Friday, April 29, 2016

#AskKelsey About My Deafness



I noticed that people kept asking me the same questions over and over regarding my deafness. It made me realize that MAYBE I need to set up a FAQ regarding my deafness or deafness in general. This way I can simply refer them to this post for them to read.

If you have more questions, just tweet me using #AskKelsey hashtag or simply comment away under this blog post.

I sure hope that this will help you understand more about me. Thank you!

When did you become Deaf?

I was born deaf. My mother had German Measles while pregnant with me. It was able to destroy the hair inside of my cochlea that made me deaf. I was lucky enough that I was born with only deafness. I could have been born blind and with severe brain damage.

Were you always Deaf?

Yes, right from birth.

What do you think about Cochlea Implants?

This is a very touchy issue within the Deaf community. I am not against Cochlea Implants. BUT, I am against putting it in children. I don't believe in unnecessary surgeries on children. As for adults, it doesn't bother me a bit if they want one.

As for myself, I never wanted one because I felt like I was happy with who I am. To me, Cochlea Implants are just boosted hearing aids. When you remove it for swimming, showering, sleeping, you do become deaf again. And the technology is not perfect. There have been cases when it actually did more damage than good physically wise.

Even when having Cochlea Implants, you do not hear perfectly. When I wear hearing aids, the sound is boosted yes, but it still sounds muffled. It does not fix the way I hear. The cochlea inside of my ear is damaged. There's no way to fix that.

So because of all of that, I simply did not see the point of having one. It's all about individual choices. And mine is obviously no. I'm quite happy with who I am.

How did your family deal with you being Deaf?

They handled it just fine. I have a second, third cousin in the family who was much older, but deaf. So my family did not feel lost when it came to dealing with me and my deafness. Not only that, my grandfather was blind from a land mine during World War II. My family was already very well familiar with the fact that you are still able, even when blind or deaf. My family quickly picked up sign language and treated me like I was just another kid which I was always grateful for.

Recently I went to an train station that I never been to in Queens I believe. And my mother told me that my blind grandfather used to work at that train station, selling drinks and snacks. I asked her how would he do that job if he couldn't count money? She said, "well back in those days, people were honest. They wouldn't rip him off." But it amazed me that my blind grandfather found a way to work and survive after what happened in the war. It's very inspiring to me.

Are there any other common symptoms that comes along with being Deaf?

Not really. But a few people might be more deaf in one ear and less in the other which causes vertigo. It depends on the person. But the majority of people do not have any. You simply do not hear that great.

How do you communicate with the hearing world?

I tend to use my body language. I write notes, even on my phone. I can say "bathroom" pretty well. Just saying.

Can you speak, just not hear it?

I cannot hear myself speak, no. My voice is too low. I cannot hear people's voices unless they're screaming next to me. And no, I still don't understand the words if you're screaming at me.

As for me speaking, I don't speak well. I'm lazy to practice and all that. I can say some words okay, not the rest haha. I've been told that I speak better when I got hearing aids on. But I hate them. I like the silence.

Are you disappointed that you can't hear good noises? Music, laughter, etc?

No, because if you think about it, I'm quite happy that I can't hear bad noises. Baby crying, people honking, people screaming, dogs barking in the distance. Let me tell you.. I sleep very well. No noise can interrupt me. And I love my sleep.

Is Wizard101 less appealing to you than most because of your Deafness?

No, it's MORE appealing because Wizard101 and all games that exists are very visual. We also have closed captions that already comes with the game. It's fun! I cannot imagine any reason a game like Wizard101 would be less appealing to me because of my deafness.


Are you still able to hear some things?

Yes. I can hear people screaming. I can still hear airplanes, loud trucks, cars. Large dogs barking. Tiny dogs no. They're too low. I still can hear music, but my iPod is always at max. For the deaf community, it's all about the beats.

Can you drive?

Yes I can drive. My deafness does not get in the way at all. In fact, statistics say that deaf people are actually better drivers than hearing people.

Do you wish that you were not deaf?

Heck no. I'm perfectly happy the way I am. You don't miss what you don't know.

Can you hear words? 

No. I hear sound, not words. Words are more muffled for me. But I can hear the O's the most easily like soon, moon. moves.


I feel horrible that you are deaf! I feel sorry for you.

Please understand, I do not want people to feel sorry for me. It's like me feeling sorry for you because you're a certain gender or a certain color or a certain shape. If you're fine with who you are, I'm sure fine with myself. You don't see me crying, being upset. Why would I be sad about who I am? I'm quite happy in my own skin. In fact, when you say things like that, it really hurts my feelings. It makes me feel like I'm less than who I am. Nobody should feel less than who they are.

I would just die if I ever lost my hearing.

Why would you say that to me? That's kinda offensive. You're saying that it's the most horrible thing. So me being deaf is just as horrible? That hurts my feelings. I don't really need to hear that. That's just like me telling you that I would just die if I was your color, your gender, your whatever. Nobody needs to hear that. Be considerate of your words. Some things just do not need to be said.

Do you think in sounds or words or ..?

I think in words. I so love the written words.

In dreams, do you sign when you speak?

Sometimes. But there are dreams where I sing vocally. I always sing happy songs. Usually about love lol.

What does nothing sound like?

I did say earlier that I do not hear nothing. But simply plug your ears and walk around for a hour, that's what silence is. It's incredibly peaceful for me. I focus on the visuals more which is incredible. I truly do think the hearing people miss out on a lot visually wise. I love watching people's face expressions, body language, and the things around me. The leaves falling, a child laughing, a fast blur as a bird flies by, and the gentle breeze on your face. You notice more details. I can see or notice things further than my family can. When you "lose" one sense, your other senses are a lot more noticeable. This is true for me. People normally have to tune out everything else to find peace and quiet. I already have it.

So why won't you use hearing aids?

When I was 2 years old, I swallowed a hearing aid battery and it almost killed me. It got lodged in my intestines and started leaking acid. I have had to have two surgeries to correct the problem. One to remove the battery, and another when they realized that my intestines were too far gone to be saved. My mother thinks that they removed 10 feet of my intestines which is a lot for a two years old. I have no health problems from the now shortened intestines.

But from there, my mother forbidden me to wear hearing aids and I became used to it. Now I feel that it's not necessary.

To clarify this story a bit, back in the 80s, hearing aids did not have a child lock. So children's hearing aids would be very easy for children to open the battery section and pull out the battery to swallow. After what happened with me, our family went to court against the hearing aid companies. My mother says that our case actually saved lives. Children's lives. It forced the hearing aid companies to put child locks on hearing aids. Children now cannot open the battery and swallow it. And yes children died from this.

So you can hear music? How?

Yes, I can hear music. I can hear music the best in clubs or on my phone, using the earbuds. If I'm sitting in a restaurant or a public place, no I cannot hear it. If I'm lucky, there'll be vibrations. It depends how well the building absorbs sound.

What do you hear when listening to music?

It depends on the music. Some songs I can hear the beat, not the voice. Some songs I can hear the voice, not the music. Sometimes, I can hear both, but it's a bit confusing because they mix and it makes both a bit muffled. Hope that made sense lol.

For example, I LOVE Demi Levato's Stone Cold because I can hear her voice in that one. Not the beat. I can hear her go Stone Cold, BABY, Feel Happy For You. But then other songs like Michael Jackson's Billie Jean, I hear the beat, not his voice. 

Does all music sound the same then? Like the same beat?

No, some music have a faster beat, some have a slower one. Some are very sharp, some are soft. Their rhythm can be different as well. Some are very constant, some have breaks then the beats come back with a vengeance. I love Madonna's Ray of Light because of the beats. I love the rhythm and especially when it stops, then there's sound, then all of the sudden the beats came back on. I love that. In Michael Jackson's Billie Jean, the beats are extremely sharp that I almost wince. Any higher, I'd have to turn down the music.

But how can you watch TV? You're deaf?

Closed captions, honey. It's available everywhere, on every single TV. It's actually required by law if you didn't know.

Remember if you have any questions, simply tweet me or post it in a comment below. Thanks everyone!



Thursday, April 28, 2016

MORE HYBRIDS?!


More hybrids were discovered today that have never been seen before!

Lifedactyl

From Babydactyl and Leaf Foot
Has a Lifeblade Card

Thank you Destiny Rain for the above photo.


WHAT? MORE SURPRISES?!

Wizard101 also surprised us with this list of their own hybrid hints!



Hybrids Found! 

