Blogs Without Topics

I just read and wanted to respond to this post by Amber over at Girl with the Red Hair.

In it, Amber discusses another blog post which claims that blogs without topics are inherently useless.

Of course, I'm a little biased here. I say that OHP is about "whatever makes me happy," but that's essentially a nice way of saying that I can't pick just one topic to stick to. Just one topic doesn't make me happy. It takes a lot of things- from books to being healthy to green living- to make me happy. I choose to blog about all of those things.

I agree with Amber that we could pick a single topic and get really, really into it. There are some absolutely amazing blogs out there that are devoted entirely to fitness, or relationships, or even nail polish (check out my side bar "Blogs I Heart" if you want to see some of my faves). But there are also some amazing blogs that are devoted to whatever catches the blogger's fancy, like Ambers, or Cup of Jo. Both have a good number of devoted followers, so that sort of debunks the idea that people aren't interested in them. Plus, I love reading blogs without topics because, personally, I like not knowing what I'm going to get when I log on each day.

Arguing that blogs have to have specific topics is kind of like arguing that newspapers should focus only on politics, or current events, or crime. Blogs aren't just about "topics". They're about human communication. And as anyone who has taken intro psych (or sociology, or anthropology) will tell you, humans thrive on communication. We love to share things- ideas, opinions, rants and raves. So if only for the communication aspect of blogging, I think topicless blogs are totally worth it.

What's your opinion on this? Agree, disagree, kind-of-sorta agree? Leave it in the comments- just be respectful :)

Big thanks to Amber for bringing the topic up! It's one I've been thinking of lately but didn't know how to tackle. If you haven't checked out Amber's blog Girl With The Red Hair, you can (and should) do so here.

The New (Improved?) One Happy Panda

Happy Monday everyone!

I promised to say a little bit about the new direction I'm hoping to take the blog in today, so here goes...

When I originally launched One Happy Panda, I did it with the intention of sharing the things that make me happy. These things fall into one of two camps: those that can be bought (a pair of perfect-fit jeans, a gorgeous new lipstick) and those that cannot (less stress, more laughter, solid friendships). Typically, as you might imagine, it's the things that cannot be bought that make the most difference as far as happiness goes. I mean, c'mon, would you rather have a new pair of jeans or less stress?

However, I came to realize during my little blogging hiatus that for whatever reason, OHP focused much more on things that can be bought. Perhaps it's because those are easier to find a write about, perhaps it's because I live in a material society. The "why" doesn't really matter. What matters to me is changing OHP so that it more accurately reflects what really makes me happy.

Which is why I'm switching gears a little bit, and planning to write a little less about "things" and a little more on, well, life. In no way am I an expert on what makes a person happy, and in no way do I intend this blog to become a handbook on how to live the perfect life (like that even exists). However, I do know that even the most tiny life changes can add up to a lot more happy- and since I'm constantly trying to adopt tiny changes that will improve the way I live, I would love to share those things with you, my awesome readers. Those are things I would like OHP to focus on, though I won't be abandoning material things entirely.

PS: Along the way, feel free to suggest new topics and new directions for OHP, either by leaving them in the comments section or by emailing me at onehappypanda at hotmail dot com. I always love to hear what readers have to say, as long as you aren't too mean about it. :)

A little technical difficulty.

Had a little technical difficulty today in that blogger wasn't letting me log in to post. So here's a picture of a cute panda and I promise I'll have a real post up and running later tonight :) In the meantime, don't forget to check out my greenify post from yesterday, it has lots of info and I'm still looking for suggestions!

Image via Wikipedia.

The General Craziness of Being

Hi All-

Just a quick note to explain that I may be MIA for the next day not because I don't like you all but because life has gotten a bit crazy. It's midterms weeks and I've got some tomorrow, plus projects and a thesis proposal to whip out. So in addition to not having a blog post today, I may be neglectful of One Happy Panda tomorrow as well. I hope you all will forgive me.

It'll be back to your regularly scheduled blogging by Thursday, promise!

~Amanda

PS: If anyone has any amazing zit remedies, please by all means share. Let's just say I've been a little stressed lately, and my face is rebelling.

Red panda image via wikipedia

Guest Blog Alert!

I've got a guest blog going on at Amber Alert today, so if you have a few minutes hop on over and check it out!

But don't forget to check out my usual Monday spending hiatus post below :)

Panda image via Wikipedia.

Spring Daffodils

via Apartment Therapy

Don't these spring daffodils look lovely? Le sigh.

According to the folks over at AT, they're in season too. I will be on the lookout for them in my local grocery store tonight.

PS: I also think the wooden hippo in the middle picture is awesome.

Have a hankering for spring flowers too? What's your flower of choice?

It's Compliment a Blogger Day!

via Wikipedia

I originally started One Happy Panda because I wanted a place to share the things that made me happy. Well, one of the things that makes me most happy is giving and receiving compliments (something discussed in this blog post over at Operation NICE). When I was in the 4th grade, my dad suggested that I try and give three compliments out every day to help me make more friends- I'm not sure if it made me much more popular in the end, but it has made me realize I love giving random compliments!

So I thought we should try a Compliment Day here on One Happy Panda. Pick a blogger (or two, or three...) and give them one heartfelt compliment- it can be about their blog, their hair, their writing, whatever you like about them. Drop the compliment in their comments/email/whatever, and if you want (though it's totally optional) direct them back here so they can read what this is all about and pay the compliment forward. And maybe we'll start a chain reaction leading to happy bloggers everywhere. :)

My three compliments for the day:

1) Amber (from Amber Alert): You are an inspirational writer and person, and you make me realize that I need to kick my butt in gear! I think you will be a wonderful journalist in the future.

2) Joanna (from Smitten and A Cup of Jo): You are probably one of the nicest, most upbeat bloggers out there. Reading your blogs always makes me feel more cheerful, even when I am having a really bad day. Plus, you find the BEST things on the web (and I'm not sure how you do it either).

3) Melissa (from Operation NICE): I love that your blog is devoted to niceness, and I think it was incredibly nice of you to think of it. Operation NICE is my go-to destination when I want to read something both inspirational and happy.

Alright, now get out there and start blogger complimenting! (And psst, if you're feeling like a real overachiever, you could even compliment some real-life people as well).

100th Blog Post!

One Happy Panda has officially reached 100 blog posts! I thought it called for a little celebration, and some nostalgia...

Some things you may or may not have seen already:
The spending hiatus.
The classic Chewbacca hair moment
and then I chop my hair off
and smear honey all over my face
and make scrubs with other food type things.
I take pictures of gorillas
and then force myself to sleep (zzz).

Here's toward making it 1,000! :)

PS: I'm playing with the template and colors of the blog, and feedback is much appreciated, especially if anything is difficult to read or see.

Balloon image via Pink Sherbet Photography (flickr)

One NICE Website You Should Visit.

If you are having a long, annoying day like I am you should definitely go check out the blog Operation NICE, like, right now. Operation NICE is devoted to encouraging people to be "proactively nice" to others. It is one of my favorite "daily" blogs and I go there every day for a little niceness inspiration in the form of stories and suggestions for nice things I can do in my life. I love having a website to visit that is always upbeat and full of good news about nice people doing awesome things, and I love the daily reminder to be nice to others. Definitely check it out if you get the chance.

What's one nice thing that you have done for someone lately? It can be big or small, just spill!

The Ups and Downs of Being Tall.

I stumbled across the essay Life as a Tall Girl the other day while researching something completely unrelated (don't you love when that happens?). The author, Rebecca Thomas, writes about living as a 6'4" female and dealing with awkward comments, buying clothes, and the "boys are shorter than me" issue. I can so relate.

I'm nowhere near as tall as Rebecca- I haven't measured myself in awhile, but I stand about 5 ft. 9 inches in flat shoes, while slumping. Most of the time I feel relatively normal in my height, especially if I happen to be with male friends. And when I do "notice" my height difference, I don't always mind it. Overall, I like being tall. I can reach the top shelf in stores. I have a big stride, so I can walk really quickly. I can easily command attention. But there are definitely times that the whole tall thing can be super awkward. Like when I'm meeting someone for the first time, and I am a giant looking down on them. Or when I'm trying to buy pants. Or when someone mentions that my boyfriend are about the same height and it's like "yes, I know".


I'm curious: what are your views on height? Wish you were taller/shorter? Perfectly fine with how you are? Don't think height makes a bit of difference? And what do you think about tall girl/shorter guy relationships? Feel free to share in the comments :)

Affordable Art: Ten Dollar Drawings

I love art- but usually find that anything artistic is WAY too expensive for my student budget. So I get all excited when I find new forms of art that don't cost too much. I saw this cute spoon drawing (above) on Simple Lovely and just had to check out the rest. Apparently Alicia Carrier is the artist, and is offering custom 5X7 drawings for $10 a piece. You can check out her previous work on her blog Ten Dollar Drawings.

How cool is this collection of bug drawings?
Both images via Ten Dollar Drawings.

Spending Hiatus Update: Week Five

There's not a ton to say about the spending hiatus this week, to be honest. I was so busy with classes last week that I didn't have time to hit the grocery store for food, much less go shopping for anything else.

The weekend was better, though I still didn't have any time for illicit shopping. On Saturday, Nathan and I revisited Baja Sol, the burrito place with the amazing salsa bar that I hit up with a friend during week three. It was, once again, delicious. I'm serious, no matter how down and out I'm feeling, a good burrito or some enchiladas will always make me feel better. I'm going to make Burrito Therapy my contribution to modern psychology. Anyway, we also watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest with Jack Nicholson- fantastic movie if you haven't seen it (also an excellent book, but that's a whole other blog topic).

Watch Me: via Wikipedia

On Sunday my dad and his girlfriend Cindy had a Pictionary party which was super fun. It didn't hurt that I came home with a huge bag of leftovers so that I won't be needing to cook for awhile yet. Most college students I know will agree: leftovers are like GOLD.

So really, I didn't have any time to go shopping last week at all. There are a few things that I've sort of been lusting after lately, though...

