We're all just a Bunch of Animals

Hi Peeps!

The other night, I was watching (yet again) the 1995 motion picture classic that is Balto. I have to say, it's right up there for being one of my all time favorite movies, animated or otherwise. Plus, as I got older and developed a crush on Kevin Bacon ( that's right, I said it) after watching him dance up a storm in Footloose and then found out he voiced the title character of the film, I loved it even more. Seriously, if you haven't watched it, do so. It is loosely based on a true story and also has a wonderful message for kids about embracing who you are. Just lovely really.

But no this post isn't just about Balto, but rather something that dawned on me while watching the scene ( alert: spoiler! In fact, there may be a lot more to follow. You've been warned!) when Balto is getting attacked by a ginormous bear. Anytime I see a wild animal attack another animal or person in a film, I always have this thought: that would never happen in real life. And not just because it's a movie, and that's where unrealistic things happen for the purpose of entertainment. That's what movies are for. No, I more so have this thought because animals rarely ever attack another living thing unless it provokes them ( like a mother animal attacking anything that comes within a sniff of her babies) or if it their food source ( like fox eats a rabbit). They just don't attack you for the fun of it.

Nevertheless, this is how it is depicted in many animated movies.

Not the actual bear scene from Balto(1995) , but this fan art was just to damn cool to pass up.

 

 

Mordu and Merida in Brave (2012). Now this is a bit different, as Mordu is more of plot device and not actual a true bear, so it will kind of prove my point.

Belle being attacked by a copious amount of wolves in Beauty and the Beast (1991) 

Tarzan fighting against Sabor, a leopard that he holds a vendetta against for killing his parents in Tarzan (1999)

A wolf attacking and subsequently dragging Kristoff off the sled while Anna smugly watches in Frozen (2013).

 

 

In all these movies, and many others ( both animated and live-action), animals are shown to just attack anything because they randomly see them passing by. Yes, I know that there has to be some action, some terrifying attack scene. It's what makes a movie a movie. I'm not here to critique movies, as I really am not an expert on them. Like, not even close to an expert. I'm here to point out what I really should've noticed a long time ago when watching these movies. That is that these attacking animals are modeled after the only true animals that attack with little to no provocation most times: humans.

 

 

It really makes sense. Humans are the ones who think these ideas, write the scripts and animate these animals. So of course, we personify them. The protagonist animals are pretty much like people, so why not the vicious, secondary ( or primary, in the case of Mordu), attacking animals as well? Seems only fair. But it just kind of hit me, that wow, we are the only true animals that attack something for no reason sometimes. Like, you see a girl walk past you wearing something you find hideous. You either mentally degrade or verbally degrade her. But what did she ever really do to you, other than cross your path? Nothing. But in animated movies, this means enough to attempt to kill another living thing. And while we humans may not be tearing each others hearts out or using our claws to make someone bleed to death for being in our space ( though we have done it for other reasons), we are still in some capacity attacking another living thing. And we're really the only animal that does so on a regular basis.

 

 

Mordu is probably the best example of this as he was originally a human and even though he has lost pretty much all his humanity, he still attacks people more so like a human would than a real bear would. He just wants to attack anything that gets in his way ( and serve as way for Merida to discover her fate); a real bear will attack you if you're a.) a smaller animal they can eat b.) your impinging on their cubs or mate c.) if your threatening it with a gun or something and it wants to protect itself. d.) they're all rabified and stuff. Animals will not attack you if they don' feel threatened most times. There are probably cases of  where they may attack you just cuz, but more often than not, they won't be a Mordu. Or a Sabor. Or that nameless bear from Fox and the Hound.

 

 

No, this post was not some PSA about being kind to animals ( although you really should) or anything like that. It was just a random thought I had and wanted to share. It's interesting how animals are seen as dangerous in movies when really it is the personification of them that makes them seem so evil and dangerous in movies. Just an interesting thought.

 

Over and Meowt

Marli J

14 years a Honeymooner

Hi Peeps!

