Life As A Veggie: 2014

2014 Book list and reviews.

So, I'm back guys. I couldn't let the year end without posting again, could I? This year was pretty amazing, and unlike most recent years, I actually managed to get most of my 2014 new year resolutions done. One of them was to read a book a month. This year, I made a book list with every book I read, and guess what? I read 19 books (I'm a total overachiever)! I used to love to read before I got to college (And books got too expensive). Las year I decided that I would make reading new books a challenge, and boy did I come through!

I have fallen in love this year, I have cried, I have laughed and I have felt scared thanks to the amazing books I had the pleasure to read. I discovered new things, I learnt a ton about history and much much more! So, here goes my book list, I absolutely loved it and I hope you guys love it too!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan: This is the first saga I finishd this year and it was by far the best nest to Heroes of Olympus. I absolutely love it and recommend it *-*

The Lightning Thief.
The Sea of Monsters.
The Titan's Curse.
The Battle of the Labyrinth.
The Last Olympian.

The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan: 10 times more badass than Percy Jackson and the Olympians. This saga was so many levels of amazing I can't begin to describe it.

The Lost Hero.
The Son of Neptune.
The Mark of Athena.
The House of Hades.
The Blood of Olympus.

The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan: Cool book, cool stories.

Looking for Alaska by John Green: I actually read this right after reading The Fault in Our Stars so I didn't have so many feels. Still a good book though.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: This book turned me into and emotional wreck but I love it. I wouldn't read it for a second time though. My feelings would break.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Cool book, I don't think it was amazing but it was definitely entertaining.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K.Rowling: It was an amazing ending to the first saga I ever read. Cried tons at the end. Super good *-*

Wallflower Series by Lisa Kleypas: These books are amaziiiing and romantic and beautiful and incredible and SUPER DUPER AWESOME *-* Only for +18 people though.

Devil in Winter.
It Happened One Autumn.
Scandal in Spring.
Secrets of a Summer Night.

So, this was my 2014 book list.

There are some others I left out because I'm not done reading them yet, but I guess I'll add them to my 2015 book list haha.

I hope you guys liked it.

If you have any comments or recommendations leave them in the comment section.

Thanks for reading!

5:22 PM
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Tips to have a successful rescue and not die while trying.

adoption

This is the moment when I get philosophical. Brace yourselves.

I believe, as I said in a previous post (Not sure which one), that there's always a defining moment in our lives. It's different for everyone, but it's usually when we decide that we just HAVE to do something. In most animal rescue cases, we decide we just can't leave an animal on the street. We see that poor little creature, with those sad eyes and dirty fur and we just think "I can't leave it there. I just can't. My mom is going to kill me" or something along those lines.

At first, we don't know what to do, we don't know if we should hold that animal with our bare hands or where to put it. You just kinda grab it but you can't put it down. You feel responsible. You feel as though you just made a commitment to that animal and you just can't let it go. You start thinking about who might want it, you worry about how you're gonna be able to get someone to adopt it, how long it will be with you, and you just kinda panic a bit.

My goal is to help you out when that moment comes. Of course, my journey was a bit difficult considering I never really knew what to do or anyone to give me advice. So, I'm gonna make a small list with some of the things experience taught me. So, that being said, let's begin!

TAKE IT TO THE VET: This is the most important thing on this list. DON'T GO HOME AFTER YOU RESCUE. GO TO THE VET. Specially if you have other pets at home. You don't know what kind of disease your rescue might have and it might need medication or some sort of treatment. I can't stress this enough. GO TO THE VET. If you do have pets and were not able to go to the vet straight away, put the animal in a bathroom o a place where it can't have immediate contact with your pets. Trust me on this one. I learnt this the hard way.
Give it food and water: Alright, important thing number two. You don't know if the animal you rescued has had anything to eat. For all you know, perhaps it hasn't eaten in days. So, it's important to hydrate it and fill up that tummy. Food and water will help them get more energy and recover if they have wounds. Animals tend to be grateful, specially strays. Since the treatment they usually receive is made up mostly by abuse in many forms, you can expect them to be grateful for food. Thing is, you have to be careful. You don't know if that animal has a problem with people getting too close to their food or something. Best thing you can do is serve them some food, leave it on the floor, and watch their behavior. Give them space, they don't know what's going on.
Check for fleas, ticks and injuries: If you didn't get the chance to stop by the vet and went straight home, you're gonna have to do the checking. Look for an old eyebrow tweezer and run your hand through the animal's hair (Most of the time it's easier when you rescue dogs. I wouldn't try to touch a cat's tummy at the very least). Check the ears, between the toes and the tummy first. These are usually places you can find a lot of little bloodthirsty (and disgusting) bugs like fleas and ticks. You have to be careful when removing the ticks. You have to grab them as close to the skin as you can and pull up with even, steady pressure, careful to not break the mouth parts. If they do break and stay in the skin, don't panic, just let it heal. If you find the animal has any injuries or myiasis. If it does, a trip to the vet is gonna be absolutely necessary.
Deworming and Vaccines: When you go to the vet, the first thing you're probably gonna have to hear is that the animal needs to be dewormed and vaccinated. This is very very important since there are tons of parasites that could be harming that animal and preventing him from becoming that healthy, adoptable, beautiful animal someone will fall in love with, and, in case someone decides to adopt, it's a guarantee for you that the animal isn't going to get sick with the disease you vaccinated it against.
Bathing (Dogs): I say only dogs because obviously cats are much much more delicate. The don't like to be handled around a lot, and they don't like getting wet. Put those two together and it might not be the greatest idea ever. After the vet, you should give that little angel a nice bath and let it rest. They'll feel a ton better, and bathtime is ideal to check if there are any fleas or ticks left.
Last but not least, putting it up for adoption: The last tip. If it's your first time it's not all that easy to find someone who will adopt. You have to turn to social networks. Most animal welfare organizations have Twitter, Facebook or Instagram accounts where they put the dates of their events. Look for an adoption event near you and take your rescue when they are absolutely healthy. When you are there, don't let it come in contact with other animals or step on places where other animals might have been. You don't know if everyone has been as careful as you have with their rescue's health and you don't want your rescue to catch something. You should also post the animal's photo on social networks like I explained in this post Stray animal rescue and Social networks: Tips for posting and sharing information.

Remember, you can't just wait for someone to do something. You are that SOMEONE! You are the person that can make a difference. We are all agents of change in our world. If doing good things was easy, the world would be a very different place. Since it's not, we have to be brave enough to do something to make the world a place worth living in. We might not see immediate results, and things might not go as planned, but we have to think that everything we do and everything we say is an opportunity to inspire people, to help them understand, to open their eyes to one of the many cruel truths people refuse to see.

I hope you awesome readers liked this post. I really hope it help you out and gives you that little push you need to help out stray animals. Stay tuned :)

11:25 PM
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How to go from being a passive activist to an active one.

adoption

Hey there everyone! Ugh I'm sorry I've been away for SO long. Sadly other things caught my attention and I never found the time to finish these posts. So, here I go.

Let's start with passive activism. The way I see it, it's when you get involved in some cause without interfering directly in its events or activities. The first form of passive activism I ever came in contact with was with the people on facebook who shared animal cruelty cases. When I first noticed people could do that (I had a very limited view of social networks) I started sending friend requests all over. It wasn't long before I filled my friends' timelines with stray animals looking for a home, adoption and neutering event dates, people asking for medicines or donations for a rescued animal, etc. I really felt I helped. I mean, I was just sharing, but I shared it and each post got seen by over 300 potential owners, so it was worth a shot.

Sharing stuff on social networks really makes a difference.

