Skinny Bitch

Skinny Bitch is a New York Times best seller written by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Both authors were former models. Barnouin holds a Masters of Science degree in Holistic Nutrition. The authors of the book are vegans. A vegan diet restricts eating meat and dairy products. To most people, the vegan diet seems absolutely crazy and impossible. Following a vegan diet has many positive effects on an individual’s health, animals, and the environment. The authors writing style is witty and sarcastic as it educates the reader. The book is targeted towards women readers, but men can also learn a lot of information from it.

The book addresses many of the misconceptions people have about food and health. The misconceptions we have are mainly driven by advertisements. We can also point our fingers at money-hungry organizations.

Most people believe it is important to have a diet consisting of protein and calcium. This belief is created through advertising. Protein and calcium are good for the human body. Advertising tries to sell specific products for people to consume these nutrients. Milk is not the only to receive calcium, but it is probably the first thing that comes to mind.

A frequently asked question for a vegetarian is, “How do you get protein in you diet if you do not eat meat?” Meat is not the only way to receive protein. Beans, nuts, seeds, eggs, and dairy are all good sources for protein.

Before reading this book I believed in many food myths. I had heard most of them from word of mouth. This book has taught me how to eat a healthy diet. I have also realized the importance of discovering information for yourself rather than listening to what you hear.

The End

“People fear death even more than pain. It's strange that they fear death. Life hurts a lot more than death. At the point of death, the pain is over.”

Jim Morrison

Feelings of fear and sadness are typically associated with death. People fear for the loss of their own lives and the lives of their loved ones. Morrison makes a good point. Every day people experience bad things. If people are able to rise above challenges and pain caused by them, people should feel confident for the next one.

The death of a person is always a sad occasion. Wakes and funerals are ceremonies where people come together to pay their respects and mourn over the loss of the deceased. People tend to dress in black to attend the occasion.

I understand this ritual is a product of the American culture. Different cultures have different ceremonies depending on their beliefs. I think American culture treats death in a respectful yet depressing way. Instead of moping around after the death of a loved one, we should celebrate the life of that person. People tend to focus on the absence of the deceased person in their life. This approach is similar to the idea of a glass being half empty instead of half full. We should be grateful to have had that person in our lives.

To live is to die. It is expected that at some point we will all die. Regardless of this knowledge, death still surprises us every time. A girl I grew up playing soccer with died the other day. She was diagnosed with leukemia about a year ago. Although I was aware of her health condition, I was shocked when I received the news.

When I think about my friend, I think of Morrison's quote, “At the point of death, the pain is over.” She will be missed greatly, but I feel relived that she no longer has to suffer.

Red Red Wine

As I sit at this computer, I take a sip of red wine. My favorite kind of red wine is Merlot. Merlot is the first type of wine I ordered at a restaurant. I ordered it because someone told me to. I had little knowledge about wine before I turned 21. For a while, I stuck to Merlot because I was familiar with the name. People around me convinced me to try other types. I followed their advice because I wanted to be a little more daring in my wine tasting.

I was sitting here thinking about a topic for my blog. The glass of Merlot in my hand triggered an idea. I have heard that a glass of wine is good for you. I never knew why though. I decided to do some research. This idea was developed by the French diet. This diet often shows how wine can improve heart health.

Some websites argued that a glass or two of wine is good for you because it can decrease the chance of heart decease. Red wine helps prevent clots and reduces blood vessel inflammation. Overall, moderate intake of red wine can improve cardiovascular health. Heart disease is reduced by the antioxidants in red wine. The antioxidants work to reduce heart disease by reducing production of bad cholesterol. They also boost good cholesterol.

Aside from the heart benefits, drinking wine with a meal slows the stomach’s emptying time and can decrease the amount of food consumed during a meal. Studies have also showed that one glass of red wine can improve brainpower.

Around The World

With graduation just around the corner, I have begun to take my future plans more seriously. I have applied to a variety of jobs to keep my options open. I am interested in living in a new location. First, I need a job to support myself. At this point, I have applied to jobs in fitness, management, communications, and education. Deep down, I know I would be happiest teaching people how to live a healthy lifestyle through proper nutrition and exercise. I am also interested in doing something creative on the side, whether it is with film or photography.

A friend of mine recently informed me of his future plans. He applied to teach English for a year in South Korea. He is leaving in July. As I spoke with him, I became interested in the opportunity. I am eager to travel and live in another country after studying abroad in Australia.

Yesterday, I went on the website and read information about the program. I decided to apply to see if they would accept me. I have already heard back from the director of the agency. The agency’s job is to help match candidates with schools. The agency creates a profile with a picture and resume for administrative staff to evaluate. The schools decide on which candidates they want to hire. This increases the success for teacher placement.

South Korea is the highest paying country for this program. Another benefit is that the program pays for the candidate’s flight and housing. I would only have to pay for food, extra travel, and recreation.

Our Lives Are So Fabulous

It was April 5th. The night before the trip, my friend and I drove to Long Island to spend the night at our friend’s house. The next morning, her father surprised us with a stretch limo as our ride to the airport.

As we boarded a plane from Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic, my friend looked at me and said. “Our lives are so fabulous.” This was also the moment when she jinxed us. We should have seen this coming. Especially after spending 3 hours on the phone trying to book the trip.

We ended up sitting on the propeller plane for an hour past the scheduled departure time. The flight from Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic is about an hour. We anxiously waited for departure since we had not eaten since the night before.

We faced problem number 2 when we arrived at the Occidental Resort in the Dominican Republic. When we went to the front desk to check in, they told us that we did not have a reservation and that they were booked. They told us that there was nothing they could do. We were advised to call Travelocity since we had booked reservations on their website.

After 3 hours of arguing with the resort employees, they were able to find us a room at a different resort. We were still upset with this outcome because there were 5 of us in total on the spring break trip. Two of our friends had checked in the day before at the original resort. The remaining 3 had to stay at a different restore.

We can look back at the situation now and laugh. I am an optimistic person so I tried to make the best out of the situation. I was grateful to have had the opportunity to go on a tropical vacation with my friends.

Here is a video from the trip:

Front Lobby

Merge Ahead

A friend of mine heard about a non-denomination church called Church of the Living God. It is located in the town of Manchester, CT. Since I attend school in New York, I do not make the trip often. I try to attend service every time I visit home. On Sunday nights, there is a group service called Merge Ahead. Young people, ranging from 12 to 24 get together and worship.

The worship starts off with a live band. The music they play is modern. It is not music I ever expected to hear at a church. The band plays a lot of Hillsong music that originated in Australia. After the band plays a few songs, everyone grabs a seat as they anxiously wait to hear the message for the evening. I enjoy attending services because it is a good way to start off the week. My spirit always feels lifted after attending a service. When I am not home, I am able to listen to services through pod casts. I take notes as I listen so I can remember important parts that I want to look back on.

There is a podcast from January 25, 2009. The podcast is titled, “Your Cap Gun Authority.” The speaker discusses that true authority is a process that takes time. He defines authority as physical/mental power, exercise, liberty, strength, and right. Three ways to increase the level of authority in an individual is in time, by tribulation, and testing.

Now Not Yet

I recently listened to a podcast called "Now Not Yet." The message I received was to focus on the present, instead of the future. In order to have progress in your life we must not fear to dream. People tend to look at where they are at in the moment and compare it to where they want to be. When we look at situations in this perspective our dreams seem impossible to reach. People get caught up in “the next” that they miss “the now.” This is why it is important to take action one day at a time. The speaker describes vision with no action to be as bad action without vision. This is a message that anyone can apply to their life. This is not necessarily tied to religion.

For the past month I have been worrying about my plans for after graduation. I catch myself getting distracted from school work to apply for jobs. We congratulate our peers when they receive news of a job offering after graduation. There is comfort when you know you have a job waiting for you once you finish school. I realize that there is no need to worry about the future. Worrying does not change or help a situation. Instead of worrying, I must take steps that are in my control.

In the course of a day, we should be prepared for challenging encounters. These encounters that we face prepare us for the ones we will face in the future.