It's Centrifugal Motion, It's Perpetual Bliss XOXO

Did you ever wonder why it is that people kiss? Who was the first person to look at another person and think "I wanna swap saliva with him/her"?

According to Sharon K. West's article in Historical Mysteries, most people believe that kissing originated as a primitive eating ritual. Mothers would prechew the food and then spit it into the mouths of their children. Being that this was done from mother to child, this 'kiss' became associated with signs of affection as well as meeting basic human needs.

By 2000 B.C., people believed that kissing joined two souls together (How sweet! But that's some pretty deep commitment). The Ancient Egyptians associated kisses with giving life (ahem, or one thing led to another and....).

According to
anthropologist Vaughn Bryant Jr., the first erotic kiss was exchanged in India around 1500 BC. (Score two for the Indians. They started indoor plumbing, too!)

Over time, kisses became used in many different instances, such as greetings, sealing deals and even betrayal (Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.).

Russians were the first to incorporate kisses in their marriage ceremonies (changes your view of the Russians, right?).
The French were the first to consider kssing as an acceptable form of courtship (surprise, surprise). The French are also given credit for the French Kiss or "Maraichinage," a long kiss that developed into the erotic, tongue twisting kiss we know and love today.

In honor of Valentine's Day, here are some kissing tips adapted from Seventeen Magazine (December 2009 issue):

1. Make sure your lips are moist. Put on chapstick in advance, so your lips aren't sticky but still moist. Make sure it tastes good too!

2. Start your make-out session with small close-lipped kisses until you can match each other's pace.

3. It's not just in the lips. Use the tongue in creative ways too. You can practice by trying different types of tonguing on your own skin and see what feels good.

4. Add a few more actors to the show. Use your hands to carress your partner's face or hair or even add some sensation by stroking their arms or shoulders.

5. Don't think. Just go with the flow.

6. End the kiss by rubbing your nose against your partner's. It's a sweet way to end the kiss (and I think it's totally adorable!)

And if you feel about guilty about indulging yourself in the kisses (I mean, hey, sometimes you wonder if too much kissing makes the relationship too physical), calm your worries with these great insights into the benefits of kissing from West's article:

1. Kissing sends signals to our brain, which produces oxytocin, a hormone that creates an overall good feeling.

2. According to psychologists, people who kiss their spouse before they go to work miss less work because of illness. Also, people who kiss make 20-30 percent more in wages per month, get in fewer auto accidents and live up to 5 years longer!
(Easier than eating an apple every day, right?)

So, treat your honey good on Valetine's Day.
Impress him or her with your knew knowledge on the history of kissing, please him or her with the simple tips to improve your kissing and enjoy being with each other.

All the best in life and love!

Oh, and don't forget to check out West's article:
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/history_bizarre_mysterious/110045

xoxo

Spread the Love and Tell Her About It

To my dearest boys,
We girls cannot live without you. However, we do want to make it pleasurable to live with you.
Communication between the genders is often difficult. While guys are more visual and express their love through actions, girls are better at understanding the verbal. Girls need to be told how you feel, and told repeatedly.
As hard as we try, we can't get inside your heads. We won't know what's going on if you don't tell us. And, if you neglect to tell us sweet things for a long period of time, we worry that you've changed your minds.
So the best advice I can give to you comes from Billy Joel:

Listen boy
Don't want to see you let a good thing
Slip away

You know I don't like watching
Anybody make the same mistakes
I made

She's a real nice girl
And she's always there for you
But a nice girl wouldn't tell you what you should do

Listen boy
I'm sure that you think you got it all
Under control

You don't want somebody telling you
The way to stay in someone's soul

You're a big boy now
You'll never let her go
But that's just the kind of thing
She ought to know

Tell her about it
Tell her everything you feel
Give her every reason to accept
That you're for real

Tell her about it
Tell her all your crazy dreams
Let her know you need her
Let her know how much she means

Listen boy
It's not automatically a certain guarantee
To insure yourself
You've got to provide communication constantly

When you love someone
You're always insecure
And there's only one good way
To reassure

