Summer Giveaway- Win One Candies Body Lotion + Claire's Jewelry + Sunglasses + iPhone 5/5S Case!

I've been planning to give you all a little reward for following my blog and just being such awesome readers. Even though I had stopped blogging for a couple months, I saw how my blog readership still increased and how nothing seemed to change when I got back to blogging again so far that I thank you!

Here's two easy giveaways for you all because most of you are already following me on my social media accounts, so all you need to do is enter! You can enter one giveaway or both. The first giveaway has one Candies Vanilla Bon Body Lotion, a Dainty Gold Dollar Sign Necklace by Claire's, and Spring Hinge Sunglasses!

The second giveaway is a pretty pink iPhone 5/5S case by Claire's! I love this iPhone case, I even gave one just like this one, but in a mint color to my Mom for her birthday and she loved it too. It has pretty embellishments and a mirror too!

Both giveaways are open to any resident of the U.S. and Canada only. Thank you again for continuing to read my blog and good luck! 

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10 Things I Learned at the Smart Girls Conference + Review

A few weeks ago, I attended the Smart Girls Conference hosted by the Smart Girls Group. I became a member of this online group some time in 2012. The group empowers young women to network with each other, help one another, and ultimately live a well-rounded "smart" life. There is no membership fee for joining the group, all they ask is you to contribute your passions and interests to benefit the group as a whole. My contribution is writing for technology column on their blog called the Smart Girl's Loop. I enjoy writing for their blog and reading articles written by other girls just like me. 

This group was only a virtual network I was a part of until I decided to attend their very first self-hosted conference. The conference overall was an awesome experience! It was the first conference I ever attended and it exceeded my expectations completely. 

There were several interesting guest speakers ranging from media, blogging, fashion, and career, keynote presentations, lots of food and snacks, and incredible gift bags. Speakers such as Stephanie Ruhle from Bloomberg news, Makenzie Horan from Design Darling, Carly Heitlinger from The College Prepster, Kayla Webley from Marie Clare, Renata Mutis Black from Empowered by You, Lauren Lally from RewardStyle, Brenda Berkman the first woman firefighter of NY, Arthur Woods from Imperative, Shiza Shahid the CEO of the Malala fund, Soraya Darabi from Zady and many more! 

All these speakers and presenters had great things to offer over the course of the 2-day conference. I learned a whole lot (10 things in particular that I would like to share) from the presenters and attending the event itself. 

1. Saying I can't do this because (I have a family, I go to school, I have a job)... is not an excuse. You can make time for anything that is important to you.

2. Work hard on yourself, don't be hard on yourself. I took personally to this lesson because I am one to always be hard on myself, but it shouldn't be that way. We are all here to progress, not to finish the race.

3. Don't compare yourself, your brand, your blog, and your company to others.

4. Be sweet and kind to everyone, all the time, in every way.

5. Finding your purpose is a continuing process.

6. Take a vacation away from work, travel, and relax. Don't worry about work changes and deadlines while you're gone. When you come back, everything will be where you left off.

7. Traveling into NYC is not as hard as I thought it would be. I traveled to and from NYC both days of the conference and the second day I even found myself knowing where the nearest Starbucks was in order to pick up some coffee before the conference. 

8. Becoming a grown-up means tailoring your professional decisions according to who you want to be as a person. 

9. Media gives you the perception that success happens over-night, but you don't see the seven years of hard work that happened before the success.

10. Networking is hard to do. It's not easy approaching someone you don't know and making a good enough impression to hand out a business card that leaves them remembering who you are.

It was a great experience, I was able to meet so many of the people I e-mail and network with online, in-person. I even met the founder of the Smart Girls Group, Emily Raleigh. She's a wonderful inspiration and a very strong leader. Plus, she's only a couple years older than I am and she managed to create this community of hundred of girls striving to be successful! 

I am certain I am attending next year's conference and you should too! If you do, send me a tweet and we'll exchange business cards!

P.S. This gift back was awesome and I love the Day Designer Planner by Whitney English!

It Happened...I Graduated

Graduating high school may not be such a big accomplishment to many people since hey, it's just high school and all you really have to do is graduate with a sub-par grade point average, just enough school credits, and a decent attendance record. If you ask me, it's really not a hard thing to do. I am not celebrating the fact I graduated in this blog post. I am celebrating the fact that I was able to push through the finish line these past four years, did what I needed to do (regardless of what was going on around me), performed better than most academically, and was able to learn and grow beyond what what was being taught in school.

These past four years I was a member of our school Marching Band, member of the Future Business Leaders of America and then eventually President, someone acknowledged by teachers and faculty as a student with outstanding potential, and most importantly known as a well-rounded person. Graduating high school isn't an accomplishment to me, but that is. 

I am very grateful to have found myself in various instances in which I was tested to see if my true character would advance. It really is a great feeling knowing that instead of simply graduating and leaving high school, I left behind a little trail where I hope many of the people who I have come to know through those years will one day follow and celebrate even bigger achievements with me that I hope to have accomplished by then.

Here's to a new stage to advance from or in my best friend's gaming language, a new level to clear. 

Links I've Stumbled Upon v.3

I have been missing in action from my blog lately, but I am back and I figured a great way to start blogging again was with another addition of "Links I've Stumbled Upon", the series of blog posts in which I share some interesting articles and blog posts I have found all over the internet! 

♥ If you have any of these 5 characteristics than you're probably an entrepreneur! 

♥ Ever wonder what happens to your social network accounts after you die? Although, it's a scary thought, this is pretty interesting. 

♥ Become a millionaire by 30. Read all about it here. 

♥ Did you know your Gmail account comes with multiple e-mail addresses you didn't even know existed? Check this out!

♥ Are you familiar with the virtual currency of bitcoins? Well, did you know you could buy a Dell laptop in exchange for them? Find out more.

♥ Start your day off early and you'll actually find yourself to be more productive. Here's 5 reasons why.

It has not been easy this past month for me and I am still trying to get things together. I work at a new job which I am not exactly excited about every day, I have not been able to complete anything I set out to do this whole time, and although I always considered myself a night owl, I think I have been in need of a timely sleeping schedule. How has your summer been? Are you getting things done or barely holding on? 

Links I've Stumbled Upon v.2

I love scrolling through my Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest feed and finding interesting content. It's really cool to discover new things, tips, apps, hacks, and stuff. Although I set out to do these posts every Wednesday morning, I figured it could get a bit boring every Wednesday on my blog. So I decided I'll post once every couple weeks or so that way I could make room for diverse content as well! Here are some awesome articles I've stumbled upon this week.

♥ Being a millionare starts with a millionaire state of mind. Learn how to be a millionaire...

♥ This article is awesome. It left me feeling motivated and inspired to start my own business in just 10 days!

♥ Saying no will make you a better entrepreneur and a much more productive person. It's okay to give off a polite decline sometimes.

♥ Ever wonder where money actually comes from? This is extremely interesting.

♥ 17 Things Extraordinary People Do. I didn't even realize doing these things made me an extraordinary person. It's a great read!

I've been very motivated about reading about finance, money, and entrepreneurial characteristics lately. I've been reading these articles after coming home from work and they really seem to make me happy.

This Summer I Will...

After my high school graduation, this will be the first summer that I am free to do as I please. Throughout high school, every summer was dedicated to Marching Band and last year it was both Marching Band and my first work experience/internship. This summer all of this ends so I made a list of some things I would like to accomplish this summer and before I go start college in the Fall.

This Summer I Will...

• Officially launch my website design business (A name and more information will be released soon!)
• Hopefully finish my novel (or come pretty close to finishing), Within the Bindings
• Really get down to business with Fragrance Essence and take it to the next level
• Catch up on writing journal entries from 12' (I am pretty far behind, aren't I?)
• Create my first Windows App for Fragrance Essence 
• NETWORK! NETWORK! and well, just make new friends. 
• Go on an adventure with my family!
• Start driving on my own
•  Attend my first conference
• Take a trip to NYC on my own!
• Spend a day with my best friend doing something out of the ordinary (go bowling, laser tag; etc)
• Get back to freelance writing
• Start focusing on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript Coding
• Develop my own portfolio website!
• Spend lots of time with my family! 
• Buy lots of maxi dresses!

As you can see this summer will be focused on my businesses, my professional career, and my family! What will you do this summer?

May Highlights

May has been a month full of milestones, achievements, and events. This month I landed a new job in retail, I performed my last band concert, changed my hairstyle, and of course the biggest event this month was my senior Prom! This month was nothing short of awesome! The selected photos showcase my favorite highlights according to my Instagram account, @ZobiaAlvi.

1. The first two weeks of May called for hair trials my sister did for me to prepare for Prom. Basically, most of May, I could be spotted with curly hair. 

2. After being in band since elementary school, I finally performed my last band concert and my little sister and my best friend were there to support me!

3. May called for many days where I was unable to perform my very best without some tea or coffee. Hence many trips to Starbucks!

4. This Mother's Day I actually bought my Mother a present for the first time with my own hard-earned money. That was another milestone as well! 

5 & 6. Prom photos! My senior prom was great and I was so happy to take my best friend with me! I will be posting more details soon, I promise!

7. Celebratory Iced Coffee Coolatta and a doughnut for successfully completing my AP Italian exam.

8 & 9. New hairstyle, short hair. Enough said. 

