Don't know what to do with your life?

No worries. I got you some news: NO ONE DOES!

I used to think some people got it all figure out but something happened me the other day. As I realized that recruiters would ask me ' what plans for the future', I prepared a little script. Honestly, I have no idea what to do with my life either -wish  I would get paid for volunteering or travel - so I just figured that since I studied Psychology, which is a very general major -especially since I don't want to be a Psychologist- I could get an entry job as a recruiter or junior marketer or to study a certificate in either of them. I went to so many job interviews that 3 days ago when a guy a met asked me what I wanted to do with my life, I said my script without thinking 'I'm planning to go back to school and study a certificate in marketing or human resources. If not, I'd like to get a junior position in either of them'-And he just looked at me and said 'Well, at least, you got it figured out'

And the little voice in my head went numb. 'No, I don't' - I thought to myself, but I only smiled.

What if the girl telling you about her future plans-making you feel so insecure- has actually convinced herself that she knows what she's doing? What if she thought 'Well, I have a few options so I'll just go with the least awful'

Honestly, I have noticed a trend... we are getting sick of this society- or should I say; society is sickening us?

All is about money, and businesses and superfluous shit and human beings are considered as just an extra pair of hands to get the job done. It is so ridiculous where we are so far. We are so desperate to get a job to the point of lying in a CV or a job interview to convince them you are what they need, you are that human being ready to answer angry customer calls, ready to be insulted, and ready to admit that you will hold your ground at all times because the customer is always right. You are the call center agent that is supposed to answer 'I never show my negative emotions at work (I was told to answer that in a job interview so I could get picked). You are supposed to be that person that stays overtime at work to get shit done, leaving your house at 8am and returning at 8pm. You are supposed to forget you were born to live and believe you were born to work to get the house of your dreams society wants you to buy, to pay the debts you owe so you could study and be useful to society, to buy that useless phone or clothing society made you believe you needed. Work until you can no longer move, until you are no longer of use because you are old.

We are so desperate to belong to this society to the point of not only lying to others but lying to ourselves too.

And you know what is the cherry on the cake? WE ARE THIS SOCIETY.


I want to live. I want to wake up to the sunrise because I want to and not because I have to. I want to connect with nature, its beings. I want to conncet with humans that feel the same way. I don't want to pretend I am competitive or better than others, as we are encouraged to. I want to move to the middle of a forest or near the beach, built myself a house and live on my produce. I'd give up my phone, my clothes, the few dollars I have just for some peace and quiet. Just to live.
I don't want to feel the need to belong to a sickening society. I was not born for this. You were not born for it either.

On the other hand, if you feel you love the way things are, if you love your current life : congratulations! But if you don't, you are not alone.

I wish we could create a community somewhere. A place, a sanctuary, where whoever feels like us or whoever just wants to rest can come and join us and stay for as along as they need, free of charges.

Let me know how you feel.

:)

with love,

Vangeline.

A piece of heaven in Cajamarca- Peru

Daiya chocolate Cheesecake review

                                         Credits to detroit-made.blogspot.ca for the picture 

Holly shit. In a nutshell: fkn love it!

I read some reviews before buying it and they were not very nice. I'm - used to be - a cheesecake lover but since I went vegan... well, I can't have it no more. That's why I got excited when I saw this on the freezer of an organic depot here in Montreal. Hence, regardless of the reviews, I decided to give it a try.

My brother, who loves dairy, approved of it. Yup. The texture is creamy and fluffy and it truly tastes like cream cheese. In addition, you can taste the cocoa. People, I swear: It tastes like a real chocolate cheesecake (just clarifying because that was the main concern in other reviews)
 Good job Daiya!!

complaints? I was thinking to complain about the size - small considering it was 7 Canadian dollars- but after the third bite, it turned a little cloying. So, I understand why it is small and hence no complains.

It's pretty good! Vegans around the globe, GIVE IT A TRY!

Review: The psychology program in Concordia University-Montreal (Canada)

                                                    -Pointless like the school-system. Seriously.-

Yup, I'm an international student in Montreal and I'm graduating next June with a Bachelor of Arts, major in Psychology. Let me tell you what I think of it and my situation

Money

I'm a lucky bitch and my sister's got a great job and she offered to pay my studies here, which are approximately 7 times more expensive- as an international student- than a Montrealer. I paid around 7000 Canadian dollars per semester (2 per year unless you want to study during the summer, then 3 per year) and be aware that books are extremely expensive, so we'll add 500 $ per semester.

I come from a Latin country and I know how much we value universities for they have more status and validity than an institute. Here, in Canada, institutes are called colleges and they are what we would say "carreras  técnicas" in Spanish. They are way cheaper and believe me, if you are planning to stay in Montreal and work or live here, and don't have enough money, go to college. In Canada, experience is more valued than education. I can assure you that people with a technical background can and sometimes do make more/as much  money as someone with a university diploma.

Program

I was naive, I admit it. "Nobody told me" Well, they don't care about that here. I feel that students here are way more informed about the different programs, lengths, and whether they want a major, honours, specialization or just a minor. Holy smokes, wtf is all that? In south America (at least in Peru) there's no such things. We only have one program: systems engineering,  education, business administration, etc.  That's it! In Peru, you study the psychology program for 5 years (internship included in the program) and most of the courses are psychology related (you'll see what I mean in a minute) and students take up to 7 or 8 courses per semester (2 semesters per year, 5 months each and 2 months of vacations- January and February and the typical 2 or 3 week vacation in July or August). Once you finish, you graduate as a Bachelor in Psychology. Then you have to make a thesis and then present it and if the judges approve it, congrats! you're a PSYCHOLOGIST! no go find a job!

Now, let me explain you about the Canadian program of psychology. If you're Canadian, it'll only take 3 years and for international students  the program is 5 years (I got some credits transferred because I studied business management for 2 years in Peru, so I studied for 3.5 years). You have 3 sessions here: The fall session (starting in September) the winter session (starting in January) and summer session (which is optional for international student ) Usually, students take both the fall and winter session and party or work full time during the summer (may to august) which are considered vacations (4 months!!! in Peru we only have 2 months :(

ok, let's go on. Studying full time means taking 4 or maximum 5 courses per session (OMG) and exams are mostly multiple question (you circle the correct answer). Now, let's check the differences between major, minor etc.

-credits division: I, for example, got 120 credits as a major in psychology. 30 got validated due to my previous studies in other university. So, out of the 90 credits left, 42 had to be psychology credits (psych courses) 24 had to be no-psychology courses or electives (courses from other programs like theology, environmental studies, etc) and 24 had to be a mix (Psych courses and electives in the areas of humanities or social sciences).

-minor:  If I had chosen a major in psychology AND a minor in chemistry (which students usually do; they choose both a major and a minor) then the credits are divided between psych courses, chemistry courses, and electives. Minor is just to get some basic knowledge in another area of interest (like chemistry) while you study psychology deeply.

-Major: grants you with a deeper knowledge in certain area. (42 psych credits) I chose a major and most of my credits were directed towards psych courses. Your grades must be greater than 2.00 (imagine that 4.30 is a 20. In Peru, to pass, you need 10.51 minimum. So, 2.00 is the minimum needed.  If you don't get more than 2.00, the university can kick you out of the program and you must re-apply for admission). El promedio, in Spanish, is called GPA here (grade point average)

- Specialization: If you want to study an specialization program (which is recommended if you're planning to study a master or PhD) then than means taking more Psych courses (60 credits) and also your GPS must be higher than 2.50. Students are required to make a thesis, is part of the program.

-honours: more psych courses (66) and a GPA of 3.50. If you wanna study a master or PhD, then this is better. Students need to do an honours thesis.

Once you finish your program, you graduate with honours or specialization or just with a major. HOWEVER, this doesn't mean you are now a PSYCHOLOGIST. Hell no! it is not like Peru, that after a thesis you're a psychologist. In Canada, to be called a PSYCHOLOGIST, you need a master and a PhD, which means that on top of the 3 or 4 years of study, you need probably 10 or 11 more years to be able to work as a psychologist and in health care. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT!

What I think is that the Peruvian 'thesis' would be considered a master because in a master degree, students do research and basically write a research paper based on their experiments and then present it in front of judges.

So, this is the program of psychology in Concordia. I spent 3.5 years studying full time, taking 4 courses per session, which is exhausting  believe or not. The huge amounts of books to read and research papers is... tiring. So yeah, I have no idea how I managed 8 courses in Peru... 

What is tricky as well is the exams. I used to think 'Oh yeah, multiple choice is easy!' it is not. Professors trick you and ask applied knowledge questions so... yeah.

