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Anime Review: Goblin Slayer

!Spoiler Alert! !Spoiler Alert! !Spoiler Alert!

 Summary:

The summary for this anime is a little hard to describe because the story basically revolves around only one adventurer, the Goblin Slayer. He is obsessed with Goblins, in fact, he will only take jobs that involve killing them. He is actually very skilled as an adventurer; however, other adventurers are not impressed by his talent. Most tend to laugh at his “enemy,” since to many, Goblins are weak, easy to kill, and for beginners. However, the Goblin Slayer isn’t disturbed by his reputation, he is high ranked, but not concern with that as well, he only acts to kill Goblin. This story begins with the Goblin Slayer saving Onna Shinkan an amateur Priestess, who joined a small party in order to gain experience, however the quest goes terribly wrong, and after she is saved she decides to join the Goblin Slayer.

First Impression:

Honestly, I had no clue what this Anime was about until I watched it, I assumed it would be an adventure type of show, but that was about it. I did expect the tone of the show to be lighthearted, still tense at times, but mostly a lot of joking and trying to be the best at something. I guess I thought it was like the anime “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime,” which if you haven’t seen it, I recommend it, but don’t expect a challenge, it’s all basically go-lucky fun. The reason for this comparison was that the art style seemed bright, also cool, but in general just something that would not go to any drama. Also, there were only 12 episodes schedule to be release at the time, and usually that says enough about where its going to go. Not to mention that personally I didn’t see any buzz about this anime anywhere, at least not how they advertise the anime “Black Clover”. However, every time I talked to anyone about anime, I kept getting this recommendation. I would ask questions, people would give me the generic “yeah, it’s a great anime” and that’s about it. So, at one point, I had nothing to watch and I started it, and when I say someone should have warned me, they should have warned me….

Review:

So honestly this anime is amazing, the plot is great, the characters are awesome, and its not super predictable since it feels like the story is just coming together with each episode. However, that first episode was so gut-wrenching that I almost threw up, I’m weak with sexual violence, but it really doesn’t show anything, so like I said I’m weak to it, because it HAUNTED ME. ( Yeah I know its all make believe, but whatever)

Still, that first episode was nicely done, when I started watching it, the anime was simply passively going by. I was hoping it will pick up soon, thinking it will be a nice anime, but not memorable, and then I out of nowhere, fear, pain, and death. Holy F***, when I say it was unexpected, I really was shocked, and while I hated the tragedy of that scene it was necessarily. After that, I never question the Goblin Slayer’s motivation, the Goblins were terrifying, and I started to hate them instantly. Also, the anime does a good job of reminding you that death can always be an option, because I questioned who would die next. The thing is that it wasn’t like game of thrones where death is lurking around every corner, but the show kept telling you that adventures were not always going to survive. I know most of these types of shows say the same thing, but when not done right, you always know there is a safety to it all. However, this anime, showed you how difficult it can be to survive, without drowning you in a bunch of negativities. Theres jokes and laughter, but there are also challenges, and you as the viewer don’t forget, the story will remind you. I was a little confused about the direction of this anime, because it seemed like you’re just watching a guy killing Goblins with people who decide to join him. Still as the show progresses, it was simple to see that there was some magic in the presents of the story.

Also, the character the Goblin Slayer was interesting, you know his pass and his reason for his obsession, but what you learn, you learn as if you were meeting a real person. To me it felt like every episode was you figuring out his like and dislikes, something that you were bombarded with. He was a tortured man, but you weren’t told, you were shown, and not shown like him crying in a corner or having long monologue about his mentality. The Show Simply showed you his actions, his obsession, his lack of emotion, but his intense fear. I know his back story is dark, so you expect that pain, but it was just nicely done, it was believable, almost relatable to current life.

Conclusion:

The show was great, and I was excited to find out that a second season might come up, the characters were believable, the story was exciting and terrifying at time. Honestly, what sold me was the character Goblin Slayer, I want to see more of him, I want him to get a happy ending, I want him to get peace and acknowledgement. Don’t get me wrong, the other characters are awesome, the priestess is endearing and lovable, and not all of his party members were girls which is a plus for me. It was just a story about a guy, and his path, and you want his path to be a happy one.  I personally will give it a Four out of Five stars, just because I wanted more, I’m greedy like that, here’s to the second season.

