All posts for the month June, 2018

Favorites: May & June 2018

Hello all of my beautiful nerds traveling the vast universe! I am back with my Favorites and this time it’s May and June! Let’s get started! I do have one non-beauty favorite and a Meh Favorite! Let’s see what I have.

Meh Fave: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Nude! I know everyone fell in love with this but I feel like it is not my fave except it’s a meh! It did work pretty well on my lids and worked better than the Wet N Wild Primer, which I will be talking about next in my Un-Favorites area, it did not glue my lashes shut but I felt like it was going into the lashes a bit. I know I am supposed to put not that much of this product and use the wand but I prefer squeezing it out into my fingers and apply it a lot more easily that way. I feel like this was not for me, I think I prefer my NYX Eye Base in the pot along with the MAC Paint Pots because I have an easier time applying those than primers in the tube and the lip gloss looking container.

Meh Eye Shadow Pallet: Marvel Avengers Infinity War Pallet from Hot Topic! I tend to love the eye shadow pallets from Hot Topic but this is in my Meh category. I did kind of put it under “Regrets’ at first because people on What’s Up In Makeup thought it looked muddy with the shadow look I tried first with the orange, the green, the brown, and others but when I re-did the look with Soul, which is the orange I put it all over my lid and just did more of a neutral eye that way. I thought the shadows were okay but too powdery after realizing it. I may keep on using it but I prefer the unicorn ones and the Galaxy Shadow pallet I got last year.

New Eye Shadow Pallet: Urban Decay Beached Pallet! I finally got this pallet after hearing so many things about it and that is the Beached pallet by Urban Decay. Yes, 2018 is all about the Urban Decay and not sponsored, sorry! I think they’re slaying it this year because of the new pallets they have been coming out with. Anyways, I got my Beached pallet after collecting my points at Ulta and used them on it and it was worth it! All thanks to doing a look with the teal, the deep blue, and the Blaze in this pallet I ended up attracting Hash Tag Sunglasses to it. I love Urban Decay and their shadows have been killing it and I can’t wait to complete the Naked collection since I have been collecting them, I have to keep my paws off my Naked Heat pallets, lol!

New Shadow Quads: Wet N Wild Flights of Fancy Eye Shadow Quads! Along with new releases by many brands, Wet N Wild released their summer collection last month and it’s called the Flights of Fancy Collection for the hummingbirds that are native to California. I got the full set and it was beautiful, I do have a not so favorite but these shadow quads are pretty much what Wet N Wild has done after discontinuing the trios. I think it was a good idea to do that because not only they re-formulated Walking on Eggshells but they added another color to it and it gives us more freedom to play with the quads. I realize I haven’t used the trios as much which I am trying to hit pan on so I can let them go. I used in my video the Hasta La Costa Quad and it is a green and blue quad which is gorgeous! I am thinking of using one of the others in the future since the Braille labels did pop off, which sucks but hey I can use them one day soon. Maybe I should use the rose gold one next week for the NFB Convention, who knows.

New Lip Gloss: Wet N Wild Lip Glosses! Along with those quads, Wet N Wild also released lip glosses! Those things are great except you have to kind of build them up due to the applicator. Usually with most lip glosses I do one swipe or two and I’m good but it feels like you kind of build up with two swipes on the bottom and top but still these aren’t sticky like most lip glosses. Not even sticky like MAC.

Lip Scrub: E. L. F. Lip Scrub in Mint! I finally got to try the Lip Scrubs from E. L. F. Normally I would use the ones from Lush but it’s been forever since I got any lip scrubs from them since now the drugstore is starting to create their own, even Wet N Wild made their own for the Flights of Fancy collection which seriously should be permanent! At first when I got the scrub in my package, this was when they did free shipping a little while ago, I thought it was weird due to how it looked as a lip stick tube. When I started using it, it felt weird at first because of how compact it is together and then realized I had to run it across a few times to make it work and then wipe it off with a cotton round. Easy enough and it is hard to be tempted to eat because I love mint! That is the reason why I went for mint. I definitely want to try the other ones that they came out with and they aren’t as expensive as Lush or the coffee one I have made with coffee from Ulta, this one is good!

New Translucent Powder: NYX Pressed Powder! So, I went to NYX last month and to get a new powder to get for my under eye because I felt the LA Girl one was running out faster and I felt that there was not much in the pan and realized I liked pressed more. So, I did find out that the NYX Setting Powder is also pressed and got it in Translucent. I love it! I can see why people recommend this powder to use as a setting powder and it feels as lightweight as you wear it.

New Mascara: NYX worth the Hype Mascara! So, I reached my first round of points at NYX and ended up getting a free tube of the Worth the Hype Mascara as a sample size and I heard good things about it from one person and when I got it, I was hoping it would not be flake city like Better than Sex and guess what? It wasn’t! I carry this in my makeup bag and whenever I spend the night at Gondras’ place and don’t hand don’t have any makeup I turn to this! It makes my lashes look so full! Way to go NYX, I want the full size now!

New Blush: The Baked Blushes by Wet N Wild! Speaking of WNW earlier, another item from their Flights of Fancy is the Baked Blushes. Sorry WNW, you need to make these permanent! Milani has had them for a long time! Anyways, these blushes are gorgeous! I think I use the nude one the most because it was a shade you rarely find as a baked one, you do have Apricot in The Middle, which I still need to get and try out, these definitely need to be permanent and they are very good in blending them on your cheeks.

New Setting Spray: Wet N Wild Matte Setting Spray! Yes, a lot of Wet N Wild but they have been getting my money for any of their face items because I used to use Almay and getting the foundation and powder was costing a bit much so I switched to Wet N Wild’s stuff since it’s cheaper and I like the wand part more than the pump. Anyways, I decided to try the setting spray from Wet N Wild and I prefer this more because the NYX one I’ve been using the Demi Matte formula was breaking me out in certain areas of my face but mostly around my cheeks the most. I think I’m a little too sensitive to their spray and I even felt itchy around the areas on my face after a few hours. The Wet N Wild doesn’t do that to me! I think it’s the ingredients that they use, I know one ingredient is Vitamin E if I remembered and it doesn’t cause me to itch nor break out. I think also that the NYX one was not reacting well to the Clearasil products I’ve been using. This spray has been working out beautifully and now on bottle number two! I am able to find this spray easily at Walmart and even on Ulta’s website and it doesn’t cost an arm and leg like most sprays. I also like how it smells, it smells sweet!

