Liebster Award

I'll be honest, the third quarter of school was not my most shining moment. I lost all motivation to focus on school and I hardly focused on activities outside of school like skating. I guess I'm just ready for high school to be over already so I can move forward on a different journey: college. Although, while I'm still in high school I think I can do more than just survive the last nine weeks of Junior year.

But, this post is not about school or finding my mojo, instead I wanted to share the Liebster Award. The concept of the Liebster Award is to nominate a few outstanding blogs with an inspirational message and brings a positive change to the world. I'm honored to be nominated by one of my friend's from camp and now it is my turn to continue the Liebster chain by nominating my idea of outstanding blogs.

Here's how it works:

• If you're nominated please copy and paste these questions onto you're blog and answer them. 
• Nominate 3-5 blogs you love to read minus the person who nominated you. 
• Notify your nominees and provide a link back to your post.
• Post the link on their blog on a post.
• When you make your own post, you must create an eleven question questionnaire for the nominees to answer on their blog.

Here are the questions I was asked to answer:

1. What made you want to start a blog?
I think once I realized how much I enjoyed writing is when I decided a blog would be perfect for me. The idea of helping teens with undergoing heart transplant or heart disease was inspired by my friend, Becca. Her blog is always fun to read and the concept of her blog is so original that I wanted to provide a sense of inspiration in my own way.
2. How long have you been blogging for?
May 14, 2011 marks the day I first posted on TeenageHeartTransplant.
3.What is one thing you would change about this world if you could?
I don't think I can thoroughly answer this. Either because it's too complex or offensive (not racist or sexist).
4. Who in your life inspired you or helps motivate you to keep going?
That's easy, my dad. He's like my best friend and I can almost tell him anything. He knows me better than anyone and he can pick me up, brush me off and keep me going strong.  He's taught me good from bad, taught me acceptance, perseverance and keeps me in reality. He knows I'm just a teenager and doesn't constraint grand expectations upon me and is just proud of me for what I have done, what I want to do and will be there for me through my success and failures. Whether it's tying my shoes, reminding me about my med's, giving me a ride to a friend's house or replacing a light bulb I know he'll always be there for me and I don't know what I would do without him.
5. What is one misconception about the topic you write about that you'd like to clear up?
When I first tell someone about my transplant they begin to emit a splurge of questions and I almost always get asked, "When will you die?" or something along those lines. Many people are misunderstood about the lifespan of a transplant recipient. They think just because my heart isn't the heart I was born with immediately decreases my life. I respond by asking them, "When will you die?". Transplanted or not, there isn't much difference. No one knows when their going to die, like everyone else, my heart can't just give out (apart from old age). There has to be a diagnosis to why death has occurred.
6. How has running a blog changed your life?
The biggest change my blog has had on me is the impact it has had on other transplant teens. I find it crazy when someone contacts me just to tell me how much my blog has given them hope. I'm just in my bedroom, on my bed writing about whatever I please and hopefully whatever is going on in my life enthuses my readers to continue reading.

Basically,

7. If someone were to ask you what you hope to accomplish with your blog, what would you tell them?
The biggest goal of mine is for someone waiting for a transplant or someone who has never met another teen with a transplant to come across my blog and feel not so alone, or be able to relate to someone, or be given hope that there is life after transplant. That, and educating the public about organ donation and heart disease.
8. Can you be found on Twitter for your readers to follow?
The best decisions I've made is to erase soda from my diet and delete my Twitter account, so no.
9. What is your favorite color?
I don't know, you tell me?

I think it's green.
10. Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla ice cream? 
Strawberry
11. Pepsi or Coke?
Shirley Temple

My Nominations:

My2ndHeartBeat
2nd chance @ life?
Girlfriend's Guide to Heart Transplants

Continue the Liebster chain guise! I don't even know you and I love you... will you be my master?

 My questionnaire to my nominees:
1. Do you ever participate in fundraisers for your cause?
2. How would you describe yourself in one word?
3. What advice would you give new bloggers?
4. Would you ever consider writing a book?
5. Do you vlog (via Youtube)? If so, what is your Youtube name?
6. How would you describe your blog to someone who hasn't read it before?
7. Is blogging a past time you would like to continue long term?
8. What do you like to do in your free time? Hobbies? Sports?
9. What is your dream job/ occupation?
10. Do you feel like your blog has influenced others?
11. If you could choose one famous person to endorse your blog who would it be?

Not pertaining to the Liebster Award...

I went tanning for the first time since summer and it was amazing! I'm definitely ready for the sunshine and winter to end. Not just because I'm transparently pale but I get sick more often and my acne is 10x worse than in the summer. And I'm just ready for swimsuits, shopping for summer clothes, sunglasses, sleeping in, writing in peace, watermelon season, ice cream, bike rides, camping, boating trips, water parks, golfing and picnics.

Yay for Snapchat!

I'm definitely a sun kissed babe!

My Modeling Dilemma Part 2: Dinosaurs and Unicorns

My dilemma with modeling is figuratively a love-hate concept.

Optimistic outlook on modeling:

A tyrannosaurus rex evolving into a unicorn is metaphorically me trying to become a model. Although I am skinny, tall and photogenic, I am also extinguished in several scars. It's nothing I'm ashamed of, because my dead skin cells represent who I am, what I've conquered and pretty much what I'm all about. My pride and my scars put me at a disadvantage because I don't meet the right "image" criteria. If a dinosaur can transform into a unicorn than that would be pretty impressive just like how someone with an oddity signs a modeling contract for who they are would be even more of an accomplishment; which is why I haven't given up.

[closest thing I could find to a unisaur]

Pessimistic outlook on modeling:

I'm sick and tired of looking in a magazine and seeing the same prototype model over and over. The image of a perfect body and a flawless face has been reused so many times. There's no such thing as perfect and this industry has twisted the idea of beauty turned has it into something nonexistent. This "beauty" overwhelms girls like me feeling like they haven't got a chance or their left feeling ugly. I don't want to model if I'm not accepted for who I am and formulated into another clone.

Get it? Cause it's clones... of evil robots... except one is especially more evil... it's imagery you fools!

 After thinking about what I'm about to jump into more, an idea of brilliance had presented itself...

Let's say I don't find an agency that isn't prejudice and genuinely accepting. It's sad to think there isn't an agency out there that's willing to market someone for their unique qualities, although, I think if I can't find an unorthodox agency I should create one.

"Real World Modeling Agency" (still working on the title) would accept all kinds of individuals interested in modeling with any disadvantage. Whether it's an ostentatious scar, a wheelchair or simply not a size 1! We're the ones with a lowered self esteem, we're the ones who have been told we're not beautiful by someone who can't even define the subject, and we're the ones who are never good enough. I think anyone could model if their really committed but like I said, I'm sick of the same prototype.

We see enough advertisements about hair, makeup and fashion but what about awareness campaigns? Our modeling agency would be thoroughly based off of donations to give these models a chance to achieve something their really passionate about. We would provide the type of model to a non profit organization or foundation, what society should be paying more attention to and care about, at no cost to the client.

Cell phones while driving

Breast Cancer Pink Ribbon

Teen Suicide Prevention

Let's say Donate Life America wants to raise awareness for Heart Month but doesn't have the funds to do so. By contacting us, we provide a model to whatever theme they want to address to little to no cost to them. The model however would still be paid by money donated to our agency and in the end Heart Month would get its publicity.

There are two positive aspects to this idea:
1.) It gives the dinosaurs a chance to become unicorns in the modeling world
2.) It targets subject matter and topics that deserve it's limelight

We'll see how my own modeling career kicks off but if it doesn't, this is something I'm seriously going to consider doing!

Sincerely,

The Unisaur