Next month is going to be even better! Graduation, new job, and summer begins! 

I am NOT a Complex Person...

Anyone who has been a continued reader of my blog or anyone who has regular conversations with me on a daily basis knows that from the very beginning I have always been a person of complexity. I think complex thoughts, create complex ideas, and just enjoy the depths and meaning that this complexity gives me. I define myself with the word complex, not mature, not wise...complex.

Just recently, I came to a discovery. I am not complex at all. Just human. 

It all started in the beginning of high school. Freshman year. I was still in the process of understanding more about myself and I had a few different groups of friends I accompanied myself with. One group of friends was a trio of punk/rock band-loving girls who wore dark make-up, wore band branded t-shirts & ripped jeans, and had a new piercing on their face every other week. I wasn't a fan of punk/rock music and I did not own anything in my closet that was even remotely similar to their style, but I somehow still managed to create a place for myself in the group. As a matter of fact when I used to hang out with this group of friends, while they were all wearing black and white, I stood out in a pretty pink blouse and plain ol' jeans. 

Another group of friends did not actually have a distinct type of profile which I can describe. This group of friends dressed similar to me, liked some of the music I liked, and never wore much make-up. Ironically, although I had more in common with this group of friends, I spent most of my time with the other groups of friends.

The last group of friends I used to accompany myself with can only be described as outgoing. This group was very social and liked to go out a lot whether that would be hanging out the mall or going to a social gathering, or grabbing ice cream. This group would always have something going on. Beyond that, this group of friends always advised and encouraged me while the other groups could not influence me so positively. 

Now at the end of Senior year with graduation less than a month away, I can see how I have grown so much. 

Slowly, I lost all three groups of friends. The first group of friends...gone at the end of Freshman year. The last group...gone at the end of Sophomore year. And the second group...gone just recently. Since Freshman year, I haven't had the "I fit-in everywhere feeling" because I didn't. I lost these group of friends and ultimately kept one best friend throughout the years who was not involved in any of these groups. 

I learned that I was building myself to be a complex person. As if being a part of such diverse groups of people made me well-rounded. But, the truth is...it didn't make me well-rounded at all because with any group of friends, I was still the same person. No group of friends influenced me as much as I influenced myself. Throughout all of high school, instead of wondering if I would be accepted, I inserted myself everywhere. Doing that showed me that in the very end I was not meant to be part of a group. I was meant to stand alone with one person by my side. I am not a complex person, I see. I am a human being...just being me. 

Links I've Stumbled Upon v.1

I love scrolling through my Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest feed and finding interesting content. It's really cool to discover new things, tips, apps, hacks, and stuff. So I decided that every Wednesday morning to post a list of some interesting, inspirational, or helpful stuff I've stumbled upon.

♥ Want to start a business and need an idea? Here are 55 business under $5,000 to start. 

♥ If you're like me, procrastination is one of your skills. Doing these three simple things could help you keep your brain focused.

♥ Your financial situation can actually affect your happiness...to an extent. Read all about that here.

♥ Wondering how entrepreneurs stay productive? Here are 11 productivity hacks that you'll enjoy! (This post includes lots of useful links!)

♥ What is the true cost of owning a website? Find out here.

♥ How often should you update your website and why is updating it so important? Answers to your questions are here. 

Hope these business, website, and productivity articles were helpful and interesting! 

10 Things I Cannot Stand...

Being an opinionated person has its ups and downs. The ups being people wanting to ask for my opinions, being able to present an argument, and knowing I have a voice. The downs being people wanting to ask for my opinions, not being able to defend the arguments I make with concrete facts, and knowing my voice is among many other voices as well.

Because on a day to day basis, I have opinionated opinions, here is a simple (and really short) list of things I cannot stand. So sit down, grab a cup of coffee (you might need it), and read on. 

Ten.

People obsessing over books that they deem to be "life-changing" and "meaningful" that later become movies. Twilight and The Hunger Games were not life-changing and meaningful at all. Everyone that was a fan just hiked it up to be and well...guess what? No you're not going to find a vampire soul mate or be forced to participate in an event where it's either life or death.

Nine.

Last minute plans that end up cancelled. It's bad enough for plans to be last minute, but then you just had to cancel, also? Really?!

Eight.

When people call you a "hater" when all you do is have an opinion that is unfavorable to them. 

Seven.

When people I know claim to be "busy". Okay so I am here with two small businesses, a fiction novel to write, a job to do, a blog to run, and a whole lot of freelance writing to care of and still manage to make time for homework and studying. Then, why are you complaining when the only thing you have to worry about is school work and finding what to wear to the party you're "busy" going to this weekend? Being "busy" doesn't mean having a few worries and then going out later on because at some point you aren't "busy", you're just living life. Being "busy" means not being able to enjoy going out, going to a party, or hanging out with loved ones and having to take care of responsibilities instead. So, no you ARE NOT "busy". 

