The TMI Award

Hello, hello! It feels like it has been ages since I last wrote you guys, but what can I say--packing and moving is time-consuming, and I've been enjoying precious time with family and friends. Since a lot of my energy has been spent focusing on preparing for school and a whole new crazy schedule, I just wanted to do a fun little post to get back into blogging mode early this morning. I was nominated for the TMI Award by Whimsical Youngster, and some of these questions looked like a lot of fun to answer. I also like doing these award/tag posts so that you guys can get a better idea of who I am, how I think...that sort of deal. I hope you enjoy!

1. What are you wearing? I am wearing a teal T-shirt, a college-themed sports jacket, and pajama bottoms. Keeping it classy as ever this late night! 
2. Ever been in love? Yes. I fell head-over-heels for my first boyfriend. It was naive but beautiful at the same time.
3. Ever had a terrible breakup? Yes. We had a bad falling out and I don't want to talk about it online because I think his perspective may be different from mine. 
4. How tall are you? About 5'4".
5. How much do you weigh? I average 115 pounds during the school year when I'm working out, but last time I weighed myself I was 110! The little muscle mass I'd had disappeared this summer!
6. Any tattoos? No, but I think that if I did have one, it would be my Confirmation verse (1 Corinthians 6:20) written around my ankle or on the bottom of my foot. It would be a painful process, but for some reason I just think it would be so cool to have a foot tattoo.
7. Any earrings? My jewelry has sentimental value, and the earrings I wear are little flowers (silver filaments and golden petals) that I received from my aunt the last time I visited my family overseas. I also sometimes wear an ear cuff that has a golden feather dangling from it.
8. OTP? Oh my goodness, I feel so behind the times because I had to look up what "OTP" means! I would have to say Rapunzel and Flynn Rider from my favorite Disney movie, Tangled.
9. Favorite shows? I enjoy watching anime and am particularly fond of Rurouni Kenshin. Out of American shows, I was hooked on How I Met You Mother and had the craziest Netflix binge for that show.
10. Favorite bands? Guys, I like K-Pop. Judge me all you want! But lately I've been a big fan of G.NA, Trouble Maker, and B1A4. Spotify suggested this song to me and it's so beautiful that I could listen to it on repeat for hours:






11. Something you miss? I'm a transfer student and although I'm loving my new school, I really miss this one feature of my previous school called "Late Night," where you could get food starting at 10:00pm - 1:00am. It was so much fun getting giant cookies for study breaks in the middle of the night! I miss those giant cookies.
12. Favorite song? I'm into the main theme from the Miyazaki film Howl's Moving Castle. It has this mystical, romantic tone. And when the strings come in--I am such a sucker for great string features.
13. When is your birthday? June 16.
14. Zodiac sign? Gemini.
15. Quality you look for in a partner? The main thing is his heart. Pure intentions, and genuine love for life and God. There are also other standards, like the existence of a good sense of humor and preferably above-basic competence, but the most important thing is his heart.
16. Favorite quote? "Life is more than just how many breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away."
17. Favorite actor? I like the roles that Logan Lerman has played. He's not as well known, but I think his work is precious.
18. Favorite color? It changes on a daily basis, but right now I am fond of maroon.
19. Loud music or soft? I like soft music because I usually use music as background noise to write or work. When it comes to road trips, on the other hand, loud music in the car is fun too--as long as people are belting the songs out on the top of their lungs too. Yep, my friends and I are "those people."
20. Where do you go when you're sad? Somewhere private. Either my bed or the bathroom where I can hide for a bit and cry.
21. How long does it take you to shower? About 15-20 minutes. 
22. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? An hour. My morning routine during the school year consists of some exercises, reading, tea, and bathroom/girl stuff. On lazy days, though, I have been known to get ready in five minutes. 
23. Ever been in a physical fight? Well, I have practiced martial arts... 
24. Turn on? Genuine acts of kindness. Seeing a guy go out of his way to help people who need it is so inspiring and makes me want to get to know him better. I am also a romantic at heart, so I like well-thought-out gifts and adventures as well.
25. Turn off? Arrogance and self-righteousness. 
26. The reason you joined Blogger? To be honest, I was in middle school when I joined Blogger. I discovered it while logging into Gmail and started a blog before truly knowing what I wanted to blog about. These days, I blog with the hope that something I write will inspire someone, out there in the world.
27. Fears? I'm afraid of losing the people I love. 
28. Last thing that made you cry? So I re-watched Tangled the other day... The climax gets me every time!
29. Last time you said you loved someone? About half an hour ago to my mom.
30. Meaning behind your Blogger name? I write under this pseudonym, Riley Sinclair, so that I would focus more on the blog posts themselves as opposed to myself. It helps remind me to focus on being here for you  guys, really, because this blog doesn't bring any glory to my own name. And to be honest, I chose Riley because it's a name that could be for any gender, and it rhymes with "smiley." Sinclair was just a random surname that I thought sounded good with Riley. 
31. Last book you read? The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. 
32. The book you're currently reading? I'm reading The Bible this year, but I am not reading anything for leisure right now.
33. The last show you watched? I watched an episode of Big Bang Theory with my dad before moving out of the house.
34. The last person you talked to? I'm working the graveyard shift at a residence hall desk right now (nothing of interest has happened for the past two hours!), so the last person I talked to was a resident. 
35. The relationship between you and the last person you texted? My mom woke up in the middle of the night, remembered me, and then texted me. It was sweet of her and I hope she's sound asleep now.
36. Favorite food? I like a lot of food. I typically say my mom's adobo is my favorite, but I recently ate some salt and pepper squid from a Chinese restaurant and that is another dish that is up there.
37. Place you want to visit? Bali seems absolutely gorgeous.
38. Last place you were? In bed. And I can't wait to go back after my shift, hehe. The last "exciting" place I was, however, was hanging out by the Taekwondo booth that was recruiting new members.
39. Do you have a crush? Yep :)
40. Last time you kissed someone? A while ago?
41. Last time you were insulted? I can't really remember. I think I'm pretty good at shooting insults down or ignoring them..or maybe I just don't realize when I'm being insulted.
42. Favorite flavor of sweet? Ice cream! Probably classic vanilla with some sort of chocolate sauce.
43. What instruments do you play? I play the violin. I used to play piano when I was a little tot, but when I started learning violin, I quit piano lessons to focus more on Shamrock (yes, that is the name of my violin).
44. Favorite piece of jewelry? Like I said, all of my jewelry has some sort of sentimental value. But I really like the ring I wear on my right forefinger. It was a high school ring that was customized and has a violin and a martial artist engraved into the sides. 2013, my graduating class, also came out to be a significant year of my life when it comes to changes and personal growth.
45. Last sport you played? Yoga. 
46. Last song you sang? I was singing along to Taylor Swift the other day and I've been humming "The Story of Us" a lot for some reason.
47. Favorite chat up? "Did you fart? Because you just blew me away."
48. Have you ever used it? No, and I'm still waiting for someone to use it on me too.
49. Last time you hung out with anyone? I spent some time with the Taekwondo team at the booth earlier. I also met my new roommate for this year and we had fun walking around campus, too!
50. Who should answer these questions next? The person who's reading this, of course! 

I am tagging all of you guys who read this post. If you decide to take on these fifty questions, please post the URLs of your responses to the TMI Award in the comments below so that I can read them all! 

I hope to have a new blog post up on Tuesday to get back into the regular posting schedule. In the meantime, please have a wonderful weekend and smile on!

-Riley XO

7 Things To Do When You Don't Know What To Do

Hello everybody! Fancy seeing you here again. Have you ever had a day off and just wanted to spend it by yourself? Alone time is great--it can be so relaxing and spiritual if spent well. But sometimes I find that when I have such "alone time," I end up sitting in front of the TV for a few hours too long. It almost inspires a sense of guilt in me, because watching TV stimulates even less of your brain than sleep does! While it's a nice break every-so-often, it's not an ideal way to spend a lot of time doing, right?

Well, here is a brainstorm of quick, doable ideas that you can use if you're bored and would like to spice up your day. Enjoy!

1. Call up an old friend. Remember those good ol' days in high school (or middle school, depending on your age)? Well, contact your friends! Just talk to them, ask them what they've been up to, wish them a good day. Maybe you could even schedule a fun time with a couple of these friends to reconnect. Here is a quick list of 8 things you could do!
2. Lose yourself with a pen and paper. Okay, this one's easy for me to say because I love writing and try to do it every day. Writing is cathartic. It helps you sort through your thoughts, channel emotions, and gets those juices in your head flowing. I recommend writing a journal entry, poem, or short story. But if writing isn't your "thing," you could always try drawing something too. :)
3. Go for a walk. Just be one with your environment. Enjoy the sky, the grass, and buildings around you. If you happen to have a dog, walks are all the more fun--Blizzard (my little doggie) loves going to the park, and seeing him that happy brightens my day.
4. Start a 30-Day Challenge. Not a bad way to fill up some of that spare time. Watch this video for a bit of inspiration to start a new habit or end a bad one:
   
   
   
5. Try a work-out challenge. I have been trying to conquer the "Abs on Fire" workout by Blogilates. My results are embarrassing (mostly consists of me rolling around the floor in pain while she continues on her happy way), so that's why I like to do this on my own.
6. Learn something new. Watch a couple videos on iTunes U (right now I'm watching a series of lectures on personal finance...boring, but helpful), or I also like Vsauce on YouTube for little interesting tidbits.
7. Treat yourself. Go out and buy some frozen yogurt or try a simple new recipe that's sweet and delicious. Here's a bit from Blogilates again:

So there is a simple list of possible activities you can do when you are completely at a loss. If you have any fun ideas, please feel free to share by clicking on the comment bubble at the top of this post!

Have a great day, and take care!
-Riley XO

Monsters University

Since my friends and I live on the edge, we went to see the midnight showing of Monsters University last night.

