HappyNewYear Y'all

Another year draws to a close and I once again sit alone on New Years Eve, which seems to be a tragic reoccurrence these past few years. Working in retail never allows me to thoroughly enjoy the holidays at the level I would normally wish to (if it were up to me I would be sipping bubbly with some friends right now…just sayin). Also the element of being totally single makes this holiday, like Valentines Day, a day that I actually avoid going out on, since I would be the only one among my friends kiss-less at midnight.

My 60 year old something parents even decided to spend the night out on this joyous day everyone celebrates. They invited me to attend dinner at my grandparent’s retirement home, but I thought cooking frozen chicken nuggets, drinking two beers, and watching a movie with my dog sounded like the less depressing option for my end to 2012.

On this day people tend to reflect on the year that just passed. People post novels about their year on Facebook and generally talk about how this year sucked the big one and hopefully next year will remain less tragic. I read about 20 New Years resolutions, which most included losing 10-20 pounds that more than likely were added to people’s waistlines during the holidays.

My year in a nutshell involved heartbreak, stress, working, spending good times and bad times with friends, being forced out of my childhood home, dealing with family drama that generally remained secretly concealed from the public, the start of a blog (which suffered due to some of these travesties on my life), and the crazy notion of deciding to move to another state to gain independence and start living life for myself.

Throughout my hectic emotional year though, I learned a lot about the characteristics of my family and friends, love, dreams, reality and most of all the importance of change. Most of all, I learned a lot about myself and I am proud that even when I face defeat, I am able to wake up the next day, find humor in every experience, and create strength with in myself to eventually turn each situation into a positive lesson learned.

My new years resolution does not involve losing weight, I am chubby and enjoy food too much for any of that nonsense, but it involves a cheers to change and a cheers to myself. I look forward to my new journey that’s about to take place, I welcome all the change that it entails, I hope to become even stronger at the end of next year, and I openly welcome all the wisdom and insight I will gain while exploring my dreams. I also plan to blog daily for a year straight. Happy New Year to all and to all a good night... literally I am about to fall asleep at 8 o’clock.

P.S. What change will you embrace next year? I hope you decide on a change that is not superficial and rather one that includes an impact on yourself that helps inspire others.

Styna Just Sayin'...#Change

 

The decision to move to a completely different state did not come easy. Along the way many emotions confronted my soul and tried to stop me from making this major step towards change. Fear, anger, sadness, WTF am I doing, and holy hell I’m going to be broke, topped the list of reasons why a change for my life of this magnitude made me feel uneasy. As the time to moving draws closer though, I know deep in my soul that this extreme catapult into the unknown will most definitely be worth it in the long run.

As I drove down Pacific Coast Highway today, I felt sad that the beach would no longer be a quick drive from my house. Driving down PCH in Orange County and listening to music became something that soothed my soul on a bad day throughout my 13 years of driving. I grew up hitting the beach for field trips and roasting marshmallows at bonfires on a Friday night in high school. Moving away from the ocean and my bubble for the past 29 years did not equal an easy decision.

I always wanted to write for a living and ideas for books continue to pile up inside my little brain. I never thought a year ago that I would become a cliché. Uproot myself, like most writers, to the middle of no where Phoenix, and seclude myself from the people I love, so that I finally start making my dream a reality (which with my writing I hope to inspire others to do so as well… “Dreams won’t always take you on a straight path to destiny, but they’re related to what your soul wants for you. They’ll force you to ask yourself hard questions, they’ll kick you’re a@#, and more importantly they’ll turn you on.” #KellyCutron).

The only thing I’m hoping that separates me from a total writers cliché (knock on wood), would be the killer at the end of the 27 bad scary movies I've viewed about writers that go to the woods to write a novel and wind up murdered (this would be an example of fear and uneasiness, I’m a writer, I think of all scenarios bad and good). I feel that my ideas and talent make this crazy move to the desert worth the thousands of emotions that make this decision not easy, but like the quote above I know for my soul’s sake, this pursuit of my dream will be worth attempting and it definitely won’t lack delicious ambiguity… I’m just sayin’.

P.S. What dream does your soul keep asking you to follow?

Sharing Is Caring...#KellyCutrone

Just a few of my favorite quotes from the books of Kelly Cutrone. Love how she, like me, wants to help inspire people to follow their dreams and to leave an impression on society and the people around them. Good stuff...just sayin'.

"Believe that your inner voice is the voice of your soul...and it knows and wants what's best for you and will lead you to your individual purpose and destiny."

"It's important that no matter what your position, you savor and make the best of it- that you take from each reality what it has to offer you (and they all have something, trust me)."

"Life is like a bank account. Random acts of kindness, telling the truth, being loving, showing up for yourself and others - these are all deposits. Getting f@#$ed up, f@#$ing other people over, letting your ego lead your choices - the things we think are fun after eleven at night but don't seem so entertaining at eleven in the morning - are withdrawals. If we give more than we take, we progress. If we take more than we give, we regress."

"All of us are sparks and the whole global universe is a fireworks show. How does your spark manifest in the world? Is it progressive or effective? And what will it leave on this earth when it has moved on?"

DaBomb.com List...#Instagram

Instagram belongs on my dabomb.com list. My love for this amazing app for my phone grows stronger everyday. I love pictures and so do most people. I frequent Instagram more than Facebook nowadays, because I feel this website exudes positivity. Facebook at times allows people to share negative thoughts, but will always hold a place in my heart for connecting with friends.

Now my favorite app for my i-Phone went live as a website and I could not be more thrilled about this situation that the peeps of Instagram delivered to me yesterday when I opened the new love of my social networking life. This seriously became the most exciting news of my day yesterday! The website appears to be pretty legit. My favorite part of my Instagram page would be the top of the page, which flashes past photos I shared with people.

The past week, I unfortunately became MIA on my blog, because our old friends from Florida payed us a visit and I truly enjoyed the time I spent with them. The beautiful thing about Instagram is its resemblance to a moble photo album of our everyday lives. I posted pictures of the good times and great places I experienced with my life long friends. Wine tasting, eating at fabulous restaurants, and even the experience of witnessing one of the most beautiful sunsets in Huntington Beach with them.

Not only am I "just sayin'" things on my blog, I welcome people to follow me on Instagram and experience what Styna's "just sayin" through photography. I share quotes, food and my life experiences on my favorite thing on earth, Instagram. Follow this link, instagram.com/styna_just_sayin, and add me on one of the best things since sliced bread...just sayin'.

Dance As If No One Is Watching...#Muse

 

HOLY S@#$! “Madness” by Muse, hands down might be the best song created recently. I think majority of songs enhance a fun time, but the quality of music these days for the most part lacks brilliance (60’s-70’s=amazeball musical talent). Certain musicians though continue to write songs worth listening to over and over again.

 I listened to this song in its entirety the other day on my way to Kohl’s (that’s right I heart Kohl’s). I started this post saying “holy s@#$”, because those were the exact words that came to my mind after hearing this jam. My good homie called right after and we discussed the greatness of this song for about 20 minutes. She told me she made her boyfriend listen to this song 600 times the other day after a night of bar hoping (her and I remain notorious for “drunken song listening” i.e. #DashboardConfessionals).

Seriously, every aspect of this song from the lyrics, to the beat, to the guitar solo, and even the “Ma-Ma-Ma-Ma-Ma-Madness” part showcase a unique sound with a hint of a #Queen influence. Musically I think this amazeball song could appeal to all music lovers. This new move towards electronic DJ music really does not appeal to me, but Muse infuses “what’s hot now”, rock, and a crazy love song all into one. I also relate to the songs lyrics about the “madness” that follows when you fall in love. This song deserves a #Grammy for sure in my opinion.

Muse’s music became apart of my collection years ago and I always felt they created a unique sound. “Madness” though, I believe deserves to be played over and over again on the radio, unlike Taylor Swift’s, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”…just sayin’.

Snobs-R-Us (Orange County)...Smoking

I smoke cigarettes, the day I started this nasty habit might be the only thing I regret in my life. I try to quit and fail, so alas I continue to smoke. I attempt to keep my dirty habit to myself. I pay attention to no smoking signs and keep away from the kiddies. Smoking in Orange County places a person on a naughty list.

People that live here fight death daily. If Dr. Oz told them that cutting water from their diet would help them live a longer life, I bet everyone would believe him, dehydrate, and die. When Orange County dwellers feel a certain way about an issue they expect that everyone around them to feel the same. When it comes to smoking outdoors I think people in OC need to calm the f@#$ down. I believe that years of exposure to second-hand smoke causes risk of disease, but if someone walks past me for three seconds on the way to the parking lot, I’m guessing they won’t die. The polluted air people breath regularly in Cali probably causes more damage to their lungs than my smoke.

Recently I went to the farthest table from a public establishment to smoke a quick cigarette. A woman walked by me and said, “I believe this area is smoke-free, it states that on the building.” And I as calmly as possible said, “It states no smoking with-in 10 feet of the building and I am clearly 10 feet away.” And she replied, “No I don’t think you are.”

First thought that came across my mind included slapping a biznatch, but I refrain from practicing violence. Second thought, maybe someone should return to grade school and learn how many inches make a foot, 12, and after relearning the proper unit of length for a foot she may retract her statement about my distance from the building. Third thought, I guess her opinion on smoking made her compelled to expect everyone around her to feel the same way. I don’t feel the same Mrs. Orange County Housewife. I actually find it irritating that most public places confine me to a four-by-four square in a dark ally, where I must smoke in hiding.

This lady should feel lucky that she does not live during the time when people smoked at their desks at work, on airplanes, and in grocery stores. If I choose to poison myself let me be. I stay as far away from people as possible while smoking, so please keep your opinion to yourself. I did not feel it necessary to share my opinion about her outfit purchased at Forever21, which matched her sixteen-year-old daughter, and made her look ridiculous at the age of 50-something, but just sayin’ it now.

Shout Out To My Peeps...#AlexanderPeuchot

I met with a wonderful man named Alex Peuchot today. He graced me with his presence a few years ago through a mutual friend. We enjoyed a lot of good times together over the years and I find myself inspired by his artistic abilities. As a creative person myself, the existence of other creative people in my life helps me to continue to pursue my creative dreams as I follow the careers of my friends like Alex. Alex lives life to the fullest in my opinion and he sees the beauty in everyone and everything (he always tells me I look gorgeous and compliments me when I see him, which always helps create positive energy). 

Alex's artistic side led him to start a clothing line that I feel promotes a positive message for people. Through color, art and fashion he wants people to embrace their differences. The picture above hangs in his home and remains to be my personal favorite of his amazing collection of art. We met today to discuss how I could help him with writing and the public relations aspect of his new clothing line inspired by his eclectic artwork. I look forward to helping him and witnessing his future success. His vision and message truly inspire me and I hope they inspire you. Alex deserves a shout out...just sayin'. 

P.S. Please visit his online store www.alexanderpeuchot.bigcartel.com and “like” him on Facebook Alexander Peuchot.