Not-So-Favorites:

Wet N Wild Eye Shadow Primer and Primer Water Spray: These two items are not my favorites at all when it comes to makeup! I am so sorry Wet N Wild here are my reasons. I mentioned above, the Wet N Wild Photo Focus Eye Shadow Primer was the thing I wanted to try for so long! SO LONG! But it sucks! It glued my lashes SHUT! I hated how it felt like glue and it was thick as paste as it came out of the tube, I had to go back in for more dollops of this stuff and it glued my lashes shut. I am sorry, that is not supposed to happen when you put on any eye shadow primer even from a pot. I had to toss it, shadow primer is not glue Wet N Wild! And the other item, I tried loving but couldn’t due to how the spray nozzle stopped working correctly and that is the Primer Water that came with the Flights of Fancy collection. I was hoping this would last me for a while and I loved how cooling it was while spraying it and it did set very well but as time went on the spray nozzle would not work! I tried shaking it and it would still not work. It was like it worked once and would not work again! I take back that I want it permanent, I think I will stick to the Hydro Touch I’ve been using and I am planning to try out the Dewey Primer from Wet N Wild and see how that compares but sorry the primer spray does not get my love. I did toss it too.

Non-Beauty Faves!

Book: Tiffany Blues by. M. J. Rose! This was a very enjoyable read by M. J. Rose and it is called Tiffany Blues. If you read my review, you could tell I loved every page of it and I didn’t want to stop reading it because of how beautiful it was. I did do a makeup look based on the Tiffany Glass colors you heard throughout the book and I felt like I was brought to the 1920s to when Jenny was there doing art. If you have not read this book, I highly recommend as an excellent read!

Another Book: The Dream Keeper’s Daughter by. Emily Colin! Another book is the Dream Keeper’s Daughter by. Emily Colin. I didn’t want to leave Kindle alone with this one either because of how it pulled you between past and present to see how the two main characters, Max and Isabel, go through the times they were in with Isabel trying to live her life while Max is getting her mom back. I would say read that one too if you’re interested.

Recipe Favorite: Pickle Dip! I know what you are thinking, “Say what!?” you can make a dip out of anything and pickles was an interesting dip to make because you had many things going into it besides dill pickles, you also had cream cheese, garlic paste, and other things and came out to have an interesting mild taste. I would say if you find the recipe from Publix, which is who I got it from, use pretzels because they go the best with it.

Movie: Avengers Infinity War! Next is movie and you already know! Avengers Infinity War was a great film except the ending. All I have to say is, “Damn it Quill and Thor! You had one job!” I won’t spoil the rest and I can’t wait to catch any other Marvel movies even if it means on Netflix.

Series: Series of Unfortunate Events! Okay, I wasn’t expecting to watch this because Nerdy Shirts and his brother asked GOndras to be in a video with them reacting to episode 9 of season 2. Gondras couldn’t get past a certain point in Season 2 but I kept watching. All I have to say is that I never read the books but this was a great too series since they had Neil Patrick Harris being Count Olaf in this one. You never thought he would play creepy very well until you see this and it helps with his Broadway musical background because he does sing the theme song and it’s catchy! I can’t wait to see what Season 3 holds for the Bodalairs since the final episode of Season 2 revealed a big thing and I can’t reveal it. If you want to see the reactions on this series, make sure you check out the Super Reaction Bros.!

Top Five Songs!

1. Ignite by. Alan Walker! First on my list is a song by Alan Walker who performed at this year’s Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas! This year it was in May rather than June to keep people cool at night. I never heard of Alan Walker until I saw a video of his set and it brings an awesome beat but this song called, “Ignite,” got me loving his music even more. I do like his first song, “Fade,” from his early days but this one fits the sci-fi theme we pull on here, I would so use this as a theme song if YouTUbe doesn’t get mad.
2. “Odd Future” English Cover by. Jonathan Young: Next is another cover by Jonathan Young and it’s the fourth My Hero Academia theme song called “Odd Future.” I I’ve been loving this anime a lot and thank you Gondras for showing it to me and need to watch more of but this is one of my fave songs from that series.
3. “Dirty” by. Sevendust! Oh yeah! My Southern Metal boys are back and this time with a newer song! Apparently they have released new music and this song is called “Dirty.” It kind of goes back to their more metal roots since the Seasons album had more of a softer sound and their song, “Unraveling” was also pretty soft but do like it but this one it calls back to what I knew Sevendust for and kept it up!
4. “History Maker” Cover by. Nate Wants to Battle: I know this is not new but I can’t stop listening to it because it always get in my head, plus May was all about meeting with my destiny of getting my job offer, getting to go to the NFB National Convention, and of course being accepted at Northern Arizona. I am following my dreams people!
5. “Lion Skin” by. Hands like Houses: Even though there have been other songs that have been appearing on my I Heart Radio but this one was unique out of all the music that has been on there lately. I’ve never heard of this band but if I had then I wouldn’t have looked at their info but this song is a really good one. Almost reminds me of “Arrow” by Gackt in the beginning but then goes into its own song.
Well, that’s it for this bi-montly favorites. I know a lot of Wet N Wild was on this list because they have been in my makeup collection even more after using their powder and foundation. I may be adding Clearasil next time since the face wash I got was not a face wash but it was a face mask but I have the actual face wash so I will be giving another two months before I add them to my favorites since so far my skin has been getting better and people noticing in my pictures. So next time will be my review on the NFB National Convention since I need to take time to read some books! Until next time! And follow us on Twitter @ Nerdy Shique!

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by moonleopard85 on June 30, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in anime, beauty, Books, Favorites, Internet, Movies, Music, Television

Posted by moonleopard85 on June 30, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/06/30/favorites-may-june-2018/

Books: The Dream Keeper’s Daughter

Hello my beautiful nerds and welcome back for a second post of the night! Time for another book to be reviewed!

Title: The Dream Keeper’s Daughter
Author: Emily Colin

Disclaimer: This book review is based on thoughts and opinions of the lead writer. Please respect her thoughts and opinions on this book.

What Is It About? In this book, we meet Isabel Griffin, an archaeologist, who tries to be a great single parent to her daughter, Finn, she has gone through a lot after losing her best friend, Max O’Dair, and not only that her mother earlier in life which her father obsessed looking for her. After getting a call while being on a dig in Barbados, she gets the four words, “Isabel keep her safe!” She wonders if it’s her missing friend and wonders what was it about and on top of that finds a necklace that her and her father had given to her mother many years before just as she disappeared. Plus, she has to go through her daughter’s uncanny gift which lets her see people show up in her dreams and hear thoughts before spoken. Will she be able to get through her obsessions before they take over or will she move on from thinking about Max and her mother?

Thoughts: This book was a really entertaining read! I started it on Thursday and felt like I couldn’t stop reading because of it how it switched from present to past. We see Isabel get that mysterious call and how she reacted at first which was of course shock which I would go through if the same thing happened to me. Then we see Max in where he is at the moment since something had whisked him away to the past into Barbados. I felt like I was reading The Jekyll Revelation over again since that switched between present and past but that used a journal while here it was one person in the present another in the past looking for a missing loved one, well more like someone who wanted to know about her family due to adoption, which was Isabel’s mom. I find it interesting how the mystery took shape in what really could transport someone and that was an area of land that can allow someone to talk to their dead loved ones or be transported there. I can see where the link would come in this book since we see Isabel in present day Barbados digging things up and finding a clue and then we see what happens later in how that clue got there in Barbados of the past.

