L.O.A.S.H’S ECO SWITCH: Reusable Bags

Quote of TRUTH: “The Earth is a fine place and worth fighting for.” – 

Sup, my eco-peeps, back again with an ECO SWITCH. Heck yeah. Let’s get this party rolling. Parrttyyy. Okay, serious game face. seriousness.

dot. dot. dot.

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Single-use plastic bags = NO!!!! Food, food is good. It’s necessary. It’s yummy. It’s the essence of- okay, let’s get back to the point. Remember those plastic bags that we use? The ones we use for like food, groceries, vegetables, and other stuff? Yeah, we kind of need to change it up. Like ASAP, ASAP. Did you know that there are billions (it’s a pretty big number) of plastic bags being consumed yearly?? Plastic bags win the majority of grocery bags in the United States alone. Estimated only 1 out of 200 plastic bags we use get recycled. In coastal cleanups, there are so many plastic bags popping up. Dude, it’s not good. at all.

How do you switch this up? Invest in a reusable bag! Stay committed by always remembering to bring this bag with you when you go grocery or someplace else. To get your own eco plastic bag switch, one option would be to get it from your local grocery store. Sometimes they do sell reusable, durable bags! There are other places you could order from, too. Another option for you could be to purchase one from these links:

 

Reusable Shopping Bags

 

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These reusable bags are durable, compact, washable, and can fit a good amount of groceries in them. Click here or the image to check them out!

 

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Reusable Shopping Bag w/ Wheels

 

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This is better for when you have heavier and more groceries with you. When you aren’t using it, it can be folded! It’s a great size and good quality. Click here or the image to check them out!

 

 

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Reusable Mesh Produce Bags

 

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These are amazing for vegetables and fruits and moreeee! They are durable, eco-friendly, see-through, and breathable. Instead of grabbing those one-time-use plastic they have, use these ones instead. You can even clean the veggies with the bags, too! Click here or the image to check them out!

 

 

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invest. commit. share.

🙂

 

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H

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© Elizabeth Anne Villoria

Schools need to change

Here’s my opinion on the whole school system:

The majority of schools follow the same requirements of taking math, english, and all those other subjects. It has been this way for years. The same cycle for every student. But, why? We ask kids what they want to be when they grow up and fuel them with excitement as we put on a facade of “you can be what you want to be”. Why did I say we put a facade? It’s because as they get older our expectations we share them truly reveal themselves and we try to mold their minds to a 9-5 job. We shake their realities of life making them believe that those dreams they once had isn’t the priority and might not even come true.

I’ve asked countless people: “why are you going to college”

And, the answers are usually the same: “to get a good job”

But, why are we programming our generation that after kindergarten to preschool to middle school to high school to college their priority is finding a 9-5 job till retirement. That’s no life to live. And, I’m not trying to say don’t go to school, because I truly believe that somewhere that the intention is to teach. And, those who give their time to teach others are true heroes. What I’m saying is that their implementation for their intention is faulty. What’s the use of trying to force students to take subjects they don’t want to day after day. This just leads to cheating in class and the destruction of motivation.

Every child and every person is different. They learn differently. They take in information differently. Some people have shorter attention spans. Some people learn better when they do hands on activities. Some people learn better by watching. With all our data researchers and statistics we should know that putting everyone in the same process and expecting them to learn and grow the same way is just a big no-no. Wouldn’t it be crazy though if we did that? If we hundreds of different people into a box and teach them all the same way and expect good soaring results? Oh, wait, that is what we do.

It’s kind of like getting a bunch of cactuses and a bunch of daisies, watering them with the same amount of water then expecting both of them to grow equally healthy and to it’s full potential.

Students should be given classes that is directed towards what they want to be in life. Yes, there should be some mandatory classes. But they should ones that would really benefit the student when they go out there in the real world. To name a few classes that students should have to take: Financial, leadership, cooking classes, first aid.

Life skills are what need to be taught. They expect graduated students to suddenly be on their own and know how to do their bills and budgeting when all they taught at school was you had to run at least a mile to have a good grade in PE and that the square root of 64 is 8.

To sum everything I’m saying, learning life skills is way more important than trying to memorize the values of the unit circle. Everything around us is evolving, changing, and improving. It’s time that the educational system do that as well and make school a place of growth, ambitious.

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H

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© Elizabeth Anne Villoria

 

· 16 lessons I learned at 16 ·

Might have turned 16 a couple months ago but it’s never too late to do something. So here goes this blog on 16 lessons I learned at 16. It gets a Lil deep and some of the lessons are pretty awesome: so, grab your blankets & tea and let’s get this going. 