Tell her about it
Let her know how much you care
When she can't be with you
Tell her you wish you were there

Tell her about it
Every day before you leave
Pay her some attention
Give her something to believe

Cause now and then
She'll get to worrying
Just because you haven't spoken
For so long
Though you may not have done anything
Will that be a consolation when she's gone

Listen boy
It's good information from a man
Who's made mistakes

Just a word or two that she gets from you
Could be the difference that it makes

She's a trusting soul
She's put her trust in you
But a girl like that won't tell you
What you should do

Tell her about it
Tell her everything you feel
Give her every reason
To accept that you're for real

Tell her about it
Tell her all your crazy dreams
Let her know you need her
Let her know how much she means

Tell her about it
Tell her how you feel right now
Tell her about it
The girl don't want to wait too long
You got to tell her about it
Tell her now and you won't go wrong
You got to tell her about it
Before it gets too late
You got to tell her about it
You know the girl don't want
To wait--you got to
Tell her about it

Don't worry though, boys. We love you too, and we can't live without you either.

Don't forget, 13 days til Valentine's Day. Make it special for her, and remind her how you feel.

Love Always,
~Passion4Words

I hate Mondays...

And I never even realized it until college. Not that there was anything newly bad with Mondays once i started college. I just found myself saying that more often at that juncture in my life.

Every time I said it, my mom would tell me this story of how, when she had her first job out of college, she carried a tote bag with Garfield the cat on it that read, "I hate Mondays."

Mondays are the rude awakening to the beautiful dream that is my weekend.
Monday means back to the grindstone of classes and work. I wake up every Monday morning saying, "Wait, wasn't it just Friday?"

So, I'm not usually the happiest camper on Mondays.
This past Monday, the first day of my Winter Quarter for the school year, I happened to pick up a free copy of the Chicago Tribune (thank you, College Readership Program). Much to my delight, columnist Barbara Brotman offered me the following ways to fight the Monday/winter blues:

-"Get out of yourself. Get out of your head. Do not ever use the term 'personal happiness' unless you're using it ironically. Happiness is not personal; it's relational. Think of your happiness in terms of relationships with other people -- family, friends, co-workers, strangers or, if you want to be metaphysical, your relationship with the universe."
On that note, I'd like to throw in my own suggestion: share a smile. Smiling releases endorphins and really does make you feel better. Plus, they're contagious.

-"Squelch envy. Envy is the only one of the seven deadly sins that has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. And it is toxic when it comes to happiness."

-"Do not win the lottery. It will not make you happy. Or rather, it will make you happy for a short period, but then you will return to your set point of happiness."

-"Express gratitude on a regular basis. People who express gratitude are happy."
I particularly like this piece of advice. I say thank you a lot to people. I've even thanked people after I help THEM. Crazy right? My friends have told me I say thank you too much. Here's why!

-"You can buy lots of stuff, but don't be materialistic. It's the attitude of being materialistic that makes people less happy."

-"Have sex. People with active sex lives are happier than people without."
Lol, thank you, Barbara!

-"Eat chocolate. It contains chemicals that trigger the release of serotonin in the brain."

-"Combine the last two activities in some way. Messy, but effective."

-"Shorten your commute. People with long commutes are not happy, not only because of the frustrations of commuting but in terms of opportunity costs. Time spent commuting is time spent away from things like forming relationships with people that would make you happy."

-"And don't think about happiness too much. Happiness is a byproduct of life lived well. It is when we try to tackle it head-on that it slips out of our grasp. Don't buy books on happiness. Except for one. And give that to your friends."


You can check out the full article here : http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-talk-brotman-get-happyjan04,0,979874.column

May you find happiness this week :-D!

Gossiping Girl

So, for those of you who read my last post, I don't want you to get the wrong impression of me.

I actually really enjoyed my teenage years. There's so many great memories that I wouldn't trade for the world.

So, to indulge you all, I thought I'd leave some gossip about myself in my teenage years, sort of as a memoir.

Let's start at the very beginning (a very good place to start).

