A Glimpse of Glam

Hey everyone!

Everybody knows that dogs are great companions to have around. I mean, there’s a reason why dogs are known as the most loyal friend ever. A dog would never betray you, or go behind your back. Not only are dogs the perfect best friend you could ever ask for, but also they can help and benefit your life in other ways as well.

Unfortunately for me, I don’t have a dog. Or any pet for that matter. I only got some plants, namely my aloe vera plant I’ve dubbed Bella. I’m thinking of getting a mint plant to grow too, and maybe even a eucalyptus plant too just because.

But that’s all besides the point.

I may not personally have a dog, but I can definitely speak for how beneficial they can be for our overall health.

I remember one day I was feeling quite down. I was in the worst mood ever, and I can’t recall exactly why, but it was just one of those days where I literally felt like crap. Every bad thing from weeks prior accumulated, and weighed me down with a heavy pit in my stomach. I didn’t want to talk to my friends because I knew that my bad mood would mean a lack of filter in what I say. However, out of the blue, one of my friends sent me a photo of his puppy, Snickers, and it literally made me feel ten times better. Keep in mind, I didn’t actually tell my friends I was feeling like crap that day. I led them to think I was busy. Although I do wonder if they could sense my bad mood through the very vague short phrases I sent in response to their messages that day. Regardless, that one photo of my friend’s overwhelmingly adorable puppy did manage to cheer me up.

My friend's insanely cute Instagram-worthy puppy Snickers. I am so obsessed with Snickers its borderline crazy.

Just look at Snickers' face!! How can you not love him? I wish he were mine.

But here’s the thing. It wasn’t just Snickers’ adorable face that cheered me up. It wasn’t simply because of appearances. No. Rather, the sight of such a pure, joyful face is what helped to bring me out of that crap mood just a bit. A face that’s full of innocence and joy, caught up in the moment and not dragged down by life’s ups and downs. A puppy who clearly lives in the moment, and ready to see the world for its beauty and charm, rather than the scratches and dents we ourselves tend to focus on.

You might argue that a baby could provide that same happiness too. Which is true. To some extent. When I see an innocent, adorable baby sure that may warm my heart a bit. But then I start to view that untarnished, pure soul in a vaguely maternal perspective. The thought of that kid growing up in the world we now live in starts to drag me down yet again. In a way, I start to view that baby as if he/she is the younger version of myself, and all of that drives my mind to run wild with crazy thoughts that brings back the crap mood. Can any of you guys relate to that?

On the contrary, it differs when I see a dog. Dogs can truly improve our health in more ways that I would have thought. In honor of National Dog Day coming up this Saturday, I wanted to share with you all the benefits of having a dog.


I was kinda able to put two and two together and understand how dogs can benefit our physical health in terms of exercise. Dogs obviously need to be walked, and having a dog in your life requires you to be more active than simply a life as a couch potato engaged in a demanding relationship with Netflix. Having a dog forces you to get up, and move your limbs more than reaching into that bowl of popcorn.

Of course, you can say you have a FitBit and a workout buddy to keep you on track. But honestly, how many times have you called and canceled on your workout buddy? How many times have you dragged your lazy ass out of bed to go to the gym, and painfully went through those repetitive movements praying for the workout to be over with? Everyone knows that the gym CANNOT compare to real life exercise. I’m talking about moving your body with exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise. That’s something having a dog could provide.

However, I wouldn’t have thought of how beneficial dogs are for our mental health. Until I reflected on my own experiences, that wouldn’t have been my first thought. Dogs are known as man’s best friend (and woman’s because we are living in the 21st century and equality is a thing) for a reason. I mean, you can probably argue that if you got a human best friend you can confide in them all your life’s troubles. Sure. But, it’s entirely different when you have a dog. That simplicity in affection and unconditional love from dogs are never put to question, unlike what could be said in terms of human best friends. Just read my post on Toxic Friends. That would never have happened if it were a puppy best friend.

I also remember reading somewhere before that dogs are used when helping those with autism and social behavioral disorders. (Disorders? Issues? Problems? I have no idea what the correct term is so apologies if that’s the wrong choice of word, don’t get offended) Dogs can bring people out of their shells, and provide a means of social interaction in a more wholesome way.

Something that I also didn’t know of was how dogs could be trained to do so much more. Dogs have the ability to gain many skills, such as detecting allergens in foods, or identifying when one is experiencing a seizure, and other crazy things that make me wonder if dogs are actually the superior species.

My friend Monique with her adorable puppy Kai. Kai loved the water at first and wanted to get in, but then got super freaked out after actually getting into the pool we filled up one hot summer day.

