Happy spring! Although the first official day of spring was a week or so ago, I am still super excited about it. This winter in Seattle has been especially dreary and cold, so I’m definitely looking forward to some warmer weather.
Going along with this dreary weather, I have felt so uninspired this year in terms of creativity. I’ve been getting caught up in school (which of course isn’t a bad thing), and I’ve let my creative side get a little lazy. It’s easy to put excuses before giving yourself a break to be creative, and to push things like writing or art to the side because they seem less important to things like homework and tests, which in a sense they are. I am first and foremost a college student, so I of course need to make my grades a priority, but I also need to relax every now and then and spend an evening doing something I love, like watercolor.
When I was writing my last post, How to Succeed in College: Mental Health, it became clear that I needed a break from stressing out so much. I was writing down tips that I myself needed to listen to and apply to my life, especially because I’ve felt like I have hit a creative STOP SIGN lately. Anxiety and panic attacks seem to relish the times of stress and lack of creativeness in my life, so I needed to take a break.
Spring cleaning has always been something I’ve loved. While growing up, my mom would enlist my brother, dad, and me to help her clean the entire house – we’re talking scrubbing the walls, floors, and everything in between. It would be a laborious couple of days, but afterwards everything felt nice and clean, and that a fresh start was much easier to be had. Because I experienced that every year while growing up, I realized that was exactly what I needed this spring.
It was spring break last week for my college, so I took the time at home to do a whole lot of nothing, besides workout, play with my family’s dogs and cats, and our new puppy.
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| Seriously, look how cute he is!! |
I needed to take the week to give myself a mental break from stressing out about school, tests, law schools, finding a summer internship, and taking the LSATs in the fall. Real life can be hard, and I know that it’s just going to get busier and more stressful as I get older. When you’re really stressed out it’s easy to only think about how hard life is and will get, and forget that it’s also going to get more exciting, and more opportunities are going to present themselves to you after a lot of hard work.
Stress, anxiety, and depression affect so many people, and it’s extremely prevalent in college students. I’m sure if you’re a college student, or have been before, you completely understand why. Between classes, homework, studying, and trying to have fun, it’s easy to not make your mental health a priority. Going into college, I definitely underestimated how much stress I would be under and how it would affect me. I’ve always been a pretty anxious person, but college definitely made it a lot harder to deal with.
Through all of this, though, I learned how to become stronger, and how to calm myself down when it all gets to be a little too much. I also learned how important it is to make sure you are not only physically healthy, but mentally healthy. Mental health is something that more and more people are talking about, but there’s still stigma surrounding it, especially when many college students want to appear as if they are just fine at balancing everything in their lives. It’s also really important to talk about right now with the popularity of 13 Reasons Why!
In my new series, How to Succeed in College, I knew I wanted to do a post all about mental health, so here it is! I’ll be giving you my tips on how to make sure your mental health isn’t suffering, and how to not let the stress of college get to you too much.
You can also watch my video about it here!
When I first tried this product it literally looked like I had dumped a bunch of translucent powder on my hair, and I was worried it wouldn’t work itself in at all. After a couple of seconds of massaging my scalp and brushing my hair, the powder started to disappear, along with my oily roots! I was impressed with how quickly it blended in with my hair, and it didn’t make my roots look gray at all.
The smell was also really refreshing, and made my hair smell like I had just washed it, which is a huge plus when your hair is feeling a little limp and blah. It isn’t too fragrant, and I noticed that the smell lasted the whole day, and until the next morning when I washed my hair. I am a huge fan of nice smelling hair products, I don’t know what it is, but if something works well but doesn’t smell the best I’ll try and find something else that both works and smells nice. Call it one of my quirks, but I realize that it’s a bit ridiculous.
As well as being a dry shampoo, this powder also adds a lot of texture and volume to your hair, which is just what you want when it’s the second day and your hair is feeling a bit limp. I honestly will add the powder to my hair even on the same day I wash it if I feel like I need a little bit more texture. This really helps when I curl my hair and want the roots to have some volume since the strands are a bit weighed down from hair spray, and the fact that my hair tends to fall flat the minute I start touching and fixing it. My hair is able to hold its volume a lot better when I add this to the roots, and it’s also great when I want to do a messy hairstyle and need some extra texture!
Overall, I’m super satisfied with this product and have finally found a dry shampoo that works with my hair! I won’t be switching anytime soon, and I can even get away with washing my hair every three days if I don’t feel like washing it one day. I definitely recommend trying this product, especially just the travel size since it isn’t too much of a commitment. It actually lasts for a long time, too, which is great! I’m still on this little bottle and it’s been about two months now.
What’s your favorite dry shampoo?
Thank you so much for reading, and have a great day! 🙂
This is NOT a sponsored post, and all opinions are my own.
As I’m sure you know, I am a junior in college, and lately it feels like it’s flying by. This year I have felt a definite shift in how busy I am and the work load I have for classes; things are starting to get serious, and while it’s very scary, it’s also pretty exciting. I’m starting to figure out what I want in life, and I feel like I’m finally getting a feel for balancing my life with everything that is in it – classes, work, clubs, and a social life. Because of this, I thought it would be fun to do a whole series about it on my blog, especially since there are a lot of people starting to think about their first year in college in September!
For the first post I’ll be talking about how to balance your schedule, especially if you have a part-time job and want to have time for studying and having fun. It can be difficult, but it can definitely be done. Here’s a couple of tips on how to get done, and what I do to keep my schedule balanced!
1. Get a planner and write in it religiously.
I’m sure you’ve seen those people in your classes who whip out their planners anytime the professor mentions any sort of date, but let me tell you, those people are ahead of the game. During my junior year of high school I started using my planner more, and once I got to college I made it a point to write everything down in it, because it helped me figure out the times I would be working, studying, going to class, or hanging out with friends. It can be difficult to remember to write everything down in your planner, but once it becomes a habit, you won’t think twice about writing all your important dates down in it. I also like to sit down on Sunday or Monday and write down my work schedule and any other time commitments in my planner so I already have those dates in my head and I don’t forget anything. This also makes it a lot easier to figure out the free time I have to have fun!
2. Additionally, make a to-do list for the week in your planner, or another notebook.
Whether those involve homework goals, errands you have needed to run for weeks now, or groceries you need to buy, this is super helpful for getting things done. It can be so easy to forget to get tasks done in college because you’re extremely busy, but I find doing this helps to make sure I don’t accidentally miss a due date for a class, or get swamped in random things I’ve needed to get done for weeks. This is also great to write down anything you need to get done for work, or anything you can do in advance to help clear up your schedule later.
3. Dedicate a certain amount of time to each part of your life.
Blocking off time for things like studying, doing homework, or having fun can be extremely helpful for balancing all areas of your life. This helps break your life up into a routine that will get more and more natural over time, so you’re able to do all of the things that you want to do, while still getting the things you need to do, done. For me, I make sure I spend the time I have between classes doing homework, and if I don’t have any to do, I will usually call my parents to make sure they know I am alive and well. I also usually have a lot of time during work to study (it’s a campus job, so it’s more geared towards students, which is really nice!), so I know that I’ll get a lot of that done during my shifts throughout the week. After work I give myself some de-stressing time, and will usually watch something like Friends or Parks and Rec – something that doesn’t need a lot of attention. It’s so important to give yourself these structured times to get things done, that way you know you’ll have time to give yourself a break both mentally and physically.
4. If you’re looking to get a job, try and find a campus job.
Getting a campus job is super helpful for students, because oftentimes your boss understands that sometimes you’ll have to have a shift covered due to class conflicts, midterms, or just needing more time for studying. My boss gives us all dead week off in order to have ample time to study, and so we don’t have to worry about devoting too much time to work rather than doing homework and such. This really helps alleviate stress during a usually high-stress time, and it’s great to be surrounded by other students who also understand, and can cover a shift when you need it. Also with campus jobs, usually you have lots of time to do homework and study during the shifts, because they’re usually desk jobs, secretary work, or front desk/welcoming positions. This makes it easy to get two things done at once – you’re able to work and earn money while also getting work done for classes.
5. Communicate your class schedule to your boss clearly and early – school comes first!
Around the time of registration, my boss asks for all of the class schedules of the student employees in order to make sure there are no time conflicts. She understands that school comes first for all of us, so she wants to help us have the time to not only have time for classes, but work and still be able to finish all of our homework. It’s really important to communicate to your boss the time that you know you will not be able to work, rather than telling him or her later on that you can’t come in for a shift. No one likes it when a person cancels suddenly, because all of your coworkers have to scramble in order to get the shift covered, and there isn’t always someone who can cover the shift. If you have any other time commitments, like club meetings, make sure to also tell your boss so you know you’ll be able to go to those.
6. Hold yourself accountable.
Don’t slack off on homework time, or sacrifice it constantly for hanging out with friends. Yes, being social is important for your mental health, but if you find yourself always having fun and slacking off on classes, you have a problem. It’s important to always put school first because you’re there to get an education, and are most likely paying a lot of money for it. If you want to spend more time with friends but still get work done, you can have study dates, go to the library with friends, hang out at a coffee shop while studying, or hang out at one another’s houses/apartments in order to do homework together. Doing this can actually motivate you to actually do homework, especially if you’re surrounded by people who are getting work done as well.
