Music Monday: 25 by Adele

Adele has been a busy woman. She's been taking over the iTunes music charts, with song "Hello" as number one, and "When We Were Young" at number 10. She's even been breaking world records, as her album has sold more copies than Taylor's Swift's "1989" and Drake's "If You're Reading This It's Too Late,' even breaking records held by *NSYNC's "No Strings Attached", according to an article called "12 Mind-Boggling Facts About Adele's Record Breaking Debut."

However, before we talk about the records, let's focus on the music. Because, let's face it, it's a pretty great album. The release was a long awaited follow up to Adele's "21," and says "hello" (no pun intended) to the next phase of the singer's life. Some of themes include moving on from heartbreak, and motherhood.
The album starts out with "Hello," which is the album's lead single. The song is a beautiful and emotional cry to one's ex-lover who they haven't spoken with in a while to get them to reunite, and is a great track to get the listener ready for the next hour (I have the deluxe edition) of "25." Breakups are a common theme with the album, but unlike "21" when they talk about the raw emotions of a breakup, they deal with the scars. Songs like "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)," "When We Were Young," and "Water Under the Bridge" deal with these themes. Other songs, such as "Sweetest Devotion," talk about motherhood, as the song is dedicated to Adele's song. While the album is classified as R 'n' B in my iTunes, I see some similarities to Taylor Swift's "1989," with songs such as "Water Under the Bridge." However, each and every one of the album's tracks showcase Adele's beautiful vocals, and song writing abilities.
"25" is something that I believe is unlike any other release recently. Adele is clearly talented, and she has the vocal range and ability to prove it. Even though it's been four years since "21" has been released, I can tell you the album was worth the wait. Adele shows lyrical and musical maturity, and each of these songs are something that have been listening to since the day that I got the album. (Which was last week, at Target.)
Overall, I recommend "25" by Adele. Sure, it's something that everyone is talking about. Sure, "Hello" is a bit overplayed.  However, it's an album that I believe is one of the best of 2015, and perhaps maybe an album that's going to be an classic in the years to come. Therefore, I recommend everyone--from the classic rock junkies to the rap music enthusiasts--to give this album a listen. I know you all will enjoy it. If you do purchase this album, I recommend that you get it from Target. You get three extra singles with the deluxe edition, all of which are amazing as the 11 in the standard edition.
Songs to Listen to: Hello, Send My Love (To Your New Lover), I Miss You, Remedy, Water Under the Bridge, When We Were Young, River Lea, Love in the Dark.
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Book Review: Instant Happiness Journal

*Disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review
Lately, it seems like I've been a little short on the Happy front. Between stresses from work and school, I've been on a constant sinking ship of anxiety. Therefore, I decided to take up journaling in the effort to help combat my stress and anxiety. The book 'Instant Happiness Journal' by Karen Salmanson instantly became a must-have for me, and I was eager to see what this book had to offer.
The book is basically like a journal, but extends more than just a standard notebook.The book has a series of prompts for someone to write in. The book itself is a journal, and is filled with prompts to be written in. I've used it a few times, and can honestly say that the journal is cute. I've used it for the past few days, and I've looked foreword to writing each prompt. They all require some thinking, and even opens your mind up to new thoughts.
Overall, this book is a must have for those who are going through a hard time, those who are starting to journal but are at a loss as to where to start, and writers. I recommend this book highly, as both a blogger and a person whose going through a hard time and needs an outlet for them to vent about their lives. As the holiday season approaches, I recommend this book as something on everyone's gift list, or something to give to the one whose going through a rough time.

Things I'm Thankful for Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my readers. I hope you have a day that's full of food, and good memories. However, today I wanted to reflect about all of the things that I am thankful for. Lately, it seems like my life is a constant down spiral, and I wanted to remind myself that everything that in my life isn't all that bad.

