Happy Valentine's Day 2013!

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen! ♡

I just wanted to say happy Valentine's Day to you all! Whether you're single, in a relationship, dealing with something complicated, or forever faithful to your cats, everyone should take today to love someone, even (or especially) if that someone is yourself!

My global studies instructor showed this to me today in class and I'm sure that I'm a bit behind in finding it, but I love the message and it made me smile. Hopefully it'll make you smile, too:

 Also, NOT COOL, ROBERT FROST. 

If you're into all of that lovey-dovey crap I might be shoveling down your throats then check out three of my favorite love songs after the jump:

Valentine's Day for Lonely Hearts

So I must admit, Valentine's Day used to be one of my least favorite holidays. For a teenager who was convinced that she was fat, greasy, and unattractive and subsequently never had a date, Valentine's Day was the macro lens that focused on how incredibly unwanted I felt. I had a few major crushes through high school and when not a single one of them proved to be productive, I always ended up feeling that much worse about myself.

Then I got a boyfriend. Things were supposed to change then, right?

Right?

Well, I can definitely say that it did get a tad better. Valentine's Day went from being miserable to being relatively tolerable. I had someone who liked me (enough) and wanted to go out with me and buy me flowers and chocolates and things. No longer did I have to deal with the anxiety of going through another Valentine's Day where I'd wait for even just one of the guys to notice me. I wasn't alone. So why didn't I learn to love Valentine's Day?

The answer to that, at least for me, is that I hadn't quite learned how to love myself first. It took a nasty break up, and several changes in my life before I could see myself for the awesome person that I am. There are days when I still struggle, but I put on my make-up and get through them. I had to learn to really love myself and be my own valentine before I could be a good valentine for anyone else. Now I'm with a pretty fantastic guy who makes me happy and it's easy to look forward to spending Valentine's Day with him when I can be happy knowing that I can be a pretty fantastic gal for him.

However, it all starts with learning to love yourself. After my last relationship, I spent the following Valentine's Day shopping, eating delicious food, hanging out with my friends, and being very single. I know it's not easy, but you'll ultimately be happier if you do something for "you" this Valentine's Day instead of moping and being unhappy. Here are some fun ideas for your very you-centric Valentine's...

1) Do arts and crafts.
Make yourself something pretty! One of the big things that come with Valentine's Day are V-Day cards! Usually people make, give, and receive them, so why not make some cards for your friends and family? Maybe make an extra special one for yourself? Or you can make a whole slew of other things, it's all up to you and what you want to do! Play with glitter, get glue on your fingers, leave bits of scrap paper or fabric on the floor and make wonderful things!

2) Indulge yourself.
On a diet? Not on Valentine's Day! Bake yourself some cupcakes and spend lots of time decorating them with icing and sprinkles. Buy yourself some of your favorite chocolate and a pint of your favorite ice cream and enjoy it thoroughly over a sappy, feel-good movie and a glass of wine (caution: know yourself and your limits. If you are a sad drunk or anything like that, substitute alcohol with a truly decadent cup of hot chocolate with all of the trimmings, or your drink of choice).

3) Pamper your body.
Check out your local day spa and get a facial or massage or both! Get a pedicure or stay home and give yourself a pedicure! Soak in a hot bubble bath with a glass of wine (wine goes well with many things) and your favorite novel. Get your hair done or even consider trying a new haircut or color. Taking care of your body will help you to feel better about yourself.

4) Go out.
Do it. Go somewhere that makes you happy. Get some friends together, if you can, and make an evening of it. Or go alone and make some new friends! If you're anything like me, you'll go to the theater and see a musical or see if there are any burlesque shows happening in your town and try to attend one of those.

Whatever you do, though, don't be down on yourself. If all else fails, stay home, play video games or marathon a cool show, but don't let anything get you down. You are awesome, beautiful, handsome, clever, caring, special, and most importantly, and loved. Remember this and have a wonderful Valentine's Day! XOXO

-Princess Kisha 

A Happy Living Space = A Happy Princess

One thing I've always been really bad about is keeping a neat and organized living space. :c

(Look guys! A better watermark!)

(This is actually a bit neater than average, you usually can't even really see my floor!)

Sitting in my messy room, it's hard to be motivated to do anything because you simply don't have the room to do anything. And when it's not a matter of having room, the messiness is often a distraction that keeps you from getting any real work done. Many times I have told myself and others that I can't do a certain thing or task because I have to clean my room and do laundry first. I then end up spending the rest of the evening catching up on the internet and/or being distracted by Netflix. Since October I have been telling myself that I'm going to clean and finish unpacking my room, and since October I've been putting it off.

Now that we have begun 2013, I couldn't put it off any longer. In my family we have a tradition of cleaning everything in the house during the first few weeks of the year, and it's one of the few traditions that I actually still keep. At the insistence of the little nagging voice in the back of my head, I set aside an evening to clean and organize my room and I finally did it!

Now that it's clean, I have to keep it clean. One of the things I've noticed is that the main reason I end up with stuff all over the floor is because some things don't have a convenient location or have no real location at all. For example, I prefer doing my make-up in my room in front of a mirror, but I've only got the one tall mirror and no surface to place my stuff while I'm using it and when I'm done. While contemplating what I needed to do to fix this and other inconveniences, I decided to borrow an idea from Violet LeBeaux to document some of the updates I plan to do to my living space. My changes won't be as sweeping and all encompassing as hers are, but they will be significant compared to what I currently have.

I think that making my room prettier and more user-friendly will ultimately lead to me wanting to keep it clean, and my learning to keep my room clean will lead to more productivity on my part. I always feel more zen and ready to work when I'm working at a clean desk in a clean room with a cup of tea (but really, everything goes better with a cup of tea). I'm already in the process of creating a vanity area and I also hope to be revamping my desk soon, so look for entries specifically about those areas and more!

Until then! =^_^=

Kisha

Goals for the New Year

I know I'm a bit late to make any sort of list of resolutions for 2013, but the year has hardly started, and it's really never too late to try and better yourself. That being said, a new year provides a good excuse to give yourself a fresh start on new goals, and greater motivation for old goals. I like to make a list each year so that I can focus on my goals, and as something to reference as I work toward achieving them and marking my progress.

Though I make a list each year, this year I wanted to try something different to help remind me to stay focused. My roommate and I have both made collages representing the goals we plan on working toward this year and inspirations to continue working hard.

(Please forgive the crappy watermark, I have yet to sit down to/get help with making a new one.)

Parts of this collage represent...

Where She Introduces Herself...

So now that I've broken the ice a bit, I bet you are wondering who I am?

My name is Kisha, A.K.A. the Otaku Princess.

On Introductions...

Probably one of the most difficult things to do when starting a blog is to write an introduction. It is easily one of my least favorite tasks when it comes to releasing media through my chosen outlet, writing the introductory post. What does one say? For most, it involves telling the reader about him or herself. Others choose to attempt to be clever (at which I am currently taking a stab). Some jump right into writing, as if they've always been there. Quite a few actually just make an introduction to the blog, something simple and logical and supposedly easy.

It is most definitely not easy.

Especially not for me.

Not at all.

Nope.

You see, of all of the things that I am, I am a writer and an English major. This means that I have a fondness for the Oxford comma, and that I tend to take my musings much too seriously. It means that I can't simply "write" an introduction, I have to express it with the literary mojo I have earned through years of experience in blogging and being abused by my English instructors.

But if there's one things I've learned over the years in my on-again-off-again affair with ranting over the internet, it is that people appreciate it when you keep it simple. So though the idea of writing a simple introduction seems amateur-ish, it serves a purpose and I should definitely do it.

So hello, and welcome to my blog. I look forward to all of the fun things we will do together! ^_^

Sincerely yours,

Princess Kisha