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I know this is obsolete now with the new technologies developing at the speed of light, but I think it’s only fair to give my assessment of this product. I bought it in 2007 for around a thousand dollars. It came with preinstalled Windows Vista Home Premium, so I could get right to work. It has an Intel® Core™2 Duo T5250 processor, a hard disk of 120 GB, 5,400 rpm, 1 GB DDR2 RAM (667 MHz), a DVD Super Multi (Double Layer) unit, Intel® GMA X3100, 1280 x 800 screen display, glossy screen, microphone, 1.3 Mp camera, Wi-fi, Ethernet, 2 memory slots, LAN Ethernet, a lot of ports and a lot of other stuff that I don't remember right now. After 12 years it still works just fine! I haven’t replaced the operating system, and I don’t know if I can, since the newer ones probably don’t match the other specifications (except maybe Linux), but I don’t need to. I have a Lenovo now, which I will review some other time, and I use the Toshiba for backup, in case my main machine crashes. I ...

This is a book written by two French psychiatrists and psychotherapists. It helped me a great deal to understand various people in my family or my circle of acquaintances whose behavior was hard to take at times. The personality types discussed here are: people with anxiety disorders, those with histrionic personality disorder, obsessional personalities, paranoids, narcissists, Type A personalities, schizoids, depressives, dependent, passive-aggressive and avoidant personalities. The authors give concrete examples of patients’ stories (of course, without divulging their real names), they make a list of traits for each one of the disorders, so that they’re easier to remember, and they tell us what is advisable and what is not recommended in each case. They also use humor and anecdotes, which makes the book easier to read even for a neophyte like myself. At the end of each chapter there is a short quiz for the readers to see if they suffer from that specific disorder. The causes of these...

My skin is a bit on the dry side (which doesn’t prevent it from breaking out at times). Throughout the years, I’ve used a large array of products: creams, lotions, oils, makeup removers, anti-aging stuff, etc. I’ve selected what works best for me. First of all, I use makeup remover everyday, even if I don’t put on any makeup when I go out. The only makeup remover that I can tolerate is Vivanatura’s “No tears” cleansing cream (Cremă demachiantă “fără lacrimi”) – it is a Romanian product with almonds and silver, consisting in 98,4% natural and natural-origin substances. It cleanses my skin gently and hydrates it, since it contains sweet almond oil. It is the only cream that doesn’t irritate my eyes. Sometimes I use The Pellamar BioActive Acne gel, when I get pimples. After that, I use various natural oils or types of butter. I use a different product per month (or until its recipient is empty). Right now I use pure shea butter. I don’t have a favorite brand, just make sure it is not ...

This is a short fable about the unexpected changes that we have to face in our lives. It takes less than an hour to read, and I decided to do it because it was praised by self-help gurus and various famous people and managers. I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. It’s about four characters (two mice and two little people) who live in a maze (a metaphor for one’s life/job/organization/community etc.) and are forced to look for the cheese (a metaphor for what you want in life – a good job/relationship/money/health etc.) when it suddenly disappears. Each of the characters has a different way of dealing with this situation, two of them diametrically opposed – one completely refuses to accept it and to adapt, while another one ventures out on his own and eventually finds new cheese, pausing to write on the walls what he has learned along the way, hoping that this will help the others. Here is an interesting quote: He knew that when you change what you believe, you change what you d...

Pellamar is a Romanian company that creates skincare products containing sapropel – therapeutic mud from a specific lake. It claims to be non-comedogenic and paraben-free, to cleanse the skin, remove impurities and excess sebum without drying the skin. It contains lavender flour extract, which is antiseptic and anti-inflammatory and helps heal wounds, burns, etc. The mud extract has a hydrating and protective role. It contains key amino acids: alanine, proline and glycine that have the effect of slowing down the aging process. Salycilic acid acts as an exfoliant, deeply cleans the pores and can improve the skin's structure and color. I started using this gel last summer, when the pimples and dark spots and other weird stuff on my skin started bothering me. I use a pea-size amount of product, mix it with a little water and spread it evenly. I leave it on for a couple of minutes then rinse it off with warm water. It doesn’t smell great (due to the mud component) but the sm...