Six.

The way people literally Tweet every thought in their head and it only makes sense to them. You will not believe how many Tweets on my news feed make absolutely no sense to me. When people tweet things like "Glad to have gotten through it, getting better" or "OMG! Why do I have to this?" or "Can't believe this. I am Done!" NO ONE. I REPEAT NO ONE understands what you're talking about.

Five.

When people you do not want in your life find ways to be more involved in your life. This has happened to me countless times. I stopped being friends with someone and all of a sudden this someone is now friends with all of my current friends. Not cool. (This is probably a huge factor in me being ready for college and ready to make ALL NEW friends). 

Four. 

When people act as if the world revolves around them. Now, I have a particular person in mind as I am writing this. You could be inviting this person to your wedding, your great-grandmother's funeral, or just to the park and she will find every way possible to make it about herself. I invited this person to my birthday party, she took a thousand pictures and posted them on Instagram. Not one photo was with me and it was MY birthday. 

Three.

When people begin to use you. I love helping people out any way that I can and try to very often as well, but people these days (at least the current people in my life) are selfish and inconsiderate and only seem to see you as a way to do or get something. I would never use someone and I would appreciate it if these people would not take my kindness for granted. 

Two.

When people get angry or annoyed with you because they are not getting what they want. If I am helping you or doing something for you, please don't expect more. That is well...rude.

One.

People forgetting plans or changing minds last minute. There's a reason why I keep a planner, write in pen, and don't use white out. If you even think you're not going to stick to the plan, don't make it with me.

That is all I have to say for now. Obviously, I sound as if I have been needing to take my anger out for days, but it was needed. What are a few things you cannot stand?

April Highlights

So April 2014 too has come and gone. This month was solely based upon having fun with my family and well...adjusting to the weird (warm one day, windy and cold the next) weather lately. Here is some of what April had to offer (based on my Instagram account which you can request to follow @ZobiaAlvi).

1. How I Met Your Mother came to an end on the first day of April, I found myself crushed and writing a lengthy blog post on my thoughts on the finale.

2. Although, I'm still on a healthy diet (so I may fit flawlessly into Prom dress next month), it's Iced Coffee season again!

3. Random trips out for breakfast and a little shopping were a great way to start my weekends this month. :)

4. My little munchkin turned ten years old this month! So I took her out for a movie, just the two of us!

5. Then, the following morning my Mother and my other sister took her out to IHOP.

6. And after that, I took her to Build-A-Bear Workshop to help her create her new best friend, Abby.

7. More Spring shopping! My new polka-dot tote bag really makes me happy. Not sure why, but it does. Perhaps, it reminds me of summer. :)

8. My best friend asked me to PROM! Now, I seriously can't wait for prom in May. He may not be much of a best friend, after all. ;)

9. It's spring and you know what that means...more frozen yogurt!

May is going to be a big month! Preparing for my last high school exams, PROM, my last spring band concert, and my last full month of school and work. Things are changing. Everything is in gear for graduation in June!

Business: Working with Clients (The Beginning)

In the website design business working with clients can be fun, but also very well...challenging. I have been designing websites since I was twelve and since then I've gotten better in terms of creativity, learning HTML, and CSS coding and took it a step further by creating the Zobia Alvi Creative. After being very indecisive, I decided to take that a step further as well. The Zobia Alvi Creative will no longer exist. Instead I am renaming the business and building it completely from scratch. 

However, before I get to officially launch the business, I needed to gather clients. I have worked with a few since that decision was made and the experiences with each client were VERY different. 

One of the experiences left me doubting my ability to design creatively, another said my design was just terrible and then went on to design a (what I think was terrible because this person knows nothing about website design whatsoever) website themselves, and another loved the end result and will possibly hire me for another project. 

The first client asked for a website without any specifications for their company. So I decided to research some websites in that field and came up with a design all by myself. I was pretty excited with the way the design came to be and eagerly presented it to my client. The client didn't even look through it, they batted an eye and just said "Maybe, if you made it pink?.." Oh, the shades of color my face turned in that moment. 

The next client was a few years back. They asked for a website that represented their project, but again did not know exactly what they wanted. I designed a beautiful cohesive website representing just their project and nothing else. They said that it wasn't "flashy" enough. What in the world does that mean?! They ended up taking my work and putting red sirens and "Do Not Cross" banners all over the site. Literally. 

