To all Those That say That Sexism is not Real

If I knew the source, I'd link it here, I'M SORRY

Recently, I've had many converstations, and seen many conversations happen in which people said that sexism does not exist anymore, and that women are just complaining. I'm going to try to refrain from swearing in this post, but What the heck!?!?! Like.... actually, what the heck; are you kidding me? I guess it can be hard to understand some of the struggles a woman may go through more often than men.

This is not to say that all these situations are exclusive to women, because in most cases, they are not.  But here's a compilation of stuff:

Don't exclude me because I'm female!

I've seen so many times where girls that are fully competent at a task (say basketball) get completely ignored by males. In the entire game, they would just not pass it to her, because she was a female, and apparently females, even if they're good at it, are not as good as the males. I understand that as kids grow up, there becomes more and more of a physical difference between the sexes, but, as kids, you're BASICALLY the same. So what's your excuse?

Like, I get it, don't pass the ball to me, ever, because I literally will ruin the game for the team. BUT that's not because I'm a girl, that's because I'm a slut. And, just because I, and other females, cannot play basketball does not mean that NO girl can play basketball. Your gender does not determine your ability to do things. Please, don't assume.

I can't study while your legs are showing!

Okay, I can't stand this one. So often, I see these articles about girls being sent home from school for wearing "inappropriate" outfits, when in reality, most of the time, the outfits are perfectly fine. "Please go home and change, your outfit is distracting." Distracting to who?! Are males going to jizz in their pants because they can't stand seeing knees, or arms, or some collar? Why must a girl need to go home to change an outfit where there's nothing wrong with it? So that the precious boys can learn? What are the girls going to do about the time that it took for them to get home and back? Don't girls need to learn too? 

I understand, if the outfit is actually inappropriate, it would be fair to send them home. But often, that's not the case. Here are some examples: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Wage gap... Complicated, but real.

Okay, this one is a bit of a hard one to exist... So I'm gonna let John Green do it for me XD here it is.

Child Marriage

This one just makes me a mixture of both sad and mad. Those poor, poor girls in less developed countries. They don't deserve that, no one deserves that. I just wish they had a chance to grow up, physically and mentally. I wish that they had more freedom in who and when they got married, and when they needed to have kids. It breaks my heart that this still happens. 

Being Feminine is not a bad Thing

Another video link for this one, I think they say it better than me. Here's a video of the creators of ASAPScience, in which they talk about the overwhelming amount of comments on their videos that criticize the way they act "like women", are "so gay." Neither of those things define how good of content-creators, or educationers they are. In fact, I think they're great at what they do, regardless of how they may present themselves. 

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These are just some of the examples out there. (Honestly, I'm just super tired right now and this list is getting long anyways.... I wonder if anyone is still reading LOL) But yeah, sexism is still happening, all over the world. There are SO many things I have yet to touch upon. And one day, I hope that this stuff won't be a thing anymore, and that men and women will have the chance to be who they want to be without being discriminated because of their gender.

Thanks for reading,

--J

Who am I? ...I Don't Really Know.

Who is this girl? I have no idea...

I know that I'm weird, and I know that I'm random, but I really have know idea who I really am. I tweeted a tweet earlier on the lines of "you are you, and that's all you're ever going to be, so be the best you you could possibly be," and I've decided, it's time to find who I am, and the best I can be.

Today I realized that a lot of what I do isn't for me, it's for other people. For example, I wouldn't say certain things because other people didn't want me to, or not post a picture I liked because someone told me it wasn't good enough. Not only that, I would also wait for and desire validation from others, usually in the form of likes on social media.

I'm tired of this. I don't want to live a life where I'm pretending to be someone else, when I don't even really know who I am. So, from now on, I will post whatever I want, say whatever I want, when I want without a care in the world, because this is me.

It's time to find out who I really am. I'm going to do this by first finding out what it is that I like, and then putting it out there in the world, even if someone else doesn't like it, because, let's face it, someone out there will always be a hater. I want to study more, learn more, and create more.

Overall, I just want to be me, and just me. And, surely, someone out there will like me for who I am..... right!? (lol).

So yeah. Since this is a pretty big part of my life, expect more updates.

--J

4 Study Tactics That Work

After two weeks of intense day-after-day of evalutations, lab reports, and assignments, the knowledge of needing good study tactics has been even further ingrained into my head, haha. Here are 5 study tips that I try to apply every time I have a ton of things to do!

1. Interval Study

Much like interval training, interval study is when you study for a period of time (usually 30 minutes, for me) and then take a short break (5 minutes). When you have a lot of things to do, you might think the last thing you should be doing is wasting time on breaks (like who has time for that shit??) But, it is important to give your brain a bit of a breather once in a while. During your break, your brain will have time to refresh itself and process the information that you threw into it in the last 30 minutes.