The Remington Emi Air Wave:

via drugstore.com

According to the ladies over at The Daily Obsession, this little guy will give me soft beachy waves (as opposed to the Chewbacca hair from my last attempt at beachy waves). It is also on sale for $20 *cry* but the fact that I now have short hair has helped me resist the temptation thus far. I'm pretty sure that if I try to get a wave in my thick, short hair, I'll end up with a fro.

Also, I've been really feeling the need for new workout clothes. I've started running and hitting up the gym again because I, uh, live next door to my university's gym, which is free, and I rarely use it. And I know that technically it shouldn't matter if all the other girls there are way cuter in their workout clothes than I am in my ratty tee...but it does. I know I'm there to sweat, but I still want to look good, you know? I've definitely been liking the cute tanks from the Stella for Adidas line:

via shopadidas.com

How cute is this yoga tank? I love the ruffles on the sleeves! Unfortunately, at $75, it's way more than I want to spend on a workout tank (note to self: find affordable workout clothes).

That's about all the temptation I've had lately as far as shopping goes. I've found that resisting little purchases gets WAY easier with time, though I still struggle when I get bored on the weekend. I keep telling myself that if I really want it, I can have it after the spending hiatus is over.

Here's the part where you all advise me: should (affordable) workout clothes count as a necessity or should I let them wait until after the spending hiatus? Technically I have clothes I can work out in. But also technically, they're fugly. Is cuteness a necessity? You decide.

PS: You can check out the other spending hiatus posts here.

I need one of these.

Via Apartment Therapy via Book of Joe

A cat remote control! If only I could silence Tigger at 7am when she decides it's food time. Le sigh.

Design Idea: Framed Magazine Clippings

I loved this idea from Apartment Therapy: clip out magazine photos that inspire you and frame them for inexpensive art. I already have a huge collection of magazine ads and pictures that I just fell in love with and I wanted to make an inspiration board with them, but I balked at the idea because I felt it would make my place look too cluttered (a huge problem in my tiny apartment). But with this, I could arrange a collection of pictures in different frames and it's like an inspiration board/art display. It's such a simple idea, I can't believe I didn't think of it before.

Has anybody else made an inspiration board before? Or am I the only one out there who collects magazine photos I like?

Spending Hiatus Update: Week Four

I've officially made it a month on the spending hiatus! Woohoo- only two more to go!

And you know what? It hasn't been that bad at all. I was surprised, because I thought I would die without my cosmetics fix but instead I've found that I have a lot more time for myself and a lot more money for other things, like going out with friends and ahem, blogging. And according to this blog post from Glamour's Vitamin G, experiences have been more closely linked to happiness than "stuff" so dinner is better than a new lipstick anyway. Good to know, yes?

This week I did really well, though I did have to do a lot of shopping to find a great Valentine's Day present for Nathan. I think it helped that I was pretty busy doing homework and cleaning on Friday so that I'd have time to really enjoy my weekend. Saturday was great, Nathan made me dinner (awww...): salad and crusty bread with melted pecorino cheese (mmm), and this awesome baked lemon chicken with rice boiled in lemon as well. And I made us cute little individual brownies in Valentine's Day muffin cups, which were also pretty delicious if I do say so myself. On Sunday I went to CVS for mouthwash and dark chocolate because I consider both essential (and because chocolate is 1/2 off after V-Day) and I almost broke down on a cream eyeshadow from L'Oreal HIP which was such a pretty cream color and also 1/2 off. I'm proud to admit that I resisted, though, and I don't really miss the eyeshadow after all. Funny how things are so much irrisistable in the store?

One way I have been getting around spending my money on new things is by scouting out DIY tricks on the internet. I mentioned last Thursday that I've been looking at new homemade beauty products online and found a few I've been wanting to try. I didn't get a chance to try either of those, but on Sunday I did try out a honey mask because my skin was feeling close to freaking out (I may or may not have forgotten to take my makeup off on Saturday night, ahem). I'll write more on that tomorrow, but let's just say it was totally worth the $3 or so that a bear bottle of honey costs (see above).

And now I'm on a full-fledged DIY kick, so stay tuned for more tips and reviews :) Anybody have any DIY beauty "recipes" they swear by?

Honey bear picture via Meijer.

The Catorialist

Image via The Catorialist

You all know that I love me some Sartorialist. And I love my cat. So it's really no surprise that I am loving this website. It's a total spoof on The Sartorialist, except cats. The pictures and descriptions are a spot-on satire, too. Awesome!

I love you more than I love this blog post...

Have you all seen this website yet? It's a whole blog filled with "I love you more than ____" statements, all contributed by the readers.

Here's mine:
Mine is naturally the one about gelato, Jeni's gelato no less. A whole year of it. Just in case you're reading, Nathan, that's a LOT of love. I would probably die if I had to go 365 days without my Jeni's fix so, that's basically saying I love you more than my life.

I'm currently searching the site for my Nathan's post. He sent one, but he didn't tell me which it was. So I'm on the hunt.

I love you more than I love blog comments, but leave a comment telling me how you'd answer this anyway.

Quote of the Day

Today I was fiddling around in the blogworld and found this...

Le Love

Such simple and sweet words to live by, no? And yet, when you think about it, not always an easy thing to do.