So, how do you go from sharing stuff from the comfort of your home to going out there and getting "Down and dirty"? First of all, you go step by step. Find out if there is an animal welfare organization near you and find out if they accept volunteers. Volunteer work is actually a really good place to help out without having to take an animal to your home. Personally, besides the rescuing, I go to adoption and neutering events to help out with the animals. This work includes a variety of things like cleaning up after the animals, feeding them, gathering information from new volunteers and giving away balloons with rescue related messages to kids. By volunteering, you become an active activist. By this I mean that you get involved directly in the cause and interact with the people on the other side of the mirror. Giving out information, sharing pamphlets, speaking to people face to face. It isn't easy, but at the end of the day it is really, really gratifying.

Of course, you don't have to be active if you don't want to. Thing is, I consider just the sharing of information enough. Of course, if everyone actively helped out, the stray animal problem probably wouldn't exist. But I believe that doing something is better than doing nothing, and I appreciate the fact that some people at least make an effort to do something as frivolous as sharing a post on facebook.

So, let's get down to business. Yes, most of us animal lovers would love to help out, to be a hero, to change the world. But let's face it, it is really,really, really difficult. It's not because we don't have the will to change, or to do something, or to go out to the world and kick some serious butt. Thing is other people usually make the already hard road a helluva lot harder.

Most of us don't see how much of an impact we have on the world. Just because the good things we do don't come out on the morning news doesn't mean they aren't important. That dog you shared on facebook might have gotten a home because of you. Or maybe that cat you retweeted might have been adopted by one of your followers.

Anyways, given that I'm not really making any sense, my recommendation is that you volunteer. It's a really beautiful experience and it'll make you feel a lot closer to your cause. Helping animals first hand makes you understand on a deeper level how much help they actually need. Find a local shelter and contact them, go to fundraisers and adoption events to help out. That is a really nice way to go active and meet a ton of awesome people who think the same way you go about animals :)

I hope this post was helpful somehow. I'm sorry for the delay and the lack of overall coherence. Please stay tuned for my next post: Tips to have a successful rescue and not die while trying.

8:24 PM
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Stray animal rescue and Social networks: Tips for posting and sharing information.

adoption

Hey there guys! So I'm finally gonna be posting the first part of the stray animal rescue special, in which I'll be talking about activism in social networking. I'll address the difference in passive activism and active activism in my next post, but for now I'll tell you what I mean by "Passive Activism". My definition in this case for passive activism is the employment of social networks (Or the internet in general) to campaign for a cause, and to not interfere directly in the cause. For example, the people that spend most of their time in social networks sharing useful information about a certain subject, or ways to help in a specific case. Now, that being said, let's begin!

Posting information.

Social networks are a great way to comunicate. Most of us have facebook, twitter or tumblr accounts. We follow what interests us, and thanks to this we receive useful bits of information on a daily basis. I am no stranger to the use of social networks, I have accounts in various websites. When I started rescuing strays, I had a really hard time trying to find people who were willing to adopt. I hadn't realized how much potential social networks have for campaining. One day, I decided to make a facebook profile only for posting and sharing stray animals in need of homes. I called it "Animal Rescue Network". Later, I had the idea to make a facebook page just for that. Then, a twitter account. The idea for these accounts and page is to get info out there as much as I can. I don't really need to put a TON of work into this, just an hour or so a day to share cases, answer messages and post whatever needs to be posted.

There are vital things you need to know. First of all, you need to know what to post. There is no point in posting your rescue if you don't give people the means to adopt. What I mean is that there are certain pieces of information your can't forget to share when posting something. Here's what your post should have:

Pictures: Pictures are super important! Why? Because this is what is going to capture someone's attention. When possible owners look at the animal's picture, they're going to feel empathy and more of a connection with it, and maybe, they'll feel more tempted to adopt it.
Phone number: Your phone number is vital! If you post a rescue online, there will usually be someone interested. You have to give them a way to contact you. The best thing is your phone number, this is by far the best way to ensure fast communication. Second best, your twitter/facebook/e-mail. The idea is to give people a way to get in touch with you.
Location: It's important to post the city where the animal is located. This will act as a filter, since it's more likely to be contacted by people who live near you (Most of the time people adopt animals in their cities or states, given that it will be easier to go where the animal is).
Age: You have to post the age of the animal, that way the possible owner will know what vaccines it needs, food, etc.
Health: When rescuing a stray animal, it's very very important to take it to the vet. If the animal has any kind of disease, you have to post it so whoever wants to adopt knows about the animal's condition and continues the animal's treatment.

