ANA LIDIA BRU: September 2013

9.28.2013

TWENTY SOMETHING YEAR OLD MOLD

I'm twenty four next month, so i’ve started to think about how easy it is to become controlled by our age....and the expectation of what your age signifies to everyone else.

How old you should be by the time you graduate. Find a job. Finance yourself. Buy your first house. First Car. Get married. Have kids. Start your retirement. Suddenly it seems like there are all these benchmarks to meet, even when they don’t match the goals you are trying to reach.

But my theory is forget molds!

Let's be honest it is your life after all. The problem is, that can be quite the responsibility, to live your life the way you want to, rather than they way you are expected to. Especially if that means doing something out of the norm. And especially when that jump may feel like a complete free fall.

For instance, what would the people around you think if you quit your job to go back to school. If you Get married right now or never get married at all. Drop out of school, change majors, or die your hair red.

The list goes on. End a relationship, and get back together with them over and over again. Become a different person. Move away or move back home.

Should you be scared to do these things because it’s uncomfortable and unexpected? !Maybe it’s because you don’t know if everything would fall into place or you’re scared what that would mean if it did.

When you’re in your twenties, there are so many possibilities that go against the twenty something year old mold. Instead of focusing on the cookie cutter life, i hope you buy a plane ticket to a foreign country. I hope you get lost wandering all of the streets. I hope you travel the world and read lots of new books. I hope you have interesting conversations over warm cups of tea or coffee. I hope you set goals and change them. Quit your day job. Realistically, I hope you don’t do any of these things or that you do them all. Start a new relationship. Breakup. Change your mind. Start new friendships. Take a leap of faith.

And when your in your fifties I hope you are brave enough to go back to school if you want to or start yoga, and become fitness guru. I hope your forties include falling in love. I hope you stay up all night laughing with your friends. And...when you’re thirty, learn something new.

Whatever age you are. Wherever you are in life. . I hope you do what’s right for you.

BIRTHDAY WISHLIST! OOO LA LA

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9.27.2013

DIFFICULT PEOPLE

Let's face it. Difficult people are everywhere! But how do you deal with them? At work. On the phone. Family. Friends. etc.

Here 5 ways to deal with difficult people:

1. Listen. Giving them the attention they need is 60% of it.
2. Be a problem solver. Offer 3 solutions to get them off your back.
3. Speak Up. Don't be afraid.
4. Ask Questions. There is usually something more to every story.
5. Stay calm and pleasant. When you are at ease, it makes it harder for the other person to stay angry.

HIGHLIGHTED HAIR FAIL

On Tuesday I decided I wanted to do something new to my hair. I fell in love with this style I found on Pinterest, and scheduled an appointment right after work.............

This is what happened. Yikes. A few lessons learned here. One, don't trust just anyone with your hair. Two, search reviews on yelp before scheduling an appointment with a new hair dresser. Three, trust your intuition!

HAPPY FIT FRIDAY!

9.22.2013

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN !!!

Today marks the first day of Autumn! My favorite season of the year, for so many reasons. First off, I'm an October baby, and one of my favorite holidays is Halloween. Plus it's the perfect time for hot tea, sweaters, family time, boots, camping, movies, pumpkin pies, reading, and star gazing. Today also means that Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years are right around the corner. It might be to early for a countdown LOL, but I will mention that I do like to start on my Christmas shopping in advance, and I may or may not have already started. :) Happy First Day of Autumn Everyone!

10 WAYS TO STRESS LESS

After learning that I have Seborrheic Dermatitis I've been focusing a lot of my time on finding ways to stress less in a positive ways. Here are 10 ways that work for me :)

1. Meditate
2. Retail Therapy
3. Kiss your significant other
4. Read a book
5. Cook a delicious recipe
6. Treat yourself to a massage
7. Try a new class at the gym: Kickboxing, Zumba
8. Cuddle with your pet
9. Call a friend to Vent! (A funny one preferably :))
10. Clean out a closet/ pantry (Organizing a cluttered area in my house is an amazing way for me to relieve stress, I try to do this 2 times per month)

If you have any secrets to stressing less please share!

Cuddle up with your pet

Go for a walk or run

Take a yoga class

Watch something funny!

Read a book

Call a friend – or your mom!

Cook a delicious dinner

Hit up the mall for a little retail therapy

Indulge in a little chocolate

Kiss your significant other

- See more at: http://www.lorensworld.com/health-beauty/10-natural-ways-for-stress-relief/#sthash.1604Rn3w.dpuf

Cuddle up with your pet

Go for a walk or run

Take a yoga class

Watch something funny!

Read a book

Call a friend – or your mom!

Cook a delicious dinner

Hit up the mall for a little retail therapy

Indulge in a little chocolate

Kiss your significant other

- See more at: http://www.lorensworld.com/health-beauty/10-natural-ways-for-stress-relief/#sthash.1604Rn3w.dpuf

WHAT I ATE WEDNESDAYS

I've been loving smoothies for breakfast! I love using this chart to come up with new recipes. My favorite is: Almond Milk, Kale, Mango, Chia Seeds, and Stevia! Yummers.

