DIY Notebooks | Requested

Hello guys! Here is the LOOOONG awaited DIY that's been requested for over a month now, an in-depth tutorial on how to make the notebooks from this post.

Materials

• notebooks to decorate
• decorative/scrapbook paper (I got mine from here)
• acrylic paint/paintbrush
• scissors
• glue
• computer and printer
• Mod Podge (optional)

Scrapbook Method

Start with measuring how much paper you need and mark it with a pen about 1-2cm away from the edge of your notebook as shown. Then, cut along the line.

It should look like this. Then flip over, and cut the corners off. (I've marked it out in the next picture) We do this so it's easier to fold over.

The finished inside cover should look like the bottom picture. But, if you want to make it look more professional, you can take another piece of scrapbook paper, or even plain white printer paper to cover the raw edges we made.

Ombré Method

If you don't want to go out and get scrapbook paper, or you want something a bit different, this one is for you! 

Start out with painting the top of a sheet of printer paper with your chosen colour. Then, slowly add white to the colour bit by bit while you move down the paper, and you'll get an ombré. When it's done it should look like the picture on the right. 

This is optional, but you can add a layer of Mod Podge over top the entire page. I did that because I didn't like the texture of the acrylic paint.

To apply it to the notebook, you just do the same as the scrapbook method.

Labels 

This part is done on the computer. I used Photoshop for this, but you can really just use Microsoft Word or another word processing program. (For Photoshop users, make the image size 8.5"/11" and 300dpi) I started by making a circle then copy and pasting the number of circles I need. Then, I wrote the subject title inside the circle. The font I used is Passion Tea.

Putting it Together

All's left to do is print out your page of titles and stick them onto your notebook! Now you have these awesomely cute notebooks :)

Thank you for waiting so long for this!!! I hope this was clear :/ but, if you have any questions, please comment down below :)

--J

PS. Good luck with the whole situation, I know I need some

The First Year Experience

First year was an interesting year for me, but, now that its all over, I can look back and see what I've done. So here's a list of some of the things that I've done and learnt this year.

• This year was the first year I'd ever lived away from my family (except for summer camps, of course). It was a new type of freedom, which came with both good and bad things. A good side of freedom is being able to do whatever you want, when you want it. Want to eat snacks at 2AM? Go for it! But, being completely free isn't always good because you're stuck with doing things like laundry, and having to buy your own things.
• Unlike high school, attendance isn't taken in universities, as I'm sure most of you know. But, however, that doesn't mean you don't need to go to them-- even if in the moment they seem useless because near finals, you will regret that. I had a class where going to lectures seemed useless because the teacher would drone on and on about useless examples, however, when finals came around, I panicked because I learned that those examples were actually important (hopefully I don't make the same mistake again, haha) Contrastingly, sometimes lectures are truly useless. Like, my physics class, for example. Going there did not benefit me academically in any way. I was not more prepared for tests and I did not understand more material by going. In those instances, I don't think it would hurt to skip a few classes (or all the classes ;) )
• On Monday, I had to say goodbye to the campus, and my dorm, a place that had become my home for the year. It was bittersweet because yay summer! and because I had to leave knowing that I would never see my dorm again, or ever live on campus. 
• I learned that moving out can be fun, but it's super stressful. Many times, I caught myself wondering "How the heck did I fit it all into my suitcase when I came here?" 

So, what's happening now? Well, I recently found a summer job (but more on that later!) so hopefully, I will gain some new experiences and make money. As for next school year, that will be filled with moving out (to my own apartment!) and maybe, for the first time, getting my own pet.

Thanks for reading this catching-up post with me,
--J

PS: Now that it's summer, expect many more posts to come!

4 Study Tactics That Work

After two weeks of intense day-after-day of evalutations, lab reports, and assignments, the knowledge of needing good study tactics has been even further ingrained into my head, haha. Here are 5 study tips that I try to apply every time I have a ton of things to do!

1. Interval Study

Much like interval training, interval study is when you study for a period of time (usually 30 minutes, for me) and then take a short break (5 minutes). When you have a lot of things to do, you might think the last thing you should be doing is wasting time on breaks (like who has time for that shit??) But, it is important to give your brain a bit of a breather once in a while. During your break, your brain will have time to refresh itself and process the information that you threw into it in the last 30 minutes.

An app I use for this is Forest (available on iOS and Android). Not only does this app notify  you when you finish your mini study session, it also prevents you from getting distracted by going on your phone! (Killing two birds with one stone is always the way to go!)

2. Electronics = OFF!

I've already touched on this point above with the app Forest, but guys, it is so so so important to eliminate your distractions by turning off your electronics! It sounds obvious, but you have no idea how much it can help until you actually do it. 

Sometimes, you might need to use the computer, but not the internet, in cases like that, I'd advise you to turn off the wifi. If you need the internet, then maybe look into add-ons that will ban you from using certain sites (ie. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter) for a certain amount of time. Although I don't do this, an example of this type of add-on is StayFocused.

