Entry #10: The perfect getaway

 Hey there and welcome back! 

Just the other week I decided to take a short vacation because things were starting to stress me out at school and work. I thought it would be perfect to head to the beach for a little getaway and take my dog Zero with me because he deserved one too! 

The drive over was horrendous! Not because it took six hours to get there but because my pup would not sit down for longer than 10 minutes making things a little difficult. I could not wait to be in Sandiego and get out of the car to have some fun. 

When we finally got there the first stop was of course a dog park to stretch our legs and run around. Now the dog parks in California are a little different than here in Arizona so when we walked into Grape Street dog park, it came as a surprise that there were no fences to keep the dogs in. I almost had a heart attack when I let my dog off the leash to run around and my anxiety was through the roof. What's worse is that this dog park was on a mountain so one wrong step and the dogs would be lost! Needless to say, we did not stay long as I'm an overly protective dog mom not willing to let the vacation take a turn for the worst haha. 

The second day was one of the best days out of the entire vacation because guess what? We went to the dog beach! It's a beach designated for just dogs which I loved. The moment I took him off his leash he was gone with the wind. I was so happy to see him run around and splash in the ocean water. This was the first time in a long time I felt stress-free and happy. I was even happier that I got to spend it with my best friend!

On the last day of our vacation, we went to LaJolla Beach to see the sea lions up close. Sea lions are water dogs so it only made sense to introduce my land dog to sea dogs. The confusion on my pup's face was priceless! He had no idea what these animals were, why they looked so funny, or why their barks were so strange. This beach was not his favorite but we were still able to enjoy it and walk around. 

Though this was a short-lived vacation, it was one of the best and most exciting ones I have been on! The experience would not have been the same without my dog by my side to share the excitement. I only wish it could have lasted longer but we all have to get back to our lives at some point, right? Oh! Don't worry, the ride back was peaceful considering Zero had no energy left after the vacation.

If you have any pups yourself I highly recommend taking them on a trip to Sandiego, you will love it and they will love you for it! I know summer is coming up on us quickly so take this as a sign to bring your pup along for the ride! 

As always thanks for stopping by, see you in the next blog!

Entry #9: Media

 Well hello there!

Have you ever noticed how influencing the media can be? How much power does it have over our minds and thoughts? What do we do, and how do we do them? Growing up I have realized just how powerful the media can be on everyone because I noticed it a lot in myself. The way I dress, the way I do my makeup, and even the way I view relationships, have all been influenced by media representation. 

I started to wonder if this had as much power on others as it did on me. The short answer is media does in fact have some sort of power or influence over us. The other day I had a conversation with a friend about fashion. We talked about dad jeans because I had recently just bought a pair of them. I asked her what she thought about them and she replied vaguely “those aren't even in style”. They were cute pants and I really liked them and how they made me feel but I was brought down by the comment she had made. Just because they weren't in style anymore did not mean they were any less stylish but the media tells us differently.

I care about what is said in media so much so that I am blindsided by the actuality of things. In modern media, women's bodies are worshiped if they look a certain way, and women all over the world including me are starting to think that we have to change our bodies or looks to match what is seen in the media. I've also started noticing little things like advertisements with only society's version of attractive actors on them. 

News reports about local crimes scare people from ever going anywhere near these cities and locations; they influence their judgment heck, it's even influenced mine. I've noticed News channels were created for more than just news but for exaggeration, “Who can get the best story”. This sometimes means that the news isn't always reliable because they will spin things to make them the most watchable and popular. “You can't always believe what you see on tv.” That's what my dad used to tell me. 

I'm growing to realize that things arent as simple as they seem on media. It is a good source of information but it's definitely not the best. It makes it hard for me to truly know what decisions to make. I face this dilemma every day I open my phone and scroll on social media like TikTok or Facebook. I see posts about what the best lipstick is to buy and I want to buy it immediately even though I have a perfectly good one at home.

 However, since I have noticed the impact media has had on me and my life I've learned to be wiser and think twice about the things I see. It made me wiser with my choices and easier to say no to things like trends. It really is crazy how much media can take over a person's life but learning that it doesn't have to be that way can make life simpler.

What do you think about media and its influence? How has it affected you? Comment below I would love to hear!

Thanks for stopping by see you in my next blog!

Entry #8: Korean skincare

 Hello, friend welcome back!

Have you ever wondered how to get perfect skin that feels silky smooth? Decrease your visible pores and just feel downright refreshed? Well, I have a solution to fix just that! 