So two days ago (Friday) I had a Doctors appointment. It was some follow up on blood work I had gotten done because recently, my left foot has been really swollen and slightly sore. I thought it was because of the fact that I had twisted my ankle really bad a year ago ( and yes, I didn't get it checked out because I could still wiggle my toes, so it wasn't broken, so why get it checked out? disclaimer: because you just should) and ever since then, when I walk on it too much, it gets swollen. But anyways, I went to the Dr., she sent me to get my blood done and then we had this said follow up. And she told me some news. Based on my blood and urine samples ( sorry for the details), it looks as if I 'm on my way to having diabetes.

....now this is where I should talk about how shocked I was. How I cried because I suddenly have this life long disease. But the thing is....none of that's true. And that's because I kind of was just waiting for the day this news would actually happen.

Let me explain.

Diabetes runs in my family on my dad's side. My Grandma had it. Her four children have/had it ( my Uncle passed away from Cancer in 2010). At least  three of my cousins have it. My older sister has it. Basically, it's big in my family. So obviously, I'm at an increased likelihood of getting it. In fact, I was told that when I was 8. At that time, I was diagnosed with what is called "Honeymoon Stage Diabetes". Basically that means I'm not free of diabetes ("single") but I'm not full fledge diabetic ("married and in it for life"). I'm just a "newlywed" to diabetes. Kind of odd, but meh it is what it is.

8 year old me



So for almost 14 years, I've kinda been waiting for the day my status changes from "newlywed'  or "honeymooner" to "just plain old married". And at almost 22, it looks like that day is nigh. It's not quite set in stone, but with my history, it might as well be. And I'm okay with it.

Wait...what?

Yes, I'm okay with it. Firstly, I've had 14 years of already eating and living like I'm diabetic, so it's not a huge life change. It was a big change when I was 8 and could no longer eat copious amount of pasta ( which I LURVE) or chow down on all my Halloween candy in one night. But the fact is, I can  still eat those things. Contrary to popular belief, people with diabetes can still eat...

15 year old me

 

...Things like cake...

 

20 year old self. Thanksgiving. Pumpkin Pie. Yeah Buddy!

 

...and pie with ice cream...

 

20 year old self with former college roomies <3

 

...and just ice cream...with, you know, ALL the fixins'

 

And every other sweet thing in between. And I won't die. The key is moderation. I can eat some sweet things in moderation. But I don't have to cut them completely out of my diet. I just need to cut back. Just a little lesson for all those people out there who think that as a diabetic we eat no sugar. We still eat natural sugar in things like fruits, because we can't cut them off completely. We just need to eat healthy. And by that, I mean well rounded. We can't have to much carbs or sweets in a meal. We have to have our dairy, protein, veggies and fruits too, with a little bit of healthy fats. And yes, even a bit of sugar. Our bodies can't change the sugar we eat to energy as easily, but it still can do it to some extent. You know that Guide to Healthy Eating you should pay attention to, but never really do? Yeah, we just kinda live our lives by that thing.

 

So, no, don't feel sorry for me. Don't say "Oh my God this is terrible" or "you poor thing". I don't want to hear it. I don't deserve to hear it. I'm not dying! I'm just eating healthy and managing my health, just like everyone else should be doing too. There are people who deserve sympathy much more than I do.

 Living with diabetes is just that: Living. I've been doing so for almost a third of my life. And I'm still going. I hang out with my friends and have fun. I read amazing books, spend too much time on the internet and paint my nails every other day. I'm not any different than I would be if I was never told this news at 8. I'm probably a lot healthier in fact, even if it doesn't seem that way to you. I'm happy, I've got a great group of people around me and I'm doing what I want. Diabetes isn't going to stop me from being me. It's just going to be another part of who I am.

 

21 and happy <3

 

 

Over and Meowt!

Marli J











Happy International Women's Day!!

Hi peeps!

So today is International Women's Day ( even though my Google homepage told me it was yesterday; Way to confuse me Google!) and to celebrate that, I thought I do a list of the ten women who inspire me the most. They range from Actresses to Novelists, from Musicians to fictional characters and everything in between! So let's get start, shall we?

