Life is unfair

Now I like to keep things light and fun on this blog, but as I mature and grow I find there's more pressing issues and concerns I'd like to discuss. Today I heard some devastating news about someone I know. Basically my close cousin's friend, whom I have met before, and two other passengers, all 18, were injured in a car accident driving home from the cottage. Now I'm far from being close to this girl, I can't even recall the time I met her, but this whole situation has me thinking about the frailty of life. How is it that one girl, fresh from graduating high school not more than five days ago is now dead and two others are in critcal conditions? This barely seems fair. How can there be so much devastation and heartache in the world? And the recent loss of my grandfather has also caused me to question the world in which we live and "God's plan". Now I'm well aware of the circle of life, I've seen The Lion King, but it's so hard to keep your faith when you see so much people in pain. How is it that a world that gives us joy, love, and miracles also sheds destruction, hate, and tragedy. But I guess that's life. What are we to do but accept the bad and focus on the good.

*Please keep all three girls and their families and friends in your prayers and thoughts as I know they're just beginning their struggles and need strength.

XOXO
hEVANly

Life as we know it

Dear Sinners,
I must apologize for my rather unclassy behavior. I have neglected you like an alcoholic neglects reason. But my life has been pretty busy over the past few months. As a way to save myself from a rather boring and uneventful summer I got an internship at a PR firm, which has it's ups and downs, as well as doing slave work at the coffee shop I call work. These two jobs have taken up the majority of my time but I'm back so you can all breath a sigh of relief. As my first post resurrected from my former life I'm going to get personal. So here it is:

Have you ever thought about destiny or fate? I'm not talking about meeting someone and falling in love. I'm talking about your personal destiny. Who you are and what you are destined to become. Recent events in my life have caused me to ponder my choices and reflect on the person I am. Over the years I've tried to change and become a somewhat better person, while still staying the fabulous bitch that I am. But it seems that no matter what I do I always end up being selfish and obnoxious. I thought to myself, Is it really possible to change or are we destined to stay the person we are forever? Looking back over the past year I can see my life has changed both emotionally and physically, but somehow it's still the same. I know I've had a personal growth. I'm not as immature and petty as before but I keep getting put in these situations where my self-centered bitchy attitude comes out. I'm tired of everyone seeing me as the uptight selfish bitch. Don't get me wrong I am all those things, and sometimes proud of it, but I'm also so much more. I can be kind and loving and selfless, but it seems no one sees that. I know I shouldn't care what people think of me but it's just irritating to get a reputation for something you're not anymore. Also if I keep getting put in these situations, is my selfish behaviour a byproduct of destiny and should I just accept that this is the person I will always be? I wish it was that easy to blame destiny or fate. But the truth is I don't know. Maybe I should strive harder to show the new me in said situations? Can people really change? I'm not sure, I'll let you know when I find out.

XXX
hEVANly

Let's get physical: How to stay healthy as a student

University is a time where memories are formed. Four years of late-night cramming, walking into class wearing pyjama bottoms, debating the use of imagery in Frankenstein, and testing the limits of your liver with vodka shots, that you’ll one day look back on and describe to your grandchildren as the best days of your life. But between the last-minute essay writing and three hour classes, there is hardly time to go for a run or take a yoga class. And the tempting smell of the burgers in the cafeteria is so alluring. For students it’s hard to live a healthy lifestyle. Everywhere you turn there are artery-clogging deep fried snacks or delectable sugary desserts.  And there’s hardly any time to make a trip to the gym. However, being healthy and active as a student may seem difficult and unrealistic, but it is very possible. University is a time to increase your friends, your knowledge, and your alcohol tolerance, not your waistline.  Here a few suggestions and tips to help you stay on track with your healthy goals.