PRODUCT REVIEW NYX SOFT MATTE LIP CREAMS

I'm currently loving Nyx's soft matte lip creams! The formula is great. On the lip the texture is matte not glossy, opaque, and creamy but not moisturizing. I think the names of the glosses are fun, and the colors are gorgeous!

Overall, I love these glosses. I'd like to try some other colors, as I think they are very convenient to carry around for on-the-go touch ups. The packaging is simple and inexpensive enough so you can buy multiple colors and still not add up to the cost of one Mac lipstick. I can dig that! Enjoy :)

9.16.2013

RANDOM POST: SEA WORLD, SAN DIEGO SAFARI, SAN DIEGO ZOO, SHERATON EXTRAVAGANZA

I went to San Diego to do a little animal loving at Sea World, San Diego Safari, and San Diego Zoo.

First off, I purchased the 3 park pass for 112$ at Costco. Most places have these tickets for 150$ and up, so I found the price to be quite the deal, and it's good for 7 days!

We went to Sea World first on Friday. It was a great way to go because there were no lines, and most rides let you stay on as many times as you wanted. The Shamu show was my favorite, I remember going as a young girl and the trainers would swim with the shamus in the water. However, since the accident in 2006, the show was modified. The show was great nonetheless, and the weather was so breezy, and cool.

On Saturday, we went to the San Diego Safari in Escondido. The Safari was about 50 miles from our hotel, so it was a little bit of a drive. Upon going to the park I had no expectations, I didn't read any reviews so I went in with a pretty open mind. Overall, the visit was good. The Lions and Cheetahs were breath taking, and the Africa Tram was very informative. The weather was HOTT and there wasn't much shade, however, we were able to knock out the entire park in about 4-5 hours, so it was worth it.

We left the San Diego Zoo for last. I preferred the zoo over the Safari because, the at the zoo you're able to look at each animal at your leisure, and the majority of the park is shaded (major plus in the summer). The Zoo also held a few great shows, and there were many on volunteers on site that were extremely generous with sharing information.

And lastly, where did we stay? The Sheraton Hotel and Marina. I have so many great things to say about this place and I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone staying in the San Diego area.
We purchased a "4 star mystery package"through Priceline. The mystery packages come in a series of levels, 3 star, 2, 4, 5 star being the best. And Priceline basically guarantees that you will stay at a "4 Star" hotel, on the dates you choose, however, Priceline does not tell you the name of the hotel until you purchase it. I loved this idea since it's so hard to choose as we were not too familiar with the area! Once we purchased the deal, it immediately reveals where you will be staying, and ours was the Sheraton. The service was great, the location was close to the all of our excursions, and the view was spectacular. The person that checked us in also offered us an upgrade for 50$ that would include continental breakfast, appetizers during the evenings, and soft drinks, coffee, tea, cappuccinos, and juices all day! I thought $50 that was such a deal for 2 people.

Here are a few pictures from my trip!

View from the Sheraton Hotel (12th Floor)

NUTRITION: HOT LEMON WATER IN THE AM

Benefits to drinking hot lemon water in the morning:

1. Stimulates digestive track
2. Helps absorb nutrients
3. Cleanses and freshens your palate
4. Flushes kidneys and livers of toxins
5. Helps you stay hydrated
6. Suppresses appetite
7. Helps to reducing cellulite
8. Carries Vitamin C and Potassium
9. Helps decrease blemishes

Who knew!

Benefits of drinking hot lemon water in the morning:
1. Stimulates your digestive track.
2. Helps absorbs nutrients.
3. Cleanses your palate.
4. Flushes your kidneys and livers of toxins.
5. Helps you to stay hydrated.
6. Suppresses your appetite.
7. May help reduce cellulite.
8. Carries Vitamin C.
- See more at: http://www.lorensworld.com/health-beauty/benefits-of-drinking-hot-lemon-water-in-the-morning-246/#sthash.OC59ptN5.dpuf

9.11.2013

5 WAYS TO CHANGE IT UP IN THE OFFICE

1. Instead of sticking to the plan....be flexible if there is a change. (Expect the Unexpected)

2. Instead of doing what works, because it's what your told or because that's how it's always been done...try something new. Find a new approach. Identify why it's better. Play devil's advocate. What are cons about your new approach, and shed light on why the pros out weigh the cons. Sketch out how the plan will be rolled out. And, go for it! Change is good.

3. Wait for the right moment....no! just do it. Perfect example, wait until the conference room seems settled go in to deliver reports...or walk in with reports before your supervisor becomes antsy. Seriously, just do it. 80% of success is showing up.

4. Failure means it's time to move on......OR Change a few things and try again. Modifications, revisions, and glitches can absolutely help you become wiser in new projects to come.

5. Only network when you need something ... make connections on a daily basis. Connecting with people on a daily/ weekly basis is so important. For business owners, networking on a consistent basis can help the company grow and find resources that are just an e-mail, call, or text away.
For non-business owners, networking is just as important. Meeting new people and branching out can help open new doors, and it can also help you to become more knowledgeable and access different resources when needed. In real estate terms they say: Location is everything..."Location, Location, Location". In the corporate world, it's all about relationships, "Relationships, Relationships, Relationships".