Friday, 26 December 2014

I'm currently obsessed with Bonnie Mckee, and partially enraged because shes so underrated not to mention shes such an amazing song writer!!!!!! So heres a 4 song medley of all the hits shes written for other artist!!!! :-D


Wednesday, 19 November 2014

Useful Shit You Should Know in Your 20's That No One Talks to You About

Growing up sucks.. It's really shitty and hard and emotionally exhausting on it's own but the most frustrating thing I've come across in early adulthood is this unspoken rule that I should know all this shit. Like at 18 a magical fairy comes into my room at night and places a crown of knowledge upon my head and just like that I can file my own taxes and not get an anxiety attack whenever I walk into DMV without my parents. As wonderful as that sounds THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS. So here's all of the things I've learned via fucking up until I got it right.


1. Take care of your health. 
I know this seems like a kind of duh tip. But take this into serious consideration. Are you physically active? Do you go in for regular check ups with your doctor? Do you have a balanced diet? Most college students will probably say no. It's really crucial to take care of your health, now because of obamacare young adults are allowed under their parents insurance until they're 26. However, when you get dropped off your parents insurance you don't want to be battling a bunch of health complications because you weren't taking care of yourself. Take advantage of your insurance, go in for annual check ups, stay on track with your health.

2. Learn how to cook.
The freshman fifteen can be avoided. Most people gain a lot of weight after high school because that year away from home is spent living off of ramen, hot pockets and fastfood. Do yourself a favor and pay attention to your Mom and Grandma in the kitchen so you can cook yourself balanced meals.


3. Look into getting a life insurance plan 
I know you're thinking, "why would I need a life insurance plan? I'm only in my twenties???? unnecessary bills??? no thanks????" well, a wise man once told me life's one big party when you're still young but who's gonna have your back when it's all done. It's great to start looking for life insurance now when you're in your 20's because the rates are more often than not going to be lower for you, because you're less likely TO DIE as opposed to getting it when you're 50 where you're more susceptible to diseases and viruses. If you purchase it when you're younger you lock in your premium, which is basically your payments being made towards your life insurance plan, and it will never go up, guarenteed. SO LOOK INTO GETTING LIFE INSURANCE BECAUSE YOLO

4. While we're on the topic of plans, seriously consider a 401k. What is a 401k? 
So I like just found out what a 401k was this past year so don't feel bad if you didn't know what it meant either, but if you did KUDOS 2 U. But basically a 401k is a reitrement plan. It's usually provided by employers, and what they do is take an amount out of every paycheck before taxes are subtracted and put that towards a retirement fund for you. You're in your 20's I get it, young entrepeuners are thinking about kick-starting their careers not ending it. The best example I could give of why you should invest is think of it this way: you begin saving at 25, right? putting away $2,000 a year for 40 years thats like $560, 000, assuming earnings grow at 8%. So it's a total no brainer, save a little now and reap big rewards duh. The reason a lot of young people don't do this is because a lot of 20 something year olds aren't told useful shit like this. EDUCATE THE MASSES.

5. Apply for credit cards.
PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY READ THIS THOUROUGHLY.
Do not go applying for like ten different credit cards. My advice just start out with one. When you're older you're going to start looking into things like buying a house, getting a car, or maybe even starting a small business, in order to do things like that you need good credit. How do you go about getting good credit? Credit cards are one way. As long as you use the card ONLY when you have the physical cash to pay it back promptly, credit cards can be a major tool in building credit scores.

6. Learn basic car maintenence. 
It's always nice to not be stranded in the middle of a bad horror movie with a flat tire and no cell signal. So do yourself a favor and learn basic car maintenence. Learn how to change the oil for your car and how to switch out a flat, nothing too fancy.

7. Fuck up.
I'm not telling you to get arrested or fly to Vegas with your high school sweetheart and elope. But I'm telling you to allow yourself some leeway to fuck up. When you're at this point in your life, no one is expecting much from you. That sounds rude but it's true. Allow yourself to make mistakes, to have fun, live a little because one day you will have a spouse and a job and children and though they won't be a ball and chain, you will never get the shot at the selfish freedom you're gifted in your 20's. You could wake up tomorrow if you wanted and fly to Paris because you said so and who's stopping you? You can do whatever you want so soak it up and revel in. Be selfish with your time and careful with your company.





