Tiana Feng

Adventure Time’s Card Wars

April 17, 2015Board Games, Entertainment2 Comments

When we saw Finn and Jake play Card Wars in an episode of Adventure Time, we wished so hard that it was a real game.

And it turns out it is. A single Card Wars Collectors Pack is approximately $20 and has two decks so two people can play right away. I decided to buy all the decks out so far (I think they will release more later). That way, we can switch it up and games would be different each time.

One thing to note is that it is exactly like the game in the episode meaning that the Adventure Time characters (Finn, Jake, Princess Bubblegum etc) aren’t actually part of the deck. Though you can imagine you are one of those characters if you wish. In fact, there is a “Hero deck” (optional) that exists where you can pretend you are characters from the show and gain special bonuses. The cards are actually ridiculous made up characters with hilarious descriptions in brand with the show. There are landscape cards, spells and even punch out hit points so you are fully ready to go in each box.

Like in the show, the winner of a match is damed the “Cool Guy” and the loser the “Dweeb”. Players try to protect their land so that their “Hero” (yourself) doesn’t get any hit points. Certain monsters need specific landscapes in order to work. The game is a lot of strategy, fun and laughs.

Let yourself have cake

April 16, 2015Inspiration, LifeLeave a Comment

View this post on Instagram

Accidentally sent everyone in Toronto a link to cake so eating my feelings in cake.

A post shared by Tiana Feng (@tianafeng) on Apr 15, 2015 at 12:41pm PDT

Every day there are trials and dumb things that happen and things that are beyond your control. Don’t forget to reward yourself every once and a while that you’ve survived.

15 Days of No Complaining

April 15, 201530 Day Challenge, Inspiration, Life1 Comment

Being mindful of others is important, just like in a game of Chinese Checkers!

As you know from my previous post, I am trying not to complain for the entire month of April. I am only half way into the month and it’s been a long and arduous journey. Complaining is so natural in our nature. Sometimes I don’t even notice it until after. I realize some relationships with other people are built entirely on complaining and this isn’t healthy.

I’ve observed how much myself and others complain on a daily basis. In the course of an hour, this can be hundreds of times. I haven’t completely eliminated it but I’ve become more mindful. Instead of complaining about someone, I’d consider other people’s perspective more when they did something that annoyed me. I’d also became more aggressive in taking actions to prevent things I’d later perceive as problems.

I participated in less gossip and in return people gossiped to me less. At first I felt a little bit left out, but keeping a positive outlook has actually made me a much happier, better (in my mind) person.

Boss Monsters Card Game

April 14, 2015Board Games, EntertainmentLeave a Comment

Ever wanted to be the evil villain in video games instead of the Hero?

Well now you can with the Boss Monsters card game. Essentially you are the boss of a dungeon and heroes go through your various rooms and try to survive. Your objective is to make sure they don’t. If five survive you loose, if you destroy 10 you win.

The original deck comes with heroes, monster rooms, trap rooms, bosses and spells. We also purchased the first expansion set which introduces hero items. The cards parody classic video games.

We have been playing the game with the two of us and it’s fun but we feel like it would much more of a challenge with 3 or 4 people.

Apparently a Boss Monsters mobile game is coming out. You can find out more at Brotherwise Games.

Can You Tell I Dyed My Hair?

April 13, 2015Beauty, Fashion4 Comments

Yesterday I bought a box of L’Oreal Superior Preference Noir Fatal hair colour in a deep plum colour (NF03). It was essentially a black colour that was supposed to show highlights of dark purple.

Here’s a photo after I dyed my hair. Can you tell the difference?

There isn’t really much difference. It was a darker colour on my hair so it coloured my lighter ends. However the shine ended up being more red than purple. My hunt for a purple highlight colour continues!

Why I Moved To Adobe Creative Cloud

April 12, 2015Technology2 Comments

For the first time in 10 years, I bought a legitimate and updated copy of Adobe Photoshop. In the past, I’ve always had either versions that came with cameras or less than reliable versions I’ve downloaded from the internet. I decided to subscribe to the photography package that includes Adobe Photshop CC and Lightroom 5 for $10/month.

Even though people criticized Adobe’s move to the Cloud I found many advantages:

$10 month is affordable. In the past, each iteration of Photoshop would cost like $500. Even previous copies of Lightroom costed around $200 on it’s own. At $10 a month, this would only be $120 year. I feel that the only people who complain about this pricing are people who’ve probably never bought it in the past.

It will always be the most updated copy. For $120 year you can always have the most updated version instead of forking up more money to own a piece of software. People need to let go of the idea of ownership in software.

There are some awesome upgrades from CS6. Camera shake reduction, smart sharpen, perspective changing are some unique advantages to the Creative Cloud software.

The option to save things on the cloud. Each subscription comes with 20GB in Adobe’s Cloud so you can always have your projects on hand. There are also mobile apps that allow you to continue working on your devices.

It can be installed on two computers. When you buy a Creative Cloud license you can have it installed on two computers regardless of operating system, so you don’t need to worry about buying the right discs.

It’s convenient and safe. No more disabling updates or using dodgy practises to change a computer’s registry which can affect the longevity of a computer.

For the price of one less burger a month, I can have the best photo editing software out there in my arsenal.

Nordic Brunch @ Karelia Kitchen

April 11, 2015April 11, 2015Food, Restaurant Reviews5 Comments

This morning I had brunch with friends at nearby Scandinavian restaurant Karelia Kitchen. I ordered the Potato Pancake $14 which had hot smoked trout, beet and horseradish cured gravlax, and a poached duck egg. There was also a strawberry and a yellow berry. Everything on the plate was super fresh and delicious.
I also added a side of smoked strip and loin bacon. The portion was a lot bigger than I expected! The bacon was brunchy and had just the right amount of salt.

We all drank coffee with our meal. Milk and sugar came in shot glasses which I thought was funny.

I couldn’t resist the desserts in the display so I chose the oreo cheesecake topped with berries which I believe were freeze dried and added a nice crunch.

I’m excited to discover a new spot in my neighbourhood to indulge in weekend brunch!

100 Days of Blogging

April 10, 201530 Day Challenge, Inspiration, Life2 Comments

I can’t believe that I’ve been blogging for 100 consecutive days in 2015 so far! It’s a goal that my best friend and I have both achieved together. In past years, we tried blogging for a month but always failed. Now to reach 100 days is definitely an achievement. We’re not quitting either. Let’s see if we can hit 365 (or more)!

I’ve learned a lot in these 100 days. I’m now less critical about what I put out. Having to post things occasionally leads me to take a bit more risks, and not be so worried if others will think it’s dumb or stupid. I’ve also become quite efficient at writing. The written posts don’t take more than 10-15 minutes. That’s not to say they are hastily done or sloppy by any means. The words have just come easier. I second guess myself a lot less. This skill has also translated itself when I sit down to write album reviews on Ride the Tempo.

I love blogging and I don’t think I could ever stop. It’s a diary. A place to air my thoughts. A place to experiment. A world that has helped me through some hard times. To know that one person is reading means the world, let alone the fact I now have over 400 subscribers. Thank you all.

Now let’s continue exploring the world together.

OROGOLD

April 9, 2015Beauty, ShoppingLeave a Comment

I bought these OROGOLD products 6 months ago. It was October and we were celebrating something at the end of the work day so I had had some drinks. For some reason I decided to go shopping afterwards at Yonge & Bloor. The sales lady outside the OROGOLD shop handed me a sample and I took it. Before I knew it, I was taken into the store and offered a demonstration. I was there for at least 30 minutes and I really needed to pee so I told her no thank you to the price she offered. Then she gave me a final offer of $60 for the 24k Deep Peeling Mask and Renewal Night cream so I said FINE. Whatever. I just really wanted to leave and pee. According to the prices on their official site, I actually got a decent deal.

I’ve been using the products twice a week for 6 months now so I’ll give you an honest review despite their semi-annoying sales tactics.

Both products came in little spheres in a fancy box with a certificate of authenticity. They definitely looked like they were luxury products.

The 24K Deep Peeling mask had the consistency of glue with little gold flakes. To be honest, I don’t really know the advantage of having gold in facial products but it looks nice. I used it mostly in my T-zone, and around my lips. It did a good job of rubbing off dead skin and my face did feel smooth immediately after. The trick is to leave it on for 45secs-1 min before rubbing it off. The sales lady recommended I only use this once a week, but I decided to use it twice a week and it seems fine. I think any more would probably dry your skin though.

Each time I used the peeling mask, I would immediately follow with the night cream. On the box it says you can use this every day but I also have other products at my disposal and did not want to waste this pricey cream. It also had gold flakes and a smell that was faint and not too strong.

After each OROGOLD routine, my skin did feel softer and smoother but it wouldn’t last more than a day or two which is why I decided to use it twice a week. Another thing I have noticed is that I used to have occasional breakouts but have experienced a lot less since using this. I can’t if it was OROGOLD or a combination of different products though.

Would I recommend this? While I like the feeling of my skin after the peel, I don’t know if I would purchase again at regular price. I would also stay away from the store as the sales people are way too aggressive!

What If?

April 8, 2015Books, EntertainmentLeave a Comment

My current reading the book version of XKCD’s What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions. The website and the book is a gold mine for those who’ve always had curious questions they were too embarrassed to ask out loud. Face it, we all have had those.