We often look down on dogs, and do not give them as much credit as they deserve. Dogs aren’t usually seen as the smartest or brightest, but honestly I think we just aren’t as aware of their capabilities. We are just narcissists living in a human-centered world, unaware of the ongoings of other species around us. Harsh, but true.

I thought I'd share with you all a few videos of my friend Monique's adorable dogs, Kai and Kahlua. I am especially obsessed with Kai, because he's still a small little puppy who loves kisses, cuddles, and attention. Every single time I hangout with Monique, I love visiting Kai and Kahlua as well. Their energy just fills the room with a positive vibe. There are times when my friends and I get together, and we start having intense, emotional conversations to catch up on everything that had happened in our lives. Having the dogs around definitely help to lighten the mood when we get emotional.

They are also super fun to have around in general. This past Fourth of July, we got together at one of my friend's backyard and filled up a little kiddie pool with warm water and added a bath bomb. Yes, I know. We used a bath bomb outdoors in a kiddie pool under the hot sun. We are weird, it's an established fact. Anyways, her dog Kai ran over to join us, and kept vacillating between wanting to get into the water with us and making an escape for dry land. It was so adorable and hilarious.

The fact that my close friends have dogs makes me like them more. Yeah I only stay friends with them for their dogs. Sorry, the truth is out guys! Haha just kidding.

The videos I've added in were from Snapchat, when my friends and I were hanging out and playing with her dogs. Apologies for my squeals and such because we were clearly a bit hyper and giggly that day.


As clearly mentioned above, I do not own a dog. Or any pets. Sadly I have to rely on mooching off of my friends’ pets to reap the benefits. I currently live at home with my parents and my sister, and both my mom and sister are allergic. The struggle is real guys. #FirstWorldProblems.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t go scrolling through Instagram stalking every single account with an adorable doggo. If you wanna stalk cute puppies too, check out PuppySpot, a site that helps puppies find happy, loving homes to go to. When you check out their page with all the puppies to choose from, you will literally spend hours on this page scrolling through all the eligible bachelors and bachelorettes. I hate to admit that I’ve actually given some of them personalized nicknames, as I feel like I have truly connected and bonded with them through the hours I’ve spent staring at their photo like a freak.

Obviously all the photos my friend sent me of Snickers I’ve saved on my phone for easy access when I need a mood booster. (I am fully aware of how odd I sound, like some kind of puppy-obsessed stalker haha but I KNOW I’m NOT the only one!) But, I gotta have my options. I gotta be able to dream of the day when I will own my own doggo.

If you own a dog, I am super jealous of you. Also, can we be friends? It’s not just so I can hang out with your dog, and not you… maybe. Am I that transparent?

Are you a dog or cat person? What are some of your favorite stories regarding a special puppy in your life? Do you agree with any of the points I brought up, or any of the info mentioned in the graphic? Comment down below! I really would love to hear any stories you’ve got!

Thanks for reading, and I wish you all have a lovely weekend!


Til next time,
~A

Hey everyone!

Awhile back, I was nominated for the Miranda Sings Award by the amazing Jasmine from thesixthdisneyprincess.blogspot.com. She is a wonderful blogger who posts really great, interesting content on topics such as fashion and beauty. She is so real and relatable and creative, so definitely go check out her blog! Thanks so much Jasmine for nominating me!

The rules for this award is as follows:

Announce your nomination with a post, including a link to the blogger who nominated you
Include the featured image on your blog
Nominate 10 other blogs and link the nominees in your post
List seven things you love about yourself (such as appearance, personality, skills, and so on and so forth), and no negative comparisons.

And so to continue on this lovely tag/award thing, I'm sharing with you all today the 7 things I love most about myself. This is in no way an excuse to act conceited and self-obsessed; it is simply a way to spread the idea of self-love. Okay, fine. Maybe it is a little bit conceited, but you know what? Society ingrains into our brains that it is wrong to show some self-love because it comes off as conceitedness. But you know what? I think that to some extent it is okay to do so, rather than always acting so modest.

If you can't proudly love yourself, flaws and all, how can you expect others to love you? Go ponder that why don't you?

Anyways, without further adieu, here are my list of seven.

1) I love that I am skilled in art. Art has been part of my life ever since I could remember. I really love and appreciate my knack for colors and eye for patterns.

2) I love that I have a creative mind. I tend to think outside of the box. Sometimes I hit a rut where I feel as stumped as a chopped up tree, but when I reach that creative state it is the greatest feeling ever.