Saturday, 8 November 2014

Following Your Dreams: Where to Start

So these past few days, I've found myself struggling with my depression more than I have in a long while and in those days I felt like I lost track of my dreams, of why I've been doing the things I'm doing. I've been in this sort of slump and so I needed reminding and that's why I decided to write this post and if you guys want to follow your dreams but don't know where to start this is perfect for you.

It's never too late to start following your dreams.
It's important you understand this. In high school I fucked up. Like a lot. I messed up my GPA so bad that counsellors were calling me in weekly and I went to summer school nearly every summer of my high school career. That being said, I did graduate from high school. I got to college and in my first semester got nearly straight A's and would have made deans list but unfortunately because of circumstances at the time I didn't. I fell off track and fucked up again and stopped going to school, my GPA suffered. Now I'm telling you this because not even a few months ago I had a meeting with one of the fashion schools I was applying to. I was in L.A. and on a whim I went in there, not expecting much out of it I don't even really know what I was expecting to do but I had been emailing a counsellor in the school there for a year and I just decided whatever it's worth a shot. So I went in, I told her my story, the deal with my depression, the deal with my grades and a few short months later I'm back in school working to get my GPA up because that fashion school, my dream school wanted me to pick up my grades so they could take me on as a student.

Never quit. Never stop working towards your dream. Never let anyone tell you you can't do something, not even yourself. 

"I want to be more than one thing when I grow up"
Now, I don't know if this is something that anyone else actually still struggles with over the age of 7 but as a real grown up (as I like to refer to myself as sometimes) I totally still do. The idea that you only have one true calling is both played out and damaging and it comes from being asked "what do you want to be when you grow up?" as a child.  At first for me it was being indecisive with majors, being torn between wanting to study social work with a minor in women's studies or go on to study fashion and work branding for stores. I mean those were two completely different fields, so it was hard for me to choose. Well for everyone like me, I have good news. Multipontentiality. It's a big word I know, but stay with me.

Now the wikipedia definition of multipotentiality is and I quote, an education and psychological term referring to a pattern found among intellectually gifted individuals. [Multipotentialites] generally have diverse interests across numerous domains and may be capable of success in many endeavours or professions, they are confronted with unique decisions as a result of there choices.

Basically, you're a fucking genius. So go on and build your empire, girl. You can do more than one thing, you can have more than one calling in life. People do it all the time. Don't put limits on yourself because society told you so. Believe in yourself and the possibilities are endless.
Don't downgrade your dream just to fit your reality. Upgrade your conviction to match your destiny. 

Never settle. Never convince yourself that it was too big, or too unrealistic or too scary. BE UNREALISTIC. BE TERRIFIED of your dreams. I read a book by Jay-Z once, and you should read it by the way and basically what he says is to never fear failure. Because the way it is, is if there's nothing after this, no such thing as heaven or God, so you've got one shot at life might as well make it worth it. OR, there is more, there's an afterlife so even if you do fail, if things don't work out who cares, you've got another shot, right?


Be an opportunist. 
More often than not, opportunities are missed because they're dressed up as hard work! Never be afraid of hard work. In life you will wade through a lot of shit. It will suck and you will want to give up and honestly, sometimes you will. Sometimes you'll get mad you'll hate everyone and just fucking quit. But it's okay, because no matter how many times you quit get right back at it. Keep going back for more. You may be up against all odds, and you might feel like the smallest person in the world but that just means you have a big destiny, the size of your problem is only an indication of the size of your future. 

Following your dreams. Living your dreams. 
Know the difference between these two. Following your dreams will not always be glamorous, depending on your dreams it may be late nights studying, or double shifts working shitty jobs, or doing internships working for free when you're poor. THAT is following your dream, working in an attempt to live your dream, which is doing something you love for a living. I can't stress this enough because people (including myself) think following your dreams is going to be like the Carrie diaries where you bump into someone who's like hey i like your purse want to work for me. No, it's hard fucking work and it's shit but it's all worth it in the end. Living your dreams is doing whatever you love and making that your livelihood

No matter how many times you fail don't give up. 
People don't want to hear a story about someone who had everything handed to them about someone who had it easy because people can't relate to that, I know I can't. People want to hear a story about the fuck up about someone who was handed shit and turned it around, THATS a story worth hearing. So keep making mistakes and keep trying and no matter how many times you fail keep coming back and come back harder than before. Understand that it's a mind state. Coming from a small island I used to think that people from the states had better oppurtunities, better experience, more talent I used to look in the mirror and think "why me? why of everyone in the world why should I get my dream?" Now I wake up in the morning and I ask myself why the fuck not me? Let THAT be your motto. Don't be afraid of failing, be fearless in the attempt. 


