Lately, I've been on an organizing-spree to clean up my work-space. It's a strange thing, like a itch where I get annoyed when something is out of place. Even if my desk is still qualified as pretty messy, it's a kind of organized-messy that I can navigate through and work in.

Unused Mugs 

 If you have a bunch of unused mugs (I have a whole cabinet in my kitchen) you can use them to put your pens or pencils in them. I just used a bunch of old ones I dug up from the back and plopped some miscellaneous stuff in them.
You could put:

  • Gel pens/ colored pens
  • Expo Markers
  • Colored/mechanical/wood pencils
  • Sharpies/Permanent markers
  • Markers, Scissors, Highlighters
For more personalization, you could buy fancy mugs or flowerpots from Target or Walmart for more colors. You could also use sharpies to decorate them (I tried, but my Sharpie marks didn't last), or to one of those paint-your-own studios. 

Post-it Notes

I've been using these a lot lately. I use them for everything: shopping lists, wish lists, homework, to-do lists. My favorite thing has also been the post-it note tabs. I use them to bookmark important things in the textbook while I'm studying and also to mark a place in a book where I liked the wording or a notable quote. 
I have them on the walls, on my computer, and random places around my house. I doodle and write down ideas on them. They're just... useful. 


Index Card Holders

I bought mine from Target for about three bucks. It holds a lot of index cards, comes with separate tabs and label stickers. 
The only thing about Yoobi's index card dividers is that they aren't stuck to the case. So they can move around, be altered (which isn't exactly a bad thing), but they can also fall out. The button doesn't seem like it will hold to me, even though it hasn't failed me yet, but I'm constantly scared that my cards will fall out. 
But this also gives me less stress! I have all of my index cards in one place, and I have two classes that require me to do flash cards for vocabulary words. I have five dividers and I separated them to: English, Biology, Personal Index Cards, Index Cards I Need To Finnish for Homework, and Extras. 

Shoe-boxes

Obviously over the past few years, I have underestimated the power of shoe boxes. Mine were just tossed to the floor of my closet and left neglected. 
I took two shoe boxes, cleaned them out and filled one with all my art supplies and stationary and the other one with miscellaneous books, then I shoved them in my shelves. It makes me feel better because it looks neat and compacted. 
(Reduced prices because my parents are such great deal hunters.) 
(These shoe boxes are not mine.)

Calendar

 I put all my important dates on it. Birthdays, appointments, and long term projects are all smashed on the calendar in different Sharpie colors. Whenever I wonder about the date, I just spin in my chair and stare at the calendar.


Other Stuff:
Pencil Case: All the smaller things, such as pens, highlighters, glue sticks that I need for school are in there.
Phone: I don't have an exactly up-to-date phone, but you can put updates, alarms and notifications on your smartphone.
Planner: Like a calendar, but you have more space per day. I just put all my homework in it.
Weird basket thing my mother bought (most likely from Daiso): I put my umbrella, glasses and few items of jewelry in there. Whatever miscellaneous things that don't exactly fit in my office, but I would probably need just for convenience sake (like hair ties) are just put there. 


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I have started to editing my photos! How do you like it?







--qotd

I've decided to do some statement sharing, or statements worth quoting. Most of these will be my own and I'll add a little bit of how I came about writing it.

So hers the backstory behind this one:

I used to have a guy I met over the internet, who told me all these sweet things. He gave me nicknames, lovely words and I sort of fell for it. I was totally enamored of him. But these things you learn with time and experience: that not all sweet-talkers are entirely beautiful and their words - especially from people over the net - might not be true. No offense to anyone of course, but just because they say they love you doesn't mean that they do.
He and I stopped talking soon enough. Sometimes when a guy calls you 'Princess' or 'Honey' too many times it gets extremely uncomfortable, kind of the feeling like everything is fake and overly-sugared up. It took me a while to come to realize how insincere everything sounded. He hadn't even seen a picture of me and he talked about how 'beautiful' and 'pretty' I was, that maybe everything he said wasn't entirely true.

There is also a second guy: someone that I truly liked and enjoyed talking to. I met him through some friends, and by the time I finally got to know him he had already moved across the country. He and I immediately connected, talking day after day during summer. He was extremely nice to me too, he told me I was pretty, that he loved talking to me and how he missed me. We had promised each other to meet one day and go out on a date or something.
One day, we just fell apart. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but we just stopped talking. He didn't reply to any of my messages and didn't text me. I tried to ask him what's wrong and why, but I still got no answer. But what hurt me the most was that he just left, as if I didn't mean anything, as if it didn't take that much effort to remove me from his life. I didn't even know why.

Even if both guys were sweet and wonderful to me, they left some sort of mark. It was great while they were here, but they left, all that remained was an empty sadness.

After finding that my high school was stocked with books that I haven't read before, I'm kind of on a reading rampage.

Cinder  by Marissa Meyer
4.5 stars
Dystopian Romance
Time it took to finish: 1 day
Price: $9.99 (US) [Paperback]
Length: 387 pages
I have heard of tis book numerous times, on Tumblr, and between my friends. Cinder is a futuristic twist on the Cinderella's story. It includes a step-mother and two step-sisters, obviously there is a ball and a swoon-worthy prince. It's pretty action packed and left me wanting more.
One of the reasons why I read this book is because I kind of expected a happy ending. Maybe the conflict wasn't solved all the way and it needed a second book. Maybe they just wanted to make it a trilogy! But that is not the case. Prince Kai's last words to Cinder is heartbreaking and all along, she was throwing herself into a dead end.
It seems as if Cinder's troubles go beyond her family and dead step-father. It involves Lunar and Earth together. She is fighting against the prejudice that people have about cyborgs, she will do a lot for her youngest step-sister (who isn't as evil as you would assume so) and she does things for the greater good.
So I finish the book thinking: 'Everything is going to be alright, Kai and Cinder will get together in the end and everything will be fine.' But upon further research, I find out that the next book, Cress, wouldn't be about Cinder. It introduces an entirely new set of characters and a look-a-like Red Riding Hood. I'm slightly disappointed and discouraged to continue this series, but if I ever feel like continuing to finish it, I'll do it.
Summary: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl...
Sixteen-year-old Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past and it is reviled by her step-mother. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover sees about her past in order to protect her world's future. Because there is something unusual about Cinder, something that others would kill for.
:: Woo this was a pain to type. My Chrome isn't working for some reasons and now I'm using Internet Explorer. For some reason BlogSpot isn't compatible with it and sometimes won't register what I type, so sorry for the errors. 