 

Time Management

Like everything else in university, a successful healthy lifestyle comes down to time management. This may be the hardest thing for a student to master. It’s so easy to put off assignments till the last minute, but budgeting your time will save you a lot of stress and all-nighters. Always remember P and S, no not peach schnapps and Smirnoff; Planning and Scheduling. Elina Man is a third-year English and Mathematics student at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. Aside from attending classes four days a week, working part-time at a tutoring centre, and studying at least two hours a night, she also devotes two to three days a week to working out. “I want to live to a good age,” she said describing her motivation for being healthy as she lowered and raised the weights at the UTSC gym. Her arms turned a bright red hue with each raise of the metal bar. “And I want to look good,” she gave a chuckle, taking a break from her long set of biceps curls. Man agrees that being healthy is “all about scheduling.” Between her exercises she told an anecdote from her first year at university where she would try to go to the gym on a whim but never really followed through. She feels that it is better to plan set days when you want to work out.  Right now she plans on going to the gym every Monday and Wednesday. Knowing she has specific days and times to work out makes it easier to budget her schedule around her workouts and motivates her to actually go to the gym. Scheduling certain days to exercise help make it become routine. Having routine workouts make going to the gym and being active essential to your weekly schedule.

 

The Most Important Meal of the Day

Your grandma wasn’t lying when she lectured you about the importance of breakfast. Breakfast is a way to fuel your body and mind for the day. But when you’ve woken up five minutes before class, running out the door laptop in hand, it’s easy to skip the “most important meal of the day.” “[Breakfast] is extremely important,” said Ramona Seupersad the fitness program assistant for athletics and recreation at UTSC. “People actually gain weight from not eating breakfast,” she went on. When you sleep you haven’t eaten for a long period of time and your metabolism is lowered. Just as drinking coffee can wake your mind up, eating breakfast wakes up your metabolism. If you don’t eat than your metabolism is in low mode. Man admits to skipping breakfast, but said she couldn’t survive the day. Breakfast doesn’t have to be a grand event. Scrambled eggs and toast or a bowl of cereal make great meals. Or if you’re running late gulp down a yogurt or nutrition bar. Try to avoid high-in-sugar treats because you will just crash later. Breakfast is one way both your mind and body are being activated. But nothing replenishes the body like a good night sleep.

Sleeping Beauty

In university sleep becomes a foreign concept, like French politics or the plot to a James Bond film. Who can spend precious hours dreaming when there are assignments to be done, chapters to be read, and knee-slapping hilarious videos of cute animals on the internet? But it seems Sleeping Beauty was on to something when she took her deep slumber. “Sleeping helps to repair and rejuvenate the body,” Seupersad said. Although our minds are floating away creating wonderful dreams, or in some cases frightful nightmares, our bodies are at work repairing itself. The body uses the resting period of sleep to build muscle tissue damaged in a workout. Sleep deprivation not only affects you physically but mentally as well. Proper sleep patterns help students function better mentally. “If you’re going to class you’re not going to be focused if you’re not getting enough sleep,” Seupersad said.

Food for thought

For many the struggle to live a healthy lifestyle lies with food. Being active means nothing if you don’t fuel your body with nutritional food. In university it’s easy to give in to temptation and buy the greasy slice of pizza or the dripping-in-oil fries. Seupersad explains that it is better when you make your own food “that way you know exactly what you’re putting in your mouth.” However, the temptation to eat fatty food is multiplied for those who live on residence and don’t have the opportunity to make their own meals. Stephanie Coratti is a freshman living on residence at the University of Guelph and admits it can be tempting to eat unhealthy. “With a meal plan it’s really easy to eat a lot of fried foods,” she said. She relies on sheer willpower to avoid the scrumptious gourmet cakes. Her school does however, have a wide range of foods including salads and wraps. But the fruits and vegetables are usually more expensive, and there’s nothing students hate more than spending money. Although students don’t have the luxury of making their meal, living on campus does have its advantages, primarily living so close to a gym.