#1. Audrey Hepburn

This woman is just incredible all around. Not only is she talented, gorgeous and in two of my favorite classic movies (Roman Holiday and of course, Breakfast at Tiffany's) but she also a stellar human being.  She grew up during World War II, a time when being a child probably wasn't the greatest. But she didn't let that stop her. She was an integral member/supporter of UNICEF, helping people in places like El Salvador and Vietnam, just to name a few. She fought cancer of the appendix before it ultimately took her life. She was  just a lovely and strong women all in all. Kind of the Angelina Jolie before Angelina Jolie. Kind of. Sort of . Okay, just to me. (Honorable Mention: Ingrid Bergman)

 

#2 Jennifer Lawrence

 

If Audrey Hepburn is my inspirational Classic Movie Actress (CMA), then Jennifer Lawrence has to be my inspirational Current Actress (CA). This girl is so young, yet insanely successful and  talented. But why I mainly love her is that she is so down to earth, funny and sassy. She is such a great role model or advocate for young girls because she doesn't let the stereotypes of Hollywood or the perceptions of society be the truth. She has talk about body image and how being beautiful should not be based solely on your dress size. Plus, watching interviews of this girl can always put a smile on my face, as it does for many people, and what can be more inspiring than making people be happy? whether that is about who they are or what their situation is. (Honorable Mention: Emma Watson)

#3 Jane Austen

She has not only written some of the greatest love stories in the history of ever, but she also is one of the first female authors in the history of ever. In a man ruled world ( that is still quite the case today), Jane went against the grain and ultimately came out on top after pursuing her dreams. She was creative, independent and determined. Sounds pretty good to me! (Honorable Mention: Emily Bronte)

#4 J.K Rowling

This, ladies and gents, is the greatest female author of current day. If you don't know ( and have somehow been living under a rock) she is the genius mind that brought us Harry Potter, a magic book series that teaches us love, friendships and believing in yourself are some the most important things in the world. Aside from the fact that she is the most organized and detail author out there, I also find her inspirational because before she wrote the books, she was not in the greatest state financially and was a single mother. After writing the books, she was a millionaire and could do anything she wanted with the money. And do you know what that is? She donated so much money that she lost her millionaire status! For her to be so selfless and down to earth to do that, just kudos Ms. Rowling, kudos! (Honorable Mention: Susan Collins)

#5 Zoella (Zoe Sugg)

Aside from the fact that she is the reason I now have the confidence to rock lipstick, Zoella a.k.a Zoe Sugg is also one of the reasons I have a little more confidence in general as well. A successful blogger turned successful YouTuber, Zoe talks not only about beauty items, but also about anxiety disorder, being positive and saying "yes" to more things. Now she is literally the voice in my head telling me to brave in social situations or when I just feel a little overwhelmed with anxiety. Plus, isn't she just adorable? (Honorable Mentions: Tanya Burr, SprinkleofGlitter, Beauty Crush and ASL Anissa)

#6 Little Mix

Pretty much since the Spice Girls, there hasn't been a girl group that I liked. That is until Little Mix. Unlike with the Spice Girls where I only liked their music and one member ( Baby Spice!!!), with Little Mix I love every single girl, every single song and every single performance. Perrie, Jade, Leigh Anne and Jesy ( L-R for the picture above) are just sweet, funny, talented, hardworking and beautiful young woman. Not only do their songs give female empowerment and make your want to boogey, but they also hold uplifting messages for both young girls and ladies. I cry every time I listen to "Little Me" because it feels as if they are singing about my own life. And it feels like that to me, how many other girls does it feel the same for? I could literally go on about how much I love this band ( and perhaps I will in a future post) but for now I leave it at this.