Don't waste another second doing something you don't love. And if you are doing something you don't love, then I hope it's in an attempt to spend the rest of your life doing something you DO love. Good luck guys, I believe you and I know you can do! 



Friday, 31 October 2014

How to Stay Organized by the Least Organized Girl in the World

One word: anxiety

One of the most dreaded, and hated words to be heard by someone dealing with depression or any serious mental illness, to be honest. Why am I talking about anxiety in an organization post? Because, in the roundabout circle of life, stress is one of the "invisible triggers" of anxiety and anyone dealing with it can relate to that. One of the ways to battle and counteract stress is staying organized. Dealing with my depression any little thing triggered it, being behind on my work in school, or being under too much pressure for a project, my room being messy, stuff like that. Well, dealing with all of that and with the help of some people in my life I figured out ways to cope with it and stay focused on fixing it rather than just worrying. Here are some helpful organization tips I compiled!


1. List, people. 
Collect your thoughts, and write down your biggest stressors at the moment. It doesn't necessarily have to be just things you need to get done like walking the dog for example. It can range from simple every day tasks to things like say, if you're in a toxic relationship or your friend is sad. Now narrow it down to things that are within your control. If you have no control over it, don't stress over it. Maybe the problem will escalate or maybe it'll end good for you but if it's out of your control what can you really do to fix it? Worrying does nothing!


2. Get a planner. 
Even when I was in high school I never used planners. I don't even know why I didn't but it was a stupid decision. Get a planner and write down EVERYTHING, at the end of the week go back and look through notes of time sensitive things you need to get done. What also helps is setting reminder on my phone because my scattered brainself still forgets to check every now and then. But, anyway, planners are great because they give you some semblance of order and its a great way to start your journey to being a cute girl (or boy) with their shit together.




P.S. TRY TO AVOID DRY ERASE/CHALK BOARDS. I only say this because they lack a sense of permanance. Try and stick to pads of paper and markers. 


3. Make your workspace cute! 
This seems a little weird but trust me it works! When I was going to school it was always really hard for me to focus on doing my homework or schoolwork in general because I never really had a desk. I was usually doing it in a busy kitchen or on my bed (worst places by the way.) Make your workplace something nice to look at. You'll definitely have fun sprucing it up! Put up pictures of friends and family, have framed inspirational quotes, make your laptop background of a city you want to live in some day (New York, LA, and Tokyo are all good choices!) but little touches to make it a more desirable space.

         

4. Get visual 
Like I said, I'm a very visual person. I like bright colors and city lights and all that fun stuff. So incorporating that into your life will help a lot. Try tacking up a bunch of positive quotes and happy things. I print mine out and frame them in neon picture frames. I have a whole album in my camera roll dedicated to city lights because thats where I see myself. Make your goals as visible as possible, photoshop yourself into a picture with Kanye and Kim if thats where you see yourself. The point is, seeing what you're working towards helps you to not lose sight of why you started in the first place.

             

5. Buy a red marker 
Buy a big fat marker and at the end of the day when you've finished a task put a nice big X over it. It seems silly but doing this gave me a feeling of accomplishment. Even if the task was small it was nice to see that red x over it, it was telling me that I was dedicated and getting shit done. (That's a lot for an inanimate object to say, I know, but still it proved true)

6. Be realistic in your daily planning
When planning short or long term it is really important you set realistic goals for yourself, otherwise it leads to disappointment and set backs. Try to take into account your budget, your time, and any other factor that could conflict with what you're trying to acheive! 






You can do this! Remember to believe in yourself and to always be kind! 






Thursday, 23 October 2014

Free College Textbooks

I said in my last post that I was going to link the sites where I download free pdf textbooks. Here you go lovelies!!!

Ebookee 

Textbooknova

GaTech Math Textbooks

BookBoon

Oerconsortium

Gutenberg

GetFreeBooks

10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Freshman Year at College (with visual aids)

1. REGISTER FOR CLASSES EARLY 
For the love of all that is holy, register as soon as freshman registration opens. I know it's summer and you want to put it off for another week. Don't. Do. IT. Because it will be horrible and you will stand in lines all day in a hot, small office with a hundred other procrastinating students like yaself. 


