weekly resolve; school year resolutions

you know what's weird? i make resolutions at pretty much all the time, except at new year's. too busy having fun. haha. but every school year, i always keep in mind a few things that i want to do. i'm actually really excited to start my third year. i've finally switched my major to something i LOVE and i can't wait to start my courses. but at the same time, i'm feeling the pressure to do well because my parents weren't too happy about the switch.

here's what i'm looking to take on this year.

• eat breakfast. how many times have i heard about the benefits of eating breakfast? and felt it for myself? when i eat breakfast, i don't end up binging in the afternoon or feeling quite as cranky. and yet i never make time to do it. this year, i'm going to give it a real try.
  
  
• eat better on campus. i can't tell you how many times i fell victim to the taco place by my film class. i think this is gonna mean i prep/pack lunches from home. i think that's it on the food front. i'd make a fitness goal, but i know i wouldn't keep it.
  
  
• make new friends. saying that aloud takes me right back to second grade. (check me out on my first day, at right) but i mean it. as i said, i am switching my major, and even though i'm staying at the same school, it's a completely different program and a completely different campus. it's like coming super late to a party. everyone will already know everyone else, but i will fight my urge to fade into the backgroud. in a dream world, i'd join a club or something, but i really don't have the time.
  
  
• stick to my budget. i finally tabulated what i spent for the month of august. i was far, far from the goal i set. but i did take a sizable chunk out of my visa debt! i need to do even better in the months to come though.
  
  
• make time for everything. i think i'm pretty organized, but i'm awful with time management. there's a lot i plan to do this year: helping to get a book published, youth group, two different singing groups, and keeping up this blog of course! not to mention all the tv i can't live without. i'm going to resolve to stay on top of things so my school work doesn't get lost in the mix. i know there's a way to make time for everything, i've just got to find it.
  
  
• never take a "day off" from style. this is actually more of a lifetime goal. with a little work, i think you can let your own personal style shine through in just about anything. i hate those days where you wake up late and throw on the first thing you see and walk around miserable for the rest of the day. so i resolve not to have any.
  

but more important than the goals you make are the steps you do to . i think if you're going to do this you should put it in a place where you can see it. i'm going to try vision boarding. i'm turning my computer's desktop into a visual reminder of all the things i hope to accomplish this year. (so i'll see it before i load up firefox and spend careless hours checking up on blogs =P)

you don't have to wait to make goal. a and rememer... "it's never too late to start the day over." (-michael franti)

so what are you hoping to do this school year?

-B.

weekly resolve; make the most of august

this is a goal i'll be working toward all month. it's always been a pet peeve of mine how those of use going back to school write august off before it's even begun. yes there are back to school commercials on tv already, but that doesn't mean summer's over. my sister is the prime example of this, some days she's actually mopey at the prospect of going to school. and it's still nearly 30 days away! i'm going to use august to cram in as much hanging as i can and to work on my driving. i haven't driven much since my little accident, but i'm determined to get back into the saddle - err...driver's seat. there are tons of things to look forward to this month: another friend's wedding, a birthday party, the possibility of last minute vacations and summer camp. and who knows what else might turn up? what are you doing this august?

weekly resolve; save money

it's not déja vu. i'm really revisiting a resolve i just had. because even though i didn't buy anything for a whole week. i don't feel like i accomplished anything because i fell into my old patterns again. if anything, i spent TWICE as much in the week that just passed. like i was trying to make up for it or something! just terrible! logically i should even be in debt. i still live at home, i don't have a car and i'm not paying for school. my dad's an accountant for goodness sakes! so how did i get to be so bad with my finances??

for one, i tend buy things i don't really need. like yes, the NYX liquid liner i bought is amazing and i totally do like nyota uhuhra, bu that wasn't a necessity you know? i wish i had realized that before i went ot the mall and dropped $30 on various makeup products >.< and second, my finances have run wild because i just don't like talking about them! but i'm trying to change. i've come up with three new tips.

but this time, i'm getting serious. more specific. it's not enough to just say, i won't spend money this week if i complete fall off the wagon in the next. and of course, i scoured the interwebs for some creative solutions. for startes, i'm making an addendum to my shopping rules. (the ones i wrote a bit ago and still didn't wrap around my VISA card like i said i would) so the new rule #2, any purchase, no matter what the size or price, must be slept on. if it's not something i wouldn't come out for the next day, it's not something i can't live with out.

