a bit crunchier than I expected. And I also got some spring rolls, and they were huge, but I didn’t like them and didn’t even finish them. Definitely a disappointment. 

Also my bubbling/blistering burn has started to slightly deflate, but I think to make up for that, it’s started to spread more outward. Still looks disgusting. Still might scar. Still keeps me up at night.

Friday:

This morning I tried something new!!! I didn’t go to the bakery! CAN I GET A HALLELUJAH!!! Making moves!!! But.... I still had bread. 

This morning I opted for an egg sandwich for breakfast and a milk tea... There’s a cafe in front of our main MTC building (where all our classes are held)... and I have never come here for breakfast but I’m definitely going to start after today... simply because they have alternatives to bread, and it’s CHEAPER.

Our class today went by SO quickly. I can’t even remember half the things we talked about, but our chapter is covering “Recycling” so I know that was the main topic of conversation. 

Taiwan is SUPER BIG on recycling here. It’s been hard to adjust. In our dorm, we don’t have recycling bins on our floor. The only recycling bins/main trash bins we have, is on the ground floor of the dorm. Bunny and I have a trashcan in our room, but we never separate our trash (by plastics, glass, paper, normal trash, and food trash/compost), because in all honesty, WHO HAS THE TIME? .... because of this, we just throw everything into our trash can and then when it gets to be too overfilled, we take our trashbag down to the main floor, and tie it up and set it gently down next to the recycling bins.... I know, we’re terrible human beings. But it would be easier if they put the bins on our same floor, because no one wants to go up and down four flights of stairs every time they need to throw something away... It’s unreasonable. And today after class there was a note on the main chalkboard saying something about the trash... But Bunny and I couldn’t read/understand all the words so we just shrugged it off hahaha. Again, I know, we’re terrible human beings... but maybe if the janitor lady wanted to get the message across to the foreigners (she knows we’re foreigners because literally everyone here recycles), then she would just to write it in English??... Just a thought...

Today was leg day at the gym. Again, today is our last day at the gym due to the gym being closed for the rest of the month for an event... and I didn’t want to run my mile but I did it anyway... came out at 8:55. By the skin of my teeth. It was tough. Bunny also left early from the gym to go home and get started on packing/checking into her flight online, because she’s going to Hong Kong for the weekend! How fun.

I met with Mika after the gym, and we met on the Shi Da night market by campus. I found her in the beauty shop, because she wanted to buy falsies (and quite frankly so did I), but the beauty shop had tons of other cool stuff too (eyelid tape, tons of face masks, all kinds of makeup (not a variety of skin tones though), etc.)...

While in the shop, I looked outside and it appeared as though I was going to get caught in the pouring rain for the second time this week. But, this time I didn’t bring an umbrella. UGH. So, I did the most logical thing I could think of: I stole an abandoned umbrella from outside the beauty shop... Here in Taiwan, most people bring an umbrella with them everywhere they go. To either hide from the rain, or shield from the sun (...wouldn’t want to get too dark huh Lady?)... But if it’s raining and then the rain stops, a lot of people leave/abandon their umbrellas outside of shops or convenient stores in the rack provided. They do this because umbrellas here are so cheap, no one wants to lug them around all day. So luckily for me, getting caught in the rain, there were about 10 umbrellas sitting in the rack outside the shop, just waiting to be picked up by Muah. I knew they were abandoned because Mika and I were the only people in the store, and the umbrellas were sitting there when I walked into the store (before it rained). SO BLESS UP. 

We went to the curry spot to eat a few stores down... then later hopped on the bus to head home. Mika lives by the Gong guan market, which is where Bunny and I frequently get dinner. But Mika usually takes the MRT to get to school everyday, which I told her is a bit more expensive than the bus, and the bus just as convenient. So I took her home with me on the bus so she could learn the ropes.

Bunny was gone when I got home, she had already left to head to the airport. I took a shower and was SO PLEASED and GRATEFUL that she left me her laptop to use while she was away for the weekend (in Hong Kong). I am now fully caught up on my shows (Power and Insecure), and I’m able to blog from home rather than go to campus and do all my blogging on Monday in the computer lab (campus is closed on the weekend). BUNNY IS THE BEST ROOMMATE EVER CAN WE PLEASE ALL FORM A PRAYER CIRCLE AND PRAISE GOD FOR HER EXISTENCE.

Around 9:30pm I emerged from my cave to get potstickers (to-go) and came right back home to relax a bit more and draft my blog posts. 

Also, Green Tea ice cream is easily one of my favorite flavors, and they have it in these little baby pint size containers that they sell at the convenient store. They are so so good. They are my guilty pleasure. That is all.

Around 11:30pm I crawled into bed while on Facetime with Lijah, (if you’re reading this, Hi!! I love you!!!) and got incredibly sleepy after that. I think it’s because I was laying down and I hadn’t had my nap today.... I knocked out just before midnight and woke up around 7:30am fully rested. I was going to go out to the bar last night but I’m so glad that I didn’t. Tomorrow (saturday) I have plans to spend the better part of the morning/afternoon enjoying the Emerald Hills of Maokong.  More on that to come!

xoxo