The last client was quite delightful. They had a basic understanding of what the website could look like and we were able to work together to create a great site. No complaints here. A client like this is hard to get by, so I am glad I might be doing another project for this one. 

I've also been reading Clients From Hell lately and I can totally relate to even the most ridiculous client stories. These are just a few of mine. 

Being Friendly VS. Being a Friend

A recent Instagram Photo. Follow me on Instagram: @ZobiaAlvi

If you know me in person, you might think I am reserved. If you read my blog or get to know me beyond the "need-to-know" basis you'll realize I'm not so reserved after all. You'd also know that although I play nice in person, I don't have too many friends.

If I blog about my friends, I usually talk about my best friend (who is my only true friend) or my "so-called" friends who really aren't so true to me at the end of the day.

On a daily basis, I am pretty much a friendly person. I'll converse with you, share insights, help you out as well as I can, and try to please you in any way I see fit. You can come to me with one problem, a million problems, or just say hello and I won't push you away. Trust me, I like knowing I could be useful to someone by just being an ear to listen.

And if nothing else, I like talking to people. Sometimes people actually have something interesting to say.

Being a friend means sharing the mutual feeling of comfort, trust, and loyalty.

Being friendly is a means that could lead to being a friend, but simply doesn't cut it to the edge.

I have always been friendly, not often that I become a friend.

Are you always being friendly or being a friend?

Accepting That Life is Not Perfect...

One of the hardest thing a perfectionist comes to learn is that life is just not perfect no matter how hard one tries to make it so.

Being a perfectionist, I've come to the conclusion that life will not be perfect, but I have found a loop hole.

All these imperfections that get in my way on a daily basis do not have to be looked upon as negative drawbacks.

So what if I miss a deadline? Who cares if my "so-called" friends decide to cancel on our plans last minute, for the tenth time? Or that I stayed up so late that my eyes are too swollen to put my contacts on the next morning?

It happens.

These little everyday imperfections shouldn't take me aback on my strive to be perfect. They should be given more credit.

If I look at it this way then life is perfectly imperfect...and that is how I accepted that life is not perfect. ;)

Being Your Own Hero...

Photo

Lately everything has been rushed.

I have been avoiding a lot of my overdue tasks and even though I do, I still feel the weight of it all falling down on me.

Create one major client website. Create two client blog designs. Finish this semester's homework. Get back to novel writing. Re-do my web design business. Venture out my fragrance business, Fragrance Essence. Write a MEANINGFUL blog post. Make a college choice. Organize my desktop files. Edit my personal calendar.

Okay so it's just a handful of tasks, then why am I so taken aback by them? Well, it gets a bit complicated.

I don't have the motivation I used to (or tried to have) to get things done. I lounge around in my night gown, get my butt off the couch for a completely non-healthy snack at Dunkin' Donuts and come back home to browse the interwebs as if I have no responsibilities.

During those "lounging-around" days I convince myself the work I have to do is a waste of time and then I find myself rushing at the very last minute to get things done.

Clearly, I need someone to force me to do these things. I need a hero.

Last night at literally 1:51 A.M. I believe I became my own hero.

I took down a piece of paper from my bulletin board and started to scribble random thoughts. I started by writing a few things I liked, jotted some ideas on what I'd like to do, and then I started creating new tasks that I was actually excited about doing. A simple creative spark is what we'll call it and it led me to writing up this blog post and thinking...all I really needed was a place to start.

Lesson here: being your own hero means getting out of your head and taking one small step towards your goals.

Do you get unmotivated often? Who/what is your hero? 

March Highlights

1. My new bracelet and scarf simply just make me happy. My best friend is awesome for getting me this! :)

2. Since, I work at a pre-school, I dressed up as the Cat in the Hat for Read Across America Day. Afterwards, I walked all over town with my cat make-up on. 

3. 4 years in Marching Band, 8 years in band finally paid off! Graduating as an athlete! 

4. Finally, warmer weather means frozen yogurt season. 

5. My little home-office got a bulletin board. Boy, will I have fun with this. 

6. I won a pair of shoes for prom from Chinese Laundry. They are perfect! 

7. Last year, I participated in Trading Places at school and was able to be my favorite teacher for the day. This year, I decided to be another one of my teachers who I have grown fond of and it was awesome! I was boss. 

8. I decided to take some time one day and take my little sister out to watch a play at school. She loved it and I was so happy to see her little face light up with joy.

9. Off my Special K Challenge, but still eating healthy. 

This month was a bit strange. My Father has been out of the country for most of this month and college decisions seem to be on the rise. My Mother has been very supportive on the behalf of both of them...but, as for myself...more business ideas and ventures to roll out soon. Work keeps me busy and makes me the happiest (success is my true soul mate) and this month I think I balanced work and family quite better despite the family changes. 

