What Living Louder Means To Me

I started this blog January 2, 2015, but i never really explained to everyone what living louder really meant to me. I started this blog at 18 years old, and I am now 20 years old so I have time to think and explore new things with this blog. This is something I really love doing, and has been an outlet for me. I created this blog, so I can express whatever I felt that needed to be said, so with that being said this is what living louder means to me...

Living Louder to me means exploring things that makes you wonder. 

Living Louder means doing things that seem impossible, but you know you can do them.

Living Louder means experiencing things you would never though of doing.

Living Louder means meeting new people, and making new friends from all walks of life.

Living Louder means taking risks that you never though of doing.

Living Louder means stepping out of your confront zone to pursue something.

But most importantly...

Living Louder is not just the action it's about being able to share your experience, thoughts, and feelings with other people around the world.

I started this blog because I wanted to share every part of my life with people. I do not want people to live in a little bubble for the rest of their lives. I want people to go out, and explore life and be able to share it with their love ones, friends, and anyone that comes there way. 

I vowed to myself on January 2, 2015 that I would live louder and I intend to keep that promise!

I hope I can encourage everyone to live louder, and step out of your comfort-zone today!

The Ultimate Guide To Being The New Kid At A New School

As most of you may know, I have moved multiple times. I have moved to different states, and different countries. So I have been the new kid at school multiple times, wither it was in elementary school, middle school, high school, and even going to college. Moving has taught me so many things, and made me become the person I am today. But for all those new kids, who are being the new kid for the first time, or are feeling apprehensive about moving to a new school here are some tips.

Tips:

• Be Confident: Walking into a new school can be very intimating. The goal is to just stand tall and act normal there is no need to be scared, because trust me you are not the only new kid at your school. If you are confident, and tell yourself that you will have a good day, and meet new friends you will.

• Get Involved: If you did something in your old school that you did, or was interested in doing but never did.. well this is your chance. It will also help you meet people with common interest. This can help you meet people outside your regular classes.

• Introduce Yourself: I know this may seem, very obvious but it's also one of the most important. The best part is if you don't know something you can always use the excuse that you are new to the school, and you just did not know. When starting a new school, all students are in new classes so they do not know if there friend is in that class, so introduce yourself because that person will have friends that you can be introduced to. 

• Find Good Conversation Starters: Something as simple as "I like your outfit" can be a good conversation starter. Then you can introduce yourself and then you can talk about the class you are in or how nice you think your teacher will be. You can also exchange schedules and see what classes you have together, and if you happen to have the same lunch you can eat lunch together. 

• Don't Be Afraid to Ask Questions: A new school can be pretty scary, so if you don't know where a class is or a hallway is don't be afraid to ask the teacher or another classmate.

Outfits: 

Here are some ideas for outfit on the first day of school. Your outfit should really effect who you are as a person. This will also help you make friends if someone mentions they like your outfit.

• The first outfit you can really show your personality and play around with it. 
• I had a guy option as well, if any of you fellows don't know what to wear on the first day of school. 
• The third outfit is for people who have to wear uniforms, don't worry you can always accessorize and have some pretty cool shoes.  You can also try new hairstyles, or wear hairbands, or bows. You can still play around with your outfit, even though you have a uniform.

First Day of School Outfits by livinglouderxo featuring a short sleeve tee

Now that I have given you some tips, and outfit ideas to help you conquer your first day of school, go out and be yourself and i promise you will make friends. It's only scary when you make it scary. Next thing you know, you won't be the new kid at school and you will be able to help other new kids feel less nervous on their first day because you became their friend.

Taking On Singapore

As most of you may know my family and I have moved to Singapore. Here are some pictures and things that I have seen and visited since I have been here. Singapore is such a pretty country, very different from a place that I have lived. 

Clark Quay Riverwalk

 
This is at the Clarke Quay Riverwalk in Singapore it has several restaurants that are located near the river. I ate at the Octapas Spanish Tapas Bar, and it was very good!

Then on the picture to the right, this is the center of the riverwalk, this is where all the bars are and other restaurants. It also has a pretty fountain, that changes colors. My favorite part about this place was the color of the houses.

This is what the Riverwalk looked like at night. In the picture on the left is the bridge that lights up in different colors each night. There is also a great view of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

The picture on the right is the view from the Octapas Spanish Tapas Bar. There are also boats that can take you along the river.

Haw Par Villa

 This is in Haw Par Villa, this is a park that has beautiful statues of Chinese folklore and mythology. They are famous for their Chinese folklore’s 10 Courts of Hell.

