Tag: college freshman

21 things I’ve learned in 21 years

Published on by Alicia1 Comment

Happy Summer everyone! I’m back from Florida (posts on that to come) and am SO ready to get back into a routine! I didn’t even bring my laptop to Florida and it was so refreshing + relaxing (although I’m grateful my dad brought his because I had to register for 3 classes while we were down there) and I had a great 10 days just relaxing. However, like I said I’m glad to be back with my bed, my dog, and my own routine.

As some of you (or none) know, while I was in Florida, I turned 21!!! Woot drinking, gambling, blah blah. Something I LOVE reading are those “___ things I learned in ___ years” posts so I wanted to do my own! So, here are 21 things I’ve learned before turning 21.

  1. It is 100% okay to not be friends with people based on their political views – A lot of the times (especially recently) it has more to do with the other person’s morality than their choice of Democrat or Republican.
  2. Cutting negative people out of your life is so hard but so rewarding – I’ve cut out a few negative people from my life and yes, it’s shitty at first, especially if you were ‘friends,’ but week, months, and years later when you don’t have that negativity on your shoulder, your life will be so much better
  3. Always trust your gut – Something I’ve realized is that I’m very decisive. However, I always second guess myself and literally ruin my life choosing between 2 choices. One example of this was with transferring. Once I visited OU, I was certain that it was the school for me and once it had like 100x the pros than DePaul I knew I LOVED OU but what if I didn’t like it later, what if I didn’t make friends, etc. I had to visit OU again and it took 3 months for me to make a choice… UGH JUST TRUST YOUR GUT
  4. Life is too short to not have the nails, coffee, and underwear you really want – These are things I enjoy and I want to enjoy them without having to be stingy. I’ll buy cheaper food and clothes as long as these 3 things I get to enjoy.
  5. But in all real life really isn’t that short – Totally an unpopular opinion but life is literally the longest thing we ever do… so it’s not that short.
  6. Question everything – I’m one of those people whose worldview is based on the last documentary I watched. But, I’ve been learning to question things. I don’t believe something just because a person in power or the internet says something is true.
  7. Snuggling an animal can make any bad day at least somewhat enjoyable
  8. Don’t regret anything- I’ve always been that person who says “what if?” What if I’d stayed in San Diego/never even pick it? What if I never played badminton freshman year and started playing water polo instead? As I ask myself these questions wondering how my life would have been different, I also remind myself that if I never transferred, if I never chose San Diego, if I chose a different sport freshman year, etc. that I would never have met some of my best friends, never would have had so many incredible experiences and my life would be so much different. Would I probably like my life just as much as I do now? Yeah, but I love where I’m at now and the choices I’ve made.
  9. Never apologize for being yourself – people will tell you that you’re too much of this and not enough of that. But you’re you and really, that’s all that matters.
  10. Stand up for what you believe in… even if you’re standing alone – I’ve found that following the crowd is a lot less fun when you’re following for something you don’t believe in. It’s hard to stand up for yourself and what you believe in, especially if no one else is standing with you, however, in the end, it’s going to be so much more rewarding.
  11. Make time for what you love – I can’t stress this one enough. In the midst of school and work, taking time to read, write, or go to the gym is so important and can refuel myself to get everything I have to do done.
  12. Be punctual – I can only think of a few things worse [in my opinion] than being late and committing a murder is one of them. I am always early. Sometimes 5 minutes early and sometimes 30. Whether I head to the bathroom to make sure I still look presentable or I sit and tap away on my phone, I would much rather be early than show up right on time… or even worse… late.
  13. Try new things – Try a new workout, learn a language, try eating vegan for a week [yes a shameless go vegan promo] just anything to switch up your routine and remember – variety is the spice of life.
  14. Not everyone is going to like you – This one took me a LONG TIME to learn. I’m such a people pleaser and want everyone to like me and when someone doesn’t I used to try so hard to get them to. Now, I get it. I don’t like everyone and I know everyone isn’t going to like me, and you know what? I’m okay with that.
  15. Loving yourself is extremely hard but even more rewarding – Self-love is one of those things that seem rather ‘new.’ People everywhere are seeing that businesses all over are making billions of dollars on people hating themselves and we’re sick of it. Loving yourself can be one of the hardest things you do in your life, especially when you aren’t that seemingly ‘perfect’ person as shown in magazines ( even though the people in magazines aren’t as perfect as they are shown ).
  16. Getting enough sleep is VERY IMPORTANT – I know that when I get less than 7-8 hours of sleep I don’t feel as refreshed, healthy, and alert as when I get 8 or more.
  17. Travel – I learned far more about life from being in Peru than I ever have in a classroom. I can’t wait to keep traveling and learn even more.
  18. Staying in on a weekend can be just as (or more) fun as going out – I’m the definition of a homebody. I like to be my own company in my own bed. I’m usually down for a night out but cozy pajamas, a movie, and some snacks can definitely be better.
  19. Failure and rejection are a part of life – This took me until this past school to realize. Coming from a high school where I got everything I applied for, to a place with 30,000 other students and a lot more competition. Now, I have to work my butt off to get things I want and it’s taught me so much.
  20. Taking risks, while scary, can be so rewarding – Going against the norm, being different, and trying something so far out of your comfort zone can be frightening, but can be one of the best decisions you’ve ever made (at least all the risks I’ve taken have been)
  21. I have so much to learn – I’ve learned a lot in my first 21 years but I still have so much to learn. I learn something new every day and can’t wait to keep learning