I also find it interesting that what made people communicate from past and present was through dreams and that was with Finn. I thought she only had the thought reading powers but no the dream thing made it more interesting because when you think about it, dreams do form from thoughts either good or bad during the day or from the past. This made the story intriguing because I’m wondering if Max had the powers to see someone from the past since he did see Isabel’s mom the day he vanished and it got passed onto Finn and that helped with the link between them. I would say give it a read if you’re into things like this since this not only had historical fiction at its finest but gave it a supernatural twist!

There is one thing I wanted to ask and that is why give Isabel another love interest? Yeah it’s a way of moving on but me kind of feel like he didn’t belong here if she wanted Max back until he did come back. I wished she did end up with Max because they have gone through so much together and yes it was awkward since he vanished for eight years but they could repair it. I did like the ending between Max and Finn since they did have father and daughter time out on Barbados which made the book more touching in the end.

Rating: 4 Star Paw Prints Out of 5! Even though this book was something I couldn’t put down whenever I got into Kindle but to me Ryan was out of left field despite him being the Max replacement. I did like the mystery and supernatural feel about this book since it did go from present to past to get an idea of what had happened to Max and how he could save Julia and get into trouble within the Slave Rebellion back in the 1800s while they were at it. I wished Finn’s powers were explained more and see if they were from Max but that could have messed with the magical aspect. Still it was a good read.

That is it for this book! I will have a link to it so you guys could check it out for yourselves! Next post will be my May and June Favorites! So stay tuned! And don’t forget to forget to follow us on Twitter @ Nerdy Shique for all of our updates! Stay beautiful!

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by moonleopard85 on June 26, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Books, Reviews

Posted by moonleopard85 on June 26, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/06/26/books-the-dream-keepers-daughter/

Social Media: Brands Scamming On Instagram?

Hello all of my beautiful nerds traveling the vast universe! I am back with another post and I did promise something more serious!

Instagram Has Scams!?

Disclaimer: This post is based on an experience that the writer had and basing it off of other experiences people had in the past. Please respect her thoughts and opinions.

Yes! Say it isn’t so! And I kind of experienced it. The thing is that apparently some brands are going around on Instagram to gather people for their Affiliate Links and Ambassador Programs and some of them don’t give what you want if you paid for it or say “No Purchase Necessary” but you had to purchase it yourself and not straight forward about it. Let me tell you my story.

So, this was right after I bought the Urban Decay Beached Eye Shadow Pallet and I did a look using the teal, the blue, one of the dark brown shades, and Blaze and posted it on Instagram. I got the usual likes and new people liking it until two comments came up, one was from a sunglasses company called Hash Tag Sunglasses and the other one was from a box subscription called Yes Oh Yas! They commented that my look is awesome and that they want me to be an affiliate with them. What was interesting with the one from Yes Oh Yas said, “Contact me so we can get you started and send you a box?” I was sold mostly on Yes Oh Yas because I have been missing Ipsy and Boxy Charm while Hash Tag Sunglasses was an if in my book.

So I and the rep from YOhY talked and she told me that there is no purchase necessary, we give you a code for your followers, and we don’t really ship worldwide and so on. I decided to go with it and leave my address and she did give me a website to sign up on and I go through the process and yes I looked into it and the products looked amazing, you even get a full-size brush set or pallet and other things. I was hoping that the box was going to arrive soon and apparently I found out the hard way that they don’t send boxes for free. Yes, not for free for review. I even confirmed with the official Facebook page and they said the same thing in response. What got me was that they sent a code in the email saying, “Here is your 10% Off Code for your subscription and your friends.” I thought I was getting a free box at first because that is what no purchase necessary meant, even contest rules are the same thing for many companies. I was mad! I felt like I was used even because most affiliate programs would be more up front which I will go to next.

So, with Hash Tag Sunglasses, on the other hand, is different. Again they did the same comment, well almost the same, and I PMed them on IG about it and they said go to the website in my profile and I did and signed up. They send me an email saying, “Thanks for signing up! Look through our designs and we will give you a code to use for our Ambassador Rate and after ordering we will let you have a custom code for your followers.” So, I found the Cat Eye Style with the brown and leopard colors and email them back and they give me the code and I did explain that I didn’t have my deposit yet until June 1st, can I just order then? They let me and when I got the deposit I did put in the order and it went from $53 to $27 which is not bad because a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses go for more than that! I did email them with what I want my code to be and apparently I sent it twice, it was supposed to be 10% off but it’s now 20% somehow. I was cool with it and a few days later my package is shipped. While it was going through shipment, I was looking on the net about this company and guess what happened? There were videos about them going through a scam with this company, one was from last year and the other was more recent. I know better to look into things very deeply and finding that YohY was more trustworthy except for some reviews which I will get into later. Trust me, after watching the videos which the first was the one from last year saying that she didn’t get her order and it was after the two week time span and that a few other people went through the same thing. I figured that it was a year ago and probably they had issues for being a new brand or had high volume which happens. The most interesting part to it that made it more long time ago idea in my head was that the codes that they gave everyone was the same to use for not just purchasing which was a first time code but for the discount code for friends and followers which was “New Shades For you10!” The girl did ask I think in the second video, “If you are an affiliate, don’t you get a custom code?” Which I did get a custom code which was good.

Did it ring some bells? Yes! I decided to contact the company for questions because I was worried even with the glasses being sent from China of all places which I looked into they mostly come from different warehouses around the world. Also what rang my bell was that there was no tracking that anyone got which the first person said it was because of the free shipping bit. A little bit of news about that! Even if you have something with free shipping attached, from my experiences of buying from EBay, Amazon with some free shippers, and even Color Pop when I reached the $30 limit and even NYX once, you get a tracking number no matter what! I did get a tracking number actually which gave me some relief and did send that email anyways and I got a big response saying which I will summarize, “What are in those videos might not be true, we do have high order volumes and sometimes packages may be delayed!’ Which is true, even around holidays that happens, I even had it happen once in 2007 when I ordered something for Gondras for his birthday and you know how hard it is during Christmas. They even mentioned how they have been around for a long time, well four years, and they do deliver on their products which is also great relief on my end which is true since I did get my sunglasses in the mail last Thursday. And the second person did get her sunglasses too in the mail but she wasn’t happy with them which I was happy with them. What was also a sweet relief was that they also sell at the Galleria Mall in the Chic NYC store where you can see them in person if you need to.

What Is My Verdict?

Well, I feel like some companies do work hard and not all of them are scams on the internet. Yes, it was kind of weird knowing that my sunglasses were coming from China which I think they had to be made there and they did say on their website that depending on the style it would come from a warehouse worldwide. It did get to me within the two weeks’ time because that is usually the time that I buy anything from China or Hong Kong gets to me whether I get it on EBay or Amazon, heck it took longer when I ordered the Smell of Weather Turning from Lush UK! So, I knew where it was coming and I did get my tracking number and it did update when it got to New York and then when it delivered. The only complaint I have is the text messaging updates I never received because I figured I could track my package if it was coming or not. I did bring up to them and they did say, “I think we had the wrong address on file but we are glad that your sunglasses arrived. For future purchases just email us.” Which seems a bit off because I gave them the right address and they came to right one even though that can happen with one wrong typo. Unless the shipping service got it wrong while going through the process of being shipped. I don’t know what happened but hoping if I were to buy again then I will double check on spelling and hoping to get text updates. Which that brings me to the next point.

