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We’ve all at some point experienced Deja Vu, the feeling that what you are currently experiencing has happened before. It can be kinda trippy. We’ve also all, at some point, felt like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, reliving the same day and actions over and over again. This tends to have more of a negative connotation and be associated with boredom and being stuck in a rut.

If you never question why or how, it can be easy to get caught up in the “been there, done that, think I’ve done that before” feeling and status quo job, title and position. Where’s the fun in that?  At what point in our lives did we let it become acceptable to know what was under the shiny wrapping? Isn’t it much more fun to tear into the present, which is what life is, without knowing what’s inside?

Now what if we just flipped that shiz around and went into every experience with a Vuja De approach and an open mind? Think unique! When we start to question is when the good stuff starts to happen. Think outside the box or create your own box, which is even better. When you create your own star is when you start to live and shine. Your promotion, new adventures and connections await! Draw feverishly outside the lines like when you were a child and purple bunnies existed. No one said your platform had to be a box and all pretty and perfect to the masses.

Image Credit: [The Twilight Saga]

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Did you know that your handwriting reveals some things about your personality to those who read it? It’s true. I barely know how to write anymore since I type everything. I wonder what that says about my personality. About a year ago, I read that some schools are considering not teaching students how to write in cursive anymore since it’s becoming antiquated. For those of you who still indulge in the art of handwriting, you may find this fascinating. I know I did.

Flavorwire recently did a fun little experiment. They used two tools… the Fuck yeah, manuscripts! blog and this handwriting analysis test (which is used by hiring managers) to determine some very interesting things revealed in handwriting. Since they needed several handwriting samples for this experiment, they used handwriting from some of history’s most known authors which they pulled from that blog above. I’ve placed a collection of those below. They include handwriting from Emily Dickinson, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Chuck Palahniuk, Edith Wharton, Franz Kafka, George Orwell, and Ernest Hemingway.

From these handwriting samples alone, they were able to determine which people were emotional, goal-oriented, self-reliant, optimistic, independent, modest, intelligent, tightwad-ish, organized, scattered, cold, withdrawn, social, outgoing, compliant, practical, mechanical, intellectual, moody, restless, introspective, disciplined, sleepy, schizophrenic and more.

According to the author of the original article, Emily Temple, the results were a little horoscope-like in that they were spot on in some places, and random in others. If you’d like to get more information about all this, just click over to Analyzing Writers’ Personalities From Their Handwritten Manuscripts.

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Do you eat tofu? I don’t. Do you even know what tofu is? I wrote a whole article about a year ago called Do You Really Know What Tofu Is, but even after that, I’m not sure what it is. All I know is that I’m not going to put it in my mouth.

All kidding aside, we know that tofu is better for the environment than a lot of other options when it comes to animals, food and waste. Now in addition to eating tofu, you can get your bras and panties made out of it. According to Medina Magazine, the company Faeries Dance has “developed a textile made from discarded soybean casing. During the production it is combined with organic cotton, and processed using a close-loop system that minimizes waste…” These soybean casings would normally be thrown away during tofu manufacturing, so creating fabric from it will definitely reduce waste.

So if you’d like to feel eco-sexy, this lingerie might be just what you’ve been looking for. Now, if they could only spend a bit more time on the design to make them look a little more “Victoria’s Secret” and a little less “Walmart,” these might become popular. You can see the entire collection of eco-friendly, organic clothing at Faeries Dance.

Via: [ecouterre] [prweb]

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Back in mid-2009, I wrote an article about how to correctly eat a chicken wing. It was my first article ever to go viral. I remember that was the first time I ever got on the digg front page. Does anyone even go to digg anymore? It was a brilliant technique for eating chicken wings, and I’ve used it many times since I eat chicken wings almost every week.

Today I found another technique which could possibly trump that other one. If you are eating wings (especially the nuclear hot ones), you are drinking beer too, right? Of course you are. It’s hard to drink beer and eat wings at the same time without getting your beer bottle all nasty with wing sauce from your messy fingers.

