Fun things to do with your T-mobile Shadow

If you are like me, you've probably been searching every corner of the Internet for cool tips and application for your T-Mobile Shadow. It's time consuming and frustrating when you can't find a website that lists all the fun things to do with your Shadow. Well, now you do. The following are some of the cool things you can do with you T-mobile Shadow. I have most of them on my phone and have had real success with them. Have fun!!

Free Downloads for your T-Mobile Shadow:

1.) Skype mobile: You don't need to log onto to your PC anymore since Skype has developed a program for Smartphones and Window Mobile phones. It's so much more convenient to call your friends or significant others in another country from your cell phone! You will be charged on your Skype credit if you make outgoing phone calls (so make sure you buy credit before using your phone) and you will be using your regular phone minutes. You can also receives calls to your cell phone via Skype. So, you would still be using the computer-to-computer function and not get charged anything!! You can download the program from your phone by using IE or downloading the program to your computer and than syncing it to your Shadow. It's best to use Skype if you have a full data plan. You will be charged on your T-mobile bill for using the Internet. Here's how you do it from your phone with a good wifi connection (go to comm manager and click on wifi):

• Go to the Skype mobile website. Or Type in skype.com in the browser on your phone.


• Click on download skype for your Smartphone application -- NOT the Windows Mobile.


• Follow the instructions! I had a bit of trouble in the beginning because my phone would always stop downloading. I think the best way would be to save the .cab file to your documents and than opening that to run the Skype program. Or by doing it by downloading to your PC and then Activesyncing the .cab file to your phone documents.


• Once Skype mobile has been downloaded it will change your home screen to a Skype screen. Don't freak out! If you don't want Skype as your home screen, go to the Home Screen in your settings and change it back to what you had originally. You can always open the Skype program to use it.

2.) YouTube Pocket Player: Because the Shadow doesn't allow flash stream videos to play, I was unable to view videos on YouTube or Myspace. But, I found this great program from YouTube Pocket that allows you to download a video player to view a bunch of videos from YouTube Pocket. You can't go directly to the YouTube page and view videos, but you can download videos from ytpocket.com, save it to your videos and to view whenever you want. One of the problems with this programs is that at first the videos would stop every 20 seconds to re-buffer. It was painful!! But, I found a solution! Don't try to view the videos directly from ytpocket.com or add the videos to your playlist on ytpocket to view. I found that I was unable to find the perfect buffering settings doing it this way. So, the solution? Instead of adding the videos to your playlist, download the videos directly to your phone documents or storage card. After doing this, every video that I saved to my storage card played clearly and never re-buffered once!

3.) GoogleMap Mobile: You can see where traffic congestion is in real-time in over 30 cities, receive detailed directions, find addresses, interactive maps, and satellite view. The only problem? GoogleMap is is unable to locate some cities (such as those in Hawaii or Alaska) automatically via satellite. So, you're going to have enter city information all the time.

Downloads you must pay for:

4.) Handango: At Hangango you can download games and applications to make your phone work the way you want it to. The applications cost anywhere from $10 - $30. Handango has a powerful Home Screen plug-in that allows you to view your upcoming appointments and tasks directly on your Home Screen (SBSH Facade 1.3). With eWallet you can put your passwords, credit cards, and all your important information in a safe and encrypted electronic wallet. According to the Handango website, it is the top-rated software to protect your secure data. Handango has a bunch of downloads that can enhance the performance of your Shadow. I haven't personally downloaded anything because I haven't seen anything that I really, really need. However, I did find a faux Weight Watchers journal for mobile phones that I really wanted to buy. Unfortunately, it's not compatible with the Shadow yet=(

Obsessing over an obsession

You know that your curiosity is turning to pure, ungratifying spying (aka stalking) when you stay up till 2 am to wait for your slower-than-a-tortoise laptop to download le petit escargot's New Year's Eve festivities pictures from his friends website, and than, to top it off, analyze every single angle of the photos and wonder, "Why the hell is milibitches legs lying leisurely on my my boyfriends thighs? And, why are they sitting so close to each other? And, why the hell does she have to look so damn cute in all these photos?

