Sing us a song tonight, well we're all in the mood for a melody, & you've got us feeling all right.

So it's been a while, I know. So much has been going on, what with getting a second job, having barely any time to myself, and having no internet for a solid couple of weeks. All factors as to why this blog has not been updated in... an entire month?

But that does not mean that it is going to end - no sirs and madams. That just means I'll come back stronger with more hard-hitting journalism and real life issues and real world struggles.

Or I could just continue talking about the kind of things I've already been talking about. Because it's what I know. And you should always write what you know.

So we're going to talk about singing. Yeah, singing. Don't care about it? THEN DON'T READ ANYMORE OF THIS BLOG. (Kidding, please continue reading.)

I have been singing since I can remember. Not professionally, obviously, and I'm pretty sure most people will say the same thing. I remember singing Disney hits as a child, rocking out to some Raffi and Eric Nagler and Fred Penner and Charlotte Diamond and Sharon, Lois & Braham. Then I got my first Spice Girls cassette tape (yeah, the 90's were awesome), and all hell broke loose.

Kidding. I wasn't a crazy obnoxious singer as a child; I mostly had dance parties and rock shows in my room by myself. I never had the confidence to sing in front of anyone - not even my family. Granted, there were times my dad would play some old Scottish and Irish drinking songs and folk songs and my brother and I would listen and occasionally join in, but I can't recall ever singing for my family.

But let me tell you, ever since I started attending karaoke at a local bar with a very close friend of mine, I can honestly say I don't know why I was ever too shy to sing in front of people. The rush I get every time I take the microphone in my hand and wait for the song to start, which is only comparable to the rush I get when the song climaxes and everyone cheers because I did a great job - ladies and gents, these are such natural highs it's insane.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how good it is for you to just sing. So I started looking up some articles on the benefits of singing.

And, I'm sorry, let me pause for a second. I'm not saying you have to be a good singer to understand the rush of performing. I wouldn't say I'm a great singer; I can hit notes and I have a different tone, I guess, but people aren't lining up to ask me to join their band or choir, or to ask me for my autograph. You could be tone deaf, or not know any of the words to any song, or not remember any words, it doesn't matter. All that matters is how much enjoyment you get out of it. If you're having fun, who cares that you're so out of key you're voice has literally left your body and left the building? I don't care, and neither should you.

Having said that, let's move on.

There's this article from Time Magazine's website (click here to read it) entitled "Singing Changes Your Brain". The article starts out by saying that when you sing, "musical vibrations move through you, altering your physical and emotional landscape". Deep, right? But studies are being done on group singers (choirs, glee clubs, etc.), that are showing lower levels of stress and anxiety, due to your body's release of the hormone Oxytocin, as well as endorphins, which is another hormone released when singing, and is associated with feelings of pleasure. Oxytocin also enhances feelings of trust and bonding, which is also why studies are showing that singing diminishes the feelings of loneliness and depression. (Basically, if you're depressed, join a choir! Or get some friends together for karaoke! That's how I do it.)

Also (just to solidify my earlier point):
"It turns out you don’t even have to be a good singer to reap the rewards.  According to one 2005 study, group singing “can produce satisfying and therapeutic sensations even when the sound produced by the vocal instrument is of mediocre quality.”"

So hey, all you beautiful people who may be feeling a little down in the dumps, or even feeling extremely lonely, I challenge you to sing. Sing to your heart's content!

I have a plethora of songs that make my mood spike in a positive way probably at least 75%. I'd love to tell you all of them, but just for ideas, I'll list my top ten. If you feel like listening to them, OMG do it. I recommend them.

