Another ... meme moment ~

From - dewydoughnuts @ deviantART

1. Do you like animals?
Yes
2. Have you ever met an online friend in person?
Yes, so far at least I think 5 but less than 10.
3. Are you athletic?
Hell no?
4. Are you: thin, fat, athletically built, etc?
I'm strange ... how 'bout that?
5. How much do you weight?
...how heavy is this laptop?
6. What's your height?
I'm below 6' ._.'
7. Shoe size?
Funny, these do not fit my hands ...
8. Girls - are you tomboyish, girly, normal, etc?
Sorta tomboy-ish.
10.How old are you?
Not as old as dirt, that's for sure.
11. When is your birthday?
I'm a September baby ~
12. Do you like to receive giftart?
Of course I do - I have a thumbdrive specifically saved for that.
13. Are you sociable?
If it calls for me to be - I can be.
14. Do you have many friends?
It's so hard to find a good enemy ... I mean huh?
15. What's your race?
I'm...a bear...rawr ~
16. Do you like to talk on the phone?
Sure I do. I think my phone is going off right now.
17. Are you single or taken?
I am spoken for ~
18. Do you eat meat?
Yum I mean huh? Yea?
19. Are you paranoid?
...who's behind me?
20. Do you read a lot?
...a...b...what's that word?
21. Do you listen to music, what kind?
Like my randomness ... it varies.
22. Do you play any instruments?
Piano
23. How long have you been drawing?
Since I was little.
24. What's the meaning of life?
42

First off - Happy Mother's Day! 

Happy Mother's Day Edition: Stolen from YumiCatGirl @ deviantART

YOUR BOY SIDE

-------------------------------------------------------------

[x] you love hoodies 

[x] you love jeans 

[x] dogs are better than cats

[ ] it's hilarious when people get hurt and fall 

[x] you've played with/against boys on a team

[ ] shopping is torture

[ ] sad movies suck

[ ] you own a XBOX

[ ] you played with Hot Wheels as a little kid

[ ] at some point in life you wanted to be a firefighter

[x] you owned a DS PS2 or Sega

[ ] you used to be obsessed with Power Rangers

[x] you watch sports on TV

[x] gory movies are cool 

[ ] you used to go to your dad for advice

[ ] you have at least 1 trophy of a sport

[ ] You used to play Yu-Gi-Oh

[x] baggy sweat pants are nice to wear

[ ] it's kind of weird to have sleepovers with a bunch of people

[x] green, black, red, blue, or silver are one of your favorite colors

[x] you love to go crazy and not care what other people think 

[x] sports are fun

[x] you sometimes talk with food in your mouth 

[ ] you sleep at night with your socks on

[x] you have fished at least once

TOTAL=13 

YOUR GIRL SIDE

-------------------------------------------------------------

[x] you like to shop

[ ] you wear eyeliner

[ ] you wear the color pink 

[x] you go to your mom for advice

[x] you consider cheerleading a sport

[ ] you hate wearing all black 

[x] you like going to the mall 

[x] you like getting manicures and/or pedicures

[x] you like wearing jewellery

[x] you cried watching The Notebook 

[ ] skirts are a big parts of your wardrobe

[ ] shopping is one of your favorite hobbies

[ ] you don't like the movie Star Wars

[ ] you are/were in gymnastics 

[x] it takes you around one hour to shower and get dressed 

[x] you smile a lot more than you should 

[ ] you have more than 10 pairs of shoes

[x] you care about what you look like majority of the time

[ ] you like wearing dresses 

[x] you like wearing body spray/deodorant

[ ] you like high heel shoes

[x] you used to play with dolls as a kid

[ ] you like putting makeup on others 

[ ] you like being the star of almost everything

Total = 12 

Overall result: 13/12 - no surprise there!

Public Service Announcement: Free Puppies?

I normally really don't often journal more than once a week.

Usually it about little journal meme's or status at the beginning or end of the month.

I feel this would be something to discuss. I had mentioned about this in a tweet about almost getting trapped in a scam. As I promised, I would discuss why. Hopefully you will avoid getting caught in this scam like how I was able to escape mine.

Have you ever find yourself looking to get a puppy & someone is planning to give away a free puppy to a good home. Is it too good to be true? I've learned it usually often is.

The story -

Unaware & I admit, a bit naive - I had been struck with puppy fever. Looking up - I had come across some ads of people wanting to give a puppy away for free to a good home. No strings attached. "Free? It's too good to be true." So I inquired further since they had left an e-mail. They promptly returned a reply, telling me about the puppies. I asked about their temperament, what their angle is on why they were giving them away & what kind of things these puppies ended up going through the past 12 weeks. All reasonable & re-searchable considerations considering I already have an 8yr old shih tzu/chihuahua mix to consider. The communication seemed to have been hit & miss ( which was the first mistake looking back at it. ). The person ended up moving to Cameroon for some noble cause ( which will be mentioned again later on why everything logically didn't add up ). Yes - this is a Cameroon pet scam. Long story short to this part of the story was ultimately - due to my living conditions - my pursuit had stopped & I had e-mailed them saying I couldn't take them.