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Recap on my Life: New Job

So, I started a new job at a restaurant, its only open three days a week, and I do get enough hours due to double shifts, but that is not really the worry. My biggest problem with new jobs is my ability to make some sort of friendly chit chat. I assume everyone can relate to that, but sometimes I feel like I am the only one who cannot seem to get it right.  I have already had a couple of jobs where I could not make a single friend, which was not terrible, because everybody was polite, and no one was nasty. I had jobs where people are your friends until you leave the job and then you never meet up because the friendship was not that deep. I have had jobs where everybody hated me, and I was constantly anxious to have them like me.

However, everyone at the restaurant was friendly and open, which is nice and warming. I do not know if most of you have been in a situation where you try to be friendly, but everyone gives you one worded response and basically ice you out, but it sucks. It was a breath of fresh air to be able to have a conversation with people who were that open, the jury is out on whether they are actually going to like me, but they all have been very sweet and nice.

Though everyone is nice, I still become anxious when I talk to them, but I think I needed this kind of job, it makes me feel like I can do things right. My last job was sales, and while my metrics were not terrible, the management always told you “if you don’t get them up, you’re fired”, that kind of stress builds up and you’re confidence can drop, at least mine did. I think I was not meant to do sales, its just not for me. Anyway, this is just a small comment on what is going on in my life, nothing major just a little nervous, I also was not posting anything, but not because I did not want to. I started to try to become healthier again. That includes prep meals, waking up at 5 am, and exercising, which I was not prepared for, since I never do because that is just not me.

I hope everyone is having a great day, week, month, I really appreciate your comments, so feel free to do so!

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Anime Review: Dororo

!Spoiler Alert! !Spoiler Alert! !Spoiler Alert! !Spoiler Alert! !Spoiler Alert! !Spoiler Alert!

Summary:

The world is ravaged by war, disease, and famine, an ambition man wants to rule and is willing to do anything to create and maintain a prospering kingdom. His greed drives him to cast out Buddha and put his faith in the twelve demons. The demons will deliver him his wish, but it will cost him his soul and one thing equal to the price. Sometime later his first son is born, his wife adores her son, but the midwives are horrified, the newborn has no limbs, no face, no skin, no senses, the demons have devoured his humanity. The newborn should have died, but a Buddha statue sacrifices his head to let the baby keep his and he stays alive.

The man laughs in joy, now he is sure that his wish will come true, he asks a midwife to drown the newborn, and tells his wife she will have another son and they will rule, she cries for her baby.

The midwife takes the baby, but has sympathy for the child, she believes the child has the will to live and wants to do so. So, she places the newborn in an abandon boat, it drifts, and he is found by a man scared from war, who builds fake human limbs. The child grows up not feeling anything, fighting monsters, until the man discovers that the child regains his body parts by killing the demons that took his limbs. So, the boy sets out to regain his humanity.

First initial thoughts:

So, when I started this anime I was prepared for a sad series, I mean the summary isn't really lighthearted, but also the anime was drawn in a style typical for a depressing anime. Dark and grim were my assumptions, but I thought the story could provide an adventure and bring satisfying satisfaction to the viewer. Also, sometimes sad series deliver a good story, even when the endings are anything but happily ever after. Keep in mind I hate sad endings, still I will be the first to say a story is good, even if the ending was sad, even if I'll never watch it again.

The series had 24 episodes in total, that is actually a great number since the summary made it sound like it would take longer to wrap up. Usually when anime's have 13 episodes, and the topics are complicated, the story never gets a completed ending. So 24 is a good number for a typical adventure series.

Review:

So, in my opinion the story was good, not completely great and not as satisfying as one would hope, but still good. What I mean by that is that the story will keep you entertain and even deliver some deep moments, but the story will stop short of a meaningful impact.

The series was about Hyakkimaru the child born without his humanity, but the series was titled after Dororo, Hyakkimaru companion. After a couple of episodes, it is clear why the creators decided this, since Hyakkimaru is basically a doll, Dororo is the viewer’s guide through the adventure. Hayakkimaru, can't talk, feel, hear, and can only see souls in different colors in his blinded state, this strange sight is the only source Hyakkimaru has to distinguish monsters from humans. Without Dororo, the viewers would be observing a young man without any personality killing monsters, hoping to get all his body parts back and blindly maneuvering through the world.

