Random post!

I'm starving right now sooooo it's probably why I'm posting this blog.  I was looking up images to put as a picture above my 'archive' thingie-ma-bob on my layout for this blog, and I googled 'cute food'....and found some adorable things. Yup, dork...but I'm a hungry dork. Here we go.

It's Hello Kitty inside of a salad...or I guess Hello Kitty is the salad, actually. SO CUTE!

 Pac Man sammich!

Hot dog octopi!

Kitteh bento box. Oh man.

Cute grilled cheese lookin' thing!

More kittehs! Just in pizza form!

Pirate sushi!

Ahhh, cute toast XD!

 

Annnnnnd I guess that's it. I need to stop LOOKING at food and actually make some lol. But, before I go, I also got this image when I typed in 'cute food' to bing.com.

 

Ohhhhhhh, bing.com.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Alright so I wrote a blog a while ago, listing books I wanted to read. Well I actually finished one! The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is one of the better books I've read in a very long time.  It's got everything, really.  Romance, suspense, action, mystery, supernatural-yet-human, and ohhhhh so very addicting.  Honestly, the only reason I ever put the book down was to stretch it out so I would buy myself some time until the sequel comes out.  Michelle Hodkin is an amazing writer, judging by this book.  It's just one of those books that really sucks you in and one that just about any audience can relate to, which I think is important when you write characters in a book.  

I won't go too much into the plot of the book because YOU WILL read it or face my wrath lol, but just as a brief thingie-ma-bob: Mara Dyer moves to Florida because she has recently suffered a truama in her life.  The plan was to move her away from her old life and start new, sort of.  Through out the book, the author describes Mara as not being mentally stable because of the truama she has suffered; PTSD, to let you know.

Anyway, she meets a boy of course because that is how all young adult novels tend to go, but it isn't AT ALL like the Twilight Saga where Bella falls in love with a guy she meets once and barely speaks two words to.  In fact, I love that Mara hates Noah for the most part.  Even when she starts to like him, she hates him, and I thought that was interesting.  Another thing I really liked, partly because I love psychology and all, was that the author seems to have really researched Mara's mental health state after she moves to Florida. I've taken more than my fair share of psych courses, including abnormal psych, and the author is dead on when she describes Mara's mental state. I sort of geeked out, really.

One thing that I didn't like about this book was that sometimes the punctuation or spelling/capitalization would be off.  It was barely noticeable, but when I did notice it, it irked me a little.  I'm no grammar nazi, but nonetheless it did make me sigh a little.  Something else is that you have to read past the first few chapters to really get into this book.  I mean, that's how I read most books, anyway-needing to get a feel for the writer and the book's characters and all.  

However, once you get past getting to know the characters, so to speak, the book is SO HARD TO PUT DOWN.  Literally, I would stay up pretty late to read it and even read it during class sometimes. It was down right addicting.  I would definitely recommend and BEG someone to read this book, because it really is THAT  good...Amazing.

The sequel is called, "The Evolution of Mara Dyer" and it isn't set to be released until flipping OCTOBER. Gahhhhd! This makes me hurt in all the wrong ways lol. I want to read it noooowwww. However, I love the title and the cover.  The title is genius when you know what happens in the first book, especially the ending of the first book. So yes, go out and buy/rent this book from the library. In all honesty, you may want to buy it so you have a copy forever and ever. I know I plan on reading it again and again until the sequel comes out. Damn October. 

Here's the author's blog: http://www.michellehodkin.blogspot.com/ 

And here's The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Website:http://maradyer.com/

Looking for a job and being broke. Tips and...stuff.

Lately, I have been scouring the earth for a flipping job....or that's how it feels to me, anyway.  In reality, I have been applying online and in person for job opportunities for a REALLY long time, now.  I do not even remember when I first started looking for a new job.  Anyyyyyyway, it can be extremely frustrating and depressing trying to find a new job. 

 There are times I cry in the corner and find I am pulling out all of my hair.  Most of the time, I just settle on eating my feelings....again in a corner (There's less balding that way). However, I feel I have come up with a few things that may (or may not) help you all out there in trying to find a job. 