One of my favorite pieces is the one above, it is so very detailed, and I feel as if every little detail tells a story. This one had an underground tunnel that you could go under and explore as well.





I loved the archways that they made. It was so very detailed and so beautiful. The park was fairly big, and had ponds where there were turtles relaxing. There was also a miniature version of the Statue of Liberty which was surprised me.

Marina Bay 

This is the famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel. This is the hotel where they have the infinite pool that looks out of all of Singapore. The day I went it was very cloudy, because in Singapore if it's not sunny it's raining.

There are boats that go out and sail, on the other side there is a mall, which has restaurants that look out to the Merlion.

This is the famous Merlion. The Merlion has a face of a lion but a body of fish.


The Merlion symbolizes humble beginnings for Singapore as a fishing village. The Merlion is the mascot of Singapore, and there are several located around Singapore.

People's Association Youth Chinese Orchestra 

I was walking around Marina Bay, and they have this event known as In Youthful Company where students show off their talents. This show was for free and the one I got to see was People's Association Youth Chinese Orchestra. This performance was directed by Ng Seng Hong. I enjoyed the variety of music they played. They played popular Singapore songs, famous Chinese music, Japanese pop, Korean pop, plus a mash up of Bruno Mars songs. 

I hope you enjoyed some photos from the places in Singapore I have been. There will definitely going to be more to come, because i'm not done exploring this beautiful place.

My New Adventure: Singapore Move

SURPRISE I AM MOVING TO SINGAPORE 

As you may know, I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and attend the University of Arkansas. However, my family has a tendency to move a lot. I have lived in Dallas, Texas for about 4 years now. Before Dallas, Texas I had lived in Oklahoma, Chicago, London, New Jersey, New York, and Peru. However, I am about to embark on the greatest adventure yet.

 I am moving to Singapore! 

And yes, I know Singapore is super far! It's also half way around the world! However, I will still be attending the University of Arkansas in the states. I have never been to Singapore, so this will be a completely new experience for me, but am excited. Here are some facts about Singapore, if you are not familiar with the country.

Singapore Facts 

• Geography: Singapore is an island located off the coast of southern Malaysia

• Language: In Singapore they have four different languages; English, Tamil, Malay, and Standard Mandarin

• Currency: They use a Singapore Dollar. The one I have in this picture is two Singapore dollars. Two Singapore Dollars is $1.45 in the United States. The person on the Singapore Bill is Yusof Ishak who was the first President of Singapore.  

• Flag: Singapore Flag was adopted in 1958, when they became self governed from the British Empire. 

• Video: Here is a video I found on YouTube that shows things about Singapore.

So I will keep you guys posted on all the things that happen in Singapore. Hope you learned some interesting facts about Singapore.

Things I've Learned in My Freshman Year of College

I can officially say that I am done with my freshman year of college. It was a long and hard road but I am glad I got that done and over with. Here are some things I learned in my freshman year of college that I wish someone would have told me.

• After a while cafeteria food sucks: Going into college, I was like cafeteria food won't be that bad I have eaten it all 12 years of school. Boy was I wrong! University of Arkansas has a Meal Trade where from 7-10pm you can eat at one of the fast food places on campus and it counts as a meal in your plan. But after the first semester I could not eat anymore Slims Chicken or Papa John's Pizza or Burger King. So i went to the cafeteria and they had such weird hours, and the food wasn't as great besides a couple things. 

• You are tired 95% of the time: I don't even know how this is possible, but in college I was always tired. Whether it was from staying up and studying, walking up and down hills for my classes, or 8am classes I was always tired. I would come home for christmas break and just sleep. I also learned that naps are good at the time, but bad in long term because you probably napped during your homework or study time. In the end, making you stay up late to finish and being tired the next day. 

• Don't do laundry Saturday or Sunday: Everyone does their laundry Saturday or Sunday, I would pick a time to do your laundry when you think nobody is in the dorms. Such as if you don't have a class till 1pm do it in the morning because once 3pm hits everyone will be doing laundry. Also, put a timer on your phone for when your laundry is done, don't be that person that leaves it in all day.

• Go to a teacher's office hours: This really important if you are in a class of 200 students, the teacher will never know who you are.Just go into your teacher's office hours to introduce yourself, it will help. Especially, if you need help on something going into my teacher's office hours helped me raise my essay grade from a B to an A. This will also help you if you are at a border line grade and the teacher sees that you come to class every day and went to their office hours, they might be nice enough to bump your grade up. 