The series wasn't as complicated after a couple of episodes, a pattern of killing monsters was established and the companions would travel from village to village, meeting new people, and sharing new experiences. Honestly it reminded me a little of the anime Inyuasha, but without the funny comedy or the hints of romance. The story did have some comedic moments, but it wasn’t nearly enough to outweigh the seriousness of the situation the characters were constantly in. Every so often Dororo past would come up, of course it was sad, but her past would hint at a brighter future. The problem with those hints is that it is expected they will lead somewhere, and even though the story ends with the impression that it does, it is very vague.

After half of the story was over, we are introduced to the problematic situation in Hyakkimaru obtaining all his body parts. By achieving his goal, he will kill the land that his father has traded him for. That means the people of that land will suffer, through war and famine all over again. This anime really harps on how terrible the state of the land is, I mean it is so often brought up, that if for a second you think, “I’ll forget it” nope you won’t. Hyakkimaru never, struggles with the decision to keep going, Dororo is actually the one that tries to stop him a couple of times, for fear of losing him. This is around the time I started to question whether he should get his parts back, I mean I still rooted for Hyakkimaru, especially after we are introduced to the rest of his family. It’s just that up to that point he was basically complete, and through the story we meet many unfortunate people, that a part of me thought is it worth it? However, the part of me that wanted to see his justice play out gave in more and so I was glad he continued.

Now the reason I think this anime was great was because you wanted to keep watching, you wanted the resolution to the story and some happiness to the characters. The problems were in the small details, they were inconsistent, and often overlooked, and they were a necessity to the story. Maybe they needed more episodes, but the story seemed rushed towards the end and when we finally got to the conclusion, the ending was not satisfying. Also, they emphasis the trails of living and the beauty of continuing to live despite everything. Still there’s a point where some characters can survive, but choose death, making no attempt to survive. I mean that is like the main point of this series. I think maybe the last episode was the one that might have made the anime a little bit of a downer. I like the anime, personally I would rate it three stars out of five.

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Anime Review: The Rising of the Shield Hero

!Spoiler Alert! !Spoiler Alert! !Spoiler Alert!

Summary:

Four heroes are summoned to another world that is plagued by violence, all of them are from different versions of Japan. Each hero is designated a weapon, and in turn a role, shield, spear, bow, and sword. They are expected to get stronger, save the world, and then they will be able to return home. Naofumi, the Shield Hero, notices right away that he is treated differently, less valued, and expected to be the weakest; still he is optimistic. To aid the heroes, the king presents Adventurers, who will choose the hero they want to join. They will help the hero increase their strength and provide information that will enhance the hero's knowledge of their surroundings.

All four, expect the Shield Hero, are joined by the right amount of Adventurers. The Shield Hero has none, no one wants to join the "weakest." Naofumi doesn't think this is fair but has no choice in the matter; however, an Adventurer from the Spear party decides to join Naofumi, her name is Malty. Unfortunate events occur, Naofumi is betrayed, he is accused of rape by Malty and is not believed by anyone (he did not commit the crime).

This world is ruled by Matriarchy, rape is punished by death, but since the kingdom needs the heroes, he is left alone, but not given any assistance. Rumors are spread, the Shield Hero is hated and considered a devil, he has no money, no connections, and is despised.

However, Naofumi needs help, as the Shield Hero, he is prevented from wielding anything other than a shield. Because of this, it is hard for him to level up, he needs another member to be his sword. Naofumi is not only hated, but he is traumatized by the whole experience; he doesn't trust anyone and is unwilling to try. However, thanks to a seller names Beloukas, he obtains a slave named Raphtalia. She is contracted to him through a spell, this spell prevents the slave from lying or refusing to follow any command. Raphtalia is terrified of Naofumi at first, but slowly begins to realize that he is not a bad person. Naofumi, in turn, begins to trust Raphtalia, and together they form a bond. Together they meet new Adventures and friends, and slowly Naofumi beings his path as a hero.

First impression:

So initially, when I heard about this anime, I was excited, just base on the graphics alone the anime had potential. Depending on the art style, it is easy to determine whether the anime will be serious, funny, or given a higher budget, which can make or break a series. However, I was worried that the storytelling would lose momentum, or that at any moment, it would display its shortcomings. Basically, I was scared that the anime would have a great start and then the writing would get lazy, or that the voice acting would be out of place, or the anime would have too much fan service. Fan service sounds great, but sometimes it can have too many sexual implications, which isn't bad, but it can cheapen the story, and I love a good story. I heard that the main character Naofumi, got betrayed, and I wasn't looking forward to that. I get really into stories, and watching a character get mistreated unfairly is really annoying. Still, l was looking forward to the show and the possibilities it portrayed in summary.