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
4.5 Stars

Fantasy
Time it took to finish: 3 days
Price: $17.00 (US)
Length: 471 pages

This book was really lovely despite what my friends had told me about it. Katsa is a wonderful character, the struggle between doing right and wrong with her Grace is obvious with her actions. We read a few chapters, fully registering the extent of her powerful Grace and what she could achieve with it. Then comes in Po, yet another beautiful character that brings Katsa light. He's patient, kind, supportive and just a bit self-confident. It's action-packed with just the right amount of romance dabbed in there. 
In the middle of the story, Graceling does get a bit slow. It drags on with endless details and situations that don't seem quite important. But over these pages, you can really see the friendship development that the characters go through. 

Summary:
In a world where people born with an extreme skill - called a Grace - are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of a skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him. 
When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. 
She never expects to become Po's friend.
She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace- or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away... a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone. 




School just started for me, and when I was reflecting over my summer for anything interesting to tell our friends: man. I did nothing.
Well I couldn't say nothing. But I pretty much did what was required of me for school and went to New York. Period. No personal goals finished. No projects done.

One of my lasting summer traditions is to read The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. It may be because it was one of the first summer love stories I've fell in love with, and the first summer love book I've actually read in summer. But no matter what, every time school lets out I'm always at the library, surfing through shelves to find this one book.

Laziness: This whole summer I've only been to the library about... twice. Once to check out books and once to return books. That one time I went to the library, I searched for The Summer I Turned Pretty. I couldn't find it and later found out that the whole series was checked out. After that, I never really bothered.

Having 'better' things to do: A.k.a things that were more entertaining. While playing League, reading this series was at the back of my mind. This also goes with excuses for myself: I was too busy during summer to read.

If you have a goal to do during summer, you should do it. Or else you'll end up like me: trying to pick up the remains of a tradition that you broke. And i'm still trying to tell myself that it's okay: if I read a pdf online it'd still count. Or, summer isn't over yet, you still have time.

Next time summer rolls around, have goals that you actually want to achieve, or else you'd be to lazy to do them. Or actually get your ass out of the couch and actually do it. 
So I'm deciding to do these every month: a list of favorites, wants and a playlist. I think that this would be a good way to recap a month of what I've been doing. 
Playlist (songs are linked to youtube): 

Wish list:
1. Chubby Stick: I've heard that a lot of people love the Clinique's Chubby Stick and I really want to try them out. The pigment doesn't seem very strong, which I love about it, and it seems like it's very smooth and easy to put on. 
2. Etude House Pop Stick (photograph above): Similar to the chubby stick, they come in lovely colors and it looks like you could be coloring in your lips! 
3. Kitty tights: I've been seeing these everywhere and I really want a pair! They're really adorable and you could wear them under a pair of shorts or a cute skirt or dress. I just need to find a pair of shoes to go with them. 
4. Collar Necklaces:  I think that they'd go so well with a sweater. If you don't have a collared shirt underneath but wear a cool statement collar necklace. You could also wear one with a collared shirt for a cute pop. 

Favorites:

1. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight  by Jennifer E. Smith: (Reveiw here)
2. Sketch by Piccadillyinc: I'm not sure how much it costs (back cover says 20 bucks), but my friend got it from Barnes and Noble for possibly a much cheaper price. It's a sketch book, with the word: SKETCH written on the front in silver. It contains plain paper and I think it's a really cute.

3. Blue & White Nautical Infinity Scarf: It's really pretty blue and white patterned infinity scarf I got from New York. I know I got it near a Metro station, and it was only 5 bucks. It's extremely soft and goes well with pretty anything. 

4. Flower Headband: I bought it from Claire's for about nine bucks. It's this really pretty daisy one with a delicate band. 
5. EOS: I'm currently using the purple one (I forgot what flavor >.<) and I have to admit it's really nice. It has a nice application, but it goes away really fast. It also kind of dries my lips after two-or-so hours. 

~~

So that's it.Thanks for reading! 













The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith.
Five Stars

Contemporary Romance 
Time it took to finish: 2-3 hours nonstop
Price (listed on cover): $17.99 (US)
Length: 236 pages
Emotion? This book made me cry a bit, and definitely made me smile. 

I got this book for free in this cute little library near Stony Brook University in New York. I have heard of this book, and have been told that it's extremely well written. 
I have to agree. 
Although it was a bit short of my liking (236 pages), it was incredibly cute and sweet. The story spans over a time period of two days, and you can see the main character's chemistry develop into more as it goes on. Oliver and Hadley grow close to each other after they meet at the airport and sit together in the same row. This story is funny, cute and heartbreaking at the same time. 
It's also filled with quotes like:
"It's not the changes that will break your heart; it's that tug of familiarity." 
"It's one thing to run away while someones chasing you. It's entirely another to be running all alone." 

Summary:
Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.
A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?...








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Too many things to do. Too little time. Who knew Halloween could be so stressful?

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