What have you guys learned that I haven’t?

❤ Alicia ❤

Blogs I’m loving

Published on by Alicia8 Comments

Happy Friday everyone! I’m currently en route to Florida! I’m visiting Universal in Orlando and Sarasota as well and I’m super duper excited to be there, especially because I’ll be turning 21 while I’m there!

To keep spreading all of this love going during the month of June, I wanted to share some of my favorite blogs to share them with you guys!!! I love reading SO many blogs (so these are just a few of my faves) but I wanted to share some of the blogs I’ve been loving currently!

Jamie

I’ve followed Jamie for a while now (I think she was one of the first people I followed when I started blogging) and I absolutely adore her blog! From her vlogs, her Netflix reviews, and monthly favorite posts she always gives me ideas on what to buy/watch!

 

Emily

Emily (whom I don’t think I’ve ever met) and I came into contact sometime during or before freshman year at SDSU. There was probably a follow train of nervous freshmen and we ended up following each other on Instagram. We are both from the Chicago suburbs and she makes me want to get more into fashion because of all of her ‘how to style’ posts. Maybe one day a post of hers will spark me to make a wardrobe change instead of sporting leggings and t-shirts 24/7

Alys

Although I’m pretty sure Alys has only been blogging for half a year or so I feel as though I’ve followed her for much longer. She posts about mental health, traveling, college, and bullet journaling to name a few. Her bullet journal is SO AMAZING! I have tried to get into bullet journaling for a while and whenever I see one of her posts about it, I always try to restart mine because of how aesthetically pleasing it is.

Rachel

Something I love about Rachel’s blog are all of her traveling tips. As a gal who definitely wants to get some more traveling done sooner rather than later, I love seeing what frequent travelers do that makes traveling a breeze. Not to mention the photos she adds to posts are unbelievable and make me want to visit every nook of this beautiful Earth!

Hope

And last (but certainly not least) is Hope! While she doesn’t post too often, the posts Hope shares are always well thought out and have great photos to boot. I love reading about her life and various DIYs and recipes she shares!!

Make sure you give all of these lovely ladies a follow!!

What are some blogs you’re loving currently?

❤ Alicia ❤

Unpopular opinions

Published on by AliciaLeave a comment

Happy Wednesday everyone! If any of you are on twitter (I know some of you are because we follow each other), you may have seen the “Unpopular Opinions” trend going around. I have related to SO MANY of them and I wanted to share some of my unpopular opinions with you all!

Circuses are bad

Every year when I was a kid, my friends and family would go see the circus and as I got older I began to see how terrible circuses are. Animal abuse and poorly treated employees make “The Greatest Show on Earth” not that great

Vegans aren’t protein deficient

I mean they can be but so can nonvegans. If you eat a balanced diet of carbs, fats, and proteins there is no reason a vegan should or would be protein deficient

We need to stop idealizing certain body types

I saw a tweet today idealizing the ‘dad bod.’ that’s great and all but in the process totally bashed on guys with abs and nice pecks. We need to love all bodies without simultaneously calling other bodies bad.

I hate the Kardashians

I don’t hate many people but I really can’t stand the Kardashians/Jenners. They advertise appetite suppressant lollipops, skinny teas, waist trainers, and other useless products that literally don’t work. I get that they want to make an extra buck but people are spending money on things that don’t work because their idols do ??????

13 reasons why glorifies suicide and depression and is garbage

I feel like this is becoming more of a popular opinion for anyone with a mental illness but I barely even finished the first season and didn’t start the 2nd season. Suicide and depression (and literally all other mental illnesses) need to not be glorified but shows like 13RW make it seem like that’s an okay thing that society does.

What unpopular opinions do you all have? Do we share any?

❤ Alicia ❤

10 things I love about being ME

Published on by Alicia4 Comments

I figured I’d start June off on a positive note with my self love post of the month AKA sharing 10 things I love about being me! I have a feeling this is going to be a tough one for me to muster up 10 things… but here goes nothing!

1. I love that I love learning- I heard a while ago that no one can take away your right to an education and that really stuck with me, After my gap year, coming back to school reignited my passion for learning and I’ve been striving to better myself ever since.

2. I love that I’m curious- Going off of me loving learning, I’m curious about other things nonschool related and if they really spark my interest I’ll delve deeper into that subject. As the old saying goes, ‘curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back.’

3. I love that I am determined- I can be told no 1000 times (as seen this past school year) but I’m still going to keep trying until I succeed

4. I love that I’m *usually* okay with change- I’m very much behind the saying ‘don’t fix it if it isn’t broken,’ however when something does need changing, I’m quick to adapt and move on.

5. I love that I’m not going to settle for less than I deserve- This one is pretty self-explanatory but when I know I deserve something, I’m not going to settle for anything but what I know I should be getting.

6. I love that I’m confident- Over the past few years, my confidence has been gradually increasing and I love the confidence I currently have and can’t wait to see what the future of my confidence holds.

7. I love that I’m unapologetically myself- I’ve spent years trying to be less of this and more of that and I’m proud to say I no longer care what others think of me or what they want me to change. I am who I am and that’s not going to change.

8. I love that I’m vegan!- Saving animals, saving the environment, and doing something great for my health… why would I not love that?

9. I love that I’m always trying to better myself- I’m constantly working on myself in all aspects of my life and doing whatever I cant be a better person inside and out.

10. I love that I’m caring- Whether it’s for my friends, peers, colleagues, kids I’m working with, etc. I do my best to be the most caring and compassionate I can be.

What do you guys love about yourselves?

❤ Alicia ❤

June goals

Published on by Alicia3 Comments

Happy June! In one week from today, I will be on my way to Florida! I’m so excited for June and I hope you all are too : ) I’ve got a lot planned for this month and I can’t wait to get it all done. Here are my goals for June!

  1. Plan for CHAARG- Being the CHAARG Treasurer involves a lot of planning over the summer. I want to set aside a few hours a day [or just one whole day] where I get as much planned for the fall as I can.
  2. Start CHAARG Booty Camp or Insanity // Something I love doing over the summer are workout programs. I have way more time this summer to dedicate to improving myself and I’m going to start one (or both) once I return from Florida!
  3. Eat better // Since being home, I’ve been cooking a lot… but I’ve also been eating a lot. I’m trying to find the right balance for my body and I’m going to give meal planning and prepping a try to see if I can find a good balance for myself.
  4. 1 gallon of water daily // you guys already know.
  5. Figure my whole major thing out // I’ve officially changed my major to International Business [long story] so now I am emailing professors nonstop trying to get into classes as my major isn’t 100% changed yet.
  6. Read // In one my last posts, I shared my summer reading list. In order to get that list finished, I need to start!
  7. Go to bed earlier // This will relate to the next one but whenever I go to bed, I spend at least an hour on my phone and all of a sudden it’s 1 in the morning and my planned 6am wake-up time quickly turns into 10am. I want to shut my phone off by 9pm each night and then read before bed so that I’m ready to sleep and ready for the next day ahead
  8. Less screen time // Since I really don’t have a job this summer, I’ve been spending SO much time watching TV, scrolling through my phone, and being on my computer and I hate it. I want to spend more time outside, with friends, walking my dog, even cleaning my house.

What are your goals for June?

❤ Alicia ❤

May wrap-up

Published on by Alicia4 Comments

Hi everyone! Can you believe that May is already over? I am so excited for June BECAUSE… It’s Gemini season aka my birthday is in 12 days, I’ll be heading down to Florida in less than 10 days, and summer is officially beginning!! Since I was garbage at posting during the end of April + beginning of May so I’ll be wrapping up my April goals instead, which is fine because most of them I was still working on in May.