Babydactyl + Pesky Beetle = DeathDactyl
Has a Deathspear Card


Babydactyl + Skink = MythDactyl
Has a Mythspear Card

Thanks to Destiny Rain for the above picture

Babydactyl + Sailback Skink = Icedactyl
Has an Iceblade card


Crabling + Jelly Fish = Dignified Crabling
Has a Elemental Trap Card


Crabling + Jelly Fish = Fervid Crabling
Has a Fire Elemental Minion Card


Crabling + Jelly Fish = Hearty Crabling
Has a Spirit Armor Card


Crabling + Jelly Fish = Grave Crabling
Has an Animate Card

Thanks Lisa Flanery for the above photo.

Crabling + Pink Jelly Fish = Clever Crabling
Has an Talos Card

Thanks Paige Skyhaven for the photo above.



Pegasus Pony + Tempest = Cloudburst Sprite
Gives a Stormhound Card

*Thanks Terri of TheSpiral Wonder for the photo above*

What if there's more sprite hybrids? Here's our own hybrid ideas to try out.

Pegasus Pony + Fiery Judge = ?

Pegasus Pony + Frostcaller = ?


Scorpion + Intrepid Seal Pup = Burnt Scorpion
Has a Firespear Card


Scorpion + Cunning Seal Pup = Superstitious Scorpion
Has a Mythspear Card


Scorpion + Playful Seal Pup = Chilled Scorpion
Has an Icespear Card

Thanks Paige Skyhaven for the photo above.

WOW what a week! So many new hybrids. I'm so excited. I love that Wizard101 finally did this for us wizards. It's so much fun! I can't wait to discover more hybrids as the days go by.



Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Wizard101's New Queztel Hybrids

The above tweeted was tweeted from the official Wizard101's Twitter account.

Brand New Quetzal Hybrids

Wizard101 teased that there's new Quetzal hybrids. And wizards were quick to chime in that they already found all six! Here are the combinations if you want to try for one.

Thanks to Paige Skyhaven for allowing me to use her photos for this blog post. You rawk!



Inferno Quetzal

Firestorm Quetzal x Flamenco Tocador
Fire Pet, Gives a Fire Prism


Icestorm Quetzal

Firestorm Quetzal x Frostbound Grimhorn
Ice Pet, Gives an Ice Prism


Fabled Quetzal

Firestorm Quetzal x Charred Grimhorn
Myth Pet, Gives a Myth Prism


Grave Quetzal

Firestorm Quetzal x Flamenco del Muerto
Death Pet, Gives a Death Prism


Vital Quetzal

Firestorm Quetzal x Flamenco Bailador
Life Pet, Gives a Life Prism


Harmonic Quetzal

Firestorm Quetzal x Flamenco Tocador
Balance Pet, Gives a Balanceblade

Where To Find The Parent Pets?

**You can find Firestorm Queztal being dropped by Moh'Lharz in Lower Zigazag.

**The Flamencos are sold by Sir Nigel Higgenbottom for arena tickets. You can find Nigel in Pet Pavilion.

**The Grimhorns are dropped in the PvP Tournaments or sold by Sir Nigel Higgenbottom.

But remember, you can hatch for them as well. There's sure someone in the pet hatchery who have the above pets already


Other Hybrids Worth Mentioning

Fog Unicorn is created from Charred Grimhorn and Stray Piggle.
Discovered by Tasha

This makes me wonder. Are there other types of hybrids that we have not found yet? Oooh the intrigue!



Sunday, April 24, 2016

Where We Last Left Off In Pirate101's Aquila...


If you have not finished Aquila in Pirate101 and do not want to know how it ends,
DO NOT READ THIS BLOG POST.

But for those who want to refresh their memory on how it ended to prepare for the upcoming Summer update, do read on.

To Enlarge The Pictures, Just Click On The Photos.





After we speak to Captain Avery, he has no more quests for us, saying that once he gets something new, he will let us know.



Book 15 Is Coming Soon For Pirate101!!



In April's KI Live Twitch live stream, the community managers of Wizard101 and Pirate101 has excitedly announced that Pirate101 is finally continuing its main story line in Summer 2016!

They got to show cool new areas in Valencia. Apparently we get to open up a new skyway and be able to explore this. In the video below, go to 3:00 which will show the new areas.

Watch live video from KingsisleEntertainment on www.twitch.tv


I know it has been a while. But remember in Aquila, in the very last dungeon, we were told that we had to sneak back into Valencia. I'm extremely curious to find out how we will sneak back in since we left them very angry last time.



The very first thing I noticed was the main land surrounding the giant machine in the back. This made me feel so excited. I can't wait to explore THAT! Who will we meet there? I hope wizards lol. I would take anything though.



Also the very next thing, I noticed was the islands. If you look carefully in the videos, there are quite many islands. The more, the better! This means we will get to explore quite a bit of this place. This is a good thing!


But one of them was quite intriguing. WHO LIVES HERE?! WHAT IS THIS? Is this like a governor's house or someone's home? I'm really curious about this. I am not surprised if this is a dungeon. 


When you walk or ride around on a bicycle, having the giant machine lurk in the background just makes you feel like the threat is so near and so scary. Will this place be the next to be destroyed and eaten by their giant machine? I hope not!


As you look around, you will notice guinea pigs standing in the street and horse soldiers. It seems so quiet and bare otherwise. Even the outside of the tavern, there's only a few people. You get the feeling that this city is a quiet, somber place.



Seems like we will be seeing a lot more unicorns in this part of Valencia. Very neat. Just remember, do not touch the horns. They get upset if you do that.


One thing I noticed right away while the pirate was exploring the city is that tower in the background! The way it leaned a bit made me immediately think of the Leaning Tower of Pisa which is a real life tower in Italy that literally really leans. Even over hundreds of years, it still has not fallen. I love it! I always loved history, so it was pretty neat to see it.

So What's Next?

Now, it's our duty to help Pirate101 by buying memberships and crowns. This is to show Pirate101 that YES we want this. YES we are interested. YES we want MORE of this. Pirate101 cannot grow without investments made by us, the paying customers. Pirate101 can't produce expansions or keep the game running without being paid. Keep that in mind.

Not only that, TELL Pirate101 how you feel about this. The more vocal we are, the more they will know that this is the direction we want them to go.

Honestly I'm so hyped for this. I've been waiting to explore and YES, we finally will soon. I just hope that it won't be just Valencia we will be exploring, but an extra new world as well. If so, then I will be the happiest pirate in the spiral!



Thursday, April 21, 2016

The Day 12 Daily Assignment Quest!



Have you looked at the Daily Assignment calendar and wondered what the exclamation point day meant? I will be able to show you the entire dialogue and tell you what happened. Do not read this blog post if you do not want to know and want to be surprised on your own.

So it's THAT day, the Day 12, where we get to find out what that exclamation point is. I eagerly logged into the game and visited Aegon in Ravenwood, Wizard City. When I spoke with Aegon, he told me to go to the Festival Park in Cyclops Lane first for a reading.


Once I arrived in Cyclops Lane, I got a message saying that the reading was complete!

The Festival Park of Cyclops Lane

But it doesn't end there. Once I completed that, I got a new quest! 


So I checked my book and there it was!


Here's the complete quest dialogue:





So I quickly ran over to the Unicorn Way to find out what's going on. Ooh the intrigue!


Hello again, Aegon.




Followed by WHO?!


And I slowly walked over to the cauldron, letting my badge be exposed to it.









Destroy Wizard City? Say what?

After this, I ran back to Ravenwood to speak with him there.




By the way, my badge was not literally glowing hot pink as a permanent change after this quest was complete. 

So, this means that every 15 days, we get to complete a quest. We now know that's what is going on with the exclamation point and what its purpose is. But the quest itself seems quite interesting. There's a mystery that's hidden here. What is going on with those Pekrons? Is this naturally occurring or is someone causing them? This is quite curious. I mean, those Pekrons if not managed properly would have blown up Wizard City in half? Now that's scary!

I have to admit that this quest will make me keep doing the Daily Assignments because I can't give up not knowing what is going on. And I mean, it's a quest! It's something to look forward to! I can't wait for the next quest and I'm already counting down the days until that day.

I am honestly very pleased about this part of the Daily Assignments. It is my favorite thing out of all of those rewards. My second favorite would be the chest rewards of course, hahaha. I got good stuff out of those chests so far.

I sure hope that this motivates you to try out the Daily Assignments and join the fun!



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