1. Shut Up and Dance - Walk The Moon. (Absolutely no fail with this one.)
2. Wherever This Goes - The Fray (Honestly, anything by The Fray. They're my favorite.)
3. Honey, I'm Good - Andy Grammer. (I've got to bid you adieu, to another I will stay true.)
4. Kiss You - One Direction (And yeah, basically anything by One Direction too.)
5. Hey Jude - The Beatles (My all-time favorite song ever. Take a sad song and make it better...)
6. Wild World - Cat Stevens (It's hard to get by, just upon a smile.)
7. Bounce - Iggy Azalea. (Shake it, break it, make it bounce.)
8. Want To Want Me - Jason Derulo (Yes, I do love Jason Derulo. He is one talented sonofabitch.)
9. Vienna - Billy Joel (Slow down, you crazy child.)
10. Is This Love - Bob Marley (I wanna love ya, and treat you right.)

Think of songs that make you smile, and bring your mood up, and damnit, sing until your lungs give out! Tell me it doesn't make you feel better. I dare you.

Also, hopefully this could motivate you to sing as well. It's just me singing, not a big deal. Listen!

Honestly, I wanna see you be brave.

Okay everybody. I have a little speech about myself.

Yes, I've said a few times that turning 25 is rough. I'm not lying. It's a hard hit to your emotional well-being and your mental stability. I've hit as rock bottom as I've ever hit (I don't think it was actually as rock bottom as I could go, but damn it felt low), and I went days where I'd sit in my bed or on my couch and just cry. Maybe an emotional commercial triggered it, or something heart-warming happened on a show, but eight times out of ten, it was for nothing. No reason. Just a giant lump in my throat, tears rolling down my cheeks, and my heart ripping all over, because something was happening to me. I didn't know what to do; I felt lost and alone, even though I have a great support system. I was stuck.

I started to make changes in my life. Hard, yes, everything I've done lately is hard. Just getting out of bed and being productive with my day is hard. It still is. But I started thinking of things I wanted to change in my life. What about me don't I like, or what about my life can I change for the better?

The first attempt was my career. I tried another job in my industry, only for a day (gave them free labor... YOU'RE WELCOME), but it made me realize how much I didn't want to do this anymore for a career. I need to seriously look at myself and my life and re-evaluate everything.

So clearly my career is something way more serious that needs a lot of my focus and attention. But what else did I want to change? Money problems are more than just taking a step to change them (yes, I know, I could find a second job just for some extra cash, but let's be honest - I'm lazy), so I can't do much about that. What else though? What has made me unhappy for a while that I can take it upon myself to change?

MY BODY.

Don't get me wrong, ladies and gentlemen, I love my body. It keeps me alive, has killer lady curves, and I wouldn't even exist without it. There's nothing wrong with being a big beautiful woman, especially if you really own it, so I didn't want to change my body because I hated it, I wanted to change it because I was living a really unhealthy life. Pizzas and pastas and so much bread - I was gaining weight and it wasn't making me feel good about myself. And if you aren't feeling good about yourself, you need to change that.

Because everyone is amazing, in different ways. If you don't like yourself, or you don't feel amazing, change it. Not because I'm telling you to, because you want to. K? Glad we are all in the same boat with this.

So I began kicking bad habits. No more sugar in my tea (was that ever hard), no more binge-eating candy or chips or pizza, not eating white bread anymore, and no more ignoring what was in everything I ate. Holy crap, guys, was it ever hard.

I have a coworker who is all about fitness and eating clean and healthy, and she gave my roommate a meal plan, so I consistently (and annoyingly) asked for one for myself. I'm sure it was difficult to make (I can't eat a lot of fresh fruit, or garlic, or turkey), but when I received it, I couldn't wait to start it. I was finally taking the steps I needed (and let's not forget, the steps I wanted) in order to really jump start my new healthy lifestyle, and let me tell you... every one of you... it's already so worth it.

Lately, I've been weighing myself more because I'm no longer scared of the result, and I've found that I've lost a whopping 32 pounds. How cool is that, right? Just from eating healthy. Guys, I'm lazy, I barely exercise. Just cutting down on sugars and watching portion sizes can make this much of a difference:

Right? That's what losing 32 pounds looks like. I've never been happier or felt more accomplished about anything that I can think of really. It's amazing what you can achieve when you really set your mind to it.