  1. 128 oz of water daily- I don’t get it every day but I’m doing really well with this!
  2. Get my body moving every day- Most morning I wake up and walk 3-4 miles and those days (and days I’m not I’m working out) so I’ve been very active this summer
  3. Finish this semester with straight As- 5 solid As and one A-
  4. Figure out my whole switch major/graduate early situation- Still ugh but I’ll update on this later
  5. Go through my laptop files- I did this and soon I’ll be putting all my photos on an external hard drive because I have over 13000 and I need to stop them from slowing down my computer
  6. Finish CHAARG exec transition- I did and I had my first summer team meeting Sunday and I can’t wait for the fall!
  7. Don’t stress about presentations- I didn’t and I got 100% on both!
  8. Figure out my living/working situation for the fall- A few sublease opportunities fell through but I ended up signing a lease by myself so I don’t know my roommates but at least I have somewhere to live!

How did you guys do on your goals for the month?

❤ Alicia ❤

Decluttering my life

Published on by Alicia4 Comments

2018 has taught me a lot so far and one of those things is to only keep things (and people) in your life that bring you joy. Since I’ve been home (and even while still at school) I’ve been trying to remove people and items from my life that no longer give me joy. Whether that be by unfollowing people on Instagram, defriending people on Facebook, or throwing a LOT of things away.

I watched Gabbie Hanna’s video about getting her ‘hoarding room’ organized and a lot of things Gabbie and the professional organizer talked about in the video I really related with, which caused me to really evaluate why I keep certain people and objects in my life.

I’m a total hoarder of so many things. From clothes that I wore on special occasions that don’t fit or I don’t like, to empty boxes, and random bags of electronics and keychains.

Over the past week or so (and I’m still not done) I’ve been going through all of my possessions, discarding old items, boxes, and going through clothes to either donate, throw away, or sell.

As I mentioned before, I not only got rid of items that don’t give me joy but people as well. I went through the people I follow on Instagram and realized that I either don’t talk to a lot of people still, have never talked to them, or I only followed them because they followed me first. Recently, I’ve stopped caring about how many followers, likes, and comments my posts so I decided to go through my followers and only keep following people who give me joy. I unfollowed over 400 people on Instagram, 100 or so people on Twitter, and unfriended 50 or so people on Facebook.

It’s so nice having only people I care about on my social media feeds as it A. makes me spend less time on social media (because there are fewer posts to see) and B. I don’t have to see negative people crowding my feed anymore.

I HIGHLY recommend that everyone does a bit of decluttering in their lives (and often) because it has left me feeling refreshed, less stressed, and I’m learning how to let go of people and items.

❤ Alicia ❤

If we were having coffee

Published on by Alicia6 Comments

Happy Monday everyone! I haven’t made a nice catch-up post in a while and I figured it was time for one! So, sit back, relax, grab a cup of coffee, tea, or your beverage of choice and let’s chat.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I’m heading to Florida in about 2 weeks. While there, I’ll be visiting Universal Studios in Orlando and my mom’s friend’s parents’ house. Complicated but I’ve known them since I was born and I have yet to visit their house so that will be nice to see them since I haven’t seen them in around a year.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I have no job for this summer… which is upsetting because I didn’t have my life together when I should have been applying for internships and the families I babysat for last summer never responded to me so I’m out of luck. I thought about applying to somewhere close to my house but no one wants someone for just the summer so we will see.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I have been drinking SO MUCH WATER.  This may seem dumb to tell everyone but it’s such a big deal for me. At school (and literally for the rest of my life) I drank either gallons of water a day or none whatsoever. However, since I’ve been home I’ve been drinking tons of water and there hasn’t been a day that I haven’t had at least half f a gallon of water so I’m very proud of myself.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I’ve been cooking nonstop. Over the weekend I posted about some of my favorite recipes recently. I never cooked before college and I’m learning so much and I feel really independent when I cook which makes me feel like I have my life together to some extent.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about the super cute dress I bought last week. My sister and I went shopping for some clothes for our Florida trip and I saw this dress a while back and HAD to have it. I tried it on and even though I can’t wear a bra with it (big boob probs) it’s the cutest thing EVER and I’ll share a photo of me wearing it in Florida.