I recommend getting involved in school associations because that is valuable experience to be able to find a job later and become familiar with the library because that is the place where you will be almost living the next 4 years.

FINAL OPINION

Honestly, I feel that psychology here is focused on doing research and writing research papers, not on helping others to be better. They basically train you to be a scientist. That was not psychology in my mind. I thought the program was more focused on therapies and counselling on adults and kids, on Freud, skinner, etc...  but nope. So if you are planning to study psychology but you are not interested in being a scientist, then study it in your home city. If I had known, I would have chosen another program, or go to college or just stayed in Peru (I feel the program there is better, internship is included. Here, trying to find volunteer jobs as a research assistant is too competitive. If your grades are B or C (which is 12 to 14-15 in Peru) then they won't take you in. You need to be a 18-20 student. Yup, grades and level of smartness are related in researchers' minds but fortunately, there are professors that prefer to see you in action and then decide if they want you or not because well, they don't believe in grades.

If you have any questions about coming to study in Montreal  (school is cheaper compared to the rest of Canada or US) then just leave me a comment. I'll be happy to help!

One of those late nights..

... I miss someone.
It's one of those nights that I miss someone.

I don't know who, I don't know why.

I just feel incomplete all of a sudden, hollow, and agitated as if my heart was expanding within my ribs menacing to split them into pieces, ripping me from the inside out just like that alien movie -Romanticism was just assassinated by such image rising in your mind as it did in mine. Forgive me. Let's move on.

Then, as usual, I just get home, eat some leftover pasta and the feeling is gone. Gone with the wind, gone with the flutter of an instant.

Let me now go to bed, wishing upon the sky to watch over the one I love, I loved, and I will always love; that stranger  I probably met in different lives, in different times. That stranger I will meet again soon.

What is causing your acne?

Ok, in a nutshell: Dairy products and sugar.

As I said before, I was on antibiotics to kill the acne bacteria from within. It worked wonderfully for 6 months.
My dermatologist forbid milk and chocolate, however I would still have it from time to time and nothing would.

But as usual, all things come to an end. After 6 months under treatment and great results, it was time to stop with the antibiotics. No more doxycycline and take 1 pill of   metronidazole every 2 days with lunch.
I was still having dairy from time to time.
Once the metronidazole was over... so my free acne skin.

As I had thought, it was just a temporal solution and I was doomed for life. It was painful to see my clear skin breaking out again and then it all clicked. I was still having cheesecakes and pizza.

So one day, absolutely pissed and tired of it I said to myself: NO MORE DAIRY! goodbye ice cream, fraps, pizza, cheesecake... I thought I was gonna die!!! How can you live a life with no grilled cheese on it?

It's been almost a month and it definitely takes a lot of effort but finally my skin is getting soft again. UNBELIEVABLE!  what milk can do to your skin! I'm practically vegan now (just having some eggs here and there and honey) and I'm loving it.

Since I cannot live without baking, I had to do research and figure out how to make ice cream, whipped cream, cheesecakes with no milk in it and YES, I FOUND RECIPES!

coconut cream is my savior! along with cashew nuts and frozen bananas! I discovered on Youtube, here,  a great cooking account. I love her and her recipes. I did that sandwich ice cream and it turned out delicious!

Frozen and blended bananas make a great ice cream base. It just has that creamy texture full of banana flavor and you can add other fruits, flavors! Soy milk is delicious, almond milk is easy to prepare. There you have your proteins.

bonus: you wont be part anymore of the massive cow torture coz of their milk.

So, do you want a beautiful and soft skin free of acne? : STOP HAVING DAIRY! that is the key!

Now, exercise. This will make blood flow all over your body, clean you skin of toxins and tone your body. DO IT! and make an habit.

Just try it for a month and see the results for yourself.

Bles.S and love.

Miz V.

Review de la clinica Piel y Laser-Arequipa, Peru

Esta ubicada en cercado. Aquí la página web

http://pielylaser.com.pe/home.html

El lugar es muy presentable, limpio y ordenado. El staff es amable, incluyendo al portero, muy buena gente.

Para hacer cita sólo llamas una semana antes.