Sure, I've still got thunder thighs, covered in stretch marks and cellulite, and I don't care. I'm not stopping until I get to my healthy goal weight - and I've only got 20 more pounds to go!

I just had to brag about myself, because of how ecstatic I am. I hope this is motivating to anyone that reads it, because if I can do something this life changing, and only by taking a few steps and staying determined, then I believe anyone can.

It does get better! :D

Her lipstick stain is a work of art.

Trying to make yourself feel great every single day (especially when in general you just don't feel up to waking up) is hard. Putting those pants on that used to fit perfectly, and now make you look like you have long lumpy thighs, or applying your usually smooth liquid liner and looking like you gave a child a permanent marker and told him to 'have at it'.

But there must be something we all do every single day to help just even get through the day.

Most people will tell you (or at least they told me) that you have to be happy with yourself before you can be happy with anything else in life. But I pose one question to them: when it's hard enough just getting up and starting your day, let alone being happy about it, what makes you think I can be happy with myself?

So what do I do? Whatever I want. Obviously. Within reason, you should just be doing whatever you want to feel awesome and happy and beautiful, because no one can take that away from you. Whether it's curling your hair every day, or wearing glitter eyeshadow every day, or wearing a pearl necklace every day. Whatever it is that makes you feel good and feel happy, do that every day! It'll start to get better, I promise.

I've begun my positive life change by wearing lipstick every single day. I know what you're thinking: how come I'm not accepting my face the way it is? You just cut it out. My face is awesome, and I know that. I'm just accentuating the greatness.

Now, let me tell you about which brands and colors I use. I'll start up by saying that I'm not one to have expensive makeup; I have different priorities than some girls, and therefore I don't see the need to spend lots of money on lipstick for myself. So I use brands bought at your local pharmacy.

First in the lineup, is a MAC color, and yes I know, MAC is expensive but HEY. I felt like splurging, k? First lipstick I ever bought. The color is called Girl About Town. And it looks like this:

Vibrant right? And yes, it is the best quality lipstick I own, and yes, it's totally worth the money, but that doesn't mean you should break the bank every time, my friends!
The next in line is Rimmel London, Kate Moss edition, and the color is an orange-y coral. No name, looks like this:

I wear this one when I'm feeling fun and crazy. Not all the time, but once in a while. It's a matte color, so no shine, and super long lasting. Don't be fooled though, these lipsticks will all still rub off on things, despite what any advertisement will say.
Next is another Rimmel London, Kate Moss edition color. I love Rimmel London, clearly. This color is more of an every day color:

Subtle, light, feminine, but still empowering and beautifying. Again, it's a matte color, and again, long lasting, but will rub off. Just be careful (without being too prissy) about your lipsticks, girls!
And last, but certainly not least, is my staple red lip color. Brand: Revlon. Name: Fire & Ice. And it goes like this:

I never used to be one for bright red colors. Especially near my face (I have a very Scottish complexion, and red will make me look like a lobster). That being said, I LOVE WEARING RED LIPSTICK. Do you want to just feel like a real woman? Wear red lipstick. Do you want to feel sexy? Wear red lipstick. Do you want to feel fun? Wear red lipstick. This is the most empowering lip color I have ever worn, and it's so classic, that I really do feel like the woman I am.

Ladies (and even gentlemen), don't be afraid to go bold. Wear lipstick every day! (Or whatever you want, wear liquid liner every day, whatever it is you fancy.) Just make sure you do something to make you feel empowered, sexy and confident.

Other than the one splurge on the MAC color, these lipsticks did not break my bank. In fact, they are all under 10$. Into it? Go check out your local Shoppers Drug Mart, London Drugs, or any pharmacy/grocery store that sells makeup.

And remember to always find a man who ruins your lipstick, not your mascara. ;)