Review:

This anime was terrific; honestly, I love it. It has character growth and actual development; the enemy is realistic, human nature is explored, and it isn't super cliché. Like I mentioned earlier, I was not looking forward to the betrayal part, but that was basically all in the first episode, so I didn't have to worry much about that. Naofumi is a great character, at the beginning of the show, he is so optimistic, but through events, he is no longer so naïve, and matures. He actually grows with the story, a lot of anime have characters who are happy and stay happy, or enlightened when things are hard. However,  Naofumi was realistic, he was angry for being mistreated, and when he finally regains trust, he isn't so willing to just trust anyone like before. Raphtalia grew on me more than I expected, with anime, girl companions can be annoying for me, sometimes with the personality of meek, a female character loses dimensions in growth. While Raphtalia wasn't just docile, she did lack realism, but she made it up, she was useful and not always so cliché.

Also, Raphtalia meets Naofumi as a child, and she has been mistreated and sold, so it is understandable why she devotes herself to Naofumi so actively. Still I would have liked more diversity in gender when it came to Naofumi party, mostly because it started to feel like a harem anime at times.

The anime was fun, and the story made me want to see the Shield Hero get a win, the only problem that I saw, were in the details. When Naofumi's party learned a new skill, it wasn't always known until they were fighting, so as the viewer, we get to assume they learned that skill along the way. Still, I understand that an anime can be complicated, and too many details can ruin a story or be too much to fit in one season. Not all animes have the same number of episodes as Naruto for example and producers can never assume they will get a second season of any series. So honestly, I was okay with some details not adding up; the story, after all, was entertaining and exciting to watch.

Did I mention there was a cute adorable chicken, it wasn't actually called that in the series, but it was basically a giant adorable chicken. The chicken had a human form, but it was another cliché look, so I wasn't really that interested in that version. Personally, I would have loved it if the writers always kept the chicken in its original form, but maybe I'm biased. I think the anime does cater a lot to specific fan service, and it's trying to form a harem. Still, I am hoping that in the second season, there is less of that, and puts more focus on the skills and the fighting ability of the members.

Conclusion

Overall, I really enjoyed the anime, I give it a four and a half stars, I would give it five stars, but I think it will gain that in the second season. I hope anyone who wants to get into anime gives this show a try, or if your use to watching shows like Naruto, this show is worth it. It is very different than Naruto, but it follows the path of the underdog. While it's not as serious, I still wouldn't consider this show light hearted. It does lean more towards that side, but it does have a story that develops and one that is easy to get invested in.

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Didn't want a Dog, now I have Three !!!

I never wanted dogs. I know that by saying that, I sound like a terrible person, but it wasn’t just dogs, I didn’t want pets in general. Personally, I just didn’t see the logic of getting a pet, especially during college, everything is already super expensive. If I got a dog, I would need to buy it things, not mentioning the vet bills, apartment pet deposit or any damages done by the dog. Also, pets need attention, love, time, and that’s almost impossible if I’m working or in class, I would feel bad. The point is I didn’t want a pet, maybe when I graduated, or when I thought having one would be less work, I didn’t want the responsibility.

The problem was I started dating someone I really liked, and he had a dog named, Bristol. Bristol hates everybody except my boyfriend, I mean she can tolerate people/other dogs, but for the most part she rather be by herself with my boyfriend on a beach somewhere alone. This dog is a 15 years old, chihuahua/Pomeranian mix, who is filled with so much attitude it borders on hateful. This dog hated me, but I couldn’t take it personal, since it hated everybody else too. Now my boyfriend (lets call him James) loves this dog, I mean this dog has been with him for 15 years, he loves this dog. I wasn’t that big into dogs, I had one as a kid, love it, it died, and I haven’t had one since. My parents took care of my childhood dog, Chona, so I had fond memories of her, but not compare to people who do the grunt work.