#7 Princess Merida ( Brave)

I appear to have a liking for all the ginger (no hate) princesses. My favorites include Ariel, Anna and of course, Merida. She is one  of the only Disney Princesses that shows you don't need a man to make you happy or successful; you just need to love and believe in yourself ( Note: Elsa is similar but for the sake of this post she is a Queen, so she is the only Disney Queen who shows this). Merida is also Scottish, which I am too on my Mum's side, so she is even more BA to me. Of course, Merida may one day find a man that she loves, but first she has to find out she is herself before she can add an other person to mix. Also, her hair is just representing for all us Curly Sues out there! (Honorable mentions: Mulan, Princess Anna and  Nani from  Lilo and Stitch)

#8 Daenerys Targaryen/ Khaleesi

Two Words: Bad Ass. Seriously, Dany needs to be the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. She shows us that girls can rule just as good as boys and pull through pretty much any trouble that comes our way. Just, flawless ( Honorable Mentions: Arya Stark, Hermione Granger and Katniss Everdeen)

#9 My Mum

There are not enough adjectives in the world to describe the type of woman my Mum is to me, not  enough time in the world to describe how she inspires me. This woman has all the love in the world in her heart, the work ethic of 100 people, the brains of Einstein and beauty that no model in the world can touch. She has loved me from the moment I was born, even when I wasn't a very lovable person, has raised and taught me to be a better person, to always go my dreams and to love myself. I would be nothing without her. I love her.
Honorable Mentions: My Grandmothers
These woman went through the depression, raised families, worked on the farms and were so beautiful inside and out. I wish I could still be with them today.

  #10 Me, myself and I

Now before you all think I'm extremely vain, hold up one stinkin' second. I put myself on my list of woman who inspire me because I think all woman should include themselves on their own personal list. I have grown and done things I never even dreamed of doing when I was younger and I'm learning and changing everyday. So I guess, my current and Future selves are inspirational to me because they'll keep surprising me with what I am capable of doing. Even it's just the smallest things.

So there it is, my top ten inspirational women. I hope you enjoyed. Make one for yourself. And definitely include yourself on it, because you certainly deserve a spot there. Each and every woman is an inspiration in their own right.

Over and Meowt!
Marli J

Work for Work

Hi peeps!

So recently, I've started applying for Summer jobs. I know what your thinking: shouldn't I already of done that? The answer is a resounding YES! But as I've mentioned before, I'm a bit of a procrastinator and sometimes am not as on top of things as I should be. I'm notorious for missing e-mails, tweets and text messages ( yet I somehow never miss Facebook Notifications), and wind up replying stupidly late on them. Not very often, but more than I should probably care to admit, if I'm honest.

So back to the main point of this post, which is applying for a job. Personally, I hate applying for jobs simply because I feel like I'm just horrible at every aspect of it. Now how, you may ask, could I be horrible at every aspect of a job but still have never been fired? Perhaps I should rephrase my statement and say that I am not horrible at having an actual job, but rather the process for finding and applying to one. Let me break it down for you.

First up, is the actual job search. To be honest, I've never actually been the one to find the postings for the two jobs I've held ( nor the ones I'm applying for recently). With my first two jobs, my Mum actually found them in the local small town newspaper and then told me I should apply for them. Now, it's my older sister who has been finding me jobs and sending them to me through my e-mail. At this point, I'm hoping I'm not sounding as lazy or lame as I am coming across by having others look for jobs for me. The reality is, I do look for jobs myself; I just never find half the things that other people find for me. Back in High school, I blame it on the fact that I didn't read the newspaper ( who under the age of 30 really does?) and that I lived on a farm with zero internet access. Today, I blame it on the fact that I'm pretty inept at finding sites that post jobs. Sure, I can Google like a pro, but somehow my Google skills are much stronger for finding stuff about One Direction than Occupations. If you get what I'm saying. But thankfully for me, I have people in my life who care enough to look for these things for me. I'd be a Bum on the street corner without them.

Second up is the making and sending of the resume. I always feel awkward with this bit because essentially you're selling yourself to these employers. Being taught to be modest and respectful growing up, it's hard for me to write about how awesome I am to some unknown person. Yes, there is a clear line between being big headed and simply being confident in oneself, but even so, I still feel a little narcissistic doing this part. And making it look good and be concise? Just horrible, absolutely horrible at it.

