Tip #14

Mt Tip for Today is:

Just do it!

A couple days ago there was an announcement at school saying the university pins have arrived fro grade 12 students and that we can go pick them up at student services. I heard this and pretty much ran to student services (like literally ran). Once I got there I found the letter which was personally addressed to me and tore it open.There is was a bunch of random numbers; my university pin. I could not wait to get home so I could show my mom. She knows how anxious I've been about the whole situation. Once I got home I showed her and we both were excited for me to apply. But I didn't. Not yet at least. I don't know what I'm waiting for, I just don't want to send in pretty much everything I have been working towards since grade 1. I keep telling myself today is the day, but then I find some lame excuse as to why I can't do it. Ill notice: the kitchen could be tidied up; that I need to do laundry; I forgot to run my errands which I should do; or if I'm desperate enough, I'll even do all of my other homework and then tell myself I'm tired and watch Grey's for the rest of the night. That's okay though, I will do it this weekend for sure. I've promised to myself I would have it done before the holidays. So that I can (somewhat) be stress free over Christmas Break. I'm applying to the Business Faculty, which I am beyond excited about. I love everything they have to offer! The co-op programs, the courses, and the program is set up wonderfully. My first year courses are mandatory and already selected by the University. I find this great because then I don't have to stress later on about which courses I want to take! But none of this really matters if I don't apply soon! I will post about my application experience no later than Monday, I promise!

Tip #13

Today's Tip Is:
Be excited for the holidays!
The countdown is on; there are officially 21 days until Christmas! Until then; school work is going to be nuts. I am currently working on 3 different essays all due within the next few weeks. Wow, things are really crammed. For some reason teachers think its a great idea to assign a load of schoolwork to do over the break. I however, do not see what is so appealing about that. I mean come one, I want to spend quality time with my family where in a stress free environment. But sadly, I don;t think those exist anymore. A couple Christmases ago I was in Hawaii (I know right; poor me), and yet, I was freaking out the entire time about getting my work done. The only nice thing about having to read a book for school was when I got so sit on the beaches of Maui and soak up the sun while learning! Was Hawaii ever amazing. Last year I went to Maui as well and stayed in the same condo resort; Kamaole Sands. It was gorgeous; right across the street from the beach; Mai Tai Wednesdays; outdoor BBQ pits so we could cook dinner under the Hawaiian stars every night. It was truly amazing!

This was basically the view from our room! Nice, eh?

Here is me and my siblings on one of many beautiful beaches  in Maui, Hawaii.

Tip #11

My Tip Today Is:

Take advantage of Field Trips.

I absolutely adore field trips. I love missing school for an entire day to go and explore parts in the city! Okay well not really explore since most of our field trips have been to the same museum every year... but I still learn something every time I go! As much as I love sitting down and digging into a rich textbook, there are some things that I need to learn through experience. Take science for example. I find science textbooks and worksheets difficult to get through on my own. But when an experiment is conducted right in front of me, I feel like I really understand it's purpose.

But my favourite part of going on a field trip is buying food from the cafeteria! My school has a cafeteria too, but it's so much more fun to buy food from a new one. This is because sometimes there are better french fries or they have the option for me to buy a Slushie. Even though my mom makes me take a lunch so I don't "waste my money", I manage to sneak my lunch to some kid in my class who forgot theirs. And then I'm free! Free to buy whatever I'd like to, in an exotic cafeteria, with an unlimited amount of money! 

Another fun part about field trips is the bus ride! Being on the bus is like being in a classroom with no rules. Teachers have no control. It's awesome. All the students do is sing songs until we are told to shut up.

 

Tip #10

Treat Yourself
Once in a while it's great to treat yourself to something you don't normally do or have. About 3 weeks ago I paid 50$ to have my nails professionally done. I always seem to want to pay to have them done constantly, so once they grow out. But I've realised that why I love them so much is because I don't have them all the time. By getting them done once a year I really appreciate them compared to if I were to have them done professionally all of the time.
I think it is really important to every once in a while cut yourself some slack and take a small break. Whether it is taking a day off of school or work or even something smaller like getting your nails done. As humans we aren't built to work, work, work all the time. Everyone needs a little bit of relaxation time where they can just  take their minds off things and be stress-free for a few hours!
If everyone took 1 day per month (weekend or weekday) to just snuggle up on the couch all day and watch their favourite movies and T.V. shows and eat their favourite junk food and worry about the calories later, everyone could feel a little less stressed out.
Speaking of curling up on the couch and watching your favourite T.V. shows... I have a few recommendations: The O.C., Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy and Vampire Diaries :)