Really good friends:
I have a lot of great friends, near and far. I'm grateful for the support my friend Kari gives me whenever I'm upset. I'm grateful for Griffin always being there for me as a person of both insight, and enlightening me with different ways to look at the world. I'm also thankful for the wild adventures I've had with both Griffin and Gabriel. I'm also grateful for Panera dinners with Vanessa. I've learned what good friends are and I've tried to surround myself in good company. I'm surrounded by a lot of good people who have been there for me and I'm grateful for it.
Family:
I have a close-knit family that are there for me for the highs and lows of my life. From my goofy grandma who I enjoy having Friday afternoon lunches with, to a supportive single mother who does everything for her child. I'm grateful for those two in particular, however, I'm still grateful that I have a good support system to rely on.
My dog: 

My dog is my best friend, and she's one of the people who always makes me happy when I'm upset. She always makes me laugh, and I'm happy to have my dog around whenever I'm feeling upset.
My opportunities:
From going to school to getting to work at a newspaper, I've had a lot of opportunities at my age. For that, even though I complain about them, I'm grateful for all of those opportunities.
What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? Let me know in the comments below. 

Stressed to Impress?

When looking back at this semester, only one word comes to mind-stress. Stress from work, stress from classes, and stresses to keep my sanity. As it finally draws to a close, I can't help but be grateful for the chance to have a break and just breath. I also can't help but feel victorious in the fact that I survived what I will probably deem as the most stressful time of my life. 

However, it's no secret that college students these days are stressful, which results in anxiety and other mental health problems. Most of my friends, including myself, work multiple jobs. They also go to school full-time, and some even have an internship. This results in many burning out, anxiety levels sky rocketing through the roof, as well as anxiety's effects. According to an article on the New York Times Blog Anxious Students Strain College Mental Health Centers, anxiety now surpasses depression as being the most common mental disorder diagnosis. The article then goes on to say that one in six college students are diagnosed with anxiety in the last year. And with college students like myself loading more and more on their plate, it's easy to see where the ultimate source of stress is. 

In college, the bar is raised and expectations are high. We have to go to class to get a degree, and do the work to getting  passing grade. But in some majors, you need experience. For many this is an internship. Then, we need money to pay bills such as car insurance, and just to have money in general, so then add a part time job. And some college students with outstanding bills often result in working an extra job. Sound like a lot? I haven't factored in sleep, food time, and of course time to just to relax. Bottom line-college is stressful. The question is why is it so?

The answer is that we are out to impress, since we are about to enter a job market that's competitive. So, we pile on jobs, internships, pretty much anything to stand out. And this creates a block of pressure, which can cause the back to break if one isn't careful. 

There's only so many hours in a day a person could keep pushing themselves for it to remain healthy. Everyone needs to realize that they can't keep going at a rapid pace, and not have an effect on themselves. While it's important to have experience, get good grades, and have money, it's also important that we take time for ourselves. Watch Netflix, read a magazine, and just do nothing. When we are programmed to be constantly busy, it can be a weird change. However, it's something that I think is crucial, especially when we are piling everything on ourselves. After all, that's the one thing that can help combat stress. 

Things I Love Tuesday-Little Words Project

Many of my readers know that I was really close to my grandfather, whose now deceased. However, what many don't know is his last words to me, which were to "be happy." Since he was always happy and focused on everyone else's happiness, it wasn't surprising that those were his last words.
Recently, I've been going through a bit of a rough time. I have been formally diagnosed with anxiety, and have been dealing with its' effects. I saw the Little Words Project on Instagram, and decided to treat myself to bracelet, because I thought I needed a reminder to be "happy." I also really liked the bracelet, and wanted one to be a part of my jewelry wardrobe