Sharing posts

That being said, let's move on. The whole point of posting a rescue online is to get it out there, and how do you get the world to know about your rescue? Sharing. Now, the most important thing to take into consideration and something that you can NEVER forget is to change the privacy setting on the specific post you're going to share. For example, on Facebook, you have to make the post visible to the public, that way everyone will be able to share it. Sometimes, because of the privacy settings, I can't share stuff on my page. It's really frustrating because the information doesn't really get around and that makes an adoption a lot harder.

If you're tweeting about your rescue, your account needs to be public, if not, people won't be able to retweet. Most of the time, a rescue's information doesn't fit in 140 characters. If you can, I recommend you upload the picture of your rescue to your computer and modify them in paint, adding in text the animal's info. It's a great way to share and you'll save space you could use for hashtags or mentions. Like this:

On Instagram, you account also has to be public. You can upload the image without text since Instagram has no text limit. The magic is in the hashtags and the mentions. It's always good to use corny hashtags like #Puppy #Cat #Cute. The idea is to use as many hashtags as you can, specially the most popular ones, since those are the ones that people use the most and there's more of a chance people will see your photo. There's not really a way for other people to share your pictures on instagram unless they use an app that reposts or make a screenshot, but it's still a real good way to get the information out there.

I hope this post was useful! If you have any questions or recommendations leave them in the comment section and I'll answer them as soon as I can. Stay tuned for my next post: How to go from being a passive activist to being an active one. See you next time!

9:55 PM
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If you rescue stray animals, you're going to want to read this.

adoption

Hello! So, finally I'm gonna be posting about one of the things I'm most passionate about: stray animal rescue. I've been doing this ever since I was 15 years old. With every new rescue I learn new things, so in five years, there's a lot I can talk about. So I'm going to divide this subject in three different posts:

Social networks: Tips for posting and sharing information.
How to go from being a passive activist to being an active one.
Tips to have a successful rescue and not die while trying: If you're new to rescue, I have some great tips and advice to help you stay sane.

So, if you want some cool advice and learn about other ways help animals, stay tuned for those posts!

Now, it's time for a little story...

I believe that there are defining moments in life. The moment you realize that you are here for a reason, that you are born not only to study, work, get married, have kids and at the end, to die, but to make the world a better place. I had that moment five years ago, and it was because of this little guy named Tommy.

One day, I was with my sister running some errands in my city's downtown. After we did everything we had to do, we started walking back to the bus stop to go back home. As we walked, I noticed some people up ahead who were painting a wall on our left. While we got closer, I saw this cute little white puppy sniffing around shyly near the people that were painting. I thought to myself "Aw.. I hope someone does something for that puppy... Poor thing...". As I walked closer I noticed how the puppy got a bit too close to a man and all of a sudden the man kicked him. I got enfuriated. I walked up to the man and asked him "Is that dog yours?!". He said it wasn't. I got the puppy and as I left, the man said "I can sell him to you if you want!!!". I ignored him and just kept walking. There I was, holding a really dirty dog, with fleas, ticks and worms to pass around. I had no idea of what I was doing. First thing I thought was "Well, I could leave him in the park, at least there are other dogs there...". When I got to the park I thought "But what if the dogs don't like him and bite him? Maybe I'll leave him outside my urb, there are few dogs and people feed them". When I got to my urb, I thought "But what if he gets lost? It would be my fault if something happened to him for bringing him here". At the end, I took him to my house, gave him a bath with my dog's shampoo, took him outside and started picking out all the fleas and ticks. It was all normal until I got to his ears. He had so much dirt and ticks in there that all you could see was this black mushy substance. I stayed with my little sister cleaning him out the whole afternoon, and during that time we named him Tommy.

My parents had gone on a trip around that time, and in a few days they would be back. They would kill me if they saw the puppy so I started calling friends asking for help. At the end, one of my best friends gave me a phone number. I called and it was a lady who gave puppies up for adoption. I told her about the puppy and how I wanted him to go to a good home. She found a young man who really wanted a dog, and in the end, he adopted Tommy. We were all very sad to see him go, but we had the satisfaction of knowing we did something good.

One of the things I regretted the most was not keeping the young man's phone number. I didn't know about adoption contracts or neutering. I know that young man was going to be a good owner but it still would've been good to have his phone number (At least). But that's one of the things experience taught me. I still feel very thankful for the support I had during that rescue and the fact that I could give Tommy a good home.

After that, I realized that I couldn't just feel bad for stray animals. I always hoped someone would do something. In the end, the person who did something, was me.

So, I hope you liked my little story about my first rescue. Stay tuned for the next posts! They are definitely gonna be helpful for you guys and gals!

6:40 PM
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Top 6 vegetarian/vegan sources of protein.

almonds

Hi there! So if you've been a vegetarian/vegan for a long time or you've just started, the question you're probably already tired of hearing is "Where do you get your protein?!". Before you start vegangelizing, you have to think about the awesome opportunity before you. You've got the chance to look smart and make vegetarianism/veganism look as good as it actually is. The challenge is in doing it without sounding annoying or making the other person get mad at you. So, here are some pointers to giving a calm, normal answer to this incredibly annoying question.

First of all, we need to get something straight. What is protein? Proteins are biological molecules made up of chains of aminoacids. What protein does is help the body create new cells, build and repair new tissue. It's obviously a big deal. But consuming protein without eating meat (or any other animal products) is really not that hard. In fact, many people consume too much protein! Your first thought probably is "Well, the more the better, right?". Well not really. Consuming too much protein for an extended period of time can cause some serious problems on your bones and organs.

So, let's cut to the chase here. What are some good sources of protein for us vegetarians/vegans? Well, there are tons! All plants have protein (Some more than others evidently) so we don't really need to look so far. Here are my personal favorites!

Beans beans beans!: Lentils, black, chickpeas, soy! They're all super tasty, super awesome and super healthy! Beans contain more protein than any other vegetable source, so they are an absolute must in your diet! They are also very high in fiber, so they'll make you feel full for hours (totally awesome aid in wheight loss! I think... I hope! Haha)!
Nuts: Self explanatory: Nuts about nuts!
Whole grains: Grains are great to pack a protein punch into you diet! Rice is always a great option, but quinoa (even though it's technically a seed) is worth a try too!
Green veggies: Yep! Green veggies! Kale, spinach, lettuce, swiss chard are full of protein! For instance, every 100 grams of Kale contains 4,3 grams of protein! Amazing right?
Seeds: These are like the best addition to any meals! Flaxseed, chia, hemp, you name it, it's good for you! They're so easy to add to your diet you can't not try them! High in fiber, omega-3 and protein.
Plant milk: You've got soy, almond, oatmeal, hemp, hazelnut, coconut! They all have their advantages; protein, calcium, vitamin E, magnesium, selenium, manganese, etc.

So, these are my six personal favorites. Do you guys eat any of the things I mentioned? And If you do, how do you add them into your diet?

All comments are welcome!

Thanks for reading!

8:00 AM
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2014 Book list and reviews.

Tips to have a successful rescue and not die while trying.

How to go from being a passive activist to an active one.

Stray animal rescue and Social networks: Tips for posting and sharing information.

If you rescue stray animals, you're going to want to read this.

Top 6 vegetarian/vegan sources of protein.

Stay tuned on Twitter!

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Stay up to speed on Instagram!

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