The customer service I receive even while explaining the Affiliate Program was way straighter forward than the Yes Oh Yas people. How so? Like I said above, with YOhY, they didn’t tell me that I was supposed to subscribe to their box when they said “No purchase necessary.” Or required which was another bit of wording used later. If only customer service came to reply within hours through Facebook like they said or in a day by saying, “Sorry! I don’t know why that rep told you that! You need to subscribe in order to get our box while signing up is free to get your referral codes.” Rather than be vague about it. While Sunglasses, they were more up front with me talking about how the Affiliate Program works and how to get your first pair which you had to buy with a code and then come up with a custom one for your followers which is pretty fair in my book. Even Chic NYC was the same way since they also came up to me but their prices…yeah…not in my range even at the Ambassador Rate. Hey, at least I’m working with one of their other companies and as a blind person I have to protect my remaining vision at all costs especially around summer and winter when the sun is super bright. I do love my accessories even jewelry if you may have seen my cosplays.

All I do have to say after those two videos, maybe HTSunglasses did change over time and was getting used to having affiliates. I am not sure what happens behind the scenes but it did throw me off with how the text updates didn’t work but hey at least their customer service did give me an answer even to my worries. I may have to visit their Galleria Mall shop if I get to stay in South Florida for more than one day because I want to see how other styles are like in person since I can feel them in my hand. I will still work with this company and yes I got a lot to learn about different people on Instagram from different brands I will keep my guard up. While Yes Oh Yas, they won’t get any business from me after feeling like I was duped for something. Yes, their Ambassador Program would have get a dollar for every person to sign up but not sure if that is for real and wouldn’t be more fair to send out the ambassadors a free box once and then talk about the product on the blog which I wanted to in the first place and see how the audience would feel and want to trust what the company provides. That is why Ipsy and BoxyCharm, even Allure and Sephora, get the following that they do with their own boxes. Which I am thinking of going back with Ipsy soon because I miss having the little makeup bags of stuff and trying out something new even in a small size which gives me an idea of what is similar in the stores or if I can get that NYX item or Hikari item somewhere. Another thing as well, some of the products I noticed with some reviews are also repeated in other subscriptions too especially with Bella Pierre products, which I’d rather go with Ipsy and Boxy for those items. And I also read a few Facebook reviews and some were not great, I did talk about my experience on their alongside someone else becoming an Affiliate except they got blocked which is not good. Sorry YOhY, you get a thumbs down in my book.

And if you guys want to check out Hash Tag Sunglasses, you can and if you want to use my code, I included it in the Affiliates page and will include it here which is blueuniverse20 which makes sense since my name is Mari Blue Cat and for my blog name. And I did say I started with the Cat Eye Style glasses with the leopard print. They do have many other styles even for men and kids in case if you need to get them a pair. And again, it does take two weeks to ship so just be patient and if you are in Fort Lauderdale, they are also available at Chic NYC store.

Well, that is it for this post! Stay tuned for another book review! Hold on tight!

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by moonleopard85 on June 26, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Response and Opinion, Social Media

Posted by moonleopard85 on June 26, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/06/26/social-media-brands-scamming-on-instagram/

Accessibility In Gaming Part 2: What d Do I Want to See In This?

Hello my beautiful nerds traveling throughout the vast universe! I’m back with a new post and this time it’s a continuation of a past post I’ve done!

Accessibility in Gaming Part 2: What I Want To See in Gaming With This?

Stellarnan gave me this idea since she brought an article about a new controller Microsoft had developed for their XBOX for anyone with hand issues to play one handed. This is a step in the right direction since it has popped up and now Microsoft has been working on a lot of things in the Accessibility Department. I even participated in the NFB’s webinar with Narrator recently and can see improvements. Not only that, don’t forget Seeing AI and Soundscape made for IOS.

  1. ind that should be included1. Nintendo Get More Into Accessibility! As you know, I play a lot of pokemon and it’s not easy playing without any assistance. I did use Seeing A.i. with the Short Text setting to read things on the screen and it was great but it would be tedious holding it up all the time even with a tripod. I did mention this and that Nintendo needs to get into the accessibility game more even though they did start with the contrast adjustment settinngs on the Switch. A little fact, according to the episode I listened to the episode by Assistive Tech Update that Nintendo is behind in accessibility due to Microsoft taking the top sot with Sony right behind because of one setting which I will talk about next. Yes, it is nice that they started with the contrast adjustments but not everyone can see that because not everyone has the same eye condition so that brings me to the next point.

  2. More Screen Reading Support! I menttioned Sony because they only have the Text to Speech engine working on their home screen at the moment. Even Gondras demonstrated this when he first got his Playstation 4 this year and we were disappointed that only went far to work on the home screen area which makes us sad and me even more because I have not gottten my paws on Playstation controllers for a long time, well I did have to navigate through the Rock Band 4 song list to find one song I wan sing and that was last year. Anyways, it would be nice that screen reading software be included or as an app to downloaded. I did mention above that not everyone has the same kind of eye cndition to use contrast adjustments with colors, you need low vision for that while total blindness or low vision to the point of not seeing anything requres screen reading. Reason being is because we ccan follow along with the story better to have it read to us, the tutorial screens read to understand what the button combos are and how not to get killed in something ike Final Fantasy XII or even Kingdom Hearts to name a few. And speaking of Final Fantasy, having the emnu options being read out along with who is up next because it would be hard to see that little arrow icon over each character when it is their turn. Okus, give it he Soundscape treatment by telling where an item is like in Pokemon and what building is ahead and nearby because a character does have to buy their supplies to go on and continue their adventure so more screen reading support and even navigation can help someone with lower vision get through a game more easily.

  3. Braille Support On Braille Displays! I know it seems weird but hear me out! Braille has come a long way and it has improved in the tech dpartment and we are having complete Braille tablets being made! Not kidding! Anyways, Braille Note Takers today have Android tech built into them which not only we have the usual built in apps but also Google Play to get the apps we get on our tablets to be installed se. Oh yeah that will be handy when I start my certificate program. What is also great is that they have Bluetooth and Wireless settings and also a USB cable to plug into a computer to use in order to read. So, having a way of using a Braille Display while playing a game would be awesome to use if the screen reading support is not there or still being worked on. Yes, there may be plug-ins needed but it is easy to add onto a device or just have Bluetooth pair with each system like how it does with IPhones with my Braille Sense Polaris. With this ablity, it can read menus, the subtitle boxes when characters speak so you can feel while pushing X or the A button while hearing the story, and even read the tutorials and any notes from that tutorial. Wishing I had that during the PS2 days while playing the original .hack games since it was a lot of text along with dialogue.

