Kisses

Effects of Kissing:

Long kisses are beneficial to our circulatory system. When kissing, our pulse rate is quickening up to 110 beats per minute. This is a great training for our cardiovascular system.

After kissing, the lungs work harder, resulting in 60 inhales per minute compared to regular 20 inhales. Such “ventilation” is a good preventive measure against lung diseases.

Some dentists believe that kissing is a preventive measure against dental caries. Indeed, kissing stimulates the flow of saliva that eliminates acid coat on the teeth.

Kisses that last more than three minutes help us fight stress and its effects. Long kisses trigger the chain of biochemical reactions, which destroys stress hormones.

Those who kiss their partner goodbye each morning live five years longer than those who don’t.

Kissing is great for self-esteem. It makes you feel appreciated and helps your state of mind.

Kissing burns calories, 2-3 calories a minute and can double your metabolic rate. Research claims that three passionate kisses a day (at least lasting 20 seconds each) will cause you to loose an entire extra pound.

Kissing is a known stress-reliever. Passionate kissing relieves tension, reduces negative energy and produces a sense of well being, lowering your cortisol ‘stress’ hormone.

Kissing uses 30 facial muscles and it helps keep the facial muscles tight, preventing baggy cheeks! The tension in the muscles caused by a passionate kiss helps smooth the skin and increases the circulation.

Kissing is good for the heart, as it creates an adrenaline which causes your heart to pump more blood around your body. Frequent kissing has scientifically been proven to stabilize cardiovascular activity, decrease blood pressure and cholesterol.

Those who kiss quite frequently are less likely to suffer from stomach, bladder and blood infections.

During a kiss, natural antibiotics are secreted in the saliva. Also, the saliva contains a type of anesthetic that helps relieve pain.

Kissing reduces anxiety and stops the ‘noise’ in your mind. It increases the levels of oxytocin, an extremely calming hormone that produces a feeling of peace.

I came across these kissing benefits and just had to post them. You can see why I love kissing. It is very beneficial. =]

xoxo,
Kat

Honey Glazed Halibut

I made honey glazed halibut for dinner the other day. It was so light. The halibut melts in your mouth. It was so moist and flaky. It did not take long to cook. I pan seared the halibut for about 4 minutes on each side. I made a pear-snap pea salad to go with the fish. It was really yummy. I am a huge fan of fruit in my salads. For the vinaigrette I made my own. It is very light and there is a hint of citrus and orange to it. It smells amazing. My kitchen smells of fruit and honey. Ask me for the recipe and I'll give it to you.

xoxo,
Kat

Sushi Fix

I got my sushi fix at Kula with my sisters! Conveyor belt sushi is so much fun! I'm going to check out Kaisen Kaiten, I heard that it is better.

xoxo,
Kat

True Colors

This is a spectacle within a spectacle. According to Debord, we live in a world so dominated by consumer goods that even our social relations are “commodified”. We relate to others through cars, stereos, mass-produced music, TV shows and vacation packages.

Mega-spectacles also include sports events like the World Series, Superbowl, and NBA championships which attract massive audiences, are hyped to the maximum, and generate always accelerating record advertising rates. These cultural rituals celebrate society's deepest values (i.e. competition, winning, success, and money) and corporations are willing to pay top dollars to get their products associated with such events.

As we take a look into the feminine beauty ideal among race, we come to one conclusion. Many women conform to the prevailing beauty standards of certain corporate culture or to advance. “There are institutional forces that propagate the idea that the white ideal of beauty is the only acceptable ideal of beauty.” The reality of the situation is that “white” is considered the golden standard and that everything else is deemed unacceptable. Women of color find themselves under enormous pressure to compensate for that which they “lack”. The fact is that races have different ideas of female beauty.

The ideal feminine beauty image is most often linked to the portrayal of whiteness in advertisements, movies, celebrities, etc. Even in other cultures around the world, women strive to achieve a beauty that reflects what is considered a western, white female. The commercial market strongly influences children from a young age that being beautiful requires being white, skinny and blonde. Any deterrent from this ideal beauty image may cause one to be considered as ugly and abnormal.

I find it ironic that Dove, who is trying to promote self-esteem for girls, played this commercial at the Super Bowl XL, which is another spectacle. Do you think that it is counter-intuitive? Our ideas about "what is beautiful" is mediated by images.

xoxo,
Kat

The Spectacle

This provocative image upholds the myth that Americans are "branded" from birth, overwhelmed with commodification. I think this to be more counter-hegemonic than most spectacle, upholding an ideology criticizing capitalism. This is an image that clearly defines Debord's spectacle. As we can see our social relations are permeated by images that in the end commodifies us. 


The situationists see modern consumer society as a society of the spectacle where our selves are absorbed into the mass entertainments provided by film, TV, music, advertising, and consumer goods. The spectacle breeds isolation, and alienates us from meaningful work, play and communities. We are caught up in false choices between spectacles in a society which offers us spectacular abundance, yet at the same time separates us from each other and from active resistance to the cultural alienation this society represents.

xoxo,
Kat