And if we were having coffee, I’d ask you about your life lately. Tell me something that’s happened in your life recently!

❤ Alicia ❤

My TBR

Published on by Alicia2 Comments

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope everyone is having/had a great weekend and that you’re all ready for Monday!! Something I really want to do this summer is read… A LOT! I have sooo many books that I’ve accumulated and I have yet to read. My goal for this summer is to read 10 of them but there are more than 10 books on my TBR (to be read) list.

Here is my current TBR list and while I would love to read all of them this summer, I’m definitely going to read at least 10.

 

  1. Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert 
  2. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
  3. The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz
  4. Walk like a Buddha by Lodro Rinzler
  5. The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
  6. The Harder They Come by T.C. Boyle
  7. Adultolescence by Gannie Hanna
  8. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
  9. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
  10. Needles and Pearls by Gil McNeil
  11. Local Girls by Caroline Zancan
  12. A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry
  13. Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple
  14. The Fifth Agreement by Don Miguel Ruiz
  15. The Secret Language of Sisters by Luanne Rice
  16. The Homecoming by Stacie Ramey
  17. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
  18. Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin

What books will you all be reading this summer?

❤ Alicia ❤

Anyone can cook

Published on by Alicia4 Comments

Hi everyone and Happy Saturday! I hope you all are enjoying the start of your 3-day weekend (if you’re in the States that is). Something I love about being home (and will enjoy this fall in my apartment) is a kitchen! I’ve been cooking so much since I’ve been home and trying SO many new recipes and I wanted to share them, with you guys (especially my vegan followers because I know I love learning about new vegan recipes) since I’ve been loving some of these things so much! Here are a few of my current favorite things to make!

Stuffed Mushrooms

I’ve been really loving mushrooms lately but I wanted to learn to cook them myself. I had stuffed mushrooms once in Peru and they were one of the best things I’d ever eaten so, I took to the minimalist baker’s website to find a simple and quick recipe for them. These were sooo good and my non-vegan family members thought they were great too!

Protein Pancakes

I am a pancake fan like no other and since I’ve been trying to track my macros, I’m trying to eat more protein. These pancakes are SO simple and SO tasty (my sister doesn’t think so) and I could literally eat them for breakfast Every. Single. Day.

Mac & Cheese

If you couldn’t tell by now I LOVE THE MINIMALIST BAKER! She has recipes on the foods I really want to make with ingredients I already have in my house. This vegan mac & cheese recipe has made my life! I haven’t had it in so long and this recipe made my heart (and stomach) so happy.

Tofu

Tofu is awesome to cook because it is SO versatile! Whatever flavor combinations you are feeling, you can season it with tofu or add tofu your recipe and the tofu will compliment the dish perfectly!

2 types of ways I like to cook tofu is asian style- with sesame and soy sauces with sesame seeds, stir-fryed with broccoli and placed over rice. I also like to eat it (stir fried again) with garlic, salt, pepper, and various veggies. YUM

What recipes do you all like?

❤ Alicia ❤

My allergic test experience

Published on by Alicia5 Comments

Hi everyone and Happy Friday! Recently (the past year), I’ve been having some issues with my stomach. I was certain that it was because I was allergic to something I’d been eating and because of this I wanted to get tested for allergies without getting needles poked into my entire arm and back (I had to get that test done when I was younger just to tell me I was allergic to cats… not fun) so, thanks to groupon, I bought an IdentAllergy test, snipped off some of my hair, sent that in (hopefully not to be cloned as well), and then waited to receive my allergy results.

Upon receiving my allergy test results, I was honestly shocked to see some of what I was (and wasn’t) allergic to.

This test showed me the following

  • My personal results for sensitivities to Food and Environmental factors
  • My heavy metal levels
  • My mineral and vitamin levels
  • My hormone levels
  • My stress levels

I’m not going to discuss my vitamin, mineral, heavy metal, and hormone levels because it was nothing too interesting. At the time I was iron deficient even though I’d given blood just fine the week before. Funny how that fluctuates. I do want to share my Food and Environmental factors and my stress levels because that’s what I was really curious about. Let’s get into it… Shall we?

For my food intolerances, I was told I’m intolerant to:

  • Carambola
  • Millet
  • Millet Seed
  • Pine Nut
  • Pumpkin
  • Rosemary

What’s comical about this is that I was certain I was allergic to coconut (after my total skin conundrum last summer) yet it’s not on here. What’s worse? I don’t eat any of these foods religiously or ever. So, I may have to take another allergy test that doesn’t use hair to see if this one missed something because I have a gut (haha) feeling I’m eating something I shouldn’t be.

For environmental intolerances, I was told I’m intolerant to:

  • Cat Dander
  • Common Wasp
  • False Ragweed
  • Jack Fruit
  • Japanese Millet
  • Mixed Moulds Sections
  • Russian Thistle

I’ve always known I was allergic to cats (how I knew this test had at least some truth to it), and it’s great to know I’m allergic to wasps. I also have pretty bad fall allergies so some of these were pretty obvious as well.

Lastly, my stress levels. I don’t know if it’s because I was in school, trying to figure out my life, or what, but this test told me I’m STRESSED. Once my hair was tested for the rest of these allergies, my hair was washed measured then ground to a fine powder (weird…) and the cortisol levels were measured.My cortisol levels are 50-60 pg (picograms of cortisol) / mg (milligrams of hair) which means Frequent acute repetitive acute stress: AKA high stress… not that this surprises me in the least, it’s still good to know.

All in all, I’m glad I took this test. However, I really want to know what’s wrong with my stomach.

Have any of you tested yourselves for allergies? If so, what test did you do? Let me know!

❤ Alicia ❤

What I LIKE, LOVE, + HATE about social media

Published on by Alicia2 Comments

Hi everyone! It’s been a minute since I’ve written about my (and most people’s) relationship with social media. If you’ve been a follower for a while, you may remember that 2 summers ago, I went on a social media hiatus for the summer to recreate my social media usage habits. It was refreshing to take a break from social media and I would love to do it again.

However, all of my student organizations require social media, whether it be posting, replying, or simply keeping in contact with other students, so I really can’t take a break from it. I have been trying to limit my time on social media and especially minimizing my time on social media at night. It’s hard, especially when we are so dependent on it, but I’m doing my best to unplug as much as I can.

Something I wanted to do is share some things that I like, love, and hate about social media because I want to share AND I want to know your feelings about these things as well (and others I don’t mention as well). So, here are some things I like, love, and hate about social media.

Things I Like:

  • Social Media is great for making connections. Whether it be LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram, making connections is easy. Whether you add someone to your connections, or DM a company or person you want to work with, the sky is the limit for who you can connect with.
  • There is a different social media platform for every person. Sharing photos, witty jokes, DIYs, etc. there are TONS of social media sites to pick from which is great because everyone is different so your social media sites should be too.

Things I Love:

  • Staying in contact with people is so easy. When I’m at school I can keep up with friends back home and when I’m back home, I can keep up with my school friends. It’s also a great way for me to keep up with everyone from San Diego since I haven’t been back to San Diego since I left.
  • MEMES. I am a meme girl like no other and I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my memes if it weren’t for social media. I have thousands of pictures on my phone and almost half of them (and almost all of my happiness) are memes and they wouldn’t be possible were it not for social media.

Things I Hate:

  • How likes and followers determine worth. The more likes and followers one has the more idolized they are on social media. People start obsessing on how many likes and comments they have on each post by buying those and followers and it creates this cycle of trying to get a certain number of likes, not reaching those and trying to get more followers and likes and then failing again.
  • People are measured by their looks. Not only are girls criticized for every single they do/say/wear, we are now required to be flawless on social media. Now Instagram celebrities all over are facetuning and photoshopping themselves in photos which are causing their fans to feel far less than adequate because they don’t look like their idols when in reality their idols don’t even look like their idols.

What do you all like, love, and hate about social media?
❤ Alicia ❤

My favorite places in Athens

Published on by Alicia1 Comment

Hi again everyone!! After reminiscing about my first year at OU, I really began to miss some of my favorite places in Athens! Because of this, I wanted to share my favorite places in Athens (in case for some reason any of you end up in Athens, Ohio or I have some fellow bobcat readers). So, here are my top 5 favorite places in Athens. Enjoy!

