Product Review: 1:Face Watch

  How many of you have heard of the company 1:Face?  If you haven't, no need to feel worried about being out of the loop.  1:Face is a company based in Illinois that makes watches; the proceeds from these watches go towards a charity, which is dependent on the watch that you purchase.  I just recently heard about them, and based on one of the emails I had with one of their employees, they sound like they're an up-and-coming company.

  Some of the different watches you have a choice of include:

'Cancer' from 1face.com

Cancer: $40, proceeds go towards the American Cancer Society

'Environment' from 1:Face.com

Environment: $40, proceeds go towards The Adventure Project

'AIDS' from 1:Face.com

AIDS:  $40, proceeds to towards Keep A Child Alive

Plus several other options.

  The watch that I picked was the white one, which benefited Face of Change.  It took quite a while to arrive, since the particular watch that I chose was back-ordered and it took them a while to get them back in stock.  But once it arrived, I was satisfied.  In person, it looked great!  I loved the way the contrasting colored band works with the square face.  I also like how the screen doesn't stay lit up; the back light goes out and the screen becomes somewhat mirror-like.  I also love the square face of the watch.  Aesthetic-wise, I love this product!

My 'hunger' watch when it first arrived.

  The downside is how easily the time gets changed due to the easily-pushed buttons on either side of the watch's face.  Sometimes I would check the time and it'd say 4:30 p.m., which cause a moment of panic in me because I thought I was late for class.  Once I double-checked the time using my phone, my fears died down and I easily set the watch to the correct time.  This does become a bit bothersome if you use this as your "go-to" watch, since you have to constantly be careful.

  Overall, I was really excited for this product to arrive.  I mean, I get an awesome looking watch and am able to help a charity, too?  Sign me up!  Again, the only downsides were that it took quite a while to arrive (approximately a month, due to it being back-ordered) and that the time is easily changed by bending your wrist or daily activities.  Now, if you're looking for a watch for consistent functionality, you might be better getting something else.  However, if you're looking for a watch that looks great from casual to dressed-up occasions and want to help others at the same time, this is definitely a great product!  I would highly recommend this to anyone who is currently looking for holiday gifts for others or for a "treat yo' self" gift.

  If you happen to already have one of these, let me know your opinions in the comments below!

Making Your Way Through Finals

    I'm sure anyone who reads this and is a student already knows the number one thing that we experience during finals week: stress.  Everyone experiences this and I might even say that a moderate amount of this is good; it helps to motivate us to get everything done.  However, too much stress can cause us to forget some very important things, such as taking care of ourselves.  For me, the following things are vital in helping me to do well on finals:

    1) Getting enough sleep.

Cozy looking bed.  Picture from Here Comes the Sun.

    
          Now, I know pulling all-nighters are common in college, especially before test days, but in reality they may not be as helpful.  According to Brown University "It's well documented that sleep deprived students perform significantly worse than students who regularly get a good night's sleep. REM sleep is particularly important for consolidating newly learned information, and a large proportion of REM sleep occurs towards the end of the night. So studying most of the night for a test, and then sleeping only a few hours, decreases your ability to remember new information."  Rather than trying to study more the night before the exam, go to bed at a reasonable time.  Get a full eight hours of sleep in the night before the exam.

    2) Eating well and exercising.
          A lot of the time, stress makes me want to eat a bunch of junk food.  This is a little bit of a way of coping, but this can also be harmful towards my performance during finals week.  Rather than cope with my stress through eating cookies and other desserts, I go for a run.  Brown University also says that "general health and stress resistance can be enhanced by regular exercise, a diet rich in a variety of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, and by avoiding excessive alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco."  So if you want to feel balanced and in control during finals week, cut out a bit of time to break from your studies and go for a short jog--20 to 30 minutes.

3) Spending some of your time studying with friends/classmates.
          I know this specific one is not for everyone.  It doesn't work for every subject for me.  Sometimes I need to study by myself, but other times it's helpful to study with others and to help each other out.  It's also comforting sometimes to hear other individuals under-preparedness, so you know you're not alone in your nervousness about the upcoming exam.

    Here's a study checklist from my own school, Texas A&M:

Did You...	Yes	No	Points for a "Yes" Answer
1. Attend all classes			1
2. Review your notes daily			3
3. Read material prior to it being covered in class			1
4. Study daily			3
5. Have at least one conference with the professor			1
6. Develop and learn a word list for the course			2
7. Read materials to improve your background in the course (other than text)			1
8. Attend help session			1
9. Attend learning resource lab when available			1
10. Develop a list of possible questions			2
11. Ask questions in class			1
12. Study an old exam (when available)			1
13. Avoid a last minute cram session			1
14. Sleep at least 8 hours the night before			1
Add your total points, plus one point for each hour you spent in preparation over 20 hours; in other words if you spent 25 hours, add 5 points.