  4. Developers and Gamers Should Talk! As in the disabled community, even blind, and the developers should have discussion about these issues. Trust me I have been emailing Nintendo about the screen reading and it will take forever. WHile game developers, on the other hand, seem to be more open. Steve Saylor, the Glind Gamer on YouTube, even is working on that too from his review of the accessible version of God of War where they added some accessible points to the game. In order to improve on games themselves, developers d listen and hear their fans out well most developers, still it shows that they are open to the subject of making their games not only great for their existing audience but new ones as well and that will help with inclusion of new audiences.

Developers Should Speak to Well Known Acccessibility Companies! This is another big point I want to touch upon besides the one above because it can help expand on making games accessible and that is the developers of the systems, technology, and even games should talk with the developers of Narrator, in order to make it inclusive to the screen reading for XBox, JAWS, and even NVDA, and even the devices I have mentioned above in getting ways of how to make their games and systems work with this kind of technology. Without the having talks with each other, it would make it harder to know what to do or how to do it when it comes to making something more accessible to a new market. As in how to make a title be read out by Narrator or how it will look on a Canute 360 for example, having these discussions will take as far as new games come out and new people w

ant to play. Who knows, maybe we will hear UVSoft thanking Freedom Scientific one day for helping them having a screen reader read out Beyond Good & Evil 2 someday on an E3 stage.

So guys, that is it for this post! I know it was a lot to talk about because I have been using Assistive Tech for eight years now and about to go into it for work and school as my career field it would be awesome that the tech we use could expand into video games since I do not want to give up on finishing any of the games I have been playing and I am also planning to get a Switch due to 2019 will be announcin another generation of Pokemon to be made. I would ove to have my Polaris at my side telling me if my Dragonite wants to learn a new move and I need to remove one to make room for it.

So, what is nextt for Nerdy Shique Universe? Well, I need to talk about an affiliate program I just joined because I have been hearing warnings about companies scamming people over Instagram and wanted to talk about it since I just received my product and they were one of the ones mentioned. So stay tuned for that and follow us on Twitter @ Nerdy Shique for all of the latest updates! Oh right, also gotta do a Faves post! Until next time!

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by moonleopard85 on June 24, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Accessibility, Blindness, Braille, Gaming, Response and Opinion, Technology, Video Games
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Posted by moonleopard85 on June 24, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/06/24/accessibility-in-gaming-part-2-what-d-do-i-want-to-see-in-this/

Conventions: 78th Annual National Federation of the Blind National Convention in Orlando, FL!

Hello all my beautiful nerds traveling this vast universe! It is time for a new Conventon Spotlight!

COnvention: National Federation of the Blind 78th Annual National Convention in Orlando, FL

Dates: July 3rd to 8th, 2018

Location: Rosen Shingle Creek

So, the New Convention Alarm buzzed udring my interview post time and it is different from the ones I have talked about on here and that is the 78th Annual National Convention for the National Federation of the Blind.

  • As you know and have remembered, I was diagnosed with a rare form of Retinitis Pigmentosa and despite my blindness I was able to get around the obstacles over the years until I lost my eye sight in 2008, well central actually, but have still loved anime, video games even if it means Pokemon, and many other things over time. Heck, designed my own cosplays and have written books. I did not join the NFB Central Florida Chapter until…wait I bet you are wondering, what is the NFB exactly?

About the National Federation of the Blind This organization was founded in in the 1940s and belived that despite our own blindess we can be able to follow our dreams and find hope after sight loss. The NFB shows also helps other blind people in their community find help and information about services that are out there in their own community. Even work with other blind people change the misconceptions that they face when it comes to being blind and change laws and policies that affect the blind, and meet other blind people that have similar interests and hobbies. There is a lot to look at this group since it is so vast and there are many chapters around us in the United States, especially here in Orlando which I am a part of the Central Florida Chapter.

I will tell you that after graduating college, I was depressed, as in leaving school, having degrees that were hard for me to get a job in yuntil being at a support group one Monday afternoon, someone invited us to meet at the NFB Chapter Meeting one Saturday and this was in 2015. I went and was surprised how small it was at first but got to meet so many people who were blind or legally blind like me. I started to attend more meetings even when I returned from Daytona with my work experience and was a member and also one of the ones in charge of fundraising. Remember how I did press at MegaCon a year ago? Well, I think I mentioned that NFB was having their State Convention downtown in Orlando while representing the blind community doing freelance press. What about National? Let us get to that!

Location: Like my many convention goings, this one is at a hotel and it is at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort on Unversal Blvd. There were some years where it was at the Rosen Center which is across the street from one of the Convention Center buildings and connected to it, this year it is at Shingle Creek. Unfortunately rooms are sold out since this is the last year it will be in Orlando for a while. I know, I am sad about that too. If you want a room, you will be sent to the Rosen Center which is not too far away and they do have shuttles traveling between the two all week. I believe room rates are $90 and up depending on the room you get, plus a $100 deposit is needed. I hear this place is a nice hotel and cannot wait to see what it is like. Also, anyone taking paratransit, make sure you tell your drivers even Ubers and Meers, drop you off at the front, even tell dispatch that and pick you up at the front for Access Lynx because that is the best drop off and pick up point to be found. It is not great being stranded, heck almost happened to me at Omni Year 1!

What to Expect? There is a lot going on throughout the entire week! Let see, there is a job fair for anyone who needs help in job placement, a lot of exhibitors such as Google, H. I.M. S., Guide Dog groups for anyone has their four legged companions, even other things like a Braille Book Fair which I will be voluunteering at, and workshops. The ones I am very excited about are anything that deals with Assistive Tech because this is a dream for someone like me, heck I will be at the Google Workshops on that Tuesday to see about getting my skills down on the Braille Sense versions of their apps. If anyone wants to take a look at Braille Note Takers and do not know which one to choose between the Braille Sense Polaris and Braille Note Touch, both H. I. M. S. and Humanware will be there in case if you want to know about their gadgets!

Besides workshops on tech, there will also be workshops with yoga, dancing, even one on line dancing which is interesting so anyone can have a good time and want to get back into dancing, even in salsa dancing. THere is also karaoke during the week, trivia, and the Welcome Event which not only all the different chapters will meet but a performance from Apl D Ap will take place. For any Black Eyed Peas fans, here is an interesting fact, he is also visually impaired and awesome that he will be making an appearance at the NFB National Convention to perform. There is a lot of things to do and do not forget aboyut the banquet on the final day where the National Scholarship Winners will receive their scholarships and Mr. Mark Rickabono will be speaking.

Do not worry, I will be doing a Convention Impossible after this event because it is my real first time going since I did receive a Convention Scholarship to attend and I am glad since I never been to a full on convention and it is the last year in town for a while which e rumors about where it will be next, I will have the official location when it gets announced here or on the Nerdy Shique Universe Twitter, @ Nerdy Shique for any of my Blind Nerds reading this on the computer or tablet at home.

