2015 New Year's Resolutions

I am not great at New Year's Resolutions mainly because (1) I make too many to possibly remember or keep track of (2) I forget (or rather, forget to remember) them or (3) I don't have anyone to motivate me. But now that I have so many more followers than I did last year, I have plenty of people to remind me or check up on me. If you also have the same problem of not having motivation, let's keep our resolutions together! You all can motivate me to keep mine, I can help motivate you to keep yours.

My Resolutions for 2015:

1) Meditate everyday: Life is stressful and by meditating, hopefully I will be less stressed and be able to focus on the tasks that I have that day.

2) Eat less chocolate: I have noticed a sudden increase in the amount of chocolate that I eat because of holiday goodies and vacation at home.

3) Get a better grade in math: For some reason, I thought that math this year would be easier than last but taking an honors class a year ahead of my grade level  is just as hard as it always was. I am not one to be disappointed with a one B but I would love to get a better grade than last semester and hopefully an A.

4) Eat breakfast everyday: I usually get to eat something every morning but I have to leave for school at seven in the morning so a good quality breakfast is difficult on somedays.

5) Continue reading books: This one is a bit arbitrary but I have been able to set aside plenty of time to read novels since it is so relaxing and I forgot how satisfying it can be to set aside a few hours to indulge it a good book.

As a side note but not a resolution, I hope to post more often in the 2015 as well since I have been feeling rather inspired lately. But this is almost every single blogger's goal so I have avoided making it a resolution.

Anyway, I hope that you all remind me to keep these goals and I will do my best to help you with your goals.

Girl Online By Zoella & Her Ghostwriter

I have never been a huge fan of Zoella (also known as Zoe Sugg) but I did and still do respect her as a blogger and Youtuber.

As many already know, Zoella released her first novel titled Girl Online and I just had the chance to read it and I can say that I genuinely loved it. I thought it was an excellent novel with a great premise and relatable characters. Throughout the novel, the reader could pick up on a few "Zoella" references from the fairy lights to the bath bombs.However, I should point out  that after Noah's big secret was revealed, the book became predictable. And the panic attacks that Penny faced, were not as descriptive as I would have expected since I assumed that the novel wanted to show just how serious that panic attacks can be and describing them in detail would have helped raise awareness. But overall, I really liked it and couldn't put it down.

The fact that the novel is ghostwritten does not shock me whatsoever. Writing an entire novel in less than two months is difficult for even full-time writer, much less a social media icon. Multiple celebrities have released novels that were written by someone else so Zoella had nothing to be ashamed of.

Not everyone can be a writer but that doesn't mean that not everyone can have great ideas that deserve to be shared with the world, which is exactly what she had. Bringing anxiety more attention is definitely important and sometimes someone needs to be there to put the ideas into words. Ghostwriting isn't a new concept nor is it something that should be hidden away.

Overall, I applaud Siobhan Curham (whom I think deserves more credit than she got) for bringing to life such a wonderful story and Zoella for thinking of it. I am not at all disappointed about the novel being ghostwritten but rather that Zoella kept trying to pretend that it isn't and instead of admitting it, has chosen to pretend it never happened. Zoella should be proud that her message is spreading so quickly with the help of a ghostwriter not upset.

I continue to support Zoella and wish her the best and hopefully, in the future, she will be a bit more honest with her fans.

Please feel free to leave any comments that you have about the novel, ghostwriter or Zoella since I would love to read them. Do you think she was justified in using a ghostwriter or not? Should she have been more transparent about the who really wrote it?

The Colbert Report Ends

As an avid watcher of Stephen Colbert on his popular Comedy Central television show, I was sad to hear that the show would be ending. He is one of the best places to go to find out about current events (even though, one should fact check some of the information). His use of satire makes him some what of a contemporary and humorous Mark Twain.

Although he claims to be a "conservative" and a "Republican", he constant criticism of conservative policies, candidates and Fox News implies the opposite.

My mother and I were discussing our theories about the ending of this iconic show. She believed that the show would end on a quiet and subtle note while I thought the opposite and was convinced that it would be just as grand if not more than every other show is. And as it turns out, it was in the middle of both of our theories.

As any aspiring journalist will tell you, Stephen Colbert's relevance, tone and ability to relate with so many are all critical to get his voice and opinion heard.

The show started off with Stephen Colbert sarcastically saying that he wants to "start on a positive note" and began talking about Syria. Syria, clearly a very serious issue, is presented by Colbert in a blunt and engaging way. He then sings with is other famous guests and friends and I could not help but sing sadly along despite the happy and cheerful lyrics. He then ended of the the show in a very bittersweet way by riding away with Santa Claus.

