120 Pallet

Here it is! [For Aaliyah] I finally took pics and uploaded some swatches of my 120 pallet. Sorry but my digital camera is CRAP, so the pigments of the swatches don't look that good. Generally I'm impressed. The pigments are great. Most of the colors show up vibrantly on my skin tone (MAC NC50). And there are LOTS of colors to choose from....120..DUH! The price for this, in my opinion was cheap. around $25 Canadian off of eBay. I didn't mind spending close to $30 because normally one eye shadow is like $3 for a drug store brand and $15 for a MAC. These are equally pigmented as MAC products. Over all I think it's worth it for a general pallet.

Pros:
- Affordable
- 120 different colors to choose from (there are two blacks, but that can be a good thing)
- Each pot is about the size of a dime
- Shimmer and matte
- Two stacks
- Plastic cover
- Heavily pigments
- Easy to blend
- Lasts longs/ doesn't fade
- Don't necessarily need a base/primer
- Easy to fix broken pots

Cons:
- Breaks easily
- Had a few broken pots from the delivery process
- Pallet pots can messy
- Case is glossy, finger prints show up
- Case isn't very sturdy
- Not something you can fit in your purse. Can't separate the colors. Either take it as a whole or don't take it at all!
- Can only purchase online.



Here are some pictures of the pallet



Some swatches (NC50 Skin Tone, no base/primer)

21st Century Breakdown

The 8th Green Day album 21st Century Breakdown was released on May 15th, 2009, and I haven't stopped listening to it since!

That's the thing about Green Day, Billie, Tre and Mike NEVER fail to impress me. Can I define Punk Rock? Maybe not, but I'm pretty positive Green Day is somewhere in the description! If not, then they should be!

Tracks:

Act 1 - Heroes and Cons

1. “21st Century Breakdown”
2. “Know Your Enemy” [First Released Single]
3. “¡Viva La Gloria!”
4. “Before the Lobotomy”
5. “Christian’s Inferno”
6. “Last Night on Earth”

Act 2 - Charlatans and Saints

7. “March of the Dogs”
8. “East Jesus Nowhere”
9. “Peacemaker”
10. “Last of the American Girls”
11. “¿Viva La Gloria?”
12. “Restless Heart Syndrome”

Act 3 - Horseshoes and Handgrenades

13. “Horseshoes and Handgrenades”
14. “Drama Queen”
15. “Static Age”
16. “21 Guns”
17. “American Eulogy”
18. “See the Light”

As you can see, the track listening has been organized into three "acts", which I personally find brilliant and creative. I believe the total time run on the CD is approximately 65-70 minutes, which is very decent. There isn't so much as an obvious planned story line, but in an MTV interview Billie Joe explained that a story was not their intention. Rather, the plot of the two characters (as seen on the cover of the album) came after the songs were produced.

To be honest, I was worried. American Idiot was (excuse my language) a fucking master-minded work of brilliant art! From instrumentals, to the story line, to Billie Joe's soothing voice. It was everything I loved about music. Because of this, part of me wondered if this new album compared. I was not disappointed. Not only is 21st AMAZING, but it is not over powering Idiot, yet its not below. It's the perfect fit in Green Day's musical history.

Although I think all the tracks are super, a few stand out. Some of my favs: Know your enemy, 21 Guns, and Static.

Now I know people will argue that this is far from Green Day's first few albums. People grow! Things change! GD's been in this business since 1990! That's a long time! New experiences, changes to our world, especially political changes and new circumstances have arose. GD's music finds ways to adapt to that! I personally think this is another epic album. Maybe it's not for everyone, but even if you're not a GD fan, at least check out the lyrics! There are some pretty touching lines!!

Here's a widget with the tracks *Hoping it works*

21st Century Breakdown - Green...

Same-Sex Marriages: My Stance

First of all, for any of you who were actually expecting any intelligence from the Miss U.S.A pageant… SHAME ON YOU!!!

Anyways, moving onto the issue. I won’t bother repeating the whole controversy, because if you haven’t been living under a rock, then you’d know it already.

Gay marriages.

I support them! I don’t have a problem with the gays/lesbians/bisexuals. However, growing up in our society and being a kid who went to public school amongst other young idiots, I can see how people have a problem with it.

Growing up, “you’re so gay” has always been a common insult. In my surroundings, being gay was always seen as something wrong or degrading. It was something that you shouldn’t be or shouldn’t want to be.

Thankfully I grew up and learned that I can question things like this. I’m an atheist, I don’t believe in God or religion. So why should the law be focused around something that over religious “Christian” freaks claim is key in the bible? I’m not Christian. Isn’t the law meant to protect all of us?

I guess for me, my turn around happened when I was asked “well why shouldn’t gays be allowed to get married?” I couldn’t answer it. Why shouldn’t two people who love each other be allowed to get married? If their both consenting adults, then they should have the same rights as a straight couple. Who the hell am I to say someone should have their rights taken away from them?

I don’t believe the Government the right to go behind bedroom doors. I don’t think there should be a ban on gay marriages.

If the government and “concerned” citizens want to focus on bedroom issues, then I think they should pay more attention to the children and families who go to bed cold and hungry because they can’t afford the necessary living conditions.

Gay marriages are legal in Ontario. Canada in general has been accepting of this. However in Ontario alone, 1 of every 6 child is living below the poverty line. I’m sure these numbers are similar or worse in other provinces and states. So why focus so much attention on preventing people from getting married? They’re not hurting anyone! The people who are hurting…they’re hurting because of the economy. The gays are not to blame for that. So leave them alone, and focus on fixing the lives of the citizens who need assistance.

How many more parents need to walk in on their child hanging from their closet? Or get a call from the police saying their child has been murdered? Why? Because their kid is gay? Being gay isn’t what killed them. It’s the ignorance that we pass on that got them killed.

Instead of parents holding up signs protesting against gay marriages, because they’re scared their child is going to become corrupted, they should protest outside their damn school to have more resources for bullying. They should protest for better education. I know we can’t always watch over kids and control what they say or think. But I think more effort can be put into preventing a child from taking their own life. A child should not be murdered by their peers because they’re different.

In all honesty, I see this as another excuse for poor parenting skills. If you want to walk around high and all mighty as a “faithful Christian”, then go ahead. Just don’t destroy human rights.

I disagree with how Miss California answered her question. I believe that Perez Hilton brought up a good point; Miss USA is suppose to represent all Americans, and not alienate anyone. You can still have your opinion while being politically correct.

But again, I was not expecting any intelligence from a pageant.

Some interesting reads:

http://www.psr.edu/news/former-miss-california-defends-same-sex-marriage [Former Miss California contestant's view on same-sex marriage. Provides a better insight to the bible]

http://www.campaign2000.ca/rc/pdf/OntarioReportCard2006.pdf [2006 Ontario report discussing child proverty]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcMEL3_YsVI [Ellen Degeneres on the Lawrence King tragedy]

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/dekalb/stories/2009/04/21/boy_suicide_bullying_decatur.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab