Just a quick note to my favourite SF fans. :3

[Redeemer]

This should maybe go in the forum regarding time away, returns, etc. but I feel more of you will read it here. Also, I never left, so I'm not returning, and I'm not exactly away, so this is BASICALLY just something I want to say to y'all. Just a chatty topic. :3

I saw some posts regarding me and a few about my sister, some wondering where we were. Some of the posts were really, really sweet and it just made me love you guys all the more. I didn't think that was possible.

It's true I'm super busy at the moment, I have a bunch of coursework due in for before Christmas, something like 3 essays and a large workbook that I have to construct into a sort of portfolio that shows my knowledge of mental health conditions, mental health assessment, etc. All of this super-intense work will be over by Christmas, so I'll be back here constantly after then. I still am around at least once a week, even if I don't post much. I have an RP going on that I started, so I have a responsibility there.

University isn't the only reason I'm busy. I'm trying hard to save money for one of my cats, Nina. For those who don't know about her, she's getting tested for cancers and auto-immune diseases. She has a biopsy on the 26th for the cancer tests, but really I think it's the auto-immune disease, because she seems to have gotten better while on the steroids I was given for this particular disease. Anyway, these steroid pills cost money, so I've taken on 2 jobs to raise money for her.

One job is for a manager position with Avon cosmetics. I won't just be selling Avon, it's more complicated than that. I'll have a team of Avon representatives working under me and I have to coach them, etc. So I'm training for that.

Also, I now work in a cafe every weekend. It's minimum wage, 8:30am until 5pm. Pretty tough work but I enjoy it so far. Basically, I've given up all my spare time to these 2 jobs, and it makes me really tired.

And on top of that, I have my soap-making business which is getting pretty busy now. Not that many sales in my online shop, but my RL friends are buying stuff and I'm now about to make some candles and lip balms. All profits from my shop are also going to Nina's vet care.

HOWEVER. I still have more than enough time for the wonderful, eventful and... complicated world that is SFO. I like this site, I see good things for it in the future, and there are good people here who I consider to be my friends. :3 If any of you ever wonder where I am, how I'm doing, or just need someone to talk to (I'm good at advice, so I hear :3 ) just PM me and I'll be here like a shot. I check my emails every day usually, so I will see that you've PM'd me.

Okay, now about my sister. ZeroFlare is my sister. And I don't just mean "we're good friends and want to be sisters so we call each other 'Sis'". We are biological sisters. We have the same mother and father. I know there's been some confusion on that so I just wanted to clarify.

There has also been some confusion on why she left. You could say it was my fault, in fact, technically it was my fault. You probably know that I live away from home. Across the country, in fact. If I'm lucky, I'll go home in the summer for a few days then head back to my place. So I don't see my family much, and I get pretty home sick.

To remedy that, I joined here because I knew my sister was here. I also love Star Fox, have done since I was a kid. I remember watching my older brother play Lylat Wars and it was awesome. :3 Anyway, I joined here and all seemed well for a short while. Then my sister started to get annoyed, I'm not sure why. If you saw her leaving post, you'll remember that she accused me of stealing her friends, putting her in a shadow, etc. That wasn't my intention, I just wanted contact with her and I do enjoy forums, so I began to post alot more than her. Maybe too much, actually. I think that perhaps I made her feel pressured because I was here so often and I quickly became a part of your community.

I'm sort of confused as to why she felt the way she did, as she did admit to me that she wasn't on here many times anyway. She had only around 200 posts when I joined and she had been here for roughly a year already. I've been here 6 months and I have over 1000 posts. I don't know. I think the bottom line is, this was her site, you were her friends, and I intruded. I can hold my hands up and admit that. I intruded on my sister's online haven. And although I'm sorry I made her feel that way (it made a silence between us that lasted about 4 months, caused by this matter and a few other things), I don't regret it. Because I've made other friends here that I would have never met had I not joined and pushed my way in here.

My sister and I are talking again, we're just as silly and loving as ever, and I think she now understands why I did what I did. She said she was thinking about coming back, but she is really busy with her life at the moment so that may still be in the not-so-near future. Please note, this topic isn't about poking a stick at my sister, I love her very much and I think she's awesome, and I know you guys think she's awesome too. She just felt pressured I think. So yeah, she may come back, she may not. It depends on what happens, because she has school, exams, her boyfriend Cash, etc. She's a pretty busy little girl. And yeah, she still draws. Her work is awesome, makes me so proud of her. :3

ANYWAY! This is all I wanted to say. I usually keep my journal in the Journal Zone updated with all the silly goings on in my life, so take a peek there if you're curious about anything. I'll be doing rounds of the forums soon, but for now, I have a class to attend. So until then, you all stay cool and stuff. :3 I <3 you all!

If you have any advice on exams and school work, post them here! I want to hear your advice!

[Guest Mr. Mario]

Oooooooook, I'll see you whenever you're done with your exams and etc.

[FoxMcCloud]

Redeemer!!!!! 

How's nina Doing? And I know how you feel with the colleges, Busy with essays, and other hectic things. Hopefully Things are going well, and I hope all is going well :3

[Guest DRL]

Hey, I remember you kittahs!!

Remember that thread with Vydrach?

Also when you first came here, I joined the "awesome war"

(I apologize still,  because we effectively hijacked your thread,

oh my lol).

Good to see things are going fine. Busy,  however, and

I understand that, but if things are working, then they are working.

(Now I confused myself, but that is what I am a pro at, right?)

Also good to see that ZeroFlare is fine too. To see her again would be

cool, but she is busy too. So, it was a simple misunderstanding back

then? Well, good to see things have strainghten out.

And please, send my regards to the Kittehs, I beg you.

Kittahs are awesome!

[Sabre]

Nice to know. My stuff tends to be chatty chat type crap such as a cute kitty on the train I thought you might be interested in, but it's not worth your time, and as you said I/we can keep up with your goings on elsewhere. As for advice, it's a nice offer, but as usual I doubt it would be of any use to me. I'm in a bad mood atm, and even your lovely-ness can only bring me from murderous to furious. You can still grab me any time you need me however.

I will ask though, if this cats medicine is so expencive, how long do you believe you can keep this up? Is it worth destroying yourself for?

Exam advice however, that I can give. Im awesome at tests. I dont even have to study, or do cram sessions or any of that nonsence. As a result, my 3 bits of advice are as follows.

1- Pay attention the first time. Tutors tend to repeat alot of a crap anyway. I never had to do extra studying for that reason.

2- While this varies based on format, it's usually best to get the easy and low pointer stuff first. High pointers thend to reward method anyway, even if unfinished or wrong. Much like Xbox live points, the easy ones take a fraction of the time, and percentage to time/effort are almost always disproportional in your favour.

2a- If the pace is set for you (like audio tape) it's a good idea to flip through the paper between questions while waiting for the next one. 2+2 might have 60 seconds for you to answer, you can sometimes get a boost by going through the paper during the extra 55 seconds or whatever.

3- I have never found an exam that I ran out of time on save for the audio tape ones mentioned above. No pressure. Just don't spend the whole time thinking about Kains bottom or whatever.

Other exam preperations on the day include not having any fancy meals the day before so you dont get the squits or whatever. Early night followed by getting up one hour early so you are fresh for that morning exam (depending if your body clock allows that kind of play. I don't have a body clock pretty much) Comfortable clothes, leave that itchy shirt and unconfortable shoes at home. A reasonable breakfast but don't over do it. The goal is to keep as rutine as possable and avoid or minimise the risk of unnessary distractions or things that could cause problems. Something as simple as a new air fresher can cause problems.

[Redeemer]

I will ask though, if this cats medicine is so expencive, how long do you believe you can keep this up? Is it worth destroying yourself for?

I can keep it up for as long as my savings account lasts. It has £500 at the moment and I will top that up every month. And yes. Yes it is.

And thanks for the advice Sabre! Lmao, Kain's bottom? You said it first!

My biggest exam problem is panic. I read the questions, then I can feel my heart thumping and the blood rushing to my ears. It's pretty horrible.

FoxMcCloud!  Nina seems to be doing okay! Her nose looks sort of normal now so I'm assuming that the meds are what she needs. She's also back to her quiet, non-cuddly way. *sigh*

DRL, of course I remember haha! Glad to see you're getting back on your feet!

Anyway, I just realised that the post I made was MASSIVE. Sorry! But there were some things I needed to clarify. I noticed that someone asked about ZF, and another user suggested she was banned. That cannot be further from the truth. So I explained it all up there, in the clearest way possible.

[Sabre]

I don't get why people panic. If it was a time thing, I addressed that. I never panic so that might have something to do with it. What are you panicing about and maybe I can help, though unlikely.

As for the kitten. I was on the train to board game night (yep, that's a night out for me. I'm boring like that.) there was this guy with a kitten in a box sitting opposate me. All the women on the train wanted to talk to him. It was cute as a button, and was meowing canstantly. Apparently it doesn't like being in the box. It occationially put it's little paws on the sides of the cage box thing. Anyway, he mentioned how it had been to the vet and wasn't happy about the whole thing. Told you it wasn't worth it. :)

[Redeemer]

OMG A CUTEY BUTTON KITTEN! That was a cute story, whenever I see a kitten in public, I always try to talk to it too.

I think I panic because, no matter how much I study, I still forget everything and write crappy answers.

[FoxMcCloud]

:friends: I am so glad to hear that Nina is well, and can't wait for your new stuff to come out in your shop.

Hope all is well, I just got done with my first semester at College, and boy was it a Doozy, and complicated

[Redeemer]

I am so glad to hear that Nina is well, and can't wait for your new stuff to come out in your shop.

Hope all is well, I just got done with my first semester at College, and boy was it a Doozy, and complicated

I posted a Nina-update in my journal if you want to check it out. 

Yeah we have nearly finished our first semester here too. Nearing exam time... I always get a mental block... :?

[Guest Mr. Mario]

Anyway, I just realised that the post I made was MASSIVE. Sorry! But there were some things I needed to clarify. I noticed that someone asked about ZF, and another user suggested she was banned. That cannot be further from the truth. So I explained it all up there, in the clearest way possible.

I didn't say Zero Flare was banned...  :?

[Redeemer]

I didn't say Zero Flare was banned... 

Read that quote again. I never said was you. I don't even remember the username of the person who said it! There was no cryptic message there hon, I prefer to be direct. ;)