Just be silly once in a while

Yesterday through YouTube, I saw Steve Carell's graduation speech in Princeton University and although it was hilarious, it did have a hidden lesson I want to share with you. He talked about how things have changed, and how different it used to be in his time. People used to go to libraries to read, guys asked girls out in person, social media wasn't interfering in our daily lives. Now, we are too busy keeping up with all these sites to create real relationships. I'm sure you have all heard this before but unfortunately it is true. 

The problem is, we need to stay connected to the social media in order to remain competent in the business world.  

However, we always have to remember that at the end of the day, it is those moments you spent with your family and laughed with your friends that you'll cherish the most. In 20 years, I know I won't regret the e-mail I didn't send or the homework I forgot to hand in. I'll regret the family activities I missed and the friends I should have spent more time with. 

So just keep time available, just once a week, to put the cellphones and computers down and have some good ole fun. 

Like Steve Carell said: Once in a while 'Put something positive to the world, do something kind, make somebody laugh and don't take yourself too seriously'. 

There's just something about starting

Taking that first step is always so hard. The scariest moment of an oral presentation is probably that nanosecond before you are about to speak. The most difficult part of an essay is opening a Word document and actually starting to write it. Now why is that? 
Are we getting that used to convenience that we paralyze and freeze as soon as anything that's out of our routine or our comfort zone comes our way? 
Studies say it takes 30 days to make something a routine; whether it is putting on sunblock everyday, reading or doing exercise. Sounds easy enough; yet those first 30 days seem like such a burden for us, many will simply decide it is not worth it.

Yesterday I read 'Never give up on a dream because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway' (by Earl Nightingale) and it is completely true. 
What separates successful from non successful people is exactly that. Successful people never gave up, they started and never stopped improving. 

A trick: Never allow yourself to go to bed without doing what you were supposed to do. 

Even if it is washing your face or doing 20 push ups, don't allow any exceptions because later on exceptions will become the routine again and this will prevent change. 

Whatever your goal or your dream is, start from the beginning and always keep going. 100% guaranteed that you'll succeed. Sure you'll probably stumble but never let that keep you from getting up and keep going. 

I believe in you. Believe in yourself. 

Let's do this !

xxx, 
ALE 

P.S.: 'If it's not scary, it's not big enough' 

Valentines day present ideas for your loved one

Ahh February.. the red month, for some it is time to hate love and for others to love love. I personally think Valentine's day is a cute holiday to remind those close to us that we love them and eat a LOT of chocolate. 

As always though, getting a present for a guy is quite close to impossible. There's always the problem of not wanting to give them the same ole same ole shirt, hat or perfume but then again .. what else is there?

Today I'm going to give you some inexpensive ideas on what to get your significant other based on what I've done this past year and some recent ideas I've had. 

1. A radio for the shower. 

     My boyfriend loves to sing but obviously not in front of everyone so this is a perfect idea to let his inner singer come out in a safe environment. It sells for $9.99 in Bed, Bath & Beyond and it is waterproof so it won't get damaged. It's called the Conair® Hang On Shower Radio.

2. Make him or order a personalized album. 

    There's nothing more amazing than receiving or giving something that only identifies you two. You can always buy an album, print out some pictures and make him a collage. You can put funny comments or inside jokes and it is something he will have forever. If you're too lazy to go through all that work, go to your local Walgreens Photo Album and get a customized album from $4.99 to $59.99 depending on size, amount and quality of pictures. 

3. Homemade puzzle 

    It is super easy to make and very thoughtful. What you do is take a cardboard and draw what you want or just print a pic and put it there. Then, cover it with contact paper to make it stronger and with a pencil draw the puzzle pieces. Take a scissor, cut them out and there you go. 

4. Search online 

   Websites like Urban Outfitters Valentines Shop and Ebay Unique Gift ideas always have unique and non conventional presents at reasonable prices that are perfect. 

5. A personalized mug 

    If your man loves to drink coffee or tea or just likes to use a mug all the time. Give him a personalized one. In Walgreens Mug you can also customize them either with a picture or a quote about your relationship. He will use it every day and it's a reminder of you. 

6. Paris night 

   Buy a baguette, some cheese and a nice wine and make your own night in Paris under the stars. Romantic and very classy. 

7. Tickets for a game 

  Practically every guy likes sports so get him a tickets for his favorite team and go watch them together. Enjoy a nice day doing what he loves. 

So that's all I've got! Hopefully this was helpful. I hope you all have an amazing Valentines Day and remember, it is a day to embrace and be grateful of loving and being loved it doesn't matter if it's by a boyfriend, family, friends or pet! 

xxx, 

Ale

On the perfect nude color

You know that lipstick that you can wear practically anywhere with anything and keeps your lips moisturized  glossy and a bit tinted. Well I've been looking for an inexpensive everyday lipstick and I found it! 