3. Have a Plan

It's a good idea to have at least a rouch idea of what you plan to accomplish every day. For me, I make a to-do list of all the things I ideally will finish every single day for a week, when I have busy weeks (eg. read chapter 12 for chemistry and finish lab report on monday). There's an actual week of my life where I did this, and it really helps! It's also a good idea to write down due dates, so you know the maximum amount of time you have to do something.

4. Lifestyle Matters

The way you live when you're super duper busy matters, too! If you're too stressed, your preformance levels will start to drop and you won't be able to do as much as you ideally could. So, to prep yourself so that you can achieve your maximum potential, get at least 6.5 hours of sleep. (I would say get a full 8 hours, but, really, who has time for that?) 

You are what you eat! Seriously! Putting junk into your body will only make you feel sluggish. Make sure you stay hydrated and fill your bodies with lots of nutrients! There are all sorts of foods that can help boost your brain power so you can get the most out of your time. Examples of these foods include avocados, blueberries, and broccoli. Read this for an explanation for what some of these foods are good for.

One last thing, IISuperwomanII recently posted a video called "5 REAL Ways to get Your Work Done" in which she outlines 5 seriously awesome strategies that we can implement into our lives when we want to get crackin'. (Seriously go watch it, it's an awesome video)

Anyways, I hope these were at least some what helpful. Do you have any tips that I didn't mention? If so, please let me know in the comments!

--J

Rant||An Unpopular Opinion on Marks and Grades

Hello, everyone!

I can already tell you right off the bat that there will be no lovely eye-drawing images for this post (sorry!), this is purely a rant.

If I were to say "Grades shouldn't matter" in a high school, or even worse, a university/college setting, I would probably get death glares and a suggestion to seek mental help. But it's true, grades shouldn't matter.

The objective shouldn't be to get a 4.0 or a 90% average, or whatever it is you're aiming for. Because, that way, every time you fall short in the semester (and trust me, it will happen), all you'll feel is crap, and you'll be mad at yourself.

I think, the way to approach being successful in school is to not worry about the grades, and instead, tell yourself, "I'm here to learn, and I'm here to do it to the best of my ability." I think these two ways of thinking will eventually get you back to the same results, except the latter will contain less stress.

While aiming for that 4.0, doing your best should be something you're already doing. Except, sometimes, "your best" isn't at the numerical value that you're aiming for. Doing your best forces a mindset where you are always striving to improve yourself, where on the other hand, trying to hit a 85% or 90% does not. Once you get that percent average that you wanted, you've put yourself in a position where you can say, "I'm good enough." With the other method, you're constantly asking yourself, "Can I do better?"

To me, the most important part about school is getting something out of it. What's the point of getting a good mark if you've just hitched a ride with someone else, and you yourself are still very confused on the topic?

If you continuously strive to hit a new "best," the grades will eventually come along. At least, that's what I found to work.

Anyone have different opinions? Comment down below.



Thanks for reading!

Jackie

Sight-seeing Around the Uni

Ugh. I feel like I'm going to have to apologize every single time I write a blogpost now... but well... Yeah sorry, midterms have rolled around and I seem to have been wiped off the face of my blog.

But here are a couple of photos I took around the university. I wanted to take some photos of the inside of buildings too, but I didn't really get a chance to do that, as I would have needed to take pictures when people weren't around (and people are always around). Maybe that'll be a different blog post... We'll see :)

Honestly, I'm so blessed to live in such a beautiful environment, with so much greenery (although it won't be green for long!) And I just wanted to share it with you all.

Is this not the cutest place ever?

There's this awesome trail on the outskirts of the campus.

Woke up one day and it was super foggy!

On our campus, there are many deer.

They just casually rule our world :P

I just love how modern some of the buildings look.

I might do a few more nature-y shots once all the leaves turn an awesome colour, it'll be sooo beautiful!

Thanks for reading,

--Jakie

6 Steps to an Organized Life

Hello! Long time no post... Sorry :( The first week of uni has been rather overwhelming, haha.

With school back in (most of) our lives, I thought it would be a good idea to share my experience with you on the subject of organization.

Use a Journal/Planner

Some of the text is blurred for my privacy :')

Whether it be a journal the school gives you, or one you buy yourself, it's a good idea to write what you need to do and when it needs to be done down. I personally don't like the planners schools give, I just feel like it doesn't give me enough freedom to write what I want down, and therefore isn't as useful as it could be. If that's the case for you too, then you can try some other journal systems such as: the bullet journal (I use this), filofax, midori (sells good travelling journals).

Actually Use Said Planner!

It's fine and dandy to have a pretty notebook/planner and all, but for it to actually work, you gotta actually use it! This means spend some time to plan your day out, and at the end of the day, spend some time going over the list, to see if there's anything you've missed. And, throughout the day, use your planner as reference. 

In the picture above, is an example of me using my Bullet Journal, specifically, to plan this post! 

Start the Day Right

Many of us (me included, much of the time) press the snooze button as many times as we can, and groan about having to get out of bed. But, in my experience, starting the day off in a positive way can really help make the rest of it a good one.