my second serious step? i'm going to begin keeping a debt diary, not for all to see, but i've bought a new journal just for the cause (and i know that seems counterproductive, but it'll even out. i'm going to get my finances in order if it kills me!) the first thing i need to stick in this diary is a budget, i'm working on it as we speak. you're also supposed to keep track or your daily spending purchases: how much of your money you're spending and for what. putting your thoughts on paper has a way of making you think about your actions, or so they say. i'll let you know how it goes.

any lastly, i've come up with a financial affirmation for this week. (yes i believe in affirmations, if you repeat anything enough you'll believe it. but more on that later): it is MY money and i WANT to hold on to it.

so there we go. saving money, take two. hopefully i haven't lost you in all the boring talk. if you've got any helpful advice, i'd LOVE to hear it, truly. anyone else ever conquered shopoholic-ism before? wish me luck!

-xoxo.

weekly resolve; save money

another week, another resolution! it may seem weird that i'm also attempting to do things all the time, but i'm trying not to wait around to achieve the stuff i wanna do. i'm not going to wait till new year's to do something i can start right away. (i'll post my radical honesty wrap-up a little later on)

that said, this particular resolution is something i've been meaning to do for a while now. but i wasn't quite ready to face it until my visa bill came last thursday. for a solid year, me and my visa were great. i paid it off on time and never had interest then all of a sudden (okay not all a sudden, like 2 movies and four shopping sprees later) things started to slide. and slide. and continue to slide. and then i hit a car, and i owe my parents money for that. i'm not going to give the exact number, but it's pretty bad.

so it seems ridiculous, given all that, that i continue spending the way that i do. the first step is admitting you have a problem. so my resolve this week is to cut it out completely. i've instigated a "no-buy" week. no makeup. no shoes. no purses (...only because i just bought one).

but that's not enough. i need to save money too, and i'll be the first to admit i have NO idea how to do that! usually i avoid personal finance blogs like the plague. but i've been scouring them to find tips i like. here are some of my favourite tutorials.

• squawkfox's 50 ways to save $1000 a year
• also this week, squawkfox rereleased her ebook on frugal food and fitness
  
• fabulously broke talks about 5 general finance tips.
  
• ivillage presents 4 debt triggers and ways to avoid them
• self has a financial guide with tons of good ideas
  

be sure to check back i'll be adding more as i focus on finance this week. mmkay. me and R are off for dinner. later!

-xoxo.

weekly resolve; radical honesty

this week i'm experimenting. for a while now (well okay, ever since i saw lie to me) i've been toying with the idea of radical honesty. the idea was propose by psychotherapist brad blanton who believed that people would be alot happier if they only told the truth. no lies at all regardless of colour (white) or size. i consider myself to be a pretty honest person but i can't deny that i don't make a little white lie from time to time. after all, the average person tells an average of 3 in just a ten minute conversation.

don't forget, you're lying when...
-someone asks you how you are and you don't give a real answer
-you feign interest in something
-you leave things out.

i'll be honest here, i'm a v. non-confrontational person who believes that white lies can help to smooth things over. it's a little patronizing to pretend to be interested in something you're not. and telling the truth to a friend could actually be helpful. i hate hurting people's feelings or stepping on toes. and i'm not always such a sharer either (even though you'd neve know it from this blog). i have a habit of stopping short of what i'm saying what i really think. but i've realized lately that those little lies aren't doing anyone any favours.

so this week i'm going to acknowledge things exactly as they are, to others and to myself. i'll let you know how it goes next monday!

-xoxo.

weekly resolve; the cosmo routine

today's the day!

let me just say that i don't like the concept of diets. and despite all the talk about karl lagerfeld and fashion the other day, i'm really doing this beacuse i don't want to get fat sitting at home eating ice cream all summer. not to reach any specific number. i'm not in this to lose weight, more to prove to myself that making healthy choices for a week won't kill me. (time will tell)

that said, i was really happy when i went back to that article i bookmarked at cosmo and reread it more carefully to find that it said to choose at least four of the suggested rules and follow them for a week.that seems more reasonable doesn't it?
okay, these are the five i've chosen.

1. drink mainly water.
i couldn't agree more with this one. luckily, a recent breathing problem has forced me to cut out soda and i have been feeling all the better for it. but now, i'm heavily addicted to sugary artificial juice and i'm told that's not much better. i'm not really a big fan of water, but i'm making it a goal this week to drink more of it. my mom's always said, a lot of times when you're thirsty, this is what your body is really crying out for.