The How I Met Your Mother Finale...

The How I Met Your Mother finale was to say the least interesting. This post is actually extremely hard for me to write, I've had 3 cups of iced coffee today and as I write...I still think I should have more.

However, before I start going into my views on the finale, I want to begin by stating that this show meant a lot to me. I started watching this show during the summer. All eight seasons on Netflix then onto CBS for the final season. I loved the way the show made me feel, it made me happy, it made me laugh, and it taught me a few things about love. Though just like other TV sitcoms, other How I Met Your Mother viewers probably felt the same way.

The show captured the long and incredible story of how the main character, Ted Mosby played by Josh Radnor met his kids' mother. It was a story that detailed every turn in his life and every little step that brought him to the desk he sat in telling his children the full-on story.

The story was beautiful and after every episode, I felt more reassured that Ted will find the love of his life. Throughout it all, I fell in love with Marshall & Lily's relationship (played by Jason Segel & Alyson Hannigan) and the slightly surprising, but wonderful match that Barney made with Robin (played by Neil Patrick Harris & "Cobie" Smulders). So naturally, Ted and the mother's relationship became one that I had high hopes for and in the final season, I was happy to see their relationship unfold a bit.

The writers, producers, and everyone else behind the creation of this show did great, they made all nine seasons (minus the very last episode) pleasant (although sometimes heartbreaking) and just out-right breath-taking.

The finale had lots of ups and downs. The ups being the fact that Ted finally met the Mother and she was perfect. She was everything Ted seemed to have wanted and much more. She was loving, charming, and made Ted feel like the luckiest man on earth (because he was). The other up being that we were able to see Marshall & Lilly grow their loving family even more.

On the other hand, the downs being Barney & Robin getting divorced after three years together, Barney impregnated some random woman (as part of one of his old Playbook schemes), the Mother, Tracy (played by Cristin Milioti) becoming sick and then dying, and the biggest down...the person Ted finally ends up with is Robin.

This in simple terms just broke my heart. 

Ted finds the woman he loves deeply, he starts a beautiful family, and tells his children his life's complete journey on his quest to find the "one" and as it so happens...no matter how much he loved the Mother...she ended up not being the "one".

For a little personal perspective, I must say finding the "one" will be a magical moment for me. I believe there is only one person you can ever truly love. Sure, love is infinite and one may love many people...but there is just something about the "one" that makes you realize why no one else could have ever been the "one".

Tracy was just a love in Ted's life. She was not the "one" fans like me were hoping for. She was just the mother of his children. Robin was the "one" all along.

This is crushing for fans that believe in true love since we were set up to believe Ted would find that love with the Mother of his children. That was the love we all thought Ted was looking for, but instead Ted only always had a place in his heart to be with Robin.

Barney was a great match for Robin, they seemed messed up in their own ways, but they were madly in love. It didn't seem fair to me that Barney spent all these years loving Robin only to give it all up in the end.

It made me feel like true love doesn't exist and that life goes on whether you have found it or not... It really took away the magic of this series from me.

Not everything in this world has to be realistic. Too much realism takes away our love of life, our motivation to become better humans, and definitely defies the definition of life we're all secretly trying to find.

Beyond that, Barney never found real love as he raised his daughter, Ellie. Marshall & Lilly kept their family together which was a sweet touch. But, overall, the episode was not bad, but my aching heart says otherwise. Ted could have moved on from the death in another way (even with another person) as long as the Mother was the last person he was with...as long as she was the "one" he truly loved.

I trust you all to take it from here. What are your thoughts? How did you feel after the finale?

Business: Learning When to Walk Away

Photo of the plans I had for The Eternity Awards

When you start your own business, blog, or project venture- there's a certain passion that drives you from using the ideas in your head and creating something out of it. In the beginning, everything is fun, everything is new and it might be challenging, but because you're so enthusiastic about your idea becoming a reality, you can get through them.

In February, I decided to launch a new project idea called The Eternity Awards. The project was meant to be a blogger award event to honor bloggers as well as have bloggers network and discover new blogs. The concept was great (or at least I thought it was), but it was proven to be an idea that would not work out at this time.

Sure it was a great idea so I jumped on the chance to creating it, but it just wasn't time.

I received three (3) responses and this event was meant to include at least twenty-five (25) participants and five (5) judges. Of course, the response was no where near what I received. So for that reason I am walking away from the idea...at least for now.

The few participants that reached out to me will receive a participation award certificate to print out as well as a badge to include on their blog/website. I thank all three of you for your interest and apologize for any inconvenience. 

The Eternity Awards is still a concept regardless on the amount of improvement it needs so by taking this time to walk away from it, I think I will wait until the time is right and launch The Eternity Awards again at a later time.

