#like I wrote this in about 30 mins and that’s my writing exercise for the day - we can’t expect perfection

[sirenscriptures]

its my dads bday today and he is so loved !!!!! i’m seeing him sunday and i am so happy !!!! life is a beautiful gift !!!!!

[homerjacksons]

Fluffy February - @fluffyfebruary Day 6: Fire Word count: 720 Fandom: Ripper Street Pairing: Homer Jackson/Edmund Reid AO3

Sorry, y'all, this one's a bit angsty, but it's full of emotional h/c and has a fluffy ending, I promise!

Reid was burning. Agony tore through his chest, his shoulder, his back, his breath caught somewhere in his throat. His head swam, blood rushing in his ears, drowning out the chaotic sounds around him. He couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. He could barely see, but he knew he’d seen Mathilda disappear beneath the murky water of the Thames as he was pinned by fire and flame.

A sob tore its way from his chest and he pushed against the weight pinning him down, heedless of the way it scorched his hands in the process. He had to get to Mathilda, he had to save his little girl. He couldn’t fail her, couldn’t lose her.

“Reid,” A voice cut through the ringing in his ears, distant but insistent. “Wake up.”

He groaned, trying to turn his head, but the pain was too much, and he choked down another sharp sob, squeezing his eyes shut. The next time he pushed, his hands met soft, warm flesh, and his eyes snapped open again.

“Hey,” a soothing voice said by his ear, a gentle hand pushing his sweat-slick hair back off his forehead. “You’re okay, you’re safe, I’ve got you.”

Jackson. It was Jackson who held him, Jackson whom he’d been pushing at, Jackson who’d witnessed his complete lack of control, stuck in the depths of a nightmare that felt more real than his life did most days.

His breath stuttered as hot tears streamed down his cheeks, and he felt shame fill him up.

“You’re okay,” Jackson soothed, careful not to pin him in, gentle but not crowding. If Reid wasn’t already crying, that surely would have set him off.

“Sorry,” he choked out, scrubbing his hands over his face.

“Don’t be.” 

Jackson sat up, warm eyes meeting Reid’s in the dim light stealing through the window.

Reid cleared his throat, forcing himself to take a deep breath, cursing inwardly when it shook on the exhale. He pushed himself up to sitting, wincing at the ache in his shoulder as he did so, and watched as Jackson lit two cigarettes, handing one to Reid. He took it with trembling fingers, but couldn’t bring himself to take a drag, the smoke from his nightmare still feeling trapped in his chest somehow.

“You wanna talk about it?” Jackson asked, resting against the headboard, no longer looking at Reid, instead studying the end of his cigarette.

He shook his head and handed the cigarette back, who took it and stubbed it out without question, and Reid half loved him for it, for the way he didn’t push or needle the way he usually did, for the way he seemed to respect the precarious grip Reid had on his own emotions.

“It helps,” Jackson added after a while, lazily turning his head to look at Reid again. “Or so I’m told.”

Reid snorted, barely a laugh, but it loosened something in his chest nonetheless. “Just old nightmares,” he said with a heavy sigh, pleased to find his breath no longer shook. “Sorry I woke you.”

Jackson shrugged, offering Reid a lazy, half-lidded smile. “S’nothing.” Then, after a beat, “Can I touch you?”

Reid nodded, and almost instantly, Jackson’s arm came around his shoulders between him and the headboard, fingertips brushing the scars on his shoulder as he pulled Reid in against his side.

“You don’t gotta pretend life hasn’t fucked you up when you’re with me, Reid,” Jackson said into his hair, and Reid closed his eyes aginst the threat of fresh tears. “I got you, no matter what.”

Jackson pressed a kiss into Reid’s hair, and he felt himself melting into Jackson’s side, the tension he hadn’t even realised he’d been holding leaving his body in a flood. His breath hitched with a sob, and he pressed his face into the crook of Jackson’s neck.

“I promise it’s not always like this,” Reid murmured against Jackson’s skin before leaving a feather-light kiss to his collar bone. “It’s been months since I last dreamt of…of that day.”

Jackson huffed a laugh, letting his head rest on top of Reid’s, fingers still tracing lazy patterns on his shoulder. “I’m sure I’ll pay you back one day, Reid. We all got demons we try to hide.”

“You needn’t hide them with me, Captain.”

“Nor you with me, Inspector.”

[writingquestionsanswered]

I'm not looking for advice this time, maybe some motivation. I'm doing a writing workshop and during class, we are given an assignment, 40 min to write, then we read out loud our productions and all the participants give constructive criticism to the rest. I started this workshop because I'm very used to the comfort zone that I managed to build in my many years of writing, I have my style and voice and, since that works for me, I don't usually try many different things. So this was a really good exercise. 2 weeks ago we were given an assignment, we read it during class and our homework for the next week was to write an extended version of the story we started in those 40 min. Since I'm a planner and I usually write novels, working with short stories is not my forte, and 40 min to me is not nearly enough to plan and write, so of course I wrote the first thing that came to mind. A week goes by, and I worked with the advice and comments my classmates gave me and rewrote it entirely for the next class. It came out clearly better than the first version and after the class, the teacher came to me and told me that there was an open call for a writing contest, in novel format, and since it's the length I'm used to I should work this story and keep writing to send it there. The minimum I can send is 15k words and what I wrote for the class was 1300 words. Even if I don't win, there will be 15 finalists selected to participate in a workshop with a really good writer from my country. It's a great opportunity, I don't want to waste it, and of course, I'm so flattered that she saw my potential, but the story is way out of my comfort zone, it's a pretty hard and sad subject and I'm kinda struggling with it. Your advice for outlining has been gold to me and thanks to the fact that I always try to set a timeline before I start writing, the process will be easier (the format of the story is a little girl's diary). I think I'm sending this because I need some motivation for a project I wasn't planning on writing and on a subject I'm not very comfortable with, but I know I can do it. It's just… a little bit harder than usual. But well, you never learn unless you try new things, right? ✨

Honestly, it sounds to me like you don't need much motivation! It seems like you've thought it through and you're following your gut instinct, and at the end of the day that's all any of us can do. Whichever decision you make will absolutely be the right one. If you decide not to do it, you will find other opportunities in the future that are a better fit. If you decide to go for it, it will be an experience you'll be grateful to have had. There's no wrong answer! ♥

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[boyfhee]

can you tell me what your routine was like when you were in 11th or 12th grade? or basically when you were preparing for neet? alsoo, how did you even do both your school works & your neet?? did you go for any coaching?

Sorry if this seems annoying 😭 i am currently preparing for neet & it's such a headache, like i can barely manage my schoolwork + my neet preparations 😭😭

adding both the asks here because the context was quite similar. i've said this before that you need to find and maintain your own discipline and can't follow someone else's schedule, but i hope my sched can help you navigate around ><

11th & 12th SCHEDULE

the remarkable thing about my senior high was covid ! i never attended a single offline class in those two years— only practicals and exams. that gave me a lot of time to focus on competitive exams, even though i lowkey fucked up my 11th, i was on track the next year.

school work wasn't an issue with online classes. i barely attended those and mostly focused on my coaching institute ! i went to a local coaching, although very reputed, and bought allen's distance learning course for questions. unfortunately, i wasn't able to appear for neet the very year i passed 12th due to a minor surgery. so i took a year to prepare for neet and my schedule was as follows :

6 : 00 am - 7 : 00 am — waking up, going for a walk, exercising, whatever morning routine i had went there. i kept it relatively short because i wanted to put as many hours as possible in studies.

7 : 30 am - 10 : 00 am or 12 : 00 noon — studies ! i usually had my breakfast during that thirty minutes gap between first and second slot. i not, i sat down to study early and got up for breakfast around eight or nine.

12 : 00 noon - 2 : 00 pm — break yayaya >< i watched tv, used socmed and had lunch during this time. again, i wouldn't take this break if i woke up late or got some work that i wasn't able to finish. i left for classes at / around two ^_^

2 : 30 pm - 8 : 30 pm — my classes ! i joined allen last year since it's fifteen minutes to where i live and i needed some sort of guidance to proceed. after my classes, i got back home by nine, sometimes a bit late if i stayed back to discuss a few things with the teachers.

9 : 00 pm - 10 : 00 pm — dinner and rest after classes. tv, phone, or just helping mum in the kitchen if the day was good lmfao. i hate being in the kitchen :/

10 : 15 pm onwards — studies again :> fifteen minutes break to sort get my stuff and all. besides, my dad asks for every update of my day and what i have planned to study the next day etc etc. if my schedule was relaxed, i'd sleep by twelve or twelve thirty but as neet approached, i slept by two and woke up at around eight lmfao TT good thing was, i didn't have classes after february so i followed the same routine except, i started studying at nine after breakfast, till one, got up for lunch, then studies from two to six sometimes seven, an hour break for dinner ( had early dinner during that time ) then studied from either to two at night.

to the anon to asked how i write fics during classes : i had wednesdays off / tests so i used that one day to relax. i usually wrote on wednesdays, sometimes on other days when work load is way less and i mostly queued by posts since i had pre-written ones from when i had time. sometimes, when i finished by studies before 1 am, i took 30 mins to write if i felt like it. besides, my uni was well ... it wasn't my focus. i took biotech and kept it on the side incase i can't do med. lectures were online, no one demanded full attendance, i got notes from friends and only gave tests. my focus were these pre-med classes i attended, and the sched is what i mentioned above.

also, my study hours are higher during classes. i barely have time to write, so i'm not active every single day as you might have noticed before may this year. the time table i mentioned above is an example of timeslots and how i used to manage. 10 hrs avg is now, give and take one or two here and there. also, i never stick to one schedule. i might have exams again this month and i might just dip completely. if not, i won't have to study at all and i might just stay on blr all day.

for neet : juggling between school and coaching can be hard but i don't think i can give appropriate advice since i never had to experience that. if you're in 11th, focus more on coaching ( because 11th science is more difficult imo, and more fundamental when it comes to neet ) and if you're in 12th focus more on school because of boards. the best thing to do is finish chapters ahead of time. say you're learning mechanics in school and thermodynamics in coaching. try to finish thermodynamics from school textbooks as well so you won't have issues when they teach it in school and can focus on what they're teaching in coaching. utilize your breaks and holidays to finish easy chapters, especially biology as a whole and organic and inorganic chem since there's nothing to do except remembering stuff.

this is so long TT i'm sorry and i hope this is helpful even though it's lowkey all over the place .. i'm not as organised as it seems and my sched varies a lot depending upon the day, if i have to go out, tests, etc etc.

[bi-rising]

hey I just saw your post about PCOS being a hormonal issue not a gyno one while I was surfing the tag. I was diagnosed a couple months back and all my gyno did was a 2 min ultrasound and then prescribed me birth control. I would like to have actual help and more info on it but I'm not sure who I'm supposed to go to for that. Seeing as you were in a similar situation I'd appreciate your help.

seems like gynos really suck with pcos, don't they? 🥴 warning you now, this is going to be a very long post, because i'm essentially writing out absolutely everything i did and everything i've learned, so strap in for a ride aldksfjasldf

the first thing to do is research, research, research. i spent a whole week constantly on pcos websites (such as pcosaa and this article, tho fair warning, the article does use academic speech so it might not be the easiest thing to read) and watching videos and doing what i could to inform myself. the way you can know if you're looking at a credible resource is how the source defines pcos: does it pose it as a reproductive system disorder? or an endocrine (hormonal) disorder? if it talks about it as a reproductive system disorder, then it's probably wrong.

please note that i am not, obviously, a medical professional, but this is how i understand pcos works. i'll use me as an example just so i can use first person perspective, but it applies to pcos patients in general.

so, my cells are insulin resistant. that means that when i eat, my body releases, lets say, 100 (x measurement) of insulin. because my cells are insulin resistant, they say "hey, i'm only gonna use 50x of that insulin". but they still NEED that 100x to function. so my body releases ANOTHER 100x of insulin, so my cells go "ok i'll take 50x" and so while my cells now have the 100x they're supposed, to i now have 100x insulin floating around.

that extra insulin not only wreaks havoc on many systems of the body, it is the reason why most people with pcos that goes untreated end up with type 2 diabetes. the extra insulin is also converted (or spurs the creation of? i'm not entirely certain on the how here) into testosterone and other androgen (male) hormones. so your body has too much insulin, and now it has too much testosterone, too. that extra testosterone is what fucks with your reproductive system and prevents the follicles on your ovaries from maturing (which is what the 'cysts' are). it also often creates increased facial hair, acne (especially on the 'beard line'), and worse body odor. between the testosterone and the insulin, it's nigh impossible to lose weight.

also note that because your body has to release more insulin for your cells to get an adequate amount, you likely crave carbs and sugars (salty/crunchy things and sweets), and you're likely frequently fatigued, bc your body isn't, well, working correctly and it's taking more energy to perform basic functions.

secondly, take all this information that you know to your doctor. i legitimately wrote down some notes about this process in a little notebook and took it with me so that i wouldn't forget/get too anxious to bring any of it up. i also wrote down the things i had been doing to help up to that point (working out, what my diet was, etc etc) and what i was concerned about. lastly, i also wrote down what medications and supplements i had heard of in my research to see what my doctor thought of them.

my doctor's first 'attack' choice is ozempic--it's a weekly shot that helps to regulate insulin levels and also is pretty good at helping weight loss. be aware though that most commercial insurances don't pay for this, but if your doctor is good, they'll try to work around that so that you're not paying a frankly outrageous amount for it. also look out for sometime this fall, my doc said that the ozempic manufacturers are trying to get ozempic approved for weight loss (it's approved for other things) and that should help bring the price down?? anyway, that's my doc's preferred method, but because of my finances, we currently can't do that.

his second attack, which i'm now on, is metformin. it's a medication mostly used for diabetics that helps with blood sugar levels which, again, is that insulin issue. my mom has been on it for 14 years bc diabetes runs in our family anyway, so it's perfectly safe for long time use and definitely helps with keeping either away from or within the pre-diabetes phase. again, i've only been on it now two days so i can't say anything for me but we'll see how it goes lmao

he also approved of me using omega 3 (fish pills) supplements because they help balance things out in general, not just pcos, and he was good with me using spearmint, too. i'm starting out on one cup of spearmint tea a day and see how that effects me, but i've heard of people having up to two spearmint supplement pills and a cup of spearmint tea a day, too. spearmint is a 'defense', as far as i can explain it: it has (tho limited) research that it lowers the testosterone levels in women with pcos. so while it doesn't help with the insulin so it doesn't attack the source, it can help with the testosterone aspect, aka facial hair, acne, etc. i've also heard of cinnamon supplements and inositol supplements helping, but i didn't get a chance to ask about either of those from my doctor, so make sure if you want to give those a try, you talk about them and make sure they won't interfere with any of your other medications and get your doctor's approval on them, first.

thirdly, ask about what else you can do to help yourself. my doctor stressed the importance of a proper night's sleep, as well as advised to try to cut back on carbs and sugars (IMPORTANT NOTE: some people claim that you HAVE to be on a keto diet to get results with pcos. WRONG. please don't do this. keto diets are entirely unsustainable. and cutting back on carbs and sugars does not mean cutting them OUT, it just means if you want a snack, try reaching for a protein or a vegetable instead of a carb. but don't limit yourself!! please, be conscious about what you eat, and remember that sometimes yeah, a slice of cake or a serving of chips isn't going to kill you or set your pcos back. don't risk getting an e.d. just for the sake of your pcos). he also told me that the best exercise that i personally should do is either HIIT exercises or cardio, and to do at least an hour a day, even if it's 30 mins in the morning, 30 in the evening--and to work up to that so even doing ten minutes a day, then increasing it from there, is healthier and better than jumping straight into a whole ass hour. he also told me to aim for a certain heartrate. i don't remember the formula he used, but for me at 22 (based on age) he wanted me to try to aim for 150-160 bpm. again, especially with exercise, that was what he recommended for me. you're likely different from me, so ask your doctor and see what he says.

fourthly, and perhaps most importantly, DON'T BOTHER WITH A GYNO. all of this that i've gotten done for me was from my family doctor, so just the guy i go to for yearly check ups. see if you can do some routine blood work to give him (or her) as wide of a picture as possible, and then go in and talk with a regular doctor about this. a friend of mine also has a friend who actually goes to an endocrinologist to get her pcos sorted out, so that's also an option. gynos seem to just treat the symptoms; birth control gives you a regular period by helping with your estrogen, but that doesn't decrease your testosterone OR do anything with the insulin. my doc is keeping me on birth control pills just so that i have a regular cycle so we can watch and see if anything else happens to it, so it's okay to stay on the birth control, but ultimately, birth control pills don't do anything for pcos.

i know it's difficult and probably kinda scary/anxiety inducing if you're younger or just have anxiety, but you've gotta advocate for yourself in this case. you have to show the doctor that you know what you're talking about and that you're able to call him out on his bullshit if he doesn't take you seriously. also, if your doctor is helpful, don't be afraid to be frank with him about what your gyno did. like i've said with my experience, i got the validation of knowing that my gyno was wrong by explaining to my doctor how he treated me. you deserve better than what your gyno did, and you deserve to actually be treated as a person and your disorder be taken seriously.

i'm wishing you the best of luck, and i hope that you'll be able to get the help that you need 💕💕💕

[vortahoney]

Do All of the stay at home asks I want to know all these things about you >:)

Andy you want to kill me I think

1. your favorite playlist

This playlist by @girlboss-keevan either that or this playlist by me

2. how many houseplants in your room, and what kinds are they?

all my plants are outside plants, actually! I’ve got 15 tomato plants, 12 pepper plants, 10 types of herb, squash, green beans, cucumber, and corn plants :)

3. your favourite “grounding” activity

gardening, unsurprisingly. making collages, also!

4. an account on social media whose posts make you smile

galactivist on instagram. absolutely hilarious parody of those instagram infographics that treat big issues like an aesthetic

5. 5 tv shows that cheer you up

Five?? Yikes. Okay, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Gilmore Girls, Gravity Falls, On My Block, and Kim’s Convenience

6. how you get relaxed when you’re struggling to sleep

I do yoga! I’ve got one routine that’s supposed to help with getting better sleep and it’s also really good for calming down. When I can’t sleep I get really jumpy and I turn into a bigger hypochondriac than I already am, so it’s good to have something that chills me the fuck out.

7. your favourite board game

Scrabble <3

8. if you were going to write a non-fiction book on any topic, what would it be?

Probably worldbuilding in sci fi! I’m sure I could offer a lot of advice on that subject.

9. a quote you would consider getting tattooed or put in a frame.

the ‘blasphemy? before what god?’ rant from re-animator

10. something you’ve created in the last year that you’re proud of (a playlist, a piece of art, some writing, a craft hobby, a social media account, etc)

I wrote a story about body image that won a national award, i’m pretty damn proud of that

11. a tip or hack you’ve learned that makes cleaning or tidying easier

you don’t have to do it all at once

12. if you could make a candle that smelt like anything, what would you pick?

closing all the tabs on your computer after finishing a big project

13. the last so-bad-it’s-good joke you heard

what do vegan zombies eat? graaaiiiinnnnsss

14. an artist (of any kind) whose work you look forward to seeing

I recently read The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez and WOW was that book good. I can’t wait to read more of his stuff.

15. the last tv episode that made you laugh out loud

The Future’s End part 2 from Voyager. ‘Tuvok, what a freakosaurus!’ got to me.

16. how you wake your body up when it’s feeling tired, achy or needs a stretch

stick my face in a bowl of ice water

17. a bath, shower, beauty or toiletry product that makes you feel revived, or that you always re-order when it’s running out

cerave hydrating face cleanser. It’s really good for feeling clean :)

18. a book series you can always escape in

Scythe by Neil Schusterman. It’s an odd one but I like it a lot.

19. the sport or exercise you enjoy the most, and what’s helped you get better at it

weightlifting! And, I don’t really know what’s helped me get better at it. Just… doing it I suppose.

20. a skill you’ve picked up in the past few years

I’m not sure how much this counts but making herbal mixes for different situations. Right now I’m drying some pineapple sage, mint, and lavender for my mom’s birthday. They make really good gifts.

21. a YouTube video you find useful, entertaining, or relaxing

The first episode of Fantasy High by Dimension 20. Absolutely LOVE watching people play dnd (just not the action parts, that can get boring)

22. if you were going to dye your hair any colour of the rainbow, what would you choose?

teal! I like that color

23. the book you just finished and what you thought

I just finished The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez and I don’t think I’ve cried that much because of a book in a long time. (No spoilers but WHY Vaila, why did you do that 😭)

24. describe the most wacky, weird and wonderful at-home outfit you’ve put together

Army pants, combat boots, neon pink and blue flannel, and one of my dad’s band shirts from the eighties

25. a game you’re playing that takes your mind off things

It’s called Two Spies and it’s really fun but I’m VERY bad at it

26. the film you watched most recently that you could watch again and again

Saving Face my beloved 🥺

27. your favourite flavour and brand of tea

I don’t really have a favorite brand but I like irish breakfast tea

28. a good-will story you’ve heard on the news that’s made you feel hopeful

Norway shut down its last arctic coal mine! It’s turning the land into a national park. Obviously not going to save the world but it’s nice to know that people ARE trying to help the environment.

29. a favourite easy recipe: 5 ingredients or less, or takes less than 30 min to make

Grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato slices <3

30. a song that makes you want to have a boogie round your bedroom

Transparent Soul by Willow

[nouveauweird]

bullshit-free guide to actually fucking writing your wip

disclaimer: this isn’t a fool proof method. when it comes to writing advice and techniques for productivity I say keep an open mind, but take what works for you and leave the rest. 

disclaimer 02: this is more or less for people who want to eventually publish, but there may be elements in here that benefit hobby-writers.

Where & When You Write

Some people will tell you that your writing routine needs to be sacred. I don’t quite believe that. You can absolutely curate a space for yourself that you aim to write in, but at the same time, focusing very strongly on the ritual of writing makes it hard to create an adaptable habit. 

The Writing Zone: 

Your desk or table should face away from your bed, my mother always swore by that and it stuck with me. If space doesn’t allow for that, consider putting furniture or some partition up so you can’t see your bed. For some reason, this makes focusing easier. 

For those of you who may be bedridden or have limited space, a good bed-desk is absolutely just as acceptable (I am actually planning to get one). 

If you have a space separate from your bedroom, the follow applies as well: 

Eliminate as much distraction as possible from your desk. Your experience of distraction is unique so do what you gotta do to eliminate it. 

Make sure your space is well lit. Background light is essential to avoid eyestrain when staring at a screen.

Your chair should be comfortable, and support your back. Scoot your ass all the way to the back of the chair and try sitting on your thighs as much as possible to take strain off your lower spine (my chiropractor told me this).

The Writing Time: 

You need to make time for your writing. Summer means the sunshine is waking me up at 5:45 AM and it’s too hot to doze comfortably so my ass is up and writing or reading until 7 AM when I gotta start getting reading for the day. If I have to catch the 10:15 AM bus, I’ve for about 4 hours to work with between waking up and leaving. 

I finished July 2019 Camp Nano by writing in the morning. And I’m not even a morning person, I swear.

Make time for you writing. If you can make a routine you can stick to, excellent, if you have a handful of 5-10 minute time-pockets— also okay! The 30 minutes your dinner is in the oven is just as good a time to write as any other.

How do you learn how to write in tiny time pockets, you ask, well here it is: Micro Writing Sprints and Macro Writing Sprints. The former applies to pockets of time under 15 mins, while the latter applies to pockets of time over 20 mins. All you have to do is set a timer and challenge yourself to write as much as you possibly can. 

Another thing to keep in mind is knowing your personal limits. If your attention suffers and you start to wander after 15 mins, keep your sprints to 5-10 minute blocks, and give yourself 5-15 min breaks where you get up, drink some water, move your body and then come back to your writing. 

How to Write More, Faster

You have to kill your inner editor. Or at least subdue them. You can fix a typo or whatever but that’s really it. The idea is that you need to allow yourself to get into a mindset where you’re only focusing on the writing, your prose is allowed to be a mess. Insecurity and doubt have no place here, only writing.

Your first draft doesn’t need to be clean. You get to clean it up when it’s done. Stephen King says you write your first draft with the door closed, and the second with the door open, and I like that saying a lot. The revision process is actually way more fun than I thought it would be. I get to make fun of myself for my weird writing quirks— every single one of my “most common errors” in my Grammarly report is about misusing commas!— and restructure and improve upon the foundation I laid with the first draft.

If you come up with something that changes something significant to your story, write a note about it, and then continue on with your draft like it’s been that way the whole ass time. Do not go back and change things. Just keep writing.

Learning how to do Writing Sprints allows you to quickly get into the habit of putting everything down as fast as you can without overthinking it. Because the real thinking is for later, when you’re revising. Essentially these Sprints enable you to get into the writing zone much faster, so feasibly you could write in small time-pockets at the bus stop, in a waiting room, on the bus—anywhere.

Outlining will make you write faster.

Yes I am pro-outlining, please don’t click away because of that, because I also still think that you need to use what works for you, and if you’re reading this something isn’t working, so please keep your mind open.

The very least you should try is preparing or pre-planning what you need to write for your writing session (no matter how short). You will write more and faster this way. Most of all, you will be less likely to “wander” around. 

I wrote out a small fragment-filled paragraph of what needed to happen in the first few scenes of my July 2019 Camp Nano project and got them out more easily and faster compared to when I didn’t. I wrote sustainedly in 30 minute time-pockets with a great deal of focus when I prepared my writing before actually writing.

Your WIP Outline

What if your outline was also actually super connected to your character sheets? Libbie Hawker makes this sound so easy in her book “Take Off Your Pants” in which she broke down some very interesting ideas on how to build your characters and your story that I hadn’t previously considered. 

What I ended up with was something like this: 

CHARACTER NAME Character: write down the basics; age, career, small relevant facts Flaw: what problem do they have that hinders them External goal: the thing they want that they can’t get unless they overcome their ‘flaw’ Ally:  who pushes the character toward their goal when they stray Antagonist: who has same or aligned goal, but with different motives and execution Events:

Opening scene

Inciting event

Character realizes external goal

Display of flaw

Drive for goal

Antagonist reveal

Thwart 01

Revisiting flaw

New drive for goal

Antagonist attacks

Thwart 02

Changed goal

Ally intervention

Renewed Focus

Battle

Death

Outcome

End: success or failure or neutral result with regards to overcoming ‘flaw’

The stuff under the “Events” category is stuff everyone has seen before in narrative charts, and it won’t be the last time you see it either. You can use or discard or repeat them however many times you need to. I still think this plot chart that I made it great for figuring out pacing, so check that out if you need some help there.

You can also apply these to series, where the character’s “Flaw” and “External goal” change as the narrative progresses. 

All of these parts are explained in Libbie Hawker’s book, but I’m happy to explain if you DM me! 

I applied a central idea for my WIP “Hyacinth Stalks” and all the central characters share a common idea with regards to their flaws. Hawker recommends filling in this information for all central characters, and working in which events which characters will interact in. 

The common idea is that my characters are “holding onto the past to feel more in control in the present”. Juliet Shain maintains habits of maintaining a “perfect athletic body” in the same way she did as a dancer five years earlier. She can’t exercise that same control over her mental health, which she struggles with, because of questions she has pertaining to the accident that lost her her leg remaining unanswered. 

Juliet’s ultimate goal is closure about the accident, which she won’t be able to access unless she stops holding onto the past and in turn the idea that the accident “ruined” her. 

I can apply the same things to Alana Murdock, another central character in “Hyacinth Stalks”, who, because she could only rely on herself after her sister’s murder while her parents grieved and her brother cut all contact, rejects her brother’s attempt to reconnect in order to protect herself in the present despite the stress of the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Hyacinth Killer’s disappearance. Her goal, would be to make it to the Olympic Volleyball team, which she won’t be able to do unless she stops isolating herself.

I can now approach the Events sections with more clarity because I know what the characters’ goals are and what their hindrances are as well. I can apply the same ideas to the other central characters, as well as the Serial Killer and weave their stories into the narrative as well. When you have a strong character arc, you can build a strong story.

When you can answer the questions about your character(s) you can fill in those Event sections with far more ease, and begin to break those sections down into chapters, scenes, or beats, with as much or as little detail as you want. Libbie Hawker’s method involves writing out paragraphs worth of scene details before actually getting to the writing. She says this isn’t necessary, but that for her it eliminates “wandering” and any doubts about what needs to be put on the page. 

Personally speaking, I lie somewhere in the middle, wherein my scene outlines involve small paragraph or bullet points for what needs to happen. 

Hawker has written books in 21 days, so there is definitely some magic in her method. In her book, Hawker details that creating her outline took 4 hours. When I outlined “But a Monster” it took a week (5 days), and despite not having had her method then, the existence of the outline made writing the novel much clearer and focused, which my writing had not been prior to admitting I needed to give outlining a chance. 

All writing advice is a tree of wisdom

Take what benefits you most and leave the rest. 

I have fully taken the advice that I have attempted to explain here. I read in “5000 Words Per Hour” by Chris Fox and “Take Off Your Pants” by Libbie Hawker and felt incredibly inspired and motivated, but some of what they say or eschue doesn’t resonate with me or my craft. I have to do what works for my writing, and if I’m happy with the pace the work is going at then alright! 

What I’ve written here is meant to give you new ideas on how to be more productive. I read the books that helped me come up with this because I felt like something was lacking in my writing routine and I had my eyes opened. I hope I have opened yours too and that your work benefits from this.

[portraitdelajeunefilleenfeu]

no one asked me any of those questions on that ask thing, so, since it’s quarantine and i have nothing better to do, i’m just gonna do ‘em all.

a soft, stay at home ask

1. your favorite playlist (made by yourself or someone else) - this playlist i made of all of my favorite synthmusic

2. how many houseplants in your room, and what kinds are they? - none

3. your favourite “grounding” activity (anything that involves using the hands/doesn’t involve “spacing out” or escapism - something like gardening, knitting, dancing, cooking) - making gifs

4. an account on social media whose posts make you smile - @ladyonfire28, @pensoakspaper, @tenemos-que-hablar, @bereaving, and whatever portrait nation people i happen to run across on twitter, that have made a good fancam or crack tweet, but i don’t know any of them really

5. 5 tv shows that cheer you up - the x-files, killing eve, parks and rec, seinfeld, the golden girls

6. how you get relaxed when you’re struggling to sleep - listen to a soothing peaceful song, put on the golden girls, sit up and read for a bit

7. your favourite board game - monopoly

8. if you were going to write a non-fiction book on any topic, what would it be? - idk probably a biography of one of the women i’m obsessed with

9. a quote that you would consider getting tattooed or putting in a frame - “ne regrette pas, souvenez-vous,” and many, many quotes by hayley williams

10. something you’ve created in the last year that you’re proud of (a playlist, a piece of art, some writing, a craft hobby, a social media account, etc) - several gif sets, and i’m pretty proud of the huge shifts i’ve made w this blog this past year

11. a tip or hack you’ve learned that makes cleaning or tidying easier - the key is listening to good, motivating music while doing it

12. if you could make a candle that smelt like anything, what would you pick? - THE SMELL OF PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN RIDE AT DISNEYLAND (if you know, you know)

13. the last so-bad-it’s-good joke you heard - i can’t think of one lol

14. an artist (of any kind) whose work you look forward to seeing - anything céline sciamma writes or directs, any film my 3 faves are in, and any new paramore music

15. the last tv episode that made you laugh out loud - dix pour cent 1x02, line et françoise

16. how you wake your body up when it’s feeling tired, achy or needs a stretch - crunches, starbucks blonde roast, some loud music

17. a bath, shower, beauty or toiletry product that makes you feel revived, or that you always re-order when it’s running out - i really like close-up toothpaste, but it’s hard to find, and old spice champion body wash

18. a book series you can always escape in - his dark materials by philip pullman

19. the sport or exercise you enjoy the most, and what’s helped you get better at it - i think it’s still ice skating, and i’m not good at it because i don’t get a chance to do it very often

20. a skill you’ve picked up in the past few years - this is going to sound silly, but i feel like i’ve become a lot better at focusing on the positive and using the law of attraction

21. a youtube video you find useful, entertaining or relaxing - just one? no, there are many, and here are a few: pastry chef attempts to make gourmet cadbury creme eggs, adèle haenel fast & curious (2019),  ‘over yet’ workout video - hayley williams, angèle ‘balance ton quoi’ [clip offciel], colors of portrait with céline sciamma, pastry chef attempts to make gourmet butterfinger, adèle haenel cannes 2014 télérama IV (w eng subs), paramore - rose colored boy (official video)

22. if you were going to dye your hair any colour of the rainbow, what would you choose? - well, i’ve dyed it a lot of different colors, but the first color that came to my mind right now is purple

23. the book you just finished and what you thought (no spoilers!) - what.. no lol i haven’t finished a book in a while, but i’ve started like 5 books

24. describe the most wacky, weird and wonderful at-home outfit you’ve put together - who wrote these questions lol. i hate to be boring, but i don’t really have anything too wacky

25. a game you’re playing that takes your mind off things - duolingo french and toon blast

26. the film you watched most recently that you could watch again and again - ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ahhh ha.. lol

27. your favourite flavour and brand of tea - beartrap by david’s tea, but they stopped making it, and PG tips regular

28. a good-will story you’ve heard on the news that’s made you feel hopeful - oh, lots of them about people helping each other out during quarantine, and there’s a lady in my building who put up a sign in the elevator offering to help elderly people and people infected who can’t go out

29. a favourite easy recipe: 5 ingredients or less, or takes less than 30 min to make - not my favorite, since i don’t cook much here, but here’s a good one: 3 ingredient, no sugar added, applesauce

30. a song that makes you want to have a boogie round your bedroom: 3am - halsey

now you do it.

[homeschoolbase]

Being home

Being home

Here is something I wrote today for a blog. It is pretty relevant to suddenly all being home together. Hope it can help someone.

New to working from home? Feel like you might spontaneously combust at any min?

Don’t worry, I understand. My name is Jesse. I am a software developer with Provide, and have some experience with working from home.

 A few years ago I went from traveling and working outside to almost overnight having to change everything and stay home. It was not an easy adjustment, to say the least. 

 Then almost as abruptly we pulled our son from public school and started homeschool. 

 There were a lot of bumps and bruises along the way. This is always going to be a learning process, however, with following a few simple guidelines, it can be very rewarding.

 My first piece of advice for right now is remember you are all in this together. Be overly respectful of your families space and schedule.  If you notice your wife likes to take her calls in the kitchen, use that time to pick up your laptop and work from the back porch a bit. Get to know each other’s routines and make them compliment not clash. 

 Here is a basic routine I follow

 3:30 am. Quiet time. This is when I do all work that needs total focus. Writing code Updating live software etc. I can get a lot done when the world is sleeping.

7:00 – 8:00 Coffee for me tea for my wife and food for the kid! We use this time to visit and talk about the day.

8:00-9:00 Meditation time for son, then get his school lessons going and answer school questions. 

9:00 – 1:00 Work and school. In this time I take a break for breathing exercises, well more like not breathing ( for free diving), and some meditation.

1:00-3:00 Time to eat! This is first meal for wife and I and lunch for the starving teenager. We all cook together and eat together. And watch him clean up together!

3:00-6:00 Chores, workouts and fishing

6:00 – bedtime We cook dinner together, eat and clean up. The rest of the day we kind of make it up as we go. Sometimes a movie, sometimes bed, sometimes dinner takes a little longer.

This schedule works pretty well for our family. I am sure everyone is a little different but the important part is having a schedule, not what it is. This helps you stay focused and also helps you work together. If we are all trying to use the workout room at the same time it can get a little crowded, or if I am trying to meditate while the boy needs help getting his daily assignments we would have a problem.

 I really struggle here. Not with making a schedule, that I am great at. My problem is I tend to get a little obsessive about it and get frustrated if anything interferes. 

 Make a schedule and stick to it until it gets changed!  It will happen. You can make all the plans you want. Things will change. You can get upset and frustrated, or just roll with it. This is new and a learning experience for all of us.   Ok now for the kids. 

 I am pretty sure the main goal in their life is to break your focus. As I am writing this my son has just called my name, over and over, to let me know the dog wants to go on his loft bed. This is compounded by the fact I have attention problems and now all I can focus on is how bad of an idea putting our clumsy dog 6 foot up on a bed with our clumsy kid is. 

 So how to cope with this:

Well after I finally put the dog up I sat back down and started writing again. Distractions happen. Deal with it. 

 I hope that somehow this helps you get through these transitional times.  

My top pieces of advice are:

Have a schedule

Meditate

Workout

Don’t worry if your schedule changes

Be super aware of personal space your family is now co-workers

Laugh a lot

[shiftyskip]

My Grandpa’s Diary- Pete Rakiewicz

Keep in mind this is boring. My grandpa didn’t do much during the World War. He didn’t jump out of an airplane, drop bombs, or kill anyone. He owned a monkey named Cheetah (because she cheated at cards) and killed time. But war isn’t always insteresting, sometimes it’s boring one side.

But I found his diary and it’s one of the only things of his other than his wartime harmonica than I have left of him. I thought I’d share it with you.

4/7/45 Saturday

It's been one full year on this island today (Oh, Brother)

Orientation at 1300 hours. Played poker, won about seven bucks. Took a shower, shaved, washed items of clothes, & brushed teeth - all in 20 min. Wrote a 3-pager to Pugs. Listened to Hit Parade. No. 1 song, Accentuate the Positive, was sung by Lawrence Tibbetts & it was murder no end! Sold ½ case of beer for Four Checks. Hit the hay at lights out.

4/8/45 Sunday

Went to church & communion, made Easter duty, last service of Father Neagle. Rec'd letters from Janie & Marion & 2 from Pugs. Wrote to Janie & Marion. Had tough time getting a vehicle from motor pool. Drove down to hospital to see Bearman, stayed 10 min, returned to area in time to see movie "And Now Tomorrow" starring Alan Ladd & Loretta Young. Did some bookkeeping. Hit the hay just before lights out.

4/9/45 Monday

Read Time, Look, Pic, Yank magazines. Forgot Novena & class in practical electricity. Rec'd letters from Johnny & Pugs. Wrote Pugs a 3-pager. Drank one beer just before lights out. Insect made noise like a riveting machine, spent 15 min. tracking it down with flash-light, threw pest out the door. Hit the hay no earlier than 2330 hours.

4/10/45Tuesday

Read new Time magazine. Watched part of basketball game - then the lights all over the place dimmed out - generator trouble. Saw movie "Ministry of Fear" with Ray Milland & Marjorie Reynolds - she sure is a sharp looker. That's against my motto 'cause I don't go for blondes. Wrote to Johnny. Hit the hay at 2230.

4/11/45 Wednesday

BUSY DAY - BUSY DAY

Used rake on movie area. Grenade range - expended but one, which took up rest of morning. Miller, our driver, nearly got done away with thru his own carelessness of course. He pulled ring, released lever, prepared to throw it while it was sizzling. Lucky for him he didn't hold it long enough to explode.Socked the new punching bag till my arms nearly fell off. Put together the parts & pieces of a grenade to keep as a souvenir.

4/11/45

Saw good movie "Hollywood Canteen" with millions of stars & Joan Leslie & Bob Hutton. She's awfully nice-looking -- my ideal of a girl friend. Was part of a general discussion session which was held after the movie in the mess hall. C.O. gave main points on TDRR&R & rotation. Questions asked were answered to the best of his ability. My choice was TDRR&R, the technical army name which in all respects is just a furlough with immediate return to same overseas outfit. Hit the hay at 2310 hours.

4/12/45 Thursday

Mess hall inspected by a General (Gilbreath) was not to his liking. Later, Bn, C.O. looked it over and also found it the same way. Fixed water barrels. Sprayed oil to kill grass around our barracks. Went to movie, saw"Greenwich Village" (Don Ameche - Vivian Blaine), "The Fighting Lady" story of a carrier narrated by Lt. Bob Taylor, U.S.N.R. a short on the birth of a B-29 Superfort. Wrote 3-pager to Pugs. Hit the hay at 2310 hours.

4/13/45 Friday

Last nights movie took in more than three hours. During the night, a detail worked on mess hall so it could pass the inspection tomorrow. Col. Trower is expected to be the inspector. Cleaned our barracks also for the inspection & we better pass 'cause I sure don't like working on Sunday. Punched the bag again till the arms nearly fell off. Finished Lesson 12 in bkkg. It's ready for mailing. Had a slight storm, rain came in sudden burst came in buckets and just sudden it stopped. Wonderful place for fishes in this place. Saw movie "Mark of the Whistler", Richard Dix. It was sort of a stinkeroo, just as bad as Lawrence Tibbett's singing. Wrote a two-pager to Bob's folks in answer to the letter of theirs that I received today. Have yet to write to the kid bro. Hit the hay at 2240 hours.

4/14/45 Saturday

Read "Valley of Silent Men" novel - pretty good.

Author James Oliver Curwood. Orientation 1300 hours. Passed inspection. which is a mystery to me. Paid in advance for Monday's beer. 6 bucks. Indulged in poker, came out a little ahead. Saw movie "Dark Waters" Merle Oberon, Franchot Tone - Fair. Missed Hit Parade. Listened to records in orderly room instead. Hit the hay sometime after 2300 hours.

4/15/45 Sunday

Yesterday received two letters one each from Pugs and Mom. Mom said she mailed radio & extra tubes to me, April 4. Dick may go home on leave (I hope so). Went to church, new priest, Father Kuhn.

Played softball, won 9-8 in extra inning. I stunk. Had three ice creams at P.X. Bought two Park lighters. Indulged in poker, came out a little ahead. Washed clothes. Didn't shave 'cause my face was a bit sunburned from this morning's softball game. Intended to take pictures but time flew too fast. Saw "Winged Victory" - fair. Should write a letter to Mom & to Pug but I'm too tired. Hit the hay at 2230 hours.

4/16/45 Monday

Stood memorial parade in honor of president's death. Had most of morning off, in which time I had my picture taken 3 times. Wrote to Dick, to Mom & a three-pager to Pugs. Had ice cream & cokes at P.X. Missed half of Novena. Saw movie "Rainbow Island" Dorothy Lamour & Eddie Bracken - fair. Hit the hay right at lights out.

4/17/45 Tuesday

Bought four tubes of Ipana, my favorite tooth paste, yes, yes. Watched basketball game. Bn won. It's about time the M.P.'s got beat. Saw movie "One Body Too Many" with Jack Haley, Jean Parker - fair. Wrote to Frank Powers. Hit the hay at 2130 hours.

4/18/45 Wednesday

For dinner we fried ourselves a steak with french fried potatoes & onions. Toasted my bread a bit and everything went swell with the beer I had stacked away. Didn't get any ice cream -- the line at the P.X. was from here to Madison Ave. Group was alerted last week, been packing ever since. Saw movie "I'll Remember April", Gloria Jean growed-up to nice proportions - fair. Played pinochle. Hit the hay at 2245 hours.

4/19/45 Thursday

Third time this week we had fresh sunny-side-up eggs. Had two bits worth of ice cream & coke. Sprayed oil to kill grass around barracks. Received letter each from Pugs, Mom, & Treble. Wrote a three-pager to Pugs. Gave five beers to Joe Bucher for nix on account of two of his buddies came to see him. Hit the hay no earlier than 2200 hours.

4/20/45 Friday

Wrote to Trebie. Saw movie "Keys of the Kingdom" Gregory Peck, Thomas Mitchell. Good, something on the order of "Going My Way." Had a bull session of memories on things we remembered most from back home. Hit the hay at lights out but didn't start chasing forty winks until about 2340 hours. Two pictures were good from the two rolls that were taken Sunday & Monday. (Give me strength)

4/21/45 Saturday

Read Reader's Digest. Orientation 1300 hours. Played softball against the officers, trimmed 'em alive. For myself I got one good double & a fielder's choice. Score 12-2. Washed a stack of clothes. No movie tonight for a change. Indulged in poker, was going O.K. till Kraft sat beside me. Then I lost 7 bucks. Forgot to listen to Hit Parade. Hit the hay at lights out.

4/22/45 Sunday

Went to church - 0830. Straightened my junk. Borrowed camera from Biff because we were doubtful about Bob's. Took pictures, one whole roll. Wrote to Bob's aunt & uncle in answer to letters of theirs I received yesterday. Heard Sammy Kayes's program. Turned in shoes for salvage. Got a serum shot in left arm. Hit the hay just at lights out.

4/29/45 Sunday

Co. now packing boxes. Special details only went out to work. Worked fifteen & one-half hours on Tuesday. Sprayed D.D.T. on clothes. Bought turtle-shell necklace for seven bucks - it's for Pugs. We were all set to move but the ship isn't docked as yet. Church service was given by a missionary, performed in our chapel. Been playing poker all along and I either won or came out even. Hope it continues to my benefit. All during the week we had it pretty easy - except MON. & Tues. when we tried to get ready for moving.

5/6/45 Sunday

Received letters from Janie, Bob, Moe, Bob's folks and Helen. Answered all except three of four from Pugs. Turned in roll of film to be developed next Tuesday. Saw quite a lot of movies - among them "Kismet" & "Murder My Sweet" - both were good. Received picture from Sailor Dick - he's changed a bit already. Also got a letter from Mom. It has to be answered today, Sunday. Haven't received radio as yet -- but I guess it's due in this week. Had training lectures all last week with afternoons off. Calisthenics gave me sore muscles - cadence exercise for twenty minutes all last week, Due to see "Guest in the House" tonight. Reveille was changed from 5:30 to 6:30 - good deal. Movie was changed to "Here Comes the Waves". Golly, that Bing can sing! Answered Mom's letter.

5/7/45 Monday

Played poker, lost a few bucks, then won to get back to my original thirty-five. Saw "Guest In the House" starring Ann Baxter, Ralph Bellamy - good picture, she did a nice bit of acting. Had more of same stuff of last week. Forgot to mention we had from seven to ten shots in the last ten days.

5/9/45 Wednesday

Packed all our stuff & equipment, emptied the barracks. The band played solid for us right in front of our company. Went to see three-fourths of "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". Then we were called to the company area. Piled 100 fellows, duffel bags, packs etc. into cattle truck. Left at nine o'clock, boarded the Bluem Fontaine, a Dutch (?) ship, at ten.

5/10/45 Thursday

Docked at Tulagi in the morning. At sea sometime in the P.M. In the next two weeks we had air raid drills, exercises, long lines for P.X. & chow & you had to be a contortionist to find a decent place to park your carcass. Chow wasn't any too good. The hold was next to hell. I had five days of K.P. & it was murder.

5/24/45 Thurs.

Docked at Batangas, P.I. in anchorage. Hit the shore in "Ducks". Flips greeted us with joy. I caught a blister-rash which caused me a lot of agony. Made friends with Jon, Mary & Eusabio. Invited to a chicken dinner. It was good. The first three days we slept in pup tents - with centipedes crawling over our stomachs. Then we changed to pyramidals. The first thing I noticed was that most of the kids had jungle ulcers all over their legs. Then we moved to the Guadalupe ruins on the outskirts of Manila. It was another hill-camp almost like Guadalcanal.

6/4/45 to 7/16/45

Stayed in camp most of the time, saw quite o bit of movies. That lasted about 5 to 6 weeks. Then Ronnie introduced me to Lydia and you couldn't find me in camp. Her brother taught me basic tango and rhumba. Rec'd my radio in good condition. It came 7-7-45 or thereabouts. Also about this time, I rec'd the photo album from Pugs, filled it with pictures I had on hand.

[tokyotwosome]

A French Excursion

Toulouse 

7/29/2018 - My first taste of Europe began in the south of France, in the city of Toulouse. My expectations of France stemmed from books and movies, which truly limits you to two senses; sight and sound.  Naturally I expected to see breathtaking architecture and streets filled with centuries of European history. What I hadn’t anticipated were the other senses we would experience; the smells, the flavors, and the feeling. As I write this segment of the blog, I’m sitting on the terrace of our hotel as the sun rises to awaken the city. You can hear the vrooms of mopeds weaving through the alleys. You can feel the fresh breeze of the crisp morning air with a hint of a summer scent drifting with it. It’s something capable of forcing a pessimist to smile. The temperature is a comfortable 69°F (about 20°C). I’m sipping my morning “café – coffee” as I wash down my “chocolatine - a chocolate croissant”, that we bought just last night while walking around the markets. While other visitors come out to their balcony, you greet them with “bonjour” as if you’ve been saying it for years. There isn’t a skyscraper in sight. Just brick buildings upon brick buildings that look like they all have a story to share. Rob has spent several days already completing an extended business trip at Airbus. While he’s at work today, I am off to spend my first day exploring the city, solo. 

As mentioned, Rob had been spending some time at Airbus, providing product support. Through work, he made a friend at Airbus (Julien), who invited us over for a late dinner at his place. Julien’s girlfriend and I spent the day sightseeing in Toulouse. At dinner, Julien, prepared us duck soaked in red wine, served with rice, French pâté, cheeses of all varieties, meats, and more. Then we washed it all down with some rum, where our new friend showed us how to prepare it properly. Julien told us about his home country; a tiny island nestled to the east of Madagascar. A fun and delightful way to spend our last night in Toulouse. 

[a free tour inside the Capitole de Toulouse Building, pictured above] 

To sum up a few interesting facts I learned in my first few days in France:

There’s a TV tax - used to fund local French TV networks. 

Business isn’t always open – With Paris being the exception, hours of operation tend to vary in France. Sometimes it’s too late in the day for a croissant at a café. Or sometimes it’s too early for dinner and all restaurants don’t open until 7:30 PM. A way to avoid this is by going to bakeries for baked goods and then going to a local park. It’s much more efficient if you’re on the go, downside being you miss the outdoor café on the street atmosphere. Apart from food, boutiques are typically not open until 10 AM  or so. Oh and Sundays? Forget about it. Many of the French truly live by exercising their day of rest. That goes for shops as well. Need not worry! There may be a local outdoor market open.

Bakeries are no joke – Bread is the staple of this country. It was a major player in the French Revolution. Seeing passersby with a baguette in their bag is in no way unusual. There’s a bakery around every corner, each item a soft, fluffy, piece of heaven. You can smell the bakeries in the street, making it impossible not to stop and snag a pastry. 

Cheese is also no joke - The French cheese puts our cheese to shame. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a nice Wisconsin sharp cheddar as much as the next guy...but French cheese is savory on a whole other level!

Bordeaux 

7/31/18 - Next stop, that’s right you guessed it; wine country. We decided to rent a car, a manual no less. A French car; a Peugeot. It was about a 2-hour drive north of Toulouse. Having experience driving a manual, I thought what a thrifty idea. Let’s not get into the narrow European one-way streets...eventually, we made it to Bordeaux. The city itself is just that, a city. Where were the acres of vineyards? We would soon travel 20 min east to Saint-Émilion to find out. But before we head out of the city, we stop by the Bordeaux Wine Museum. The Museum included a tasting and allowed you to explore the smells and sights of wine around the world. It was cool to see Yakima Valley (a Washington region) being recognized as a world-renowned wine within the museum. Wine is a big contributor to romance; the museum touched on that countless times. An interesting take on wine. After grabbing a French lunch buffet, we head out towards Saint-Émilion. The streets start to quiet and those vineyards finally make their grand appearance. 

Our Airbnb sat within vineyards and the city we’d just left behind was a world away. This is the kind of countryside life where you can really forget about your troubles. The next day we had an electric bike tour planned through the  Saint-Émilion chateaus and little did we know what an exceptional experience it would turn out to be. 

Our tour consisted of 8 riders and one guide. Our guide Julie was a local French gal, sharing her knowledge of the area’s history as we zigged and zagged through the back roads of vineyards. We learned about the importance of the soil; the area mostly comprised of limestone and clay - the perfect soil suitable for merlot and cab franc. The other 6 riders in our group were all Australian and what an entertaining lot they were! As we made our way through the hills, we eventually made our first stop at Château Panet. Here we walked through the Château where the wine was being made, learning about the process along the way. We ended the tour with an outdoor picnic of wine, cheeses, meats, and breads. We chatted with the rest of the group, learning that they all are from Melbourne. One of the riders complimented me on my accent, which was the first and likely the last time that will ever happen. Who ever thought an American accent could be “charming”? 

Our final stop on our tour was Château Saint-Georges, a true castle once owned by the king of France. We walked around the breathtaking grounds, stopping to try the smells and flavors in the garden. Each item in the garden was carefully chosen to help represent different notes within the wine. They also told us about how much the weather impacts the harvest, and why you often hear wine connoisseurs say things like, “2015 is an excellent vintage” or “that’s a good year”. We learned how you identify older wines vs younger by the color. We discovered so much about wine that we didn’t know, in such a short span of time.

Paris

8/3/18 - Paris, the world’s most visited city in the world, is its own breed. Comparing it to the rest of France isn’t a fair comparison really. We stayed at an Airbnb apartment within the heart of the city. Everything was within walking distance, with places like Notre Dame just a short walk away. Sure, in a city like Paris you’re going to come across a few homeless people digging through the trash and you have to be mindful of the possibility of pickpockets. If you’re able to avoid this and/or not allow it to spoil your visit, Paris can be very charming. Keeping a loose agenda and simply walking along the river, stumbling across places as you go, is the best way to do it. We stopped by a cafe, where a friend of a friend had just opened business (Jozi Cafe). He gave us some great advice on things to see and things to avoid. We joked with him about how he’d never been to the Louvre, much like we’ve never gone on Ride the Ducks in Seattle and how you’re often not the tourist in your own city. We visited Shakespeare and Co. bookstore to check out the 1920′s gathering spot for famous writers such as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. We even bought Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway, a nonfiction that he wrote describing his time in Paris. Don’t forget to have the store clerk stamp your book with a Shakespeare & Co. stamp before you go! 

The Eiffel Tower - the symbol of romance in Paris. You can find an Eiffel Tower in the states on shirts, bags, or home decor. Seeing it in person really depicts its grandness. We needn’t bother go up the tower; we simply wanted to see it up close and in-person. Our 4th Wedding Anniversary we spent at a restaurant on the water, just beneath the tower. While enjoying our meal and our view, we did our favorite thing to do when we travel; people watch. We noticed our server speaking Spanish to the table to our right and French to the table on our left. He spoke English to us, so this was pretty impressive how he could just switch gears in a matter of moments. Tipping is not a custom in France, but you can certainly leave one if you feel the service was superb. While the boat tour on the river had been going on for hours, we opted to skip it during the day. The weather was hot, muggy, and uncomfortable. Instead, we did the tour during the sunset which proved to be both romantic and a much more comfortable and rewarding experience. 

We spent our last day at The Louvre. We managed to see all of our favorites within 3 hours. The renaissance paintings being our favorite. Liberty Leading the People left the biggest impression on me. It was a must see and I wouldn’t recommend skipping it if you’re in Paris. Overall, we loved France and have every intention of visiting again one day. Travelling really teaches you a lot of lessons and opens your eyes to the big beautiful world out there. You also learn a lot about your own country through the perspective of other countries. Our craving for travel continues so stay tuned! We aren’t certain where our next trip will be. Brazil, Hong Kong, Singapore, Iceland, and the UK are all on the horizon. Thanks for reading; until next time.

[mathematcs]

hello and welcome to my first studyblr post!! i’ve seen a ton of these around, but not many have all the tips i’ve learned throughout high school. i go to a private preparatory school and i’m top 5 in my class and i lead many extracurriculars. last year was the CRAZIEST year of my life, but with a certain mindset & only a few all nighters, i managed all A’s in all advanced courses. So, here are the tips i’ve learned!!

write stuff down!!!! i know it is the most obvious thing, but writing down anything you need to remember, whether that be homework, tests, quizzes, events, due dates, reminders…anything! checking off these things at night is so satisfying and you won’t forget anything important. when i’m in the #zone, my mind often thinks of stupid questions/thoughts. I’ll jot these questions/misc. thoughts unrelated to what i’m focusing on to come back to later and explore!! (for example, i was doing an frq for econ and i thought of doing this post, so i wrote it down in my journal.)

organization. there are so many masterposts out there to help you with organization. my method included binders & comp. notebooks.. that’s about it! i’m not very organized

get to know teachers. this is probably what helped a lot my junior year. not only is maintaining good relationships with teachers good for you, it can be beneficial to your grade as well. when you make friends with teachers you always have someone to talk/rant to & they always give you the inside gossip about teachers/other students. have coffee/lunch w them, or talk about theories from the class they teach. they give you a lot of perspectives on the course and cool ideas!

manage your time. again, another broad statement. but what i did every night kept me sane. my schedule every day after classes (including saturday) was: 

practice until 5 

extracurriculars until dinner (6:30-7) 

minimal homework until done (usually 1-2 hours)

study for 1+ hours if needed (8-9 pm)

enjoyment time (at least 30 min)

while this may not be a lot for most people, it was a lot for me and i needed time to make myself happy. school and friends make me happy, but so does alone time. putting this minimum of 30 min a day (if i don’t fall asleep before that) really helped me get through demanding courses because i had an incentive. this schedule also helped me avoid procrastination!! ALSO, I prioritized like hell. Honestly, if homework was a completion grade, I wouldn’t try at all unless i needed the practice. Same goes with classes. the ones i had high A’s in, i would sometimes sacrifice a homework grade in order to get enough sleep or study for another test. while this is not the most ethical way of doing it, it helped.

Avoid procrastination. procrastination is your worst enemy. I used to be so bad, but now i’m getting better. this is key. in order to beat procrastination, you have to have self discipline. simple as that. get inspired. for many of you, it’s your studyblr community, for me it was for personal pride and competition. you must execute to get the job done. it will be worth it in the end.

do the little things. put away the phone. put music on if it helps. stretch a little. get some water. get as content and comfortable as you can when you study.

SLEEP!!!! that’s all i can say. sleep sleep sleep. it’s important. i know life is busy, but make time for sleep if you can. mental illness is a bitch, and sometimes it can make falling asleep hard. i know. just try your best & that’s enough. anytime i had free time during the day, i slept. nothing is more important than sleep, and if i didn’t get at least 8 hours of sleep the night before, i tried to catch up as best as i could. your brain needs a break to refuel and you will feel refreshed the next day. 

Eating healthy. i rarely see this tip around (maybe i’m not searching hard enough) but i think it’s important. eating healthy is excellent for your brain function & body function. it’s hard, especially in college, to have to motivation (or money) to make your own dinner, lunch & breakfast everyday. but. it’s. worth. it. i can’t stress this enough. i feel more awake and energized at school and workouts and your body has to have these nutrients to keep functioning well. 

Exercise. gross i know, please don’t hurt me, but exercise goes right with eating healthy. the better you feel about yourself, the better you will do in school. simple enough. you will have more motivation, energy, and happiness with a good diet and exercise. running daily and occasionally swimming gets me though the week, and while sometimes i don’t want to workout, i always feel good in the end. find something you like doing and stick to it. try to work out 3 times a week. after every workout, i am always motivated to study

UNDERSTAND THE MATERIAL. it’s so obvious, but so many people just memorize. while you have to memorize any new thing you learn in the beginning, there is a time when you must apply what you memorized. you must actually think about why this term/concept is what it is based on memorized facts. you must see the whole picture and how little things relate and why they do. last year i realized this and it worked wonders. for me, if i understood the big picture, i knew the facts by heart. it dawned on me that you must train the mind to think. when going through notes, quizzes, tests, and studying i always asked myself why is this important and what it relates to. retention. is. key. understanding, and not memorizing facts will help so so much!!

STUDY BUDDIES. i can’t stress enough how much this helped me. coming from a boarding school, it’s easy to work on homework with friends all the time. to review for a test, my friends in the class would all meet and discuss the material. i’m an auditory learner, so this worked 10x better. what i’ve learned is that if you can teach it, you know it. when i could explain concepts to my friends, i knew i didn’t have to study that. if questions came up when i was trying to discuss my line of thinking, i revisited my notes and tried to understand why i didn’t get it. if we had study guides, we would all do the question and discuss why we got our answers after. for me, discussion is the best way to get new perspectives and ideas as well as understanding the topic better. (i also love talking so).

ask questions. even if its stupid. even if you’re just curious. always ask them. 

study environment. outside (if it wasn’t terrible weather) is where i love to study with friends. if it is snowing or raining, i go to the library or a local coffee shop. it really just depends on my mood. find an area where you feel the most productive!

[davidjjohnston3]

[Top Shelf TS TK 1989 "Copper" / Apple v. Samsung Dumb Truck Edition] - It's been a while.  How have you been? - I am taking a few classes.  I could've graduated early with AP credit but Mom and Pop said stick around a while. - Publish any poems? - Only in Poetry.com that publish everything =/.  I wrote some poems.  I published poems in my high school's literary magazine.  OTOH my friend who got dinged from the HS lit mag is not publishing a novel through a literary agent associated with William Morrow.   I am not sure if / whether to write or what.  I am young and don't have anything to say except silly fancies and dreams or nostalgia / the past. - John Updike became a published author at a young age. John Updike went to Harvard and had been valedictorian of his high school.  He was physically diminuitive and psoriatic(?).  His dad was a math-teacher and John Updike was a part of the "Silent Generation(?)" along with the likes of Richard M. Cheney and Joseph Lieberman.   When Mr. Updike was a boy as he recounted in "Self-Consciousness" he did not know that he was poor.   He also said he liked the Great Depression because it froze everything and everyone was kind and honest(?) and caring(?) and forebearing.  OTOH Mr. Thomas Wolfe recounted in "You Can't Go Home Again" that men were putting on suits with nowhere to go and bankers et al. were killing themselves. Years later I had a pretty good time in the Great Recession because I was already at 23 a little sick and tired of "money-grubbing(?)" and feeling like I had to have a giant-sized life.  My friend Miles Patrick Klee got a good job thanks through his dad and said, "Maybe our lives won't be as big as our Boomer parents'."   * "How have you been?" "I don't know.  It's not a very long walk to the office from here.  Thank you for your kindness and caring for me.  I have been eating pretty well.  I think I eat at least one apple every day.  You and your skin look as though you have been eating pretty well as well.  I have also been weight- and strength-training for exercising and running intervals on the inclined treadmill and walking.  Koreans think that it is strange to walk at night around everywhere in unknown neighborhoods, or so I am told.  But it helps me stay fresh for the kids especially in October and November.  And in any event how have you yourself been Miss Park."   I don't recall what she said.  We had reached the office steps already, and now that I recollect, we never took stock of each other's way of climbing stairs.  I do not think we ever went either up or down any flight of steps together / concomitantly / paratactically, as the BD also had a lift or elevator which the other company employees liked to utilize. On the 5th floor "Grandmother Gaya Harp" produced her Gaya Harp for me and my "nearest and dearest friend in KR." "California wine?  This was expensive wasn't it?" They gave us an egg, and we shared the egg.  Then years later I remember earlier how I had gone to Barnes and Noble on Route 22 and looked at the mane / neck of the white horse on the Cormac McCarthy novel in which the man ate the tortilla, the woman watched him eat, and years around then Dr. Prof. and Korea-lover Mr. BR Myers wrote that the author of "All The Pretty Horses" was approximately "hysterical realist" and there was no good reason to write like that.   He was a vegan and then started writing about North Korea in "The Cleanest Race How North Koreans See Themselves and Why It Matters" in which he said they were like a spontaneous large-handed high-cheekboned cis-Varangian(?) child-race with spontaneous and perfect genius that the Great Dear Fatherly Loving Motherly Perfect Yesunim Squared(?) Leader had to superintend always and e/Eternally. "It wasn't that expensive honestly.  43,000 won?  The department store sommelier had a very lovely and ingenious face; I have no good and perfect word or name for how her face is or was or always is going to be like.  Maybe her name from her father and mother is Lee Ji Hye or so.  How are your family?" "My dad's sad about my body.  My brother thinks I'm human trash.  Sis is perfect as ever - the saint-hero son my father never had.  I'm still the favorite." Later or earlier he talked about Min Jin Lee's first book and said he read only 30 pages or and then got tired or had had enough; I understood yet not.   BigBoss said "reading makes a full man."  But he might have said that living and seeing and reading life and "seeing the world with the wife of your youth" (Proverbs? - Isaiah?) would too make a full man.  The Curriculum and Instruction professor said that she was a slow reader in her university and they made a pun of her father's / family's name with "procrastinare(?)."   I had become a fast reader but I didn't care / felt zero investment in fictions like "Dogwood Hill Magnoliaville Carolina or Alexander Theroux Bradley Evans Banana Hanabataka(?) / Bouquet / Nosegay Kangaroo Manbag Kkoom."  I liked to read official documents such as my speeding ticket from the New Brunswick 08901 PD that said "and then and there did [crime]."   * Years later or whenever Professor Minister Good King David Cameron UK / Team GB gave a speech like as what Mrs. Amy Chua would if she wasn't "hanzi-smirking."  The name of the speech was "Life Chances."  Mr. / Dr. / CEO Lee Sooman said that some people received 1 chance, 3 chances, or 100 chances in their life(s).  

*

- What’s in Japan?  Why would I go to Japan?  There is a green dark water natural water at the end of the gargantuan anthracite waterslide known as the cannonball in at Action Park New Jersey whereat then and there people expire on the speed falling waterslide or drown in the violent violin repressive panning for fool’s gold locomaniamotion of the soi disant wave pool.  I was watching End of the Eldarvangelion once and “Affect Queen Warrior Princess Dutch Girl Oh Hayoung’s Spirit Archangel” said sometimes also cold water would thermally expand her breasts because Christianity is a rebellion against evil.

[cw-s12]

Welcome to Another Weekly Wrap Upppppppppppp 🎉✨

This week was a wonderful mix of videography, podcasting, photography and writing. Let's get into it!

Mon 12th

We had a session with Richard Pascoe today about photography. He taught us about the basic elements of photography: Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO. As someone who has a camera but didn’t know too much past the basics, this was a great session as it gave me the opportunity to learn about elements of photography I could put to use. We even had a 30 min exercise where we had to go outside and take a picture of something and give it a headline. I’m hoping to use the tips and knowledge Richard gave us to improve on my camera skills.

Tue 13th

Today we talked to Suchandrika about The Art of Podcasting. She told us about her experiences as a journalist and podcaster and about the podcasts she's known most for - The Freelance Podcast and Black Mirror Cracked. As a podcaster, it was great to hear about her experiences and learn about promotion, branding and content. I also found it really helpful asking her about figuring out how to transition the niche of my podcast and whether that was something I should announce or just go ahead and do. I’ll definitely be taking the tips Suchandrika gave us into my future podcasting work.

Wed 14th

Today we talked about ‘How To Pitch and Write Blogs & Articles’ with Habiba Katsha. She took us through her experiences as a freelance journalist, gave us tips on how to pitch effectively and how to create our own successful blogs.

I found this session really helpful because as a freelance writer myself, it was great to hear from someone who has had more experience. It can sometimes feel like you’ve got to figure out a lot of things on your own, so being able to ask Habiba questions was really helpful and reassuring.

We also got the chance to pitch to her in individual groups. My group’s pitch title was ‘Where Are All The Female Music Producers?’ and after discussing it in our break-out room, we did some research and found some really shocking statistics on the number of producers in the music industry that are women.

We included these in our pitch and Habiba gave us great feedback on how to improve it, like narrowing the scope of its focus to just the UK.

I also got a great book recommendation from this session that I’ll be adding to my wishlist: Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta

We then had our second session with Chris Forrester where we focused on ‘Creating Positive Thoughts’. We took the negative thoughts that we’d written in our homework and changed them into positive affirmations and a mantra for ourselves.

This session not only gave me some tools to assist in starting my day right, such as writing a gratitude list and reciting my mantra and affirmations in the morning, but also gave me tools to help in the long run.

One thing I wrote down from this session that really spoke to me was: “After an apparent failure, we can place negative thoughts and feelings on similar situations in the future” and I was really struck by the importance of not letting “failures” from the past define how I feel about anything that seems like a “failure” now.

Thurs 15th

Today, we had a session with Michelle and Tomi about the Vlogstar Challenge. As well as some practical exercises to get us comfortable talking about things we’re passionate about, we were told about the rules and given some tips on shot angles, lighting, sound and editing.

We also watched some previous Vlogstar entries and winners, and it was great to see how different the videos were and how creative people got with their vlogs.

Fri 16th

Today I planned and filmed some of my Vlogstar Challenge entry...but you’ll have to wait to see the finished product 😉 I’m hoping I’ll get all my recording done today so that I can do my voiceover and finish editing it by tomorrow.

Whew, lemme go take a nap. See you next week!

#Ibukun #CreativityWorks #MT_Futures #MediaTrust

[lohaku-side-blog]

Hey so @namilafraise tagged lil’ old me

1st rule: tag 9 you want to know better

2nd rule: bold the statements that are the truth

APPEARANCE: - I am 5'7 or taller - I wear glasses (cool red ones) - I have at least one tattoo - I have at least one piercing - I have blonde hair (bleached but still)- I have(dark) brown hair (I mean, my roots are ?) - I have short hair - My abs are at least somewhat defined - I have or had braces.

PERSONALITY: I love meeting new people - people tell me that I am funny - Helping others with their problems is a big priority to me - I enjoy physical challenges - I enjoy mental challenges - I am playfully rude to the people I know (that’s because of love) - I started saying something ironically and now I can’t stop saying that (”bro”/”m8″/”Gr8″) - there is something I would change about my personality (stop being so DAMN anxious for no reason).

ABILITIES: - I can sing well - I can play an instrument - I can do over 30 pushups without stopping - I am fast runner - I can draw well (*coughs*) - I have good memory - I am good at doing math in my head - I can hold my breath under water for over a minute - I have beaten up at least two people at arm wrestling (do little cousins count ?) - I can make at least 3 recipes from scratch (what is cooking ? I struggle to get one onigiri done) - I know how to throw a proper punch

HOBBIES: - I enjoy sports - I am on sports team on my school or somewhere else - I am at choir or orchestra on my school or somewhere else - I have learned a new song in past month - I exercise at least once a week - I have gone for runs at least once a week in warmer months - I have drawn something in past month - I enjoy writing (and I hate reading what I’ve wrote haha) - Fandoms are my #1 priority - I do some form of martial arts

EXPERIENCES: - I have had my first kiss - I have had alcohol - I have scored winning point in the sport - I have watched entire TV series in one sitting (hahaha what is even my life at this point) - I have been at an overnight event -I have been in the taxi- I have been in the hospital or ER in the past year - I have beaten a video game in one day - I have visited another country - I have been to one of my favorite band’s concerts

MY LIFE: I have one person I consider my best friend (*wink wonk*) - I live close to my work/school (10 min by car from Uni) - My parents are still together - I live in the United States - There is snow there I live now - I have hung out with a friend in past month - I have a smart phone - I own at least 15 CDs - I share my room with someone

RELATIONSHIPS: I am in relationship - I have a crush on celebrity - I have a crush on someone I know - I’ve been in at least three relationships - I have never been in a relationship - I have admitted my feelings to a crush (in another friend’s house, talk about timing) - I get crushes easily - I have had a crush over a year - I have been in a relationship for over a year - I have had feelings for a friend (She was my friend first, then my girlfriend haha)

RANDOM: - I have break danced - I know a person named Jamie - I have had a teacher that has a name hard to pronounce (Geography teacher. My mother used to call him “Où est le dragon ?” -Where’s the dragon- because it sounded similar to the guy’s name) - I have dyed my hair (not quite dyed but bleached for over than 2 years now) - I am listening a song on a repeat right now - I have punched someone in a last week - I know someone who has gone to jail- I have a broken bone - I have eaten a waffle today - I speak at least two languages - I have made a new friend in the past year.

I’m not tagging anyone (Okay yes I'm tagging someone : @mesmerizingbroccoli coz ur awesome bro n I wanna have proof that u exist u cryptid) bc people I would wanna tagg don’t like that sorta things haha

Thanks for wanting to know more about me, Nami ! Reading yours was fun

[shytiff]

Small July Wins

1 - atikah and racheel came over, oa webinar (rheumatology), duolingo (DL)

2 - they ended up sleeping over, DL, "attended" pak Kus' webinar just becausee hes my skripsi advisor

3 - a page of padi cbt, idai webinar (respiratory disease in covid era), DL

4 - ran 3 laps in my house complex (afterwards my heart was pounding against my chest), hopecardis webinar (arrythmia), DL

5 - 1 ma article (moluskum kontagiosum), perkani webinar (congenital heart disease), DL

6 - DL, idai webinar (pregnancy and newborn stuff in covid era), put sheet mask on lol i neglect my face a lot lately

7 - accompanied juan with mom to perbanas institute for sbmptn, while waiting we went to lucky cat and imeri to get apd, picked up juan, went to social pot (kokas) afterwards, DL. Lucky cat was empty, the vibes of a cafe felt new to me (it surely has been a while). I felt super refreshed. Did some writing for ma article there. Tried salmon and black olive spaghetti, caesar salad, mom drank piccolo. The spaghetti kinda tasted like mi telor but with salmon lol. Talked and laughed plenty with mom :) i rarely talk with her nowadays. Im glad the awkwardness melted away

8 - videocalled with apa salahku for gaby's birthday, zoom for school prep (covid safety stuff), a bit of cbt padi, DL

9 - negative rapid test alhamdulillah, fk digital (kejang anak), cbt padi, DL

10 - some exercise, talked with shiko on zoom, DL, aand since i started padi CBT i finished 2 tryouts (150 questions). It’s not a lot but Im proud of myself :)

11 - went to tj duren with ara, but while we wait the n95 seller we went to citraland, tried fried salmon roll at shigeru, ended up meeting the guy at cl, afterwards we got pisang goreng madu bu nanik, went to rodalink pesanggrahan, ended up getting seirockya at puri, and then i dropped ara off at tj duren. Theeen i went to devis place to hang out and sleepover. Lots of foods. Delicious "lava cake" made from instant brownie mix. Played werewolf. In the morning i managed to finish the pre and post tests in OCI Covid. Happy tummy and laughter :) i hope i can be more productive after this

12 - DL (thank god i freezed streak for weekend because i completely forgout about it yesterday), during sleepover @ devi’s we watched love for sale, a copy of my mind, and love for sale 2. The frustration is real bruh we rly wanted to know more about Arini. Did UKDMA (2 attempts, score: 24, 58), wrote 1 MA article, sorted my downloads folder a bit. After ‘wasting’ (happy times is never a wasted time but still, there’s stuff to do) my time yesterday i felt more urge to do something useful

13 - actually started my day with DL and padi cbt wow (brain still fresh from sleep), CBD about BPPV with dr Widayat. Since ive experienced one before i asked and asked and asked lmaooo. Packed up some of the stuff for tomorrow, hoping to not forget things. Read the journal for litrev before bed

14 - DL, first day of school after a while -- turns out weight distribution is key to avoid sore butt LOL. You kinda have to also support your body weight on your feet. Theres no sore butt at all during my 50 mins trip (amazing feat if you ask me). Went to poli rhinologi (DPJP: dr niken) she kindly gave me a patient to examine, and casually told me to put anterior tampon. I, who have never attempted it, was holding back my fear of trying something new lol. Alhamdulillah, i can somehow do it (even though one tampon fell, tiffany paboooo). The ppds kindly explained stuff to me and i feel like i shamelessly ask nowadays. Like it would be a waste not to ask something. Next was CBD @ Ara’s, we ate Ayam Bakar Mas Walid. Liqo with kak Kartika.

15 - DL, did litrev in the morning bcs i fell asleep lmaoo, tweaked tumblr a bit (i like low contrast the most), fell asleep while watching larynx anatomy video until 1:30 pm yalll i missed half of cbd. Tried to read stuff for poli larfar tomorrow.

16 - DL, ppds i met today lives in poris and worked at puskesmas kalideres lmaoo. Had a bit of headache and gassy stomach that felt better after sleeping and eating. thank god i was picked up by mom and theres food and stuff. i guess the difference of being at home and kosan is that you kinda remember more who youre fighting for. my mind felt healthy-ish lately, of some sort. but the headache made me sluggish

17 - DL, nevermind about the healthy mind part lmaoo

18 - DL, physical activity, padi cbt (after 200 questions i was today years old when i realized there were answer keys on telegram 👁️👄👁️), read optima tht batch 1 2020. Watched khs playing chess blindfolded against try guys and then i was purely amazed by what the human brain can do. It somehow motivated me to study lol

19 - DL, finished optima pem tht batch 1 2020, made 1 cbd ppt, webinar "holistic skin rejuvenation", free mindset tryout

20 - DL, haven’t got minicex but at least im trying to stay hopeful!1!, read the notes from today’s cbd since i basically only heard the whole thing on my motorbike like a podcast, did nasal irrigation n took a slow release vit c

21 - started the day with some stretches and squats, trying to drink more water!!, listened to kak dela's tips for ukmmpd from mindset, DL, read a bit abt epistaxis, the clear wallet i ordered from china finally arrived, edited 1 buku pld article

22 - was in poli onko this morning w ara, a patients consciousness was decreasing so code blue was activated. Finished poli at 1 am. It's been awhile since I last saw emergency situations. Went to maison weiner, ate almond croissant there and bought chocolate sourdough and chicken pie. Despite not getting minicex, the road home was not hot, the sun hidden away. The wind is breezing, podcast is on, talking about mindfulness. Todays quite a good day. Im healthy, insyaAllah. I hope my family will also stay healthy. Woke up at 11ish pm, DL, made my ppt for lcbe exam ((tomorrow)) til 1 am

23 - DL, lcbe exam with dr arie (turns out he picked epistaxis over sinonasal tumour), met up with racheel devi silvi at mcd and jco. Hojicha oreo mcflurry tasted good. Got lost on the way to racheels house lmaoo. She flies to malang tomorrow. Can i wish for life to stay simple and happy forever?

24 - DL, originally meant to be a minicex session turned out to be story time by dr Ezzy, she told us about cases that she managed, one of them is putting on tracheostomy for a baby with Moebius syndrome that went viral on twitter. We didnt even present our case and she only asked us for the scoring form. Thank you doc our lifesaver :”” after trying so hard for minicex the last 2 days turns out maybe its fated so we can meet and be inspired dr Ezzy. Mom picked me and we went to Maison Weiner before going home. Passed out from 6pm until the morning lmao

25 - a bit of exercise, DL, tried kemonyu.id mentai from duta garden, i’ve had better mentai than it but at least its on promo. it uses butter rice so that’s something new to me. rapat nemo to decide dates

26 - DL, liqo with kak Kartika about things you can do in Dzulhijjah, A2, started reading optima pem dv batch 1 2020

27 - DL, round was cancelled bcs no patient, lazed around and slept and lazed, continued reading pem dv optima, did like a half of 1 pamela reif video and my HR soared in 2 mins lmaoo

28 - DL, finally mustered the will to finish DS etika profesi, finished reading optima pem dv batch 1 2020, 2A, did 1 pamela reif video (titled 10 mins calorie burn that wont kill u), read a bit of my dv notes

29 - DL, ppds at poli were so kind!, ate shabu2 by mom and basically fell asleep

30 - DL, made ppt PKL, alhamdulillah PKL went ok with dr ika

31 - watched annabelle comes home and suicide squad with keisha karin juan, DL, relatives came to our place, ara also came for a sleepover and after i picked her up we went to dajens place lmaoo they set up bbq