    Good luck to everyone on their finals!  Just remember that you can do it!  Just give it your all and once it's over, it's over.  Enjoy every step of the way.

Fun Thanksgiving-related video

My dad showed me this early this morning and I figured I'd share this with you guys.  I find it pretty darn true!  And quite funny, too.

Happy Thanksgiving, Y'all!

  It's that time of year again and we all know what that means--food, food, family, and more food!  I love that it's starting to get colder and the holidays are coming up.  Thanksgiving and Christmas are my two favorites.  For Thanksgiving this year, I'm thankful for quite a few things:

1) My wonderful companion animal, Crockett

Crockett relaxing on the couch with
me as soon as I took a break from
cooking

2) My absolutely wonderful boyfriend

3) My fabulous family and friends

4) Having the opportunity to attend Texas A&M University

5) The loft that my boyfriend and I share

6) Health and security

   Both last year and this year, I was able to prepare an all vegan Thanksgiving dinner for my family.  This year's dinner included Gardein's Holiday Roast, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, corn, kale and navy beans, as well as 2 types of pie for dessert--chocolate and pumpkin.  I absolutely love being able to cook vegan food for my family and that they're so supportive of having an all-vegan Thanksgiving, especially since I'm the only one in my family who doesn't eat meat.

  I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Enjoy your day and keep track of all of the wonderful things you have going for you.

Movie: Listen Up, Philip

  This weekend my boyfriend and I decided to enjoy a relaxing evening at home, complete with a homemade dinner and a movie.  It always takes us a while to decide on what we're going to watch, but eventually we picked Listen Up, Philip.

   I had been wanting to watch this movie for a while, both because I really like Jason Schwartzman and also because I thought the trailer looked interesting (which you can take a peek at here).  I knew this was going to be out in select theaters, but unfortunately College Station was not going to be one of them.  I figured I'd probably just have to wait until we went to visit Austin or another larger city before we were able to watch it.  But good news came when Schwartzman was on Sirius XMU Total Control.  He had mentioned that it would also be available on-demand.  So, of course my boyfriend and I rented it from Amazon.

  Upon starting the movie, I had high hopes for it.  I mean, I wasn't familiar with anything the director had done previously, but with Elizabeth Moss and Johnathan Pryce in it, I figured it'd be worth the $6.99.  Unfortunately, this was not so.

  The movie starts out like a typical melancholy film, but rather than take the audience on a roller coaster of a ride, it just stays that way.  For the entire movie.  Okay, sure, there are a few interesting parts, but for the majority of the movie it just wasn't innovative or enjoyable enough.  The actors gave a good performance, but the script just wasn't supportive of their capability.  The writing was sub-par throughout the duration of the film.

  It's one thing if you're Wes Anderson and have this style of movie (because he can pull it off), but Alex Ross Perry is not quite as good as Anderson at that style of film.  Perry has the cast he would need if he were to execute a film like this, but just can't seem to do it.  Maybe you'll have better luck next time.

Happy World Vegan Day!

  Let's celebrate with some vegan mac 'n' "cheese"!

  Now, who doesn't love mac 'n' cheese?  I mean, really.  People of all ages love it and it's a great go-to food.  Since it's starting to get a bit colder here, it's also a nice homey meal to make and eat together with your friends and family.

  I've used several recipes, some with different flavoring options (such as a roasted red pepper mac from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's newest cookbook, Isa Does It: Amazingly Easy, Wildly Delicious Recipes for Every Day of the Week) but you can never go wrong with some straight-up, plain and simple mac 'n' cheese.  The recipe I based my own off of can be found on Detoxinista's website here.  I make a few adjustments which are:

• add about 1 tsp. of margarine (Earth Balance is a great brand)

• replace 2/4th's of the water with vegetable broth

• add a few dashes of black pepper

• use 4-6 oz. more pasta, depending on how "saucy" you like your mac

  Both my boyfriend and I love this recipe and is definitely our go-to for when we both just really feel like having a quick but delicious meal for dinner.  The texture is great; just make sure to blend it for a long enough duration in your food processor.  I feel like the margarine helps add a bit more of the "creaminess" I remember in my mom's mac 'n' cheese, the vegetable broth and pepper give it a bit more flavor, and the additional pasta helps to make it not seem "soup-like."  Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

  Halloween is finally here and I am definitely excited for this evening to arrive!  I remember when I was little, my favorite Halloween costume was either Barney or Woody (from Toy Story).  I even liked wearing my costumes before and after Halloween--my mom took "Barney" grocery shopping with her many times!  My favorite part, aside from getting to dress up, was the candy (duh!).