2. ban white bread and pasta.

cosmo warns that white grain products cause bloating, particularly around the belly area. no fun! they suggest subbing in whole grain options or vegetables. veggies get digested more slowly so you remain full longer.

3. do cardio 30 minutes a day.

this is the main one i'm going to try and work into my daily routine. half an hour really isn't a lot. remember my random spurts of dancing? that was actually really fun. but i completely let it go after a few weeks.

(3 and a half. the article also reccomended do 36 push ups and lunges every other day. and doing squats and sit-ups for definition. i did mine while watching tyra/rachel ray this morning. haha. the joys of being home.)

4. make one food sacrifice.

they suggest cutting out one food indeulgence. and at first, i wanted to object because they were already asking me to go without pasta, but i couldn't ignore the carton glaring at me the freezer. yep, that's right. for one week i'm giving up that peanut butter cup ice cream i'm always raving about.

5. sleep more.

cosmo suggests that even an extra half hour of sleep can boost your metabolism, encourage muscle tone, and refresh you enough to make better food choices.

for other tips, check the rest of the article. which four would/will you choose?i'll let you know how i'm doing later.

that's it for me!

-later days!

weekly resolve; i'm not sorry

(song of the day: the call, regina spektor)

here i go again, airing my neuroses. but i do find it v. therapeutic though. so here's the deal. i've been noticing one the the things that comes out of my mouth is "i'm sorry." i apologize for everything to everyone. i feel like westley in wanted. i'm thinking about three things that happened this weekend.

i was at work making at balloons last saturday morning and there were a lot of people in the cage. (err. behind the counter at work. it's all the balloon cage cause a part of it is fenced in to keep the balloons from hitting the ceiling) a guy who works there (who i will call WD) came in because he needed to ask me something. i was in the middle of talking to a customer AND putting a bouquet together, so i told him where to find what he was looking for. but when WD was walking toward me i was like "sorry" and threw myself out of his way. and he said point blank, "i could've gone around you know. and i'm the one interrupting you, asking you for a favour when you're clearly busy. so what are you sorry for?"

ever since WD brought it up, i've been super aware of it all weekend. like i was hanging out with someone else playing taboo, and even though i was the highest scoring member on our team (not bragging, real fact) i kept apologizing for not doing better for some reason. don't get me wrong, there are times to say your sorry, even sometimes when you don't mean it. but it's not just about being polite.

read more and the fix, after the jump.

those examples weren't the only time. i say sorry if i get in the same elevator as someone else, only because they've gotten there first. i say sorry when someone else steps on my foot as if it's my fault it was there in the first place. apologzing is kind've like breathing for me. i'm a caring person, and i really do hate to offend, but i think it's a bit much. saying sorry doesn't even really register to me any more. for me, the word has lost its meaning. and i hate saying things i don't mean. i hate that i do it all together. i think that sometimes, apologizing makes you appear weaker. it's like putting yourself down, in a way.

i can't even really say why i do it so much. it's probably a confidence thing. and i also want to make everyone happy. but i don't want to think too much about it, sometimes self reflection is gross. like poking your own insides. so i'm skipping right to the solution. i mean, i'm working on the confidence thing everyday, but there's gotta be something more.

i'm making a list. you should never apologize for:

-things that weren't your fault. WD was right. it totally makes sense that i want to make people feel happy/better/comfortable. but i shouldn't apologize for that! there's always the chance, that people could turn around and really think it IS my fault (it's happened before). they can take my saying sorry as an admission. so maybe next time someone's steps on my toe, instead of apologizing, maybe i'll just accept their apology. and if one's not offered, i should just forget about it.

-things outside your control. sometimes crap happens and there's nothing you can do about it. (whoa, just got the urge to sing 'hakuna matata'). i should never apologize for things that happens that have nothing to do with me or anyone else. sometimes it rains, or buses are late, plans get cancelled. there are other examples. the next time "i'm sorry" is about to come out of my mouth, i'll think long and hard about what it is i'm apologizing for. if i really had nothing to do with it. i won't say it.

what about you? anyone else find they have the same problem i do. do you have anything to add to the list?

one final thought. i can't stand john tesh, but he does give good advice. "don't be nice at the expense of undervaluing yourself." that's the last thing i wanna do! wish me luck! and a good week to you as well!

