Rhetoric of a Fangirl

Fall is here so time for some inspiration for bujo themes this season!

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Leaves are always a simple and colourful choice for a fall monthly theme!

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Coffee and hot drinks is  great if you’re looking for a cozy theme!

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The moon and stars works great as a black and white theme for fall. 

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Obviously for October, Halloween is always a fun theme to do!

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Harry Potter is another magical theme that suits the autumn season!

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Autumn is almost here and what better way to kick off the season than watching some Halloween movies! Here is a list of fun spooky movies I like to watch every year. 

First up, is probably the number one Halloween movie you remember as a kid, The Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s a musical, it combines the two best holidays, and the animation still holds up for the 90s. This film is great to watch with younger siblings, cousins, or friends for nostalgia. Also, Jack Skellington’s struggle to not be apathetic with the repetitiveness of life, is very relatable as an adult. 

Corpse Bride is another Tim Burton masterpiece to watch for the fall. The imagery and metaphors in the story are clever and hauntingly beautiful. The plot also features a female protagonist that doesn’t need a love interest to find fulfillment and be content!

Monster House always makes me laugh and is another great movie for all ages. The animation really shows how far technology had come in the 2000s. The opening scene itself with the leaves falling was astonishing the first time I watched it. The movie has all the fall aesthetic vibes, with a spooky story and lighthearted jokes. 

Over the Garden Wall is a mini series, but it adds up to about the length of a movie! From one of the animators of Adventure Time, this story has an 80s cartoon style and just the right amount of creepy tones. There’s an interesting mystery and all the songs will get stuck in your head. 

Coraline is another delightfully creepy film to watch. Laika studios is an amazing animation company and this movie definitely set the standards for animation in the 2010s. The story is based on the exceptional novel by Neil Gaiman and this is a great movie for kids that don’t scare easily. The pacing and mood is well done, even as an adult you’ll feel uneasy sometimes, in a good way of course! ;P 

My last two recommendations are not animated, but definitely a must watch! The first and second Harry Potter movies have the most Halloween vibes out of the series. Even if you’ve never been into the wizarding world, you should watch the first two movies for the autumn and magical feels. 

Finally, Disney’s 1993 Hocus Pocus is a cheesy good time. You’ve got witches, 90s bullies, spell books and a talking black cat, need I say more? If you saw this movie as a kid, it’s still worth re-watching! The costumes and set design are fun to watch and the story has adorable sibling bonding.  

Whether you consider yourself artistic, or just like staying organized, there’s a style of bullet journal for everyone! If it’s you’ve always wanted to try bullet journaling, here’s some ideas for you!

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A minimal themed bujo is a good place to start for any beginner! This type of journaling also works for someone who wants to be organized but doesn’t care about  fancy visuals or doodling. A minimal bujo is good if you want to create daily and weekly spreads that look nice but don’t take a lot of time. 

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One of the most popular styles of bullet journaling, aesthetic/themed weekly spreads. If you like lettering and stationery, this type of bujo is for you. You can pick a theme for each month and use different stickers, washi tape, pictures, and doodles that match your aesthetic.  You can add in personal journaling, a gratitude log, and trackers (sleep, finance, working out, drinking water, mood). 

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An art journal, is great if you like drawing and painting! But you can also create an art journal with photographs, magazines images, scrap booking materials, etc. This type of journal is great if you prefer to express yourself through images more than words. 

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Finally, you can create a bujo for your favourite fandom! KPop bullet journals are one of the most popular types out there. You can also create spreads for any of your favourite shows, movies, books, or celebrities. This is a type of journal you can do spreads for as often or as little as you like!  

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Staying productive in the summer might seem pointless when you’re off school. But staying fresh to ease the transition back into fall is important. Also, making the most out of your mornings in the summer is good for your body and mind! Here are some ideas to try during a summer morning!

Being consistent with your sleep schedule is still important during the summer. Try letting yourself only sleep in an hour more than your usual school schedule. Also, picking a group hobby or activity that you do in the morning a few times a week can help you stay consistent. Take advantage of being able to enjoy a morning without rushing and worrying about school! Of course, if you work during the summer, try a morning activity when you have a day off. 

Get outside! Sitting in your backyard or going for a walk is a great way to start your day. Allow yourself to wake up with out being attached to your phone and staring at a screen. You’ll have an easier time focusing during the rest of the day. The morning is also the best time to be active and set the tone for the rest of your day. 

A lot of us start our day by drinking coffee, but try drinking a glass of water first or a having a cup of tea. It’s important to hydrate your body, and sometimes when we’re home more we forget to drink as much water as we should. So, still fill up your water bottle for school like usual to remind yourself to drink water throughout the day. 

Try gardening of any kind, a plant in a pot, grow some vegetables or plant flowers! Gardening is also good for concentrating and it’s a peaceful activity. Working on a garden in the morning is best for plants and again, your starting your day without relying on technology!

Listen to music in the morning! Grab your headphones and sit in your backyard or go sit in a park. Music is a great way to wake up and boost productivity and motivation. Choosing upbeat or feel-good music will also put you in a good mindset for the day!

Finally don’t be too hard on yourself with being productive in the summer. It’s up to you what productivity looks like, it’s not always about working out every day, studying for next year, or learning a new skill. A productive morning can be that you just get up in the morning at all, and give yourself time to take care of your mental well being!

If you’re going into your first year of university or you’re still going to be a student in the fall, but your campus will still be closed, here are some ideas for covid-19 safe activities! I promise not all of them involve Zoom.

Depending on where you live in the world, the number of people you can be around is different for everyone. But, if by September, you can be around more than the people in your house, try an outside gathering with take out food! Reducing the handling of food is important, so pizza and subs are a great options for individual eating. If you’re in your first year, make or join a social media group with people in the same faculty or classes you’ll be having. Of course, you might not be able to have an event with hundreds of people, but message a few people who live in the same city as you for an outdoor meetup!

A virtual activity you can try with more people is a Zoom (or whatever video chat platform you like) karaoke night! It might feel silly at first to be singing alone in your room, but it’ll be a fun way to connect with friends or new people. You can even do a duet if you don’t feel comfortable singing alone. 

Make a study group! Struggling through a tough class together is more tolerable when you have other people to support you. Again, if it’s safe, you could meet up once or twice a month in person with your study group!

When the weather is still nice, have a bonfire night with friends! Bring snacks that can easily be shared individually, and everyone can bring their own drinks. You can also look up games that can be played at a safe distance, like charades.

You don’t have to spend all your free time watching Netflix alone. Try an online game night with friends! Steam, discord and other online gaming services have made it fairly easily to remotely play board games and party games like Jackbox, with friends!

The first day of summer is this Sunday, so here’s some bujo theme ideas for the summer months!

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1. Floral/Tropical Flowers 

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2. Beach theme 

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3. Fruit theme

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4. Ice cream and cold desserts

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5. Gardening/Cottage theme

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6. Camping theme

If you’re looking for something unique and new to watch, I highly recommend The Midnight Gospel on Netflix. The show is made by Pendleton Ward and Duncan Trussell. 

Admittedly, getting used to the show takes a little bit of time but it is very funny and touching once you get into it. If you’ve ever wondered what a podcast would look like animated, this is it, but also mixed with magical elements. Midnight Gospel is also a great show to have on in the background, because it is a podcast, you could just listen to it.

Although,  I will say it is worth it to watch the show too, especially the last episode. The visuals are an experience on their own that’s fun to watch. The best way to describe the tone of the show is a mix of Adventure Time with a bit of Bojack humour. But again, the show is fresh and different from most T.V. series.  

If you like existential discussions or have ever wondered what in the world someone means when they mention mindfulness, you’ll enjoy The Midnight Gospel. The show is an emotional journey and there are a lot of interesting conversations between characters. If you’re someone who easily gets bored at the thought of podcasts, this show might get you interested in listening to other podcasts!

One lasts reason you should give The Midnight Gospel a chance is for intriguing conversations with your friends! As well, this is a great show to watch with your friends the next time you plan a virtual hangout. Even if you find the show to be too ridiculous or bizarre, it’s fun and something new to talk about it with friends!

Whether it’s because of a pandemic, or you voluntarily chose to take a class online, here are some tips for staying on top of your work!

In theory working at home is the dream, you can work on classes at your own pace and pants aren’t required. But you still need to keep a schedule and make daily deadlines so you don’t fall behind on work! Yes you can do assignments in your pjs, but give yourself hard deadlines so you don’t have to do all of your assignments in one day.

Yes, even scheduling when you’ll take breaks are important! Also, it’s good to mix up what you do instead of always binging a t.v. show. Try doing something that will stimulate your brain, like reading for interest, painting, drawing, playing a game, a puzzle, or playing an instrument. You don’t have to be talented when it comes to creative activities, as long as you get joy from it!

After a week of being at home you might start to feel crazy being in one environment. Under normal circumstances I’d recommend going to a coffee shop, a nice library or book store, or somewhere on campus with a pretty view. When you have to stay home, try sitting in a different room, sit near a window to feel natural light, or sit in your backyard. Changing up where you work can refresh your motivation!

You should also keep the same sleep schedule during the week! You want to be well rested so you don’t procrastinate more than you already do. In fact, this might be a good chance to improve your sleep schedule because you don’t have to rush off to campus! Working at home doesn’t mean you should be hanging out late with friends. Of course, when you can’t be near other people, still find ways to stay in contact with them like video chats and messaging. Also, e-mail your professors when you need help in a class.

Burn out towards the end of a semester still happens even when you have classes online. Learn to prioritize in the last weeks of classes, by breaking down deadlines for final assignments and exams. For example, if one class has a final exam worth 30-40% of your final grade, give yourself 5 days to study. If in another class the final assignment is worth 20% of your final grade, set aside 2-3 days.  Of course if all your classes have final exams, study for 2 classes a day so you don’t overload your mind. 

Finally, staying active is important for maintaining your health and reducing stress! Whether it’s exercise, yoga, dancing, or going for a walk! Under regular circumstances I’d recommend doing a physical activity with friends to reward your hard work. For now, you can video chat with friends and follow a workout or dance video together!

Improving your life or how content you feel is a constant process! But here are some habits I’ve found has helped my day-to-day satisfaction with life! Maybe you don’t do each of these tasks every day, but try to do 1 or 2!

Make your bed every day. Doing this two minute task has greatly improved how organized I feel and it makes life feel a little bit less cluttered. Also, you might find you’re more motivated to be productive and get a better night’s sleep!

Get outside for 5-10 minutes, even if you live in a country that can have cold terrible winters, like I do in Canada. Getting fresh air can relieve stress and help you focus better. As well, taking time to be around nature helps to remember what’s important in life and not constantly be attached to technology.

Take 3 minutes to meditate. Mindful thinking and letting go of constant worries leads to a more satisfied life. Take a few minutes every day to listen to guided mediation, on YouTube or an app. Learning to observe your thoughts and feelings without an emotional charge can help reduce anxiety and unnecessary stress.  

Think about or write down one thing you’re grateful for. It’s easy on a bad day to feel like literally everything in your life is hopeless and terrible. That’s why it’s important to remind yourself, even on great days, one thing that makes your life better! Whether it’s having a safe place to live, friends or family that care about you, or having food to eat. 

Listen to music that boosts your mood. Music that makes you feel energized can put you in a better mindset. You can dance to the music, workout to a happy playlist, or just put some music on while you work. Joyful music can help re-focus your attention to be more positive and believe in yourself.  

I recently finished watching the second half of the final season of Bojack Horseman! So major spoilers ahead if you haven’t finished it yet!

Overall, I was very satisfied how the show ended for each character. I thought the finale did a great job of calling back to moments from earlier seasons and showing everyone’s character development. The last time I reviewed Bojack was for season 3, and my perspective on the characters have changed a lot. Most importantly, I felt like each character got the ending they deserved. 

The View From Halfway Down is honestly my favourite penultimate episode in a Bojack season. This episode was a poetic and narrative masterpiece. The visual metaphors and each character’s conversations with Bojack were so poignant and brutally honest. I don’t want to spoil too much about this episode, because it is a life changing experience when you watch it the first time.   

I loved how this last season focused on Diane, especially “Good Damage”, which did an amazing job of expressing her depression, and how difficult it is to accept being happy after being sad for so long. Moreover, I liked that Diane realized she can have worth with her flaws and she doesn’t need to create something serious for her “damage” to matter. I really enjoyed her conversation with Mr. Peanutbutter and the paradox of an old relationship (”if we met now I feel like things would be different, but if we never met when we did, we wouldn’t be who we are now”). Also, I’m so glad that her and Guy stayed together, when she said “boyfriend at the time”, I was bawling till she said he’s her husband now. 

I loved that Princess Carolyn ended up with Judah, one, because he’s a total babe, and two, he’s the healthiest relationship she’s had. I also really related to Princess Carolyn’s struggle of finally getting to do what you want, but you don’t know what that is because you’ve spent so long focused on others wants. It was also satisfying to see PC “have it all”, in her own way and not feel pressure to have everything in her life happen in a certain order. 