So, I got the bracelet with the words "Be Happy," because of my grandfather. I choose Air Blue Opal, because light blue is one of my favorite colors. The bracelet itself wasn't expensive, and it took about a week for it to arrive home.
When I got it, I was instantly in love with the bracelet, and put it on with my blue Lokai bracelet (pictured above). It even included a note from the company, which instantly made my day. I love how passionate the company is about what they make, and is really refreshing. The bracelet even can be registered on their website, so if you choose to give the bracelet away, then you can track it's journey. Pretty cool, huh?
I've only worn it a few times since getting it, however, everytime I look down on it, it reminds me to aspire to be happy. It goes with Alex and Ani bracelets, as well as my Lokai. However, I know I'll be purchasing another bracelet again, as both gifts for myself, and gifts for friends as the holiday season rolls around. They have great customer service, and a great product. Therefore, for those who are looking for someone to give to friends, families, and of course themselves, look no further. The Little Words Project is a bracelet that offers a great meaning, and of course a great bracelet. And, for about $20, it's definitely worth the investment.

Music Monday: Why Taylor Swift's 1989 Is Still a Hit

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When thinking about one of the most iconic musicians of our generation, one name in particular comes to mind. And that is Taylor Swift.
A year ago, Swift released the album "1989," which contains music from Swift's birth year. Since then, "1989" has had five number one hits-"Style," "Blank Space," "Shake it Off," "Wildest Dreams," and "Bad Blood." Several other of her songs have charted, such as "Welcome To New York." "1989" has spent pretty much every week in the charts, and has sold over 8.6 million copies according to its' Wikipedia page.
However, a year later, Swifties all around the world, myself included still have the album on repeat. I've listened to "Style" over 200 times, and know the lyrics to most of the songs pretty much by heart. Her songs are still being played on the radio, and pretty regularly too I might add. Therefore, the album "1989" is an album that is one of the greatest of our generation, the same way "Thriller" was for our parents'.
What I liked about "1989" is that it's different than anything else out there in today's music market. I'm a huge fan of the '80's so I credit that to being the reason why I'm so obsessed with it. And the songs are just amazing. From "Welcome to New York" to "Wonderland," the album offers music that is both lyrically and musically mature, which is the reason why I love the album so much And, on the artistic end of things, it's just a great release.
As Swift's first non-country album, I can honestly say that there's not a single bad song that I don't like on the album. While I often put other albums aside, I still manage to listen to Swift's album pretty regularly.
What also is unique about "1989" is the the lyrics. From "Cause darling I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream," to "red lip classic thing that you like," Swift's lyrics are amazing. Songs like "Out of the Woods" and "Clean" are songs that are both emotional and honest. Swift has always managed to maintain a sense of reliability with her listeners, however, this album shows off her song-writing talents.
Even as I find more music that I'm obsessed with at the moment, I still can't help but have "Style," "Blank Space," or "Out of the Woods" still playing. The album itself is a modern-day classic, despite the fact it's a bit overplayed on the radio in my opinion. Therefore, in my opinion as a music enthusiast, I can honestly say it's a must listen to listeners going through their twenties (which is Swift's target audience), and beyond.

NanoWriMo Week 2 Update

Current word count:29,288 out of 50,000 (As of 11/16/2015)
Hi guys! So I'm updating you all on my latest endeavors writing for NanoWriMo. Since my last update, I've written over 18,000 words, and 66 pages. I still can't believe how much I've been able to accomplish. Usually, right about now I would be giving up. However, I still can't help but be encouraged to write more. I could see that this would be the year that I actually finish my novel, which is really exciting.
One of the problems I've been having is trying to figure out how to make my novel last 50,000 words. I know that the problem I'm going to create for my character is going to last a little while longer, but I'm not sure how long it's going to make it last while being interesting. However, once I'm done writing this update, I'm going to pen an introduction.
Furthermore, the biggest update I have novelling is that I'm on Tablo. So far, I've published the first chapters and I'm looking to publish more as time goes on. By the end of the month, expect the entire novel to be up.
Anyways, this weekend I'm going to be spending it novelling. Stay tuned next week for a special update.