// Month of June, month of change. //

Stomach growling. Taste buds itching. Her hunger grows with every second, but her strength and stubborn mindset refuses to budge. She was tired: tired of being called fat by her mother, best friend, and society, tired of not doing enough to offset the ridicules, and tired of not being able to love her own body image. The exercises and fruit smoothies were not working. Cutting down on meals didn’t work, neither did eating smaller portions.   

Would it have worked if she continued the routine for another month? She didn’t know. She didn’t care; she wanted results now. 

She wanted to stop eating altogether; in fact, anorexia seemed quite appealing to her. It made things easier. She would no longer have to cook for herself, and, furthermore, she would no longer have to worry about spending unnecessarily. But people worry too much and too easily. There is a balance that she must maintain: eating just enough to prevent eyebrows from raising and less enough to physically starve her body. 

Fasting became an option. Actually, fasting became her decision. Three bowls of rice with unlimited refills on green tea and fruits everyday for one month. She demands results; whether or not she obtains the result she wants, only time will tell.

// Anaheim Art Crawl!//

The Anaheim Art Crawl Experience, nestled against the Muzeo Art Museum, is a street long indie arts and crafts fair. Artists are sprawled all along Center Street Promenade, and, at the very end of the street, are the food trucks for the hungry shoppers.

The Art Crawl Experience, or ACE for short, is a quarterly annual event. February 11th and May 12th might have passed already, but be sure to look forward to ACE on August 11th and November 10th. It seems like the Art Crawl is growing slightly bigger with each passing date, so I cannot wait to see how the next event will turn out. :) 

Highlights of the trip: 

• The Disney shout-out from Promenade Gallery with their theme “Rat Trap.”
• Food from the Gypsy Den at Home Eco:Nomics.
• Food trucks!
• The “Makin’ It Work” showcase at CIM Gallery.

Read More: 
Art Crawl Experience.

// Unique LA!//

Held in the city of Los Angeles as the name implies, Unique LA is a wonderful convention that showcases art from local designers. Fortunately for me, I found out about their FOURTH annual spring showcase a week before missing it!

Unique LA’s spring showcase is from May 12 to May 13, from 11 in the morning to 6 at night. (Don’t worry about having to speed down the freeway trying to get in though! Unique LA will be back in town during July for their summer showcases.) The tickets are $10 online for both days, and if you forget, well, it’s $10 at the door too. :)

The $10 ticket grants you access to: 

• Entrance for both days.
• Free DIY craft booths. 
• Free refreshments. (Beer is considered a refreshment.)
• Free tote bag with your ticket purchase.
• Plus, access to over 300+ local art vendors!

In fact, I think that everyone should go in and take a look around. There are treasure troves of art waiting to be found inside!

Quick blurb!

Read More:

// Cauliflower! //

(Photo credits: Next Barn Over.)

What’s not to like about cauliflower? One of the many properties that cauliflower is known is its ability to lower the risks of cancer! An-Ng Tony Kong performed a study with his research team at Rutgers and discovered that a compound known as sulforaphane is responsible for exhibiting this “chemopreventive activity.” This compound (known as SFN for short) is found most abundant in cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, brussel sprounts, and… 

You guessed it!

Cauliflower! :)

However, cauliflower isn’t only good for cancer prevention! They are also known for:

• detoxifying the body.
• being an anti-inflammatory.
• being a great cardiovascular support.

When you’re buying cauliflowers be sure to check that the tops are white or creamy in color. It’s nutritional peak has passed once it starts developing purple or black spots in its florets. As with most vegetables, cauliflower is best eaten raw if you want to retain all of its nutritional benefits, but lightly steaming them won’t harm too much of its nutritious compounds either. :)

Read More:
Science Daily.
Essortment.
World’s Healthiest Foods.

// Green Calcite! //

Calcite

Calcite can be found nearly anywhere on Earth. Not only is it one of the most common minerals, but it has proven to be quite useful in our history as well. Calcite is most often used as “construction materials, agricultural soil treatments, abrasives, pigment, pharmaceuticals, and more.” (Source.) One of the most renown properties that calcite has is that it fizzes with the tiniest bit of acid. (Looks like calcite won’t get along too well with vinegar then, doesn’t it?) 

Pure calcite is typically white or colorless, but due to impurities, calcite’s color scheme can range from yellow to blue, to even grey! Although calcite may come in a wide array of colors, the one property that they will all exhibit is their transparency. Green calcite will typically come in shades of pale green to mid-green; although occasionally, you might be able to find a special one in emerald! :) 

Healing Benefits of Green Calcite

Green calcite, like many other calcite stones, gives a sense of happiness to oneself. It is a natural relaxant to emotions; according to Cassandra Eason (Book.), it can be used to counter hyperactivity in children and obsessive behavior in adults with an inability to give  (be it love, time, or resources). 

Green is often associated with nature and fertility, so it is only natural to deduce that green calcite would also be helpful in things that deal with nature. :) 

Read More

“The Complete Crystal Handbook” by Cassandra Eason

// Eat Food, not Supplements!//

Scientists of the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University discovered that health benefits of broccoli, or cruciferous vegetables in general, cannot be obtained through supplements. Researchers state that because supplements lack active myrosinase enzymes, the body “actually absorbs five times less of one important compound and eight times less of another.” Researcher Ho says that extensive cooking has the same results; when these vegetables are overcooked to the point of mushiness, their nutrition values plummet. On the other hand, lightly steaming or cooking these vegetables will not deter their health benefits.

So don’t worry about having to eat everything whole and raw. :)

Read More:
Here.

// Citrine!//