i don't roast my friends; i chargrill them

A true captain goes down with his ship

i put “All I Want for Christmas is You” through a MIDI converter, and then back through an mp3 converter

Have you been feeling upset or stressed lately? Well, make some tea and cuddle yourself up in bed. Here’s a few things that can help you brighten up your mood or keep your mind occupied: BASICS - in need of a compliment? here and here.  - feel like everything is going wrong? hover here and here and here and here.  - have a cute dog lick your screen - want a hug? - make a comfort box - a site designed to help talk you down from a stressful experience - the thoughts room - sort through something that’s been troubling you - self harm alternatives + here - reasons to stay alive - 28 tips to relax - 21 tips to keep yourself together when depressed - want to be inspired? watch this - When is the last time time you did absolutely nothing for 10 minutes? - 100 things to do when you’re upset - the only 7 things you can control in life - make everything OK - the dawn room - how to get motivated when you don’t feel like it - six ways to combat boredom - stress relief techniques - anxiety masterpost

SCHOOL - stressing over an exam? here’s a few tips - need help with focusing? here’s a few tips. - free online courses - study tips masterpost

GAMING - watch livestreams on twitch  - psychological games - cute games calming games: • music catch 2 • fishing girl • take a walk • flow other: • draw a stickman and go on adventures! • tetris

MOVIES and TV Shows that’ll definitely cheer you up (hover title for description) - police academy (1984) & police academy 2 (1985)  - ghostbusters (1984) - home alone (1990) -  dumb and dumber (1994) - john tucker must die (2006) - the blind side (2009) - lots of disney movies - movies with queer ladies, woo! - all marvel movies - movies with great cinematography

- Bob’s burger - Drake & Josh  - Adventure time

  READING & STUFF - read any book + here - random wikipedia article + different wikipedia articles - random wikihow article - mythical/supernatural creatures  - nice comics - best of craigslist - amazing fact generator + quizzes! - what is the best type of chocolate for baking? - like mythology and want to read a new book? recommendations here! - survive nature MUSIC & SOUNDS - rainymood - kinda like rainymood but let’s you mix different sounds - listen to wikipedia - orchestral reworks (8tracks playlist) - the nostalgia machine (pick a year and listen to your favourite childhood jams) COMFORT FOOD - easy & delicious nutella cookies (video) - other nutella recipes (masterpost) - macaroni and cheese in a cup  - fruit salad (simple but yummy!)  - chocolate chip cookie in a cup - american pancakes - regular pancakes or this recipe  - the easiest chocolate cupcakes (also vegan!)  - chocolate corn flakes (trust me- it tastes better than how it looks!) - jam drops - don’t know what to cook? DRINKS - 10 refreshing non-alcoholic drinks - fandom drinks (w/ alcohol) - 14 fruit-infused waters to drink instead of soda - simple nutella hot chocolate - the ultimate in seasonal drinking: how to make hot cocoa mix - what tea should you be drinking?

Crash Course in Russian | The Alphabet

Ok people so I’m thinking of making some Russian language powerpoints.  I know a lot of you like ‘quick and dirty’ language learning (as do I) so I figure I might as well simplify some of my own notes and share them here.

The first set I’m uploading is the Cyrillic alphabet. I know there are TONS of these out there but I personally can’t stand graphics/drawings or ‘tips & tricks’ on my study materials because I find that immensely distracting, so I’ve put together a set which I find much more aesthetically pleasing.

I’ve included some short notes on palatalization but otherwise everything is greatly simplified.  Again, I plan for this series to be a ‘quick and dirty’ overview for those who have little to no familiarity with the language and who don’t plan to study it very seriously.  Alternatively this series can serve as scaffolding material for those to plan to learn the language in the future.

As a disclaimer, I am not a native speaker of Russian and though I will be putting a lot of effort into these there are bound to be some mistakes.  I appreciate any kind feedback or corrections.