A mi me trató la Dr Marisol Vela por mi acné rosáceo. Una persona muy buena y se nota que sabe lo que hace. Le hice muchas preguntas y las respondió todas muy respetuosamente. El trato es muy amigable y cómodo.  Después de 4 meses en tratamiento, finalmente mi acné se está aclarando y las manchas desapareciendo. Traté de todo para borrar mi acné y nada funcionó, visite un dermatólogo antes pero resultó siendo un idiota arrogante. Así que esta clínica fue el cielo para mi rostro.

Desearía poder regresar a Arequipa para que me examine... pero bueno,  será al próximo año.

Si piensan en ir, no lo duden! Al fin obtengo resultados y de los mejores! Recomiendo esta clínica y a la Dr.  a todos!

:) 

how I'm getting rid of my acne

It's been a long battle and finally I think I'm winning!

If you wanna skip the story, just scroll down

I got acne at the age of 17. It started on my forehead; I would scrub it everyday in the shower trying to get rid of it and I learnt my first lesson: don't touch it or you will worse it. It scarred and got better. Then it appeared on my chin. It wouldn't go away no matter what I did, touch or not. It extended to the sides of my face and I started to use foundation trying to cover it. My mom got some drugstore products someone recommended her like Asepxia to cover blemishes and battle them at the same time since it contained salicylic acid. Dindn't work but it covered a little. At least my cheeks were still soft and acne free.... until 2 years ago.

I was a pimple with face. I took photos but ended up deleting them coz I felt so disgusting and ugly. Relatives asked what happened with my face, why did I have acne? Gezz I had no idea!

I move to Montreal in 2011 and my face wasnt that bad... tolerable. September of 2012, I was 20 years old and it hit me. I tried special cleansers, soaps, creams... tons of things and nothing worked and then, looking for remedies in the internet, I came across a webpage: acne.org.

It promised to make my face as it was before, pimple and blemishes free. The treatment was suppose to take from weeks to months or a year! It depended on every skin type. I bought it! The reviews and videos and everything seemed promising so, I got the cleanser, the treatment (benzoyl peroxide 2.5%) and the moisturizer that contained jojoba oil. you were suppose to start with small amounts of peroxide in the affected areas and build up the amounts throughout time till you cover your entire face. Since this shit dries your face, the moisturizer was a must. I hated oil in my face coz it caused me more acne (or that is what I thought) but ended up using it. September, october, november, december and I gave up when my sister made me realize I was destroying my face and she was right. IT  WAS THE WORST MISTAKE I EVER EVER MADE! the only thing i loved from this pack was the smell of  the moisturizer.

I realized my face was not only full of pimples but there was no life in it. My skin type is sensitive so big mistake to dry it... it was like fish scales in my face, foundation looked tacky and I could barely smile coz I could feel my skin crackling if I tried. Wrinkles appeared and I still have them... The treatment was suppose to remove the outer skin and let a new one, a better one, to come out! I had the hope one day my skin will accepted the peroxide and the dryness disappear but it never happened and I knew it was time to stop for my face sake.

Then I decided  it was time to explore the natural side, free of drugstore products or chemicals. I did research on natural handmade stuff and oils and I found out 3 important things:

-when using scrubs or cleansing products you remove natural oil of your skin and create an imbalance. Your skin produces more oil than normal to re gain balance and you end up with clogged pores.
-Most products claiming to cure acne are a scam: proactive, asepxia, acne.org (maybe it worked for "SOME" not for me)
-DONT TOUCH YOUR FACE! picking your skin made it worse. Our hands are full of bacteria that worsen acne.

so I found a routine that made sense and I still use it today. I stopped washing my face. AS YOU HEARD: I STOPPED WASHING MY FACE. I would wake up every morning , pass a damp towel all over my face and apply jojoba oil and some foundation and was ready to go.

but if I was using foundation... you cannot clean it completely with just water.
 And then I found the most magical cosmetic store: LUSH
http://www.lush.com/

Everything is handmade and natural! It was heaven for me! I found the most natural cleanser made of beeswax, rose, honey,  and other flower extracts. It's vegetarian (like me) and fights animal testing. PERFECT!

I put it on my face, massage, swipe off with a damp face cloth (warm water) and done!! makeup is gone and it leaves your face super moisturized. (for eye makeup, I put some jojoba oil on my fingers, and softly massage my lids and the eyelashes  and that's it. I use waterproof mascara by the way)

You have no idea how it soothe my acne! but I still had some pimples (specially around my period) and the damn blemishes. But I never felt better.