In Business, learning to walk away is a hard challenge to face. There is no passion for throwing away an idea. Only a passion for pursuing one. 

My (Blogger) People Rejected Me...

Now I am one to be optimistic, innovative, and I love taking part in new blogger opportunities as well creating new opportunities for my blogger community. Last year, I created two major blogger opportunities, including a group giveaway opportunity to giveaway a beautiful fragrance basket from my business, Fragrance Essence and another project called the #7Things Project. Both of which opportunities I had one or none takers.

This year, I decided to create this wonderful (if I say so myself) blogger awards program called the Eternity Awards and had literally TWO responses after all my advertisements, posts, hundred of e-mails to other bloggers, and either everyone is two busy to participate or refuses to even look at it. It feels as if my (blogger) people rejected me...

I worked very hard on this project and I even extended the nomination period until March 15th even though it does not comply with the timeline I already built.

The Eternity Awards is a free award event for bloggers and participating in it is absolutely free. Being a judge costs $5.00 and I am looking for 4 judges in order to contribute to the prizes.

By participating, you'll get promotion back to your blog whether you are a contestant or judge. You'll have tons of free publicity.

Plus, one winner in each blogger category will win a prize, and I really wanted to make the prizes special so bloggers can feel appreciated. So I ask all of you guys (my readers, followers, and blog viewers) to help contribute either by participating as a nominee, nominator, or judge.

I would love to feel loved again...come participate. Start by nominating your favorite bloggers and reading more about the awards by clicking here.

January & February Highlights

  
  

1. I finally finalized last year's Photo 365 project. That was a mess! Never doing that again!
2. I traded in my old iPhone 4 for the beautiful Nokia Lumia 1020!
3. Took the SATs one last time. Practicing for a third time wasn't fun at all.
4. I finally turned eighteen and decided to create a list of things to do. Being eighteen is so exciting!
5. Started planning and scheduling in this AWESOME new business agenda.
6. Then, I started the Special K Challenge. Will post results and my experience soon!

These past couple of months have been great start to this new year so far!

Balancing Work & Life

Photo Credit

For me, I have always done my homework first then all my computer work (business, blog, novel, freelance writing) after. However, lately that's not the case. More and more I feel that in order to be as productive as possible I must save my homework for last and do that at 2 AM rather than my other work. Why? Because I am a blogger and then a writer which is why, why is not the question, but why not? Yes, that's the question! Why not?

Turns out neither one of those daily routines balance me as an average or productive person. If I wind up doing my homework at 2 AM, I feel upset about having to go back to school four hours later to well, come home with more homework, but if I don't do my computer work before I do my homework, I am not motivated to do any of my homework at all. See my problem yet?

There is no balance. All I do is work, homework, work, and then more homework. Where in this sequence do I just live a normal life?

Balancing your work life and your actual life is hard. Sometimes (or perhaps just in my case) you feel the need to say "Well...all this work is my life." Here's the truth. It's not. Work is part of your life, but if you aren't a healthy well-being living a life you are comfortable and content with then your work means nothing.

So how do keep work and life balanced...
ONE...Take a BREAK! Take an hour off, a day off, a week off, or even a month. Life is too short to pile up your your schedules with lots of work and no fun. I am very guilty of trying to convince myself working is fun, but we all have an adventurous side that just wants to be worry and work free.

TWO...Take another BREAK! One is probably not enough!

THREE...Make a work schedule that allows you enough room to make plans with your friends and family. This is essential to balance your work and life because you'll feel more motivated to work when you know you'll also be able to have a dinner, watch a movie, or go shopping with your loved ones.

FOUR...Get some rest. Can't balance work and life without rest!

FIVE...Start eating healthier! If you're going to survive days where you work and have a wonderful life, you need to make sure that you're eating a well-balanced diet.

Speaking of health, that Special K Challenge has been working pretty well for me. I lost four pounds in a week! Plus, I feel so much less of a slug. Bonus points for that!

Letting Things Go...

Recently, while speaking to a few people that I confined in, I realized a lot of what I do (owning a business, writing a novel, and blogging) has several aspects that I have no control over. Of course, I run my business my way, write what I want to write, and make my blog as personal possible. But, I have no control over how long it will take until my business becomes successful, how many people would actually read my novel, and how long it will take for my blog to become known.

One of the hardest things to do in life is accept that not everything is in your control. As the insanely insane borderline workaholic I am, accepting this is like paying $100 for a new pair of shoes and having no idea what they look like or what size they are. What kind of madness would that be?!

That madness is the real deal when it comes owning a business, writing a blog, writing a book, and any project that requires numerous amounts of effort from you, but also a really long unnecessary period of waiting for what you don't have control over.