An app I use for this is Forest (available on iOS and Android). Not only does this app notify  you when you finish your mini study session, it also prevents you from getting distracted by going on your phone! (Killing two birds with one stone is always the way to go!)

2. Electronics = OFF!

I've already touched on this point above with the app Forest, but guys, it is so so so important to eliminate your distractions by turning off your electronics! It sounds obvious, but you have no idea how much it can help until you actually do it. 

Sometimes, you might need to use the computer, but not the internet, in cases like that, I'd advise you to turn off the wifi. If you need the internet, then maybe look into add-ons that will ban you from using certain sites (ie. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter) for a certain amount of time. Although I don't do this, an example of this type of add-on is StayFocused.

3. Have a Plan

It's a good idea to have at least a rouch idea of what you plan to accomplish every day. For me, I make a to-do list of all the things I ideally will finish every single day for a week, when I have busy weeks (eg. read chapter 12 for chemistry and finish lab report on monday). There's an actual week of my life where I did this, and it really helps! It's also a good idea to write down due dates, so you know the maximum amount of time you have to do something.

4. Lifestyle Matters

The way you live when you're super duper busy matters, too! If you're too stressed, your preformance levels will start to drop and you won't be able to do as much as you ideally could. So, to prep yourself so that you can achieve your maximum potential, get at least 6.5 hours of sleep. (I would say get a full 8 hours, but, really, who has time for that?) 

You are what you eat! Seriously! Putting junk into your body will only make you feel sluggish. Make sure you stay hydrated and fill your bodies with lots of nutrients! There are all sorts of foods that can help boost your brain power so you can get the most out of your time. Examples of these foods include avocados, blueberries, and broccoli. Read this for an explanation for what some of these foods are good for.

One last thing, IISuperwomanII recently posted a video called "5 REAL Ways to get Your Work Done" in which she outlines 5 seriously awesome strategies that we can implement into our lives when we want to get crackin'. (Seriously go watch it, it's an awesome video)

Anyways, I hope these were at least some what helpful. Do you have any tips that I didn't mention? If so, please let me know in the comments!

--J

DON'T BE SUCH A WASTE!

Hello from the other side!!! [..of midterms haha] I've actually thought about writing this post for a long, long time, but for some reason never got around to it. I think it's simply because there's so much stuff to write about that it just seems like a mammoth job. I'm gonna try to keep this short and concice though. This is a very important issue to me, and I've recently become a lot more troubled by it.. so here it goes!

I would add an image source... but I really cannot seem to find its source... so sorry!

In this day and age of mass purchasing and spending, we are wasting and throwing out more than ever! The average American makes ~4.5 pounds of garbage a day, and that's a statistic from 2007. I wouldn't be surprised if that number is much higher today.

Ever since going to university and eating university cafeteria food, I have been forced into many more situations where using reusable containers was not a choice. And as a person who hates wasting material, I feel absolutely terrible for using something for say half an hour and then throwing it out (ie. A coffee cup, or a paper plate). The campus where I go to school is home to another 12 thousand students. 12k students every day, using plastic cups, plastic utensils, paper/plastic containers, that's a huge amount of waste!

On a much bigger scale, think about how much garbage food courts make in a day just from one-use objects! And some times, you think you're putting your waste into recycling bins, however, nothing is being done. This is the case for Tim Horton's and Starbucks (at least, in Canada).

I encourage everyone to get aquainted with this topic, if they are not already. A great place to start is by watching "The Story of Stuff." To gain inspiration to start taking action, check out Mind Body Green to read the story of Lauren, an NYC girl who hasn't made any trash in two years.

Now, of course, you don't have to go to that extreme, because for many people, that kind of lifestyle is highly unattainable. But, if we all do little things collectively, we can provide a solution to a big problem. Instead of getting coffee in the traditional paper/plastic Starbucks cups, you can get your own reusable travel mug (and even get a discount!) Personally, I carry around my own set of utensils (fork and spoon) so I never have to use the plastic ones.

There's so many things we can do to put an end to this overspending on such unnecessary things that it seems silly to not do anything about it.



Thanks so much for reading,

--J

A New "New Year's Resolution"?

I said in an earlier post that I would only have 2, buuuuut, I think a third has creeped its way into my life.  The new one is..... exercise!

Now, now, I know that you all think, "Omg she is just like all the other annoying people who are like 'this year, I'm going to get super fit' and stop the regiment after a month." But I'm going to REALLY try. Try to exercise more, that is, just more, not every day.

I've been on and off following Cassey from Blogilates, but haven't actually done most of her workouts. But, recently, I've found myself back on her page more often and trying some of them out. (As a result, my body is sore to the max!)