If you are a chicken wing fan, I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about. This method is brilliant since it allows you to keep one hand clean at all times. Just think about it, that leaves a free hand for drinking beer, surfing on your iPhone, tweeting, eating celery and even pouring more blue cheese dressing on your plate. Why didn’t I think of this? I have a feeling the dude in this video is a professional chicken wing eater. That’s my kinda guy. If you’d like to learn how to make chicken wing cupcakes for dessert, click here.

Via: [That's Nerdalicious] [Reddit] Image Credit: [Low Country BBQ]

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When was the last time you pulled an all-nighter? I know some people who do their best work during sleepless long nights, and I know other people who dread those nights more than anything. The nature of my work requires that I pull all-nighters several times each month. My sleep schedule is so wacky though that it doesn’t bother me too much. I suppose our bodies are designed to adjust to that just like they adjust to everything else.

The thing about working all night long is that it’s not good enough to just barely stay awake. It’s important to be productive too, otherwise what’s the point, right? I have learned a few tricks along the way that help me stay awake and going strong through the night when I have to.

For example, I’m normally a huge coffee drinker, but I don’t drink it when I plan to work all night. It doesn’t have the same effect on my body during that time, and it usually just makes me feel icky. Another thing that I do is play music loudly and open the windows. Breathing in fresh air always makes me feel awake and alive. Yumi Sakugawa created this nifty little chart with her tips for pulling an all-nighter. She’s got some good stuff on here. I’m going to try doing some jumping jacks and drinking ice water next time. Those sound like they would work well. What are your tips for staying awake and being productive while pulling an all-nighter?

Click Here For Enlarged Image

Via: [WonderHowTo]

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I love Chinese food as much as anyone else, but what always blows me away about visiting a Chinese restaurant isn’t so much the food itself, but the attention to detail. The tea is always served in those hand-painted dainty teacups, the napkins always look too pretty to use, and don’t even get me started on the fortune cookies. At least that is how it is at my favorite Chinese restaurants here in Atlanta.

When I saw this, I couldn’t stop staring at it. I am blown away that someone could figure out how to do this, and take the time to make it look so perfect. This is a Chinese Jiaozi (pot sticker or dumpling) that someone created in the form of a dragon. They are Chinese New Year Dumplings since 2012 is the year of the dragon.

I searched online to try to find a tutorial for this, but I couldn’t find one. However, even if you knew how to make these, would you want to? Or, maybe the real question is, if you made this dragon, would you actually eat it? I probably wouldn’t. I’d probably slap that puppy in a framed glass box to show off to all my friends. I did find a recipe for how to make Jiaozi. You can get it on Bliss. By the looks of that recipe though, it might be easier to just call your favorite restaurant and get some pot stickers delivered. #justsayin

Via: [Barnorama]

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It’s not everyday that we see popular toy brands mashed with popular alcohol brands. It’s an unusual mashup that of course sends all kinds of pop culture messages. I’ve always enjoyed seeing creative bottle designs, and these are definitely interesting. The Nintendo and the Barbie bottles are definitely my favorites. Unfortunately, these are not for sale. They were simply part of an art exhibition.

They were created by Italian designer Anna Utopia Giordano. According to his website, the purpose of this project was to “raise social awareness on topics such as alcohol abuse by teens, alcohol abuse by pregnant women, the disinterest of some parent towards their children, and how far marketers can go to gain the attention of their younger customers.” It reminds me of when I read about how marketers put the very unhealthy sugary breakfast cereals on the bottom shelf at the supermarket so they are perfectly placed for little kids to pick them up, and beg their parents to buy them.

His theory that many parents just stick their children in front of a video game instead of spending quality time with them was one of the things that inspired him to create these unusual bottles. If you’d like to see more from this collection, you can click over to Pop Bottles (courtesy of Google translate). There is even a Hello Kitty vodka bottle in there. To see more unique bottle designs, check out these Evian Star Wars Bottles.