2. Dont try and get a matching schedule with your friend. It will suck and you will cry. 
Freshman year is crazy, everyone is trying to get the classes they need and for some unexplainable reason the open slots to freshman ratio is like 500023039430583498 to 10. Like I was saying, its crazy enough without trying to get every class with your BFF. It's cool to get a few classes here and there with people you know, but overall it's not worth the stress of having an 8am class and then a 5pm class just to be with your friend. Take the oppurtunity to branch out and meet new people! There are like a thousand other freshman scared like you, so bond over your fear!!!! 


3. Highschool rules don't apply 
Nobody cares about what you're doing. Like literally, no one. They're all just trying to get in, go to class and get their ass out of there. So all anxiety you've built up to this moment, forget about because everyones too busy being stressed out or freaked out or hungover to worry about who slept with who and who wore what. 


4. You will change your major five billion times
Don't freak out about not knowing what you want to do or changing your major more than once. It is totally okay to be picky and a little indecisive when it comes to what you want to do with the rest of your life, dawg. In fact it's bound to happen to everyone atleast once or twice or like me, five or six times. However, everyone is on the same boat as you, you ARE NOT ALONE!!!! (Actually, if there were anymore people on the "I'm changing my major boat" it would capsize and we'd all drown in our tears and the social pressure that comes with deciding on a career path) But no pressure. 


5. Network for study guides
Its the beginning of the year and you're sitting there with your super cute school supplies and your hairs really cute and curled and you have two seatmates, a girl with really cute jefferey cambells and a really hot guy who kinda seems like he'd be into you given a little push. Who do you talk to? The answer is NEITHER. Get the fuck away from them. They're distractions. Go sit in the front of the class and make friends up there because come midterms they will have the best notes and you can exchange and even talk about going half on a study guide. This will take the time out of making the study guide and allow you more time to actually study that shit. 


6. LOOK FOR THE PDF VERSION OF YOUR TEXTBOOKS ONLINE
Thats pretty self explanatory so I'm going to go ahead and list links to sites that offer free pdf version of books so maybe you can save a little money this school year and go get drunk. 


7. Don't obsess over meeting goals by a certain age 
Let me give you the age old advice and tell you SHIT HAPPENS. You fail classes, you get into unhealthy relationships, you have heartbreaks. Bottom line, life is messy, things will happen that are out of your control and you will fuck up. Don't be discouraged by that. That is life and your mistakes and fuck ups will ultimately lead you down the path you were meant to go down and offer you things better than what you originally wanted. 



8. Remember D.F.Y. 
Don't fuck yourself. (I don't mean this in the literal context, you can do whatever you want) Work on budgeting and time management. Whether you're moving away from home or staying and attending a local university, community college, etc. Do not fuck yourself by not sufficiently preparing for when you do actually leave. These are basic life skills you will NEED. I compiled a list of tips that helped me get my spending undercontrol, one of them was to PARENTAL BLOCK URBAN OUTFITTERS ON MY COMPUTER BECAUSE I AM TERRIBLE I CAN'T. 
 


D.F.Y. is my Hakuna Matata. I make tons of rash decisions that I know will ultimately fuck me but I want it and I'm used to getting what I want so I do it. Yeah, so I learned to stop doing that because in the long run it was things like I didnt want to go to class or I wanted to use the money for the waterbill to buy shoes on Urban Outfitters so kids, don't forget D.F.Y. 

9. Join Clubs 
I know you just want to go in do your credit hours and then go back home and watch Netflix but stop it, stop it RIGHT NOW. No but really, grades are great and all but companys ultimately look for well-rounded students with extra-curriculars and tons of leadership skills because they make great interns. 



10. Take a class for fun 
My dear and lovely over-acheiver, please don't forget to take a load off. Take a fun class! Theater or art or philosophy (depending on your professor of course.) These classes are the ultimate stress relievers, to get to go in and interact and not feel the weight of the world crashing down on your shoulders. Who knows you might even make some friends that you can relate to over the multiple mental breakdowns you've had throughout the semester! 


College is great and a super awesome oppurtunity to test your social skills and meet wonderful people and make cool memories. So study, and stay on track but dont ever forget to have fun! C'est la vie and all!!!!! 







Sunday, 28 September 2014

favorite youtuber!!