  Now, I haven't been vegan my whole life, but if you guys are wondering about what candy is vegan-friendly on this holiday, VegNews has a guide out for you!  From A to Z, they list out all of the candy you or your vegan friends can enjoy this evening!  You can never go wrong with Sour Patch Kids, Skittles, Smarties, or Chick-O-Sticks, in my opinion!

Image from yummyplants.com

  If some of you feel like you're missing out on chocolate candy bars, do not worry!  Go Max Go is a brand that makes vegan candy bars!  Twilight is probably my favorite; it takes like a Milky Way.  Another chocolate-based candy to enjoy are the dark chocolate peanut butter cups from Justin's.  I think I like them better than I liked Reese's Cups as a kid!

Have fun this Halloween, readers!  Enjoy getting dressed up, going out, and eating candy!

Saving Yourself From Stress

  Phew!  Midterms are finally over and I am definitely going to be enjoying this weekend as much as possible.  This past week was absolutely crazy!  I did have a few tricks up my sleeve that helped me to not get too overwhelmed and I figured I'd share them with you.

1. Waking up and deciding that I was going to be able to take on whatever the day brought.
• This was the biggest thing that made me feel a bit more relaxed during the week.  Waking up and already making today be a good day was extremely helpful in carrying my self in a way that agreed with that decision.
2. Reminding myself that "I'm human."
• We all make mistakes.  We are all going to inevitably forget something that we needed that day and not have enough time to go back and get it.  Alternatively, we may have a lot of studying or work to do and then get behind in classes that you put on the back burner that week.  It's all okay.  Allow yourself to make mistakes every now and then.
3. Listening to songs that I really enjoy.
• Even if they're from when you were five years old; if they make you happy, listen to them!  During stressful weeks, you have to enjoy the little things in life, and speaking of little things...
4. Writing down 10 things that make me happy, at least once a day.
• Writing down what makes you happy and/or what you're thankful for can really shift your perspective and make your day a little bit more enjoyable.  It could be something as simply as "how breakfast tasted" or "getting to wake up in a comfortable bed."  As long as your recognizing that you have things in your life that you enjoy, you're on the right idea.
5. You may not believe it, but: allowing myself to be stressed.
• No, not constantly, over-the-top stressed.  But still acknowledging how I was feeling and allowing my emotions to be valid.  Whenever I constantly try to ignore my feelings and "make" myself feel 100% better, I often feel worse.  Allowing myself to feel what I was feeling and to be okay with it really helped.  You have to acknowledge yourself.  Treat yourself kindly, even if that means being a little upset for a moment or two.

  In the end, you just have to realize that everything is going to work out and that you'll be feeling like your normal self again, soon.  Also, if you think that you have very serious stress issues, by all means, go talk to someone.  Medical professionals do wonders and you always come out stronger in the end.  If you have any other strategies you use to help get you through a stressful time, leave them in the comments below!

Rookie Mag Always Brings Interesting and Relate-able Material

  As I was drinking my first cup of coffee this morning, I was perusing around on Rookie Mag's website. I found two articles from their "dear diary" section that I found particularly interesting.  Reading these two articles helped me to put my life into perspective of how far I come and that everything will work out.

Illustration from Rookie Magazine.

  The first article I read was titled "Crazy Like Me."  I've had to deal with anxiety and depression for a good portion of my life, so reading another individual's perspective on her life with mental illness really helped me to see how far I've come and how everyone can, and will, get through these tough times.  The line "The past is the past, and it’s a hugely significant part of how I became the person I am, but I want people to see that person and not the path that got me here" really resonated with me.  That's what I want for myself, too, and maybe some of my readers want that, as well.

  The second article I read was "Don't Stay in School."  It draws a lot on the writer's experience in high school and how she reflects upon her life now that she's 20 and in college.  With the writer being in a very similar life stage as myself, I found myself better to relate to this article.  Like she writes about, I also have a very similar problem with becoming nostalgic about high school, but she poses a very good point--"when you leave high school, instead of continually reflecting on what it gave you or took away from you, you can also just…forget about it."  Now, some people did have an amazing time in high school, but I was not one of them.  But it's nice to have someone just reiterate that it's okay to forget about high school and move on.  It's a part of your life, but it doesn't have to be a determining factor in who you become.   You are the driver of your own life.  Take yourself where you want to go, free from what your past may have been.