Bristol

Anyway, James and I moved into the same apartment, a studio apartment, super small with the kitchen, living room and bedroom all in one open space, the restroom had the only door, so yeah it sucked. Bristol was new to me, when I moved in, I didn’t have a job (that’s how you know James loved me lol) so all my time was spend with her, she kept to herself and expected me to do the same, unless she needed to potty (go to the restroom). Like I said before, I never wanted another dog, I didn’t want the responsibility, and Bristol wasn’t my dog, but we spend a lot of time together, at that point she was 13, still old, but still playful (with James not me). Since she didn’t care for me, she would never cuddle, always bark when I tried to hold her, and never listen me.

I want to point out, I never hated this dog, but that didn’t mean I was always thrilled to wake up to one who hated me. Also, Bristol wasn’t like an ugly T-Shirt James had that I could convince him to throw out (not that I ever wanted too). I was simply uninterested in doing the dog person responsibilities, I didn’t want to walk it or take it out to pee or basically be considerate of it, I just wanted to be responsible of me. I know how ridicules all of this sounds, but I thought it was interesting how people fall in love and then change, not for someone else, but because of someone else.

James loves dogs obviously, but he loves just about any other pet too, he ones convinced me to get four baby ducks at a Tractor Supply Store. Well he didn’t convince me, more like I said, “no they’ll poo everywhere”, and he took that as gets four baby ducks while I’m at work, because there cute. They eventually found a good home, just not with us.

Bristol is old, she will eventually move on, and James knows this, but obviously isn’t thrilled about it, I know this too, and while I eventually have gotten to the point of  loving Bristol in my own way, I will be sad in a different way than James. I am terrible with sad events and originally, I look up on ways to help people grieving over lost pets, as a precaution, I wanted to be prepared So I would know exactly what to do. Not that me knowing would really change much, but I did read an article that said getting the person another dog after the loss of one, would feel like they are replacing the one that died.

I read that sometimes it helps to have a dog that knew the old one, that meant getting another dog. I talked to James about it and we agreed that it was something to think about. James knew I didn’t’ really cared for dogs, so he was basically asking me to think about it, because James of course wanted the dog. That’s how we ended up with Whiskey, a nervous dog, a little shy and very sweet, but Bristol didn’t care for her, since Bristol hated everybody, but they learned to live together. However, Whiskey was lonely, Bristol was too old to play and fragile, and while Whiskey was super sweet towards Bristol, you could tell she wanted Bristol to pay attention to her too. So again, me and James talked, I said “let’s get a fluffy dog this time.”

Whiskey

Well I went to pick one out at a dog Rescue, but she turned out to not be fluffy at all, she was definitely mix with a dachshund and honestly wasn’t my first choice, but she kept looking at me with sad eyes and I just couldn’t say no. Also, I felt like James would love this one too, but the best part was that she and Whiskey seemed like old friends. We named that one Ruby. Three dogs.

Ruby

The funny thing is that I didn’t realize I had three dogs until I did, if that makes any sense and it was interesting to say the least, all of them had their own personalities. The weird part was that I can honestly say I love them, its weird to say that, because I just never thought I has the potential to care about something that isn’t human. I know that’s strange, but it was just an unexpected positive in my life.

Together

Links to Articles about pet Loss:

10 Ways to Heal After Losing a Pet

Coping with the death of your pet

Coping with Losing a Pet

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A How To on Acrylic Nails

Beauty tends to change just about every month and depending on the location it can be entirely different than what it is at a different place in the world. Sure, people like to advocate for the natural beauty for the simple and just be yourself platforms but sometimes what we add to our appearances define our moods and confidence. Accessories are part of our self-expression and I like to believe it adds extra personality to someone's individual style. Now am I a certified person to be talking about the beauty trends of the world?  Simply put no. I am not a fashion student or guru for that matter, but I do have interest. Specifically, in one beauty trend that seems to change and grow each year. Nails!!!

Well acrylic nails to be more specific. They have always interested me, sometimes in a good way and sometimes in a bad way. See, as a kid I didn't understand them. I remember seeing girls around school with perfectly French tip nails. And as a young naive kid, I used to believe that those were their original nails. I always thought, “Wow their nails are so pretty, why are my……” Yes, I used to think my nails were less than desirable but hey can you blame me? No one told me the secret. My mom didn't understand the concept of spending money on unnecessary things. And to be honest I thought the same into one day I walked to my very first nail salon. I felt powerful, beautiful, different. When I got my very first set of acrylic nails something clicked. Sure, there were downfalls like not being able to open jars, sodas, and sometimes doors, but the perks were so good. I felt like an inner diva rose and said,” You look good.”