7. But also understand that sometimes you just need a break.
At the end of the day, it’s really important to check in with yourself and see how you’re doing. If you feel like you’re absolutely drowning in tasks, or are feeling extremely overwhelmed take a break. This can be hard to do when you’re super busy, but it can make you feel better mentally and physically, so in the long run it’s highly beneficial. When you feel good, you can do good. Take a nap, take a bath, read a good book, or watch some Netflix in order to de-stress; give yourself the time you need to recuperate, so that you’re able to go back and tackle homework and other tasks with full energy.
Alright, those are my tips on how to balance your work, classes, and fun! It’s important to do this to stay both happy and healthy, but it can be so hard in college. I hope these tips helped, and that you’re able to figure your schedule out!
This is the first Valentine’s Day that I’ll actually be going on a date, and figuring out what to wear can seriously be so difficult, as is true with a lot of other occasions. I’m the type of person who constantly worries about being over or underdressed, so I put together a couple of different options for myself. Since I had them laying out, I decided to make a post about it to give you a little inspiration, too!
This look is super casual, but still really cute and perfect for Valentine’s Day! This wine-colored bodysuit has been one of my favorites for the winter, because it’s so easy to dress up or down. I’ve always been wearing these jeans a lot because they’re so comfy! I got them in a little shop in Spain, but they’re super popular right now and could easily be found in most stores.
The pattern on the side of the sweater is also really cool and gives it a nice pop!
This look is great for a romantic date! The sweetheart neckline is flattering on everyone, and the flowy bottom adds a feminine touch. This tweed jacket is also extremely warm and perfect for cooler winter nights, since it’s still getting pretty cold in Seattle!
Booties are usually my goto shoes when I don’t want to wear actual heels! These ones are comfortable and I can easily wear them for the whole night.
But can we talk about the back of this dress…
I was immediately drawn to this dress when I saw the back, because I knew it would show off my tattoo! This is great to surprise your date when you take off your jacket, and it’s always just great to have a little surprise to a seemingly simple look.
This type of dress isn’t something I would usually buy, but the slits in the front (and back!) really drew me in. Ever since I got my back tattoo, any dress that can show it off is a winner in my book! I’m so excited to wear this dress out, and I’ll definitely be bringing it to Vegas when I go later this year with my friends!
Interesting necklines definitely seem to be making a huge appearance lately, and I’m loving it! This dress has a combined chocker basically, and the large keyhole opening on the chest really makes the well-loved LBD a lot more interesting. Something like this would be great for a night out on the town, or a cute bar!
Alright, there are four different looks for last minute Valentine’s Day outfits! I hope this was helpful, and finding what you’re going to wear is a little bit easier! If you’re looking for some great dresses check out Tobi, they have some great options for both cold and warm weather!
I was sitting in class today and realized that it’s already week four of my university’s quarter. Being on the quarter system means that everything moves so quickly, but the fact that it’s already week four is so scary. Surprisingly, I have found myself to be really motivated this term, which can be hard during winter quarter since it starts out in January, the low point after the high of the holiday season. I’m actually really enjoying my classes so far, so that’s probably a huge part of it.
Happy 2017!
Alright, well there are five tips on how to achieve your 2017 goals! I’m so excited to see what this new year has to offer, and let’s hope that it’s a lot better than 2016!
I wish you the best of luck!
Since I’ve been back from studying abroad, it’s been so hard to find motivation for blogging, especially since I’ve been so busy with school and work this quarter. I feel super overwhelmed, but as I’m taking a study break during dead week (ugh), I thought I would sit down and write a blog post. I’m feeling really inspired this month, so I hope that means that I’ll again find my motivation for everything and anything since I’ve been so consumed with school this quarter. I have seriously written ten papers this quarter, and still have two more to go, so needless to say, I’ve been feeling a little burnt out lately.
As most of you probably know, I spent part of my summer studying abroad in London before I did another program in Spain. For that reason, and also the fact that one of my best friends will be heading there in about a week (wowow Rachel!) and has been asking for a travel guide, that’s exactly what I decided to do today! I’ve looked through all of my photos, and while they make me extremely homesick for London (I WANT TO LIVE THERE ONE DAY), I picked my favorite places that I visited, and have some tips for getting around the city!