The only part of the show I wasn’t completely satisfied with was Hollyhock’s ending. I didn’t love her exit was done in a letter she leaves for Bojack. I would have preferred if she had a longer conversation with him. Even if  she didn’t feel like she could be direct with her brother about how she knew what he did on that prom night. But I also get that Hollyhock felt like she had tried expressing to Bojack her frustration with him invading her life and not respecting boundaries.   

I thought that Todd and Mr. Peanutbutter’s story lines had some good comic relief. I did feel like their parts were mostly wrapped up by the end of season 5, but I’m glad Bojack had some final conversations with each of them. I was glad to see Mr. Peanutbutter had some self realizations about his behaviour in relationships. For Todd, I loved his ridiculous metaphor about art and how it’s up to the audience what message they interpret from it. I will never look at the Hokey Pokey the same way again. Turning yourself around, really is what it’s all about!

Whether it’s in school, a job, or a creative goal, failure is a necessary step in achieving success! Failure should not be shamed or feared, and it’s never a waste of time as long as you learn from it! Here are some ways to take advantage of  failing! 

One benefit of failing is it teaches you to go with the flow and constant change of life. As well,it’s helpful to look at failure as a chance to move on and try something new. Sometimes, we feel like we have to follow one plan our whole life. But, when that plan doesn’t work out, we can end up discovering a new dream that’s even better. 

Failure can also be an opportunity to let go of who you think “you’re supposed to be”. Failing should help you realize your worth and value as person is not defined by a career, a grade, or someone’s else opinion of you. After a failure, it’s important to refocus your vision instead of dwelling on old goals.  

Sometimes failure also helps you become a better person! You don’t need to be perfect, but if you have self destructive behaviour, you need to get help for that! When you lose relationships around you, take this as an opportunity to reflect on yourself and think about how you can treat yourself and others in a more healthy way. 

As well, failure is a great teacher for improving strategy. Sometimes we don’t know how to prepare for a goal until after we fail. Moreover, the benefit of not succeeding the first time, is you’ll be more willing to improve your work and not assume you’re an expert. The danger of always getting what you want right away can lead to missing errors and poor quality of work.  

Finally, don’t let others discourage you from going after your dreams. What matters is persistence, effort and constantly improving your skills. Failure should be a motivator and  fuel your determination. The only way you can lose in failure is if you give into doubt. 

 When you’re in college and in your twenties, you go through a lot of personal and social changes. As you change and grow  you might realize some people no longer bring stability to your life. That’s when you need to cut that person out of your life. It might not be forever, but you should only reconnect if you and that person can bring positivity to each other’s lives again. 

 One of the first reasons you should take a break from a friendship is if that person gets angry when you try to  improve yourself. If you have a friend who seems annoyed because you’ve “changed”, it might be because they haven’t really grown and feel unhappy with themselves. Who you are might change 20 times throughout college, and that’s okay! Of course, there are negative changes that can happen, but if your focus is on self-improvement and achieving goals, your friends should be supporting you. 

Another unstable friendship you need to end is one only full of negativity. If you’ve got friends that only enjoy saying shitty things about others and constantly gossiping, it’s time to cut those people out. Always talking down about others and complaining is not healthy and gets really boring. Also, those types of friends probably talk behind your back all the time, which is toxic. It’s better to tell a friend when you have concerns about them, or have a constructive conversation about an issue in a friendship. But a friendship that only involves negative discussions and experiences is not okay. 

We’ve all had that friend who’s always ready to go for a drink, or gather people together for a party! But that kind of friend becomes an issue if that is the only way they want to socialize. If this kind of friend never wants to hang out without alcohol, they’re probably not in a good place in their life and need to get emotional help. 

 Another friend you should keep out of your life, is someone you can’t be honest with. Good friends won’t agree on everything and they won’t hold it against you for having a different opinion. You should also feel comfortable to share your thoughts about anything and not feel embarrassed to share any of your interests.

 Finally, you should cut ties with friends that refuse to accept boundaries. It’s not healthy for a friend to demand how often you hang out or hold resentment towards you for not “hanging out enough”. Lives get busy and as long as you don’t bail when you do make plans, your friend shouldn’t be mad at you. Sometimes we only have time for a cup of coffee, and what matters is the time you spend together is meaningful! Don’t let a friend make you feel guilty for not hanging out “long enough”.