Now, in my case I currently have a job...just one that gives me literally 4-8 hours every week. I am looking for a job to be a second job, or to replace my current one.

Tip Number One: Know what you are willing and not willing to do, as well as know what your work availability is.
You cannot usually afford to be picky when it comes to finding a job.  However, if there are limitations to what you can do physically, mentally, or experience-wise, you should probably be aware of all of that.  For example, I will not work a job that is manual labor.  I have a bad back and bad knees, and basically the body of an 80 year old.  BUT, if it paid a lot, I would re-consider.  Hell, with more money I could afford a chiropractor. In my job quest, I have found that if you are picky about which jobs you apply for, you have even less of chance to actually obtain a job.  Common sense, peeps.

Tip Number One And A Half: Know your work availability.
Most jobs are looking for as open availability as possible.  I know now when I apply online for any kind of job, no matter the field, there is always a section with the days of the week and times of each day you can or cannot work.  If you have a current job, like I do, I usually just put a general idea of my availability.  For instance 7am-7pm or 10am-10pm every day of the week.  It is not what you are 'promising' your potential employer, but just a general idea of what days/times you can and cannot work.  If you happen to get a phone call or interview, you can always negotiate your availability.  Mainly, just try to be as open as possible when it comes to availability. Whoo, that was a long rant.

Tip Number Two: Have a current and up to date resume and cover letter.
It does not matter if you are applying to clean poop from the elephant enclosures at a circus, HAVE. A. RESUME. It looks like you are an able-bodied and willing, professional person.  Now, of course you can get a job with out a resume and cover letter, in fact some places do not require one.  However, required or not, I always try to include one if I can.  It just looks better, basically.  Now, I am not going to post my resume since it has all my info on it and I do not need any more creepers in my life, but this is a general idea of what a resume should include

 

Now, this is just an example resume I found online, but it looks very similar to my own.  There are all different kinds of formats, fonts, spacing, and so on you could use but just try to make it as simple and straight forward as possible.  You always want references and multiple ways to contact you.  Also, you should tweaky-tweak your resume to fit the particular job you are applying for, including the position you want and the company's name at the top.  However, I have a general copy of my resume that I leave blank where I have 'position desired'.  This way, I can hand out the resume to anyone and they can immediately see my skills, education, work experience, and so on.  

*You do not necessarily HAVE to fill out an application.  If someone has your resume and really wants you to work for them, they'll usually call and ask you to fill out an application before they interview you.

As for a cover letter...

Mine is only about a paragraph long and it nearly summarizes my resume.  The cover letter is a brief introduction of yourself, why you want to work for the potential employer, and your assets to the potential job. I always include my email and best time to call me, as well as a 'looking forward to hearing from you!' at the end. Suck up to your potential employer. They like that.

Tip Number Three: What to ask for as compensation.

Now, this can vary by your experience in the field you are applying for, how much education you have, and what the company or place that could be hiring you--what they are willing to pay you.  Most of the time the wages go by the hour and I usually ask for 8-9 bucks an hour...which is depressing.  However, I have always made 8 dollars and change an hour at any job I have had, AND I have an associate degree.  If you have an associate degree, you can ask for more than minimum wage on a job application. NOW, this does not mean that your potential employer has to pay you that amount.  If I can, I always put on my applications that I would prefer 8-9 dollars an hour, but I am negotiable.  This way, your potential employer does not feel as though you are set in your ways about your hourly wage.
*I also check off BOTH full time AND part time, even if I am looking for mainly full time.  This is because every place has a different measurement for each.  Once place may consider 30-35 hours a week part time, and another may consider that full time.

Tip Number Four: Don't limit yourself to applying to jobs that have the 'now hiring' sign in their window or online. I can tell you from experience, especially with online applications, a job does not have to be 'now hiring' in order to hire you.  Sometimes they do not advertise that they are, indeed, hiring.  Other times, people quit at a job and they need to hire someone immediately to fill that position.  Most of the time, jobs will hire you if they see you are professional, have a resume/cover letter, and are highly or at least minimally qualified. Knowing someone in the higher-ups always helps, but how many of us have that advantage? I mean come on.  My advice is to apply for as many jobs as possible in as many locations as possible.  Which leads me to tip number five.