One of my good friends from work was telling me about Korean skincare products and I have to admit I did not expect the results I have achieved! I have only tried out two products because I was a bit skeptical about them at first. My skin is super sensitive to skincare products so I usually stray away from using anything on my face but I took a chance and decided to give it a try. Since I have been introduced to these two products my skin has been so shiny and smooth. I thought it was only fair to share these products with all of you so that you could all enjoy them yourselves!

The first product I want to talk about is called the red rice essential cream by Riz Rouge. It’s a moisturizer that only needs to be applied once a day and keeps your skin feeling soft throughout the entire day. It works great as a night cream or as a cream you put on straight out of the shower. It is made from only natural and harsh-free ingredients, unlike traditional American moisturizers. Skincare is highly valued in Korea so much so that they only use the most beneficial products on their skin to ensure lasting beauty. The best thing about this product is that you only need to apply a small amount, I'm talking smaller than the size of a pea! No more having to feel greasy because a generic cream requires you to use a generous amount!

The second product I absolutely love is the face mask from Innisfree. They have tons of mask options for you to choose from such as an aloe mask, rice mask, ginger mask, and many more. The great thing about these masks is that they have so much excess product to keep them hydrated that you can actually use the remaining product from the masks as a moisturizer for your neck and hands. You only leave the masks on for about 15 minutes and then you can massage in what was left behind on your face. I like to pair this with my skin marble roller to really massage it in my skin. The mask's ingredients are also only made from natural ingredients! I usually wear these after a hot day to cool down and relax while I drink a cup of tea and watch Netflix. You won't need to wash your face after using it like many other masks would have you do after using them. 

By just using these two products my life has been changed forever! I no longer have to worry about my skin breaking out in hives from harsh chemicals in American skin care products. I go to work and get complimented on my skin every day because of the significant changes they have made for my skin. I will definitely be purchasing more and more products from Korean skincare lines and never again from my local beauty stores.

Oh! And it isn't hard to find these products at all! You can buy them online or if you live in Arizona I would suggest going to H-Mart which is a Korean marketplace located in Mesa. They have tons of Korean skincare products to choose from and the ladies in the market will help find the best product fit for your unique skin. 

I hope you guys find this useful and decide to give Korean skincare a try! You will not be disappointed! Feel free to comment about your experiences with Korean skincare or if you're debating whether or not to try it yourselves.

Thanks for stopping by and see you in the next blog!

Entry #7: Hashtags

 Hey there!

A lot of us either have social media accounts or know someone with one. Many times when someone posts a TikTok or posts on Instagram the first thing they think to do is give it a hashtag. In high school, every time I posted on social media there was always a hashtag on my pictures and not just one. I used to use so many hashtags that it looked like a small paragraph just within itself. For me, they were a way to get likes on my pictures because anyone who looked up a hashtag that I included, my picture would be there for people to see. Of course, hashtags are not just for high schoolers looking for extra likes on their photos, they have other uses for different people. 

Hashtags have a variety of uses that many of us use every time we share something on social media. Today we are going to talk about a few of their uses that many may or may not have known about!

One use is making connections with those who have similar interests and likes as you. 

Say you take a photo of your dog and post it online and underneath your photo you tag it #puppies, the first thing you will most likely see when you click on your tag are many other similar pictures of puppies. Maybe someone who really loves dogs might look up this hashtag and see your dog along with others like your photo. For me when I want to see things I find interesting like makeup looks or nail inspiration I like to search up things like #nailinspo or #makeuplooks and these take me to pages full of posts related to those tags. 

The next use is one of the more obvious reasons, to get more views.

Using hashtags to get the internet-famous is one of the most common reasons people with social media use them. Platforms like TikTok like to use tags to create more popularity for a post. You get more views the apps get paid and the users get more likes, views, and follows. It's a win-win situation between the two that makes sense as to why they are useful. For example, a common tag you see is #fyp (for you page) on TikTok that many users like to add to their post because that tag will most likely land on someone's “for you page”. Bringing more attention to the posts with these tags brings more popularity to those using them. It’s that easy! 

Another use for hashtags that I have noticed a lot, especially today, is unity. Tags like #BLM have significant power in this world and give people a way to unite together for causes like Black Lives Matter. Hashtags like this one reveal users expressed national unity and solidarity through both visual and textual displays of strength, resilience, loyalty, and pride. You may even see them a lot on banners and posters in events like marches. Obviously, you cant click on a poster and see its related posts but you can understand that there is a greater message than what you usually associate with hashtags.

The list goes on because there are just so many reasons you could use a hashtag! It’s interesting to think that something so simple can create something so big. 

 

What other reasons do you think hashtags would be used for? 

See everyone in the next blog!