9 Reasons Why You Should Watch Shark Week

It's one of the best times of the year again: Shark Week on Discovery Channel.  Many people wonder why people get so excited about watching shark week, and I'm over here like: Why don't you get excited?  Even if they eat people, they're still pretty awesome.  This is all pretty much personal opinion, but that's what a blog is, right? Personal opinions?  Sharks are awesome.  Just think about the power that they have behind their massive jaws! And how cute little baby sharks are.

1. There's a Shark Week drinking game... Actually there are multiple. 

Who doesn't love getting drunk while watching TV?  Drinking is fun. Watching TV is fun.  Sharks are cool. You should add them all together. Actually, a lot of people already have.  I Googled it... and the first two games that I saw were completely different.  Most have to do with drinking when you hear words, drinking when someone says shark. Here are two different ones and an E-Card I made. 

1. Gentle Version  From Entertainment Weekly 

2. The Official Shark Week Drinking Game by BroBible --> Which is pretty intense 

2. They might seem dangerous, but they're actually just awesome. 

Great statistics from Nat Geo's website:

• "Over 17,000 people die from falls each year. That's a 1 in 218 chance over your lifetime, compared to a 1 in 3,700,000 chance of being killed by a shark" 1
• "You have 1 in 63 chance of dying from the flu and a 1 in 3,700,000 chance of being killed by a shark during your lifetime" 1

So basically, you have a better chance of falling down and dying than being attacked by a shark and dying from it.  Yeah, they're scary. But people kill people and you still probably like them. And humans don't have 5 rows of teeth. Sharks do. How cool is that? (By the way: If you're playing the Shark Week Drinking Games, you'd probably have to drink after reading those two facts.)

3. Maybe they're just misunderstood

Have you ever thought that maybe sharks are just misunderstood? Maybe when a shark attacks you, it's just playing with you.  Have you ever though about that?  They were in the ocean before us.. maybe... and now we're making their home our play thing. Maybe they see us as cute, little cuddly humans they just want to nuzzle... with their mouth... on our legs and arms.

4. They are the Kings and Queens of the Ocean

You swim in their territory, you should probably know about them.  Granted they might not be the largest thing in the ocean, but they definitely have the teeth to rip most of the things in the ocean apart.  Sharks have six senses, one of which is electromagnetism. They can pick up on electrical fields of other animals 2... Uh, what? That's awesome. Some sharks can swim up to 60 mph 3.... Even More Awesome.  If they could be on land, they'd be that person that you're angry at on the highway for going 5 miles under the speed limit. You're not getting away from that, so you should probably respect it. 

5. This awesome photo 

I bet you can't do that. Even if you tried. Really, really, really hard. 

Credit: Morne Hardenberg 

6. This rad picture of a shark giving a guy a high five

That you've probably seen a million times, and it only gets better each time.

Photo: Picture Media 

7. Josh Wolf

I don't know, he's pretty funny. I sort of just needed a filler for #7 and he seemed like the best thing to put here. So here's a picture of him. I liked him on Chelsea Lately... 

8. Your friends are probably watching it

And you'll want to have something to talk about around the water cooler right?  They might even think you're a cool person. 

9. This Video

That you've probably seen on Facebook and has barely anything to do with sharks.  But  it is awesome because it's a cat dressed up like a shark riding on a automatic vacuum cleaner.  

1. Channel, N. G. (2013). Shark Attack Facts. Retrieved August 2014, from Nat Geo TV: http://natgeotv.com/ca/human-shark-bait/facts

2. Brunner, T. (n.d.). The Sixth (And Seventh) Sense. Retrieved 2014, from Shark Savers: http://www.sharksavers.org/en/education/biology/the-sixth-and-seventh-sense/

3. About.com. (n.d.). How Fast Can a Shark Swim? Retrieved August 2014, from About.com: http://marinelife.about.com/od/fish/f/howfastshark.htm

To Those Who Are Searching For Happiness

Happiness. 

