Best Snacks

Hahah, I just love this shirt.  Don't you?  Too dumb for New York, too ugly for L.A.  But anyways, I'm way off topic.  Snacks.  I just thought it would be a fun post to talk about, I mean who isn't curious about what other people snack on?

Milano Rasberry Cookies

mmmmhmmmm this is heaven.  If you haven't tried it, go to your nearest grocery store and get one, because you're missing out.

Granola Bars and Yogurt

try this combo out.  It's healthy and satisfies your sweet tooth.  can I say... mmm MMMmmMMmm.

Quaker Rice Cakes

This is great if you're on a diet.  Or a great substitute away from those nasty chips.  Purchase this the next time your out and about in the grocery store.

Dried Mangoes

Sounds gross, but if you haven't tried it, it's well worth the try.  It's sweet and quite addicting.  TRY IT OUT.  Try it out.

Golden Grahams

kayy... cereal is great to snack on and this should be considered the kind and queen of it all.  It's soo good.  Agreed? yass?

xx

S

Quick Spice-up: Tumblr-ize Your Work Space

I think we all aspire for a Tumblr room.  That laid-back and carefree ambiance is just to die for.  I came up with an idea yesterday to spice up my work space a little bit, and I thought it would be nice to share with you all.

I made a mini college on the wall facing my desk with summer related pictures.  And oh my god, I am obsessed with it.

isssn'tt cuutte? hahaha, if you can't already tell, i'm obsessed with collages.  But none the less, let me tell you how to get started.

I got most of my pictures from :

endless--summer.tumblr.com/

ONE: 

So basically just search up photos that you like and love.  (Tumblr and Pinterest are my personal
favorites if you want to look for some good looking photos)

 

TWO: 

Open up a word document and resize the pictures onto a few pages, making sure that you catch a variety of different sizes and orientation.  (also, don't stretch the photos out, it'll make it look pixelated  and that's not cute)

 

THREE: 

Find a high quality printer and print it out.

 

FOUR: 

Vwwalla'.  Now all you need to do is cut the pictures out and start placing them on your wall.  Make sure you space them out and "randomize" the placings.

xx

S 

How I Stay Organized (College Edition)

Notebook Folder

I purchased a notebook folder (which is basically folders attached together to look like a notebook) from Target that had 5 folders and an envelope, which was the perfect folder considering I only had five courses.  So what I typically like to do--rather than the separate folder for each class method-- is to designate one slip for one course. I simply file away my syllabus and anything class related into that slip.

A few things I also keep in mind is:  
one.  Making sure I clean out the folders (filing handed back material into bins at home) every few days.
two.  placing the homework that I need to finish towards the front,&&
three.  when I finish the assignment putting that in front of everything else

I highly highly recommend these notebook folders since they do a superior job in keeping your things organized and it's easy to keep track (just make sure you never lose it!). 

One Subject 5-star Notebooks

For my first semester of college I decided to buy a five subject 5-star notebook, but I'd recommend buying the one subject 5-star notebooks.  Why?  Some courses take a lot of notes and others ehh.. not so much.  So carrying a five subject notebook all around campus can be a bit of a drag when you're not using much for the other courses.

Planner

I have a whole post on how I organize my agenda, so I won't say too much here... but go on and check it out.

Pencil Pouch

This seems basic, but it's a necessity, trust me.  You don't want to be scavenger hunting for a pencil at the bottom of you backpack every time you need one.  What a major irritation!

Trash Bin

Not literally though.  But you do need a place to stock up past assignments, just until the semester ends or later.  Because you never know, you can get a zero on that one assignment you handed in, but where's the proof.  This is also highly beneficial in college since you need to get know everything for the finals.  So I recommend getting a folder for each course and chronologically filing the papers away.  I also like to put a sticky note on midterms and test so I can spot them right away.

And that's all I have on staying organized.  I hope this was helpful.  Stay awesome.

xx

S

No Pain No Gain

It's the holiday season.  Which means you've probably gained some weight and developed some pretty bad eating habits.  But the fight isn't over.  Shedding a few pounds isn't going to be easy.  But it'll be well worth it.  Here's a few tips to shed off a few pounds.  Making you a better you...and a more confident you.

Zumba

First I tried running a mile every day.  Which of course, didn't work.  It was just too hard to push myself to get on the treadmill every single day.  It was also exhausting, mentally and physically--which is good-- but there's a less painful route... ZUMBA.  And it isn't going to cost you a dime. 

Simply situate yourself in a big enough room and go on YouTube.  In the past, I could never find Zumba tutorials with actual radio music (probably because of copyright issues?... I'm not quite sure) but recently I've stumbled upon a few YouTubers who actually choreographed to some hit music.  I'll link a few below and name a few of my favorite workout.  Trust me, it will have you sweating like a pig.

CLUB FITz
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJYqB9IxpJsQl9mFmJd28JQ

she has great workouts to some pretty good music... you've got to check her out.

 
Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas Zuma Routine
http://youtu.be/RtZop9VA9Uc

Great for warm up!

Shake It Off by Taylor Swift Zumba with Robin G.
http://youtu.be/Nov6-xdbfvk

Perfect for beginners! Easy to follow!

Anaconda - Choreo by Lauren Fitz for Club FITz
http://youtu.be/6ktmRlKxu_c

Such a fun workout!

Dark Horse - Choreo by Lauren Fitz for Club FITz
http://youtu.be/X0ZV4krwhBI

Great burn for your legs and stomach.  

Black Widow - Choreo by Kelsi for Club FITz
http://youtu.be/7vUQnPLBgm4

I just love IGGY...who doesn't?

Fireball - Pitbull ft Jonh
http://youtu.be/0bomDMsFgT8

Love his vibe.

I recommend creating a 30 minute workout routine with Zumba. Just keep finding more videos and dance your heart  away until the 30 minutes is over.

GM 7-day cleanse

I tried this out a couple of years ago and it actually does work.  It does take some commitment though.  But if you follow through entirely it really does work it's charm.  I can't find the exact original post, since it's been tumbr-ized and re-posted a bazillion times. But I'll link you to one of the best.

Here's the link:
http://health-heaven.tumblr.com/post/17089615944/what-do-you-think-of-gms-diet

Seventeen Magazine Workouts

If you're not subscribed to a Seventeen Magazine yet, do it.  It's probably one of the best time burners and from time to time it does offer some great tips.  If not purchase a few or rent a few from the library and take a look at the workout section.  They come up with some pretty good workouts to help tone up specific body parts, or some great fat burn workouts.  Give it a try.

Stay healthy.

xx

S

How I Organize My Agenda For College

 

Like I said many times before, I like to keep things simple.  Most people color coordinate or commit to other bizarre plans for their planners, however, I find this to be a huge hassle.  It's rarely the case where I'll find myself actually following the system.  It's just too hard: carrying around all the different colored pens, keeping track of what colors what, etc. etc.  You get the point.  College is much more simpler than high school.  In the sense that you have less classes and "less" homework.  Here's what I did:

 

#1

I will always take out my planner at the beginning of class, flip to the date and leave it out until the teacher tells us about any upcoming homework assignments.  What I found to be the best method was to simply write my assignments with whatever utensil I had.   

 

CAUTION: Do not fall into the hands of writing the assignment on a random piece of paper or on your hand.  We've all done this before and what happens?  You wash your hand or you forget what paper you wrote the assignment on.  Just another added stress to your work load and trust me, you don't want it.

#2

Usually, however, college professors are highly organized people who set dates for their homework assignments, test and midterm before class even starts.  They'll usually post a copy of this syllabus and I would take this and transfer all the information (homework, assignments, study groups, midterms and tests) into my planner.  

 

On the weekly layout page I would write down every homework assignment or test/midterm under the date.  On the month layout page, I would write down only midterms/test along with my 7-day study action plan (check out my previous post).

#3

Everyday when I settle down to do my homework, I will open my planner and look at the next day and see what's due and start working on this or that assignment.  Crossing off the list as I finished.

#4

For social events or things that need to a more urgent notice I would simply bold my handwriting.

I found that this method works great because it was super simple and easy to follow through. It gave all the information I needed without being time consuming or being a hassle to deal with.  Give this method a try and let me know how it works out for you.

xx

S

What's in my college backpack?

 

 

I love love LOVE watching those "What's in my backpack?" videos on Youtube. It's become quite an obsession... an addiction really.  I don't quite know why, it just is.  So I thought it would it would be fun to make a quick post on what's in my backpack this year.

For all of you who don't know, I just started college recently (Whoop whoop).  For my backpack I have a simple black North Face backpack [hot shot]--and I absolutely love it.  I had this for around 3 years and it's still looks completely brand new. So if you're considering what backpack to buy for college, I would highly HIGHLY recommend a North Face backpack.  It might be 'pricey' from the looks, but it will stick with you for years.   So definitely look into it.  (Not to mention it looks great with any kind of outfit, and give's you that effortless ambiance...which is always a major PLUS!)

Next on my list is my agenda.  I was considering buying a Lilly Pulitzer but decided to buy a Kate Spade instead.  This agenda is perfect for college.  It's spacious and stylish.  A must buy for college.

For my tech side, I only carry around my iPad and iPhone since it's light weight and does all the work.  I bring  my laptop around only when I need to finish some essays.  But for class lectures and note taking, my iPad and iPhone does the trick perfectly.

Nevertheless, you still need a notebook for college.  For this semester I carried around a 5-subject five star notebook, but I'd recommend getting a single subject five star notebook instead. I used it mainly for my math and economics course and kept the other sections free for scrap/homework paper.

Next I have a graphing calculator.  Exciting.  And then a few pencils, pens, and highlighters.  

Some college must needs: which includes my prescription glasses and sunglasses--since I'm literally blind as a mice--some headphones for those long walks around campus, some hair elastics, an EOS lip balm and lotion, my wallet, a lanyard for my school ID,  keys and my lovable Nalgene waterbottle.

(oh and by the way, if you're wondering on how I made this fabulous collage... I made it on Polyvore)

xx

S

5 Study Tips for College

ahhhh....I just survived my very first semester of college.  It was quite a bit of stress,  but I made it through-- and quite successfully.  I'm not going to lie, I didn't achieve a perfect 4.0 GPA (which is depressing quite, I got one A-).  However, I did get very close.  A 3.92...and that's fine enough by me.  For those struggling to get good grades in college or at least to a 3.9 standard, I think I can help you out.  Hopefully I'm offering some refreshing tips.  Of course, stick with the parrot sayings but also keep these few short tips in mind.

1.  Set a date with the Library

Not the librarian, the library.  Set a date and time and stick with it.  Treat it like it's a date with your significant other, and never miss it.  This will be your study time and help us fight procrastinating once and for all.  For me, everyday after school I would spend at least an hour to an hour an a half at the library.  Force yourself to go to a silent area and force yourself to gloss over the textbook.  It's as simple as that.

 

2. Read the textbook upside down

Yes.  Flip the book over and read.  Sometimes when we're reading a boring textbook, it's easy to gloss over the words while daydreaming about god knows what.  But if you read it upside down, it makes forces you to slow down and attempt to understand each word and phrase.  So if you catch yourself glossing over, try this method.

3.  Reward yourself

Make most of your rewards beneficial for yourself.  A Youtube video and social media scrolling is acceptable if your brain is about to blast and melt.  But to reward yourself after an hour of studying, it's best to reward yourself towards an easier task.  There's not much time to waste in college.   And this sounds like a horrible thing to do to yourself, but it's well worth it.  When you finish a study session, reward yourself with a group study sessions (which is beneficial for some, but lbh usually nothing gets done).  Just for some rewarding ideas:

A snack break

An easier homework assignment

A group study session with your friends

Making flashcards (I recommend studyblue.com)

In other words, jump to the no brainer tasks until your brain is healed from it's hard work.

4.  Familiarize yourself

Now that you're at the library and glossing over your textbook, it actually doesn't matter whether or not you actually retain the material or the letters start to look like hieroglyphics (as long as this is occurring when you first get your reading assignment).  Just force yourself to read it.  The point of this exercise is to get a gist of the textbook or what the subject is talking about.  That way when you re-read the chapter, things will make a lot more sense.  Trust me it works like a charm.  What I have found to work countless times on my midterms and final was to "study" everyday and then have a mini cram session starting a week before the test.

5.  Plan one week ahead

Make a study plan before a midterm approaches a week in advanced.  This will give you plenty of time to study and make sure to make it as realistic as possible.  Try to spread it out the material as thin as possible and leave the last day before the test for a mini cram session.  If that's a little confusing, let me give you and example.

"Midterm is on Monday and it will cover chapters 1-10.  You have six days to restudy this material.  Day one will be dedicated for chapters 1-2.  Day two will be dedicated for chapters 3-4.  And so on so forth.  Day seven will consist of a mini cram session of all 10 chapters."

good luck

xx

S