31 Day Blog Challenge: What’s your guilty pleasure?

Everyone has a guilty pleasure that they would not dare broadcast to the world. I have a couple that I am not ashamed of at all. I do not feel guilty in the least bit, because I do not consider my pleasures an addiction, seeing that they are only occasional. I tend to binge watch Forensic Files late at night, though I have seen just about every episode. I sometimes suffer from nightmares and paranoia as a result. However, my recent guilty pleasure is hookah. I love to enjoy hookah and wine with friends. It is so relaxing. I usually have to be in the mood for hookah, but that’s really easy on hot summer nights. 

31 Day Blog Post: Describe your location

You will not believe this unless you know me. I am currently sitting in a nice brick home with stained glass windows that is known as my house. Here is the shocker, I am not in a suburban, private, or well respected neighborhood. I am in North St. Louis City. I am preparing to go to work, which requires about a 20 minute commute to one of the richest counties in the Midwest, Frontenac, Missouri. My current location, in North St. Louis City has, in recent years, largely contributed to St. Louis, Missouri’s ranking as one of the most dangerous cities. As a matter of fact, half of my friends would not dare venture over to my spot to have a glass of wine in my dining room. It is pretty difficult to convince your social circle that you feel safe at home when you were once robbed at gunpoint and carjacked in front of your own house.  The other night, in class, my professor compared my neighborhood to Detroit, Michigan, which is a city synonymous with crime. I am sure she assumed that no one enrolled in her intimate graduate level course would frequent North St. Louis City, let alone live there. Well there you have it, things are not always what they seem. I am forced by society to become a chameleon, if I wish to be respected, every time I leave my house and my neighborhood. Very draining, indeed. 

31 Day Blog Challenge: Why and when did you start blogging?

I have always loved to write. I began blogging in 2009 when I was a junior in college. It was difficult for me to express my emotions in college so I took to journaling, which eventually led to blogging. It all started with a notebook I bought from Walmart. I named it “La Fábrica,” which means “the factory” in Spanish. That journal was to be a place where I turned thoughts into words. 

Shortly thereafter, my best friend and I created a joint blog where we had planned to vent about certain comedic themes that defined our young, college lives. Doing so, I discovered how much I loved having a voice. It did not have to be a loud voice, or a widely accepted one at the time. I just thought it was cool to have a space on the web other than a social media profile. We probably posted to our blog a total of three times, and I even forgot what it was called. I’m pretty sure we hated the software.

I decided I wanted to continue blogging and take it seriously, and that is when, “XcluXclu 2 Couture,” which we now know as Xclu Xclu’s World, was born. I never thought my blog would become such a success, let alone inspire anybody. Blogging will always be something I do, regardless of where life takes me. For instance, I started a fashion blog last year on Tumblr after realizing my passion for style. I will forever have something to say or share. Xclu Xclu’s World is very special to me. From my early posts, I can see my evolution as a writer, and that is something of which I can be proud. 

31 Day Blog Challenge: List 10 things that make you awesome

I believe everyone has at least a sprinkle of awesomeness. Well, this blog post seems extremely broad, because one could talk about what they have accomplished, special talents, what they have, or their character. Expect me to touch on all four, by being as humble as possible. However, lists like this are always weird for me, because I feel as if I am being forced to brag. And I do not like that. Here goes nothing.

1. My parents.
2. My intuition.
3. The fact that I work in retail. This may actually qualify me to be a superhuman.
4. A strong work ethic. 
5. Open-mindedness.
6. Writing.
7. My unwillingness to argue with someone about their personal opinion.
8. My dealings with adversity.
9. My random, playful, yet serious, one size does not fit all, personality. 
10. My confident existence as an African-American woman with naturally thick and curly hair in America. 

31 Day Blog Challenge: Last book I read

I will have to say that this post is extremely easy for me because, sadly, I do not read for leisure. I write for leisure. However, the last book I read was assigned to me by a professor and I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed diving into all of those words. It was intimidating at first but, I learned so much from this book: 

I recommend it for anyone working or pursuing a career in the fields of marketing, media, advertising or strategic communications. This book will break down American culture for you, making it easier for you to appeal to your target audience. It was very interesting to see how our society perceives certain concepts. 

31 Day Blog Challenge: What makes you happy

Happiness is strictly mental. Happiness is a choice, a commitment to a state of being. Happiness comes from within. That being said, there are a number of things that bring me feelings of happiness every day: events, moments of laughter, and people. I seek out these things and when I encounter them, I choose to let them sink in; I try to remember the positive aspect of every situation. The blessings that I already possess make me happy, and my hope to one day accomplish my dreams keeps me happy. 

For this post, I will give a list of those things that bring me feelings of happiness.

1. Good deeds. Nothing puts a smile on my face like a genuine act of kindness. Whether I am experiencing a kind act, performing one, or observing one, I always find myself smiling and being grateful that people do care. 
2. Writing. Well obviously. Any chance I get to record something that will last forever, any chance I get to construct words into art, any chance I get to reflect on my experiences and have a conversation with the reader, I forget about everything that has pissed me off. 
3. Giving advice. I am truly flattered when someone asks for my honest advice. The fact that anyone would actually value my opinion makes me happy. We live in a world full of opinions, some popular, and some ridiculous and unwanted. However, everyone has an opinion and I feel honored when I am asked to basically translate my own opinion to advice for someone. Pretty awesome feeling. 
4. Making others happy. This is something that I try to accomplish through the first three things on this list of things that make me happy. Go figure. I have learned that bringing joy to others is one of the most organic sources of personal happiness. 
5. The beach. Staring out at the ocean, hearing the sound of the waves, and feeling the water washing up on my feet is sheer bliss. It also provokes thought and humbles me by reminding me of how small I am in relation to the vast ocean. I am happy when I am on a beach in minimal clothing. I feel free and it just puts the human existence into perspective. 
6. Deep thoughts. In case you have not noticed, I love to think. Though thinking can bring about negative thoughts at times, the power of the human mind makes me happy. I am very grateful for the complexity that God has created in me and in others. That makes me happy. 
7. Fearless, yet harmless, self-expression. Fashion, art, words, good music, and culture. To see people so boldly express themselves without fear of being rejected or marginalized brings me happiness. It inspires me to do the same, which I always appreciate. 

What makes you happy? Even if you are not doing the blog challenge, I would encourage you to reflect on the things that matter to you.