This is one of my favorite brands: high quality, cruelty-free products at drugstore prices. The Color Icon lipliners (Chestnut, Willow, Berry Red) are creamy, smooth, not drying, and stay on until you remove them. I actually use then as lipsticks, applying them all over the lips. You can eat and drink and they will not bleed. My favorite is Willow because it’s close to my natural color. And they only cost a dollar. Ingredients: Beeswax/Cire d'abeille, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax/Cire de carnauba, Petrolatum, Ceresin, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbic Acid, [+/- (MAY CONTAIN/PEUT CONTENIR): Mica, Iron Oxides/CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, Titanium Dioxide/CI 77891, Red 40 Lake/CI 16035, Red 7 Lake/CI 15850, Red 6 Lake/CI 15850, Yellow 5 Lake/CI 19140, Manganese Violet/CI 77742, Blue 1 Lake/CI 42090] MegaLast Lip Colors: Cherry Bomb, Stoplight Red, 24 Carrot Gold These are longwearing lip colors with a semi-matte cream finish. The colors...

First of all, this smells amazing! I got it because I had read some reviews online and they all said it smelled really nice. Secondly, it does exactly what it says: it provides superior smoothness and manageability. A little goes a long way. You only need a small amount, and once you work it evenly throughout the hair, you can style it anyway you like and it will remain that way for days – at least that is what I have experienced. It is paraben-free, it contains a complex of Olive Oil and Monoi Oil, which is a unique blend of Coconut Oil and Tiare Gardenia flowers. Unlike some hair masks I have used, this serum does not make my hair flat or greasy after a while. It looks as if I haven’t used anything else than shampoo. It looks nice even after a week (I was in a situation where I couldn’t wash my hair for that long). I will keep using this. Ingredients: Aqua/Water/Eau, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Propanediol, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxys...

Glossy: Maybelline Vivid Hot lacquer  I got the shades So Hot and Classic. The first one is a bright orangey red and the other one is a darker red. They are both beautiful. I wear them almost every day. I also prefer putting them on and wiping them off gently so that I am left with a nice, natural shade of red that looks like I have nothing on. They last for a long time and they don’t smudge, even if you don’t use a lip pencil. Even after having lunch, they don’t come off completely. I love the applicator and I will keep it after the product runs out.  Matte: Dermacol Matte Mania liquid lip colour, shade 55 This is my go-to for classy matte red lips. I apply it with one stroke and wait a little until it dries. It is very light, I always forget I have it on. It is highly pigmented and the color is long-lasting and intense. It does not dry your lips. I still have it on after lunch, but is does come off a little if you wipe your lips. It is paraben-free and ve...

This is one of my paintings

I don’t usually use foundation so I’ve always tried to find a product that makes me look good and has SPF. Since I started to get sun spots, I realized that I can’t go out in the sun anymore without something that protects my skin. I used sunscreen but I didn’t like the smell or the way it looked on me – sometimes when I sweated it turned white. I love this BB cream – it makes me look fresh and healthy, even when I’m tired or I don’t feel well, it makes my skin look dewy. I don’t use a primer or anything else, just blush on my cheeks. It lasts for a long time, I’ve been out for 6-8 hours and I still looked good when I returned home. The description says it is an 8-in-1 BB Cream, it brightens, smoothes and hydrates, it gives skin a dewy finish, it adjusts to skin tone and blurs imperfections – I agree with all of this. It has SPF 30. I use a small amount and blend it in with a foundation brush or a make-up sponge. List of ingredients: TITANIUM DIOXIDE, WATER, ETHYLHEXYL PALMITATE...

I got the shade Light. On my skin, it does exactly what it says: it instantly erases dark circles and fine lines. I’ve been using it for two years now and I am very satisfied. I don’t use foundation or any type of primer underneath. I am not a fan of using foundation on a daily basis, so I use this instead on my under-eye area, smile lines and chin, especially when I want to look natural. I apply it directly with the applicator and then I blend it with my fingers or a sponge or even a brush. I love the fact that it doesn’t have a smell and that it feels like nothing on the skin. I’m sensitive to perfumes and I also dislike anything cakey. It changes my whole appearance and I can’t imagine going out without it when I am tired. Before I discovered it, I went through a lot of concealers, both drugstore and high-end, and I was never fully satisfied. Below is a list of ingredients from the Maybelline website, which you can check yourself: Aqua/Water/Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimet...