20 Things I Have Learned In 20 Years

During my 20 years of living I think I have learned some pretty good lessons that I'd love to share. When I was little 20 sounded so old... honestly still seems pretty old. That is a total of two decades. Anyways, I would love to share with you twenty things I have learned in twenty years.

1. Don't let someone discourage you from doing something you want to do

2. Just because I am scared doesn't mean it exists

3. I don't know many things, but I want to try to learn as much as I can. 

4. It's okay to be sad you are not going to be happy all the time.

5. Not everyone will like you.

6. It's okay to fail at things, we are not perfect.

7. If you are not happy, change something.

8. Ask for help

9. Explore as much as you can your only this young once

10. Have an open mind, so you can experience everything in a different perspective. 

11. Spend as much time with your family, you won't live close to them forever. 

12. Put your phone down and experience the moment 

13. Always set some time so you can relax

14. Drink lots of water and eat healthy

15. Find time to hang out with your friends once in a while

16. Don't procrastinate

17. Dress for the weather

18. Make weird fashion choices

19. Trust yourself 

20. Be nice to everyone you meet. 

Those are just 20 things I have learned in my 20 years of living. Now it's your turn, I challenge you to make your own list and stick to them, and maybe add one more every year. Personally, I try to do at least 5 or more of these a day! If I can do it, so can you!

The Real Daytime Talk Show

Credit

Hello, my people

Today I want to talk about one of my daytime talk show, it is called The Real. I was never really into talk shows, but recently been obsessed with this The Real. This show stars Adrienne Bailon, who we all know from her famous cheetah girl movies, Tamera Mowry-Housley, who we all know from the show "Sister Sister". Then we have Loni Love who was on "Star Search" and a panelist on Chelsey Latley, and Jeannie Mai who is a fashion expert and is famous for her show "How Do I Look". 

These ladies are amazing and share their experiences that are going on with their lives, fashion, do giveaways, play games. Here are some videos clips from their show below. 

My favorite part of their Talk Show is when they pick a topic to talk about it. All these ladies are so genuine, and real. I have watched other talk shows, but this one really relates to people around my age.  In this video they talk about race, and they give such good feedback, and opinions on the subjects it is just amazing. 

On the other hand, they have games one that is really popular is called Fake it or Take it. This game is players get to guess which item is fake vs the real one. Personally, I love playing along with them and seeing which one is fake.

                                                                                                           

These ladies are so amazing, and I love watching their talk show. So, I encourage all of you to watch one of their shows. 

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.

My Summer Lazy Day Routine

Lets admit it, we all just have one of those days where we just want to sit on our bed and just have a lazy relaxing day. I wanted to share with you guys my favorite things to do on a lazy day. 

Waking Up:

• On my lazy day, I wake up at the time I feel refreshed and ready to wake up. So that usually consists of me pressing the snooze button a million times.
• Then I lay in bed awake, sometimes I browse through my social media until i'm ready to get up.
• When I finally decide to wake up, I put on my comfy slipper and head to the bathroom.

Bathroom Routine:

• The first thing I do is wash my face using the Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser
• Then i'll have a nice relaxing bath, my newest obsessions are the bath bombs from Lush.One of my favorites is Big Blue it reminds me of the ocean and is super relaxing.
• When i'm in the bath I like to read, and I am  currently reading "Me Before You" by JoJo Moyes.

My Outfit:

• On lazy day, I love to lounge in my most comfortable clothes. They usually consist of sweatpants or leggings and a comfy tee-shirt. 

•  For shoes, I would either wear slippers, or fuzzy socks. Fuzzy socks are personally my favorite. 

Lazy Day Snack: These are snacks I love to eat when I'm watching Netflix and just relaxing.

• The first thing I always have on my lazy day is tea, I am such a big tea drinker. One of my favorite tea's are Harrods London English Breakfast  another one is Tazo Tea Passion.
• You can never go wrong with a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich in bed as a snack. 
• If I want something healthy, i'll eat seaweed chips. Some people don't like it, it is an acquired taste.
• But with every lazy day, I know I always break out the junk food and candy because you can't go wrong with your favorite bag of chips, and favorite candy.

Rest of the Day: These are the activities I love to do on my lazy day.

• Number one thing I love to do on lazy day is watch Netflix or watch YouTube videos for hours. 
• As I had said before, reading is something I love to do on lazy day, wither its in the bath or in bed. 
• Another thing that I love to do is read magazines, and listen to music. I'll read Seventeen or Teen Vogue, and I love to make music playlist for my upcoming week. 
• The very last thing I do on my lazy day is write in journal, it's just relaxing to write down your feelings and things that have happened throughout your week. 

I hope you guys enjoyed my summer lazy day routine, and let me know what you guys do on your lazy day. 

"Give yourself something to look forward to that isn't a person"

My Summer Playlist 2016

Now that summer has finally started, we all have our favorite songs that we like to listen to wither we are at the beach, driving around, or just relaxing a playlist is essential. I have made a playlist with my favorite songs that I will definitely be listening to. Hope you guys like it, there is a link that has the playlist for these songs right HERE

1. Bang My Head by David Guetta ft Sia and Fetty Wap

2. Dark Necessities by Red Hot Chili Peppers

3. Don't Let Me Down by The Chainsmokers ft Daya

4. Tomorrow Never Comes by Zac Brown Band

5. Wild Things by Alessia Cara

6. I Took A Pill In Ibiza (Seeb Remix) by Mike Posner

7. Electric Love by BØRNS

8.  Work from Home by Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign

9. Youth by Troye Sivan 

10. Church Bells by Carrie Underwood

11. Cake by The Ocean by DNCE

12. Bailando (Español) by Enrique Iglesias  ft. Descemer Bueno, Gente De Zona

13. Pillowtalk by ZAYN

14. Young and Wild by Zac Brown Band 

15. American Money (After Dark) by BØRNS

16. I Know What You Did Last Summer by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello

17. Wildfire by Zac Brown Band

18. History by One Direction 

19. Summertime by Kenny Chesney 

20. I'm Ready by AJR

These are just some of my favorite songs for the summer. Let me know what you think, and any other songs that you enjoy listening to this summer.

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. 

Things I've Learned From Gossip Girl

Every girl has seen the show Gossip Girl on the CW network. This show is every girls fantasy and dream to be living in New York City. I watched this show and fell in love with all the characters and i feel that there are lessons to be learned from this show. If you have not watched Gossip Girl drop what you are doing and go watch it. Anyway here are some things I have learned from Gossip Girl.
*spoilers*

Source

• Love is dysfunctional, hard, unexpected, stubborn, but also amazingly beautiful: There is a lot of couples in the show. The most famous is Chuck and Blair and both have had their fair share of mistakes, but in the end they love each other and fought through all odds. 

• "Fashion is the most powerful art their is"- Blair Waldorf : Blair Waldorf had one of the best clothing on the upper east side. I can agree that fashion is a work of art, you are the canvas and what you wear is what makes you special.

• Best friends are forever: Blair and Serena are the best of friends, they go through their ups and there down but in the end they are always by each other sides no matter what.  

• Scheming is a hobby: After watching the show I feel like Blair Waldorf is the queen of scheming. Blair had made it a hobby and she was very good at it. But I think we have all learned how to scheme because of Blair.

• The Upper East side is the place to be: When watching Gossip girl the upper east side, is what every girl imagine living, big city, lots of shopping, that is literally your goals as a woman to be able to marry a Chuck Bass or a Nathan Archibald and live on the Upper East side. 

• An outfit is incomplete without a headband: Blair had the most must stylish headbands and an outfit was not complete without them. Even now in the winter I wear cute headbands, and I love them.

I loved Gossip girl, I loved the ending and everything. These were just some things I took out of it, I hope you enjoyed them!

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 (: