“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear
is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our
darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be
brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to
be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the
world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't
feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us.
And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our
presence automatically liberates others.” ~ Maryanne Williamson
I just watched the movie Akeelah and the Bee, and her coach has her read a version of this quote. It really spoke to me. It's all about having self-confidence, and how having a positive attitude about yourself helps others feel good about themselves, too. I'm not actually sure if this is the case (I have plenty of friends/acquaintances who have self-esteem issues), but I like to think that my confidence helps them know that it is possible to love yourself unconditionally, and how everyone in their own way is special. Akeelah's coach in this movie had this quote hanging in a frame on his wall. Maybe we all should to remind us of how amazing each of us is!
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Monday, January 6, 2014
Healthy Dessert
Ok, that's kind of an oxymoron. I guess pretty much all desserts have sugar in them, which is not the healthiest thing in the world to eat. However, a friend and I made frozen yogurt sundaes the other day, and I thought of this treat as rather guilt-free.
1 cup frozen yogurt (Ice cream would work, too, but wouldn't be as healthy.)
1 cup berries (We used strawberries and blueberries.)
1 handful of chocolate-covered pretzels, broken up into tiny pieces (We used gluten-free ones.)
Chocolate syrup and/or fruit syrup (Ok, this part isn't healthy at all. So you could skip this.)
This dessert was so tasty, and since the serving is rather small, we didn't feel like gluttons afterwards. Try it!
1 cup frozen yogurt (Ice cream would work, too, but wouldn't be as healthy.)
1 cup berries (We used strawberries and blueberries.)
1 handful of chocolate-covered pretzels, broken up into tiny pieces (We used gluten-free ones.)
Chocolate syrup and/or fruit syrup (Ok, this part isn't healthy at all. So you could skip this.)
This dessert was so tasty, and since the serving is rather small, we didn't feel like gluttons afterwards. Try it!
Thursday, January 2, 2014
My chicken salad recipe
I made chicken salad for the first time yesterday. I love chicken salad, but I had never actually made it before because of the effort it takes to chop up the chicken (yes, I'm that lazy). But I happened to have some already cooked chicken breast strips, so the hard part was half-way over with anyway. So here's my completely made-up recipe (for one serving):
2 cups cooked chicken (cubed)
1 tablespoon mayonaise
2 shredded baby carrots
3 tiny pickle slices, diced
A dash of celery seeds (since I didn't have actual celery)
A small handful of Craisins (I like them better than raisins)
If I had had grapes and/or curry powder, I would have added those, too. I love the mix of sweet/tangy/spicy in chicken salad!
You can eat this on crackers, over a bed of lettuce, on a sandwich, or just by itself! What's your favorite made-up recipe?
2 cups cooked chicken (cubed)
1 tablespoon mayonaise
2 shredded baby carrots
3 tiny pickle slices, diced
A dash of celery seeds (since I didn't have actual celery)
A small handful of Craisins (I like them better than raisins)
If I had had grapes and/or curry powder, I would have added those, too. I love the mix of sweet/tangy/spicy in chicken salad!
You can eat this on crackers, over a bed of lettuce, on a sandwich, or just by itself! What's your favorite made-up recipe?
Monday, December 30, 2013
Year-in-Review
Ok, so I didn't write a blog post every day this year like I said in my New Year's Resolution. But I was pretty darn close! I hope you've enjoyed reading some of my stories/tales/advice columns this year. Let's see what happened:
1. Friends/Boys/Family. Of course the people around me are the most important part of my life. I have continued having an amazing time with my sorority sisters, I've made many new friends here in DC, and I hope to make many more in 2014. I love my family very much, and I know many of my posts mention how much I appreciate them and all they have done for me. And though I may not have named names, I discreetly wrote about the boys in my life for 2013. There were good ones and bad ones; that's life. I had the guy who I was half-way in love with tell me he was back with his ex. I had the really nice, good kisser guy who turned out to be gay. There was the cute tennis player who ended up being the biggest jerk ever. And I found an amazing man to ring in the New Year with.
2. Comments. Though the comments on my blog were few and far between (and most of them were from my mother...), I did get into a Twitter war about my Ballets with a Twist post. It got over 200 views! Like they say in Hollywood: "Any press is good press." I'm just psyched that people read my blog, whether they liked it or not!
3. Events/Shows. I have no idea how much money I spent on tickets for concerts/ballets/plays/other performances, but I have been leading a very cosmopolitan life here in DC! All of these cultural activities are one of the many perks to living near a city, and I will continue to take advantage of that! Some of my favorite venues in the area include: the 9:30 Club, the Kennedy Center, the Fillmore, and the Strathmore.
