29 Sept 2011

Anne's Fool-Proof Ways to Survive Hell Week

Oh look, another blog post for the month of September? Came too soon? I don't think so.

Anyway, the recent couple of days on the Interweb have been.. uneventful so to speak. Seeing that there was a typhoon (Pedring) and we lost power for about 36 hours, which was incredibly annoying! And I was basically itching to go on Pottermore to brew a bunch of potions for my house (Hufflepuff). If you have Pottermore, don't forget to add me. I'm ProphecyCastle8. (Shameless plug right there!)

While the power was out, I had a lot of time in my hands to ponder about my next entry (this). So here it is:

Anne's Fool-Proof Ways to Survive Hell Week

  1. Make a playlist - For me this is a crucial part of going through hell week. It's important to match your mood with your chosen set of songs. While working on my truck load of plates, I often blast rock music - an obvious favorite of mine. I might be biased but believe me, I also listen to other genres though I'm very selective about it. Recently I've been playing a lot of Pierce the Veil, Four Year Strong and A Day to Remember. I steer clear of some good 'ol All Time Low, Mayday Parade, The Maine, Fall Out Boy and the likes since their songs (more often than not) bring me to reminiscing which isn't really the purpose of making a playlist.
  2. Write a "To Do" list - This one works just like magic! It keeps you in line and in track of all the things you need to accomplish within a certain span of time. I usually write mine in a planner but then I barely even open that thing, so for this hell week I tried something different. I got a bunch of post-its and stuck them on my mirror since I usually (as narcissistic as it sounds) glance at my reflection. My mirror's attached to a cabinet and I pass by it all of the time. Plus, I strategically positioned my post-its on the part where I can usually see my face to remind me of the work I have to accomplish.
  3. Stay away from the interweb - This is probably the hardest thing for me to do during finals week. I'm always in front of the laptop, guaranteed! Another reason why it's so difficult for me to not be online is because of all these stories I stumble upon. Okay, I admit it, I'm a geek for amateur stories. They keep me entertained at all costs. But since it is that time of the semester, I am consistently reminding and restraining myself from this. You should focus on what you have to need to do, not on you want to do.
  4. Stack ip on the 3-in-1s - Whether you like it or not, caffeine will be your new best friend especially when you're a professional procrastinator / crammer like me!
  5. Stay awake - Don't you even dare take a power nap! You'll only end up sleeping for more than eight hours. I'm not saying this just because, this is based on experience, kids. Keep in mind that when this is all over, you can get all the sleep you want.
  6. Keep a positive outlook - Extremely important! You must have the will to finish everything. No need for sulking or anything over-dramatic. Just do what you gotta do as a student.
  7. Nail it! - Probably the hardest part of this whole guide. Well okay, hard for me as a fine arts student seeing that our grades usually depend on the professor's tastes and mood.
  8. Give yourself a prize - Now this is for when it's all over. This is something to look forward to once you've accomplished everything. Get a well-deserved massage or maybe a trip to the salon to get yourself pampered (I'll be doing the latter).
So there! I can't believe I actually finished an all-text blog post! Okay, so maybe I'm not yet done. I have yet to hand out a couple of tips for you college students out there who feel like dying during this difficult time.

Tips for everyone who's stressing over exams / plates / deadlines
  • Don't skip meals. At first you might think that it's alright since you get to lose weight but then it causes headaches which isn't really a pleasant company while studying / doing your thing.
  • Drink lots of water. If you aren't a fan of caffeine, drink ice-cold water instead. Not only does it help wake you up but also helps remove toxins from your body.
  • Take Vitamin C! It is an unwritten rule for almost all college students to not sleep when it is called for. Lack of sleep brings down our immunity system so don't forget to back it up.
And I'm really done. I hope this blog post has somewhat helped you!

Ps.
I honestly have not put this much effort into composing a post for my blog. Do I get props for this?

26 Sept 2011

Hellogoodbye

The title, obviously from a Beatles song. Could also be taken inspiration from the band, Hellogoodbye - who I've been listening to latelly. It makes me feel like I'm in high school again. Carefree, no problems, good times. Anyway, the reason of which (in regards of my post's title) is because this is my first blog entry for the month of September! So hello September. But then again, it's almost over so I'm here to say an early goodbye.

September has been fairly good. Really good, actually. But of course it can't always be perfect. There were a couple of glitches - none that I can't handle. Still a downside of my month, I'm not going to deny that.

In my recent post, I indicated that I was thrilled about the All Time Low concert that took place last September 22 (Thursday) in the Araneta Colliseum. It was amazing! The only thing that sucked about it were my seats. I was dying to jump up and down and actually mosh if only I wasn't given that much open space. If you must know, I was seated at the top-most and farthest from the stage. I've gotten bitter about this minor detail but all in all, they were beyond amazing. They sound like the freaking record which kind of freaked me out. Anyway, I'm not going to post pictures of that. I did, if that's what you want to know, but they suck big time. There wasn't a specific word of how dismayed I am with that single detail. Upon watching the concert, I made a promise. A promise that it wouldn't be the first and last time I'll be watching them.

I don't know if I've mentioned my plans on this blog but I really don't want to get into detail. Just don't wanna jinx it, is all. But I hope you'll wish me luck! I'd really need it.

Anyway, here are some of the other things that happened this month.

The opening of Moonleaf Tea Shop in P.Noval (September 9, if I remember accurately). I was thrilled to find out that I will finally taste the famous Moonleaf Milk Tea! I obviously had no idea what to order so it took me quite some time to pick one and I ended up with this:



This is the limited edition Peppermint Milk Tea (parang sneakers lang eh no, limited edition) and it was really good! I usually chose the safest order when it came to milk tea - Nai Cha. But this time I decided to pick out something a little out of the norm. I would have tried the Yakult one but this one was too difficult to pass. I have a thing for mint.
Next, is the sudden realization that my room looks like that of a boy's.




I mean, come on. With the blue sheets and blue walls and all that. It just screams MANLY.

And one of the highlights of my month would probably be this:



Yes, I received my activation e-mail for Pottermore last Saturday and I'm so crazy about it! I'm actually one of the first hundreds and thousands of people to be able to try it. It's pretty amazing. Got into Hufflepuff, if that isn't obvious enough. I'm officially a badger. Gained a couple of points for my house and still trying to. Seeing that we have the most members yet we're last in line for the House Cup. I can't just let that happen, right? But then Pottermore just wouldn't let me log in due to "overwhelming demand". Pfft, whatever. I'll just wait it out then since I don't really have a choice. Oh, and if you'd like to add me, my username is "ProphecyCastle8".

Okay so that's some of it.




There's something that's been bugging me though. I've been feeling a little sullen lately since after the All Time Low concert. Maybe it's PMS or whatever but it's just honestly really annoying. Seriously though, I know that I just want to get out of here. The Philippines is making me stuffy and I don't like stuffy. Almost made me feel claustrophobic.

But there's no point of being all brooding. So here's an awesome line from All Time Low's song, weightless.

Maybe it's not my weekend, but it's gonna be my year.

Never fails to lift my spirit.
#TrueStory