If you guys also have exercise on your list of things to make a habit, and haven't given Cassey's workouts a try, here's one!

Have fun!

--J

5 Must Have Skincare Items to Survive Winter

From left to right, top to bottom: lip balm, body butter, FAB moisturizer, Clean & Clear moisturizer, face mask, exfoliator

During the winter, my skin looks basically like a dried up pavement with like a billion cracks (horrific, but true). So, without these things, I don't think I could make it through the cold Canadian months, haha. They're essentials to me!

1. Lip Balm

If I go even a night without lip balm, my lips will start crusting and cracking, and all-round looking disgusting. The one I've been using the most often is one by eos. I love the waxy consistency (even though some people hate it), I just think it seals in the moisture really well. I think the flavour I have is called Peppermint Vanilla (I forgot, lol, if I'm wrong, I'm so sorry)

2. Facial Moisturizer

A moisturizer is so important to me, like, if I don't use it for even a day, I will notice dry flakey patches (not pretty) on my face. The one I use at nighttime is the "First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream." It's really thick and creamy (duh), but the thing I kind of dislike about it is the smell. Although it's not strong, it's definitely not something I would call pleasing.

In the mornings, my favourite is one by Clean and Clear called "Morning Burst, Hydrating gel Moisturizer." Oh my god, the smell is amazing. It smells like melons, and from a person who doesn't even really like melons, it still smells like heaven. It's a really light formula that goes on really easily and sinks in real quick.

3. Face Exfoliator

I don't exfoliate every single day (that would be too much!) but when I do, I use the "Acure Brightening Facial Scrub." It has argan stem cell and chlorella growth factor, and because of those ingredients, it kind of looks like you're putting seaweed mud on your face. Sounds gross, but I swear, after, your face feels like a baby's bum. 

4. Body Butter

I've got a huge tub of the "Shea Body Butter" by The Body Shop, and if there's still anyone out there who hasn't tried it (I swear, everyone has, by now), The Body Shop body butters are like really thick moisturizers. Usually, I find them kind of gross and sticky, as they tend to be very oily (especially in the summer), but in the winter time, I'm so dry, I literally could not care. The thickness and oiliness actually goes to help my skin be "normal." 

5. Hydrating Face Mask

Again, this is something I don't use daily (more like weekly), the one I have is the "Amino Herbal Hydration Mask" by OZ Naturals. I tend to use this in conjunction with the face exfoliator mentioned above, and the combo gives me what feels like new skin. If you ever see me stroking my face like a weirdo, you know what products I just used on my face, LOL. This mask is a clear gel that you just apply to your face, and as it dries, it gives you this cooling, tingly feeling that's really nice. The mask also has hyaluronic acid, vitamin B5, and vitamin E, which are all super great for your skin.

Are there any items that are absolutely essential in your winter skincare routines? Leave them in the comments below, as I would love to find more gems, haha.

Thanks for reading!

--J

Blue Neighbourhood||A Review

Blue Neighbourhood is an album by Troye Sivan, released on December 4th, 2015. It's Troye's first album, and kind of a follow up after his EP, WILD. The deluxe album features 15 tracks.

I love the ENTIRE album, but I thought I would share some of my favourites. :) (Oh gosh, it's going to be so hard to pick, they are all literally the best). This list is ordered by the way they appear on the official track list.

1. Fools

Fools has a really nice melody, and its about a relationship that's going downhill because of something Troye did. It's a song that unfortunately I can relate to on a personal level. My favourite lyric is "I don't give a fuck, I'm not giving up, I still want it all."

2. Talk Me Down

Talk Me Down is about an innocent love, as depicted by the lyric, "I wanna sleep next to you, but that's all I wanna do right now." This song has a really catchy melody, and its the kind that you'll find yourself humming hours later.

3. Heaven

Heaven has what I think is the most powerful lyric of the entire album, "Without losing a piece of me, how do I get to heaven? ... So if I'm not losing a piece of me, maybe I don't want heaven." He wrote this song because so many religions say that to enter heaven, you cannot be gay. Troye spent his whole life worrying about having to change himself to get to heaven, because his present self wasn't good enough. But, one day he realized, maybe he doesn't need heaven if the cost is changing who he is.

4. Youth

This song just has a super duper catchy tune (the kind that makes you want to dance), and really cool instrumentals. (His fans like to call him a dancing noodle in that video LOL)

And, yeah, yeah, I know no one gets CD's anymore, but I just really like having physical copies of things. (Plus, one day they'll be vintage, like vinyls are)

If you were to go listen to just a few songs off Troye's album, I definitely recommend those four (they're even linked for you already!).

If you've listened to the album, what are your favourite songs?

--J

Get it here