It's the one thing people search for over and over again in their daily lives.  From work to friendship to relationships, there are many people who rely on outside sources to captivate them and contribute to their happiness.  I'm not saying that these things, and other external factors, are not influencers on the overall happiness of beings, but pure happiness must come from within ones self.  To know the bliss of happiness, you must know that happiness starts with loving yourself.

It saddens me to see that there are still people who are fulling relying on others or their relationships to bring them happiness.  I see people throughout my daily life and throughout my Facebook and Instagram feeds that use demeaning, self-loathing posts/statements indicating that their hate and unhappiness is steaming from the fact that they do not have a boyfriend/girlfriend or that their relationship is bringing them down.

I have one thing to say: 

STOP IT. 

Your happiness does not need to stem from another being. When you find true love, yes that individual will contribute to your happiness, but it all comes from you and what you make of your situations. I'm not saying I'm perfect at this; there are still times I let myself bring myself down; I fully acknowledge this and am working on it. 

There is no hiding the fact that I went through many periods of depression, anti-depression/anti-anxiety pills, and unhealthy lifestyles. Throughout my undergrad degree, I relied heavily on toxic relationships to supply my happiness. Clearly, that wasn't and wouldn't work. I went to therapist after therapist and was diagnosed with depression, then sever depression, then randomly... OCD.  Now, I do not deny that I have OCD tendencies, but I wasn't going to let any of those disorders, the SNRIs, nor SSRIs define me,  I wasn't accepting that I'd be using these pills or having any of these disorders all of my life. I had to find ways to gain happiness through myself to bring happiness to other aspects of my life. I've got 5 tips for those of you who are in the same boat or need some help.   

Start With Yourself 

I know you've probably heard this many times, but you cannot truly love another until you love yourself.  I know this first hand.  If you do not like yourself, your image, or the person that you are, you have to make the conscious decision to change yourself.  I've done it multiple times; I've tried to better myself then slipped back into my old ways. It took me nearly 5 years and many different anti-anxiety/anti-depressant pills to get to the point where I couldn't... didn't have to do it anymore. I could no longer rely on those daily doses of synthetic happiness to put a smile on my face.  I sat down, looked at myself, and figured out what I could do to keep myself happy.  I still have to do many things a certain way or my anxiety gets the best of me, but that doesn't get me down.

I started with mindset and worked my way from there. No more self-demeaning phrases, talking down to myself, or letting myself be sad over someone else's actions (I'll admit that last one still gets me from time to time.)  I'm working on my body now, which has always been a large factor in my happiness. It's not one of those "I want to look like the models" sort of mindsets. It's a want to be healthy that keeps me focused on my body, to increase my self-image. 

Find Something You Love To Do 

If you hate your job, find a new one. If you have a hobby, do it constantly.  My two loves (other than my cat and my boyfriend) are design and school. I'm a lifelong student. It keeps me happy while design keeps me busy.  Don't let yourself sit on the couch and age; before you know it, you'll be asking where life went. Get out and find something you love to do, and do it.  The two pictures below were two of the most impactful pictures I've seen in regards to changing my mindset:

Artist: Danger Dust 

Find Someone You can Confide In (BUT don't rely on them to bring you happiness) 

My Person? My mom.  She's my best friend and will be forever.  She knows more about me than anyone  and can give me some of the best, objective advice when I need it.  The whole cliche thing about you'll grow to love your mother, it's completely true. She's been their for me through everything, and that's what I recommend. If you've had someone there for it all, confide in them. Tell them secrets and don't hold what's making you angry in. 

Be Vulnerable

But stay strong. That's counter-intuitive, but it can be done.  With those who you're close, be vulnerable.  Allow yourself to open up and don't be afraid for what's going to come from your vulnerability.  But don't let those people tear you down too far; and don't let people you do not know or who are "meaningless" interfere with your happiness. Stay strong, but be vulnerable.