For example, many people start the day off by making their bed. Even something as simple as that could set you off on the right foot, and make your day instantly brighter. There are actually studies out there that prove this. Others take it a step further and have a mini meditation session. A great app for that if you want to get into it is "Calm" (available to both Android and iOS). I've tried it out, and it really does help take some of the stress away! :)

Get Help from the Apps

In this age and day, most people have smartphones, and what better to do than let them help you lead a more organized life? Here are a few apps that I use that make my life easier.

1. Evernote

Evernote is a note-taking app that can sync on all your devices. It's great for those of us that go to school. You can make notebooks, jot down notes, draw, take pictures, record, make to-do lists, and many more! If you haven't tried it out, I highly recommend you do.

2. Swipes

This is an app where you can create to-do lists. This app also collaborates with Evernote, so you can get the most out of both apps. What's special about this app is that it organizes your list for you, showing the most important and most upcoming at the top, and ones that are due later, later. Visit here for more information! (this app is available for most mobile devices, it even has an app on the Mac App Store!)

3. Google Now/Siri
Okay, well, neither of these are really apps, but both of them can certainly help you make your life easier!

On Google Now, you can tell google what you would like to see, and it'll pick cards that it thinks are important to you (eg. travel times, interesting articles, weather). You can also tell google now to create a reminder. There are so many things that Google Now can do, so if you have an Android phone, I suggest you read this, this, and this, to help better familiarize yourself.

Siri, in many ways is just like Google Now. However, it lacks the cards, and (no offence to Apple fanboys/girls) also lacks the ability to understand what you're saying. I don't think Google Now has ever misheard me... but it's not the same story with Siri. (those using iOS 9 should experience this less, though, with the new and updated Siri)

Anyways, enough bashing... Siri can take reminders, will listen to your commands to text your best friend, tweet things for you, perform web searches and many more. For all the iOS readers that would like a better insight to how Siri works, go here, here, and here.

Pick One and Stick to It!

Pick one way to do things and keep at it! Whether this be apps or journal systems, or even schedules. Once you find what works for you, stick to it. The key to an organized life is structure. But how can structure be found if you keep on changing things up?

JUST DO IT

This step is the most important of them all! You can make many to-do lists, have many things written down on an agenda, and have tens of reminders, but none of them will actually give you a more organized life unless you DO IT! 

Little things like getting up and making the bed, even if you're thinking, "What's the point? No one's going to see it anyways." Just do it! Even if you don't feel like opening up your math textbook to do practice questions, just do it! There is no way you can make your life more organized and put together unless you take action!

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I really hope this was helpful-ish to you guys, and not just me rambling on and on. Again, apologies for long time no write... Hopefully I can figure out a good balance between uni life and blog.

Until next time,

Jakie

Moving in | Uni Life

On August 30th, I moved into my university, and since then, I've had about a week to settle in. Here are some pictures of my dorm surroundings.

Can you believe this is the principal's house? It's so beautiful!

My current desk setup. (That notebook is my bullet journal) *

Oh look! A shelf! And a DIY clock!

My floral bedsheets and my postcard/polaroid collection.

The view outside my window.

Moving anywhere can come with a lot of excitement and troubles. However, moving into a university dorm is quite unique because everyone else is just as confused, scared, lost, and excited as you are.

The day began with me waking up way too early after a sleepless night. I packed the last few things and anxiously waited around until it was time to leave. Finally, we began our 45 minute drive to my university campus. My family and I were greeted with joyful cheers of "Welcome home!!!" All of the volunteers for the move-in day were so excited and helpful.

Later that day, after my family had left, after I'd met up with a friend that I'd gone to high school with, after I'd met my roommate, it dawned on me how quiet my room could be. Sure, the walls of my dormitory are thin, but there was an overwhelming sense of calmness and quiet (which I grew to like) and for the first time, I missed home.

The first few nights were very strange. Back at home, I have a set routine to most aspects of my day. For example, my first time showering at the dorm was SO strange! I had no idea where to do what, when to do what, and where to put what. The process ended up taking so much longer than it usually does at home.

But now, after a week, I think I've got it handled pretty nicely. I sort of have a routine going on, and hopefully it'll only get better. :)


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More to come,

Jakie

*If you want more detail on my bullet journal, please comment down below c:

Back-to-School DIY|Notebooks

As school comes rolling around the corner, I decided to prep myself by making a few cheery notebooks to prepare myself for the first semester!

The stripy paper and the one duck pattern are from Michael's. The watermelon print was painted by yours truly (don't hesitate to ask if you want a tutorial!), and the teal ombré was painted by me, too. Also, the circle labels were made on Photoshop.

I think these look quirky, and will definitely make me more excited to take notes and study. (although, what's inside will be the complete opposite of quirky and "exciting" LOL)

If anyone has questions on the production of these, please let me know, I'd love to answer your questions :)  

UPDATE: Click here for an updated, in-depth blog post tutorial on how to do this!!!!