Busy, Busy, Busy

For commuters nothing is more painful than standing in a crowded subway trying to read your textbook, sandwiched between people while your feet burn and the overwhelming smell of body odour fills your nostrils. After a long day of waiting for buses, lugging around heavy bags, and listening to monotone professors, there is little energy, motivation, and time to work out. “I’m not very happy about using so much of my time to travel,” said Victoria Valdez a first-year student at the University of Toronto about her two hour commute to school. “Of course they [students] have time [to work out]” Seupersad chuckled. Studies show that adults should get 150 minutes of physical activity per week. What many people don’t understand is that the 150 minutes could be spaced out throughout the week. So you don’t necessarily have to be active every day, as long as you get the full 150 minutes for that week. Also many universities include membership to the school gym in tuition fees. Since you’re already paying for it, you might as well get your money’s worth. Many school gyms also have extended hours for students with overbearing schedules. Recently the UTSC gym changed its hours to Monday-Sunday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. “It’s more convenient,” said Man taking a sip of water. But for those who still have no time to make a trip to the gym there are ways to be healthy from your own home. Instead of watching funny babies or cute sloths, use YouTube to be productive. There are many exercise videos like yoga or aerobics posted online that are easy to follow and user friendly. Seupersad also describes various calisthenics workouts, like push-ups and sit-ups that can easily be done at home. There are other little ways one can incorporate physical activity into their life. Taking the stairs or getting off the bus a few stops before and walking the rest of the way are a few little things that can help make a difference. No matter how busy you are there are always ways to stay active.

Partying, Partying, Yeah!

The best part of any student’s week is going out partying. What better way to let go of a week’s worth of stress and pressure than with a nail-biting game of beer pong? But all the partying, tequila shots, and dinner outings add up. Going out and being healthy is something Man, Coratti, and Valdez all struggle with. “It’s difficult to remember about trying to be healthy at social gatherings because I’m so focused on having a good time,” Valdez remarked. Alcohol, though tasty and entertaining, is loaded in calories, especially mixed drinks. One bottle of beer has around 150 calories, a glass of rum and coke has about 182 calories, and a margarita has 453 calories. Now telling a student not to drink alcohol is like telling Lady GaGa not to set a piano on fire; it’s not going to happen. And there’s nothing wrong with having a few drinks. Seupersad says moderation is key. “You’re allowed to have the occasional alcoholic drink, but 80-90 per cent of the time you should be trying to stay healthy.” When it comes to alcohol try limiting the amount of drinks, or switching to a low calorie beer instead. Another aspect of the student social life is the many restaurants and pub outings. Seupersad maintains that many restaurants now have healthy options, which makes it easier to stay healthy. In this new technology age there are applications on your smartphones that act like electronic food diaries. Applications like Calorie Counter track the amount of calories and nutritional information for food items from many popular restaurants. This allows users to know exactly how much calories they are ingesting and plan their dinner outings accordingly. Another trick when out to dinner is to trade in the sugary carbonated beverages and opt for a cool glass of water. Also an easy way to burn of a few mixed drinks is dancing. An hour of dancing roughly burns around 350 calories. So counter the high-calorie meal with a few hours on the dance floor. Being healthy doesn’t have to limit your social life.

University is difficult enough with the gross amounts of readings, the numerous hours of lectures, and the wild parties, without the added stress of increasing your pant size. Being active and healthy as a student is extremely possible. And not only does living a healthier lifestyle affect you physically but it also makes you more mentally aware and focused. You’ll have more attention on what you’re doing in class and be able to take in more of what you’re learning. Being active also helps relieve unwanted stress. “It’s a great way to reduce the stress from all your exams and assignments,” Seupersad said. With new technological advances and a little self-control it is perfectly possible to have a healthy social, academic, and overall life.