Via: [thaeger]

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If you have ever wondered what it would be like to live in a treehouse, I guess you have come to the right article to find that out. I mean, I am sure we have all thought about it when we were kids that it would be so cool to have a huge house up in a tree. Maybe it was the Star Wars movies that helped us imagine it with the Ewok’s city in the sky and the magical lighting. There are plenty of amazing treehouses around the world, but there are few that can brag about being the biggest and most complex system of walkways and stairs. Usually a treehouse is all about the fun, and it is most likely not able to fit more than a few kids.

However, if you ever go to Oregon, you should definitely visit the bed & breakfast that ex-green beret Michael Garnier built. It is an astonishing set of treehouses that you can rent for a few nights. They all vary in sizes from a tent-sized treehouse to a 350-square foot penthouse mansion treehouse. It is almost the exact same way of living as the Ewoks did in the Star Wars movies. Anyone who has ever thought that building a treehouse is cheap should listen to the stories that Michael has to tell. He’s built treehouses for customers that cost up to $500,000 and above. That is what I call a treehouse!

Michael even refers to it in the video. He has been building these treehouses for decades, and what would it all be if he didn’t live in the biggest one himself? It is about 5 times bigger than the ones you can rent, and it is labeled the largest tree house in the world. Michael and his wife live in this house all year around, and you have to wonder what that must be like. It’s an ever ongoing adventure for sure.

Via: [Nerd Approved]

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Whether you’re literally working naked, birthday suit and all, or figuratively working naked — without the support of the corporate workplace — staying safe while working from home is important. After all, if for some reason you can’t work, who’s going to cover for you? These four gadgets can help you stay safe and stay on track when you’re working from home.

Working from home can be lonely, especially with everyone gone all day, but what if someone unexpected walks into your home office? If you’re focused intently on your computer and someone taps on your shoulder, you could spring off your chair and fracture something.

1. Star Trek Electronic Door Chime

It’s motion-activated – It lets you know anytime anyone crosses your home office threshold. No more surprise visitors.

2. Mini-Robot Vacuum

Let’s face it… when there’s no one around to pick up after you, your home office can resemble a frat house after a weekend party. The mini-robot vacuum can suck up the extra crumbs that could otherwise clog your keyboard. It’s the perfect arrangement: you work while someone else cleans.

3. ANYTHING Scissors

You probably won’t run through your home office with scissors, but why be vulnerable to a little snip here and a little cut there if you happen to drop a pair of scissors while you’re working naked? You can access these scissors quickly, but until you need them, they’re safely tucked away in a holder, away from any vital parts.

4. Shark Attack Mug

Some people can’t function without that first cup of coffee in the morning, and they will go after anyone who tries to steal their cup. Keep your coffee safe with the shark attack mug. Who will want to steal your cup of coffee if while they’re drinking they see a scary shark’s mouth at the bottom of the mug?

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If you are active in social media, it can seem like the same stories and topics are trending and breaking 24/7. Seemingly well, in good health and spirit celebrities have died and been reborn on Twitter just because there are some people who want to see their @ mentions skyrocket. I get that people want to feel important, but there is a ballsier way of getting noticed legitimately.

Love it or hate it, social media is the new reality T.V. It is the HBO and pay-per-view of live entertainment, and in this economy, it provides more bang for your virtual buck. People do care about what you eat, what you are wearing, where you are going, who you are meeting and how you are feeling. An inside glimpse of your life opens up engagement and helps build strong connections. As with any television character with a strong personality and views, there are bound to be legions of loyal followers and some haters.

One of my favorite bloggers today is @susanlynncope. She is one in a new wave of lifestyle bloggers who lives their lives out loud IRL and online – Think Sex in the City, Melrose Place, Cheers, daytime and nighttime soaps. Her public blog is her diary with a universal key. I’ve been on many virtual highs and lows with her, sympathized, celebrated and shared #virtualcheers. Lifestyle bloggers are originals and don’t follow any 80/20 social media rule. They simply tweet and post as an honest reflection of their present attitude and surroundings with the motto that pain is inevitable and people dig scars.

Image Credits: [TheBlogFarm] [SoftMyHard]