4. Quotes. I have been inspired by so many words this year, from songs to random quotes I found on the internet. I hope the ones I have shared with you have motivated you in the same way, and that they reached you like they touched me.
5. I know how to fix a toilet. This is a huge lifetime achievement.
6. Fashion/Food/Movies/Exercise/Social Etiquette. I wrote a lot about these. These were usually the days I wasn't sure what else to write about...But this blog was for me to write about whatever I wanted, so there you go.
For 2014, I will continue to write blog posts, but only if I actually have something exciting to write about. No more posts about how I like my cereal in the morning or random things like that! But if I see a cultural performance or travel somewhere cool, I will write about it. So I won't be posting regularly, but you may see something from me pop up every once in a while.
1. Friends/Boys/Family. Of course the people around me are the most important part of my life. I have continued having an amazing time with my sorority sisters, I've made many new friends here in DC, and I hope to make many more in 2014. I love my family very much, and I know many of my posts mention how much I appreciate them and all they have done for me. And though I may not have named names, I discreetly wrote about the boys in my life for 2013. There were good ones and bad ones; that's life. I had the guy who I was half-way in love with tell me he was back with his ex. I had the really nice, good kisser guy who turned out to be gay. There was the cute tennis player who ended up being the biggest jerk ever. And I found an amazing man to ring in the New Year with.
2. Comments. Though the comments on my blog were few and far between (and most of them were from my mother...), I did get into a Twitter war about my Ballets with a Twist post. It got over 200 views! Like they say in Hollywood: "Any press is good press." I'm just psyched that people read my blog, whether they liked it or not!
3. Events/Shows. I have no idea how much money I spent on tickets for concerts/ballets/plays/other performances, but I have been leading a very cosmopolitan life here in DC! All of these cultural activities are one of the many perks to living near a city, and I will continue to take advantage of that! Some of my favorite venues in the area include: the 9:30 Club, the Kennedy Center, the Fillmore, and the Strathmore.
4. Quotes. I have been inspired by so many words this year, from songs to random quotes I found on the internet. I hope the ones I have shared with you have motivated you in the same way, and that they reached you like they touched me.
5. I know how to fix a toilet. This is a huge lifetime achievement.
6. Fashion/Food/Movies/Exercise/Social Etiquette. I wrote a lot about these. These were usually the days I wasn't sure what else to write about...But this blog was for me to write about whatever I wanted, so there you go.
For 2014, I will continue to write blog posts, but only if I actually have something exciting to write about. No more posts about how I like my cereal in the morning or random things like that! But if I see a cultural performance or travel somewhere cool, I will write about it. So I won't be posting regularly, but you may see something from me pop up every once in a while.
Thank you again for reading! A public blog is no good unless people actually look at it!
Friday, December 27, 2013
LASIK eye surgery
So, I had LASIK (Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis) eye surgery last week, and the results are AMAZING! I cannot say enough good things about this procedure. I just keep thinking, "How come everyone doesn't do this?!" Ok, I realize it can be cost-prohibitive, but if you have the money, and you've been considering it, DO IT! Here's why:
1. Glasses and contacts are just one more thing to think about in your busy life. Wouldn't it be nice to just wake up and be able to see 20/20 (or better)?
2. There's no pain involved with this surgery. Most people assume it'll hurt, but it doesn't! During the surgery they give you numbing drops so you don't feel a thing. And during your recovery time afterwards, the worst thing you'll feel is some dryness. I can't think of any other surgery that is that painless!
3. The surgery is fast! It literally takes fewer than 5 minutes for the entire procedure. It just blows my mind that we have technology that can do that. Great vision in 5 minutes! How cool is that?
4. The health regimen afterwards is very easy. You just have to put in some eye drops several times a day for a week (including artificial tears for that dryness I was talking about), don't rub your eyes, and wear sunglasses outside for a month. Simple, right?
I was not nervous about my surgery at all (my mom got it done over 10 years ago, so I figured the technology must be even better nowadays), and you shouldn't be nervous either! Push aside those fears and go for it! You will not regret it!
*I went to Dr. Anthony Kameen for my surgery. Check out his website here.
1. Glasses and contacts are just one more thing to think about in your busy life. Wouldn't it be nice to just wake up and be able to see 20/20 (or better)?
2. There's no pain involved with this surgery. Most people assume it'll hurt, but it doesn't! During the surgery they give you numbing drops so you don't feel a thing. And during your recovery time afterwards, the worst thing you'll feel is some dryness. I can't think of any other surgery that is that painless!
3. The surgery is fast! It literally takes fewer than 5 minutes for the entire procedure. It just blows my mind that we have technology that can do that. Great vision in 5 minutes! How cool is that?
4. The health regimen afterwards is very easy. You just have to put in some eye drops several times a day for a week (including artificial tears for that dryness I was talking about), don't rub your eyes, and wear sunglasses outside for a month. Simple, right?
I was not nervous about my surgery at all (my mom got it done over 10 years ago, so I figured the technology must be even better nowadays), and you shouldn't be nervous either! Push aside those fears and go for it! You will not regret it!
*I went to Dr. Anthony Kameen for my surgery. Check out his website here.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Christmas movie #7: The Santa Clause
Another classic favorite of mine. Tim Allen plays the busy, businessman dad Scott Calvin who doesn't have enough time for his son (Eric Lloyd). On Christmas Eve night, Santa falls off of Scott's roof, Scott puts on the Santa suit, and voilà, he is now the new Santa Claus. Although he can't believe it at first, he sees that the whole experience brings him closer to his son, and in the end, he truly loves being Santa Claus.
This movie is so funny, especially the jokes that children may not understand, but their parents would (i.e. any jokes made about the step-father psychiatrist played by Judge Reinhold). You can't help but giggle throughout the whole film. There are sequels to this movie, but the original is by far the best!
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2013
I LOVE the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. It's so much fun, with the musical guests, the great costumes, and of course the beautiful models! I'm a tough critic, but here are my thoughts from this year's runway show.
1. Themes. The show is segmented into several themes with miniature "collections" for each. I loved the finale with the "Snow Angels" theme, and the "British Invasion" and "Parisian Nights" were pretty classy, too. I never like the PINK collection (it's so childish, yet it's lingerie...creepy!), and the "Shipwrecked" theme looked like the costumes for the Pirates porno movie. That's trashy, not sexy.
Snow Angels: What's not to love about cute, sexy snowflakes come to life?
British Invasion: Love the tailoring of this mini-collection. Very sassy!
Parisian Nights: These just scream sex appeal. Plus, that Eiffel Tower on Barbara's head is adorable!
PINK: The emoticons and balloons are just awful... These models look like characters from Candy Land, not models for the most famous lingerie company in the world (next to La Perla).
Shipwrecked: The colors are just so dull, and the models look like they're wrapped in funky sheets.
2. Wings. Ever since Victoria's Secret came up with the idea of their models as "Angels," wings have been part of the annual fashion show. Here are some of my favorites (clearly I prefer the "traditional" look of angel wings).
3. Musical acts. I was VERY impressed this year with the musical acts. For one, I'm a huge Taylor Swift fan, so I supposed I'm biased on that front. And with her costumes, she looked like she should be one of the models! And Fall Out Boy (a band I haven't listened to since high school) was great (unlike Panic! at the Disco , who were totally spastic during the Miss Universe pageant).
1. Themes. The show is segmented into several themes with miniature "collections" for each. I loved the finale with the "Snow Angels" theme, and the "British Invasion" and "Parisian Nights" were pretty classy, too. I never like the PINK collection (it's so childish, yet it's lingerie...creepy!), and the "Shipwrecked" theme looked like the costumes for the Pirates porno movie. That's trashy, not sexy.
Snow Angels: What's not to love about cute, sexy snowflakes come to life?
British Invasion: Love the tailoring of this mini-collection. Very sassy!
Parisian Nights: These just scream sex appeal. Plus, that Eiffel Tower on Barbara's head is adorable!
PINK: The emoticons and balloons are just awful... These models look like characters from Candy Land, not models for the most famous lingerie company in the world (next to La Perla).
Shipwrecked: The colors are just so dull, and the models look like they're wrapped in funky sheets.
2. Wings. Ever since Victoria's Secret came up with the idea of their models as "Angels," wings have been part of the annual fashion show. Here are some of my favorites (clearly I prefer the "traditional" look of angel wings).
3. Musical acts. I was VERY impressed this year with the musical acts. For one, I'm a huge Taylor Swift fan, so I supposed I'm biased on that front. And with her costumes, she looked like she should be one of the models! And Fall Out Boy (a band I haven't listened to since high school) was great (unlike Panic! at the Disco , who were totally spastic during the Miss Universe pageant).
All in all, a wonderful show. It's SO visually stimulating that you can't help but be mesmerized!
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