Month: May 2016

How To… Survive Finals!

~ ogaidry ~ Leave a comment

 

IMG_2080.jpg
Hey guys! Finals can be a stressful time for any student, but never fear! I’m bringing you the ultimate survival guide. And look on the bright side, summer is coming! I’m so excited to be planning new posts for you all. I have put together these tips, tricks, and life hacks to help my fellow scholars prepare. I hope you find this post useful, let’s go ahead and get started!

1. Study Space

During finals week, it is totally important to find a good place to study. I do not recommend your bedroom, there are just way too many distractions. I usually prefer to study at the library, or my spare room, somewhere quiet where I can focus and not watch TV  (tempting as it is to finish season 3 of Pretty Little Liars).

2. Healthy Snacks

I also think snacks during study time are very important because, let’s be real, nobody can pass them up. I found that dark chocolate (vegan of course), blueberries, and nuts are fantastic for your brain. Chewing mint gum can help you improve your concentration. You may want to fill up on caffeine for those all-nighters, but I suggest you stay away from it. Fight the urge, as it is a stimulant which causes harmful effects to your body. I was a green tea fanatic last year but the caffeine made me sick to my stomach, and if you have finals coming up, you want to be at your absolute best!

3. Use a Planner

I also recommend using a planner during finals week so that you can keep track  of all your due dates & days and times of tests. Using a color-code system is a great way to know which assignments are from specific classes. It’s effective and vibrant at the same time! I also like to make sure that when I’m studying, I’m keeping my area organized because I get really stressed out if the space is messy. Wherever I go for studying, I make sure my textbooks are all in one pile, and I only have one open at a time. Additionally, I keep my pens and pencils organized just to help me not get stressed out.

4. Comfy Outfit

Wearing a comfy outfit while I’m studying is helpful also. While typically, I’m not a big advocate for sweats, finals week is a rare exception.

5. Turn Off Distractions

While you are studying, you want to make sure that you’re not scrolling through social media on your phone or listening to music because these things are just distracting. I really like listening to music when I’m studying, but when it comes to finals, I really just have to buckle down, take the headphones off, and not jam out to the Hamilton soundtrack. I get super distracted and wind up spending more time having dance parties with myself than hitting the books.

6. Use Apps to Study

I like to use study apps during finals to help me organize and concentrate better. Create practice problems, quizzes and study guides prior to the tests. I have the Quizlet app, (probably my most used app for school), which is so handy for making flashcards without wasting paper or wasting valuable time. Having organized materials will help you answer questions quickly and effectively.

7. Take Time to Relax

I like to do things to help me relax during finals week. Things like going on hikes, doing yoga, or anything other than studying, really helps me to just not be too stressed out and get a little break. It’s definitely important to do so you don’t get over-stressed, which happens to me a lot of the time.

8. Sleep Well!

My last tip for finals is to get enough sleep. I like to stop studying and turn off my phone an hour before bedtime. This calms me down from all of the knowledge I’ve been cramming into my brain throughout the day. I also like to spray my room with lavender spray. Lavender is super relaxing and helps me fall asleep faster.

I hope you guys found this useful! Let me know in the comments down below if you guys try out any of these tips or tricks that I mentioned. Good Luck!

See you guys in my next post!

xo, Liv

How To… Liv(e) Vegan

~ ogaidry ~ 1 Comment

IMG_1556

Hey everybody! Sorry I have been so M.I.A. lately, school has been keeping me very busy. Fortunately, I am back with another post!

For those of you who don’t already know, I was a vegetarian for the past 10 years of my life. I made the choice to become vegan January 2016. After doing more research on the dairy industry, it didn’t seem much like a choice but more like a responsibility to help protect the animals. After interviewing a couple of my fellow vegan friends, Claudia & Cassidy, I wanted to give you guys a little more insight on the lifestyle. Enjoy!

When asked “why” they became vegan, both Claudia and Cassidy said the primary reason was health. Cassidy said she immediately became more “energized” after switching to a vegan diet, and Claudia said she noticed her skin was more “clear and bright”.

Both girls have plenty of experience with this diet, as they started in middle school. Claudia was in 7th grade when she made the switch and Cassidy was in 8th. They determined that “going vegan was still easy” even in school, because they could bring their own lunches. However, Cassidy mentioned that sleepovers could be a bit more tricky so she usually brought her own dinner to her friends’ houses.

Cassidy also wants people to be more open to the idea of a vegan lifestyle for the sake of  the animals. She is big on vegan “alternatives” in the grocery store that can cure any craving for popular meat and dairy foods, without hurting the animals. Claudia raves about “SO Delicious” non-dairy ice cream (I agree!) and Amy’s mac and (no) cheese. For those people who are still insensitive to the idea, Cassidy says she would like to, “challenge someone to spend a day in the dairy industry,” after describing a disturbing experience at a dairy farm.

The girls have proven that change to a more ethical diet is possible, and they say they’ve even opened their families’ minds to the idea. Cassidy says her parents have been super supportive of her decision. She even has some vegetarian cousins and vegan cousins. Claudia adds that her sister is more open to the idea of vegan food, as well as her Mom.

However, with any new territory, there are always those skeptical, or even worse, close-minded. Veganism is no exception. Both girls said they have had some less than accepting reactions after telling people about being a vegan. They agree that there is a stigma with vegans being pretentious. The idea that “vegans are better than everyone” is simply NOT true. The majority of vegans are “just regular people”, says Claudia, and not “weird” extremists as a percentage of people believe. Then, of course, there is the big debate on Freelee the Banana Girl. Cassidy believes she’s “effective”, while Claudia describes her as “insane”. My opinion of the Rawtil4 Vegan YouTuber lies somewhere in between the two. She is passionate about saving the animals but can be a bit extreme and may offend some people.

The two most FAQs that just about every vegan gets are the ever present, “Where do you get your protein?” and “I want to go vegan but it’s too expensive”. When posed with the former question, Cassidy said succinctly, “beans, legumes, protein powder, and soy.” By the way, did you guys know that there’s no such thing as protein deficiency? When posed with the latter, the girls agreed that it’s “not that expensive” to go vegan, “it depends on what you get”, says Claudia. You can get “salads and a lot of fruit” without breaking the bank. Also, this might be a good place to mention that no, I do not live off of salads, and neither do Cassidy and Claudia.

In terms of the definition of vegan, the girls agree that it extends beyond what food you’re consuming. Both Cassidy and Claudia are against leather and suede; Cassidy only wears vegan makeup. (*Side note: Leave a comment if you want to see a list of my recommended vegan cosmetic brands).

Whatever your choice, believe in it, share you story and support others.

For inspiration & motivation for vegans or aspiring vegans, Cassidy recommends Fully Raw Kristina on YouTube & the documentary Cowspiracy. Claudia also recommends YouTuber Claudia Sulewski. Look down below for my personal fave references…

Vegan References

Documentaries: Cowspiracy (Netflix), Earthlings (YouTube)

YouTubers: Freelee the Banana Girl, Steph Yu (happyandhealthy96), Nina and Randa, Bonnie Rebecca, Stella Rae

Books: The China Study by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell

**A very special THANK YOU to Claudia and Cassidy for taking the time to chat about life as a vegan! 

xo, Liv