It is L'oreal's Fairest Nude (#800) and it is available at any drugstore. As you can see in the picture it is very subtle and has a tiny bit of pink in it. Plus I LOVE how amazing it feels on the lips, very creamy and smooth. To enhance the look you can always put a lip gloss on top and add more color. 

However, I do think this shade is not made for every person. My skin tone is sort of olive/yellowish and my lips are normally pink and for me, this works perfect. On the other hand, I have tried other nude colors that are too white for my lips or look uneven with my skin tone. So I recommend maybe figuring out which colors best suit your skin tone and then going from there. 

For those of you like me, I completely recommend this and you're going to LOVE this! 

Let's go nude ! 

xxxx, 

Ale

On my school must-haves

Hellooo ! What a nice extremely long day it has been today. So long in fact, I actually decided to do some work for next week because I just had absolutely nothing else to do. Shocker, I know.
Since I had my study face on, I decided to blog on my school essentials.
What I just need to have in my bag to survive a normal day.

First item: A jacket. For some reason my classes are either extremely hot or a recreation of the North Pole's weather. So for those classrooms it is essential that I bring a jacket to avoid hypothermia. I usually just bring a normal grey jacket with a hoodie because it goes with everything and it is very comfy and warm. The one in the picture is from PLNDR.

Second: My agenda. I know practically everyone tells you that it is important to always have a planner with you but trust me IT IS important. Last year I decided my brain was a good enough planner and I cannot tell you how much homework I forgot to hand in. If you don't like an agenda, use your cellphone or put an alarm to remind yourself of something because our brain is not perfect and can forget. This one is from Walgreens and I love it because it is compact and there's a whole page per day so I have enough space to write everything I need to do.

Número tres: Of course a pen (because I need to write with something) and a highlighter. For the longest time I underestimated the power of the highlighter <yellow one to be exact>. Then I took this course that taught techniques of how to study better and memorize things faster. The guy emphasized that a highlighter or just colors makes it easier for the brain to memorize and remember stuff. Now, all my reviews are filled with magic markers and every time I read an article I highlight and it really makes a difference. I recommend the brand Sharpie because it lasts a LONGG time, it's a nice bright yellow and it doesn't go through the page.

Fourth and last but not least: An umbrella. Living in a tropical climate, I am bound to have random unexpected and expected rainy days. Of course, I don't like to get wet so I just bring a nice sized umbrella that isn't too heavy and it's perfect! I bought this one at Marshall's, it was very inexpensive and it has lasted me two semesters.

So there you go! I hope you all have an amazing semester and happy longest day of my life!

xxxx,

Ale

The Carrie Diaries

A show about the fabulous Carrie Bradshaw (from Sex and the City) when she was a teenager. It takes place in the 80's and it mixes love, friendship, family and of course Fashion!
When I heard about this show I was jumping up and down excited. I missed seeing Sex and the City and this was the mini her.

There have been two episodes already and here's what I have to say
      I love the 80's fashion, AnnaSophia Robb (who plays Carrie) is gorgeous and looks like a very exotic egyptian queen with piercing cat eyes <haha okay that was a bit weird> anyway, in terms of the actual story line it is a very cutesy sort of storyline. There's not a very dramatic plot, it is just very girly and nice to watch if it's raining and your eating ice cream or if you want to have a girl's night.

I am definitely going to keep watching, I just hope they involve some unexpected twists or new characters to spice it up a little.
But you know what they say.. never judge a book by it's cover. So that's why I'm not going to say a definite LOVE or HATE until I see a few more pages.

F.Y.I.: There is a new episode every Monday at 8/7c. on CW. You can find out more about it here.
xxx

On wise advice

Yesterday night while I was all snuggled up in my bed with the computer on my lap, my mom came in my room 'Ale, you have to read this. It is two pages and it is life-changing'. Of course, I'm always up for a 'life-changing' read and yet it was. 

It talked about a lady and how one of her husband's relatives would always make demeaning remarks about her. She would always get upset and tell her husband about it, but as time passed, nothing changed. So, the lady started avoiding going to family activities; when she did go, she would avoid him at all costs. One day, she told her husband she couldn't take it anymore, to please stop it and he just said 'he has every right to have his opinion, and you have every right not to get offended'. It was this what made her realize that you can't let what other people say about you control how you feel or what you think of yourself. People will always say what they want but we have the right to overlook it and don't let it affect us. 

So there you go ladies and gentlemen that's my wise advice of the day. And, I know.. I know, the first thing I thought was 'easier said than done' but believe me, if you're aware that you have the power to let it stop hurting you and to just stop caring, little by little it will stop affecting you. 

Just remember: Next time someone offends you: smile, and keep going strong because you know what? We don't give a donkey's butt what they have to say! 

Until next time 
xxx

Story from: 'I Declare' by Joel Osteen