Tip Number Five: Be willing to travel.

I am not saying leave the state or anything, lord knows I wish I could leave New Jersey.  Rather, be willing to drive a bit of a distance for a job.  Gas prices suck, so this is the one area I do not like when I apply for jobs, but I figure if a job is going to give me loads of hours, I can afford to travel a little bit.  If you do not want to waste gas, you can usually take a bus or train-- that usually can be cheaper than all that gas money.  For me, I am willing to travel 30 minutes to 45 minutes away for a job.  I live in a small town....like cute-little-duckling-small, so I know for any kind of real job opportunities I need to be willing to travel a bit.

Tip Number Six: Try not to freak out. Emotional eating, stressing out, and/or staying in your PJ's all day, is not going to help you find a job, yo! I find that if I allow myself an hour to cry, scream, eat nom-nommy cheese fries, and freak the hell out, saying,"What is my LYYFFFEEE!?" .....Then move on, I feel better.  Of course no one is perfect and everyone has their moments of feeling hopeless, but buck up buttercup-cupcake, something is bound to happen. If you are motivated and determined to find a job, you will sooner or later....most likely later in my case.  Just try to stay positive and surround yourself with people who are going to help you, not tear you down and make you feel like a bum....which is what you will eventually become if you don't find a job. 

*Also, FOLLOW UP on your applications and resumes/cover letters turned in.  Just because they don't call you back, doesn't mean you can't call them!

 Here are some websites I use to look for jobs:

Indeed.com 

Snagajob.com 

Care.com

Nj.com/jobs

Craigslist.org

In addition to online job search engines, I apply to particular businesses and companies I know of in my area, and get the local news paper for job listings.

Acne....and how much it sucks.

 *Disclaimer: Everyone's skin is different. Some products that work for me and my skin, may not work for yours.*

So, pretty much every teenager goes through some sort of 'acne phase' and pretty much every teenager can either grow out of it or find a product, like proactiv, to help them rid their face acne.  However, for some of us unlucky people, acne just likes to stick around and make us feel like we are still a teenager...when in reality we are in our twenties or older.

I've struggled with acne for....about twelve years...ick. I didn't realize it was that many years lol. Anyway, I am going on twenty four and I STILL get break outs like I am a fifteen year old girl, no joke. I am sometimes a pizza-face and it is okay. So...over the years I've tried countless products and pills and dermatologist appointments-nothing has seemed to fully work.  I've had minor successes with things like proactiv, but the results are never to their full potential (meaning my face is not completely clear) and always short lived (meaning my face would be clear for 5-6 months and then break out worse than it ever had before).

So...this blog is to kind of list what I've learned to do and not to do, products (some, not all-that would take a million blogs) that have and haven't worked for me, diet, and some new products I have/will be using in the near future.

Number one thing for me is to stay away from SODA. I'm pretty sure it isn't good for you anyway, and even if I have one soda a month or every three months, that ONE soda will make me break out.  Even 'clear' sodas like Sprite or...is Sprite the only 'clear' soda? Well, in any case, the sugar and just bad stuff in soda will almost always make me break out. Which sucks because I love fountain coke or pepsi...but I've gone about a month now with out soda or energy drinks and my skin, although still breaking out, is wayyyy better....but I miss red bull, have to say.

Another thing that constantly breaks me out is STRESS. This one is a bit of a struggle for me because for the most part, a person cannot control the amount of stress in their life.  However, how that person deals with the stress, has a good amount of impact.  So, lately I've been trying to not sweat the small stuff and try to relax when I get overwhelmed as much as possible. Not the easiest thing.

Finally, since I am a woman, my HORMONES are probably the largest reason why I break out. I won't go into all the details just in case some men are reading this blog, but girls- you know what I'm saying, right? Something that has seemed to help with this though, is birth control pills. It's amazing.  My skin is not clear, but I do break out less frequently than before and in less areas than before I started taking it.  For example, I used to break out all along my forehead and cheeks and now I mainly break out along my chin area and only sometimes on my cheeks. I've only been on it for a month, so I'm looking forward to more great things! Also, side note-I get way less migraines since taking the pill as well. It's awesome sauce.