  1. Donkey Coffee- This super cute, eclectic coffee shop has the best vegan muffins, cookies and more +++ the best red tea (I’d never had it until I went there)! It’s super cute and has a great atmosphere and I absolutely love studying there!
  2. Brenen’s Coffee- The best-iced coffee I’ve ever gotten in my life! It’s my go-to spot for coffee and they even offer a meal plan (might have to get that in the fall).
  3. Bagel Street Deli- My favorite place to eat off campus! Bagel Street Deli is a sandwich shop (on bagels of course) that have breakfast and regular sandwich bagels which has tons of vegan options! It is one of the best places to eat no matter the time of day and I love bringing my family here when they visit!
  4. Union Street Diner- There are 2 diners near campus, and while the other diner has that typical diner look and feel, Union Street’s Diner wins in my opinion because of the variety of options (especially vegan ones). It’s open 24 hours and I love going there with friends for some late night snacks!
  5. The Athena Theatre- I’ve never actually seen a movie in this Theatre, however, the history and architecture of the building are so cool. The theatre also features a lecture hall on the second floor (I attended an extra credit seminar there) which was beautiful all in its own. But, what’s great about this theater is that they have new (and old) movies for very very cheap which is great for all college students on budgets!

There are so many other places that I could talk about, but I think these take the cake as some of my absolute favorites!!!

❤ Alicia ❤

Reflecting on my first year at OU

Published on by Alicia4 Comments

Hi everyone, I am back home from school and slowly getting back into my home routine. I always forget how weird it is being home… with virtually no responsibilities, being able to sleep in, and not having to worry about school work and studying. It’s nice… but I also feel empty having nothing to do.

Throughout my first year at OU, I’ve done a number of reflections on my time here. I figured that I should now reflect on my whole year at OU, as I am home and 100% done with my first year. While I do want to reflect on my time, I don’t want to get all sappy, so I’m going to share a few highlights from each month was at school!

I won’t lie, August started off pretty rough. I spent the first week of school (and more if I’m being honest) so the only highlight of the month for me was starting class and work and really starting a routine.

While September was still sort of shitty, my routine kept me busy and made me feel like I had a purpose. I joined CHAARG which was and is still one of my best decisions I’ve made this year and through CHAARG I’ve had so many great opportunities, met amazing people, and have really started working on myself.

With midterm season in full swing, October was just a lot of reading, studying and anticipating THanksgiviing Break. The ONLY good thing that happened in October was Halloween. Halloween is a BIG tradition at OU and it was really cool (albeit overwhelming) to be able to experience this tradition for myself with all the people I’d met.

During November is when (in my opinion) I started becoming really good friends with my roommate and started bonding with everyone I’d met at OU. This month, Olivia (my roommate) and I both applied to be on the 4 Paws for ABility executive board and I ended up becoming the Treasurer of the group. This didn’t start until Spring Semester but I accepted the position and started learning about what I had to do I November.

Studying and studying and studying some more. The entire month of December was just filled with studying and reading and making notecards and trying not to die. BUT it all paid off because (even though it wasn’t what I wanted) I ended up with a 3.75 GPA.

Returning to school at San Diego was weird. When I got back for Spring semester I didn’t have many reunions or really get excited to see my friends when I got back to school. However, my favorite part of January was reuniting with all of my friends from last semester. I had lunch and dinner and coffee dates with friends the whole first few weeks back and it was just great to see that I’d made connections and people actually enjoyed my presence.

This next one isn’t much of a highlight; it’s much more of a lowlight. The month of February (and before and after) had a lot of rejection in them. Internships executive positions, jobs, etc. just had a lot of rejection. I was very very disheartened by all of this but I learned one thing about myself it’s that I am great at persevering. I’ve enjoyed where I ended up this semester, rejections and all, and I think it’s taught me a lot about learning to accept more rejection that will inevitably come in my future.

In spite of all the rejection that this year had brought me (even within this organization) the best part of March was being elected to be the CHAARG Executive Board Treasurer. The love I have for this organization is unreal and to be given (to have earned) the opportunity to be on its executive team and to have the chance to improve it and see it grow is such a gift and I can’t wait to see where it takes me this upcoming year.

The one thing that sucks about OU, is that I’m 5-7 hours away from ALL of my friends. The entire month of April I spent appreciating my friends. Getting dinner every night, hanging out even if we were just visiting each other at work, getting coffee, etc. Whatever we could do to see each other would do because not being able to see my buds until August… I’m not a fan but I was grateful for the amount I saw them in April and how much I was able to appreciate them and their presence while I was there.