Anything Else For The NeKnow? Yes, definitely check out the NFB at www.nfb.org and see what they are doing for the blind comunity. If you also know someone that is legally blind or totally blind, also let them know about this organization and what it does. Without it I would not be able to pursue my dreams to be an Assistive Tech Specialist and starting in the fall at Northern Arizona, you guys can do it too! If you are a parent of a blind child or a blind parent about to have children, there are resources for yoyou too, the only way is by looking at the website and see what they have andjoin a chapter if you can. Or even the Newsletter Mailing list or even a Division. No matter what you are going through you are not alone in the universe there are others just like you. And new sighted supporters can join as a way to support their blind companions or family members because we wnat to include you in our NFB Family! So, check out the website and in case if you are at the Rosen Shingle Creek, check out the convention and what is out there for us as a community.

So, that is about it! www.nfb.org is your wbsite to see for the convention and what other services are avilable for the blind and of course the entire agenda is there too in PDF, Braille, and a Word Document because it shows what you all may want to see and do during the week. You can also get the physical agenda on site if need to. I am really excited about the tech stuff andd what I will learn what is to come for my job, even excited to help with the Braille Book Fair since I do love reading in it. And so much more that it will take a lot to talk about so wait until the Convention Spotliht comes along that is when I will reflect on it. So, make sure you follow us on Twitter @ Nerdy Shique for updates and next time I will be ding a post about what I want to see with Accessibility in gaming. Why? Well, E3 did pass and my best buddy, Stellarnan, did send me the link to the new XBox Controller article and Assistive Tech Update even talked about it due to doing an episode talking with someone about this topic, why not do a post on my tjouhts in what I want to see, so until next time! Stay beautiful my nerds!:

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by moonleopard85 on June 22, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Accessibility, Blindness, Braille, conventions, Technology, Travel
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Posted by moonleopard85 on June 22, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/06/22/conventions-78th-annual-national-federation-of-the-blind-national-convention-in-orlando-fl/

Books: Any Dream Will Do by. Debbie Maccmber

Heello my beautiful nerds who traveled near and far! I am back with another book review!

Title: Any Dream Will Do

Author: Debbie Macomber

Disclaimer: This book review is based on thoughts and opinions of the lead writer of this blog. Please respect her thoughts nad opinions on this book!

What Is It About? This book is the fourth installment in the New Beginnings series which also can be read on its own.

We meet Shea who had her own life until it got messed up due to her brother, Kaden, asked her to take money from her job and had to pay the price in prison while her brother was away. After being there for three years, she ends up meeting Pastor DDrew Douglas after showing up in his church one day in December. He helps her by dropping her off at a womens shelter to help her start her life over again. After graduating, Shea does start her life again by working at a cafe, having a small place, and being around Drew and his kids until her brother shows up again. Will things screw up again for her when she has started over all thanks to what she went through before?

Thoughts: I had to read the series before coming tto this one since I did not know it was a book in a series. I did find the other three books on Bookshare and was able to finish them pretty quickly. It deals with women who havve gone through tough times and want to start over and fall in love with men who have gone through their own tragedies and they help each other to start again.

The first book, Last One Home, we meet Cassie Carter who went through an abusive relationship and was disconnected from her sisters and had to start anew by working at a salon and getting involved with Habitat for Humanitty so she could have a new home with her daughter and meets Steve, who lost his wife due to cancer. Cassie feels like she is nott ready for a relationship due to what her ex-husband has done and not only that re-connects with her sisters to get them back together.

The second book, A Girls Guide to Moving On, Nicole, Cassies younger sister, ends up divorced from her long time husbalong with her mother-in-law, Leigh Ann, who also divorced from her ex-husbands father. They end up living close to each other in downtown Portland. While the both of tthem are moving on, they meet two men which Nicole meets Rocko, a single dad that ended up towing her car out of a ditch, and Nikolai, a Ukranian widower who is in Leigh Anns English class, and they fall for them but may have hearts for their exes despite what they had done to them. (This was my favoirte which I will say why!)

Third book, If It Were Not For You, we meet Sadie, a new teacher in town, who moved to Portland from controlling parents to have a new life with her aunt ends up in a car accident and was helped by Sam, Rockos best friend, aand start a relationship thinking they did not have the same interests but they had and that is through music. Even though Sadie has to get over her controlling mother, she knows Sam is the one for her rather than a man she tried to get her with. She also helps her aunt re-kindle with an old love that fell for her mother in the past.

Now to this one, this was a good one since it did give the moving on a great tale and even with someone who got out of prison.Like with the second one, this was also a favorite because it did not include any of the past characters but it added someone new to the series by starting a new cycle, which I am hoping there will be a book five in this one. Why? I have a feeling either Kaiden, Sheas brother, may be next or Shooter, Sheas ex unless he cannot be able to salvage but Kaiden might be a possibility since I saw Shea wanting to help him by praying for him. I do like all the moments she had with Mark and Sarah, Drews kids since she was someonee they related to easily and normally it takes time for a character or two to get along with anyone. I knew these Drew and Shea, were a couple from the start and the story did tell their build up to their romance very well and it was paced better than the third book, which I felt that was a bit rushed.

Reason why I like book two the most was that it was a romatic comedy with a lot of cute bits. I loved Rocko and Nicole togeter because Rocko knew what a girl needed when she was down and Nicole did not say it loud because of how much she hurt after her divrce from Jake. I think this one and Any Dream Will Do were the really well written out of the four and hoping a fifth will be written.

Rating: 4 Star Paw Prints Out of 5 For All of them! I was going to give it a five at first but the third book was the weakest in my opinion since it felt rushed. I am hoping to read more of this series because I want to see if Kaiden will get a do over for his life after jail like Shea did. I think he deserves it. It was a eally cute series and hoping to see more.

That is it for this book. Sorry for the gramar being bad because I am typing this on my tablet through Google Docs at Gondras place due to the air conditioner being broke at home. I know it sucks that it had to happen when summer started but what can you do? I will get the NFB convention Spotlight up this weekend or the beginning of next week. So stay beautiful my nerds in the universe!

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by moonleopard85 on June 21, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Books, Reviews
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Posted by moonleopard85 on June 21, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/06/21/books-any-dream-will-do-by-debbie-maccmber/

Books: Digging A Hole: Oh Hell No Book 3!

Hello my beautiful nerds who are traveling the vast universe! Welcome back! I know this was supposed to be my Convention Spotlight but I finished a new book!

Title: Digging A Hole: Oh Hell No Book 3!
Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Disclaimer: This review is based on thoughts and opinions of the lead writer of this blog! Please respect her thoughts and opinions and you might face an evil, vampire unicorn!

What Is It About? In the continuation of the Oh Hell No series, we meet Henry’s sister, Georgina or Georgie for short where after surviving a plane crash and facing her father’s insanity to create a naked yoga cult, I know bizarre, she decides to strike out on her own while taking a break from college by being an intern at a pharmaceutical company that her family had under their wing. When she meets Nick Brooks, the boss, she not only gets a hit of his smoldering, silver eyes but his attitude on top of it. Even though she is known for being the shy girl, will she be able to step out of her box and become a strong and independent woman that she wants to be while taking on a new name or hide in her bedroom for the rest of her life?

