Swim a Little

You've done all you can at this point. You tried eating healthier, sleeping earlier, hanging out with friends, but you're still feeling stressed. Before you resort to the doctor's office for medication, try visiting your local pet store first. Having a pet is fun and can also be therapeutic to your health. Common household pets are dogs and cats, which are great companions for all ages, but they are not necessarily your only options. If you're staying in an apartment where there is a strict policy against keeping dogs and cats, try asking if you can keep some fish instead.

It's true, fish aren't always the most interactive of all pets. They don't fetch, play with you, or cuddle up with you at night (unless you're a mermaid?). But there are definitely other benefits to owning an aquarium that people often do not realize.

First, let's talk price because it wouldn't make much sense if the cost is so high that it makes you even more stressed. The cost of starting and maintaining an aquarium is much cheaper than owning a dog or cat. If you buy a second hand tank and filter, which already comes pre-cycled for beneficial bacteria, then the price can be as low as 30 dollars for a 10 gallon. Maintenance is very simple. Most fish do not need to be fed daily so you can change the water once every two weeks, and clean the filter once every few months. Once you have your tank, the next thing to do is add your fish, personalize your tank, and enjoy!

Picking out the right fish and adding décor is perfect for self-expression. Fish keeping is really an art form in itself, allowing the owner the freedom to let go and get lost in its tranquility.

Although you cannot play with your fish the same way you would with other pets, simple interactions such as feeding your fish, changing their water, or just watching them swim are still extremely enjoyable and relaxing. Water has always been a key element associated with serenity, which is why we often find aquariums or zen water fountains in places like the dentist office to ease patients' nerve. A study at Purdue University found that patients with Alzheimer who had been exposed to fish tanks ate 21% more food than they otherwise would have. Watching a tropical fish tank has also been shown to temporarily lower blood pressure. With the room lights off and the tank lights on, these glimmering little swimmers are sure to mesmerize any eyes.

Fish keeping is often bereft of its many benefits because fish are not “real” pets. But pet or not, the therapeutic effects of having an aquarium of fish are undeniable. Fish are relatively cheap and easy to maintain, and they allow so much room for creativity. So the next time you're feeling stressed, go “swim with the fishes,” and see what these little guys can do for you.   

Chipotle!

I'm not one who eats out a lot, and when i do, it's rarely ever grab-and-go food like burgers or burritos because of their small portion.

Well, last night, i was hanging out with some friends and in the midst of our hunger we noticed a building called Chipotle. None of us have ever been to Chipotle so it took us a while to make up our mind. We ended up going, though, because we reckoned a "burrito" restaurant can't be too expensive. Oh, and the name sounded exotic too.

When i first stepped into the place, i immediately noticed it's setting. Walls were painted a dark maroon while the ceiling was lit with individual boxes of CFL light bulbs. Tables were placed close in vicinity and some booths were designed to fit a whole family! The environment definitely instilled in me a feeling of warmth after escaping a night of fog. Together, the ambiance and aroma of authentic Mexican grill invigorated both my sense of sight and smell.

I then stood in line, waiting to order my food. Upon looking at the menu, i noticed that, contrary to my earlier belief, Chipotle actually sells a variety of Mexican food, not just burrito. They also have tacos, burrito bowls, chips, and salsa! After picking out what i wanted, i then proceeded into the assembling line of my burrito! I didn't know that they'd make my burrito right in front of me with all the ingredients i wanted! Now, that's as fresh as it gets, folks. I ordered a steak burrito with nothing fancy, just the regular, and it was only $6.25. A more than fair price for a very chunky and filling burrito, i must say. The only downfall, though, was that it didn't come with a side of chips like most Mexican restaurants, and drinks are also sold separately.

I sat down with friends, and after a round of pictures, we dove right in! The taste was sensational. The sweetness of the corn, the kick of the cilantro lime rice, the richness of the pinto beans, and the tangy-ness of the sour cream all complimented the tender bits of steak so well, that there was a "fiesta" in my mouth throughout the meal!! Delicioso!

My overall experience at Chipotle was unforgettable. It's a great place to eat alone or with company, and when you're on a budget and is looking for good food. It has changed my view on burritos forever. I Definitely recommend it!

Smart, Slick, Cheap.

So recently, I've been looking into buying merchandises online. Shopping online is becoming more and more popular in recent years because of it's convenience and credit-accrued option when paying with a credit card.

Since i'm still living at home and don't have any particular interests to shop for, i usually go straight to the apparel section.

I browsed the clearance section for stores like American Eagle, Express, and Pacsun and found that although they do have good sales on certain items, those items generally don't look as good, or they could be even cheaper.

Well, if you're a cheapo like me and want to shop great deals on a tight budget, then i suggest you try a website that a friend of mine has recently introduced me to. It's called Slickdeals.net

Here you'll find merchandises organized neatly into categories; apparel, technology, coupons, etc. This website is basically a very big forum for cheapos like us to chat and share the best, 'slickest' deals. Some of the deals are so hot that it's very possible that they'll run out the next day, so check it often and keep yourself posted on what's out there!

The only downfall I've noticed in some of the members' post is that they sometimes don't specify the size of the apparel they're promoting. This can be misleading and disappointing for potential shoppers when they discover that the item they want actually doesn't come in their size.

Overall, though, this is a pretty good site with some pretty amazing deals. So give it a try and see what you'll find today!

Insightful Ramble?

So yesterday my friend and i went to the Old Navy store downtown in search of good deals.

I've always liked going to Old Navy. Their clothes are rather trendy and reasonably priced compared to other stores. What i don't like, however, is what's in their Clearance section. Most of the items in their Clearance section are for customers on the larger scale, and the ones that aren't don't look very good. For once, I'd like to buy something in this section that actually fits me without sacrificing the aesthetic element of the garment.

After sometime of picking up and putting down, we passed by their Basic section which is comprised of a variety of colored T's. Upon seeing the 6 dollar sign by every T shirt color, i remember a simpler/cheaper time when they used to be 5. Why the raise on such a simple item? Shouldn't basics be cheap so that people can afford them??? Today, I checked on their website, and for some reason the price is 5 dollars now. But still, A plain, simple T-shirt shouldn't cost 5 dollars anyway. That's like using something that could buy you a bag of chip or a can of Arizona for 5 consecutive days to buy a shirt that can be worn 1 day...

In the end, what used to be a luxury is now slowly becoming a necessity, and the once ever so important fuel to life is now probably the lesser in comparison. Just think about the price of clothes compared to the price of food, and why supermodel starve.

Record Them, then!

Dude, so you missed last week's show, and you're going around hearing all these great things about it. What are you going to do? Pretend like you don't care, (but deep down, you so wish you were there to see that epic show) or are you going to do something to prevent it from happening again?

Here's a thought, if you're not going to watch it on the day of, then why not record it?! I mean, everyone's doing it and that's how most people get updated on their shows. Just because your schedule doesn't work with the schedule of your favorite show doesn't mean you can't watch it, it just means you have to record it and watch it when you're available. You're paying the T.V. company to watch stuff right? So if you don't watch it, then what's the point of owning a T.V.? Look, the bottom line is: GET YOURSELF A FREAKIN' AMAZING AWESOME D.V.R.!

What is a D.V.R. you may ask? and dude, if you have to ask at this point, then wow, you really aren't watching enough T.V.! D.V.R. stands for Digital Video Recorder. It's basically a little box that you hook up to your T.V. and you tell it to record whatever you want to watch. Let's say you want to watch the season finale of "America's got Talent" but you're not going to be there to see it when it shows, so what do you do? Buy a D.V.R. and record it, duh!

Check out this DVR for Direct T.V., or this DVR for Time Warner Cable, or maybe the DVR for Dish Network is what you're looking for. As you can see, there are lots of D.V.R.s on the market. Some of them may have extra features that others don't. So to see which D.V.R works best for you, just look around and do some research.

Dude, you don't want to repeat last week's mistake. The shows are getting more and more epic and you're keeping missing them! Get a D.V.R. and make sure that you see every second of it all!

D.V.R. solution!

How many times has this happened to you? You're in the middle of the perfect game, your team is winning, and all of a sudden you receive an important phone call. So you leave your comfy couch to answer it and when you come back, you've already missed the biggest high light of the game! Darn it! One call can totally ruin your television viewing experience. Of course, being that we're all busy people, an interruption now and then is very understandable, but how do we answer our call but still catch all of our television excitement?

With a Digital Video Recorder, that's how! If you're not familiar with what a D.V.R. does, it's simply in the name! It records your videos on television for your convenient viewing pleasure. No longer will you miss your shows, games, music videos, etc; record them all with your recorder and play them back whenever you're ready to see them! So go ahead! answer that call, go to the bathroom, mail that letter, run some errands, and hey, while you're at it, cook a 9 dish dinner! Your shows will be there when you're ready to watch them. You don't have to wait for them, they wait for you!

There are a lot of D.V.R. brands out there, but here are some good ones to consider:

With DVR, you can record up to 100 hours of shows and put in your favorite actors and directors and it will automatically record their shows for you. Sweet!

Time Warner Cable allows you to record up to two new shows while watching ones you've already recorded, and with their on screen guide, you'll always know what to record! Easy!

Dish Network comes with 1 terabyte hard drive, and you can watch it anywhere from your T.V. to your phone! Cool!

Of course with different D.V.R.'s come different model, prices, and applications. Check them out and see which one best fits you!

Now you can finally enjoy every second of the action even when you're not glued to your screen!

TicketAmerica!

You're at home, on the couch, enduring the pestering annoyances from your wife and kids. Jane wants a night at the Opera, but little Kimmy wants to meet her idol at a concert while Robbie wants to see the baseball game. What are you going to do? Is there a way (a site) to resolve this issue?! YES! TicketAmerica.com is here to bring your sanity back. No longer do you have to visit a billion sites, call a gazillion numbers trying to buy tickets to events like concerts and sports games. TicketAmerica is your one stop shop for all your ticket needs. Here, popular events are organized under their category. For example: a Hannah Montana concert ticket would of course be under the "Concert" section, while the Giant's ball tickets can be logically found under the "Sports" section. Other sections include: "Theater," and "City Guides," but if you don't already have an idea of what you want to do, then browsing through their "Hot Events" could help with that! You could also check out what's happening in the area near you! Whether you're at the Pepsi Center, AT&T Park, PETCO park, United Center, or wherever life takes you, you can always count on TicketAmerica to get you the freshest tickets to the hottest events.

This site is truly the appeaser to any big families with multiple interests. You can finally make everyone happy without making yourself crazy! And with the time you save calling here and there, talking to this and that person, you can spend it with those needy, but loving people you call "family." Sweet!