I came home May 1st, cried a lot, and then sat at my computer anxiously anticipating my grades to be posted. Finally, 8 days later, I finally got to see my grades for Spring Semester. I ended up with 5 As and ONE A-. I ended up with a 3.93 GPA for the semester all because I was .01% away from a solid A in the other class. I’m fine with that grade but come on! .01%.

All in all, I’m forever grateful that I transferred to OU. This past year was beyond anything I could have expected and my year was infinitely better than my time in San Diego (not the weather or the location). I guess location of the school really doesn’t matter, it’s really all about who you surround yourself with and what you make of your time while you’re there.

❤ Alicia ❤

New music obsessions

Published on by Alicia1 Comment

Hi everyone and happy Saturday! Something you all probably know about me is that I have a love for music. From my seasonal mixtape posts, I really hope I’ve gotten this across. This spring I haven’t made a mixtape so instead I just decided that I would just share some artists and songs I’ve been loving recently.

Preface: I know that a lot of these are pretty basic and very Pop ish but I normally give more alternative recommendations and I thought I would switch it up a bit because a lot of my fave alternative artists haven’t released music in like 2725937 years so this is all I have to work with.

Avicii- I wasn’t going to include him on the list but since he passed away yesterday, I figured it was only right. I was never a HUGE fan of his music or anything, however, the song These Days is quite the bop and I am constantly listening to it because of how good it is. It’s a great jam and I love to play it at the gym as well because it’s very upbeat and I love the lyrics as well!

AJR- I actually just saw this band last week and I love them! I’d only heard 5 or 6 of their songs prior to this concert, but NOW let me tell you I’ve decided that I love ALL of their songs and have had them on repeat. Some songs that I recommend everyone listen to are: Weak. Sober Up, Burn the House Down, I’m not Famous, Call my Dad, Turning Ou (literally all of them ok give them a listen)

MAX- I also saw him this past week and I also LOVE HIM. Last I heard Max was a DJ after he escaped his Nickelodeon/ Disney channel past and was living a chill and rather unsuccessful life. I was even a little upset that he was performing Tuesday. However, his sparkly self ran, jumped, air-splitted. And toe touched all over the stage and I am IN LOVE. All of his songs have the best bass drops and I can honestly say he is better live than on Spotify. So if you give him a listen and enjoy yourselves. Go see him live and you’ll love him even more! Songs that I recommend: basement party, Lights down low (his most popular but I didn’t know it was him that sang it until the concert), One more weekend, and honestly any song of his with a gr8 bass drop.

Migos- I am not by any means a rap person and when I am, they’re songs from 2011 or earlier. I can go hard to any Ludacris song let me tell you. However, from the past 5 years… absolutely not a follower. Not that it’s bad but I just can’t get into any rappers or more than one song. I do like chance the rapper a bit but it’s a given since I’m from Chicago and I think you can be legally burned at the stake in Illinois by admitting your distaste for him as an artist. However, I have become a bit of a fan of Migos. I mainly like their 3 most popular songs BUT IM GETTING THERE. Songs I recommend; bad and Boujee, Stir fry, Walk it, talk it

Shawn Mendes- Now, out of all the Magcon guys from vine, Shawn Mendes was always the guy I hated the least. He was definitely the best looking and I didn’t really think he would vote for Donald Trump or be okay with the reinstatement of slavery so while I wasn’t crazy about the guy, I definitely revined whenever he did a cover of One Direction. Like 4 years later, after being discovered by Justin Bieber and then blowing up overnight, I’ve definitely become a fan of his. His two most recent releases., In my Blood and Lost in Japan are great songs if you ever need to cry or just know you aren’t alone… or both. I’d definitely recommend them both and they are a part of my “BOPS” playlist.

5 Seconds of Summer- As a die-hard One Direction fan, it is ONLY FAIR that I love and support 5 Seconds of Summer (a band that 1D took on tour multiple times and became besties with) as well. 5 seconds of summer isn’t ou typical boy band, because they welll… play instruments and they are damn good at it. I’ve been a fan of theirs since probably late 2014, early 2015 and maybe even before that. They hadn’t released new music since 2016 (which shouldn’t count because it was 1 song for the Ghostbusters movie soundtrack) so I and heir millions of other fans had waited long enough to get new music from them. And over the past few weeks, that is just what has happened. I am patiently awaiting their album release, but until then I have Want you Back and YOUNGBLOOD (album title) to listen to in anticipation.

What are some artists and songs I should listen to ???
❤ Alicia ❤