I was thirteen when I got my first 'boyfriend.' I still remember our first date pretty vividly. We went to see Grind, a skateboarding movie with Adam Brody that I thought would be a lot more amusing, at a small theater by our house. Brilliant me decided that we should get there half an hour early. So, because the movie theater wasn't exactly up with the times, it didn't bother to show ads or puzzles prior to the previews. So, my date and I sat in the dark screening room for half an hour while I searched my brain for engaging conversation topics (to little avail). Awkward experience- slightly. Still, it was a good learning experience for me. I learned to be prepared to make conversation on any date.

For those of you wondering, I actually did have a great time with this guy. The 'relationship' didn't last (surprise, surprise, since we were so young), but to this day, he's still one of my best friends. (lol, and he'll probably smack me for writing about him :-P)

I was fourteen when I started high school. I definitely did not like it in the beginning, but I leared to love it. I really grew and learned a lot about myself in high school. I found some great friends and had some great times. I still miss my high school and my related activities. I was one of those kids who was super involved, from Marching Band to NHS to serving as president of WYSE (Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering, similar to an academic team). Being involved really helped me to feel as though I was part of the community, and I made some great friends and memories.

When I was fifteen, I took driver's ed. Probably one of the scariest experiences of my life. I did not see any reason to put my uncoordinated self behind the wheel of a four-wheeled death machine. In my first couple days at range, when we were learning how to drive the car in reverse, I backed the car up over the curb. My instructor was pissed and watched me like a hawk from then on. I did manage to pass driver's ed, however, and I'm a pretty decent driver (knock on wood).

I was the girl who turned sweet sixteen and was never kissed. Did that drive me nuts? Absolutely! I was totally boy crazy. My most prominent memories from that age are about fighting over boys with other girls. Not that I won any of those fights.

Seventeen was an exciting age for me. I had a car, money from a part-time job, and my legal curfew was midnight on weekends. I felt like the world was my sandbox (yes, I just quoted Rugrats), and I played in it all weekend long with my friends. This was probably my most social experience in my life. Thursday nites were always spent planning for Fridays and Saturdays. I don't even wanna think about how much money I wasted, but it was good times.

Turning legal was not celebrated as scandalously as I would have hoped. I still have not purchased porn or been to a strip club. I bought a lottery ticket on my 18th birthday (the guy almost didn't sell it to me, either!), and I've bought maybe one other one since. I'm such a good girl :-P
That year had lots of other fun moments, though. I went to two senior proms (one with my bestie and one with my current boyfriend), gave a pretty awesome valedictorian speech at my graduation, and started college (finally, classes with boys again!)

Nineteen was finally the age at which I did all the stuff I should have done before I hit Sweet Sixteen.I got my first real boyfriend, my first kiss, and all that fun stuff. This was definitely the highlight of age 19 for me. It was the perfect finale for my teen years.

Now that I'm a few weeks into being 20, I'm realizing it's not as bad as I had anticipated. I don't feel all that old. In fact, I'm just as immature as I was a few weeks (and years) ago. A couple weeks ago, I was skipping- yes skipping- down my driveway and singing. My sister was like, "How are you 20?"

I definitely loved my teen years, but I'm determined not to let the fun die down. Here's to the next decade!

I Love Teenagers

That's kind of a bold statement, isn't it?

Maybe it isn't love so much as an understanding though. They're not as bad as everyone makes them out to be. They're just misunderstood.

In my last days as a teenager, I feel the need to make this rant: It's not easy being teen.

Seriously, teenagers are probably the most looked down upon age group in society. It feels like EVERYONE is out to get you. Most people have this notion that because you're in that age group, you're automatically up to no good.

I've had friends stopped by the cops for doing nothing illegal. We're just an age group to harass as a 'preventative measure.' It seems like more than enough adults are ready to combat this menace to society. Sadly, most of us don't do anything about the crappy treatment. We just take it.

I recently dealt with some adults about a harassment situation. I played by the rules, went through the proper channels and presented my case the adult way. Their advice to me was to put up and shut up. Because I'm a teenager, I'm supposed to put up with discrimination and not say anything about it. I'm supposed to be naive and not realize that I'm being slighted. Really? I feel like if I was ten years older, people would take me seriously, and the advice would not be to shut up and take it.