Thoughts: I thought this book was the best in this series so far! I was wondering how this book was going to continue the last one since it did reveal that Henry’s family survived and it did very well by showing us how they survived a plane crash which ended up a crazy kidnapping. I did like how it shown Georgie go from badass survival girl at first in the parts where it went back to her and family on the island situation to her shy self that people expect from her. It was amazing that she was trying to get herself out of that hole of shyness, basically she’s Flutter Shy turning into Rainbow dash in this book even when it came to Nick. At the end of the book with the note that Mimi put, she did wonder if any of her readers got a chuckle at some of the stuff he said despite it being mean, I did and at the same time I found it funny where there were parts that Georgie just let her feelings out despite people were hearing it around them and I have a feeling they knew her feelings towards him. My most fave part was when she let her feelings out in his office as loud as possible and he goes, “You know the main boss is out the door, right?” I would so imagine her turning beet red like an anime girl blushing from major embarrassment. I was laughing at that part during dinner and glad Gondras didn’t notice since it was one of his visits at my place that night. What makes me happy that there is another book coming out in this series and will gladly be reading it since this series has become a new favorite due to how much it shows the romantic comedy style that I love from Mimi’s writing, especially while reading her supernatural stuff? Trust me, I was reading Immortal Matchmakers 1 while eating at Tijuana Flats and had to hide my laughter while eating my taco salad. She did give a cover preview towards the end but you know me, I can’t see it so who knows what will happen and who are the next Vic-I mean lovely couple in this one.

Rating: 5 Star Paw Prints Out of 5! This book was the best so far in this series! Not sure how many more are there and don’t want to think about it since I’m still kind of a bit of a sad kitty that Happy Pants Series ended. I hope she does keep on continuing since this was a more adult version of those Love Stories books I always loved to read back in high school. I’m not only glad to have a lot of chuckles in this book but it was pretty sweet in areas and I knew Nick and Georgie could not resist each other. I don’t want to give too much away since you have to read it yourself because it’s coming tomorrow for you guys to read which I highly suggest! Don’t worry, a link will be provided for you all!

That is it for this review! Don’t worry, next post will be the Convention Spotlight on the NFB National Convention since I do read books at a fast rate than most people. Hey, I have time before school starts for me! Until next time and make sure you follow our Twitter @ Digging A Hole By. Mimi Jean PamfiloffNerdy Shique! So, stay nerdy everyone!

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by moonleopard85 on June 19, 2018  •  Link  •  Permalink
Posted in Books, Reviews

Posted by moonleopard85 on June 19, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/06/19/books-digging-a-hole-oh-hell-no-book-3/

Accessibility: Using Soundscape in Miami!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! I’m back with another post!

Using Soundscape in Miami!

As you know, I’ve been using an app from Microsoft known as Soundscape. It’s a very good app to have if you’re visually impaired and have a hard time traveling around your area or in town even in the car, this is one you should have. I have had two people download it to take a try since our paratransit in town tends to take most of us all over the place, if if you remembered my story about my reason for getting this app is due to being on the van for two hours and it does come in handy after I downloaded so I can see if I’m on the way to my destination or not and same with heading home.

One good thing is to have this app in a crowded town and Miami is the perfect town to use it in. As you know, this city is almost what if you duplicated New York and made it slightly bigger by making it start near Dade County and go towards the tippy tip of the peninsula that is Miami! You have two parts to it and that’s North Miami and South Miami which that is why you see FIU, Florida International University, buses going from one part of town to the next. I’m not kidding, saw it before! Also, I knew people from Miami at the Rehab Center since this town is known for Bascom Palmer, which is where I was on Tuesday. Reason why I say that this town is perfect for this app is because it tells you EVERYTHING around you. I know it’s supposed to do that but I noticed here in Casselberry, even Altamonte, and Downtown that Soundscape doesn’t always pick up on everything like it’s supposed to since we do have some more independent businesses either opening or closing and also it doesn’t pick up on every store you pass by like a Hot Topic for instance which is weird in my book, it didn’t even catch on Journey’s when I was at the Altamonte Mall but it did pick up Foot Locker. While in Miami, on the other hand, it did pick up on every building on the block and it told you where it was. For instance, when my dad and I entered Miami after having breakfast in Jupiter Inlet we missed where we had to go and I decided to bring out my phone and opened Soundscape and it found all of the hospitals in the area even some of the rehab centers and of course it knew that we were in the Bascom Palmer parking lot and gave us the compass directions we were facing. I liked it here a lot more since it does detect where you are a lot better due to people can get lost easily in a town like this. I think the reason why it didn’t detect that many things in my area is due to how much spaced out things can be rather than being so close. I remembered using it briefly in Waterford and it only detected Regal Cinemas since we were seeing Solo with friends recently and it did pick up on Five Guys which was a little walking distance away. I think it detected other places but those were the only two it found.

There is one thing I would point out is that sometimes it’s not the best for actual GPS tracking because my dad was trying to ask about where to turn sometimes. I had to exit out of it to use the Maps app in order to find El Ray De Las Freitas which you can read my review before this one. Even though Soundscape is great for finding landmarks, I think that’s the best way to use it for even though it did say all the different roads we’re on and what direction we’re in but best to use Maps instead to find a particular address rather than relying on Soundscape to try and find where you’re going. I did find it interesting how Miami had churches on almost every block, including a Ukrainian one. It did point out the different schools, police stations in case if you want to move there for safe areas, and so on.

So, that’s my short experience about using Soundscape in Miami since it is very handy to use but if you’re looking for a specific address Maps and other GPS apps for addresses are better to use since it won’t give you the direction to turn in especially in a place you’re not familiar with since we rarely go to Miami unless it’s for my eye appointments. Plus best for Maps to find the location since there were so many number streets in town which you can be confused in where or what to turn onto.

So, that’s it! What’s next for Nerdy Shique Universe? Well, have a Convention Spotlight on the National Federation of the Blind National Convention which is coming up in July! Stay tuned!

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by moonleopard85 on June 14, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Accessibility, Blindness, Personal Experience, Reviews, Technology

Posted by moonleopard85 on June 14, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/06/14/accessibility-using-soundscape-in-miami/

Restaurants: El Ray De Las Fretas

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! Time for another restaurant review and here we go!

El Ray De Las Freitas in Miami, FL

Disclaimer: This review is based on thoughts and opinion of the lead writer of this blog, alongside her taste buds! Please respect her thoughts about the place she is talking about and hope you guys visit even during a convention!

It’s been a few years since I’ve done any restaurant reviews. I did write about Peach Valley Café and this time is another location in Miami. I had to go back down there for another eye doctor appointment to see about my eye condition and so far it’s still stable but will be doing a vision field test next time since I thought I had issues with that. Will have to see about that next time.