Be passionate and intense  
Whatever you do and however you do it, be passionate about it and be intense in your actions. Love intensely, feel passionately, action kindly.


PS: I do acknowledge that some people do need SNRI and SSRI pills. 

Do It Yourself (DIY) and Home Decor are a Blogger's Essential

It is very apparent that Do It Yourself (DIY) postings are a blogger's essential go to, especially to get their blog seen. Even though it's an over-saturated market, I've decided that I'll be postings tidbits of DIY/Vegan & Vegetarian Recipes/Home Decor.  I almost want to refer to them as "Ballin' on a Budget" because I do not make a ton of money for DIY projects. But DIY projects are typically inexpensive, or at least the the ones that I've completed have been. And they are fulfilling.

Some of my attempts so far:

Most of the items I've purchased have either been from Michael's on deep, deep sale or from Thrift Stores in the area of Raleigh, NC.  The vase in the picture above was provided by my best friend's wedding!  Both small trees, butterflies, all vase fillings, wall decor, and lantern came from Michael's on sale.  They were a great deal! The whole ordeal (which decorated my living room and bathroom) cost just over $45 dollars.  The candle holder, which I've had nearly 2 years and just now put LED candles in, is from Habitat for Humanity: ReStore. It's a wonderful addition to the bedroom!

The bed spread set was actually a very good steal from Ollie's Bargain Outlet!  The original set cost over $250 (according to the Kohl's website) and my boyfriend and I ended up finding it at Ollie's for $59.99. It came with all the pillows, pillow cases, bed skirt, and comforter.  It just so happened that I already had light blue sheets and blue and brown go great together!

My Next Project 

I've very excited about my next DIY project.  I'm going to "upcycle" some photo frames. It's not really going to be upcycling because I'm going to purchase them new and simply paint them to the color of my walls.  The photo below is going to be similar to what I'm going to do, just on a smaller scale. I don't need that many pictures hanging on the walls of our apartment!  I'm actually going to hang pictures in the frames, so it will be a bit different than the scale below, but it will be similar in style. 

Sourced from: Picture Perfect: Hanging a Wall Collage by Lauren Conrad

I Have Goals

Some people have dreams... I have goals. As of today, I'm giving myself a deadline on completing them.

There is no doubt that I'm a bit of an achiever, and yes I am tooting my own horn here.  There is also no doubt that I have a slight inability to conform to the expectations of others, although I do in the workplace because that's what is expected.  I have a fallen in love with the ideas, concepts, and process behind Marketing and Design.  I have goals and I'm not going to allow myself to be held back.

I am also lifetime student or at least I plan on being one for quite some time.  I'm in the process of getting my Master of Business Admin. with a graduate marketing certificate, and will be done with that in December 2015.  Being the first in my immediate family to graduate college and the first to even attempt a graduate degree, I'm fairly proud of myself.  School has always come easy to me and I have another goal to obtain my PhD and teach.

As of today, I will be holding myself accountable by completing the below 3 goals before the age of 32. I'm giving myself 10 years to achieve them all, as they are fairly large goals.

• Open a business by the time you turn 32
• Obtain a PhD
• Teach college level courses

Workout Progress 

Tomorrow makes 1 month of progress toward a "healthy" body (my definition of healthy body may be different than yours, yes.)  I'm not very sure that I can see a difference.  My progress pictures and current measurements are below. I didn't take my measurements before I started, like a dope, but since I am doing the Natalie Jill Fitness 7 day Vegan/Vegetarian kick starter program, I took my measurements on Monday to see if there was any progression made through the week meal plan. 

I'm just excited that I did 20 real push ups when I couldn't do any "girlie" push ups to start with. 

• 125.8 lbs 
• 22.1% body fat
• 33.5 - Bust
• 27 - Waist
• 33.5 - Hips 

PS: DISC GOLF IS PERF.

Here's a picture of my cat, straight chillin'