• DO EXTRA CREDIT: This is probably the most important thing I have learned in my freshman year. I did so much extra credit, even when I didn't need to but let me tell you on the days that I didn't do so good on one of my papers or test that extra credit was there to balance me out. In my English class I was sitting at an 88% and I still had a paper to write, I ended up getting a B on my paper, but because I did that extra credit I ended up making an A on the paper. Which turned my 88% to an A in the class. 

• Getting a C in a class is okay: I am a perfectionist, I can deal with a couple of B's but to me a C is failing....Until i took Principles of Biology. I am an education major, so science isn't really my forte. This class however was a class that biology major had to take as their intro class, and as an education major you are required to take it. However, this class wasn't easy.. I studied so hard for these tests, went to all the tutoring sessions and was determined to get a B in the class. However that wasn't the case I ended up ending the class with a C with 2% from having a B which killed me. But after a while, I realized it was only one class. It was not going to determine whether I was going to be a good teacher or not. Getting a C is average, everyone is  either going to fail or have a C in a class it just happens... so its okay.

• Join Clubs: I know that college can be stressful at times, and you feel like you don't have time for anything. However, joining a club will help you get your mind off of things, and help you relax and have fun with friends for a bit. It is also great because you get to meet new people, and trust me, in college there is a club for everything, and if there is not make your own. I joined a club called Foundation of International Medical Relief for Children. We got to do bake sale's and went out for percentage nights. We also have a Go Fund Me, we are currently raising money for children in Uganda if you would like to donate. 

• Have some fun: Don't spend your time studying all day, go out and have some fun. My best memories with my friends are our late night iHop runs, concerts, going hiking up in the Ozark mountains, having chair races down the halls, football games, and basketball games. There are times when you just have to go out and enjoy yourself because your only going to be this young once. So go out and have some fun.

I hope this has helped you guys, and help you be a little more prepared for college because trust me I didn't know what I was walking into either.

A Wedding Toast To My Best Friend

Ladies and gentleman, friends, family, relatives, everyone who came out to witness this beautiful ceremony among these two wonderful people. For those who do not know me my name is Maria and I am the maid of honor. We are so happy to be here for this joyous occasion celebrating Tehya and Zach’s wedding.

I met Tehya my first year of college at the University of Arkansas. As a first year student not knowing many people I decided to do potluck and have a randomly assigned roommate. I honestly glad I did because then I would not have been able to meet one of my best friends. Tehya and I shared so many similar qualities it kind of scared me at first but then I loved it! Now Tehya has grown into an amazing woman. It is an honor to know the person she has become, and to have stood beside her on her special day as her bridesmaid and best friend. Tehya has always had a kind heart, brilliant mind, and always knows the right thing to say and do.

For as long as I have known her, the most important thing in her life has always been her family and her friends. She is an amazing friend - loyal, patient, generous, and kind. Tehya and Zach have an amazing bond together. I won’t go on too much about when they met, mostly because I wasn’t actually there, but I witnessed it through the eyes of Tehya when she told me the story. I could see it in her eyes she really loves Zach and that she was crazy about him. For a while Zach, I was a little jealous of you stealing my best friend, but as you become her husband I would like to pass on the best friend role to you. Because I know I won’t always be there for her when she needs me but you always will, and I know you will do you’re very best to protect her as I have. I cannot think of a better fit for my best friend then you. I hope you know you are a very lucky man to be able to have Tehya as your wife for the rest of your life. You look as happy today, as you did when I first meet you two in college.

Anyways, Tehya looks stunning tonight and Zach you look a little stunned. Therefore, here is some advice for you. Number one, she is always right. Number two, she loves food but she hates cantaloupes. Number three; never say no to a movie nights with her. Number four; always make your side of the bed because she is not going to do it for you. Finally, number five; love her with your whole heart.

So here, we are at their wedding night. They have finally made it after years of being together; their love grows stronger and stronger every day. High school sweethearts that defied the odds. From here on out they will be conquering every obstacle that comes at them. 

Today we do not only celebrating where they are right now, but also their beautiful future together. If everyone would raise their glass now and join me in congratulating the beautiful bride and handsome groom. Congratulations. I love you both, and wish you all the best. 