Happy New Year

Dear Sinners,

Let me first start off by apologizing for my apparent absence. I spent the last week away from laptop relaxing and roasting on the sandy Dominican beaches. Ah yes, as you sinners were stuck curling your toes in this artic Canadian weather, I was living it up with frosty pina coladas and cute Latino boys. But alas my vacation is over, so now I must snap back to reality, it is after all a new year which means a new chance at starting over. There always seems like there is so much pressure around New Year's Eve. How you spend that night will dictate the outcome of that year. If you spend the night alone eating Chinese food watching the ball drop you can pretty much bet your 2012 will suck, no offense. And if you spend the night popping champaigne, dancing with friends, and kissing that special someone at the stroke of midnight, congratulations on a extraordinary 2012. Now this all may seem naive and supersticious and normally I would agree with you.  For the past 19 years I never really cared about New Years Eve, but this year changed. This year I spent the night dancing barefoot on the beach surrounded by my family enjoying life, granted I didn't get a new year's eve kiss but I still had an amazing night. So there, on the beach, my toes engulfed in soft brown sand, sweat forming on my tanned forehead, and the base blaring from the speakers I decided that I will do everything in my power to have the best year ever. This is the year everything changes, the year I begin my life, the year I get everything I ever wanted. 2012 is supposed to be the end of the world, might as well go out with a bang.

So how do I plan on having my spectacular year you ask? Don't worry Sinners I have a full-proof plan to ensure optimal happiness. 

First I plan on devoting my time to my future career. This whole time I have been loafting through life, but now I'm 20 and slowly my life is slipping away. It's time to start focusing on my future. So school, this blog, and finding an internship are my first priorities. I'm done wasting my time scrolling through tumblr, and watching reruns of Gossip Girl.  

Second, is working on my fitness. A healthier lifestyle is the most common new year's resolution. I've joined a gym and am devoting two days a week to turning my flab to ab. No more fatty foods, and atrery clogging deliciousness. It's about time I started making healthier choices. Plus, hopefully a hot body will help with my man crisis.

My last New Year's Resolution is to speak up. I'm tired of being the shy, quiet, ignored boy. This year I plan on speaking up for myself and for what I want. It's about time I let the world know I'm here.

So there you have it. My list of resolutions. Hopefully by publishing this list will give me the motivation make them true. So wish me all the best this year, as I do you. Hope you have truely HEVANly year.

XXX

hEVANly

The Kim Kardashian Theorem

With many of life's problems I often turn to Hollywood for guidance. Where else would you learn classic life lessons like: you're never too young for botox, or Always look your best for the paparazzi. Or my personal favorite: whenever sexting a married man always save the texts for future blackmail.

This time Hollywood hasn't taught me a lesson, more like an observation about the world, and for this I must turn to Hollywood's favorite reality family the Kardashians, more specifically Kim Kardashian. Now after careful research and hours of in-depth analysis (which mainly included watching Keeping up with the Kardashians) I have concocted the "Kim Kardashian Theorem"

Now what is the "Kim Kardasian Theorem"? you may ask. It's simple, basically I have come to the realization that every family, whether from Hollywood or not, has one "Kim Kardashian". A "Kim Kardashian" is that one person in you're family that is the prettiest, the most successful, the most popular, and overall the person you despise, much like Kim Kardashian herself-do you get it now. Just as in the Kardashian klan Kim is clearly the most successful, most famous, and the prettiest. Now settle down haters yes the main cause of Kim's fame is due to her sextape, but look how far she has come since then.  Kardashian co-own her own boutique D-A-S-H with her two sisters, has her own fragrance, made several TV appearances, wrote a book, again with her sisters, and many more. Also Her two night, four hour wedding special "Kim's Fairytale Wedding" brought in 4.4 million viewers Sunday, and 4 million viewers Monday, that's pretty impressive. It's clear that Kim is the supernova of the Kardashian family.

Hollywood is full of other examples of "Kim Kardashians".
Hilary and Haylie Duff: even though but Duff sisters are pretty irrelevant now no one can deny the fame of Lizzie McGuire, and Hilary is set for a comeback.
The Cyrus family: Billy Ray Cyrus has a whole trailer full of his spawn but only Miley Cyrus is the most known, sorry Trace.
Britney Spears and Jaime-Lynn Spears: Oh poor Jaime-Lynn held up somewhere playing mom while big sis Britney is still ruling the world.

The Jackson Family: two words Michael Jackson.

The Jolie-Pitts: the world better watch out when Shiloh takes over.

See Hollywood is proof that in every family there is one that stands out above the rest.