Tip #9

My Tip Today Is:
Look Through Your Old Music.
Just the other day my mom dug up all of the old CD`s I have and brought them to me. I found my Planet Pop 2001 and 2003, S Club 7, Britney Spears and my all time favourite, Shania Twain`s Up Album. What so great about listening to my old music is it brings back memories from my childhood! I remember that I always used to listen to my Britney Spears cassette tape when I was really young. Maybe 6 years old. And that is when I lived in British-Columbia. So every time I hear her song From the Bottom of my Broken Heart I always picture myself swinging on the swing set we had in our backyard while Mom and Dad were doing their gardening. Listening to music is something that can really effect my mood. And it is so hard to explain to someone how I feel when I hear a song and think of an important memory.
I have seen Shania Twain in concert, and her concert is the first that I have ever seen! I have been listening to her CD on repeat in my car. And I sing so loud when I hear her song`s especially. I have been listening to her music since I was little and I have think I have a different memory for each song. Her music is actually very inspirational. Some of her songs tell really great stories behind them. She went through some really rough times and I appreciate that she was able to make something out of them so that she could move on with her life. I love her music and probably always will. I`m so excited that my mom found those old CD`s. It really is a fantastic blast from the past.

Tip #8

My Tip Today Is:
Have a Little Hope
I`ve always believed that (I know this is kind of cheesy) but life is what you make it. School-wise, especially, I need to go into a test or exam confident that I will do well. And even if I`m not feeling like I did too well at least I can can say I tried my best.
Ever since my cat ran away I have tried my best to stay positive and not give up in him. I have been searching through my streets at 10 o`clock at night calling out ``Coco! Coco! Come here Coco!`` And yes I am aware that anyone who does not know what I`m doing probably thinks I`m crazy. But I don`t care. I just wanted my Coco home. I would continue this process every night for the whole week. Every night until tonight that is because my Coco came home this afternoon! My mom was working from home, and she would go out side every now and then to call out for him. He finally responded to her with a ``meow`` and he came around the corner in the backyard and into her arms. Since then he drank an entire bowl of water, ate some tuna my mom treated him to, and slept all day on the couch on his favourite blanket. I can tell he is glad to be home!

Me and Coco snuggling! :)

Once I got home from school all I did was snuggle with the little guy! Poor thing, he lost so much weight, and not to mention very quickly. But I`m sure he will gain it all back within a few days. I`m so glad that my family was persistent with tying to rescue him. Even though it was hard trying not to think of the worst, we kept up our search until he came home safely. I`m so glad he is home. I hope he never even attempts to sneak out of the house again!

Tip #7

My Tip Today Is:
Exercise
I had forgotten how great you feel after a hard workout! About 2 years ago I tore a ligament in my knee and had to give up sports. I had stopped working out in general just because I felt like I no longer had a reason to since sports were out of the picture. But just about a month ago I started getting back in to working out. I mean I'm not doing any sort of intense training but I am slowly rehabilitating my knee. And since about a month ago I have really been feeling better about myself. I suddenly feel more energised all the time, and willing to get up off my butt and go and do something productive!
After my surgery roughly 2 years ago I had completely given up. I was bitter when it came to watching people play sports. Mostly because I was not willing to put in the effort to get better so that I could eventually play soccer, volleyball and touch football again. But its different now, I am willing to try and I have been putting in a real effort to make it happen!

I really do feel a difference in myself since a month ago. Maybe it is because I had stopped exercising for so long that I really hadn't appreciated it until it was no longer an option for me. My plan is to continue to exercise at least 4 times a week to get back into shape, but also to feel better about myself in general. I think everyone should have a workout routine that they could do just for 20 minutes every second day (at least). If people did this, I guarantee that they will see a positive difference in the first month.

Tip #6

My Tip Today Is:
Drink Plenty of Tea

Not only does tea rehydrate you just as well as water does, but it is also such a soothing and relaxing drink to have when you are stressed out or feeling under the weather. I have had a cold for over a month now, and I've been drinking 2-3 cups of tea a day, and wow does it ever make me feel good. Tea is one of those drinks that you can have anytime during the day. Whether it be right in the morning to perk you up, in mid-afternoon with a tea biscuit or even after dinner while you slowly digest your Sunday evening dinner. I'm not such a huge fan of caffeine so I prefer herbal teas. But my absolute favourite tea is peppermint! I love how fresh it tastes.

Now, when I am feeling slightly under the weather (which I am right now) I tend to drink lots of green tea with plenty of honey in it. It is so soothing on my throat that I just can't get enough of it! I wish I could drink tea all day: on my way to school, during all of my classes, once I've returned home...etc.

The best time to drink tea is when you have nothing to do after school but to go home, snuggle up in your bed with a hot cup of tea and watch Grey's Anatomy, which by the way, goes very well with tea.

I think that if everyone were to drink at least two cups of tea a day, they would #1 Become More Hydrated, #2 Become More Relaxed and #3 Feel Better Over All.

Tip #5

My Tip Today Is:
Well, toady I'm going to take a break from tips...