Personal Goals for 2016

Goals are very important for the New Year I believe that they help keep you grounded towards what you are looking to achieve. Having goals for the New Year is a great way to start the year. Here are some of my personal goals that I would like to share with you. Hopefully, it will inspire you to have your own goals for

•  Learn How To Cook: Since I am already in college I feel like I should learn how to cook. Not just simple pastas and easy cooking but the more complex foods. 

•  Go On More Adventures: Since I do live in Arkansas there are such beautiful mountains there and so much to do there, I should take advantage and go on hikes, and camping trips with friends. 

• Meet New People: I am starting a new semester of college, so that means new classes. I am a really friendly person and approach pretty much everybody, but i always feel like its good to start fresh and meet some new faces. 

• Save  Money: I have always been bad with handling money even as a child I would go spend it the first chance I got. Now that I am in college I have learned how to manage my money, now I have to learn to save more money and use it wisely. 

• Worry Less: I have always been the kind of person that worries way to much than I have to. When I worry I tend to stress, and stress is never good. Worrying less will help me stress less and handle things better.

• Write More: I personally feel that I haven't written a lot. But I feel like i could put more time into writing to improve myself. 

•  Be A  More Attentive Student: Now that I am in college, I want to get better grades. But I need to be able to concentrate on the lectures in class, and take good notes. This will untimely help me get better grades in school.

• Take Pictures: I have never been the person to take a lot of pictures, but pictures captures memories and I want to remember them. So I can look back at them and remember the memories and share them. 

I hope everyone makes goals for this 2016!
Let me know what your goals are for this 2016 year (:

Top 5 Ways To Get Over A Breakup

Every girl has a relationship that they think will last forever, and then once it's over it is hard to pick up the pieces. Breakups are tough but so are we. We all have our own way of getting over someone, but just remember you deserve so much more. So here are some ways to get over a breakup..

1. Treat yourself: 

• Go out with your friends- Have a girls night out or go get lunch its nice to get out and just have some fun with friends. 
• Eat your favorite food - Go out and buy some chocolate or your favorite candy and favorite snacks or just go to your favorite restaurant. 
• Do something you love- If you enjoy drawing, go draw. If you enjoy taking pictures go do it. Don't let anything hold you back from doing something you love
• Go to a spa- Go get your nails done or go get a massage. Just relax, its nice to just treat yourself with a good spa day. Even if you just want to do your own pedicure or even your own face mask.
• Go for a nice walk- Enjoy the beauty of nature, and its nice to just get you thinking and clear your head. 
• Listen to your favorite music- Don't listen to breakup music it will just make you sad. Listen to upbeat music that makes you just want to dance and get up. Music that makes you happy is just a must to have on reply.

2. Time:
I'm not going to lie you don't just wake up one morning and you are suddenly over your ex. It will take some time to get over your ex, no matter how long you were together. This is something that everyone says "you just need time" and that's what you hate hearing no matter what, but its true!

3. Delete: 
As hard as it is you have to delete your ex from social media and your phone this is one of the hardest things to do. As much as you don't want to do it now, if you don't you will just want to text him or stalk all his social media to see if he has been hanging out with any girls. This will just make you feel worse. So just do it early it will help you out in the long run.

4. Write It Down: 
Write down your feelings on paper. This will help with getting your feelings out and not keep them from being bottled up. It can be a letter to your ex boyfriend, and you don't need to send it, or you can write it for yourself.

5. Remember You Are Worth More:

A year from now you are going to look back and laugh at this. Don't let a guy keep you down, you are stronger than that. Show him that you are better without him. You are worth so much more and he needs to realize that he lost something really special.

That are some different ways to get over a break up. Remember that you are worth so much more, and don't need him to be happy. I hope these tips have helped you. (:

College Life At The University Of Arkanas

photo credit

I just moved into my new resident housing at the University of Arkansas. I will be an education major   teaching English as a second language and would like to minor in Spanish and learn another language. My goal is to get my doctorate as well and travel the world teaching kids how to speck in English. I moved into my dorm August 15th it was around a five hour drive from Texas to the University of Arkansas so I left at around four in the morning and got there at around 9am. I moved in all my stuff and decorated it as well.

The building i'm living at looks like this and is called Pomfret and is a two person dorm 

This is the building I am living at from afar it has three different wings and I am on the second floor. But it is quite a walk to campus and to classes but I will probably be so in shape after this year. Which is what I have heard from other students who have lived in this dorm.

Since I have lived here the fire alarm has gone of twice, one in the afternoon and one in the middle of the night. The reason it went off too was because someone was smoking a vape in their dorm.