It isn't easy having big dreams and goals and working your hardest to achieve them only to have to wait for the next step, but everything takes time.

One quote that really stood out to me about this topic is the following "I will hold myself to a standard of GRACE, not perfection." -Emily Ley

Last words: "Perfection is patience combined with tolerance." -Wise words from yours truly.

Finding You...

We're all trying to find a place in the world. It is hard trying to find a place where you belong and it's even harder to try to belong where you already are.

Your place in this world is the position or contribution to the world. Basically it is your purpose. Everyone has something to offer...the questions are where will you make your contribution? how will you impact others? and when will it happen?

The simple answer to all these questions is this: One day you'll be someone great and impact the world in a beautiful way.

The long and complicated answer everyone is looking for really doesn't exist. We are all trying to find a place in this world and well, if you haven't found it yet...you'll find it soon.

I just entered the world of adulthood and yet, it all seems familiar to me and I seem to welcome it more so than my peers and even my best friend. However, I haven't found that place of mine yet, I don't know what my contribution is, and I do not know even what I am capable of.

Granted, I have chosen a career path (becoming an entrepreneur of my own tech/software company), but as for my place in the world...I am looking too.

On a completely unrelated note, I am undergoing day four of the Special K Challenge I decided to do. Let's see if this challenge teaches me to monitor my eating habits and drop a few pounds before prom and graduation. As Barney from How I Met Your Mother would say..."Challenge Accepted."

Introducing the Eternity Awards

For the past few months, I have been working on a brand new project I call "The Eternity Awards". This is a blogger event for those who would like to receive recognition for all their hard work on their blogs! I have seen a trend of little awards going around such as the Liebster Award and Best Blogger Award. I love the concept of these awards, however, I never thought it gave bloggers enough recognition for what they do. Granted, I have had my fair share of earning these rewards from other bloggers, I feel that it is time for something new!

Introducing The Eternity Awards! A completely virtual online awards event for bloggers with real prizes!

To kick off the awards, I am starting the first part of the awards: the nomination period. This period lasts for one week and will end on February 23, 2014. You can nominate as many blogs as you would like in whichever category you see fit. You can even nominate your own blog!

Plus, I am also looking for four (4) judges to help out with the first ever Eternity Awards! Judges will help make decisions as to which contestants will move forward in this competition, contribute to and decide the prize, receive tons of publicity throughout the event with tweets, Facebook likes, and a spot in the judges panel page with a short description and unlimited links!

Nominate your favorite blogs and bloggers here. All the other details about the award event can be found on The Eternity Awards site. 

A Valentine's Day Post

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays next to New Year's. Every year I aim to make both of these holidays special for my loved ones. However, in a way I always sort of expect something alike from those who love me...especially on Valentine's Day. I hope that doesn't sound like I am complaining because I am not. I am just a tad bit disheartened on the subject knowing that nothing even a tad bit special ever happens on these specific holidays.

This year, was a bit different. Valentine's Day fell in the middle of a five day weekend off from school (plus, work for me) and everyone was recovering from the snow storm that happened the day before. My family decided to spend the day buying furniture for my bed room and then grocery shopping which was perfectly fine. All we saw were couples and people buying flowers, chocolates, and giant teddy bears-it was enough to fill my heart with a little glee.

As far as Valentine's Day gifts go, my best friend bought me a little Valentine Wiener Dog and I named him Wendell. It was a really sweet gesture!

Hope your Valentine's Day was great! I'd love to hear how your day went! 

Eighteen

This weekend, I celebrated my eighteenth birthday! I have been waiting to turn eighteen since, I realized that so many of the projects I want to start require me to be this age. I wanted to publish my book without the help of my parents, be a member of the business I co-started with my father, manage financial accounts, monetize my work, and attend blogging/business conferences I could not before! I have a lot I want to do, and well now nothing can stop me!

The small birthday gathering I had was oodles (yes, oodles) of fun and I was glad to have my friends and my sisters all the in the same room talking, laughing, and taking pictures. It was great!

From Left to Right: Melissa, Jennifer, Tabeer, Me, Joselyn

From Left to Right: Jennifer, Joselyn, Me, Abeer, Tabeer, and Melissa

From Left to Right: Jennifer, Joselyn, Abeer, Me, Melissa, and Joanne

  
Of course, this blog post would not be complete without a photo of my Dad and sisters alone. They managed to put this get together for me and deal with me without getting too frustrated and I appreciate it so much! I love them all very much!

How awesome are my friends?!

Beyond that, on a personal note...somehow I feel that I have been eighteen for quite a while now. Just now I have an official ID to match. Is it just me or did age really become just a number?