I love cats. My friends say that I will grow up to be a crazy-cat-lady... but I think I already am. I have three Siamese cats named Coco, Cuba and Mishou. Today is going to be a bad day because, well, one of my cats has disappeared (I blame those darned Trick or Treaters). He must have somehow escaped my house last night when we were giving candy away. Coco is the eldest of the three kitties, and he is definitely the head of the house (in his eyes). Cuba and Mishou don't really know what to do without him bossing them around! Oh Coco. My biggest fear is that since he has been in indoor cat his whole life, he won't know how to survive outside. And it's starting to get cold out and I don't know what the little guy is going to do on his own. I hope he can find his way back home, because otherwise... well I think I know what will happen.

I just wanted to take this time to apologise for saying mean things to you (Coco)such as a jerk, and my least favourite cat and that I don't love you. I just said those things out of frustration, I really do love you. Anyways, I guess I never appreciated you until you were gone. Now I feel like crap. Please come home to me soon <3

Tip #4

My Tip Today Is:
Go All Out

From Left: Me, Erin, Olivia, Gaby

I've never really went all out for Halloween, until this year. My friends and I dressed up as the characters from our favourite childhood T.V. show. We dressed up as the Teletubbies, Erin being Tinkie-Winkie, Gaby being Dipsy, myself as Lala and Olivia as Po. We made these super cute homemade dresses, each of them being in our own colour. We made headbands that show the specific symbol for each Teletubbie and even bought fish-net nylons in our own colours! We decorated ourselves with coloured gems and even found matching cardigans! It was a mission to make the dresses and we even lost a Teletubbie in the process but it all worked out in the end. It is so worth taking the extra steps to make yourself look good. I really enjoy showing up to school when everyone is complimenting us on how good we look. It is my last year of high school and I've decided that it is worth the memories to really put myself out there and really go all out.

Tip #3

My Tip Today Is:
Offer Your Ideas
Every single person on this planet is capable of coming up with great ideas. By giving your input on things you are offering the world diversity and change. Somebody needs to step up to the plate and deal with whats going on. Just the other day, my senior class decided that we would put together a thriller dance for Halloween. It was very short notice, since we only had about 3 hours to practise in total. My best friend Olivia and I decided that we should lead the class in the dance. So on the spot we quickly came up with an entire thriller dance (based on a routine that we had done previously). I do believe that there were other people who would have been willing to offer themselves to taking charge, but they didn't offer soon enough I guess. Anyways, I'm really excited for this dance because just after one practise we figured out almost the entire dance. By combining our moves and ideas with timing and with the ideas from the class we came up with some great steps! You never know how things will turn out  unless you try them for sure. It is pretty intimidating to go up and teach dance moves in front of 50 people when I'm not even a dancer. Oh well, at least I offered up my ideas!

Here is the link for the dance we came up with. (Be patient, the dance doesn't start until about a minute into the video).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU00FfpUgnw

Tip #2

My Tip Today is:
Manage your time
Trying to balance schoolwork, university applications and friends while trying to work a part-time job for a few hours a week is actually not as bad as it sounds. One thing I do that helps me manage my time is I have picked one day of the week to simply get organised. Every Sunday I wake up, shower, and then start my day off by cleaning my room and my bathroom. I do this while having a load of laundry running. By lunch time I am usually almost done cleaning, and can begin my homework. I find this "Tip" very effective for myself and frankly, I don't see why everyone doesn't do it! It is refreshing to have one day in the week where I don't see friends and just focus on me. I love feeling relaxed. And by being at home on a Sunday night, homework and stress-free really is one of the best feelings. I believe that being stress-free really effects your overall, well, everything. By having a plan and thinking about my schedule I am able to be happier around my friends and family, and I also even get good grades. Work goes a lot smoother and I am generally happier in general. Everybody should have a plan to manage your time.

Tip #1

My Tip Today is:
Always appreciate.

For my birthday my boyfriend bought me a beautiful light pink cashmere sweater. It was so sweet of him to spend the time to go downtown and buy me a lovely gift, especially with his busy schedule. I could tell once he handed the gift over to me that he was quite nervous for me to see what he had picked out. Once I opened the gift, I told him it was a gorgeous sweater and I loved how he picked out light pink (my favourite). I tried it on and it looked absolutely horrible on me. Unfortunately due to how short I am, it went all the way down to my knees, how embarrassing. Instead of getting upset I just laughed it off and said that it was my fault for being short. He seemed pleased that I didn't react negatively about it, and he even offered to exchange it! That means that the two of us could go shopping together. I absolutely love shopping with him. I can't wait to pick something out with him. Even though the gift that he bought me didn't quite fit me properly, I really love how he took so much time into buying it. He said buying clothes for girls is the hardest thing ever. I really do appreciate him and all that he does to try and please me.