ENJOY <3

If this is why employers dislike Millennials, then I’m glad they do. I read over this article this morning and it’s content has irritated me so much since reading it that I simply have to respond.

This is an article berating Millennials in the business world for using the word “fair”, arguing that it’s use undermines credibility and illustrates a lack of understanding for how the world really works. And, if we are to be functioning under the same set of assumptions that the author is, we know that things never change, so Millennials need to stop worrying about what is fair, and instead focus only on profit and productivity. Oh yes, this is capitalism at it’s finest. Of course, we all know that Millennials are also “foolishly” supportive of socialism, and our reasoning for doing so is spelled out perfectly in this article.

“Absent the risk of a costly PR disaster or a hefty fine, it is the fiduciary and legal duty of a company’s management utterly exploit and even destroy both human and natural resources, providing it increases shareholder value.”

I can’t think of any better way to state exactly the problem with unrestrained, unrestricted free market capitalism than that. Corporations, and therefore their employees, are expected to seek to a profit regardless of the externalities associated. This makes Millennials the target for valuing fairness and human cost rather than eschewing it for capital gains.

But the article goes on to discuss how Millennials just need to accept the current reality and learn to play the game by the rules previous generations have already set. In fact, those rules are even inclusive of free-rider employees and direct discrimination. According to the author, if someone else does less work than you and receives a higher compensation, that just shows that he understands reality better than you do.

“In the real world, women get paid less than men, women suffer constant sexual harassment, companies discriminate against minorities, and managers extort unpaid overtime from millions of salaried employees.

In the real world, tall men and attractive women make more money on average than their shorter and less attractive counterparts. In the real world, an idea that saves millions of dollars earns its creator a 1% raise.”

Throughout the article, the authors repeats the phrase “It’s not fair, but it’s true” as if that somehow codifies it into an unchangeable fact. You know how you change things over time? By having a large group (say… A generation of people) refuse to continue playing by the current set of rules. The great thing about reality is that it is effected by the choices we make.

The author does briefly admit that perhaps Millennials are so obsessed with fairness because they plan to work it into our national values and laws, but he quickly follows it up by saying that until then, stop using the word “fair”.

Hello, everyone - and people who want to be productive, especially!

So, my summer holiday started a week and something ago, and I already started missing school. I don’t worry about that very much, because, of course, there are other ways to be productive, as well - but, also, relax is a thing. I’d love to list some! 

Also, I decided to stop doing a promo, because I honestly don’t want to get more notes just because my blog may hire you followers… Sorry. I hope you understand, xoxo <3 Still love you ^^

Let’s get to our masterpost!

1. START YOUR DAY RIGHT

Morning Routine (super important): When you set up a routine you follow early in the day, you provide a structure, an outline for everything you will do. Once the structure is in place (that’s the hardest part), the rest is just following along.

Wake Up (early): This may be the second hardest part of your day, but it will make yourself proud. The No. 1 rule is, to go to sleep at decent time - I’ll recommend being it at 10 - 11 PM. Here are some other useful tips & tricks!

Make Your Bed: This will make you feel like you’re doing something good and starting your day right + also, an awesome habit for life!

Breakfast: Start the day with the glass of water right after you wake up. Then eat something, that actually fill your tummy and don’t forget to add some fruits & veggies ^^ Also, healthy snacking.

(Quick) Hygiene: Brush your teeth, your hair (probably put them in ponytail or bun?) and wash your face and hands. If it is your habit, you can also take a shower! + Quick Hairstyles for short and long straight (wavy) hair & for short and long naturally curly hair to keep it out of you face!

Yoga: Stretch is awesome for increasing your health. It makes you feel super good about yourself and also makes yourself more awake. Try this!

Working Out: If you’ve ever worked out, you know how awesome it feels when you sweat and work on your healthier self. Also, don’t forget how proud you’ll be after one! There are loads of different workout sets so you can make a schedule and work on each part of your body every day or do a full body ones! These videos are really awesome!