It is extremely disappointing to know that I will never be able to get comfy, eat a snack while catching up on the news. But after nine years, ten seasons, and nearly 1,500 episodes, I am happy that the show was able to run for such a long and amazing time without disappointing its audiences even once. You can be sure that I will absolutely be watching Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Please feel free to leave your comments and opinions about The Colbert Report and what you thought about the series finale.

How To Get Through Finals With Minimum Stress

I am currently preparing for the next four days of finals and am much more stressed than I usually am. Expecting finals to go smoothly is nearly impossible but I have found several ways to help it go by quickly and calmly.

These tips are not tips to help you study but rather to help before, during, and after the test since that time is just as important as studying.

Eat Healthy and Happy Food

Most of the people that I know eat a breakfast that they consider "brain food" and as well-intended as that may be, it might not be best. The general rule of thumb is to eat healthy food that you actually like. There is no point in eating something you hate just because it's good for you. At any other time of the year, this is a good idea but not during finals. Sometimes the food you eat can reflect in your mood. If you eat something disgusting, your attitude walking into a test will be a worse than it would if you had eaten something you liked but try to keep it healthy because antioxidants are great for your brain. Better food means a more positive attitude which means a much better test grade.

Make Good Use of the Time Right Before the Test

Most people try cramming the night before up until the ten minutes before the test which is probably one of the worst things to do to yourself. Although if may seem like a good idea to quickly learn a concept so it's fresh in your mind, it'll only make you more anxious and nervous. While it is a great idea to review notes and go over equations the day of the test, one should not do that fifteen minutes before the test (or however long it takes you to relax). Studying is meant to be done well in advance. If you haven't learned it before the day of your test, there is not point in learning it now.

Prioritize

It may not always be in your best interest to study and prepare. Sounds ridiculous, right? But it really isn't. If you have an excellent grade in the class, you might not have to study day and night for your exam. I usually go to RogerHub's Final Grade Calculator to check how well I need to do on my finals. The finals you really need to study for are the borderline ones. Grades that are really close to the next grade level are the ones that are really worth your time. And sometimes you may want to increase your grade but its just not possible. Pulling up a solid B like an 85% up to an A is nearly impossible or calls for a grade like 98%. Although it is possible, it is not likely so if you have other finals that you need to maintain or are in major jeopardy, they deserve a lot more attention. In the end, your overall GPA can be more important than the individual grade.

Make a Plan of Action

At this point you should have a good portion of your studying completed so plan how you are going to conquer the test. Ask in advance how many questions there are and what types of questions (multiple choice, writing, essay or show your work math problems). Depending on the type and the amount of time given, choose a reasonable amount of time for each question while keeping in mind the various setbacks that might occur. If certain parts of the test are worth more points, do them first and do the easy ones that are worth less later since your brain does not need to be as sharp for those parts.

Stay Focused but Not too Focused

During the test, it may be in your best interest (if and only if time permits) to take a small break. Sometimes spending a minute to relax your breathing can give the clear mind needed to answer a hard question or ease your mind after one. You don't need a definite answer for all of your problems so you need to master the art of letting go. Don't sacrifice the difficult ten point short answer for the one point multiple choice one.

Don't Think About the Test After the Test

This is one of the hardest rules to follow. I, like many others, try to guess how I think I did on the finals which I have learned is horrible. Chances are that you have many more tests to come and thinking about a previous test can be a disaster. The point is that you can't do anything about a test after it's been submitted so there is no point thinking so much about it after it's over. Just because you think you did horribly, it doesn't mean that you did! If it were any other test, would you be this concerned? Chances are it is not nearly as bad as you may think.

I hope these tips helped! I usually follow these myself and I have noticed that my attitude and scores are better than those of my stressed out peers with no better grades than me. In the end of the day, finals are a mind game and the sooner one masters the game, the better they can perform.

MAC Lipstick Wishlist

I have heard nothing but great things about MAC lipsticks but unfortunately, I don't usually wear lipstick much. I'm more of a lip gloss or tinted lip balm or lip crayon type of person. I guess lipstick gives me a bolder look than I am used too. However, since MAC lipsticks have been so raved about, I have complied a wishlist of some of the ones that I would love to try.

Looking at the colors on their website, I see that they are really vibrant and colorful which is a stretch from my usual subtle lip look but the colors are just so rich that I am excited to try some of them soon.

(All of the following pictures are from the MAC website.)

Stunner (Matte) 

Sushi Kiss (Satin)

Crosswires (Creamsheen)

Flat Out Fabulous (Retro Matte)

Spice It Up! (Lustre)

Smoked Purple (Matte)

The last one is the most daring of all of them. Hopefully, I will be able to try some of them soon since they are so colorful and fun and come in so many different finishes making them perfect for any outfit and look.

I hope you liked reading this post and be sure to leave your opinions on these lipsticks behind as I would love to read them!