So toddy hall is one of my all time favorite youtubers! His uncanny ability to combine two of my favorite things in the world, yes Disney and Beyonce, is unbelievable. Whenever I'm feeling a little down I go to his page for a good laugh or just to listen to his awesome take on disney classics! Here are some of my favorites. A link to his channel will be included below :)








Sunday, 21 September 2014

A Short Post on Why Amanda Byne's is a Badass

1. She is a comedic genius, and our most prized childstar 




2. Dealt with a mental illness under heavy scrunity, which by the way is hard enough without tons of people analyzing your every move

3. Working hard on her road to recovery and is looking STUNNING by the way and setting an example for tons of people struggling with mental illnesses that it is possible to overcome and OWN your illness. She is now attending a fashion school in California.




We love you Amanda and praying for a speedy recovery, you GO GIRL! 



No Camera's Allowed

THIS KID IS AMAZING. This is one of those totally awe-inspiring videos of kids doing kick ass things that make you want to get out of your house and DO something. I stumbled upon it and am obsessed!!!! If you're looking for some inspiration to chase your dreams than watch this amazing documentary! Anything can happen if you put your heart into it, lovelys! Don't forget the world is your oyster and Marcus Hayne, you are a god amonst men sir and I salute you!

Saturday, 20 September 2014

feel good films I



Movies are so therapeutic, don't you think? Like, I seriously consider them a remedy for a bad day. What do they say, "laughter is the best medicine?" Well here are some feel good films, for medicinal use only! This edition is what I like to call "girl's night in" some great movies with strong female roles for you and your girlfriends to enjoy! xoxo, Summer

Tuesday, 16 September 2014

super kawaii school supplies!


Every school year I find myself scouring the internet for my beloved, yes, you guessed it SCHOOL SUPPLIES. Now I don't know about you but there are only two good things about school 1. seeing your friends everyday and bonding over your misery and 2. SHOPPING FOR SCHOOL SUPPLIES. Since there aren't any real lists of all the awesome places to shop for grool, unique school supplies I compiled my own! Hope you enjoy, kittens.

xoxo, Shine-eyed Girl



1. Ban.do
I figured since it's fall and college is going to be starting up soon (well for me atleast :P) why not share my favorite places to shop for school supplies? If you're like me and have an overwhelming urge to be super kawaii head to toe, YOU MUST SHOP HERE. They sell the cutest neccessities for the school year like portable chargers, earphones, coffee mugs.... oh and I guess pens and notebooks. They totally remind me of Kate Spade but at a ridiculously affordable price!!!




2. See Jane Work
So I'm kind of messy and unorganized and when I say kind of I mean I am totally and completely a hot mess, I'd probably lose my head if it weren't attached to my body! But I mean, I'm a teenage girl so it's part of the package. So, how do I stay organized, you ask? I go shopping, duh.... for agenda planners and filing boxes of course! See Jane Work sells super cute tools that'll help you stay organized this school year for awesome prices!






3. Dormify

Yes, the dreaded, I-want-everything-on-this-website-but-it-cost-an-arm-and-a-leg-and-I've-been-eating-hotpockets-for-the-last-week... DOMIFY. Now, I dont know about you but my minimum wage making self cant afford to be forking out 30-100 dollars to spruce up my dorm/bedroom, however one thing I really love about dormify is their "kits." So if you don't know dormify puts together these awesome themed care packages that come with different tools depending on your current situation. Say your spending your first birthday away from home? There's a kit for that. Pulling an all nighter? There's a kit for that! How about if your roommate sucks and you feel like jumping out of a window? You guessed it there's a kit for that too!




Another super fun and super affordable website!!! It also offers GREAT dorm furniture at more reasonable prices than dormify! 
 


5. stubby pencil
I am queen of erasers that are so cute I end up not using them the entire school year and this site just feeds my addictive tendencies!




6. o-mighty
I consider my phone a school supply because i use it for literally EVERYTHING from a calculator to a translator, organizer and even to take notes! So when I whip that bad boy out I want to have THE cutest phone accessories. That's where o-mighty comes in! They have the most original, fashionable, and fun phone cases I've ever seen. Granted, they're usually shipping internationally (if you live in the U.S.) so it does take a while to get there, my last order took a month but I always highly recommend this site because their stuff is good quality and I know I said original but I can't stress that point enough it's super amazing! They also sell awesome threads so once again I HIGHLY recommend this site!




thats it for now but if you liked this edition comment below so I can post more lists of some of my favorite places to shop and reviews of products I've purchased! :)