Music: It’s good to make a playlist filled with songs that give you a happy and motivational feeling or just make you feel a good way! I definitely recommend to listen to some tropical sounds, especially in summer - it makes perfect atmosphere! Also, you can listen to some of your favourite ones! Check out this masterpost to find different classical music that suit your mood!

+ more about how to have a good morning!

2. STUFF THAT WILL FILL YOUR DAY WITH PRODUCTIVITY

A Complete Guide To Studying Well

Homework + Resources (school work): Do everything you need to do for school first. This will make you “free” and after you’ll have everything done, you can focus on everything you really want to do! Also, doing school things will make you feel most productive - and you probably don’t want to start your 4,500 words long essay night before your school starts. Here’s quick guide to manage your study time + how to get your homework done!

Learning Languages: As we live in world, where there is enormous amount of languages that are actively spoken, it’s important for loads of people to speak at least one foreign language. You can focus on studying some on duolingo or memrise (my username on duolingo is: motivatedsuccess, you can add me <3). Here’s another helpful masterpost + learning languages online!

Reviewing Notes (from last school year): This makes the informations you’ve once learnt active, and it’s less possible that you’ll forget them! You’ll also get ready for entrance exams, if you have one. This will help you reviewing in less time and you can also make your notes prettier!

Planning Your Day (+ getting a summer routine): As I spoke about a morning routine, this one is important as well. You can find loads of printables here, that will help you organize tasks you need to (or want to) do throughout the day and you won’t miss anything important. It will protect you from procrastination as well and help you accomplish a goal.

Don’t Procrastinate: This one’s really hard, I know - especially in summertime when there’s no deadline which will push you to productive mode. Here, here and here are some useful tips about stopping procrastination and spending time without that. Be strong + check out another 15 ways to beat procrastination!

Bullet Journal: As leads from “planning your day”, the bullet journaling is one of the most effective days for doing it - not for everyone, of course, but you can learn everything you need to know about it here! If you want to set up one, this video may be helpful <3

Setting + Accomplishing a Goal: Don’t forget to be realistic with this one! You can easily fail when setting up really big and insane goal. Here’s little guide on doing it right! Also, 101 ways of rewarding yourself!

Reading: It is the best thing you can do to increase your writing and public speaking = vocabulary expansion. It also makes your memory work better. Here are some other benefits + a list of very good books!

Use Pomodoro Method when doing  a n y t h i n g  you want to focus on 

Organizing Your Life, Your School Stuff, Your Desk and Your Place: This will make yourself more “together” and your life will be suddenly brighter, I promise. It’s also great to create better habit in cleaning and being always organized. Life feels better when everything is in place, doesn’t it?

Speaking of organizing, get your life back on track

Watching Documentaries: This activity is way more productive than binge-watching shows on Netflix. Not only you get to know new facts about new topics, but you also relax while doing it. Here are 25 documentaries you should definitely see + this, 26th one!

Visiting Museums: This one is super educational! You can definitely visit some in your area or go somewhere farther + take notes, if you want to! Here are 100 museums to visit before you die and here are some reasons to do that!

Khan Academy: This is the website where you can easily find loads of topics to learn about & it can also help you with understanding some stuff during school year! You can learn something they won’t teach you in school, which is super exciting and awesome!

Check out some study playlists?

Improving Your Handwriting, it will make you very proud of yourself and help you with note-taking next school year!

Writing: Try to write anything - try to write 300 - 450 words (at least) about any topic that comes in your mind. It can be poetry, story, masterpost, review of your day, article, essay… literally anything! Even if you aren’t good at it, just read some tips and do it - you’ll also improve yourself!

Learning How To Play an Instrument, it’s awesome relax and also it increases the artsy part of yourself + other benefits!

Get a Job / Volunteer: Making money throughout your chill days is awesome! Just imagine how many stationery you will buy! Here are some resources on how to do that!