Being one who is easily offended, I often took note of when adults treated my friends and I differently for being teens.

After band in high school, my hungry friends and I used to frequent local restaurants. I spent so many nights waiting a half an hour or more to be seated in an empty restaurant. To top it off, the manager had the nerve to threaten to throw my group out if we weren't quiet while in the waiting area. On more than one occassion, I was ready to have a throwdown with the manager. Seriously, if you sat us at a table and gave us some food, we'd keep quiet, and everyone would be happy. Is that so hard?

But again, I feel like if my friends and I were just ten years older, we'd be treated a bit differently.

Speaking of throwdowns, I actually did have one with a lady at church once. The woman had the gall to sit there and tell me that because I am a teenager, I obviously couldn't know as much as she did. My response: Oh no you didn't! I earned myself the brand of disobedient and rude teen that day for standing up for myself. But to be fair, the adult started it :-P

It's interesting to see the teen situation from the other side of the fence. I recently got a job for the holidays at a suburban mall. On every shift, I get to deal with my fair share of high school students. When I was in high school, I learned to tune out obnoxious girls, so I usually don't notice them approaching until my manager groans. Although I've never had a problem with any of the teenagers I've encountered at work, my manager and coworkers can usually find something negative to say about even the sweetest teenager that comes by. Why? Because they are teenagers.
When I come to their defense, my coworkers tell me I'm too nice and willing to put up with people. That's when I argue that I've been there, done that and bought that t-shirt. And now I'm gonna flaunt it.

Most adults who know me don't believe that I'm capable of being a 'typical' teenager. People believe I can't be moody or rowdy. It's the people who don't know me that are the problem. To them, I'm probably just a disrespectful person who will make a scene, create a mess and not leave a tip.

While I'll admit there's some bad eggs among us, don't let the bad ones spoil it for all of us. There's good in us. The groups of people I hung out with high school and those I continue to hang out with are great people. We'll leave generous tips, respond to you politely and sometimes even be more mature than the average adult.

We're people, just in a different packaging than those who are respected in society. Most of us probably wouldn't do anything an adult wouldn't do anyway.

The funny part is, any adult who looks down on a teenager was probably just as bad or worse than the poor soul he or she is scorning. I've heard stories from adults reminiscing about their wild high school and college days and wondered how they can scorn someone else for trying to have fun.

My theory is that these once fun-loving teens turned into hypocritical adults because they didn't care that they were mistreated as teens. That's the kind of stuff in life you just let go. If you're not being hauled off to jail, you shouldn't let a grouchy adult spoil your fun. Or, maybe most teens just don't notice that adult in the corner giving them the evil eye at all. Life IS more painless when you're brainless, after all.

I, for one, hope I won't turn into that.

So teens, know that people do love you. Have your fun, but be polite about it. Don't give them the chance to judge you.
If any of you are a cynic, like me, know that your consolation will be that you can do this to the next group of teens in a couple of years anyway.

Adults (if any of you read this), remember what it was like to be a teen. In most cases, there's no ill intentions. Let them have their fun. Or, maybe consider adopting the age-old addage, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!


P.S.- Thanks Kristy & Luis for motivating me to update :-)

I Made the News! :-D

 

Where Magic Lives

"All you need is faith and trust. Oh! and Something I forgot-- dust...Yup! Just a little bit of pixie dust." -Peter Pan

For those of you who don't know me, I am a self-proclaimed Disney fanatic.
Disney movies have provided me my philosophy for life-- from believing that true beauty lies within, to true love conquers all, to the essential "Hakuna Matata" ("no worries").

In addition to the magic of the movies, I have fallen in love with the real-life magic Disney offers. I have visited Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida 26 times in my short 19 years of life (not a bad record for someone who lives in the Midwest) and Disneyland in Anaheim, California once.

I was inspired on my recent visit there to write a blog piece on WHY I love Disney so much and why it's not just for little kids, which is what many of my friends tell me when I am visiting Walt Disney World yet again. Please note that this is not an advertisement or meant to promote Disney, but rather an explanation of my passion for it.

Walt Disney World offers a magical experience like no other. For the most part, my experience with the Walt Disney Company has been positive. It has so many unique little aspects that make it seem all the more wonderful.
For example, employees of the Walt Disney Company are called "cast members," as they are always to put on a show for the guests, not customers. Cast members are trained to be polite, respectful, courteous and cheerful, making any interaction with a member of the Walt Disney Company magical.
As I mentioned, customers are referred to as "guests" and treated as such. Cast members are always happy to assist guests, help them meet their needs, and please them in any way possible (within reason, of course).
Being called a "guest" rather than a "customer" makes me feel more valued. I feel as though it's not about the money I'm spending there, but rather my personal happiness.

Walt Disney World is my favorite vacation destination because it feels so secluded. When touring a major city, the people you interact with are going about their daily lives and are not there to enjoy life as much as you are. People are rushign off to their jobs, picking up their kids, etc. At Walt Disney World, everybody (with the exception of the cast members) is on vacation! Everyone is there to have a good time and make some memories. There are fewer people working on their cell phones and computers, emailing that important file to their boss or trading stocks. The absence of this makes it easier to "forget about your worries and your strife" (Bare Necessities, The Jungle Book) at home and focus on having a good time. While I'm in Disney World, I'm not worrying about my duties at work or the drama I'm involved in with friends. I've been transported to a magical world at the moment I cross the property line. In this world, I can truly embrace the Hakuna Matata and enjoy myself.

Also, because other guests are also on vacation, people are much friendlier. Everyone is there to have fun. It's much easier to strike up a conversation with someone while waiting in line than it usually is in the outside world. In Disney World, it is socailly acceptable to smile at and wave to people you don't know. While people in the outside world would give you a weird look and assume that you are crazy, in Disney World, people smile and wave back. Such interaction brings about a feeling of unity and renews faith in the goodness of people.

Disney World is overflowing with a sense of magic. Your wildest childhood fantasies come to life here as you fly with Peter Pan, ransack the Caribbean with pirates, hang glide over California, soar to new heights on a mission to Mars, interact with wildlife, travel under the sea with Nemo and Friends, and land right on the set and behind the scenes of some of the most beloved non-Disney movies of all time -- all in one day (if you're really ambitious)! Having the opportunity to do such things can really bring out someone's inner child. Once people learn to let their guard down, all bets are off. Adults will dance in the streets and wait in lines to hug Mickey Mouse just like the toddlers do. Reliving the carefree days is, I think, the best way to spend a vacation.

Character meet-and-greets, shows, and parades bring some of your favorite Disney storybook characters to life. I still get excited when hugging Mickey Mouse, doing the princess pose with Belle, or waving at Ariel as she swims by in the parade. Coming face to face with those characters I loved as a child rekindles those positive thoughts and feelings in my heart that are brought on by watching the happy-ending Disney movies.

Speaking of Disney movies, these films definitely shaped me as an individual and helped me grow up to be a moral and optimistic individual with a deep belief in the magic in the world. I have trouble watching movies that don't have a happy ending. After watching a Disney movie, I feel touched by the magic. I feel inspired that my wildest dreams can come true, if I believe they can and am willing to work for them.
Disney films have inpsired me to believe that the quiet, sheltered girl can be noticed by the handsome prince (Cinderella), you never have to fully grow up (Peter Pan), and that poverty shouldn't get you down in life (Aladdin). Disney movies teach you some of the more practical life lessons too. For example, you shouldn't trust the strange old lady offering an apple (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), don't touch sharp objects (Sleeping Beauty), and of course, evil never pays off (insert any Disney villain here).

The magic of Disney makes life all the more bearable for me. It helps me to look on the bright side of life and inspires me to achieve my goals. Disney has taught me to "Just keep swimming" (Dory, Finding Nemo) when times are tough, reminds me of "Hakuna Matata" (The Lion King) when my worrywart self comes out, that "I [can] beat the odds/I can go the distance..til I find my hero's welcome right where I belong," (Hercules) and "If you can dream it, you can do it," (Walt Disney). ºoº