LESSON 1:

 – messy Room = messy mind – 

Yup, you get the idea. The state that I leave my room in usually equates to the state of my mind. It doesn’t help with thinking when your environment isn’t tidy. Have you ever tried doing your homework, or tried finishing a project but distraction just keeps seeping in from all the silent noise which we call mess? I know, very annoying. Set aside time to give your base (a.k.a ur room) some appreciation and CLEAN. IT. UP. Also, just a heads up, this does not mean stuffing everything under your bed, in your closet, a backpack- you know what I’m talking about. Apart from being a good habit, cleaning up your room helps with mental clarity, too.

LESSON 2:

 – if it takes 5 minutes to do it, DO IT – 

AND I ACTUALLY MEAN DO IT. This is a lifesaver and applying this helped me so much with putting on my armor and defeating procrastination. You know you have that homework that would just take 5 minutes or less of your time if you really just put your mind to it? DO IT.  Do you see that small pile of dishes that would take barely a smidge of your time? DO IT. You’re going to thank yourself later. Think about it, if you just keep pushing off all the small tasks aside for “later”, they’re going to add up to an overwhelming amount. So, just to remind you: tackle that task, get it done, & just DO IT (now).

 

LESSON 3:  

 – fleeting pleasure < long-lasting happiness – 

It was kind of funny how I got to say that this lesson reached the list. There was just a random morning when I was walking with my sisters when this truth got knocked into me. This is what hit me: when we try reaching our goals, as innocent as it may seem, fleeting pleasures pop up luring us over to miss the opportunities we get for long-lasting happiness.

I repeated to my sisters saying “we keep choosing FLEETING PLEASURES OVER LONG-LASTING HAPPINESS, we. MUST. end. this.” Yes, I was very dramatic as I came to my conclusion.

Fast forward a couple days later: I was walking around the supermarket when my sisters and I reached the chips aisle. Yumma, Chipppps! I jumped in the air throwing some punches into the vastness as I waltzed my way to the Cheetos. I can confirm that my sisters shared my enthusiasm, however, as I attempted to grab a bag, my sisters, in unison, shouted in repeat: “FLEETING PLEASURES OVER LONG-LASTING HAPPINESS”. Ooooh, sweet mother of apple crumble pie. I continued to grab the chips anyway, looking at it intensely. I took a breath in, placed the chips back, and waltzed my way out. I muttered under my breath, “hahaha, you shall not win this time, fleeting pleasures…”

MY LONG-LASTING HAPPINESS: Improving my eating habits, and keeping my body healthy

(One of the) fleeting pleasures (that discreetly pop up): Chips

Okay, I know that this might not seem like such a big deal. But, IT IS. It represents fleeting pleasures that people choose which sabotage their plans for something more awesome. I learned that when you find yourself grabbing that bag of chips (this can be that drink, that slice of cake, that misdeed), take a breath and say to yourself “I want long-lasting happiness over this (silly) fleeting pleasure” and walk away. When you start this with the small stuff, you’ll be able to do it with bigger things in life that you face.

 

LESSON 4:  

– don’t take it personally if they don’t know you personally – 

There will be many times in your life when people choose to judge you without even thinking. They might say hurtful things that don’t make any sense to you, some people are just like that. You know yourself, and you are worth so much. So, don’t let what someone says about your bring you down and stay strong warrior.

 

LESSON 5:  

– guard your heart – 

“Above all else guard your heart for everything you do flows from it.” ~ Proverbs 4:23

Going off from the previous lesson it is so important to guard your heart. Your heart matters most of all. When we guard things (like a cute puppy we just adopted, for example) we protect it. Why? Because it is valuable. We guard things that are valuable. Your heart is the essence of who you are. Make it your top priority to guard your heart. What does guarding your heart mean? It means knowing your worth and believing it so much that whatever somebody else might say, YOU KNOW YOUR VALUE.

 

LESSON 6:  

– good music is good for the soul –

Music is amazing. Music is goooood. Good music = good vibes = happy soul. Sing out loud and dance, dance, DANCE.

 

LESSON 7:  

– don’t become the person who hurt you –

Be you, and be mind. I know it hurts. Don’t change who you are but learn from it. Please, remember, you are not the person who hurt you, you are a million times better than that. Not everyone has the same heart as you, so choose kindness no matter what others may show. The way someone acts is a reflection of themselves and not you. It’s okay to not be okay, but show the good human that you are.

 

LESSON 8:  

– you are who you surround yourself with –

Surround yourself with people who will be a positive influence in your life. Be around those who are kind, who support you, and bring out the best in you. Surround yourself with people who keep you smiling and that keeps you laughing until your tummy hurts.

 

 

LESSON 9:  

– saying “no” doesn’t mean you aren’t kind –

You have to learn how to say “No”. I know how hard it is. There might be someone asking for a favor from you but you really can’t or you don’t want to. I will tell you this, it’s okay to say “no”. The problem is, sometimes, when people know that you are kind, they try to take advantage of that. Saying “no” just means that you care about your own boundaries and limits, it does not make you a bad person.

 

LESSON 10:  

– you aren’t missing out if you decide to stay home and fix your life –

You need time for yourself. You need time to heal and get your life together. You’re not missing out if you decide to stay home, wear a face mask, play your favorite music, and skip the football game. One of my favorite self-care remedies is mixing together my peppermint and lemon oils and smelling them. It helps with distressing the stresses that life has. 

 

LESSON 11:  

– smile & give back –

Everyone has their story. Everyone is going through something. Sharing your smile with someone can go a long way. Giving back is so important. It’s your way of helping out in the community, making an impact, and so much more. Giving doesn’t always mean money donations, but it can also mean by your time. Volunteering and helping out around. Volunteering just brings me great joy as I help in any way I can to those who need it, and I’ve met some of the most amazing people, too.

 

LESSON 12:  

– a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor –

I know it’s a tough season that you might be going through. You will get through this. There is a reason for these things that happen and it can help us to grow, to grow in our experience, faith, maturity, and even relationships with other people. The tough seas will help as more adventures, seasons, and storms come at us. 

 

LESSON 13:  

– we are a team –

What happens when you’re in a team? You look out for each other. When someone is falling behind or needs a chance at shooting a shot, we help them, we cheer for them, we motivate them. When one of our team members makes a mistake we stand beside them and show them they’re not alone. That’s how a real team roles. They with each other and for each other. 

In reality, though, we are all in a team. Whether it’s that group of people you were placed with during your math class or a bunch of people you decided to have lunch with one afternoon. We are all in this together (yes, as famously quoted by High school musicallllll), it’s true. So, love what you are doing and love who you are doing it with. Help one another when one is struggling. Be the team player with everyone, and don’t give up on anyone.

 

LESSON 14:  

– character > reputation –

I learned this year that you need to stop investing so much time and effort into controlling other people’s opinions. It’s not possible. Be fully and unashamedly who you are. 

LESSON 15:  

– you might not be able to control what others do, but you can control how you react –

You can watch every step you do but there’s just going to be someone out there trying to make things unreasonably hard. Although we can’t control how others treat us, we can control our reaction to it. You can choose to pop like popcorn and scream your anger out like a kettle, or, you can take a walk, collect your thoughts, think about the reasons why that person might be acting that way, and respond kindly and move on.

 

LESSON 16:  

– family, always & forever –

Family, it’s so important. Whether it’s your birth family, your blended family, your chosen family, the health of your relationship with your family is important. Family isn’t always about being biologically connected. Family is so much more than just bloodlines or last names. Family doesn’t see race, color, differences. Family sees heart. Family are those people in our life who commit to love and support despite your shortcomings or mistakes. It’s secure, like roots, that help us through tough weather and is there holding us up. Family, keep them close and don’t let anyone make you feel bad for choosing them over others.

I’m still learning every day, and, I know some days may be tougher than others, but keeping these lessons in mind helps me to keep moving forward knowing that there’s a reason and that I will become stronger because of the storms. 

 

hope your monday was filled with endless laughs 🙂

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H

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© Elizabeth Anne Villoria

 

 

The Guide to Being a Rebel

Quote of AWESOMENESS: “I rebel; therefore I exist.” – Albert Camus

 

…with a cause

 

“Rebel? REBEL??!”

 

In most cases, the word rebellion or rebel is associated with nothing good. Parents and friends warn to steer clear from anything at all rebellious. It has come to a point where when one mentions the word “rebel,” the other keeps their eyes down and avoids at all costs. However, since you clicked this blog, I will assume that you want to know what rebellion is and that maybe you want to understand better and be a rebel. Let’s continue.

Basically:

ℝ𝕖𝕓𝕖𝕝 = 𝔹𝔸𝔻 𝔹𝔸𝔻 𝔹𝔸𝔸𝔻 (at least according to most)

 

However, I believe that this needs a perspective change. We need to look at it in a right angle and see “rebellion” as the exact opposite of what most people agree it to be. 

Let’s take a step back for a moment and analyze this. 