Clean Your Place / Room: Set up a day when you’ll do that, for example on Sunday, and do it every week! Stick up a schedule and get it done! It really makes you feel responsible… If you don’t know how to, learn about it here!

Watch some educational videos on YouTube?

3. HAVE SOME FUN, RELAX AND CHILL

Procrastinate (a little bit): I know what I’ve said above, but summer is not about being productive ~*all the time*~. It’s your time to unwind, relax and get rid of school stress and deadlines, that are hunting you. It’s okay to binge-watch Netflix from time to time. Don’t worry and don’t be so strict to yourself ^^ <3

Have a Bath: After a long day, the hot bath is one of the most awesome relax & treat for your body - don’t worry about an environment for the moment. (Do a DIY Galaxy Bath Bomb?)

Watch Some Shows: Since school started in September for me, I stopped watching TV completely. Summertime is awesome time to do that! Just wake up on Saturday, stay in yo’ pyjamas & binge-watch these 33 shows on Netflix. You deserve this.

Turn - Off Your Electronic Devices: Have some time with real humans, yourself and nature. Sometimes it’s good to turn down everything and just go hiking, go for a walk or exercise. Read in nature. Basically, do anything, but not in virtual reality.

Travel: Even if it isn’t 11-hour-long-flight to another continent, you still can got to another city with $3 bus ticket, visit something somewhere, go hiking or just spent your day in public transport. As long as you are looking outside of the window and experiencing country and cultures, go for it. (+ tips and tricks for travelling)

Make some DIYs? (+ 1, 2, 3, 4)

Culture: Check out what is happening in your area. There are loads of free concerts, galleries or other spectacles to visit during summertime - also because loads of tourists come there on holiday. Make sure you won’t miss anything you’d want to see.

Meet People You Haven’t Seen In Years: They can be members of your family, schoolmates from elementary school or friends that moved. Appreciate moments with them and share what’s changed in your life.

Watch Lilly Singh’s and Hannah Hart’s Videos + Vlogs: Both of these women are super hilarious and I love positive energy and vibes they somehow send to me. I love their work and message so much, and I really hope you’ll as well. #unicornforever

Find a New Hobby: This one’s awesome! Please, do so, even if it won’t last long - it’s super fun and it makes you busy and happy!

Colour Like an Adult: So, you probably heard about anti-stress colouring books, as far as it is newest trend. I don’t know if it really reduce stress, but it surely stimulates your mind and makes you relaxed. I especially love Millie Marotta’s artwork!

Make Playlists: This is really very, very fun. I love it! I made several on Spotify. Try to make some for different parts of the day, moods, occasions - or just get songs you love together!

Use Old Notebooks!

Dance Around: Dance is super fun. And you don’t even have to be good at it. Don’t be afraid and put some music on, move the furniture away and transform your living room in rehearsal one. Also, if you want to keep it more professional, check this out.

Composing Your Own Music: I’ve never done this, but it seem awesome - also, how cool is it have a little bit of songwriter personality? You can learn everything about it here!

Send A Letter To Someone: This is super old-school, and that’s why it is that cool! Honestly, I could never imagine how happy would it make me, if I ever get a handwritten letter in my postbox. Do it!

Find Wallpapers For Your Devices!

Watch Movies, as well: I don’t know about you, guys, but I love watching movies. As it was with shows, I don’t have time to watch them while school is the main thing in my life, so I prefer to have movie nights during summer. You can also call some friends over and have a sleepover! Check out these recommendations.

4. MAKE YOUR EVENING WORTH IT

Run & Jog: When weather is chilly and sun is not shining so bright, it’s ideal to go for a run. It will make you feel, happy refreshed and it is awesome for your health and falling asleep. Learn about these 5 secrets of running!

Don’t Dine Late, Don’t Dine Heavy Foods, but Dine: It will actually prevent you from waking-up-at-midnight-and-looking-for-food-in-fridge. Also, here are some quick dinner receipts.