Now this blog isn't just me going on and on about how I love Acrylic Nails or how they are a good accessory or even about how they fit in in the new beauty era. Nope, I was interested in how to affordably get my nails done. I figured YouTube is popular with “how to” videos so I figured it was time for me to get a new hobby. I know very little on how to create beautiful nails, but I can give you the information that I have learned from my new hobby, first with what you will need and second the steps to create.

What equipment/products are needed to achieve beauty long acrylic nails?

●       Acrylic Nail tips- These are used as a template for nail shapes/lengths and it makes the nail stronger. Also, if you are like me and nervously chew your nails, these help a lot.

●       Nail Glue- Self-explanatory but this is needed for the fake nail to stay on your real nail.

●       Acrylic Nail Clipper/Nail File- Used to cut and shape the nail. I don't recommend using scissors, because they wouldn't be able to clip the nail even, and it would look bad.

●       Electric Nail Drill- Use to file, buff and shape the nail so that it doesn't look like a hot mess. You don't have to have a drill, you can always use a simple file, but it will take longer, like a lot longer.

●       Acrylic Monomer/ Acrylic Powders- When combined they make the substance use to create acrylic nails. They smell bad.

●       Acrylic Dish- To hold Monomer and the brush

●       Acrylic Nail brush- It's a must to have a good quality nail brush, because if not it wouldn't last long and it can even make your application impossible to make.

●       Nail Polish Remover- It helps to clean off the brush and fix small mistakes, plus it removes you know, nail polish.

●       Nail Primer- Use to make nails last longer, I personally don't use this because I am still learning how to create good nails and they are easier to take off without the primer, but if you really want to use it go ahead.

●       Nail Dust Remover/ Mask- Trust me, there will be a lot of nail dust everywhere.

Acrylic Nails Application steps.

Clean your nails- Your body naturally creates oil. Remove all nail polish and overall make them look neat.

File- File your natural nail so that it's in manageable length and then file the top of the nails so that it leaves a little rough surface. This is to help the fake nails stay longer but be careful and don't over file them.

Cuticles- Now you can put cuticle remover and push your cuticles back, but I like removing them with the drill. If you don't know what cuticles are, they are that thin layer of extra looking skin on the edges of your nails. If you don't remove them. It looks like your nails have grown out and they will make your nails look, well messy.

Fake Nail tips- Make sure to take your time getting the right sizes for each finger. If they are too big, it will cover the skin and your nails will hurt, especially if forcefully removed (I used to laugh at any girl who cried for a broken nail until it happened to me, it hurts really bad).

Nail primer- After your nails are in place put a small layer of nail primer. I usually skip this step and I recommend it, if you are new to the nail game like me.

Acrylic monomer/ powder- Acrylic dish and Nail brush will be needed. Put the brush inside the dish with the monomer. Gentle rub the brush against the glass side to remove excess liquid. Gently place on powder and create a bead and then place on the back end of the nail. Repeat the steps but this time apply the bead on the middle of the nail and then on the tip of the nail. Each time you do this remember to swipe the brush so that I combine gradually and nicely with the fake nail. This takes practice and I mean a lot of practices. You will mess up but don't get discouraged and try again and remember you can always use the electric drill to fix your obvious mistakes. Make sure to apply the mixture fast because it will dry out.

Electric Drill- With the drill you will trim the bumps and undesirable mistakes, then file and buff.    