3) I love that I can be very much a perfectionist. I really like being organized and being in control. Sure, that may annoy those around me, but at times it really comes in handy. It helps me accomplish things, and it shows the immense amount of dedication and diligence I put into everything I do.

4) I love my hair. It is SO easy to manage and is healthy. I used to wish I had curly or wavy hair naturally, like my friends do. But now that I've learned more about styling hair, and gained a better understanding of what works for my hair, I have come to really appreciate what I've got.

5) I love my wit and sarcasm. I have a sense of humor and I'm not afraid to hold it back. I can make people feel at ease even if I have just met them. I've also been told by my friends that my sassiness brightens their days and has kept them on their feet.

6) I love my intuitiveness. It allows me to be on the same emotional level of that of others, and helps me gain a better understanding of the environment I am in.

7) I love my inability to play sports. I have a complete lack of ability to do well in sports. I really try, I really do. But whenever the ball comes flying in my direction, I can't help but duck and cover. And you know what? That's okay with me. It is humbling. Who needs to be good at everything anyways?

Thus follows are the 10 lovely bloggers I am nominating!

Aisha http://aishettina.blogspot.com/
Ambi http://www.ambiinwonderland.com/
Alyssa http://www.alyinwanderland.com/
Marianne http://myhappybubblexx.blogspot.com/
Julia Kaylee http://jkdawn.blogspot.com/
Kayla http://www.kaylasvibrations.com/
Vildana http://living-like-v.blogspot.com/
Roberta http://milleunrossetto.blogspot.com/
Sarah http://www.vivaepernay.com/
Sam http://mybeautycloud.com/

It's so fitting that it is the Miranda Sings award. I follow her on YouTube, and the way Colleen portrays her is so wonderful and motivating.

Please share a few things you love about yourself in the comments below! Even if I didn't nominate you, it will still be a great way to spread the love, as well as get to know you all better.

Thanks for reading! I hope you all are having a fantastic day!


Til next time,
~A

Hey everyone!

Lately I have noticed that I have been actually exercising more frequently and more willingly. Yes. I know, sounds weird huh?
Alright, let's backtrack and start from the beginning. In case you do not know, I am the most unathletic person ever. I hate exercising and I am terrible at sports. And I mean so bad that the sight of me playing sports might send you to the ER because you will bust a lung while collapsing with laughter. I try, really, I do. But it never works out to my advantage; only rarely, and I should stress RARELY, do I ever do okay in a sport. You might think, well what about running? No one can ever mess that up. Hahaha! Well, you better rethink that statement, hon. You obviously havent met the one person who could. Yep, this girl.

So how exactly do I manage to not gain hundreds of pounds because I really love food? Well, the simple answer is that I exercise, despite my intense hatred towards exercising.

What I do is I try to nip the problem at the bud. The biggest issue we face is being lazy. So before I let the couch potato in me take over, I force myself to rethink what I am doing. Should I really be sprawled across the sofa, the TV blaring in front of me, letting my mind turn to mush? Yeah the answer is no. Instead, before I even let my butt touch the couch and my hand reach for the TV remote, I think about how much time I have to waste. That hour of watching old Once Upon a Time episodes could be better spent doing other stuff, like exercising. Next time you see yourself just sitting there, stand up for a moment. Sure, you can still have the TV on, but why not try doing some sit-ups while watching? Or if there is a set of stairs nearby, go over there and run up and down, multiple times. Do not just run up and down once and call it quits.

I am an extremely lazy person. I have a problem with getting motivated to do stuff. This is something else I tried too. If you find that you have a lot of time in the morning, right after you wake up go and slip on your workout clothes. Tie your hair up tightly in a ponytail or whatnot. This way, you have one less excuse. You are already dressed for the part so why not go one step further? A major problem is actually getting started, so this is a way to help prevent that.

Another thing is that I highly recommend creating a workout schedule to stick with. Something reasonable that you would likely stick with. Don't be too eager and say "I will exercise an hour every single day!" if you are the type who don't even own a pair of sneakers. For me personally, I plan to exercise four times a week, not counting my dance classes. Being reasonable really helps with keeping you motivated, for if you start off thinking you can't stick with the schedule, then you will most definitely quit after the second day.

I really hope this helps. Coming from a person who also hates to exercise, I feel you. And for all you lucky fools out there who love to exercise or are good at sports, props to you! I hope your positive attitude towards exercising eventually rubs off on the rest of us.

How do you guys feel about exercising? Is it a major pain? And how do you stay with your schedule?


Til next time,
~A