Drink a Glass Of Water before going to sleep, so you won’t wake up dehydrated and with headache. 

Keep Your Technologies Out Of Your Room, because electronic light isn’t good for our bodies at all - and we all know that.

Go To Sleep: Going to sleep at decent time, don’t be a night owl. If you want to make next day worth it, you need at least 8 hours of sleep at night. Make sure you get enough rest.

The Evening Routine Of The Most Successful People

Owners of Linked Videos & Masterposts: @coffeesthetics , @sstudys , @violaboss , @scholarlysquad , @strive-for-da-best , @areistotle , @hermionegoals , @hexaneandheels , @highschoolering , @studyign , @onlinecounsellingcollege , @sciencesilience , @sheisrecovering , @studyllaire , @etudiance , @esteelalonde , @hannigraham , @hellogiggles , @ajwinterbooks , @psych2go , @stvdyghost , @buzzfeed , @g-reenie , @bloodiedteeth , @iisuperwomanii , @mydrunkkitchen , @killyouranxiety , @writingnotebooks , @studywithnoelle , @studiesbyleila , @arwyn-studies

So, I hope you enjoyed that one & I apologize that is is sooo long, but I wanted it to be very detailed!

Have awesome summer, lovelies,

Guide on How to Catch Up in Your Classes

I often see master posts and tips about how to become organized and have better study habits but not about what to do when you have essentially messed up. I just wanted to share some of the things I do when I fall behind and how I recover. Unfortunately, this is an experience I am very familiar with but I am actively working on changing.

Please do NOT use this guide as a justification to fall behind. This is a guide for those who for whatever reason are already in this predicament and need help ASAP!

1) List everything you have to get done. Absolutely everything, down to the smallest detail.

For example, do not write down “readings for class X” but rather list out every chapter, and if you want every subsection of that chapter. This makes it easier to gauge how much time you need for every assignment and will motivate you when you check them off!

I like using apps like OneNote and Momentum to make my to do lists or just standard sheets of paper.

2) Calm down.

If you are anything like me, after you have made your long to do list you will start to panic. (I do, every single time!) Do your best to calm down, a calm mind is a sharper and smarter mind!

Personally, I like taking a moment outside to just concentrate on taking deep breaths of fresh air. This helps bring my heart rate down. (It’s something a bit similar to meditating)

For meditation, stretching, yoga, exercise, and power-naps you can use the app Fabulous (I use it often during the day for these purposes.)

Do not use this time to procrastinate! Try to find a relaxing activity that is not time consuming (i.e, DO NOT watch an episode on Netflix, play a video game, or anything that can easily feed into your procrastination) Although, these can all be relaxing activities, you will unconsciously negatively reinforce your habit of procrastinating to relieve anxiety and, thus, will consistently want to procrastinate when you are distressed or overwhelmed by your classes. Essentially, creating a cycle of procrastination. 

Ex: I am behind and am experience a lot of distress and anxiety. Watching Netflix (i.e. procrastinating) gives me temporary relief by distracting me from my responsibilities. Once my episode finishes, however, I feel the anxiety from my workload again and will decide to watch another episode etc. etc. It’s an endless cycle.

3) Plan out your week and dedicate each day predominantly to one class.

Now we have all the assignments and studying you have to do for every class and you are calm. Make sure to pay extra attention to due dates and plan which days you will be dedicating to each class. Plan a whole week and remember to plan wisely!

Prioritize by amount of weekly workload and proximity of due dates.

Does a class have assignments due every week? That class is most important since small assignments can eventually add up to a big portion of your grade. These assignments are due the soonest and, therefore, need to be done ASAP. Dedicate the whole day to just that class.

For example, for my Life Science course I have weekly quizzes and clicker points during class. If I am behind, I will dedicate a whole day to doing readings for that class first.

Have two different assignments for different classes due on the same day? Plan in advance so that you will still dedicate a whole day to each class rather than working on both assignments the same day (which would most likely be the day before, am i rite? ;) -> No, seriously don’t do this.)