Overall

It's fun to create the nails I want but it does take practice, and patience. I sometimes take a day to finish a set of nails. I manage to do one hand and I get too tired to do the other one. After they are created the fun part is decorating them. I personally like gel nails because they last longer than regular nail polish. To decorate with gel polish, you will need a UV Nail Light because gel polish only dries under it. I am serious, you can wait 20 years and gel polish will not dry on its own. Now after all these steps you are probably thinking,” I prefer paying for acrylic nails” or “this is too much work.” But let me tell you, you will save money and it's actually very rewarding when you create them on your own. Sure, nails aren't for everyone and with the way beauty trends change there's a good chance acrylic nails will be a thing of the pass. But I still recommend learning to create them. It's a form of art, which helps reduce stress, you save money in the long run (well if you get your nails done regularly), and it's a form of expression. It added a spice of, THIS IS ME, vibes and you get to create something from nothing. Plus, you can also show off your new skill to your friends. If you do decide to learn this skill remember to keep practicing, it's okay to take your time and don't give up. I advocate for this trend because it gives me confidence that I can do anything. I like to express my mood through the colors that I chose and give my personality a voice with the designs I chose. I also ran out of things to do in my time off and when thinking about what to do in my isolated boredom I came to the realization that doing acrylic nails could be fun. I did think of the more common hobbies to pick up like exercising , painting, even writing, but I wanted to challenge myself in a way that those other hobbies couldn't ( I hate running, I paint like a three year old and writing acquired extra focus/ thinking). Creating nails challenge me on a creative artistic level. It also gives me motivation to succeed because doing all that effort for them to come out ugly was not an option. I recommend looking at a lot of videos and overall staying positive. Yes, they will come out looking a bit funky at first and your fingers might feel like they are going to fall off but it's really fun to try. Whether it's this beauty trend or a different one just remember don't let others stop you from expressing your individuality.

Here are a couple of links to some helpful videos:

Acrylic Nails At Home: Step by Step How-To Tutorial

💅🏼Acrylic Nail Tutorial - How To Apply Acrylic For Beginners 🎉📚

DIY Nail Workshop - Acrylic Application

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Everything's Fine, Slumps happen, Here's what to do.

Sometimes slumps happen, everything is moving, everything is not exactly going right, but also not bad, but everything still sucks. The days are quick, long, everything is just not worth doing, what’s the point, and if there is a point, the point is too far away to actually matter at the moment. Everyone has slumps, depression periods, everything sucks kind of vibes, and getting out of them can be a pain in the butt.

I’ve noticed a week ago that I was suffering from this annoying occurrence, I’m not doing much, but somehow, I can’t feel relax and refresh, instead, this super “ugh” mood is hanging over my head. However, this isn’t my first time in a slump, and I have mastered a couple of tips for anybody in school who has realized that they have too much time on their hands and are losing it or life just sucks. Don’t get me wrong, classes are hard and the homework piles on, but I’ve noticed that sometimes depression periods occur, all on their own and usually the school stuff suffers. Sometimes these periods occur while maintaining a job and school, that’s a nightmare, it's like the day ends too quickly and nothing productive seems to ever get done, all you want is the break time, the “me” time.

So, based on my experience alone, I have a list that might help indicate that you are in a slump. These are my personal tells, everyone is different, but I’m sure that someone else has had these specifically.

Here are some signs that you might be in a slump:

You overdo it on sleep, you stay up all night, then sleep all day, constantly.

So personally, I sleep late, I won’t say I have insomnia, because I know I can sleep, I just choose not to. Sleeping will get me closer to waking up and starting my stressful day, so I stay up, it's like running away. Also, if I have a lot to do, and I feel like I don’t have enough time for myself, I’ll stay up because I feel less guilty like I’m not wasting time doing things I actually want to do.

You eat once a day. I mean you eat properly one meal and then snack all day.

Honestly, if I have the money, I’ll buy nothing else but fast-food, I won’t cook. I’ll overeat in one sitting then have snacks for the rest of the day. If I don’t have money for quick junk food, I’ll cook one meal, and again snacks, sometimes I’ll make a late-night sandwich if snacks aren’t filling me up. Personally, the snacks are always sweet, and bread-like.

You have seen too much T.V.

I usually watch too much tv, it gets to the point where I start seeing things that I would never consider, just because I can’t find anything, I haven’t seen. I get so sick of it that I can feel my mind is melting and I start to think that if life is worth living, it can’t be to do this. I’m usually broke, and TV is free, and it’s too much work to do anything else. When you do try to do anything else, you feel like it’s too uncomfortable, and it was such a stretch to come up with something else to do that you just don’t want to do anything else.

You clean or maybe you don’t, but when you do clean, not often enough to keep the “house” tidy.

Suddenly your home is a pigpen, and you hate it, but its overwhelming to actually start picking things up. I feel great when my home is clean, it helps me feel on top of things, however in these slumps, I clean, but it gets dirtier.

You hate how you look, but working out seems pointless, you’ll quit anyway and then you’ll feel worst.

So, this one might be specific to me, but most of the time if I am in these slumps, I don’t feel great about myself. I focus too much on appearance and it really hits my self-esteem. I try to work out but feel so disheartened, even if the exercise made me feel great, I just “know” I’ll quit and find myself feeling silly for even trying or like a failure.