Okay so now on to products.

Make up-

There has been countless make up products (ie:concealer, foundation, blush, etc.) that has made me break out over the years so I won't list all of them.  Mainly the important thing to look out for in make up products is to make sure they say 'non-acneagenic' or 'non-comedigenic' which means it won't clog your pores and cause acne.  And make sure, if you can, that it is 'hypoallergenic' and 'oil-free'.  I don't think it matters whether or not you have oily, combination or dry skin. Oil in make up IS going to make you break out, at least that's what it's always done for my skin.

Right now I use:

L'oreal True Match Foundation in THE whitest shade they have since I am casper-the-ghost-pale. Honestly, I do not know if this product is hypoallergenic or anything, but it has never made me break out.  Also, my two sisters use it and have near flawless skin compared to mine. Annnnd this is the only foundation that is anywhere close to my actual skin tone. It's about 9$ at Walmart.




I also use:

Maybelline Superstay, 24 Hour Concealer.  I have quite a few acne scars/marks that have not faded yet and so this is, in my opinion, THE BEST concealer for that (and blemishes of course).  Again, this product has never made me break out and I am currently on my 5th tube of this stuff. Also a tip: if you find you are running low on concealer, take OUT the stopper from the tube and you can literally get everything out of it. Just be careful, I've cut myself on butter knives trying to get the stopper out lol. It's about 6$ or 7$ at Walmart.




Finally I use:

Palladio Loose Setting Powder. This stuff is amazing. It's all natural, hypoallergenic, non-comedigenic and just AWESOME. I have pretty dry skin to combination skin, so I don't use powder all the time.  However, if I come home from work or class all day and find my make up looks a bit too shiny, I dust a very small amount of powder on my face and BAM awesomeness happens.  Sometimes too much shine ot 'glow' can make imperfections in skin stand out more, so powder that bitch up. Tip- don't use the crappy spongie thing it comes with, use a blush or powder brush. And this was about...4$ or 5$ at Ulta.

Another tip when it comes to make up and acne: PLEASE, I cannot stress this enough, wash your make up brushes/sponges/etc every day or after every use. All kinds of icky oil and bacteria can get stuck in those bristles and then go on to your skin and cause a nasty break out.  Also, I use a wet make up sponge to apply my foundation and it lasts pretty much all day. I NEVER re-use make up sponges. Ick.

Skin care-

This is just what I use, personally. And what I use right now with one or two I'll be trying out. Before I list them, some products that have NOT worked for me have been proactiv, murad, any kind of drug or face product the dermatologist suggested/prescribed, and the list could literally go on for days.

Here's what I have been using for the past few months.

Step one:
Remove make up. I use any kind of cheap, dollar store, hypoallergenic make up removing wipe just to make sure my make up is gone before I actually wash my face.

Step two:
I actually wash my face.  I only wash my face at night, since if I did it morning and night my face would look like a dried out piece of leather. In the morning, sometimes I will wash it if I'm sick or feel like my skin needs it. Mostly, I just do it at night. I am now using:

PanOxyl Acne Creamy Wash.  It has 4% benzoyl peroxide and, surprisingly, has not dried out my sensitive skin yet. I like this product just because it has no perfumes in it and it does make my skin feel clean, however it has not really helped in clearing my skin up and I am almost out of it.It cost me about 9$ at Walgreens.  Sooooo....in 7-10 business days I will be using:

Fresh Farmacy from Lush.com. And yes, that is how they spell it so :P. Since the nearest Lush store to me is about an hour out of the way, I ordered it online and it cost me about $10 with out shipping.  I've wanted to try it for a while since a lot of people on youtube and things have said it has really cleared their skin up.  I also like it because it is 100% vegan and 100% all natural. It has chamomile and lavender and tee tree oil so...I'm looking forward to trying it. Also, check out Lush.com. They have such sweet stuff, not just for acne! I'll have to write another blog for a review once I start using it :).

Step three:
Treat acne. I love this stuff so flipping much.