This one is a bit obvious, since the British Museum is well-known, but even if you aren’t a usual museum junkie, you should definitely stop by! It is a huge museum and has an exhibit that will at least appeal to everyone, so there’s most likely something for you to see there. I split up the museum by spending a day on each floor, because if you try and do it all in one day, you’ll definitely be overwhelmed. There’s a lot of coffeeshops and lunch spots around, though, so if you need a break to re-charge, that’s definitely an option!
This is arguably one of the best places to go shopping in London, especially if you aren’t looking for designer shops. There is a huge Primark (think, giant Forever21 with even cuter clothes) on Oxford Street, as well as Topshop, and all of your other favorite places to shop. My friends and I spent way too much time and money here, but hey, when in London…
I didn’t actually realize just how much I love theater until I studied in London. I had been to plays before and really enjoyed them, but I went to so many in London and enjoyed them all. The West End is honestly just fun to visit in general, since there’s so much going on, and there’s usually a lot of street performers who are all so talented. It’s at least worth it to stroll through on an afternoon!
Piccadilly Circus is actually really close to the West End as well as Trafalgar Square, so you should just generally go to that area. Trafalgar Square is so cool to see – it’s huge in person! – and also a great place to sit outside and have lunch. When I was there a ton of people just hung out in the area, especially since it was summer, and the atmosphere is just a lot of fun to be in. The fountain is also really pretty, and the lions are also really impressive to see, so it’s definitely worth the visit!
Chances are, if you’re in London, you’re probably going to visit Buckingham Palace. I visited the actual palace one day, and then another day my friend and I were walking to class, and we stumbled upon the surrounding garden (probably the most posh sentence I’ve ever said), and got to see little goslings, a ton of other wildlife, and also some beautiful sights of London, like the London Eye in the distance. That’s probably one of my favorite memories of London, since we didn’t mean to go there at all, and just kind of ended up there. We ended up late to class because we were taking so many photos and walking around the garden, but honestly I’m going to remember that garden far longer than what I learned in class that day.
Christopher Wren was an architect who built a lot of churches around England. We saw a lot while we were in London, and they were all so beautiful, and had so many intricate designs on the inside. The architecture in even one of the churches makes everything in America look so bland and boring!
Pro-tip: if you don’t want to pay for a tour, you can always go to a service! You don’t have to pay for them, and you get to see the inside of the cathedral. The only catch is you can’t take any photos, although I definitely snuck a few. I’m sure they get super annoyed by tourists trying to take photos, but it’s definitely worth going to the service! The choir was so amazing, and seeing the inside was honestly breathtaking.
I made a whole post about the studio tour, which you can read here, but I just wanted to reiterate how cool it is! As soon as you know the dates you’re going to be visiting the area, I’d suggest getting tickets for the tour because they go fast! I bought them at the beginning of the program, and had to go at the end of my program (like five weeks later!) because tickets were all sold out until then. It was so amazing to see, especially if you’re a Potterhead like me, and definitely worth the money. Just a warning that you’ll probably end up spending a lot of money at the gift shop afterwards!
If you’re willing to take a train for about an hour to Brighton, it’s definitely worth the visit! It’s an adorable little beach town with some great shopping spots in the Lanes, and also a lot of cool historical places to see around town. The beach is also really nice to sit and just watch the ocean! Just know that the “sand” is little pebbles, which can hurt on bare feet, but with shoes you should be fine! The pier is also so adorable, and will live up to all of the arcade/ride/food dreams you had as a kid.
My favorite places to get drinks with friends is the London Bridge area, Covent Garden, and Camden! All of these places have really cute pubs and bars, especially London Bridge area. The younger crowd is definitely usually in Camden, so the night life there is a lot of fun! There are clubs that have themed nights, and I ended up going to a 90s night with friends, and it was probably one of the most fun nights we went out.
I went to a lot of pubs while in London – I totally fell in love with them – and I definitely had some favorites!
Ye Olde Chesire Cheese – Blackfriars. This pub has a lot of history since it’s one of the oldest pubs in London. Since it’s in Blackfriars there’s a lot around it, too!
The Churchill Arms – Notting Hill. Also a really cute pub because of the interesting look on the outside.
The White Hart – Waterloo. This one has really great food!
Wetherspoons – multiple locations, my favorite is in Victoria!
Honestly, you can find a good pub probably in any part of London you’re in, I just recommend doing a quick search on Yelp and reading the reviews!
It’s actually pretty easy to get around London, since the public transportation there is pretty straightforward. The tube goes all around the city, so it’s super easy to go to all of the districts around the city! It can be really confusing at first since there’s so many lines, and especially if you don’t have a lot of experience with subways (like I did), but after a day or two you can start to get the gist of it. There’s also apps you can download like Tube Map and CityMaps2Go that really help, or you can simply use Google Maps! That’s what I did and never had a problem. There’s also maps everywhere in the tube stations, so you can generally figure out how to get where you need to be.