  I hope you all enjoy these articles as much as I did and have a wonderful day today.  I know after my morning reading and new-found mindset that today is going to be a great one!

Weekend Playlist

  Happy Friday!  I still have one class to get through before it "officially" becomes the weekend for me, but then it's time to do some relaxing and have a bit of fun!  One of the main things that fuels my weekends is music.  I figured I would share my playlist for this weekend.  Let me know what you think!

1. "All of You"- Betty Who (3:58)
2. "Somebody Loves You"- Betty Who (3:31)
3. "Cruel"- St. Vincent (3:35)
4. "Birth in Reverse"- St. Vincent (3:16)
5. "Sober"- Childish Gambino (4:12)
6. "Sex"- The 1975 (3:27)
7. "Naive"- The Kooks (3:26)

Have a great weekend!

'Gone Girl': What a Ride

  Yesterday, I joined my boyfriend and his parents to go see "Gone Girl."  He and I were debating between seeing that or "The Judge" two nights ago, but one of us ended up getting sick, so we didn't go.  After seeing this movie yesterday, I'm glad that I went.

"Gone Girl" stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike and is directed by David Fincher.  The plot of the movie is that Nick's (Affleck) wife disappears on their fifth wedding anniversary, leading to an investigation, which ends up framing him as a suspect for the disappearance/murder of his wife.  If you haven't seen the trailer, take a look:



 First off, let's talk about David Fincher.  He's been nominated and won several awards, including two golden globes.  His directing career includes many critically-acclaimed films, such as "Fight Club," "Zodiac," "The Social Network," and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."  Just based on that alone, I knew this film was going to be good.

Movie poster from Buzzfeed

  The movie begins as a normal day, with Nick taking out the trash.  It was nice to get a feel of their life before all of the plot twists started to occur.  Both Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike have excellent chemistry together.  The casting for these two characters seemed perfect.  Through the course of the movie, Amy (Pike) becomes an even more intricate character, showing that the writing for each of these characters is a strong point of the movie.

  Another proof that casting was delicately thought through was through the casting of Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry.  Now, I've only ever been familiar with Tyler Perry through his character of Madea, so I was skeptical when I heard that he was going to be in this film.  But I have to say, he delivered an amazing performance and I have a new respect for him as an actor.  Neil Patrick Harris was also an amazing performer in this film, which I am already a fan of his, so I was excited to see that he was in this film.  He gives an excellent performance as Desi and adds an excellent dimension to this film.  Every one of the characters helps to the development of the plot and makes the movie come out stronger in the end.

  Each of the scenes in the movie is thoroughly thought out, with only one part of the movie having a plot hole, which I'll leave to you to figure out since I don't want to spoil it.  And even though it had a plot hole, I don't believe it was vital to the continuity of the film.  Each of the other aspects of the film helps to make up for this one slip-up.

  As far as the soundtrack goes, it really helped with the atmosphere of the movie.  Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are the two responsible for the wonderful music, which helped to tie this movie together and make it even more of a wonderful and captivating film.  Without this soundtrack, I feel as if the movie might have left the audience a bit less shocked by the story.

  I would definitely recommend seeing this movie as soon as possible.  It will leave you wanting more and thinking about it for hours after.  So if you get the chance, take a friend and enjoy this crazy ride.

Kicking Off the Weekend

  I saw this on A Cup Of Joe this morning and figured I'd share it with you.  It's from the New York Times and it's about what kids around the world have for breakfast.  I've never really known much about the differences among what is eaten for breakfast in different countries, so it was interesting to find out!

  In Amsterdam, they have hagelslag, which I think would be fabulous to have!  Can you imagine waking up every morning and getting to have sprinkles for breakfast?  5 year old me would be in heaven!

  Iceland's breakfast seems to be pretty similar to what I have almost every day--oatmeal--but nix the fish oil.  No, thanks!  And while I'll never have fish cod oil, it was nice finding out why they have it every morning.

  Those were two of the breakfasts that I found most interesting.  And also, how cute is Tiago Bueno Young from Brazil?  I mean, just look at his little pout.  Anyways, what do you think of these different breakfasts around the world?

Somewhere I Never Thought I'd Be

 
It's quite funny how life works sometimes, isn't it?  I mean, when you're really little you have all of these unique ideas about how your life is going to turn out--what your career you'll have, where you'll be living, how many friends you're going to have, etc.  This idealistic thinking continues for a while, I think.  I still even have this type of thinking today.