A month later - my cousin was telling me about the loss of her dogs & how her mom was looking to replace them. I mentioned about my earlier pursuit & my cousin asked me to look into it. So I did ... I e-mailed asking - figuring there was no way someone would bypass the opportunity of getting a free puppy. They e-mailed me back promptly 'claiming' they still had them & that they would wait for me to provide info for shipping ( looking back, that also seemed to strange / convenient / too good to be true ). I provided the minimal information, my name, phone number & the airport ( never my address, no thank you! ) where I can pick them up, she said she'd set up for the flight & delivery along w/ food an provided crate for the puppies.

When everything was said & done, I waited for a phone call & talked to a representative. Everything was ready for them to be shipped ... one problem ... they needed 'special crates' to be sent due to 'weather conditions' & this would ensure their health & safety. They provided an e-mail & information for method of payment. Credit/debit would only allow a $1000 so their prefered method was through Western Union. It's convenient, no tracing & no option to get any money returned. This immediately raised a red flag -- the supposed free puppies now needed 'special crates' in order to be shipped. At first, I admit, I was considering on paying the fee but after some consultation, chat w/ other friends & advice ... I ended up going against this. I first asked my aunt, seeing if she as still interested - she said if they're now asking for money, it isn't worth it & it'd be nice to not clean up the dog's area for once. Other friends said to be weary & one friend told me how their parents worked for customs & these 'special crates' were a fraud. I e-mail / text contacted the owner explaining the situation in a nice manner ( not mentioning about my friend's parents who works in customs ) saying that my aunt & myself are uncomfortable fronting that kind of money without guarantee or proof of their safety & arrival. After all - if this puppy owner was already willing to put the money upfront for flight & delivery, what's a lil more money for these 'special crates'? Did I mention - these 'special crates' are refundable once returned to the company? Well they were - so the puppy owner who was giving them away would get their refund, why would I want to steal extra pet crates to begin with? The owner e-mailed me back, telling me they were notified of the situation & insisted since they went through the trouble for the flight & delivery that I should just pay the deposit cuz now magically - they have no money to provide these crates for these puppies. So - once I had the opportunity, I replied back, being nice & courteous, fabricated a story ( made sense since they had one too ) of why neither my aunt, my cousin nor myself would provide a 'special crate' fee for the puppies & that should get them from the shipping company & cancel their flight & delivery costs. It was an all or nothing ordeal I know but if she really is that desperate to send them back to the states - she would have made that happen.

( I'll list all the inconsistancies after re-evaluating the situation )

After e-mailing her, I ended up doing more research, finding out about the Cameroon Pet Scam ( thank you internet ) & found strikingly similar stories. Some were lucky to avoid this scandal - some, sadly were not. Not to mention I had input the person who was giving these puppies away - the e-mail was listed on prior ads last year.

This Cameroon pet scandal has been a more recent trend of pet scams.

Now looking back & having no reply & reassured this is indeed a scam - the following events of these interactions didn't add up & I fully realized me & my relatives were almost scammed out of money.

1. She claimed she was a local who lived within the area - when contacting about the puppies, she had ( magically ) recently moved to Cameroon on a medical mission helping folks w/ diseases & would need to ship them from her current location cuz the place she lives at 'doesn't allow pets'. ( it's either me or she basically this was summed down as a doctor doing mission work, her *&* her husband )
2. Inquiring the temperament of the puppies - the communication was clear but it seemed like there was a lot of misunderstanding communication. ( i mean really - if she was local - I think she'd easily comprehend very easy simple questions about the puppies ) She later changed the topic & basically said things that I would like to have heard ( they magically became super puppies! )
3. The sudden situation she wasn't able to provide money for a crate fee ( let's be honest - if both of them are doctors on a noble / mission work their initial payment & delivery *the price seemed a little low* & what's a little more money to ensure these puppies would make it safely & the money would be refunded to her. )

So what is the lesson learned? - If you're looking to get a puppy, do your homework of what kind of dog you're looking to get for w/ your current live in situation in mind. Always be sure it is not a scam of any sort. How? If they are local or live relatively near by - take some time, meet them. Make sure to ask if you can meet w/ not only the owner but meet the puppy too regardless if they're free to a good home or they're selling them. Find out the puppy's personality & temperament is good for your live-in situation & meet the owner to see where these puppies are coming from & why they are being given or sold away. Never-the-less, don't rule out checking animal rescues & animal shelters, they might not be young or cute or puppy fluffy like, you may find 'the one' there ... shoot it could even be as young as a puppy ( if you're that lucky & reluctant ).

I know these trends & scam have been around but being nearly close to having that happen to myself - it would be good to pass the word regardless of how well known or establish problem it may be. You never know that you may end up in some sort of situation like this too.