It goes without question that I am the "Kim Kardashian" of my family. Let's face it there's no real competition, and my flawless skin, gorgeous eyes, distinctive cheek-bones, and pending success just seal the deal. But don't get all suicidal if you're not the "Kim K" of your family. Every family needs a Khloe-the witty, outgoing, loud one who isn't as pretty as Kim and many criticize for her weight (for the record she's not fat). Or a Kourtney- the sarcastic, bitchy one who is still pretty but not gorgeous and known for getting pregnant and her boob job. But heed my warnings my fellow "Kim Kardashians". Watch out for the "Kendalls" and "Kylies" in your family. They are younger family members that threaten your status as savior of your family. Everyone knows Kendall and Kylie are stunningly beautiful and it's only a matter of time before they become more successful than Kim.

Whether you're a "Kim," "Khloe," "Kourtney," or even a "Kendall or Kylie" it doesn't really matter. Family loves you regardless of your looks or success- or at least that's what I'm told.

XOXO

hEVANly

20 Is the New 18

Dear Sinners,

Unfortunately I have some terrible news. I am in mourning you see; mourning of my former life. Today is my birthday, and normally this would signify a week-long celebration, but you see I am officially 20. The horror! I know what you're thinking, how could youthful facial features be more than 17, but the truth is I am two decades old. My youth has been wrongfully stolen from me. Gone are my carefree teenage days. Now all I have to look forward to is years of job interviews, mortgages, and hair loss. 10 more years and I'll be 30. I should just kill myself now. 
But no matter, I should act like Meryl Streep and age gracefully. And as I am no longer a teenager it's time a stop my adolescent and childish ways. Yup that's right. No more shots of tequila, dancing around like a fool, spreading rumours, and talking shit behind people's back. This bitch has changed. HA, YEAH RIGHT! Who am I kidding, I'm never going to change. Just because I'm 20 doesn't mean I have to give up all my devilish ways. I'm calling it right now 20 is the new 18. And plus everyone says your 20s are the best time of your life. The partying ways of a teenager mixed with the legality of an adult. What can be better? And don't worry about me turning wrinkly, with stretch marks and varicose veins, as long as there's botox and anti-aging creams I'm going to stay young forever. Happy Birthday to Me, Bitches!

XOXO
hEVANLY

Ch-Ch-Changes

Dear Sinners,

If you're like me, which you should all strive to be, then you probably don't really care for change. Change to me is like hyndrangeas to Madonna; I absolutly loathe it. True my life isn't perfect and there's always room for improvement, but I'm comfortable and there's no need to mess with a good thing. Like the saying goes "if it's not broke don't fix it". Well much to my dissapointment change is inevitable and apart of life, so I guess I just have to suck it up.
But the best part about change is the chance to a fresh start, and everyone knows there are three times a year a person can start anew: New Year's, first day of school, and your birthday. Each event gives a person a chance to forget about the previous year's mistakes and sins and move forward with a fresh start and hopefully change for the better.
Luckily for me my birthday, which happens to be today hence this post, and the first day of school are within the same week. And I know what you're thinking "how can you improve on perfection?" but still like I said before there's always room for improvement.
But the most important part of change is moderation. Unless you're a danger to yourself or others or you're a cast member of Teen Mom, there's really no reason to make drastic changes to your life. The whole point of changing is to better yourself. So take it one step at a time making minor improvements. Also never change for someone else. Not to get all motherly on you but change has to happen within and for yourself. So cut out all the negative bullshit, and if you feel like you need to change for yourself then do it. That being said unless you're a hardcore drug addict or a prostitute then the above sentence doesn't apply to you. Go change yourself now! and while you're at it go to the health clinic. Who knows what diseases you're carrying.

The Bitch Is Back

Dear Sinners,
As you probably know I haven't posted in a while, and I must apologize. I know the horror of my absentee influence in your lives must have been dreadful, but fear not I'm back. Yes, that's right. I am now devoting all my free time to corrupting minds, divulging secrets, and spreading my awesomeness. The internets baddest bitch is back, so everyone better watch their back.

Stay Sinful,

XOXO

hEVANly