  It's funny to me to think about how I always expected myself to attend the University of Texas, and by no means ever end up at Texas A&M.  Well, look where I am now, little-me.  I also remember clearly thinking that I was going to grow up to be an anesthesiologist and live in Brooklyn Heights in New York City, all while living "the life."  But now, that's not what I want.  Yeah, that would have been great if that's what I was actually in the process of doing right now, but I'm on a totally different track.

  I'm an English major, wanting to get involved in the publishing industry, who wants to eventually live in the PNW.  I live with my boyfriend and puppy, which I wouldn't think I would have at the age of 19.  I'm making new friends, enjoying being myself at this stage that I am at.  I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now.  This isn't what I had thought would happen during this time in my life, according to my younger self, but this is what is going on and I love it.

Mt. Hood, Image from National Geographic

  So, when planning for the future, or if things don't work out as planned, don't think you've failed yourself, because you haven't.  Life simply has a different plan for you, and I'm sure it will end up greater than what you had imagined.  I challenged you to go with the flow and enjoy all that there is around you.  You are where you are for a reason.

Lena Dunham's "Not That Kind of Girl"

  Let me just start of by saying that I got through about half of an episode of Girls before I quickly decided I didn't like it and was never going to watch it again.  Through this decision, I also decided that I was not a fan of Lena Dunham.  Now, even through this terrible thought process which was fueled by nothing than twenty minutes of a TV show--a pilot, none the less--I somehow found myself at the Barnes and Noble on campus, purchasing Not That Kind of Girl.

  First off, I love the cover.  The simplicity of it is wonderful.  It also reminds me of an old book from the 1960s, of which some older lady, who was in her prime then, has read and then sent it in the mail to one of her relatives.  Normally, I try not to "judge a book by it's cover," but let's face it, I do that way to often.  The cover definitely had something to do with my decision in picking this book up and proceeding to take it to the register before somehow convincing myself that I wasn't going to enjoy it.

  From the second I got on the bus to head back to my apartment, I dove in.  As I casually read the table of contents, I asked myself a few questions.  One of the biggest questions was, "What if someone sees me reading a section entitled 'Love & Sex' and they think I'm some kind of weird person?  I just started going to this school.  I can't get things started off rocky already!"  After I got over my initial fear of someone reading over my shoulder, I found myself thoroughly entertained from the get-go.

  I have to say, my favorite section was probably "Body."  In it, she talks about her history with yo-yo dieting, which I can definitely relate to.  Dunham also discusses doing sex scenes in her work and her experiences and feelings behind them.  Being able to read this about her made me feel just a bit closer to a person of which I would otherwise never really know anything personal about.  I suppose that's why I also really liked this book--I gained insight into a celebrity's life and feelings and realized that it's not to different from my own.  I experience some of the same thoughts and emotion she describes in this section, as well as the last section, in which she discusses her experiences with therapy.

  Within the contents of this book are a wonderful and enjoyable story of Lena Dunham's life thus far.  I really enjoyed just being able to delve into this book and absorb every word that she had to offer.  Being a person who tends to slack off on reading non-school-related books during the semester (since I can't concentrate on yet another piece of information besides what I absolutely have to), this was a nice break and a great way to enjoy reading again.  I have gained a new appreciation for Lena Dunham and am sorry that I every judged her and her work before this.  If you haven't read this yet, I highly suggest you pick it up!  And if you have read it already, let me know what you thought!

Beginning Here

  Everyone starts a new chapter of their live several times throughout their lifetime.  It's expected.  It's exciting.  For myself, starting college and moving to different cities have all been different, but exciting times in my life.  So since this is my first post, I might as well introduce myself, right?

  Hi, I'm Alex.  I'm currently a college student at Texas A&M University, currently working towards getting my degree in English.  I'm originally from north Texas, where I grew up all of my life.  I was a fun-loving kid who enjoyed playing drums and skateboarding.  I was quite an active child between all of the sports I played-- football, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and track.  After high school, I moved to San Marcos for three semesters to attend Texas State University.  After meeting my boyfriend there, we decided that San Marcos wasn't for us and began to look for a new university to attend, which brings us to the present.

  As I said, I'm majoring in English and pretty soon am hoping to add a Women & Gender Studies minor to that.  After I graduate, my goal is to work in the publishing industry.  Some of the few places that I would love to have the opportunity to get an internship at or even work at include Bitch Magazine, Bust Magazine, or an independent press somewhere in the Pacific Northwest.

  I'm learning all there is to know about becoming an adult and trying to face the responsibilities, as well.  It's been an interesting life thus far and I hope it continues to be that way!