Here’s the worst about the whole thing, it’s a f****** cycle, everything connects and it’s impossible to actually get off the suck train, without actually constantly trying. If you stay up all night and then wake up at 3:00 pm you’re not really thinking about eating property, so you eat one meal, because you’re starving and then snack all day. You just woke up, you watch tv, its 5 pm and the day is gone, you don’t clean, or exercise by default, because it’s too late. When you decide to actually do better, you notice it’s hard to sleep early, you’re not tired, and since you have nowhere to be, you don’t find the urgency.  It's honestly annoying because you want to do better, but its SOOO hard and there’s absolutely no motivation. When there is urgency it's even worse, you start feeling the guilt.

So, I wouldn’t just talk about the terrible side-effects of a slump, without offering some sort of solutions. I will remind the reader that getting out of a slump is way harder, I mean it is so annoyingly more difficult, that it makes you not want to do it. That is ignoring the fact that in these slumps you already aren’t motivated to do anything.

Here are some solutions:

Go for a walk, preferably with a friend, but by yourself with music works well too.

So, this is the first one for a major reason, it sounds like the dumbest, but trust me it works. The reason is that in a slump you get sad, depress even. Someone told me once that a walk a day gives you the same effects as taking depression medication. Plus, the walk helps, you breathe in air, it forces you to actually think, instead of numbing yourself, and the scenery is different. I will say this one is just annoying to start though, especially if you become a hermit in the midst of the slump.

Exercise.

Yeah, this one is generic and in sucks, but there is a reason for it. Working out makes you tired, and it relaxes you, it honestly makes you feel good about yourself. You don’t have to be a pro on this, even 30 minutes helps, just do it more than once a week.

Clean one section at a time.

Even if the house is a mess, clean five dishes, then stop or maybe do one load of laundry, do small amounts, make it possible. It pushes you to progress, and eventually, doing all the dishes is possible.  You can use this method to finish your homework.

Wake up earlier than usual.

This one can be hard, hopefully exercising can get you tired enough to start sleeping earlier, but the waking up is the main goal. Like with the cleaning, you don’t have to be extreme, if you’re waking up at 3:00 PM, try 11:00 AM, then keep going. You will wake up less tried, less in a bad mood, and more likely to feel like a better person if you’re rested and alive in the morning (aim for 8 hours).

Find anything else to do besides T.V.

Read, paint, do puzzles, do anything that isn’t watching the screen, its easy to fall into a trap of technology, and it is numbing. You don’t want to keep numbing yourself with tv, it really makes you stay addicted to the cycle. If it’s a relaxing pass time, sure, but if you’re watching, just to watch, to not think, then do something else.

Basically…

It's not easy to actually get out of the everything sucks period, you’re basically changing your mentality, and that is the hardest to do. You have to stay positive, even when you’re not, and when you’re by yourself it's daunting and it seems impossible. However, even though it’s easier with someone’s help, sometimes they hinder the change and you make them your crutch. This change can be tricky, you have to be aware, but don’t pressure yourself, its hard already without making yourself feel like a failure.

As I said, I am basing all of this on my experience alone, so I’m not an expert, sometimes the slump has no rules, and self-help isn’t actually curing anything. Obviously, at that point go see someone professionally, it doesn’t make you weak. If you think it does, don’t tell anyone, just make sure to go anyway, try something once especially if what you were doing wasn’t helping.

Stay positive, acknowledge the small accomplishments and tell everyone to f*** off if they want to judge, everyone struggles at one point, just keep moving. You can do it, and if no one else does I believe in you.

Here are some links to articles on the benefits of exercising:

Exercise is an all-natural treatment to fight depression  

Running From the Pain

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[strangelyokay]

Introduction: “Hello”

​My name is Elissa. No one calls me that, except strangers, I usually go by Eli, pronounced Ellie, written Eli. A Senior in College, tired of studying and trying to relax, I wanted to try to write a blog. Though honestly I think I will most likely lose interest in this, but I will legitimately try to finish this to an end. This idea originally started because of a class final that I actually struggled with. However it made me really focus on specific things, so I want to see if this could be helpful to me in the long run. Anyway I hope it goes well and that I don’t end up talking to myself, but it is nice to meet anyone who ends up reading this and I am happy you did.