-xoxoxo.

check the photo here.

weekly resolve; eye contact

hey hey! double post to make up for missing yesterday. sadly, i have to make this one pretty quick cause i've got real work to do.

this weekly resolve is a little different cause i've already done it. haha. so yeah, i wrote a little bit ago about having better conversation with people and it's actually been working out really really well! i said i'd get back to what i found out about eye contact. it's actually an important part of conversation. shows like "lie to me" have made me SO aware of body language lately. i find it fascinating and eye contact is no excpetion. and i don't just mean for flirting either (okay, yeah that is what i was i using it for you but don't have to!) there are signals being sent all over the place there are ones you're giving and sending without even being aware of it! here are some general tips and tricks.

when you're listening:

• always remember to listen with your eyes. maintaining eye contact is an indication of respect. try keeping eye contact for about five second intervals. don't forget to smile and nod. like you mean it though. someone can tell if you're not being genuine.
• look to the side. eye contact can be awkward especially if you're pushing through it for the first time. instead of looking down at your shoes (a move that projects insecurity) look up or to the left. especially if you're listening to someone. these are signs that your recalling or trying to remember something about what this person is saying and they'll feel like you're really listening and thinking about what they're saying to what they've got to say.
• contrastingly if you want someone to leave, don't look at them. if you're not interested in someone you'll subconciously
  
• and don't shift too much. shift eyes can come of as untrustworhty.
  

when you're speaking

• star down who you're speaking to. eye contact shows self confidence. if you're staring someone down it emits that whatever you have to say is important. people will take what you're saying more seriously. this is epecially important if you're feeling insecure. it'll present an air of confidence that you might not necessarily feel

if you're flirting:

• maintain eye contact for longer periods of time. go past the normal five seconds.
  
• don't forget to look at all their features on their face. i find myself staring at a certain someone's lips all the time.
• check for pupil dilation! it's a sign someone's aroused. a very good sign. if they're keeping an extended gaze, that's a good sign too.
  

and this may sound crazy but i've actually been doing this a lot over the last two weeks. in the halls, in elevators. i will stare down anyone i find attractive with pretty succesful results. i surprise myself by getting smiles back like 80% of the time. with more eye contact and better posture. and i can tell people don't think i'm as shy even though i haven't said anything. and it feels kinda cool! makes you walk taller and hold your head higher. dare you to try it! blach. no real time to get really into this. i've got a lot of school stuff to do for tomorrow. do you find body langauge as interesting as i do? do you want me to keep posting about it? i know i'll be reading it either way. night!

weekly resolve; better conversation

(song of the day: i am what i am, jonas brothers)

good evening! hope all is well with you. i tend to keep airing my neuroses here. i've already talking about how i tend to overanalyze every conversation i've had, but today i'm tackling the problem from the root. this weekend i have to spent the weekend with a bunch of a people i usually don't. in short, i'm freaking out! i hate those awkward breaks in conversation. (haha. there's a picture of the office because that shows pretty much the master of awkward conversations. i wish they were as funny in real life) so this week(end) i'm resolving to get past it. so i scoured the webernet for the best tips on how to be a good conversationalist.

a. forget yourself. that means stop paying attention to where your hands are, or what your hands are doing or what you're saying. focus on the person (people) you're talking to. if you're thinking about yourself you'll never be able to relax. people really like to talk about themselves so instead of worrying about you, ask the other person questions - preferably ones that don't just need a yes/no answer. make sure you're really listening! just like in good acting, don't just wait for the other person to stop talking, be actively involved in the conversation. i tend to just ignore things i don't understand but there's no shame in asking for clarification. it's proof you're really listening and it lengthens the conversation. if you ask questions, listen intently and comment accordingly you'll get the credit for being a good conversationalist.

b. pretend. this advice is borrowed from my mom again. put yourself in the other person's position. i have this thing where i usually remember the little things people say (birthdays, math tests). but whenever i want to bring them up i don't for fear of sounding creepy. but if someone remembered something i'd said, i'd be flattered! i have to be the type of friend i'd want to have.

another tip? when i'm meeting new people i sometimes pretend we're already friends. i mean, talking with my friends is so easy and effothis usually works for me because it makes me more relaxed. i'm a firm believer in fake it till you make it!

if you're still interested, continue reading for more tips!