If it is utterly necessary to do both assignments on the same day, then do split up your day.

4) Plan out your day. Every single hour. Seriously.

I literally will make a list of available times for each day and will schedule in assignments, meals, breaks, interviews, everything.

Try to be realistic! (I struggle with this a lot.)

Estimate the amount of time for an activity and then add a few more minutes to that.

Do not forget to schedule in essential personal care time. You need to eat, you need to take breaks, you need to shower, and you need to sleep. By doing this, you will be able to curve fatigue and to overall be in a better mental and physical health which is important for productivity.

Interweave your studies/assignments for a class.

What I mean by this is that you are behind and need to not only do the assignments but most likely need to learn it QUICKLY for the upcoming exam.

So an example of interweaving would be actively going back and forth b/w reading a chapter and your lecture notes. When I am behind I will take notes on the chapter I am currently reading and add those notes to what was said in lecture. Therefore, I am catching up but also making sure I am understanding the readings in terms of what is being taught in class. This saves time and you are learning!

Re-plan.

Some assignments will take longer than expected or a day will simply not be as productive as you thought it would be. It’s okay. Do not get discouraged. Simply, re-plan, adjust your days and continue moving forward! In order for this to work, you need to be flexible and learn what are the most important assignments you should be spending your time on.

5) Do not procrastinate!

I know this is easier said than done, but you (and I) are behind so we really have to stick to this one. Procrastinating may feel good at the moment but you will feel terrible about it later.

Here are some tools to help: Self-control (for macs), and Forest (for phones and computers.)

6) Go to the library or a quite isolated space.

Go. Go now.

Studying in your dorm room or at home gives you too many opportunities to be distracted and you simply do not have the time to take the risk. Food and people are my main distractions!

Also, being in a space where others are working will motivate you to do the same.

Get hungry while on campus? Pack your lunch AND dinner when you go to class and just spend the rest of your day in the library.

If you are starting to feel mentally fatigued, go somewhere else, take a small break, and continue. Go to a cafe, a computer lab, a grass field, anywhere. A change of scenery while studying can help you feel refreshed!

7) Give yourself rewards for accomplishments

I prefer to keep my rewards small. They tend to be having a small talk with my roommate, experimenting while making coffee, making myself a really nice dinner, or pressing flowers.

Do not over extend or continually take breaks. Again, do not reward yourself with something that you associate with procrastination or could procrastinate with!

8) SLEEP!

Last one! I know everyone and their moms say this, but sleep is very important for learning and (if your cramming) retention. After a certain point your brain will be too fatigued and will not retain anything you try to cram into it, so why not spend that time doing something better? Like sleeping!

Before I even start studying, I give myself a cut-off time. This is a time when I will stop, no matter how much work I have gotten done, and will prepare to go to sleep.

I wake up at 8am, so mine tends to be around 12:00am.

Your cut-off time should be strict and should give you at least 6-8 hours of sleep, so plan wisely!

Consistency is the key to success.

Studies have shown that inconsistent sleep affects your learning retention and academic abilities the next day. So, really try to stick to this one, if anything!

Again, the Fabulous app can help you stick to your cut-off time and maintain a regular sleep pattern.

I could go on and on about this but this post has already become more lengthy than I had anticipated!

Remember these are the things I do when I am behind (usually severely), this does not consist of my daily study habits when I am caught up. Therefore, some of these tips aren’t efficient for long-term learning but are definitely better than cramming (in my opinion and experience.) Catching up is by no means fun, therefore, once you are caught up, please try to implement better time management and daily study habits. (If anyone is interested in tips for those, let me know and I can make a post about it!)

Lastly, you can do this! I mean it. I do not know you personally but I have seen people do the most astonishing things in the face of adversity. So please trust me when I say, I believe in you wholeheartedly!

Good luck!

Jessica