After the appointment, my dad and I went out for dinner and it was a place that Andrew Zimmerman, the one who is famous for the show Bizarre Foods, visited Miami for some places. I think this is on his American Tour show since he does features on places in America like how Guy Fierry does on Diners Drive Ins & Dives which the last time I was in Miami was for Sakya Kitchen which was delicious. This time it was a place that my dad wanted to try and it’s called El Ray De Las Freitas which is almost like a diner style place but with a Cuban twist and it’s located on Calle Ocho or 8th Street in English. For anyone who hasn’t been to Miami, even for some of the conventions, 8th Street in Miami is the main street for anything Cuban Cuisine and this is where we go to whenever in town especially for pastries, in case if you’re there early enough, check out Rosa Bakery which they have the best eclairs and custard horns in town! If you haven’t had a Cuban style custard pastry, the custard is not thick, it’s nice a creamy and not overbearingly sweet like most pastries we find in Orlando. And yes, one other place if you want to get anything savory to take home, Palacio de Jugo, or Juice Palace, is the best place for cheese and chorizo for anything you want to make.

Back to this restaurant, when we walked in, it had a counter where you can sit at or booths of to the side like an old style diner. If you have someone that speaks Spanish fluently, make sure they are with you at all times because I can’t speak Spanish despite my Hispanic background (I’m part Puerto Rican and part German) and trust me everyone asks and I say, “I tried in school!” Anyways, what got my dad to come here is for their burgers! I find it surprising since my dad normally eats the leftover rice and whatever my mom makes and my aunt as well but this did caught me off guard a little until he told me earlier in the day what they do is add little potato sticks to whatever burger you want. This had me curious because I rarely heard a place like this since here in Orlando and Miami a lot of the Cuban places tend to serve a lot of the traditional Cuban dinner plates like roasted pork, rice with black beans, and sandwiches like the traditional Cuban sandwich or Media Noche. This place was way different and it was delicious!

The Food: The food here and drinks were reasonably priced unlike most places where you pay more for your usual stuff. My dad did tell me some of the prices like the burger without cheese is $4.00 and it was twenty-five cents more with cheese and that is not bad for what you’re getting either! I admit I had a hard time eating the burgers since I had two of them, which is not normal for me but these burgers were reasonably the size of a Mc Chicken from McDonald’s or slightly bigger, because the potato sticks fall out like crazy! They stuff that thing with tons of those and they were not soggy! They were crispy! You would probably think they would not be crispy but no they are crispy as a potato chip. Whenever I had stick fall out I restuffed my burger with them and eat any remaining ones on my plate because they were so good! The bread if you’re wondering, it is a burger bun and it’s toasted! I think the buns are baked by them because it tasted like homemade Cuban bread and it held the burger pretty well. The only one that didn’t hold well with the bun is the second one I had and it was with egg and bacon. I know you’re thinking, why an egg and bacon? Well, my dad described one of them having this and you see back in my love for Japan days I heard that McDonald’s in Japan has one of their burgers with eggs in it and I thought it would be gross since you would find it weird and as time went on, I would never thought I would try it out until today. Well, yesterday to be exact and I had to try it for myself since Japan did it at McDonald’s I wondered how a place like this would do it. How did it taste? You hardly taste the egg at all because the flavors from the bacon, the burger meat, and the potato sticks disguise it. The bun did have an uneven bit where I did have that moment where one part of the burger was looming over the edge of the bun and should’ve eaten that part first but this kitty wanted to try it so bad that I didn’t care.

Another thing we did try were the shakes! At this place they do different flavors of shakes even fruit ones which I was glad to try one out. I have had shakes at other Cuban places in Miami and it was vanilla but this flavor I tried was mango! Normally, I would go for strawberry but mango? How did it go? It was like a creamier smoothie because of how light the mango is but you get the taste of the cream and other ingredients they put in. My dad had a fruit one called mame which tasted a bit strong but I do love my mango one and if I go back I would love to try it banana since I remembered trying out banana shakes from Checkers.

Rating: 5 Star Paw Prints Out of 5! This place was delicious! It is a small diner like place on 8th Street that you would never think of when it comes to burgers. Thank you Andrew Zimmerman for mentioning this place on your show because it gives us a new spin on where to go in Miami. Plus it is reasonably priced and you must try the burgers with egg because you don’t know what you’re missing if you don’t unless you’re not a fan of eggs. Also, bring someone who can translate for you, I suggest it since you may be a little lost like I was and tried asking my dad for a translation but nope at many times. So, I was a bit lost. Unless they had someone who could translate but wasn’t working yesterday? Who knows? Anyways, if you’re coming for a convention in Miami, I also highly recommend due to the prices not being so expensive and they do come out fresh and in a timely manner on top of it. If you want a sweet treat, the shakes are also a must!

Well, that’s it for this review! I definitely want to do more restaurant reviews since it does give me a new perspective when it comes to my taste buds as a blind person. And what’s next for Nerdy Shique Universe? Another trip with Soundscape and how well it worked in Miami. Stay tuned!

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by moonleopard85 on June 13, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Food, Restaurants, Reviews, Travel

Posted by moonleopard85 on June 13, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/06/13/restaurants-el-ray-de-las-fretas/

Interviews: J. Michael Tatum & Brandon McInnis!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! Today we have something super special awesome!

Interview with J. Michael Tatum and Brandon McInnis!

So, if you remembered that we didn’t get to interview these guys back at Holiday Matsuri 2017 which we got to talk to them and they were nice enough to let us interview them over Skype which we did. This is a new format to us since we tend to interview convention guests on the spot but there are times where schedules get packed with a lot of events, panels, and other interviews, so this is something new we’re trying out for the YouTube channel and it was something to get used to.

As you guys know or maybe new to these two actors, J. Michael Tatum has voiced many characters including Sebastian in Black Butler, Ita in My Hero Academia, which I’m a fan of the series since I’ve been watching it with Gondras on the Funimation Now app (highly recommend if you need new anime to watch), and Clyne from RWBY which might be back in Volume 6? Who knows! Brandon McInnis is known for Patrick Phelps in Black Butler, Finral in Black Clover, and now he’s in the new Card captor Sakura series, Clear Card as Yuna D. Kato. What did I ask these two? You have to watch the video to find out!

Will there be more interviews like this? Hoping so since we have interviewed so many people and a convention is three days or four depending where you go so this does bring a new format to our channel and hope to keep it going. Hoping to get Sawa for one since we didn’t get a chance to get an interview during Omni. So stay tuned to our Twitter for any updates!

That is it for this interview! If you want to find out anything about these two actors like any convention appearances make sure you click on the video for Mr. Tatum’s website and I will also link it in this post! More things to come as June continues and wait a second! ::hears the Convention Alert Alarm:: What’s this!? A new convention coming up in July and will do a post about it! Stay tuned and followJ. Michael Tatum’s Website! us on Twitter @ Nerdy Shique!

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by moonleopard85 on June 7, 2018  •  Video  •  Permalink
Posted in anime, Cartoons, conventions, Interviews, Voice Acting

Posted by moonleopard85 on June 7, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/06/07/interviews-j-michael-tatum-brandon-mcinnis/

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