Yes, y'all. My trust for le petit escargot has withered down to the size of the tiny black stubble on my legs. But whats worse is that my paranoia has ballooned to where it can't even take a breath anymore.

I never liked milibitch much anyway. She's one of his friends, the only single one of their little "group" mind you. The first couple times I spent time with her at dinner parties she would ask me ridiculously personal and prying questions. You know, the type of question that makes her seem to be nice and intrigued by you, but really deep down, she's only asking them to make you feel like you're beneath her. Some of her annoying questions:

milibitch: "So, you're not working, right? So, what to you do all day? (laugh) Nothing."
me (in my head): "What do you think I'm doing? I'm on freaking vacation."

A WEEK LATER:

milibitch: "Teema, did you find a job yet? Why are you tired? You don't do anything during the day. We, the people who work, should be tired. Not you."
me (in my head): "The next time she brings up myself doing nothing all day, I'm gonna..."

ON A DIFFERENT SUBJECT:

milibitch (in front of everyone at the table after I poured myself another glass of wine): "Oh, Teema. You drink more!?
me (in my head while reaching for another cigarette): "Gawd!! Can't this chick lay off me."
milibitch: "And, you smoke more!! Do you smoke like that all day?" (with a disapproving nod)
me (in my head): "I'll drink the entire bottle of wine and puff on 5 cigarettes just to get your voice out my head."

There's a brief description of milibitch, the thorn in my long-distance relationship. I'm feeling so insecure and it's driving my crazy!! I know that le petit escargot loves me and not her, but it's so hard to deal with this when I'm seeing pictures of them acting like a couple or hearing about them getting a drink -- oh, this is a good.

Apparently, milibitch and her friend went to a movie, then called mon petit escargot to meet them at a bar near his house for drinks. However, milibitches friend didn't stay for drinks and went home. So, what we have here is: 2 +1 = 3 - 1 = 2 people having a drink, which seems peculiarly like a set-up date. Then, two days later le petit escargot tells me that he's going to have dinner at his friends B's house, the boyfriend of milibitch's friend, so we may not be able to talk that night. The next day I learn that milibitch was there, too. How quaint! A friendly dinner of four. A double-freaking dinner date!

This whole situation is driving me crazy! I want to be able to trust him, but I don't know how I can cope with this when every other day it seems like his friends are trying to set them up and rooting for them to get together.

Trust issues. I'm way past that. I'm at the point where I'm waiting for new pictures to be posted so that a really incriminating one will give me a reason to blow up at him.

Any advice from those of you who have had a LDR?

How to survive a long-distance relationship during the holidays

DON'T imagine your significant other drinking way too much wine and champagne and laying a big wet one on the only single girl/guy at the New Year's Eve party.

DON'T get upset when your hunny didn't call at midnight his/her time the way you all had agreed you were going to do the day before.

DON'T send him/her a sarcastic text message saying how he/she must have been too busy to call you when the New Year rolled in.

DON'T get all paranoid and swear to yourself that you're going to have a blast at your New Years Eve party, not call him/her and make out with a hottie -- because if he's/she's doing what you think he's/she's doing, then you can do it too...only better.

DON'T obsess about the New Year's Party he's/she's attending with all his/her friends and that annoying single woman/man friend you keep hearing about, who you think is on the prowl to snatch away your man/woman.

DON'T let your paranoia consume you and make you write a blog post about surviving a long distance relationship.

So, what you should do is...

DO send him/her sweet text messages that wishes him/her a BONNE ANNEE and tell him/her that you hope he/she is having a great time at his/her New Year's Eve party.

DO trust him/her and enjoy the New Year festivities.

Finally...

DO try to stay calm and not overreact...if you're still obsessing, keep the bottle of champagne very close to you! Just don't drunk dial or answer his phone calls if you're feeling like spilling all your frustrations!!

BONNE ANNEE, HAPPY NEW YEAR AND HAU'OLI MAKAHIKI HOU!!

I'm Googleable!