Lastly, the interview or interviews. I hate public speaking and although this is a much smaller scale, it still scares me to no end. I go all stutter island ( haha..ha..ha......no?), red as a tomato and fidgety. I swear, I must be quite the sight to see. Need I say more about this?

So, if this is my life, how did I get two jobs? I've got a few ideas. One, in both cases they were short on staff, so I probably was hired simply because they needed the numbers. Two, in my second job, my employer was an old family friend, so she knew me outside my oh so lovely interview persona. Three, just pure luck. Four, I know how to dress, mkay? I impressed them purely on my fashion (yeah, right). And five, maybe I'm not as horrible at these things as I feel. Perhaps, just perhaps, I'm actually okay at these things. I mean, I'm notorious for psyching myself out at almost every aspect of my life, so it wouldn't be a far stretch for this. And yes, while I am saying that I do not suck, I'm not in anyway saying I'm perfect at this either. See, I hate to brag about myself, even if bragging isn't even close to what I am doing.

For me, there is a lot of work in order to get work ( or a job, or career, whatever lingo you use). I'm just comforted that I'm not the only one who goes through these things. Am I right? ....right?

Over and Meowt!
Marli J

In a Nutshell

Is there a handbook for how to properly start a blog? If so, I know not of its existence.

Yellow!
My name is Marli (but for the sake of this blog, I'll be going by Marli J; such a contrast, I know) and I am currently 21 years old. I'm studying at University and probably will be for the next 3-4 years. Nope, I'm not going in for Medicine or something like that! Just like to put myself through as much torture as studying, annoying rez parties and early morning classes as can, just to have my dream job at the end....

Just kidding, it's not that bad. It's actually a lot of fun, most of the time. No, really, it is.

So if you've made it to this line, then congratulations! I haven't bored you to death and have somehow managed to capture your attention. Four for me! You go...me...? >.>
...Any who, this is my first blog post ( stating the obvious there Marli) so I thought I would give you a brief introduction to who I am and what my blog will sort of, kind of be like and/or be about. Firstly, I created this blog because I have a lot on my mind and this is an excellent medium for me to let them out. It's actually quite freeing when you can type out what you are saying, without the awkward pauses or mispronunciations you can have when literally speak your mind. I don't know, I just love writing in any way, shape or form, even if I'm horrible at it! Everyone just wants to be heard in the end, am I right? So I guess that is why I created this blog. Even if not a single soul reads my blog, at least I put my thoughts out there. And hey, maybe my future self will enjoy the chance to look back at my past self ( and probably laugh or cringe at the topics I talked about).

Speaking of topics, secondly,this blog will literally be about everything. It will not be a just beauty blog, or educational blog or what have you. It will just have a little mix of everything. This could be personal stuff, like exciting happenings in my life ( sooo many of those guys, just saying; read sarcasm), beauty and DIY stuff, my general and random thoughts of the day and sometimes we will go deep and talk about stuff like politics, religions and the world in general. I guess just kind of whatever pops into my head! However uninteresting or interesting it might be.

Third of all, I forewarn you, I am sometimes the most punctual person you will ever know, and have a post or multiple posts everyday. Then other times, I will go for a year ( okay, a bit extreme but I digress) without a single post. So be ready for a rollercoaster! As well, my grammar can be at the level of a University English Professor to the level of coherency my Dad has at 1AM ( and trust me, that's pretty bad). So I apologize it I miss a word, don't make an ounce of sense or end in a preposition. You know, all that grammar shizz.

And Finally, I give you big warm hugs and thanks for reading my post(s)/blog. It means a lot to me, literally. I hope my future posts are entering, interesting and not offending to anyone. I like to respect everyone and I hope that everyone will respect me as well. We don't have to be besties, but we can be respectable humans to one another. That's all I ask :)

And that was a day for Marli J
Over and Meowt!

P.S my oh so cool sign off, eh? haha

P.P.S Below are a few Pictures of me and things I love ( and that may pop up on future posts!)