 

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The definition of a rebel is: 

Someone who goes against authority

Someone who stands up or defies authority

Usually, a rebellious person is known as one who challenges authority, breaks the rules, behaves in unacceptable ways, and refuse to do what they are told they have to do. But, the thing is, at times, situations handed to us by so-called “higher authority”, by society, and those that want to make the majority of people feel inferior to them, need to be stood up to. 

 

Let’s look at a few peeps in our history who were classified as rebels (but aka, in my opinion, pretty cool humans):

✰ Spartacus

This dude was a slave of the Roman Empire as well as a Thracian gladiator. In the Third Servile War, he led the slave revolt which was able to do many defeats toward the Roman army before he was struck down once and for all.

 

✰ Frederick Douglass

Frederick was born in slavery in 1818 but escaped when he was a young man. He spent his life going against the injustices and fighting for equality for Women’s Rights and other slaves.

 

✰ Flying University

Okay, this might not be a person, BUT, it is an excellent example of an idea implemented that rebelled the system. During the time when women and some men weren’t given equal opportunity to study, there was a university that was known as the Flying University. The reason why it got this name was that the meetings of the students of this university had to keep switching from location to location to avoid the authority and being caught. Quite rebellious, huh.

 

✰ Rosa Parks

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was a woman of great dignity and courage. She was a civil rights leader. She refused to give up her seat to somebody who thought that he was more valuable and deserving as a human being to have these privileges caused by society. She was tired of following these guidelines that were given to her and rebelled against what she was taught to do (which was give way and keep your head down). She kept her head up, despite the danger that lurked, stared danger in the eye, rebelled, and this bravery led to a nationwide effort to end racial segregation of public facilities. An absolute warrior.

These are only a few examples of those who rebelled. Those who, despite the challenges they acknowledged they would face, still stood up and went against what others were handing to them on a silver plate to just conform to. 

 

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вeιɴɢ α reвel & ғιɴdιɴɢ yoυr cαυѕe:

Here comes the good stuff. The interesting bit. Your guide to being a rebel and finding your cause. 

Remember to always keep in mind that rebelling doesn’t mean being a jerk or trying hard to be cool. And, rebelling is your attitude and not how you dress. That this kind of lifestyle will have its consequences like everything else in life and navigating through it, you have to be smart and think through and stay strong. 

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Some tips and steps to your journey:

• Question Popular Belief and Hold Unpopular Views on Social Issues 

Some examples for this would be how, before, segregation was a popular belief. Today it is considered wrong because it is. Those people who went against that belief and fought against segregation are now known as thinkers and upholders of freedom. One other popular social norm in today’s world would be partying and doing drugs to be cool and living life but going against that and expressing it to others is your rebellion. 

The reason why most people don’t question the beliefs they have or what others have is that it’s easier to just accept things at face value. Although questioning things does help you stand out, naturally, it also helps you to find the truth. Yes, it will be tough, especially when you usually just accept what’s given, but you’re tougher. 

Imagine we just accepted that the earth was flat or that Earth was the center of the universe? crazy.

 

• Speak Your Mind and Do You

I don’t just mean to blabber out whatever pops in your head about someone or something. When I say Speak Your Mind, I mean to be an advocate for your personal opinions and beliefs. To speak about those issues that you actually believe in. Those things that you want to resolve. 

Does your food in your school cafeteria suck? Talk to the school administration. Work something out. Show some facts and clear evidence on why it would be better to give our better food. 

Do you see people excessively use plastic? Try working out something with the school to make an awareness week or talk about it during an assembly. Inspire people and talk to them about the difference they can make. Creatively show what the world could be with everyone helping through art. Do something, say something.

Now, what do I mean when I say Do You? I mean to not be pressured to do what others are doing just because they consistently ask you to. Do what’s in your heart and not what others expect of you, that’s one of the foundations of being a rebel. Want to suddenly do dancing? Join a dance class or just start dancing when music plays at lunchtime. Want to argue with others on their beliefs? Join a debate club. Want to help those animals and nature have a voice? Speak up, join a club, -heck even make your own club! Do you.

 

• Ignore the Negative Opinions but Stand Up for Your beliefs

Let’s face it. There will always be people out there who will find a way to talk you down just because that’s how they act. But, don’t let this get to you. You’re not trying to stay in the clear zone and please people, you’re focusing on doing you. These people mock because they aren’t comfortable with different or strange. But don’t take what they say about you to heart. 

Although you may listen when teachers or others tell you to behave a certain way because it is the rules, you may follow these. But if it’s because they want you to follow a norm simply say you’re not breaking any rules. 

 

• Responsibly Rebel

There is a distinct difference with being rebellious and being reckless. They are not the same. If something has a serious possibility of harming others or yourself don’t do it. To rebel is to fight conformity and stand out. It’s not to harm and be dumb. To rebel is to be original and not to demean others. You have to learn how to choose your battles. Another thing to keep in mind is that you don’t have to be alone. You don’t have to be this lone wolf to be a rebel. Being nice to people is still a nice thing to do and having real friends is healthy too. 

There are real consequences to serious actions. So, break rules, not laws. Remember, rules NOT laws. 

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You know how to THINK like a rebel, ACT like a rebel, and to be responsible. Being a rebel is an attitude. The next step is finding your cause and fighting for it. Align your actions with your passions. Be a rebel but have dignity. 

 

Stay Awesome, always ❤

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H

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© Elizabeth Anne Villoria

 

 

L.O.A.S.H’S Guide to Getting Your Life Together: The First Steps 👣

Quote of (true) AWESOMENESS: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe

Hiiii!!!! I hope your Thanksgiving was amazing!

I’m super excited to share with you guys all these tips and techniques! This will definitely be worth your time to follow along on this new series. Love you alll!!

Getting your life together isn’t usually something that happens overnight. It takes the will, motivation, perseverance, and much more to reach those goals of keeping yourself healthy, joyful, and in the present. Most problems that people face that are found to be quite the handful would be procrastination and the never-ending cycle of telling yourself “I’ll do it in five minutes”, “I’m going to cut all the junk food out right now!”, “I’m going to fix my life after this tv show”, and way more. We tend to keep giving ourselves excuses after excuses. But, here’s the good news you still have a chance to get your life, schedule, and yourself together. This is going to be a series where we will be discussing (oooh big word 😉 ) various ways and techniques to keep yourself positive, awesome, and to improve yourself and your lifestyle. So, let’s get this going!

In this blog, we shall talk about the first steps to take on our journey to greatness. In everything you do, it always starts with you taking your first steps. I know that sometimes when we try to do things or we tell ourselves we want to start doing something (like good habits, an exercise routine, etc.) we give before we even start because the beginning is a struggle at times. These include:

~telling the truth~

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Ask yourself… Who is the one person that you are most dishonest
with? Does it ever cross mind that you are the person you lie to the
most? You tell yourself all these great promises of starting a better diet
or exercising tomorrow but it never really comes? You need to start
changing this mindset to improve and make yourself grow as a person.

Telling the truth means that you are honest with yourself and others. You strive to live with integrity. You keep commitments. You don’t lie to make yourself look better.

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~judgment free~

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Since the beginning of time, people tend to judge others
by the cover of their book (hypothetically speaking). The moment they
walk into a room and look at someone, thoughts of who the person is,
their lifestyle, and judgements cloud their head. This kind of
habit is something to get rid of. Something that shouldn’t be part
of meeting someone new or looking around the room.

To be judgment-free is to STOP judging others and to STOP judging yourself. You need to self-evaluate and catch yourself from judging others. And, the truth is, as Wayne Dyer puts it, “When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself.”. This won’t be the simplest task but start by catching yourself and interrupting these thoughts. Stop the old mentality. I know that at times we also judge those we aren’t most fond of but judging isn’t healthy for you, so, next time just keep your mind off of it. Listen to something, do a silly dance, sing, tell yourself STOP, recall a funny scene from a movie, and live your life judge free. 🙂 

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~action time~

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STOP THAT! STOP telling yourself you can’t. STOP making excuses for
why you can’t accomplish that task. STOP saying you’ll do it later or
next time. You are more than capable. Don’t let others or yourself
drag you down.

Turn your “I can’t”s to “I will”. Use all that energy that you use to deny your problems, overthink, and redirect it to positivity and realigning your actions with your values. Change your victim language to creator language. Others may bombard you with negative reasons like, “oh you always say that”, “you know you won’t or you can’t” but don’t let this affect you. You can’t let your laziness and mistakes, from before, stop you from being a better person and taking action. 

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~strengths & weaknesses~

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We all have our strengths and our weaknesses.

This step involves finding what you are good at, focusing on it, and understanding it. When you find your strengths that’s what you use to your advantage. Then, you find your weaknesses and start working on them.

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~plan. plan. plan~

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In order to find where you are headed, planning is essential.
Another importance to planning are the specifics to it.

Create a specific (when I say ‘specific’ I mean specific!!) plan towards your improvement goals. The things that you would include here are WHAT you want to accomplish and WHEN. Repeat after me… WHAT & WHEN. 

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And, there you are! Remember this is just the beginning, these are just the first steps. And, as long as we take it one step at a time we can reach our goals. We got this. You got this 🙃 I know you do. 

❤ spread the love ❤

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H

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© Elizabeth Anne Villoria

 

 

 

 

Protecting yourself from…. Hackers -_-

Quote of TRUTH: “Security is always excessive until it’s not” – Robbie Sinclair

There was this really cool conference kind of meeting that happened on September 19, 2018, at the University of La Verne. Its main purpose was to teach small business on how to develop themselves. There were plenty of things that they taught like about trade, foreign investment, government contracts, and more. BUT, in this blog, we will be talking about cyber threats. 

Ikr sounds super mind-boggling but its OKAY because I shall explain more.

Also before we continue I just need to point out that the speaker for this part of the conference was an FBI Special Agent. super. duper. cool. I know.

OKAY, let’s actually start this.

So, what is the meaning of cyber you may ask? It is of, relating to, or involving computers or computer networks ( as the internet ).

We use devices all the time nowadays don’t we? And, the problem is that every individual with a smartphone are targets for potential hackers.

We can break down Cyber threats into these five categories: (this will be from least problematic to more problematic, but they are all still a problem)

• Criminal
• Hacktivism
• Espionage
• Terrorism
• State-Sponsored

 

So we have good news and we have bad news…..

I’ll tell you both, starting with the good news:

Down for 2018, so far:

• Government Leaks
• Major outages
• Global ransomware attacks

However for the bad news:

Up in 2018:

• Corporate data breaches
• Critical infrastructure failures
• State-sponsored hackers
• Cryptomining
• Internet of Things Attacks
• Business Email Compromise

 

Okay, so the cons may be, slightly, a bit outweighing the pros but I have gathered information on what can be done to level the playing field. If that makes sense.

Some of the big hacks would include the 2014 Sony Hack. Imagine this being a billion dollar company and all their files were hacked and stolen. This was very stressful for them. Another one would be how hackers got into a Hollywood Hospital and took control of their systems and blackmailed them to give them $17,000 in bitcoin if they wanted them back. In case you were wondering, the bad guys got away with their money as they were paid what they wanted. 

These are examples of Ransomware. 

RANSOMWARE? I’ll explain. It is 1) a very big threat and 2) kinda really scary when it happens. In other words, this is a type of malware that would ask you for a ransom if you want your files or computer access back. And, if you don’t give the money then there’s a big chance you won’t be getting your stuff back. How is this a very big deal? Well, okay, imagine this. You are driving in your all new and improved-futuristic-technology-filled tesla car when suddenly the iPad on the computer starts to malfunction. A message then pops up and it reads “If you want to have access to your brakes, pay up $120,000 now”. You freak out and hit the brakes but nothing happens and your speed starts to accelerate. Fortunately, you just had the biggest paycheck ever and you were able to make a wire transfer of $120,000 to the encrypted bank account number they’ve given. And, your car then goes back to normal and you safely drive back home. But what happens when you don’t have the money or you’re just stuck in your car because of someone who hacked your car. Very scary and dangerous thing indeed. 

Another kind of hacking that seems to regularly occur would be the business email compromise (a.k.a B.E.C). This happens when a hacker gets into your email and tricks you into paying your house, bills, or other things and instead the money gets sent to them. This happens all the time because the email received looks very legit. Especially in real estate. So much money gets lost. 

Hackers hijack emails in 4 easy steps:

1. They use an email extractor which you can easily access
2. Hacker sends a fishing email out to thousands of emails
3. They research everything about like how you and the person you are negotiating with speak with each other and the deals made
4. The hacker uses the information they found to send the homebuyer a message telling them to reroute their bank account. 

Imagine this is how simple it is for them. And yet in the process, there are families out there that lose their life savings because of these evil deeds. YOU need to make sure to ALWAYS check for authenticity. Example of this would be to call up the person you’re making a deal with and double check to see if they’re the ones who sent you an email.

Did you know that the average B.E.C loss is $130,000? 

You can actually even buy legit emails for just $11.00 just by looking it up on google. All the hacker needs to do is to buy a piece of software or malware which is just up to $25 dollars to do all this damage. There are tons of people who get victimized as they are unaware of fishing emails sent to them. 91% of cyber attacks and resulting data breaches happen with email.

HACKER: Mistah X

• Victims- mostly women
• Blackmails
• Uses the person’s computer camera to record just whatever they do and uses it to blackmail them
• He uses a software
• He was put in jail but was recently released, that means he is out there 

HACKER: Christopher Chaney

• Targeted: celebrities
• He had no programming experience whatsoever 

Christopher Chaney would use a notepad to list down all the details of a celebrity and open up their emails. Then, he would go to the forget password part and answer the “secret” questions that they give. Since celebrities nearly give all their information to the world it wasn’t that difficult for him to hack into their emails with what he got.

