An Ordinary Girl's World: Fashion, Love, Life

• Never settle for anything less than what I deserve: I mean I've already got high standards for myself. If I get anything below a B+ in subjects I'm generally not good in like the sciences, and anything less than an A in subjects I am good in like literature, and other arty subjects, I practically berate myself. But, when it comes to guys, for whatever reason, I allow my standards to fall. I dated someone that I knew wasn't who I should be with, and stayed with them just because it was comfortable. You know it's bad when someone who doesn't even know your boyfriend tells you (through the aid of tarrot cards, no less), that you need to raise your standards where men are concerned. Needless to say it ended badly (reminiscent of stalker-ex boyfriend movies) and I can now honestly say I've never appreciated being single so much before. It was very scary but at least I've learnt from this experience.
  


• Give myself a break: I really am my own harshest critic and after having several people (including one of my oldest friends and several of my academic advisors when I told them how I wanted to complete 2 degrees and a minor in 3 years) tell me that I really do push myself too hard, I decided that its ok to give myself a break every once in awhile. Also, that I should learn to adapt my personal standards to every different situation.
  


• Become more accepting of myself: To some this may sound like the last point but its really not. You see, after having breathing difficulties and being disagnosed with asthma, I was told that I show a lot of the symptoms associated with adult ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder). ADHD occurs because a difference in the chemicals and the positioning of neurons and neurochemicals in the brain.

Common symptoms include: carelessness and lack of attention to detail,
continually starting new tasks before finishing old ones,poor organisational skills, inability to focus, or prioritise, lateness to activities, continually losing, or misplacing, things,forgetfulness, inability to complete tasks or stick with tasks, and sometimes depression as a result of the condition. Its not a disease but a developmental disorder and apparently I've probably had it since I was a little kid, but was diagnosed since in girls its usually shows in their quiet and dreamy demeanor instead of the more disruptive forms. I'm getting officially tested soon but either way, I've decided I'm just going to learn to work with it and be more accepting of things that I just can't do.

• Do more of the things I like and not what I think I should do: I almost became a double major in journalism just because I thought it would look good. I was so convinced that it was the right thing to do, that it took me several days of career testing and interest evaluating for me to realise that I want to be my own boss and I just can't do that in traditional print journalism. I still love media literacy and writing though, so I'm a film studies minor instead of an journalism double major.

So goodbye 2009. Thanks for the memories.

But before I end this unusually long post (I'm sorry. I got a little carried away), here are some of the links that inspired me this week:

• Get up and Go...to the café: Ah, the café. The stereotypical artist haven, where those seeking inspiration go to observe life in a cosy, warm and friendly environment. This article by Café Fashionista has moved me to rediscover the magic of my neighbourhood café.



• Maybe its just me, but I think using Kool-aid as clothing dye is pretty fascinating. This is one of the DIY projects I want to try out as soon as possible.



• Need somewhere cute to keep your supplies? The monkeybasket blog has just the thing.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. Did the year go by too fast? What did you learn from your past experiences this year? Did you learn anything new about yourself this year and if so, what? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

• Always ask yourself how much of the trend factor does the item have- truth is, if its on sale the trend really is on it's way out anyway. However, if it is currently a trend, is on sale, but suits you and flows with your personal style buy it anyway because its a deal.




• Remember the cost-per-wear (or use): If it's on sale because its already defunct, really low quality or won't last as long as you'd like please pass it over. Because, even if it cost $1 and you only wore it once, instead of buying the $7 sister, you would have worn at least 14 times, it still wasn't worth the $1 you paid for it.(Do the math)




• Don't leave the list at home: It'll stop you from buying things you just don't need, in the heat of the moment.
  



• This is perfect time to buy your classics and basics, investment pieces will have an even greater cost-per-wear than they have usually.




• Don't rush to the cashier: Please try it on when possible, and if you can't try to visualise yourself wearing it. How do you look? Does it flow with the rest of your wardrobe? If not, its a no.

Thrift stores, vintage shops and other discount stores:

• When shopping online look for sellers with a good reputation and a good return policy.




• Look for quality material first before anything else: if the material is still good it can be fitted to your size or used in a DIY project.




• Be resilient: It took me a couple of days of rummaging through several flea markets and vintage shops to find the brooch of my dreams.




• Classics (not really basics though) and unusual accessories that reflect your style are things you should keep an eye out for when shopping in these stores.
  

Shopping your closet:
For a lot of people the idea of 'shopping your closet' became real when the recession hit. 'Shopping your closet' is when you arrange your closet in such a way that it becomes very clear to know what you have and what is available to you, so that coming up with an outfit becomes a whole lot easier. Also, when your wardrobe mimics the clarity of your favorite store, it is easier to identify the gaps in it, which will enable you to know what to buy the next time you shop.

• Hangs ties, scarves and belts so you can easily get to and see them.




• Hang long necklaces and earrings on jewelry trees if you can.




• You can pin smaller earrings on a board or something similar.




• Keep rings in a little partitioned drawer if you can.




• Hang as many clothes as you can.




• Get rid of any and everything you haven't worn in at least a year.




• Keep similar items together.



• Store away things you will not use for awhile e.g. winter clothes in summer.
  
  

On the next part of this series I will talk about making the ultimate shopping list, budgetting and the financial nitty-gritty in budget shopping. If you liked this post and what to follow the series, follow this blog either by email or using one of the RSS feed links in the sidebars.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

• Make a demo of 10 of my songs complete with accompanying music and song sheets.



• Make at least 2 music videos for my songs and 3 for other songs that I love.



• Be able to carry out a 5 minute conversation in French



• Blog at least twice a week every week without fail



• Gather all my poems written to date and work towards an anthology



• Finish one of my novels in pre-edited format



• Choreograph 2 dances.



• Significantly improve my fashion design skills



• Grow in hope and love of life



• Become more organised



• Perform in front of strangers

And here are the preparations I've undergone:

• I've signed up for voice and piano classes for next semester, to fine tune my abilities.



• I just got my first video camera today! Expect me on youtube soon people lol. I have a tripod I just got and also plan on getting a Mac soon for the editing program.



• Got my french books, signing up for conversational classes; don't worry I am Not new to this language.



• I'm practicing by blogging during my finals week! 'nuff said.



• Have the story web all planned already, and introduction has been done too.



• I have been engaging in random and spontaneous dancing almost everyday this past week.



• I have got some drawing and sketchbooks, and I have costuming classes next semester.



• I am Christian and am doing this by becoming stronger in my faith.



• I'm learning to use Excel to make a schedule that I will put on Evernote and take everywhere with me.



• My roommate and I have already made plans to check out this bar/café that the Berklee students play at.

How am I going to do all this? By intense planning, scheduling and use of deadlines, but most of all determination. If you are really determined you can get anywhere in life. And this is the core of this lesson.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. Have you picked a New Year's Resoloution yet? What is it? How did your last one work out? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.