It’s important to know, though, that the tube stops running at midnight, so if you’re out for a late night you have to take the bus, or use a taxi/Uber/Lyft. I never really had a huge problem with this since there’s so many taxi’s around, and you can always call an Uber, but it could get annoying sometimes since the tube gets you where you need to be pretty quickly, and obviously it costs money to use Uber or call a taxi. If you’re splitting the cost with friends, though, it really isn’t bad!
If you’re going to be doing any travel by train, coach, or plane, book your tickets as soon as possible! Usually the most in advance you can get tickets is the best, so try to plan out all extra travel beforehand, rather than going to the train/bus station, or airport and buying a ticket there.
If you ever get lost in the city, it’s best to just stay calm, and ask someone for directions. I found the people of London to be really nice (I mean I’m coming from Seattle, so you can only go up from there, right?), and they’d help me out if I just asked. The police officers there are also really nice, and you can easily find one to ask for directions, especially at night. My roommate and I ended up slightly intoxicated and lost one night, and a police officer helped us out by pointing us in the right direction, and we got home just fine, after only a couple of complications of finding the right bus.
Alright well there is my London travel guide, places you gotta see, and tips on getting around the city! If you are going to London, I am so jealous, but also hope that you have the best time! It’s such a beautiful city with so much to see, and I can’t wait to go back one day.
It is no secret that I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I have read all of the books and watched the movies more times than I can count, so when I heard about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, I was extremely excited. I was nervous about how I would like it in comparison to the whole Harry Potter franchise, so I was definitely ready for the movie to come out! Since I went and saw it last night, I thought I would write a review on it, and start to get back in the swing of things here on my blog!
There are strong female leads
Tina and Queenie, the two main women of the film, as well as the president of MACUSA Seraphina Picquery, are all very strong females. Tina is very stubborn, and is successful in her career, even though she has hit a rough patch before she meets Newt, which is awesome to see. She isn’t talked badly about for wanting to have a successful career, and is encouraged by her younger sister, Queenie. They are both very supportive of each other, which is portrayed wonderfully. Queenie is not a career women, but she isn’t portrayed as “weaker” or “lesser” than her sister at all. We don’t really get to know Seraphina that well, but the interactions she does have with the main characters leave the audience with the sense that she is a very strong woman. She doesn’t let anyone push her around, and she is strong in her decisions and rules.
The world in Newt’s suitcase is beautifully made, as well as the beasts
We have seen Hermione’s expandable bag on the outside, but we never saw the inside. It was so cool to actually be able to see the inside of Newt’s suitcase, and see where all of his magical animals live. Of course since I absolutely love animals, that was one of my favorite parts of the movies. I’m really glad, though, that they didn’t show the inside of his suitcase a lot in the previews, so that it was more of a surprise for the audience. The creativity that was put into imagining the beasts and his suitcase was so incredible, and the fact that the magical creatures were still relatable to real animals was great. The fact that Newt Scamander had made his suitcase the way he did in order to save these magical beasts was also super touching, and a part of the movie that I absolutely loved.
Eddie Redmayne made an incredible Newt
I had only ever seen Eddie Redmaybe in Les Mis, so it was super cool to see him in something else! His Newt was super quirky, likable, nice, and strong, and he played him so well. He was exactly what you think a magical beast collector/saver/caretaker (?) would be like, but he also had a depth that played into his character development very well. Throughout the movie we learned a lot about him, and saw his softer side, rather than his initial blunt character. Above everything, he cares for his magical creatures the most, and feels a pull to save them, or anyone else in need. He was super relatable, and fit in perfectly with the other quirky wizards and witches we know and love so much.
The incorporation of Grindelwald, and other known families, was done very well.
Through what J.K. Rowling has hinted at, it was clear that this new series was going to include Grindelwald in some way. In the beginning of the movie, it is made clear that MACUSA is looking for Grindelwald after he has committed crimes, but it is unclear where he is at. I won’t give anything away, but the way in which they incorporated his story into this one was done very well. I’m so excited to learn more about him (and possible Dumbledore??) in the coming movies. We also hear a bit about a Lita Lestrange, so I’m interested to see if she has to do more with the coming movies, or if she’ll be included!
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie! It does make me long for more about the characters we know and love in Harry Potter, but I’m super excited to see how the characters from Fantastic Beasts progress and develop.