 Say Yes to Tomatoes Acne Roller Ball Stick. This shit is...the shit when it comes to spot treating acne.  It's a bit pricey; about $9-$10 at Walmart/Walgreens but it seriously has lasted me about 5 months and I have just a little less than half of the stick left.  A little goes a long way with this and if you use it more than twice a day, it kind of dries out your skin.  Otherwise, this is probably the best acne spot treatment I've ever tried. It's got salicylic acid and tea tree oil, as well as an ingredient from tomatoes that helps with inflammation. It's A-MA-ZING.



I also will sometimes use:

Clearasil Vanishing Acne Spot Treatment.  This has I think 2% benzoyl peroxide and I only use this when I have a really stubborn SOB zit that is painful. The cystic ones? Those SUCK ARSE. But this, although never really gets rid of it completely, does help to shrink it and make it hurt less. It's about $4-$5 at Walmart.






Lastly:
Moisturize. I have tried countless moisturizers over the years. Some make me break out, some don't moisturize enough, some make me itch, etc.  The best moisturizer I have found is:

Aveeno Ultra-Calming Skin Moisturizer. I love this stuff. Aveeno is just a great brand for everything, especially if you have sensitive skin like I do.  I love this product because it helps with redness and it has SPF 15 in it so I don't have to worry about the sun. It looks great under my make up, too. I use this morning and night after I wash my face or right before I put make up on.  I like to let it sink into my skin for a good 20 minutes before I put make up on, though. It's about 15$ at Walmart, but it does last a good three to four months.



Finally:
Exfoliate/ microdermabrasion. Now, important: do not exfoliate your skin every single day. You WILL break out more.  I only do this about one to two times a week, just to get the dead skin off and help with my acne marks. What I have been using lately is:

C Booth Green Apple Microdermabraison scrub.  I love this stuff because it doesn't irritate my skin and it makes it baby-butt smooth after I use it.  Also, it smells like green apple jolly ranchers! It's about 12$-13$ at Ulta, or you could get it on Amazon.com I'm sure for cheaper, they just happened to be sold out when I went to purchase it. It has lasted me a good 6-7 months and I am only now hitting below the half-way tube mark. Well worth it. It also has lactic acid which helps lighten acne marks and I've seen a definite improvement since using it.

My Diet-
Only second to my hormones, a very close second, my diet has the largest impact on my skin. Now, soda of course, as mentioned, makes me break out.  However, if I eat a lot of chocolate or sugar, greasy foods? That'll do it, too. Mainly, I try to balance things as much as possible, which is hard since I am a broke college student and eating healthy is expensive.  Plus, I love me the cheese fries.  Anyway, balancing good foods and bad foods has helped a lot.  For instance, if I have those nom-nommy cheese fries one day, I'll try to eat semi-healthy the rest of the week.  I'm a stress eater so...it's never pretty when I'm stressed. Soda and candy and cheese fries everywhere.

Also- I am planning on exercising with my boyfriend pretty regularly this summer. Exercise helps with stress and therefore can help clear up acne, some what. Even though the thought of joining a gym or running makes me cringe, I'm thinking if I do it with my boyfriend and we're miserable together, we can work it out :)....No pun intended.

Some last tips:

• Don't let other people say nasty things about your skin.  Most of the time, it isn't anyone's fault that they have acne and it is not something that person can control.

• When it comes to seeing a dermatologist: IMPORTANT find one that is going to do everything they can for you and your skin under your insurance. In my case, my dermatologist would do next to nothing in his office because my insurance did not cover anything besides popping zits, really. Also, use the dermatologist as a near-last resort thing.  Prescriptions and office visits can get wayyy pricey.

• When it comes to acne marks/scars: They take forever and a day to get rid of, just be patient. Also, don't pick at acne or touch your face, etc. It only makes the marks look worse and take longer to fade.

• Finally, acne sucks. For those lucky-ass people who have never had it or a zit in their lives (which is not many) they cannot really understand what it's like.  It doesn't matter your age, gender, race, etc- acne is one of those things that can just mess with your self-esteem.  So, my advice is to surround yourself with people who accept you for who you are and support you.