Disney has a dear place in my heart because it basically sums up the entirety of my childhood. I grew up singing "Part of Your World" and "Hakuna Matata," and humming the tunes to Beauty and the Beast or Mulan.

Do any of you have that experience, where you watch something from your childhood and realize that there was so much more to it than you thought all along? Well, for me, this is true. When I see some of the morals, rhetoric, and--let's face it--dirty jokes from Disney movies now that I hadn't realized before, it's like having an epiphany.

Anyway, I don't want to give anything in the movie away, but it is in essence a story of finding your strengths, and persevering despite unreasonable odds.

You know, some people treat life as a gambling game. If the odds of failure are high, we often don't even try. But if it's your dream, why not try? Is life even worth living if you don't pursue your dreams? And don't the risks make achieving those goals even more thrilling?

To me, the movie was ultimately about staying true to yourself (which is a valuable lesson taught in many Disney movies, but one that I am learning constantly).

Monsters University was pretty much the perfect movie for me and my friends to watch though, not necessarily for the entertainment, but for the sentimentality effect. Monsters Inc. came out when I was only seven years old. Mike Wazowski and Sulley were characters that I grew up knowing. It sounds kind of cheesey, but Monsters University was kind of a bridge between my childhood and college, considering the timing and theme.

I absolutely loved watching this movie and would very much like to see it again.

Please do try to get a chance to watch it, and if/when you do, feel free to leave your thoughts on the film in the comments! The blog has a new format from before, so just scroll up and click on the speech bubble at the top right hand corner of the post.

Have a great day!
-Riley XO

8 Things to do with Your Friends This Summer

Hey all, so summer is finally here! Summer is one of the best times of the year for students--as you probably know. Suddenly, we have all of this free time to spend doing whatever we want. But it's not worthwhile to just sit around at home staring at the ceiling and "relaxing" the whole time.

The purpose of this blog is to give you reasons to smile, and what could be a better reason to smile than having made new memories with your friends?

image from http://summertdl.wordpress.com/page/2/

Without further ado, here are eight creative ways for you to spice up your summer with a group of friends.

1. Organize a mystery party. I've only organized two mystery parties, but they are incredible. Some mystery parties can be pretty expensive for student budgets. However, I found an excellent site that has a free mystery party! Please click here to read the synopsis and available download for Michael Akers's "Sour Grapes of Wrath." Mystery parties are fun because it allows any number over four people to participate.
2. Make collages. Gather some magazines (or pictures) and brainstorm a topic--anything from friendship to desserts to vacation destinations. Then, take some time alone to create your own collage. Afterward, present your collages to your friends and see what different ideas you have. You could be surprised.
3. Play Ultimate Frisbee. Get a nice-sized group and get outside. Run, enjoy the air and sun. It doesn't even really have to be Ultimate Frisbee. Just make that trek to the park--do something active!
4. Cook dinner. For your parents. Yes, for your parents. If you're anything like me, this may seem like a daunting task, so that's where the friends part comes in. Gather your friends at around 3:00, watch a quick TV show, and then set to work trying a fancy recipe. Don't settle for spaghetti; try making something like Eggplant Parmesan or Chicken Pad Thai. Also, the best dinners have a nice dessert to finish off on a sweet note. This is also nice way to show your parents or mentors how much you appreciate them.
5. Learn yoga. Okay guys, maybe this sounds silly to you. Some of you might be shaking your heads. Well, yoga is something that I've personally wanted to learn for a long time. Us teenagers are under a lot of pressure when it comes to balancing our work, school, extracurricular, and social lives. Learning some yoga, meditation, and breathing techniques this summer will help you to lead a healthier, more relaxed and steady life.
6. Organize a service project. It doesn't have to be anything too complex. Motivating a group of teenagers to wake up early in the morning to volunteer at a soup kitchen is work enough. Plant a tree, or go together to visit a nursing home. Not only will you help the community--you'll also have fun doing so with your friends. And who knows? You just might learn something about yourself and each other.
7. Make a music video. Find a completely random song, learn the lyrics, and try to top the original MV with one of your own. If you need help finding a random song/video, here is one that may leave you shocked for a couple minutes, but would definitely be...interesting...to try tackling. Please follow this link to see it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzC4hFK5P3g
8. Go on an adventure. I'm blessed to live in the lovely state of Colorado, and I have the ability to go to the mountains for a hike. But even if you don't have mountains, there must be hills, beaches, valleys, or beautiful fields or forests to explore within a reasonable distance. Our generation is earning a reputation for being too "plugged in." So take a day off, and be one with your friends and the breathtaking scenery that is all around us. Bring a camera, sunglasses--don't forget your water bottle or sunscreen either!

inbetweenthekeys.blogspot.com

And there are my eight things that you can do this summer. I hope that this gives you some ideas to treat yourself and the people around you--to make add a little something to the story of your summer.

I really tried to think of activities that would appeal to people of a variety of age groups and interests, but if you have any of your own, please feel free to share in the comments below.

Have a wonderful time!
-Riley XO