SO HERE IS WHAT IS CLEARING MY ACNE...

I went back to Peru this May and my mom insisted  to take me to a dermatologist. I refused coz we had a bad experience with one (He didn't even examined my acne, just said "take this and this" and I've read a lot about hormones and how often they are prescribed for acne sufferers and the side effects... so, no, I was not going to take them so I replied "are those hormones? coz I 'd rather not take those" he ignored me and continued to write the prescription  and then he said " No they are not but if i tell you to take them, then you take them, ok? come back in a month"  I was like WTF! What an asshole! so I left his office like a pissed walrus, willing to kill anybody. Well, of course, I didn't even bother to buy anything.  That was 2 years ago.

This year, my mom insisted again. She said her friend told her about a female doctor that was sooooo good and she helped her to get rid of a rash on her skin. So.... I said : ok mom but this is the last one!
and then there I was in Piel y Laser, a dermatological clinic that is located in cercado-Arequipa, Peru.

She examined me and ask for blood exams coz I said I had hepatitis when I was a teen.  She prescribed my pills... so again I was "I won't take hormones" And she said "why?" and then I told what I did some research online about fake hormones and she said that hormones were not as bad as I thought but she was gonna prescribe me some antibiotics, not hormones, to battle the bacteria and the the rosacea. She explained me my type of acne and how it was only cured from the inside to the outside and that though butter and chocolates contributed to it, they were not the cause.
She said I should be back in a week with the blood exams and to use sunscreen which was a must to erase blemishes.

she prescribed me this:

-metronidazole or Flagyl to battle the red color in my skin caused for acne(this is called rosacea). 1 pill every breakfast.
-Doxycycline to fight the bacteria. 1 pill during lunch and avoid dairy.
-Heliocare 360° airgel . SPF 50+ every 4 hours approximately (blemishes darken with the sun and become in dark spots)

The pills and the sunscreen were expensive that I refused to take them but my mother insisted. "Just try"
... so I did. I returned with the exams and she explained they were necessary coz maybe something was wrong and may be the actual cause of my acne. Thanks God, my glucose levels and my liver and everything was just fine! so I asked "Should I use jojoba oil? coz I noticed the sunscreen is kinda greasy" and she replied "Don't use that anymore. After you shower, put the sunscreen and that's it and return in a month" What a nice woman! **I apply some jojoba oil only at night coz... I don't use sunscreen at night, it wouldn't make sense**

In a month.... my face was CLEARING! It was incredible!!! But then some rebel pimples came back so... I was sort of pissed because it was not working anymore, that I built resistance or something but she said my period was the cause and yup, that week was my period so I believed her. This time she added Flagyl twice a day: in breakfast and lunch! and she warned me "DON'T CONSUME ANY DAIRY, NOR CHOCOLATES" It broke my heart coz I'm a chocolate and ice cream girl... but I had to. She pitied me and said "maybe once in a while but that's it" That was my last visit coz I was coming back to Montreal. I brought my supply  of pills with me coz I know  in Montreal I need a prescription to buy pills and they are more expensive so... she gave me her contact card (which I lost, stupid me) and told me to write her to let her know how it was going...

It's been 4 months taking pills and let me show you...


this is now! August 20th 2014















and this was back in may 24th, 2014

And this is nothing to how it was in 2012. Is literally nothing!  

So this is my story, and this is working for me and my skin type and condition. Don't take pills by yourself coz I said so. Visit a dermatologist and find one that you can trust and ask all you want! I will always be grateful to Dr. Vela! Go find her in Piel y Laser in Arequipa-Peru if you are around!  be patient, give it a month and a half  or 2.  here is the web page : http://pielylaser.com.pe/home.html and no, I'm not getting paid or anything.

Natural remedies worked very well! I dont use any other cleanser but my ultra simple from lush if I wear foundation and if not, a damp face cloth and then some jojoba oil will do the job. I try to leave my skin oils there in my face, just swiping the excess with the damp towel (with warm water).

I am happy to confess that I don't need makeup any more coz I feel so confident and comfortable with my skin for the first time since I was 17 (Im 22 now) and I feel I don't need to conceal anything nor feel ashamed anymore. 

And this was my story ;) I hope you find it helpful and I bought all the products listed, no sponsor sadly :(