c. disagree. whenever i'm talking to people i hate to rock the boat. i'd rather get along and have it all be good. i have to remember its the differences that make people interesting. agreeing with everything can kill a conversation just as much as disagreeing with everything can. yeah, i've had this one happen. in truth, you should never be afraid to speak your mind. even if you're trying to make a good impression, there's no harm in it. (mmkay, so i might not quite believe this one yet, but i'll try it out this weekend and let you know how it goes) on the reverse, disagreeing too much can lead to a conversation trainwreck. when arguing try tempering your sentences. if you replace "but" with the word "and" people won't automatically go on the defensive.

d. pause. don't be afraid of a little pause in conversation. i let my skin get crawly and my breath quicken and then my brain spins out of control and it's even harder to make conversation. but i read that pauses in conversation are normal and not to be feared! in face you may intentionally want to pause. good storytellers know how to bait their audience and keep them listening. it's more than okay to take a few seconds to collect your thoughts.

someother quick notes, maintain eye contact. i've been trying out a new trick with this o'er the last few days. maybe i'll try and work it into the blog sometime. also, if you can do so without looking crazy, imitate the body language of the person you're speaking to. it'll subconciously trick their brain into thinking you're getting along. body language on the whole fascinates me. i'll be sure to write about it sometime in the future.

that's all for now! wish me luck!

-lovelovelove.

weekly resolve; stop overanalyzing

original post date: march 30, 2009
(song of the day: if i aint got you, alicia keys)

i've had a set back in last week's epiphany. some nights it takes me HOURS to fall asleep. and not for lack of trying. but when i'm lying in bed i tend to go over every conversation i've had that day and analyze it to death. like, "should i have said this instead of that?" "i hope she knew that i meant it like this and not like that." "i wonder what he thought when i said that?" it's awful. downright tortuous. and it's only gotten worse now that i like someone. i turn every conversation over in my head a thousand times. it's all "when he said that, i wonder what it really meant?" and in all honesty, it probably meant exactly what he said. i know it makes no sense to read so much into things. so why can't i stop doing it? it's seriously been taken me two hours to fall asleep every night for the past week.

and for some reason i thought i (and tato =P) were the only ones who were that neurotic. i've been googling all day and was glad to find there were tons of other people with the problem, but no one else really had a good solution. the advice fell into two schools either "distract yourself" until it goes away or "just stop" which is simple but ridiculous at the same time. i mean, everybody knows overanalyzing isn't going to get you anywhere. there is no time machine. what's said is said.

oddly enough, the best advice i got was from my mom. (or not surprisingly. she does know everything). she reminded me that it actually happens to a LOT of people. my mom said, part of it has to do with self-confidence. and i'll admit, mine is patchy at best =P but she pointed something else out as well. the first thing i have to do is stop thinking i'm so unique, or that i'm "the only one." which i don't aim to do, kind of something that happens subconciously. but i have to remember ithat in regular conversations, everybody is way too busy thinking about themselves to be thinking about you. i mean think about a conversation you had today and try and pinpoint something "awkward, or strange or wrong" that the other person said. bet you can't. or at least, i couldn't. i was too busy worried about what i was saying or not saying. things are never as bad as you make them out to be in your mind.

she reminded me that people aren't like books. conversation is instantaneous so there's no point looking for some deeper meaning. if i don't speak in metaphors there's no reason anyone else would. i LIKE people, and talking to them shouldn't give me insomnia. what she suggested is to devote all my attention to the person i'm talking to next time i'm in a conversation. don't worry so much about saying the funny/smart/right thing. just listen and respond. cause that's all that you really want out of conversation anyway. strange thing to write about i know, but it's been a strange day...

sweet dreams!

-lovelovelove.

weekly resolve; better days

Original Post Date: March 16, 2009
(song of the day: chasing pavements, adele)

happy monday to you! i'm hoping it's a good one. i'm so sorry i neglected to write anything the last two days, i didn't mean to take the weekend off! i'm hoping you had a good one. mine ended up being really busy. hanging with linda on friday was awesome! i chipped my manicure the next day at work, but it's still all good. the truffles i made were AMAZING. saturday my cold got worse, i still sound like a man, but i got my new phone, and i'm absolutely in LOVE with it! then i went over to rachel's house and that was fun too. we (and by we i mean kendra) took warrior for a walk, and stopped at a playground. i always forget how fun the swings are. sunday, i wore one of my new dresses and got a lot of compliments (can't lie, that's my favourite. i'm probably going to catalogue the look later, cause i'm still not sure that's the best way to wear it) my mom had to go for this MRI scan thinger, so our family spent time together before she went in. mm! and we went to a sushi bar! i totally ate too much. then i came home and watched paschendaele (kendra's choice) and to get those bad images out of my head we watched lion king until 2am.

but then the weekend was over. and the prospect of starting a new school week is more than daunting, it's downright depressing. especially last time, i let a rough week take my to some very dark places emotionally, mentally, spiritually. and it's weird, cause there are days when i feel like i'm the last person who needs to remember to be optimistc, haha. i've got a pretty grueling week ahead of me too. i've got three major assignments in four of my classes, and i still haven't really sorted things out with my mom. as in, i'm still enrolled in my french program and we haven't really gotten around to talking about it yet. there's a bunch of other stuff too. soooo i scoured the internet (and this month's Cosmo) for ways to make the weekdays feel like the weekend! =)

part of what makes the weekends so great is that they're relaxing. one of the best ways to accomplish that on the weekdays is to just get more sleep. i know it's like ridiculously benficial for you, and still won't do it. but i love when you wake up and feel actually energized. eating breakfast is another one of those tips that i always hears and never do. and i mean real breakfast, not just poptarts and icecream like i usually do. and i know it's super hard to do but it IS possible if you set time aside to do it. i can always make time for the things i actually want to do, i just have to make more time for it. even though i hardly do it, i'm a huge advocate for yoga (if you like, i'll show you my favourite pose sometime this week!) i like that you have to be kinda calm to do it. it's a good way to ground yourself in the morning. i found that spending time with someone helps too. often when i'm upset about things i completely withdraw. but hanging is so good! and it really makes me feel better after i talk about things, even when i don't want do. and with all the good weather, i'm thinking it's about time i did something outside for once. according to cosmo, a recent study found that staring at a blue skiy can help you tune out stress. and who doesn't need that?

but i think the most important thing is to think positively. interesting quote by abraham lincoln "most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." even though it's super hard to do, but when i go into things i don't like with a better attitude i realize they're usually not as bad as i thought they'd be. that's all for now, here's to better days!

-lovelovelove.

weekly resolve; description

Original Post Date: February 25, 2009
Places and Things.
(Song of the Day: Love Is On Its Way, The Jonas Brothers)

something other than fashion? le gasp!! haha. now that i've handed in my modern drama essay i've got two days off to finish this story i've been working on. and as i was reading a little bit of it today, i realized... it kinda sucks. the beginning is good. the beginnings are usually my favourite part. you know when you're writing - when you start any new project really - and you're just so passionate about it, your tripping over yourself to get it out? my first chapter was fantastic. but for me, things always start strong then fizzle out. i'm determined to finish my story though. and i'm also determined to make it better! and luckily, i know exactly what my problem is (well one of them anyway). description!

whether it comes to people or places, it's my nemesis. i acutally hate reading it too. when i'm reading, i skip over the description to get to the dialogue more times than i'd like to admit. so i was looking over the story that i wanted to work on and realized it looked a lot like: they went to the coffee shop. he talks. she talks... he talks. she talks. they leave.


i'm not even kidding you! It was shocking! awful! mind you the dialogue is pretty good - if i do say so myself. (i've never had a problem finding things to say.) i've been trying to pay more attention to description lately but wasn't really picking up on just what made it so good. i've read a lot of books on writing and they all seem to say the same things. so today i went scouring the internet for some new ideas about how to write description (for setting specifically). woohoo!

♦ the first one is a given. i'm sure we've all heard the standard use all five senses. this has never really been helpful for me. you're supposed to write what you know... and i can only stretch your description of a shopping mall so far. i find it near impossible to describe places i've never seen while especially while making it convincing and not cliché.

they always suggest to mentally transport yourself to the environment you want to survive. in your mind, paint it out from the broad strokes to the finer ones. (i find this much easier said than done and i'm still looking for a tip to get around it) but once you've put yourself there, pick out the three most prominent senses. running through all five senses can bombard your reader. it seems so simple, but there are so many times (if i do write description) i only focus on what you can see.

♦ i also read that people have a general idea of what things look like. take a living room, for example. so always draw your reader's attention to what's different about a setting. particularly if it's going to pertain to something later on. i'm the worst at describing a place and then late going back to add stuff like "oh yeah! there was this fancy table where they all ate."

♦ always try to describe things from different perspectives. it's a little harder to do if you're writing in first or second person. but different characters are going to have different views on setting. what one person sees at threatening, another sees a welcoming. what one character sees as beautiful, another may find revolting. you get the idea. i didn't. i have this male rough around the edges character who once took the time to admire the modern furnishings in this posh apartment. i'll fix it, i promise =P

and i have to add, one of the best tips i've ever heard is to carry a pad of paper around with you. i've been doing it for years. i've got three notebooks full of random one liners that i pull out whenever they apply. and it goes without saying that there's no cure for putting together better sentences other than reading more books and studying the types of style they have. that's all for today! i'll let you know how it goes!


happy writing!
-lovelovelove.

weekly resolve; anti-exercise

Original Post Date: February 10, 2009

(Song Of the Day: Dark Blue, Jack's Mannequin)

usually, I don't spend too much time worrying about weight. back in middle school it was probably ALL I thought about. I was such a chubster! but luckily I grew taller and everything kind of sorted itself out. but even though it's not something i spend too much time worrying about i had to hop on the scale this morning after my dad told me "have you put on weight?" (yes, the man had four sisters, and lives with three women and is STILL that insensitive.)

but he was right! and i totally did that thing where you take off your sweater to try and get it down to less, but then i remembered i'm on my period, and i'm told that always skewers things a bit. (or at least, that's what i'm telling myself now =P haha) but there were the twelve weeks i spent on the couch while my school was on strike. so maybe today's measurement is closer to the truth than i thought! anyway, there's a number that i've always set for myself. Like "once you hit this number, you're metabolism has officially conked out on you, get to the gym." and i'm actually getting close! It was frightening. (and put a definite damper on the day, not even my pink blush could save me =P)

but i will do anything to avoid the gym. and i mean ANYTHING. just the very mention of the word makes me feel sick and all panicky. i'm not even sure why. i've never really been in one. i do get horrible flashes of gym classes past. or, maybe it's because i have this inexplicable fear of sweating in public. which means people rarely see me play sports, even though i'm secretly okay at some ;)

exercise for people who hate exercise. that's what i typed into google and i got a slew of good ideas. and i'm determined to at least try and stick to ONE before this week is over. (and I'm going to need one if I'm going to be having two dozen cupcakes on saturday.) here we go.

• Wii Fit. not surprisingly, this is the first thing that came up. and I have one! I used to go on it all the time. and I lost like... a pound a week when i was barely doing it at all. but then I missed a week when i went on vacation (in august) and i haven't been back on because i hate the way the board yells at you when you miss a day. and I haven't been on since AUGUST. but I hate being yelled at, even my inanimate objects. but I CAN face that white rectangular monster! If I could only find it...
  
• Yoga. In the summer I used to be really into yoga. It started yes, because of WiiFit but I used to be really into it. As in I did it every morning. I rented a few books and videos. And then it just stopped. But it's so relaxing! And for a few weeks there, I was so flexible!
• Dancing. i kind of dance around all the time. while i'm getting dressed, sometimes while i'm watching TV, while i'm eating (but this one sometimes usually ends in choking). but I read that I should put a few minutes aside and actually just dance (da doo doo! Ten points if you get the reference). today i read that several 10 minute bursts each day can be as effective as working out for 30 minutes. so that might be something to try.
  
• Walking. i'll be the first to admit i'm REALLY lazy. i cab it everywhere! and if i don't feel like paying, and i can't go to ride, i usually just don't go. usually, the only place i willingly walk in is the mall. (and i'm not certain that counts.) but i'm going to try and walk more. like yesterday, when i went down to the video store and i had my music blasting, it was actually really fun! and I got some serious thinking done. It's a multifaceted activity that i will try to do more often.
• Hula Hooping. now that the weather is kind of starting to warm up, it's go me thinking about bikini season. (i hear there may even be a cruise in my future!) and i don't need it to look like there is a cupcake spilling over my waist. pahahaha. but this posed a problem. crunches, as a concept, make me want to cry. good old google. when i added "abs" to my search, this was the first thing that came up. hula hooping is so retro and cute you wouldn't think it'd be great for your stomach too! and they mention it in that alvin and the chipmunks song! so I think I might try this one. granted, i will have to do some digging in my garage to find the hula hoop we had...

i'm happy with these "anti-exercise" ideas. i can't promise I'll do ALL of them. but I'm definitely going to try to do something? hold me to it! =)

-lovelovelove!

P.S. do you have a resolution for this week?