*Cough, cough! Sniff, sniff!*

The absolute worst thing about going back to school (besides going back to school) is getting sick at the same time. No one likes getting sick, but to simultaneously have a runny and stuffy nose will not help get those readings done. It's been especially tough this year because the weather has had a mind of its own. Literally day by day, it's either hot enough to put on your sunglasses or cold enough to grab a scarf. For the lucky ones who who haven't caught the bug yet, I would like to help you keep it that way: 

• Take vitamin C like it's Mike n Ikes and it's about to expire. However, be careful not to take too much. Too much of anything is never good for you.

• Wash your hands in between the times you usually wash your hands. This will make your hands extra dry so it’s a good idea to have hand cream as well. For those “in between” moments, hand sanitizer also comes in handy.

• Last of all and the hardest tip to follow: stay away from sick people! 

It's been awhile...

          I should probably blog since I love to write and I want to do it for a living. Funny, once you say you love to write, people just expect you to be constantly flowing with things to say. Fair enough because I always tend to be jumping from idea to idea with things to say. They range from random comments to my aeroia opinion about a current event going on in the world. I've written about once a month about things important to me that I feel passionate enough to write about.

          It's time to get more serious though. In my last year studying journalism, I need to see if I can cut it. Well, obviously I know I can, but I want to see how serious I can get about it. I can wrote about anything, but how well will it flow from my fingers to the screen? So from now on, my posts will mostly focus on current events. It'll probably be things I didn't get time to comment on in class because we had to move on.

          So let's start broadcasting the news, shall we?

Bleh

Lately, an abundance of bad things are happening to the loved ones of people close to me. It can be a curse, but I empathize with their pain, anxiety and worry. Every time I hear an update or a negative status, it hits me harder. Blow by blow, these people are all I think about. They're constantly in my head. 

I started thinking today though. It's too much. He has cancer, she has cancer, she has leukemia, she had a serious allergic reaction, her cancer is back. It only took 5 days for all this news to me. I'm saturated in fear and worry. 

Now either I can worry and be really mad at the world or I can be a real Christian and man up. It's so flipping hard though. Being a Christian is no simple walk in the park. Maybe it is for some people, but I have crazy allergies so crap can jump up at any moment and I won't realize it's harmful unless I stay with it for too long. 

I'm just struggling to do the right thing these days. I know Satan is loving all the happiness that's been drained out of me, but I haven't been this low in a long time and I'm too tired and weak to get up.

The other half of me knows I'm a baby and that I don't even have to get up to go to God. People got healed being sick in bed because Jesus came directly to them.

I have to re-evaluate all this crappy news and consider myself extra blessed every time. 

The First

It’s a fresh start. It’s the beginning of a new cycle, new month, but not too new that your goals are too high. They may fly away before you reach them. August 1^st is a good start. It’s not really the beginning of a season, year or a Monday, but it’s a start nevertheless. I figured maybe, just maybe, if I publicly post what my start will be this first of the month, I may get through it and not give up until the next Monday or the next first.

My first is a fitness first. Well, not really a first because I’ve been working on my fitness ever since I started university. It’s rarely even a weight thing. The more I’ve struggled with my various weight losses and increases, the more I’ve learnt to love my body just the way it is. Self-esteem is obviously a great thing. Who wouldn’t want to believe in themselves and walk around with their heads held high? However, self-esteem and being comfortable in my own skin has made me complacent. I’m so used to my body that my “problem” areas that I rarely even call them problems anymore.  

How can I be determined to lose weight if guys keep telling me I look good? Ugh, life is SO hard…

It’s been a week though and I’ve been working out consistently (ish) and watching what I eat. My sister is like my fitness guru who pushes me to run every morning and high fives me even though I’m walking back. Thanks to sparkpeople.com, it tells me what my recommended calorie intake should be and so far I’ve been able to stay within that range.

I think if I stay away from nice people and their compliments for a few months, I may actually be able to pull this off.

  

Knock knock...Who's there?

There's someone knocking on the door. Don't get it yet though. The place is filthy. There are dishes in the sink, the beds are unmade and the bathroom smells. You don't know who's waiting outside though. You have no clue how long they'll wait either. What you do know is that you want to make a good impression. You want to make sure that whoever is on the other side will like what they see.

What if the person on the other side is the Holy Spirit? 

You'd probably be rushing now to get the place cleaned up before letting Him in now. What are you hiding though? Sometimes we forget He's everywhere. He's seen everything and knows everything about us. Who better to help you clean up than the Holy Spirit? It's pretty obvious he can help heal you much faster than you would all by yourself. He can also point out a few dusty corners you didn't even know needed cleaning. Why wouldn't we want to let him in? 

For me, it's mostly pride. I want to do things for myself, by myself. I tend to forget that regardless of the plans I have, God's are bigger and better. 

30 Hour Famine...Well, 30 hours for most of us

The youth at my church participated in World Vision's 30 Hour Famine about a month ago. I'll gladly take any opportunity I can to show off how amazing I think they are. I just find them so entertaining as others may just think they're shy....think again.

It's Not Me, It's You

I have a bone to pick with a few of you out there. Now I already took responsibility in a previous post for letting people get to me, get under my skin. The full truth is that it's not all my fault. Your nasty attitude has something to do with it. It should be no surprise that people's moods rub off on each other. 

I agree that sometimes people can't help it. Somehow when you left your house and tried to bury your bad mood there, it followed you to work and in that conversation you later had with friends. I think you can help some of it though. People who are in bad moods are most likely in their most selfish stage. All they're thinking about is their lousy mood and how much things suck. I may, perhaps, sometimes be guilty of doing this, but I want us to think of a few things the next time we're not too cheery:

1. The world isn't against you

2. People who haven't done anything to you don't deserve to be treated like they have. 

3. Everyone has problems. You have no way of knowing whether or not you've gotten the shortest end of the stick. 

What do you get out of dragging people down with you? Keep your distance and stay jealous of all us happy people until you decide to join us. 

The thing is, you have just put everyone you come into contact with into two categories. They're either people who put you in a bad mood or people who haven't done anything to you, but you're projecting your bad mood upon. 

So grow up. Apologize to the people you've been spreading your bad mood on because you know they didn't deserve it in the first place. Second of all, confront the person who you're upset with. For all you know, they have no clue you're mad at him or her.

That way, others around you can live in peace. You just might gain some of their respect back.