What a strange feeling it is! I just started a new job in my home state since returning from France and because it is a pretty in-the-public-eye position, I've just become the first listing (and second, and third) on the Google search results after tapping in my full name.

It's scares the bloody boogers out of me! Think about...you meet a guy while hanging out with your friends -- he Googles you! You go for a job interview, they Google you! Nosy high school classmates want to know what you've been up to, they Google you! I don't know if I want even that bit of attention. If you're computer literate and can navigate the Internet search engines well, you can figure out where someone is going to be on Saturday night at 8 p.m. and with whom. Thanks to Google, Myspace, and Facebook you can even deduce what they plan to eat for lunch tomorrow. Seriously, I've done it.

One can find out any amount of information on a person if their names are listed on Google. I know. I do it all the time -- after a date on Friday night, after interviewing someone (during a former job position), and yes, when I get bored, I Google the hell out of my former friends' names.

I Google my boyfriends name every week. Only because I care about his well-being and I don't want his name to be used improperly. I'm not nosy or insecure. Really.

I'm connected! But, change in blog theme

Everywhere!! I have my snazzy t-mobile shadow smartphone conveniently tucked away in my purse or, rather, glued to my hand because I can't miss an email or phone call from my petitescargot; and, I was finally able to hook up a wireless router to the broadband modem set up this morning. Woo-hoo! I'm stoked.

Because I am not in France anymore, I won't be blogging as much about my "French" experience -- obviously ; however, France is and will always be pertinent to my life story. I've left behind a man that makes me feel so comfortable, intelligent and beautiful (hint: that's why we're still together), a caring family of four from Montbrison that taught me everything about what it meant to be French, from the politics to the food, and wonderful memories and experiences that I hoped to incorporate into my life -- a life that must begin anew.

I haven't decided which avenue I want to steer my blog toward: the daily journal of an island girl in a long-distance relationship with a frenchman, living on opposite ends of the world; the difficulties of returning to a life of friends and family that went on without you, or the daily accounts of supernatural occurrences in my house -- for real!

Have you missed me?

I'm back and ready to take on another chapter of my life of total incomprehension, only this time on that tiny dot to the left of that gigantic wall map I know you have in your bedroom. I'm sure all you inquisitive computer junkies are girating in you seats like a bitch in heat because you can't stand the anticipation!

A short update (I'll go into more detail later): I was forced to leave France to avoid finding my tushie in a French prison and I just really wanted to go home to normalize my life. I also missed my sisters and nieces terribly!! My petit escargot and I decided to stay together...so, raise your glasses to long-distance relationships!!

I survived the journey from France to Hawaii without being interrogated by the deportation police! Thank goodness. I was really in shambles the week leading up to my departure date, but gorging on surimi sticks and kebabs helped me through the trying times.

I'm typing on my new T-mobile Shadow Smartphone, so I have to make this short. It takes me about three minutes to tap in an apostrophe -- more rants about this burgeoning love/hate relationship with my brown shadow.

ALOHA!

Tar and Ashes

Taking a break from reading my email in the cafe down the street, I grabbed my Marlboro's and lit up, placing the brown filter in my mouth with my left hand and typing my website address with my right. Inhaling slowly and exhaling quickly while scanning my life on the tiny screen in front of me, I noticed from the corner of my eye a creepy, old man to the left of me throwing furtive glances my way. I reached across the table with my left arm to ash my cigarette until I realized that it was my cup of green tea. I pulled my hand back quickly like a child that just touched the hot stove because she really, really wanted to know if it was hot.

I glanced up to see the dirty old man smiling and laughing. I smiled back, then attempted to search for the ashtray. As the dirty old man got up to leave the cafe, he approached me and gave me some helpful advice. "It's better if you put you cup to the right of your computer, then you won't ash your cigarette in it." Wow, brilliant. He even moved it for me.

I thanked him, smiled knowingly and took his hand when he shoved it in my face, and nearly breaking the personal bubble rule.

At that moment, I quit smoking. The horrid image of the four remaining teeth in his mouth with black, tar-like substance oozing out of the crevices is still haunting me.