HACKER: Emeka Ndukwu

• Used spoofed domains “typo-squatting”
• Stole about $1 M
• He only had minimal hacking skills

 

See how these people barely required to have extensive hacking skills yet they’ve done all these? It’s so easy to get hacked which is why cybersecurity is very important. Small business is the target of 58% of all malware attacks which is shown in the Verizon insights report statistics of 2018.

Now, what can we do about this?:

• Have a multi-factor authentication (which is requiring two things to access something, like your email):
  • This reduces the chances of having personal information being stolen
  • It is free for most devices
• Beware of SIM swap hack
• Backup data on Hard Drive:
  • This way you would have your files in a potential ransomware attack
• Have a good password 

Remember there is nothing foolproof and it’s so much better to take extra precautions.

Good practices to prevent this from happening to you:

• Multi-factor authentication
• Back your data regularly
• Use strong passwords and change often
• Educate others on this
• Have a network security plan & actually implement it
• Establish a cybersecurity policy
• Conduct tabletop exercise for an incident
• Update your software
• Have a robust process for financial transfers

Even if though these were the tips given to businesses to protect themselves from cyber threats, you should use these too to protect yourself! Spread the word because this is something definitely everyone should be aware of!

 

don’t forget to smile today (:

Yours truly, 

L.O.A.S.H

 

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 © Elizabeth Anne Villoria

 

Fear? Huh? What’s that?

Quote of awesomeness: “The fears we don’t face becomes our LIMITS” ~ Robin Sharma

Fear.

*dramatic music*

We’ve at least experienced countless times throughout our life. Right? I mean, it can come from the smallest of things. Like, that time you checked your bag for your phone and couldn’t find yet it was in your hand or right in front of you the whole time. Or, that time you left the house, locking the door but then you stop in your tracks, eyes widening in horror as you feel uncertain if you brought your house keys out with you. That feeling of fear which drains your face making you look pale as if you’ve seen a ghost. That’s the feeling which most would experience when faced with such circumstances, but is this always a bad thing, is it a good thing? Yes and no. Huh? I know, confusing. But, it’s okay we’ll clear the confusingness in a bit. 

The California Science Museum is a great place which has an area all about what this thing called fear is. Let me tell you what I learned when I visited this (very very very awesome and educational and fun and cool) museum! It seems that in society, the feeling of fear grows stronger as more people get scared or afraid? And, just a simple tweet or news from the media, some politician, famous person, or interest group could easily spread such feeling of fear. However, fear also does have a role in today’s entertainment and an example for this would movies! Yes, people do buy tickets to watch that new scary movie which they would probably regret later on as they leave the theatre on purpose. And, because of how fear grabs our attention even though we might not enjoy it all the time, it helped in forming what shows in movies, television, magazines, books, and even popular novels. This shows how fear and culture have shaped each other.

When faced with a scary or dangerous situation, the three responses which most do are Fight, Flight, and Freeze. Let’s put the three responses to action! Scenario time!!:

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One day you find yourself hiking with your friends. It’s a beautiful sunny day and you start wondering why you tried to stay at home earlier as your friends bugged you on coming with them. You and your friends are having an awesome time as you lead the way going back home. Suddenly, in the corner of your eye, you spot a spider a few feet in front of you. The thing is you have arachnophobia which is the fear of spiders and this odd feeling in your stomach starts to overcome you and you suddenly:

 

|3 RESPONSES|

|Fight|

Cry? Kick? Scream? 

“SPIDER!!!!!!”, you scream so loud the ground seems to tremble.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you start punching the spider, although that would be quite hard considering the spider would see you coming and try dodging you. Also, considering the arachnophobia, going nearer to the spider or even touching would probably not be the best or first idea to come to mind. To fight could also mean to just cry or scream. This response would be on the more responsive side when faced with a situation such as this. 

|Flight|

run. Run. RUN. RUN!!!! – yours truly, brain

The spider seems to agitate you as you look directly at it. You get this feeling that it the spider is giving you an intense scare which makes your heart skip a beat. Suddenly, the only message your brain fires at you is: run. Run. RUN. RUN!!!! You take one more glance at the hairy creature minding its business (possibly nibbling on a leaf, if spiders even do that), a shiver going down your spine, and you start running as fast as your feet could go. Your friends watch as you zoom past them as if you were the flash. All you want to do is get as far away from the spider. This response, my friend, is the flight (no you don’t actually fly, though that would be cool) when faced with situations like this, you run. 

|Freeze|

don’t. move.

You take one look at the spider. You stop talking and the thoughts of the beautiful sunny day and the joke your friend just made which made you send a thunderous roar of laughter fades away. Your heart is pounding and you just want to scream or run but your feet seem to plant in its place and your mouth stays shut. The fear slows the flow of blood to your skin redirecting it to the skeletal muscles causing the color of your face to be drained, and causing you to look pale. Your eyes are wide open and glued to the spider as if you were anticipating its next moves. Your friends wave in front of your face as sweat drips down your brow. “Don’t. Move.” this is what your brain seems to signal throughout your body as faced with a fearful situation such as this.

|QUESTION|

Which response would you do?

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Fear helps us because it keeps us safe. Like, in the movie Inside Out with all the emotions going on in Riley’s head, fear was able to keep her safe a few times. An example would be when she was running but then the fear emotion suddenly stopped her as she came close to a wire, fearing she would have tripped. 

The museum even has like these small hubs with different fears like the fear of sound! I sat down then suddenly this loud sound when off and yes I jolted which was also recorded then showed to me in slow motion. 

Stop laughing, it’s not funny. I mean, fine, just a little. But, anyway the fear is innate as it’s been with us since birth- I read it in the museum so my reaction was completely (very funny actually, my parents and sisters couldn’t stop laughing) normal.

There are so many things to learn about this and interactive fun stuff to do at the California Science Museum. I’m sure you’ll enjoy!

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Annoying ways that fear can pop up and just ruin something:

You walk up to the stage encouraged as you start to speak.

You look at the audience and the crowd seems to be astonishingly big. Then your glossophobia jumps in. And, then you end up saying:

“Friends, Romans, countrymen lend me your (suddenly your fright comes in and you say)- fears”. Huh? Wasn’t it supposed to be ears? Oh well, must have been that scare.

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Hope you’re having an awesome day, afternoon or night! Till my next blog, Bye!

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H

 

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 © Elizabeth Anne Villoria 

The misleading & deceptiveness of advertising and labels

Quote of awesomeness: “Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self-sustained” ~ Mahatma Gandhi 

Have you ever looked at a canned bottle that has a 100% juice label as you scanned it? Well, that’s the thing, it’s wrong, most of the time. If it reads a 100% juice, this means that they haven’t left any percentage for anything else? How can it be 100% juice when the back has the ingredients listed with salt and other preservatives? An example of this is V8, the photo below shows how they are lying.

As you may see from the photo above, at the top left corner, there is a 100% JUICE, but then as we look to the ingredients, we spot more than just “100% juice”. There are two types of salt put here into this juice, salt and sea salt. They just had to put two types. Also, another thing found is SOY LECITHIN at the bottom part of the ingredients list. Have you ever heard what soy lecithin is? Well, it’s certainly not juice. I mean the other ingredients should get credit too, am I right? They should put something like there are other ingredients here too but mostly almost 100% juice! The truth is always the best way to go.

 

 

Here’s another way that words are used in a different way so that we don’t really pay attention to it. Here…. wait for it…. *drum roll please*….. FUN SIZES!!!

Here’s an example. An M&M’s with a FUN SIZE labeled on it. What would you usually expect with something written with FUN SIZE on it? Probably something really big or even different shapes, a square or even letters perhaps? NO. It’s not fun. It’s extremely the opposite of FUN. When you see this fun size you have to be aware that all this means is small. SMALLLLLLL!!!!! Sorry for the shouting it’s just that making chocolate or yummy food smaller when an expectation would be something more awesome isn’t, it’s really annoying.

 

Exactly how I feel too.

 

 

 

Imagine this: When you have work and you go to your office, your boss goes to you and says “GOOD NEWS! IM GIVING YOU-” before he finishes, a big smile whipped across your face as you expect a raise “- A FUN SIZED SALARY!!”. You feel excited for like 5 seconds but then you remember reading L.O.A.S.H’s blog about fun sizes and you put on your skeptical face and then your boss sees that you will not easily be fooled so he ends his sentence with “just kidding!” and runs out. That’s right I just saved you from getting a lower salary- in some other universe. Anyways, back to reality, just be alert when your boss really does start talking about fun-sized salaries.

Always stay truthful you awesome people! And, spread about this too with your friends and family, to inform them! Here’s an activity you can do, Sherlock Holmes, next time you go out and do see something with 100% juice or 100% natural check the ingredients to see how many products out there are really on the true side. Also, not all products are telling a lie. There are plenty that does tell the truth, which is just awesome.

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H