it's lovely when you love what you do

for a little background on me, i am currently a junior at the university of florida. for the first two years of college, i switched my major every semester. i had no idea what i wanted to do.

at the spring of 2010, i changed my major to marketing. my parents are both big business people, so needless to say, they were very supportive of that decision. however, just one thing was wrong. no matter how much i wanted to love it, i hated loathed it.

finally, at the end of last summer, i realized that my first choice was the one i really love. obviously, i am now kicking myself at not staying pre-med since the beginning. but, i really don't care- because now i am doing something that i love, and that is all that matters to me.

even though i wake up early for a 7:25 am class every monday, wednesday and friday, i really don't mind. i wake up excited to go to my early physiology class. i find myself counting down the time until my biology class and lab, and looking forward to spending hours bent over the MCAT review books.

there's something about loving what you do that makes it easier and much more enjoyable. and i just want to say- i'm really glad i re-discovered my love for medicine. and i am excited to spend the rest of my life in medicine.

green living is the best living: part i

photo credits: gaithersburg home consultant

an introduction to green living 
 
looking for a way to add a little loveliness to your life? try going green. there is nothing more satisfying than knowing that you are giving back to your earth. and for all those climate crisis skeptics out there: even if you don't buy into global warming, you can still care about the earth. after all, for everything this earth provides you, why not give it a little love in return?

many people scoff about being eco-friendly. i have heard many people refer to it as a way for companies to make extra money by just raising prices on "eco-friendly" products. however, the fact of the matter is this: the reason why the prices are higher are that the companies incur more cost in making products that are eco-friendly. it's not just a way to exploit consumers' goodwill and love for the earth. and you don't have to spend an extra thousands in order to be eco-friendly. i know that in this economy, it's hard to scrape up the extra cash.

so for part i of my eco-friendly series, here's a few easy tips for those of you who are looking to go eco-friendly:

•  recycle, recycle, recycle! it's a lesson that we've been learning since we were young, but yet one that many people still don't follow. so give it a try. reuse, reduce, recycle. 
• conserve water. when washing dishes or brushing your teeth, don't leave the water running unless you're using it at that moment. avoid baths- they use too much water. keep your showers short. 
• lighten up. use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CLF) in your house. not only will these lights help the environment, it helps keep your energy bill lower as well.
• sustain yourself. try growing some of your favorite fruits or vegetables. not only will you save money when it comes to groceries, but you'll avoid getting food grown with chemicals. 

if you're looking for a way to go green, try these easy tips. i know it's all common sense and is preached to us daily, but it's easy to forget these rules and the importance of them. so here's just a reminder: it's great to be eco-friendly. give it a try. the earth will love you for it.

pure love for norman love

photo credits: the nibble

while spending this past summer with my mother in fort myers, florida, i was introduced to norman love chocolates. before norman love, i thought that godiva was the most decadent guilty pleasure you could find. and while i will always be a godiva girl, i have found pure love for confectioner norman love.

his chocolates taste every bit as good as they look. and his originality and creativity does not stop with just the artistic design of each chocolate- he has come up with all sorts of creative flavors for the chocolates. three of my favorites have been champagne, vanilla cupcake and caramel apple.

norman love is incredible. they truly, truly are. if you would like to view their website and see just what it is that i am so obsessed about, you can find it here.