Something I try to do whenever I get the chance is to perform a random act of kindness for someone around me. It could be giving a dollar to the homeless person on the side of the road, complimenting a stranger on their outfit, or making a donation to the local charity. It’s a good feeling to be able to give and know that you’ve made a positive difference in someone else’s life. For me, I truly feel more blessed when I give than when I receive 
It's easier said than done. I know too many people who give with conditions and take ungratefully.
Error processing request However, no one likes to feel that their kindness is being taken advantage of.
A while back when I first got my HTC Inspire, I shared with you all some of my favorite free apps for customizing your Android phone. But to be fair, that post was written shortly after I received my phone, so I haven’t really gotten the hang of everything yet (it helped that I did some research before hand though 
). But after almost 5 months, here is a more in-depth post on customizing your droid, as well as an updated peak at my phone
from left to right: lockscreen - homescreen #1 - homescreen #2 - homescreen #3.
You don’t have to root your phone to achieve this look
I thought rooting was the only way to go before, and while it certainly has its benefits, there are also risks. But the truth is, with a custom launcher, a pretty wallpaper, some nifty widgets, a set of sleek looking icons, and a sense of design, your phone can look like it’s running a custom rom
You don’t have to spend big $$$ either
Asides from 2 of my apps/widgets, everything else was free. Even the ones that were paid, they were only around $2 each? You just really have to look around and you’d be surprised at what you can find for free. Some places I like to frequent are the Android Market and xdaDevelopers forum. You can find all sorts of Android related information and goodies there c: Wallbase and Smashing Magazine’s monthly calendars are good places to find quality wallpapers for your screen. As for icons, try various design blogs or this post from xdaDevelopers
Check out other screens for inspiration
I love visiting MyColorscreen to see how others customize their droids. What’s great about this site is that they often list out exactly which widgets they used, as well as a link to their wallpaper. That’s how I found out about a lot of the widgets I use on my current screen. I also downloaded some really nice wallpapers from there
If you’re interested, you can find a full list of the widgets/apps I currently use to create the above look via my MyColorscreen. But here are a list of apps/widgets I recommend for anyone who’s interested in giving their Droid a new look:
- GO Launcher EX – Customize the overall look of your phone using different themes, or create a completely customized look with your own icons and wallpaper. Also allows for custom fonts!
- SwitchPro Widget ($0.99)- Adds a widget so you can turn on or off your wifi, bluetooth, etc right from your home screen. There are other free options out there, but I think this one looks the best
- WidgetLocker Lockscreen ($1.99) – Allows you to customize the look of your lockscreen. xdaDevelopers has a very nice collection of themes you can use with this app
- GO SMS Pro – Replaces the default text messaging app using different themes, or create your own theme from scratch.
- Minimalistic Text – Allows you to create text-based date/weather/time/etc. widgets.
- mClock – A time/date widget that allows for custom skins via XML.
- Executive Assistant – This is nice for those who want to use their phone as a personal planner. It syncs with your apps to lists out your daily agenda, to-do list, unread emails, new texts, etc. You can also use it to display your Twitter or RSS feed!
- Fancy Widgets – Really nice looking weather and clock widget that is also highly customizable.
- SiMi Clock Widget – Another clock/date/weather/battery/etc widget. Highly customizable.
You may notice that some of these are repeats from my previous post, which just means that 5 months later, I still think they’re awesome Some of the previously listed apps are also missing, which isn’t to say they suck, it’s just that after 5 months of usage, I don’t think they’re actually that great. Finally, to prove my point that xdaDeveloper is really a treasure chest of Droid goodness, here’s a comprehensive post on commonly used widgets
Happy customizing and and to everyone who’s celebrating Thanksgiving, an early happy Thanksgiving! Eat lots and shop lots!
This post brought to you by Cafe Well. All opinions are 100% mine.
Nowadays there are so many different social networks out there: some for the general population, and others for people with a specific interest. Well if you have an interest in living a healthy lifestyle, whether that means eating healthy or exercising more, Cafe Well would be the social network for you.
As stated on their website, CafeWell strives to “provide a safe, secure and anonymous health care destination that connects you with other people who share your health care interests and needs, from chronic condition support, to healthy lifestyle tips and challenges.” How great would it be to be able to connect with others who have similar health goals as you, and share tips and tricks with each other?
One activity currently going on at CafeWell is called “Race to the Moon”. If you’re a member of HealthAmerica, you’re eligible to participate! It’s very simple: You’ll be given a free wireless pedometer that tracks your steps and be rewarded for reaching certain milestones! Prizes include gift cards, flat screen TV’s, and even a trip for 2 to Hawaii! All this to encourage people to be more active.
If I could create a health challenge, I think it’d be a workout challenge or a healthy food challenge with friends. I definitely don’t work out enough or eat healthy enough, and I think most of my friends are in a similar situation. Who knows, maybe we just might create a challenge like that one day!
I’m pretty sure many of you have seen this tag floating around (at least I have), and based on probability, I figured sooner or later I’d get tagged. Sometimes I ignore the tag because I think the game is dumb, but I find this one interesting and have genuinely enjoyed reading people’s responses. Either way, here are my responses to Krystal’s questions:
1. What is your favourite gadget?
My HTC Inspire. I feel naked when I don’t have it around. My Macbook Pro comes in a close second, but 95% of what I do on there, I can do on my phone.
2. Cookies or cakes?
Cake, especially ice cream cake. I like cookies too, but ice cream cake > cookies.
3. How did you get into blogging?
I got into it when all my other online friends (aka. domain/fan site affiliates) started blogging, all way back when everyone still used Blogger or Greymatter. Yeah, I know. Ancient stuff.
4. If you were given one million USD what would you do with it?
Donate some to charity, and save/invest the rest. I can’t think of any major purchases I’d need the money for right away.
5. Can you live without the internet for a whole month?
Um, no. Can anyone? 
6. OSX or Windows? (operating system if you’re unsure what I mean)
OSX of course. No hesitation there
7. Which social group were you/are you in high school? (if there were social groups)
Well, I went to 2 different high schools. The first was an all girls HS in Taiwan, and you either had friends, or you didn’t. People were generally nice to each other and there were no obvious cliques. Thankfully, I belonged in the had-friends group. Now the second high school I transferred to was a different story. As a transfer student to a school where everyone pretty much knew everyone else since elementary school, I automatically fell into the “new kid” group. I made friends, but thank God I was only there for 2 years and it was off to college for me!
8. What is your dream job?
The sad thing is that to this day, I still don’t really know
9. How many children do you want? Boys or girls?
2. A boy and a girl Or 2 girls. But I want at least 1 girl.
10. What is your favourite fairy tale?
Beauty and the Beast. I feel like it’s the only fairy tale where the damsel wasn’t in distress and didn’t need to be rescued by a prince. Instead it was the prince that needed the girl to save him. And it also teaches a good moral lesson: don’t judge a book by its cover!
11. Do you prefer heavy rain or heavy snow?
Definitely heavy snow. One, because I love snow and have wonderful childhood memories associated with snow, and two, heavy snow = no classes. On the other hand, heavy rain = dumb drivers and wet shoes. Yuck. >_<
There Yes, there are rules with this tagging game, but seriously, screw the rules. It’s about time this tagging meme came to an end. But if you insist, feel free to answer the same questions Krystal asked me
My name is Jenny, I'm a 23-year old grad school student, web designer, and shopaholic. Welcome to this humble place I call my blog :)
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