I have had a great time at the University of Arkansas so far, I have meet new friends, and adapted to new surroundings and i'm loving it so much. I excited to see what the University of Arkansas has in store for me.

A Beginners Guide: Airports & Traveling

Airport

Summer vacation is here which means everyone will be traveling. Traveling can be very stressful especially if you have never traveled anywhere or never traveled abroad. I love to travel and have been almost everywhere, but it can be overwhelming if you haven't. These are some of my tips to help you with traveling & airports.

1) Pack The Essentials: When traveling I like having a Longchamp Le Pliage Handbag because its big enough to fit all my items and have them handy. Just be careful when flying with liquids they have to be under 3.4 ounces per container. In my makeup bag I like to have my chap stick handy because your lips will become chapped due to the air pressure. To me gum is very essential. When lifting off your ears will feel like they are about to pop but chewing gum before lift off and before landing helps them not to pop.

Travel Bag Essentials by livinglouderxo featuring white handbags

2) The Comfier You Fly The Better: If you are flying a long flight a short flight it's always better to wear something that you will be comfortable in. Let be honest the seats on the plane are not the best, and its better to wear something that will make you feel comfortable and stylish.

Travel Outfit by livinglouderxo featuring leather tote bags

3) Know The Way Around The Airport: Airports can be very overwhelming; be able to know where you are going and where your terminal is located. Depending on how well I know the airport i'll print off the map (on their website) or have it handy to be able to get around and not get lost.

4) Check If Your Flight Is On Time: Once you have passed security, check the screens located around the airports to make sure that your plane is leaving on time. Sometimes planes may be running late or have changed terminals so be aware of your flight time and terminal. Then head to your terminal or if you have time buy yourself a snack.

5) Get Ready...Get Set...Fly: Once they start calling first class business class and etc be ready to board. Once getting on board find your seat and be courteous of all the other people trying to get through while putting your carry on in the overhead compartment. Depending on where you sit don't immediately put on your seat belt until everyone in your row is there, because then you will have to unbuckle and re-buckle which is inconvenient. Then once the flight attendants put on the safety video be ready to lift off.

I hope you liked my traveling tips and hope you have a safe flight wherever you are going. I promise it's not as scary as you think (:

The Truth About Senior Year of High School

As my senior year of high school comes to a close I am excited and sad at the same time. You wait twelve years for that moment when you get to walk across that stage and receive your diploma. I remember even at an early age they would tell you the year you would graduate and put them on t-shirts. But that always seemed ages from now, but as senior year comes to an end that time finally comes. So since I am almost done with high school I feel as if I should  help students who are about to start their senior year of high school and share the truths of senior year.

1. First semester senior year is a struggle: Your classes may be a super easy, but there is still a lot of things that you have to worry about: getting the right ACT/SAT score, picking colleges you want to apply to, filling out college applications, college essays, teacher recommendation, and etc. School may be a blow off but trust me your stress level will be all over the place.

2. You secretly care somewhat about your grades: You probably already got accepted into college and everyone is saying "i don't care anymore" "wait we had homework?" "there is a test?" all those kinds of statements, Its true tho, you won't work as hard as you have your previous years but you still end up doing the homework to keep that high GPA. Even though you say you don't care, but deep down inside you do.

3. Its's true you meet people you wish you had meet freshman year:
Through your four years of high school you will meet  new people and they will come and go. Maybe you meet your best friends or your worst enemies. But you will end up meeting people that you wish you meet freshman year. My school has a event called Senior Picnic towards the last few weeks of school. We went to a ranch and all hung out and  I meet some really cool people that I wish I had meet earlier.

4. Prom isn't stupid: At first I decided I was not gonna go to prom and then my friends convinced me to go last minute. Me and my friends did not have dates but we made the most out of prom and it was something special that I will always remember. It really doesn't matter if u have a date or not, it's the attitude you have, so make it memorable.

5. You learn to take in each moment: As the day comes closer to graduation, you begin to start taking in those moments you have left because you are never gonna see most of these people after graduation. I remember during prom and senior picnic I would just looked around the room and saw how everyone was having fun and how I felt at that moment and let everything sink in.

6. Time Flies: You will never really feel like a senior. I feel like it was just yesterday and I was in sixth grade writing a letter to my future self as a senior. Time really does fly, and you just have to make every moment count.

Senior year has been my favorite part of my high school experience, and I will always remember it. I will always remember the Friday night lights and painting my parking spot and all these activities that the school planned. I just hope your senior year is as memorable as mine.