I'm Water ~

Stolen from YumiCatGirl @ deviantART

[ ] - Your mother has more than 2 children.
[ ] - You are a smoker.
[ ] - You drink a lot.
[ x ] - You like to write.
[ x ] - You are religious.
[ x ] - You like to burn candles.
[ ] - You prefer juice or water over soda.
[ x ] - You have ridden a horse.

TOTAL SO FAR = 4

[ ] - You have done drugs.
[ ] - You are currently a drug addict.
[ x ] - You are very artistic.
[ x ] - You like stuffed animals.
[ x ] - You are attracted to shiny things.
[ ] - You have eaten a bug before.
[ ] - You love cars.
[ ] - Cats are your favourite animal.
[ ] - You hate animals.
[ ] - You are spontaneous and random

TOTAL SO FAR = 7

[ x ] - You like fruit a lot.
[ x ] - You drive.
[ ] - You make / made good grades in school.
[ x ] - You are going / are in / have been to college.
[ x ] - You like for things to be very clean.
[ x ] - You are very messy.
[ x ] - You love to eat.
[ ] - Christmas is your favorite holiday.
[ x ] - You like the beach.
[ ] - You hate the color pink.

TOTAL SO FAR = 14

[ x ] - You wear glasses or contacts.
[ x ] - You chat online a lot.
[ x ] - You always use correct grammar.
[ x ] - You like to take quizzes.
[ x ] - You eat out at restaurants more than you eat at home.
[ x ] - You enjoy swimming.
[ ] - You have more than 5 pets.
[ ] - You have more than 10 pets.
[ x ] - You believe in ghosts.
[ x ] - You have seen a ghost.

TOTAL SO FAR = 22

[ ] - You prefer comedy movies over romance movies.
[ x ] - You like dancing, either doing it yourself or watching.
[ ] - You have been to a strip club.
[ ] - You drink coffee in the morning.
[ x ] - You like to be awake at night.
[ ] - You don't go outside often
[ ] - You love to read.
[ x ] - You believe in an afterlife of some kind.
[ x ] - You have/had short hair.
[ ] - You know how to cook well.

GRAND TOTAL = 26

Answers

[ ]0 - 1 = Mosquito.
[ ]2 - 3 = A weed.
[ ]4 - 5 = Daisy.
[ ]6 - 7 = Janitor.
[ ]8 - 9 = Goose.
[ ]10 - 11 = Rock.
[ ]12 - 13 = Fireman.
[ ]14 - 15 = Rose.
[ ]16 - 17 = Mouse.
[ ]18 - 19 = Cow.
[ ]20 - 21 = Rabbit.
[ ]22 - 23 = Mental Patient.
[ ]24 - 25 = Grass.
[ x ]26 - 27 = Water.
[ ]28 - 29 = Bat.
[ ]30 - 31 = Hippo.
[ ]32 - 33 = Wolf.
[ ]34 - 35 = Vampire.
[ ]36 - 37 = Horse.
[ ]38 - 39 = Hawk.
[ ]40 - 41 = Spider.
[ ]42 - 43 = Flea.
[ ]44 - 45 = Princess or Prince.
[ ]46 - 47 = President

CherBear's Aspirations: May 2012

Month of May begins - San Diego Comic Con countdown officially starts. Even though it is two months away, I need to start planning & getting my affairs in order with proper preparation. I know I can't get ahead of myself because Anime Expo is at the end of June, possibly AM2 too & I'm excited about that too. There's a lot to discuss about ever since April & my reflection plateaus.

AM2 - I know that is on the way, I have no idea nor the details behind it, it's still up in the air but we'll see

Anime Expo - I will at least be hopefully going for the weekend, catching the Masquerade once again & soaking in the scene. I haven't seen (if there's even any) what is on the agenda.

San Diego Comic Con - Plenty to prepare. Thankfully I am apart of one of the staff so I will be meeting up with the group for room assignments. Not to mention, need to get parking in order, prepare for guests to stay over, possibly refunding my initial tickets I had bought for this year. I know there's more that I'm missing but that's just some of the immediate thoughts in my head. Whew - just thinking about that & I'm getting tired, yet it hasn't even happened yet!

The patience of dog obedience training - well, further into my 8yr old shi tzu/chi's training. She been getting her cue's down a lil more. Trying to mix it up & keep her on her toes. In return, continued positive rewarding & new routines for her & I are now a more daily thing.

Artwork & projects - still in the works w/ careful planning & consideration. Hopefully I will be able to work on them while & when I can but priorities first. I'll be posting more of stuff I have done during livestream sessions.

Continuing w/ goal of moving on - it's a matter of seeing what will stick. There's plenty of ample opportunities ahead & hopefully they'll be much more promising than my current situation.

There is also my monthly anime meeting I'm looking forward to, mother's day is coming up as well, not to mention other things such as birthday celebrations & everything in-between. Plenty to do & all while watching Legend of Korra & seeing where this series will be going. May ahoy!